Questions for Elder Harris' nieces about Christmas in Mongolia

Kinzie and Addisyn were curious how the kids celebrate Christmas in Mongolia, so they sent Uncle Marc questions.  Here are his answers:

1. Do the kids sing Christmas songs? 

Yes!  Kids and most people know the American Christmas songs but have no clue what they mean!  haha

2. Do they know who Rudolph is? 

No they don't.

3. What do they call Santa Claus? 

They call him Santa Clause like us, but older people call him "Winters Old Dad."

4. Do they put a tree up with ornaments? 

No they don't decorate homes....no one has the money to do that, and you can't buy that stuff here unless you are really rich. But in Ulaanbaatar, the city is decorated like Christmas with big trees and lights and music, but not in Choibalsan.

5. They believe in Santa, right? 

Yes they believe!

This Week is my One Year Mark!

Dear Family,

Well this Thursday, December 11, 2014, I will hit my one year mark.  Wow, it has flown by so fast!   I only have a year left in this desolate and cold, yet amazingly awesome country that I have grown to love, and man, the realization of it is hitting me!   See you all in a year, I guess.....haha!   During this past  year, I have been privileged to have had seven companions, served in three areas, and I helped six people enter the waters of baptism.  I have been told to "zail" more times than I can count (it means to "get lost," but in a lot harsher and more offensive way).   I have had a few punches thrown at me. I have been called the name of my Savior, mocked, offered cigarettes and alcohol, and many other things that I choose not to write at this time, but it has all been worth it.  I LOVE this work, and I will continue on with Thanksgiving in my heart for the opportunity I have been given to come to Mongolia.  The Purposes of God will roll forth, I can assure you of that.  Thank you so much, family, for this year of support and prayers on my behalf.  It has been felt, and I will never forget how much closer I feel to the Lord.  More than I ever have in my life.

This week has been good, successful week.....and tiring too. For some reason, this week I was just drained...literally no energy.   Most of the week was taken up with getting more coal out to the members in need for the winter, and in getting groceries for the families in need.  It is such a great feeling to minister to people like we do, and to have the calling that we have. Also, what a blessing it is that our Church is able to provide for people in need the way they do.  Truly amazing, and only something our Heavenly Father could have planned.

This week, I have studied about "Ministering" versus "Administering."  This is what I found:  Ministering is a sacred privilege and responsibility that I took upon my self when I was  turned 12 and received the Priesthood.  Ministering is standing as a representative of Christ in word and in deed, doing what He would do if he Himself were here in my place.  It is caring for people's temporal and spiritual needs and acting upon them with the pure love of Christ to strengthen them and support them. This is my role as a Priesthood holder, missionary, and a Branch President. I have members that stand in need of Christ's help, and I can minister unto them. Some are obvious, and some are harder to recognize, but everyone has needs that need to be attended to by the love and ministering of the Priesthood.  President Anderson taught me how to be a minister. Through using my priesthood, and looking at the members of my branch with spiritual eyes, I can help them come closer to Christ, and support them when they have no one to lean on but the Lord.  I need to be active in ministering, and not wait for the needs to come to me.  That is something I wish and pray to be better at.  Seeing all people through Christ's eyes, and being able to attend to their spiritual and temporal needs with out being told by them what that need is.  This is what I learned this week.

Well, this Friday, we will have a baptism!  Actually two!  I am super excited for it, and it has been a long time coming.  Patience is key, I have learned.  It all happens on the Lord's time frame, and how He wants His work to move forward.

This week we also were able to meet quite a bit with Enkhbat Ah, the father of the family we found.  He is having some experiences with the Spirit in his life, but is having a hard time recognizing it.  He needs to make that leap of faith.  He is keeping his reading commitments and prayer commitments, but he didn't come to church yesterday, which was disappointing.  Sometimes I don't understand why people make that decision, but I just try to understand that this is bigger than me, and His plan is greater, and we all have our free agency to choose.  Enkhbat's son will be baptized this Friday, so we hope that will be a big motivation for him.

Also this week we met with our 50-year old investigator, Brother Bold, quite a few times.  He is really quiet, and hard to teach.   He just sits there and listens and nods his head to everything.  We ask questions to get him involved, but man it is rough.  He understands it all, but is having a hard time making the connection on why baptism is vitally important to him.  He comes to church every week, so we will see where it continues to go.

I love my companion and we get along well.  He is funny, and fun to be with.  Soon I expect him to take the reigns of District Leader....Man, that will be nice!  It will be a big help to me!

I think I could summarize this year of my life in this scripture:    "I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need." -Philippians 4:12

I feel so blessed and full, and so pleased with the Work I have had the privilege of being a part of this past year, but it is not over.   One more year, and Boy, am I Hungry!   Dad, be assured that I am thirsty too!

I love my God, my Savior, and His work.  Nothing like the Best Two Years!

Love you all,

Elder Harris 

This past week, my young friend, ErdeneMunkh, went on "splits" with me.  He will be a great missionary in a few years.  ("Splits" is when two missionaries, who are companions, split up and go out teaching with other members in the Branch, doubling their efforts).

President and Sister Anderson (who are filling in for Pres. and Sister Benson while they are in Utah) came to Choibalsan a couple of weeks ago.  What great people they are!  I learned so much from President Anderson in the short time he was here.  He served as Mongolia's Mission President a few years back.   By the way, Sister Benson had a healthy baby boy this week.  Their family will be coming back to Mongolia soon.

The Holy Ghost softens hearts and prepares people in His own time

Dear Family,

Well, it is getting so cold here. I mean below zero cold!  It's not even funny, cold!  I love it though, and we stay warm.  Snow is everywhere, and that is fine, but the wind is bitter... bitter.. cold.

This week was a good one, with much success!  This week we found four new investigators!  One is a 50 year old man named Bold.  He is coming to church pretty strong now (4 weeks in a row), but he is still having a hard time meeting with up with us.  Please pray for him to find the time to meet with us.  The other three are our other investigator (Togoldor's) father, mother, and little sister.  So we have a Family to teach that we've been praying for!   It was funny how it all came to be.  It was pretty much just pure faith in following the promptings of the Spirit, and 100%  trusting that even though it seemed crazy, it will work.  We were meeting with this family one evening last week and talking about everything besides Church.  Togoldor was not home, we were waiting for him.  The family has never shown any interest whatsoever, but they always send their son and little 8 year old daughter together to Church.  Well, this week was the Primary Program and the daughter, Odentsetseg, was telling us how she memorized all the songs and is so excited to sing at Church.  The mom and dad said they planned to come and watch her, and right there, BOOM!   There was the opportunity we had been waiting for from this family for five months!   Right then, I felt prompted to just invite them to be baptized.  Why?  I had no clue, because they have denied and pushed away any and every invitations for like five months.  So that evening, I had pushed away the prompting a few times, but I finally felt the reassurance that all would be well!  I looked at my companion and told him in English that I am going to invite them to be baptized and he just looked at me like I was crazy!   The father was half asleep in his chair, the baby was crying, the mom was counting rice.. yes counting rice... haha, and the little daughter was doing homework.  So I just spoke up and told them I wanted to share a story about Jesus from 2nd Nephi 31:5, about His example to us of Baptism.  Works every time!  The Spirit came and supported us in our faithful actions, and they all agreed to be baptized on the 26th of December, so we were so pumped!!!   We left the house and my companion just looked at me and laughed.   It wasn't me, only the Holy Ghost can do that.  The power that missionaries have is one that is not our own.  The Holy Ghost softens hearts and prepares people in His own time and by His own plan.  Truly a great story in the making.

Togoldor and Munhbaysgalan will be baptized on December 12th.  That will be a great day.  Please pray for them that this will go through. Toes and fingers are crossed here.

Work in the Branch is going great.  As I said, the Primary Program was yesterday. It was so dang cute!  They sang five songs, mostly the teachers sang, but that is okay.  Those little children are so cute when they remembered the words.  Their favorite, and the crowd pleaser, was "Book of Mormon Stories."   All and all, they loved it and so did I!

Yesterday I had to have a pretty stern interview with one of the brothers in the branch.  He is pretty much crazy and does many things that are quite inappropriate.  My companion and I have had to speak to him in the past.  I share this because I truly feel for this man, and care for him.  I see him as what he can be and not what he is.  I closed that interview and I felt good, the way I feel our Savior would feel.  It was a weird experience for me, but it is moments like this when you feel the true Love of Christ working, and it is something you will never forget, even when it is in an interview such as this one.   

I love you guys. Pray hard, read carefully, and watch for the Blessings that come to those who look towards Him.

Elder Harris

We got the Primary together before the Primary Program on Sunday and snapped this picture.   Look at their smiles!   Aren't they the cutest?! 

 Me with my companion and the Primary Presidency before the Program....

My Mongolian "deel" is finally finished!   I am truly so proud of it, and I can't wait to show it off in the States on every Holiday!

(Wikipedia says: A Monogolian "deel" is traditional clothing worn for centuries by the Mongols and other nomadic tribes in Central Asia.  The deel is still commonly worn by both men and women outside major towns, especially by herders.  In urban areas, deels are mostly only worn by elderly people or on festive occasions.)

We are all wearing our deels (except the sisters)!     We will all wear our deels for Tsagaan sar, the Mongolian New Year! 

Mom, you've asked for pictures of my apartment for months, so here it is!   Home Sweet Home, Mongolian-style!  Pretty nice, huh? Our study area. 

The kitchen...

My bed and prayer cushion!

Another view of the bedroom...

Looking into the bedroom and kitchen...

The tub and shower... 

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Dear Family,

Sorry this one may be a short one, just forewarning.  This week we had six visitors fly out to Choibalsan from Ulaanbaatar:  The interim Mission President and his wife (the Andersons), the APs (Elder Higgs and Elder Khash Erdene), Brother Enkhjigur and Brother Batbold.   Man, was it great!   You may remember that Elder Khash Erdene was my companion several months ago and also the Branch President here (it was great to see him again).   Also, this week was my companion's 19th birthday and his Mother and Father were in Choibalsan on business so they took us out to lunch at a great place.  Needless to say, we ate out three times this week and didn't pay a dime, so that was fantastic.   I spent a lot of time with President Anderson administering to members, and making sure that their needs were met.  He and his wife are such great people and so charitable.  He made a huge impact on many people in just two days, and it is something these people will never forget.   He gave me many tips on how to be a better Branch President and how to be a better administrator.  I am so grateful for his help and his advice. 

This Sunday we had 84 people in church!   Every seat was full!   Elder Higgs and my companion ended up standing up in the back so others could sit.  It was awesome.  Also, the fireside on Sunday night had a great turn out, and I know many were touched by the Spirit during that short hour.  Everyone wanted pictures with the Andersons afterwards.  It was pretty cute.

The two investigators we found last week blew us off all week so that was kind of rough and unexpected.   One called me and said that she hates to read so she will not be able to continue meeting with us.  She said she will still be thinking about our message, and will get back to us.  We will follow up with her this week for sure and allow the Spirit to do the work in softening her heart.   I feel that she is prepared, but she just needs that confirmation. 

Balancing missionary work and my responsibilities as Branch President can be challenging at times, but my companion and I are starting to get going with the missionary work.  We will have 3 baptisms here in 3 weeks.  I spoke with the APs about my efforts in trying to accomplish all my responsibilities, and they understand that it is hard balancing everything with the responsibilities that I have.   But they assured me that President Benson would not have called me to this position if I could not be the leader he knows I can be.   I try to be like President Brigham Young, meek, humble, strong, and firm in his beliefs and actions.  He was called the "Lion of the Lord," and I hope to develop those attributes throughout this calling.

I love you all, and am so grateful for you.  Have a happy Thanksgiving and eat some turkey for me (there are no turkeys in Mongolia)!

Elder Harris

The APs (Elder Higgs and Elder Khash Erdene) with my companion and I.

 My companion and I, with our two great friends Tumee and Ganbayar. They are great young men, future missionaries for sure!

 My Comp, Elder Tsend-Ayush, and I.

 Elder Higgs and I.

I love my calling, and I love Mongolia!

Dear Family,

Well this week went by really fast, and quite well. Tuesday and Wednesday went down the drain because we were at the church all day, or handling 10 tons of coal to be delivered to members.  A man from Hong Kong came to Choibalsan to inspect our church building on Wednesday, so I got the word that everything needs to be 100% spick and span.  Tuesday we had a impromptu Service Day, and in about 5 hours we got the entire inside and majority of the outside spotless.  It was great.....and lots of members came out to help!  In all, we filled an entire dump truck with garbage bags filled with leaves or trash.  I am not joking, an entire dump truck.  Choibalsan's members can truly work!  The inspection went great and we passed with flying colors!  Actually a man from UB was shocked on how clean it was.  But then on Thursday, during mutual, I totally punched a hole in the wall while playing dodge ball.  Well I really didn't punch it, but it looks that way....haha.  I was dodging a ball thrown at me and didn't realize how close I was to the wall, so I put my arms out in front to protect myself (just a simple reflex) and what do you know....Huge crack and hole in the wall!   That was an awkward phone call to explain what happened to the man who just had left from the inspection!  

Also this week, we found two new investigators, both through Sister Nergui (if you translate her name, it literally means "No Name"...haha...and it is one of the most common names in Mongolia).  She is a new member of about two years and she lives super far away from the church, but still makes it every week and fulfills her calling, as Branch Librarian and Primary Presidency 1st Counselor, like a champ!   She is actually one of my favorite sisters in the Branch because of her humility and willingness to submit herself to the Lord's will.  We have never been out to her house, so we decided to go out there one night this past week.  Her sister (40-ish) happens to live with her and is not a member, so we hopped on that very quickly!    Also, we received a referral from them for Sis. Nergui's niece (27) and her husband.  We were able to set baptismal dates for Sister Nergui's sister and niece, so I am excited about that.   We are hoping for them to be baptized on Dec 19th (the day after Transfers).  The Sis. Nergui's sister came to church yesterday, but her niece did not, so that was a little disappointing and we will be following up with them this week.  Older investigators are just so much cooler to me, so I am so grateful that we were blessed with these two new investigators.   A funny thing happened while we were teaching them a lesson (the mom and daughter).   I kept on saying "homosexual," instead of "respectful" while teaching about prayer.  They are really not very similar in Mongolian, but when you talk fast you can get mixed up!  Anyway, I was trying not to laugh, because I knew what I was doing, and my companion was trying his hardest to hold a straight face, as were our two investigators.  I did clear things up and told them what the word really should have been.  We had a good laugh, and then we went on with the lesson.   

On a not-so-good note this week, our 15 year old investigator, Tuguldur, who has been an investigator since like August, skipped out on his final baptismal interview and didn't come to church yesterday.  It is frustrating.  We went and talked to him last night and he had every excuse in the book, but is annoyed at us for not allowing him to be baptized.  I will keep you updated on that in the weeks to come.   

Mom and dad, I just want to say how great it is to be here in Mongolia.  I love my calling, and I love Mongolia!   It is still so unreal to me that I am actually in Mongolia and representing my Savior.  You know, you grow up always loving the missionaries at your house and at church, and viewing as them as Heroes.   It is still crazy and surreal that I AM one!   Mom and Dad, I feel your prayers, I want you to know that.  I really do.  We are being blessed here, and I can feel the connection between your prayers on our behalf, and these blessings we are receiving.  The Lord's most answered prayer is the one of a Mother.   Mom, I love you deeply, and you'll never know how much I miss you.  If I didn't have you....яанаа.   Dad, you are my hero.  I love you more than you will ever know.   In the package I received this week, there was a song on a CD called, "In a letter Home," and boy did it hit home.  Listen to it, and just know that that song describes how I feel to a "T."   I read each of your letters often, not the whole thing, just the few sentences that you usually write in closing, and they give me just what I need to keep me going.  I love you guys, but I love my Heavenly Father more.   Why?  Because He gave me you two. 

Love your son,

Elder Harris

The crack in the wall.   Like I said, it was an awkward and embarrassing call!

 This picture is not for the faint of heart....We found this skinned dog right outside the back door to my favorite place to eat here in Choibalsan...yup, we did.

 My favorite convenience store here in Choibalsan has a great pic of Heidi and Spencer on the wall. I get a kick out of it every time I leave the store. #TheHills

Self-Reliance and Accountability

Хайрт гэр бүл минь,

Ямар ч гэсэн Чойбалсан саак шүү! өнгөрсөн долоо хоног удан байсан Ч гэсэн энд ажилаа арай сайн байсан. Энэхүү Шини дуудлага ер нь стрэсстэй харин хийхид сонорхолтой. Би их сурах болно гэж бодож байгаагуй зүйлсийг сураж байгаа. Би үнэхээр Бурханаар адислагдсан бөгөөд түүнд үргэлжлүүлнэ талархалтай явна.

Well, not a whole lot happened this week, it's been kind of slow unfortunately, but I've had a really great time serving the people of Choibalsan.  It is getting cold here, but still no snow.  There is no pollution in Choibalsan, for the most part, like there is in Ulaanbaatar, but when it gets dark, it starts to get a little smoky because people start their coal-fueled fires for a warm night.

I am loving it here still, but I still have that gut feeling I am out of here on December 8th (Transfer Day).   I could be wrong, we will just have to see.  If I am not transferred though, rumor has it that my companion and I will be flying to UB for Christmas, so that will be cool to fly again!  I feel so "VIP" out here, haha!

This week was filled with learning how to administer Fast Offering assistance in the Branch and teaching people how to be self-reliant.  I had three grandmas here that all needed 5 tons of coal for winter, and another man who needs some serious help to get back on his feet.  I have learned tons about self-reliance and how assistance in the Church is truly administered and what it's purpose is.  First, I submitted all the information to President Benson, because all these cases were above my money approval level, which is 180,000 toogs.  He called me right away and told me that I needed to do it all over again because their requests were just not acceptable.   If you look on the self-reliance form, which can be found if you google it, most questions are about their resources and how to become self-reliant.
Well I really didn't think this applied to these individuals because they are poor and old and don't work.  Well, President Benson gave me some wise counseling and told me that no matter how old a Mongolian grandma is, she needs to learn self-reliance, and be held accountable.  He told me that in assistance from the Church, the most important thing is not the "assistance," but the learning to become self-reliant.  We help people because we love them and care for them, but we also do not want to create a culture of dependency and reliance on the Church.

So I set up appointments with them all again, and that was kind of embarrassing, haha, but oh well, what can ya do?  Meeting with them about their individual finances and personal things was awkward at first, because you feel like you are offending this old grandma and judging her for not saving more,  But it soon turned out to be great, and I felt how grateful they were for me, and the assistance the church will give them beyond the coal and material things.  President Benson said most people don't take the Church's advice on self-reliance, but that is okay.  I loved seeing the joy on their faces and the overall thankfulness from their hearts as I signed contracts to help them, and as they signed that they need to learn to help themselves, as well.   I am grateful for these experiences truly.  I never would have thought that this would be the mission I would be serving, but I know that the Lord's plan is perfect, and he has something prepared for those who endure it well.

This week on the missionary work end of things, when we were able to fit it in, it was effective and went well.   Our new member, Naraa Egch, is progressing into a GREAT and strong member.  She truly has gained such a testimony very fast about subjects that I thought wouldn't come for a while.  It is amazing to see her desire and willingness to serve.   She is the leader in charge of the Relief Society activities at the church.  I forget what that is called in English... Enlightenment?  ....or something like that.   Anyway, she is loving it, and is serving well, and magnifying her calling.  she has also set a goal date of September 2015 to go to the temple in.  I am thrilled for her and her son, Ganbayar.

We do have some potential investigators that we will be contacting this week.  We also feel pretty hopeful about an ITL (Invitation To Learn) we did in a taxi this past week.   This woman's two daughters are members in UB, and she was an investigator a few years ago.  She liked us a lot and gave us a free taxi ride when it should cost us like 4,000 togs!   We should have a baptism on the last Friday of November, but other than that, our other investigators are not progressing as we would like.  That is kinda rough.

I am happy to report that my companion, Elder Tsend-Ayush, is great!   He just wants to work.  He is a great help to me as a missionary, and he supports me in my responsibilities in the Branch.   We work well together, and I am very grateful for that.

Love you all,

Elder Harris

My companion, Elder Tsend-Ayush, and I.

Haha, We were eating lunch at a Chinese place and thought what I would give for an afternoon nap!   I recover quickly, though!

The Lord knows me, and He's got everything covered.

Dear Family,

This week was not too eventful.  Just trying to get the hang of everything going on with my new calling.  There are many things that kind of got left for me more or less with no explanation from my old companion.  This is not his fault, it's just how it is when Branch Presidents are rotated in and out.   Needless to say, it is a lot of learning on the go.  I love it though!  It is just so different from anything I've ever done.... being in charge of EVERYTHING.  I admit it is stressful at times, but I know the Lord is with me. With every mistake I make, or lack of knowledge that I have, I know the Lord's atonement and its enabling power covers it all by means of my Faith in Him who has "suffered (me) to come unto this place..." (D&C 100:4) 

As I study the Atonement of Jesus Christ I am truly speechless.  He suffered and died, and was nailed to a cross, for me. Only one man would do that, and that is the Savior of all mankind. My feelings for the Atonement are gigantic compared to the words that I can speak regarding the matter, that is why I feel expression through scripture to be suitable. "Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not. Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful." (D&C 6:36-37)  He took care of everything.
He paid the ransom, His life, for ours, and now all we need to do is put our faith in Him who calls us His own. 

Well, I'm happy to report that my new companion, Elder Tsend-Ayush, is awesome!  Man I feel so blessed!  He is 18, almost 19, and has been out just as long as I have.  He is the funniest kid and always wants to talk!  We have become great friends already, and through this past week, it is evident to me that the Lord knows me and knows what kind of companion I needed to lift my spirits out here.  He is the biggest "Hipster" in Mongolia.  I mean, he just loves his hairspray, haha, but he has such a good vision of what the work needs to be like.  He is ready to work hard, work, work, work.  So that is the plan!  We didn't teach tons of lessons this week, but when we did, they were solid, and I love the way he teaches.  I see much success in the near future!  He also has a football...and can throw it, so you know how our p-days will be spent! 

Right now we have three investigators that have the opportunity to get baptized this month, but it is truly dependent on them and the Lord's plan for them.  One of them is a 15 year old young man named Tugulthdur.  He has been a investigator for like 6 months now... (soooooooooo...... (breath) soooooooo LONG).  He wants to get baptized very bad and knows the doctrine so well, but just doesn't come to church.  This week, I finally just sat down with him in front of his mother and kind of just called him on the carpet.   His mother was a little upset at me for not allowing him to get baptized.  Of course all "excuses" that I received were supposed to be valid, but I had to just tell her and him how it is....that he needs to attend church.   I shared the story of The Water of Mormon, and about how great their desire was to be baptized that they were clapping and exclaiming with excitement (Mosiah 18).  I then got the response from them, "Well all they had to do was say they had desire and they could be baptized!"  (I hate having to do this whole battle thing with people's agency!  JUST COME TO CHURCH AND KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS!)  So I re-explained how they gathered together to hear the words of Alma, and how Alma taught them of repentance and redemption.   I likened that to the missionary lessons we teach, and keeping the commandment......and then they understood.   So Tugulthdur promised to make church attendance a habit and I promised that he can be baptized when he is ready, but he must come to church as many times as is needed to be a "habit". 

Our other two investigators are young men, a15-year old and a17-year old.  They are good, and I am proud of them and their progression.

Family, please pray for us to find older people to teach.  I know that all need salvation, but I just would really love to teach families, and older people who are making this decision from the depths of their hearts.  I hope that doesn't sound selfish.  Maybe RM's understand, it is just hard to explain.

My contract at the Airport ends this transfer.. so who knows where I will be around Christmas! 

To my San Francisco Giants...Баяр Хүргэe!!    I'm not sad I missed it, but today (p-day) I am wearing my Giants hat!  Таван живийн дотор, гураван удаа дэлхийн аврага болсон! 

Хайртай Шүү,

Ахлагч Харрис

My awesome District of four!

The Sister Training Leaders came out to Choibalsan do exchanges with the Sisters.  The Sisters love the "gangster" poses. HaHa.

Everyone always talks about Choibalsan's sunrise because it is so flat here.  It is literally like the edge of the earth, so the sunrise looks so awesome!  We went one morning and the sun didn't rise.... seriously.  So we went again this morning and it was spectacular!