Sister Sarah Bottorff: Week 13

Hey!

So after I emailed you on Friday, I went shopping. Now we live in the ritziest part of the city, so the grocery store was pretty fancy. It sold a bunch of American stuff, but it was all expensive. Sister Wilkins told me to close my eyes because we weren't going to buy any of it! haha She knows all of the other brands that are cheaper and imported from Russia or Germany! I also tried huushuur (said hoe-sure). It's like a pancake wonton with meat instead of cream cheese. It's delicious!

Saturday was a great adventure! We taught our friend again, but this time I was with Sister Wilkins! And I miraculously remembered how to get to her house! Nobody in the ger districts have addresses or know their neighbors, so there's really no way to find anyone unless you have really clear directions. We taught a lesson about Joseph Smith and God. Her mom ended up feeding us at the end. We ate this soup with potatoes and noodles and meat and some chunks of stuff...could have been woodchips or something....I prayed before and didn't get sick! Miracles happen! Then, we had a district meeting and reviewed the components of meaningful prayers. It is always good to review that! I had to say the closing prayer in Mongolian, and I got pretty nervous after they said what makes a meaningful, heartfelt prayer, but I did the best I could. That's all God wants!

Yesterday was Sunday, and I love Sundays! We went to church in a taxi, and Sister Wilkins told me to talk to the taxi driver. I talked to him about his family, school, hobbies, and then we ran out of things to say haha. Then, Sister Wilkins and I looked at each other and were at a loss of what to say. Then, I asked him what he was doing that night, and we ended up talking until we got out of the car! Sister Wilkins invited him to English, so we may see him again!

Church was awesome! We didn't celebrate Easter because I guess Mongolians think Easter is next week. So we'll celebrate next week. We walked into the chapel and talked to a bunch of people. Sister Wilkins and I had never met any of the people in the ward previously, so we got as many phone numbers as possible to start building friendships. The people are wonderful! Then, I turned around, and my MTC teacher was running toward me! She gave me a huge hug, and I felt so blessed to see her! I love her, and it was so much fun seeing her in Mongolia! She's visiting family, and I happen to be in her ward serving!! I bore my testimony in Mongolian, and it went like this, "I'm Sister Bottorff. I came to Mongolia a week ago. I know God loves us. I know Jesus Christ lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know the Church is true." It was simple, but people were so nice! They complimented my Mongolian accent! :)

In Relief Society, all the women got together and for the opening song, they sang Silent Night. Sister Wilkins and I laughed and then tried to pull ourselves together. They know how to make Christmas last all year! :) After church, we had a meeting with the ward missionaries that I couldn't understand. But I'm sure it was good! We took the bus home and planned for the rest of the day. We planned for our upcoming week. We will be making lots of visits and teaching a lot! I'm really excited!!!

I have been focusing on gratitude and my relationship with God. Gratitude really helps me to not complain. It helps me see the good and handle stress much better! I'm focusing on being excited to pick out words I know instead of being upset with all the words I don't know. I'm also working on my relationship with God because if I have a good relationship with Him, I don't have to worry about anything else. I'll do what He wants me to do and then be secure and happy knowing that I'm doing what's right.

Thank you all for your support! I love Mongolia so much! I feel right at home here! I feel safe and happy, and I know it's where I'm supposed to be!

Love you all!

Sister Bottorff