Farewell to our Mission! - Welcome Home!

The Elders and Sisters helped us clean and close up our apartment. It was sad to have to do that, no Senior Couple to take our place. They were so good to help us, all the things needed to be carried to the Elders Apartment for storage. We hope another Couple will be able to come in the future. When we left their were only 4 missionaries, when we came 14 months ago, there were 8 missionaries in Choibalsan. The number of missionaries in the Mongolia Mission have dropped, nearly in half.

Some of the members who met us at the Church to say Goodbye!

It is in the middle of Tsagaan Sar so they were dressed up in their beautiful deels!

Purvee, Emaa Purvee (yes same name), Emaa Togooch, and Nyamnergui.

The sister with the fingers is Gerelchimeg.

Gerelkhuu, our little friend! It was hard to say goodbye to him!

He would come over to our apartment after Church on Sunday for a treat and to "just hang out." Elder Anderson would stay for meetings,

so I took other people with us and we would play games or look at pictures.

We will miss him, we both cried!

We will miss the missionaries, Sisters' Nyambayar, Narangarvuu,

Elders' Davaadorj and Amgalan, he just arrived the day before we left,

the youth and the members of the Choibalsan Branch,

so very much!

One last trip to the Immigration Office, this time to sign out!

We needed to tell them we were going so another couple can come in, soon...we hope!

Some of our special missionaries and friends -

Sister Onon, she was released in December, she was an amazing missionary!

She came to find us and tell us goodbye!

Sister Tsendsuren, Sister Shuurai and Battsengle, her daughter.

They went with us on the Hong Kong Temple Trip.

Battsengle was our translator for the trip, she served a mission in the States.

They also came to the Church Offices to tell us goodbye,

it was a 25 minute taxi ride for them to come in!

Batsengle, Elders' Batbold and Onon, served with us in Choibalsan.

Elder Onon, was called back to Mongolia from Utah, where he was serving his mission, to help the Mongolia Mission, he came to Choibalsan to help us and to provide leadership to the Mission. He served his last 6 months in Mongolia.
Elder Batbold served with us in Choibalsan and was a good missionary!

Home at last!!!
Almost 24 hours after we left Mongolia we arrived safely in Salt Lake City,

we had a 3 hour delay, but our family was all there to welcome us home!

These are 8 of our 15 grand kids. Some of them looked about the same,

some I wouldn't have recognized!

The whole group, this is the sight we saw as we came down the elevator!!

Aren't they beautiful!!

We stopped on the way home and visited my Mother and Father!

They looked so good, it was good to receive a hug and a kiss from both of them!
We are home and trying to fit back into our home and the Ward and see all of our family.

What an amazing mission we were able to serve!

We thank our Heavenly Father for the opportunity to serve

and especially for sending us to Mongolia!

We miss our friends and especially the missionaries and the youth!

We pray for them and always will!

I guess that is one of the most important things about a mission

to always remember them!

Tsaagan Sar - 2011

It was our last Tsaagan Sar! We went with the Missionaries,

enjoying the families and traditions.

Tsaagan Sar is compared to Christmas here in America -

families, visiting, gift giving, playing of games

and lots and lots of food, all the same thing!

They have very traditional clothing and wearing hats is important.

The holiday lasts 14 days. The first 3 days being the most important.

The first day they greet and visit the oldest people in your family,

all the children and grandchildren visit with Ovoo and Emaa.

They greet very respectfully -

the younger person puts his arms under the older one's, to show respect and love.

They kiss both cheeks and give a greeting,

asking how they are feeling and are they enjoying the holiday season.

Sister Nyambayar is greeting me.

Elder Usukhbayar is greeting Dad, they greet the man first.
We wear our hats and they use a blue prayer shawl.

Elder Davaadorj is greeting Dad.
They give gifts to the person, usually money. We gave a quilt to a couple of them.
This picture is for the posing, we didn't get to keep the money!


Ovoo and Emaa of Choibalsan Branch, they are the two oldest people in the Branch.
Notice the stack of bread in the very back. It is called Bauv, it symbolizes respect, the higher the stack the older you are, and the more recognized.
One of the members explained it to me...
If we were to do this for my father and mother, who are still alive
they would have a stack of 9
Dad and I would have 7
Trisha, being the oldest of our children would have 5.
And everyone would visit these people in that order,
the oldest on the first day of Tsaagan Sar.


Chimgee and her daughter, who just returned from a mission.

Sister Narangarvuu posing!

Pictures with Damdindorj and his wife, Erdene-cuuvd
The traditional clothing is so beautiful!

By the way, Damdindorj is the new Choibalsan Branch President.

Our Choibalsan Missionaries

Brother Shijirbaatar and Elder Sarangerel

Our little friend Gerelkhuu, and his sister Gerelchemic.

Visiting Purevdorj, Ulziiduuren and their children.

Purevdorj is taking the missionary lessons right now.

Boditsog and Purev, with some of the Branch members....

Tserentsogzol, Narangarvuu, Puntsagdulam, Nyambayar, Odenchemic

and Tserdmaa.

Dad with Boditsog

Battsetseg, Codmaa, Me, Marathala and Enkhtuya

They are so cute!

One of the Mongolia National Games - Shagai.

There are many games played with sheep ankle bones

The missionaries showed us some of the games,

we will show you all later!

It has been a very fun holiday!

We visited with so many families, it gave us a chance to say goodbye to them.

We love these people and so grateful to have had

a chance to be with them for the last 14 months!!

We have loved our mission and the wonderful people of Mongolia!

We are so thankful for to the Lord for giving us this opportunity!!

We love all of you and so grateful for the Gospel!

Quilts Delivered

Our children, in America, wanted to do a service for the people in Choibalsan, the Branch members and also for the children in the Orphanage.

They made and sent 28 quilts and baby blankets!

It was so fun to get them and see their beautiful work and the love and care that went into the making and and sending of them! The missionaries wanted to be a part of this project. They helped with the translating and also making contacts. We gave quilts to members and non members, those we felt needed some love and a warm blanket!
We loaded up two taxi's with people, blankets, seeds, coloring books, crayons, pictures from Trisha's school class and even a few treats for the children.

Ochrasuren, is the owner and manager the Light Center Orphanage in Choibalsan. He is also a Church member, not always active, but a good guy! We had the opportunity to tell him that he was missed at Church and that he needed to come back. He promised to come on Sunday.


We gave him the seeds that Grandpa Brady sent to him, he was so pleased! I told him that my father plants a big garden every year, and loves to garden, anad he wanted to share some seeds with him. The Orphanage plants a big garden, also and the Children help take care of it. They bring their water up from a well for drinking and all their needs, so to plant and take care of a garden is alot of work. They have to water each plant individually.

There are 15 children at the Orphanage, but since it is the beginning of the holiday, Tsagaan Sar, some of the children have gone with relatives. There were 8 children the day we went. The two little children, right in front came to him the day before. They are all living in a Ger for the winter, it was warm and clean. They were tickled with the coloring books and crayons that were sent, you can't buy crayons or coloring books in Choibalsan.

The whole group with their blankets, and suckers.

They each got to pick a quilt, and they held on to them very tight!

The quilts were so pretty and colorful!

They were perfect!

Each apartment building has a janitor/care taker. They call them "Stair Ladies", because they are usually women. They live under the stairs. Their home is about the size of our bathroom, back home. She had her little home fixed up so cute. She has a little girl and a little boy. They have so very little, the little girl liked the coloring book. The little boy was more interested in the cookies. She kept saying "thank you so very much!" (of course in Mongolian)

Togooch is a member that lives in a little house out of town. She is such a sweet lady, and one of the few that have been to the Temple. She is 73 years old. She is always giving me or Dad a piece of candy, or a pen filler, or something. She is so cute!

We visited Emaa Purtivee for Tsagaan Sar and gave her a quilt!

The Sisters with their quilts.

They were so excited!

The Elders with their quilts.

Elder Sarengerel, in the middle, ask if he needed to leave it for the next Elder who came to Choibalsan or if he could take it with him.
He and Elder Uusbayar, on the right, have been transferred and left Choiblasan.

Each of the recipients were so excited and touched to think that we had family in America that would share with them!

The missionaries were touched and excited to be part of the process, also.

You have touched many people because of your kindness and love

Thank you to each of you who helped!!

The Lord has blessed us and you because of your service!

They felt of your love and that someone cared about them!

THANK YOU!!

We love each of You!