you can't take candy from a stranger... but you can take flowers💐🕴

sain baitsgaana uu my dudes what's good. Somehow this week went by even faster than the last week ?? I try really hard to remember things that happen just so I can entertain you all every week but it's all just a blur tbh haha. But enough yapping....here's your highlight reel for the week 

highlights

- a lady at the mall wanted to take a picture with me, and then proceeded to make each of her kids take individual pics with me and tell me thank you in English. I hope I end up in a random family's photo album somedayand I feel like that'll make u guys all #famousbyassociation bc I think that's how that works ??

- in one of our English classes I taught the cha cha slide. We were downstairs in the chapel and had all 3 classes combined. We were having technical difficulties so instead of everyone following a video of the dance, I just had them follow me while the music played. If any of you have seen me at dances, pre-show warmups, or sporting events, you know I'm a great hype man

So I did my best to bring that energy into the dance. My one flaw....I didn't realize that we turn and face different directions til it was too late. I'm just dancing and shouting all the directions, when BAM I tell everyone to turn and then I realize they have no one to follow So I hurdle the nearest person and fight my way to the front. I had to be quick on my feet. Mid slide I'm just vibing with my cha cha when I suddenly have to turn and face the back of the room and the only space is on top of a stack of chairsAnyway, we had fun

- we were sitting on a bench at a park when this guy came along and wanted to take a picture with one of the elders...the man took a pic and left, then came back to show us his ring, police belt, and police card. Then he left again. Only to return a 3rd time, with flowers he picked for me and sister swensonI love flowers you guys this made my whole day. You should all go pick random flowers and give them to strangers The end. 

-while sitting on this same park bench, we also met 2 French guys who are just working in Mongolia, a lady who asked if we were from the church and if we could teach her son English, and a guy who lived in Chicago for over 20 years. He said he still remembers his English teacher from a free English course he took in Mongolia. He showed us a picture and it was definitely a missionary. How cool is that that he remembers her 

- remember my cute little friend Oscar?? And how I said we were gonna sing together??? Yes. It happened. We sang I am a child of God at a baptism and it was the cutest most precious thing Oscar also helped me lead the music. He's a g 

- had lots of rainstorms this week, and me and sister swenson have started asking mongolians where the water goes after it rains. Because you guys it floods everywhere like so badly and then all of the sudden in the morning all the huge puddles are gone and we don't understand And none of the mongolians know where it goes

- we got to go see Michael's baptism! He's lived in Chicago for most of his life and knows more English than Mongolian. He's so cool. Seeing him get baptized was so special and hearing his testimony made me so happy. He was just beaming and radiates Christ's light. He also has a fun little Chicago accent hehe 

- sacrament meeting this week was wilddddd. I swear I live in the "America" of Mongolia right now...We had a big American family who actually lives in Japan come and visit our ward today. It was so fun to talk with them. The piano was played by an American, the music was led by an American, and one of the sacrament prayers was said in English. This actually caught me off guard and I cried a lot...i haven't heard it in English in 9 months. And the tears just continued to stream down my face as I saw sweet little new member start passing the sacrament. Then we got to teach Sunday school in English because all the youth in our class spoke English It was epic and also made me realize that I don't know English or Mongolian

- on our way to church we saw the cutest most precious little dog with curly white fur. We tried to get the dog to come over so we could pet him when all of the sudden a man stepped our from behind the bushes with a huge smile and proceeded to call his dog. "Happy" he told us. His dogs name is happy. There's nothing else to this story, I just thought it was cute this guy had a lil puppy named happy the end 

 

Spiritual thought: OKAY THIS IS LONG BUT ITS SO CUTE READ IT PLS 

The Visitor by Ken Merrell 

"When I was 18, as I was preparing to serve a mission, my bishop called me to teach the Sunbeams. I had never before learned to love others more than myself until I had served those children in such a simple assignment.... One day I invited Mike to come to church and sit in my class. Mike was my age but had stopped attending church completely by the time he was 12. We had remained friends over the years...and once in a while Mike would accept my invitations to come to an activity. It always surprised me when he did, so I kept inviting him. At that time, Mike had long, black hair and a beard. His complexion was dark and pleasant.

I don’t remember when I invited him to my Primary class, but one day he showed up. “Class, I would like to introduce you to my friend Mike,” is how I began my lesson. “He is visiting us today.” Mike sat next to me in front. The children sat in a semicircle with their eyes fixed on him. They were much quieter than usual. I was about five or six minutes into the lesson when one little boy got up from his chair and walked across the room and stood directly in front of my friend.... Mike was quite uncomfortable but did not interrupt the lesson or turn the boy away.... Then it happened. The boy on Mike’s lap reached up with both hands and turned Mike’s face directly to his. I stopped my lesson to see what was about to unfold. 

With the innocence of a child, he said to Mike, “Are you Jesus?” The look on Mike’s face was total surprise. It seemed, as I glanced at the children’s faces, they all had the same question on their minds. Mike looked at me as if to say, Help, what do I say? I stepped in. “No, this is not Jesus. This is His brother.” Mike looked at me as if in shock. Then without hesitation the boy in Mike’s lap reached up and wrapped his arms around Mike’s neck. “I can tell,” the boy said as he hugged Mike. The rest of the children smiled and nodded in agreement as their simple question was answered. Mike blinked back the tears in response to the love he felt from this small Sunbeam. The lesson went on, but that day the teacher who taught the most was a three-year-old child."

Tell me this is not the cutest thing ever. Sometimes we get so caught up in worldly comparisons that we are so quick to judge others. Being here in Mongolia, I don't know many people especially when I'm new to an area. But I love the people. And I think it's such a cool opportunity to just show everyone I love them even when I don't know them. This child like love is the best example of Christ's perfect love. I promise you all that when you show others love like this you will be able to feel that love more for yourself and more love from your Savior

The book is blue and the church is true  OKAY BAYRLALAA BAYRTAI HAIRTAI SHUU 

/систэр жэнсэн 

flics

- summer rain in mongolia goes crazy                         - cutie members  

- flowers from a middle aged mongolian man          - I fell asleep on a dinosaur 

- me n Oscar singing our hearts out                         - Michael's baptism 

- I found a hat on a bench (don't worry I did not put on a random hat i found...there was a spider in it)

- rEnT (am I the only one who feels like I pay rent every other week ??)

- met a Lego guy at the mall