What do we do here?

Well, looking at all of our blogs it seems like one big party of events, celebrations and activities, but we are involved in a lot of other projects, training, support and reactivations efforts. We were called to serve as Member Leadership Support (MLS) missionaries. All of the younger Mongolian missionaries teach the gospel to people interested to know more about the Church and the gospel of Jesus Christ. One Senior Couple serves in the Mission office as a support to the Mission President.  There are several other couples in the same building that work with Humanitarian Services, Church Education Services, Family History Support, Medical Services, Welfare Services and another couple serve in Employment Resources.

As we are located outside the capital city (Outer, Outer Mongolia), our job is to help strengthen the branches in the Darkhan District. There are 6 branches total in our District. I am serving as Second Counselor to the District President.  I am responsible for training the High Council members, Branch Presidencies, Sunday School Presidencies, Primary Presidencies, Branch and District Employment Specialists, Young Single Adults (18-30), also, to direct the Self Reliance Welfare Programs and Family History. Debbie is the Second Counselor in the District Primary Presidency and works specifically with the Primary, which is the children's organization. Each week she is working on songs to teach, Sharing Time activities, or class lessons for when she is called upon to assist. We visit all of the Branches often. I spend most of my time with the Branch Presidencies teaching and training them how to conduct Branch Council Meetings, Presidency Meetings and how to minister to the members.  I also work with auxiliary leaders and teachers to help them understand their duties and how to teach by the spirit and with power. Most of what we do is visit families in their homes. Last month we home taught 24 families in one branch.

In July we were assigned to focus on the Old Darkhan Branch.  At the time there were around 50 members that attended sacrament meeting each week.  We worked to organized and train the branch council in their duties and how to focus on families and individuals that needed support. We started visiting the less active families and inviting them back to church.  By November we were in the 80's attending sacrament meeting. In December we consistently had over 90 each week. In January we had our Branch Conference and set a goal for 100 to attend.  I personally wanted to reach 110 attendees.  We had 121 attend. We are now achieving 100 each Sunday.  Update 3/24/14 Yesterday there were 130 attending our Sacrament meeting and 162 in the New Darkhan Branch conference. Things are really turning around.

A week and a half ago we spent three days in a small branch in Zuunkhara visiting with less active members there. We met with 10 families and had great moments with them. The Branch usually has about 40 attendees.  Last Sunday 9 of the 10 we visited came to church with a total of 63 people.  It was wonderful.

Our plan now is to start training the other Branch leaders how to duplicate these efforts, how to organize, strengthen the members and families, reach out to those in need, improve home teaching efforts and to make it happen in their units. We spend a lot of time speaking in Sacrament meetings, firesides and other events. 

Additionally, we are involved with a number of handicapped children groups trying to help the kids.  There is a large project in the works right now for a Day Care Center that is taking in disabled children. It is the first one in Darkhan to offer the service at a discounted rate.  We have been meeting with a dealer in UB that provides equipment for the handicapped. The Day Care Center and the parents had no idea what type of equipment to even consider, so Debbie and I have been researching many websites about physical therapy and occupational therapy for the disabled and learned a lot.  We then took pictures of the equipment that might be beneficial for the kids at the Day Care.  We are waiting for the pricing and availability to develop a proposal to submit to Deseret Charities for the funding. They toured the facility a few months ago and they are anxious to help.  If we are successful we will meet with other day care providers to invite then to open their businesses to disabled children and hope to get similar equipment for them. Update 3/24/14 We will be going to UB this week to find the last two pieces of equipment to complete their needs. Hope to get the proposal into the charity to approve and move this to completion.

We are now working with an ophthalmologist in UB to come to Darkhan to evaluate and help some of the children we know with serious vision problems.  Next week we will meet with one of the City leaders responsible for all disabled children under 18 to see if she has data on how many have vision problems, who they are and to assist in putting together a program to help them.

All this is when we are not teaching English at Sun Child School.  We teach about 9-10 hours a week there and so it allows us to help in other areas.

We love what we are doing and know the Lord has opened up all of these opportunities for us to help and serve. We are so very happy to be here. There is so much need and so many that are so appreciative.  They are wonderful children of our Heavenly Father. We feel blessed beyond words to be here at this time.