Greetings from Sister Royal

April 19, 2015

Hello Family and Friends,

My year mark is in a month.... A MONTH! Time goes by so quick and so slow all at the same time. I feel like I just got here to Mongolia but it also feels like I’ve been away from you guys for at least 13 years. haha.

First of all, no it feels just like home to be called Amy :) I would feel weird if you called me anything else. Second, I do dream in Mongolian! My comps tell me I sometimes teach them lessons in Mongolian in my sleep. haha. But, mostly my dreams end up being in Monglish (mostly Mongolian with English words here and there) haha. And I can’t tell you how excited I am for this weeks weather!!!!! I think I might be able to take of my coat for the first time in like 7 months! yay!

You made CHICKEN WELLINGTONS?!?!?!?! I think that might need to be the first thing that you make for me when I get home! Or yummy pasta. Or a chicken burger! haha. I guess anything will sound good if it doesn’t have fatty meat in it. I never thought I’d say this but a steak sounds like the least appealing thing right now. lol. And, I will definitely take you up on your offer to go KFC. It is so good mom. Like a million times better than American KFC. haha.

It made me really happy to hear about Kevin’s talk. I actually loved reading it. Its so weird to me that Kevin is becoming such a fine young man. I hope he really means what he says about me being an example for him. That’s not the only reason why I went on a mission. But, I am aware of that and I try hard to make him understand the importance of missions. To be honest, missions really suck sometimes. haha. You go to some foreign country, you’re far from home, you have to live with people you may not like and you are never so aware of your insecurities and weaknesses. BUT, there is this other side of missions that are really hard to explain on paper. It is this feeling you get that even though it’s hard it is worth it. I’ve had some of the funniest/happiest times of my life while on my mission. And not only that, but I know and can feel that the things I’m learning and the blessings I’m receiving will continue to bless me the rest of my life. So, it is worth it. It is worth going through really hard times. It is worth being exhausted every morning and every night and all in between. It is worth it. So, I hope I can convey that to people through my words and my example. A mission is so worth it.

I was ready an article in this months Liahona about weaknesses. The point of the article was that weaknesses are not sins. The difference between weakness and sin is that while one takes you further from God, the other (weakness) actually brings you closer to God. Sometimes though, we rationalize our sins as weaknesses and assume our weaknesses to be sins. The trick is to identify your weaknesses and use the help of the Lord and His atonement to become strong. We all have weaknesses and sometimes our problems can be a combination of sins and weaknesses but the important thing is recognizing it and then growing closer to the Lord by making your weaknesses stronger instead of walking farther away from the Lord by sinning.

This week was a pretty great week! This Friday, Our investigator, Nom was baptized! She’s had some pretty hard times since I’ve been meeting with her. My first week in my new area, she was ready for baptism when her father died suddenly. She of course was devastated and had some really concerns and doubts about the gospel. But we didn’t give up on her and most importantly; she didn’t give up on her testimony. And although its been a long road since then, I’ve never seen her so happy as she did when she came out of the waters of baptism. I guess what I learned from this is that its ok to have doubts sometimes. It is ok to be a seeker of truth. It is ok to want to know things for yourself. But the important thing is to go to the right sources. Just like we can’t see the beauties or comprehend the vastness of space by just using binoculars, we cant receive real truth from magazines or opinions of others. The Lord, and asking him through sincere prayer, becomes our "Hubble telescope". Through seeking truth by going to the Lord, our eyes can be opened to the vast beauties of the eternities and we are able to see things through His eyes. So keep asking. Keep wondering. And as you do so with real intent and a sincere heart, the Lord with answer your prayers.

Well, even though it was a week later than all of you, I finally got to watch conference! yay! Conference is always special. But conference on a mission in Mongolia is even more special! Haha. Ok, so, there are a million other things that I want to write about right now, but there is no time! Lets just all agree that conference is wonderful and we can all benefit from listening to those talks again :) I am so grateful to be a missionary in Mongolia! I’m so grateful for a living prophet and apostles who speak the Lords words. I grateful for each of you! I love you and, family,

I love you! I’m so happy to be here and I’m so happy for the warmth that has found its way to Mongolia :) Have a good week. Oh, and don’t remember that I'll get to see you in just a few weeks :) God bless Mothers Day ;) hahahah a

Love, Sister Royal

Pictures:

1) Our investigator who is getting baptized this week! It was her birthday so we treated her to yummy KFC. Seriously, the best restaurant in Mongolia... hahaha weird huh?

  2) Just riding on the busses AKA my life. haha. I love those busses though :)

3) We went with our investigator family to get water from the nearest water pump.  Those who live in a ger have no indoor plumbing. They make mundane things fun :)

 

4) The MTC six back together again at a zone conference.

Greeting from Mongolia

Hi Family and Friends

April 5, 2015

Sorry to hear that mom has been sick this week! She seemed to have gotten it from me! But if its anything like mine, it should be better soon. So, I’ve been so excited for spring to come, despite the fact that everyone has always told me that Mongolian springs are very hard. Mongolians hate spring because one day, it can be warm and the next it can be a snowstorm or even within one day, the temperatures can drop as much as 20 degrees! They also believe that everyone gets really tired in spring because your body has used up all its energy for winter. But, for some reason I’ve decided to not listen to any of those, playing them off as silly wives tails. Well, guess what? The Mongolians were right! haha. This last week was a weather rollercoaster! One day, it would be so hot I almost left me coat at home! Then just on Friday, we got a major snowstorm and weather has dropped back to freezing temperatures. It’s a bummer! And also, I am exhausted! All. The. Time! haha. So, yeah, spring is pretty hard... but its better than winter :) Also, I got your guys letter this week! The one you wrote for FHE :) I was so happy to read your letter. Just seeing your handwriting brings a feeling of home and stability into my life :) So thanks for that. Keep working hard on that truck so it can be ready for when I get home :)

Well, I hope you enjoyed all of my pictures! I figured since I sent lots of pictures of my week, and also because time is short, I will skip the rundown of what I did this week and go straight to the things I’ve learned this week. It suffices me to say that this week was full of fun kindergarten adventures and cute little kids. I have been so impressed by the youth in Mongolia mom. They are truly the pioneers of their countries. Most of my investigators are young kids with their families. And they are so smart! They ask more insightful, thoughtful questions than even the parents do! They are so faithful and willing to do anything to get to church. I think of myself when I was 12 years old, and there is no way I was that amazing. Its been a humbling and wonderful experience to get to know these wonderful spirits!

Anyways, this week, in the name of Easter, I have been studying and growing closer to my savior, Jesus Christ. Easter isn’t really a thing here in Mongolia (it being a Christian holiday and all) and even in the church; they are still learning the significance of Easter. But, despite that, this Easter has most likely been one of my favorite Easters yet because I have taking the time to ponder on the sacrifice made by our savior and to show thanks by preaching his word to his beloved brothers and sisters. I was reading in the Liahona magazine about the savior and his atonement and what that really means for us. Because of his love for us, and the blood he freely spilt for us, we are able to be comforted in our trails and be forgiven for even the most grievous of sins. I know that there is no sin too serious, no burden too heavy, no mistake too large that cant be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for his life, for his death, and for His resurrection.
 

Come unto Jesus, ye heavy laden,

Careworn and fainting, by sin oppressed.

He’ll safely guide you unto that haven

Where all who trust him may rest.

Come unto Jesus; He’ll ever heed you,

Though in the darkness you’ve gone astray.

His love will find you and gently lead you

From darkest night into day.

Come unto Jesus; He’ll surely hear you,

If you in meekness plead for his love.

Oh, know you not that angels are near you

From brightest mansions above?¹

^{Happy Easter Everyone! I love you! Have a good week!}

Love,

Sister Royal

 

We went on a fun field trip with Sister Overson’s kindergarten.

 

My Khan-uul district! There are only two sisters and two elders, so we have to have a member sit in with us for district meetings. haha.

 

Enjoying the sights at the Buddhist temple.

 

 

 

 

 

Anujin, our latest baptism! She got baptized on her 8th birthday :)

Spring is Springing in Mongolia

Hi everyone :)

 

Good Morning From Mongolia. It is warming up only 25 degrees

 

So, this week had been pretty uneventful. My companion and me both got really sick and spent a lot of time at home this week. BUT, yesterday we were both feeling better and ready to get to work. After church, we went on a split and met with a lot of our investigators to try and make up for this week. I mean, we were on a roll! After we got back together, we decided to meet with someone close by before we went home to plan. But, literally no one was home! So, we decided to go try and find one of our new members, a cute little 11 year old boy named Tumurhuu. We went to his house and his mom told him he was nearby playing outside with his friends. So, we went to go find him to see if we could pull him away for a little bit to meet. But, the opposite happened... haha. We found him at a close by park, playing with some other kids from the neighborhood. Before we could even tell him our proposition, he and all of his friends ran up to us and told us to play with them. We kindly refused, thinking we might have better things to do. But as the kids kept begging, I just couldn’t resist. They even start using their limited English saying "very fun." "you play?" hahaha.

So, we made a deal that if we played for a little bit, Tumurhuu would come home and meet with us. We ended up playing this fun game of tag where the person is blindfolded and had to catch someone. We were playing for not even 5 minutes when some of the parents came over to see who these weird Americans were playing with their kids. But, before they could ask, they started playing with us too! It was so fun. After we played, we talked with all of the kids and introduced ourselves. The parents were talking to us too. There was one kid, named Erdene-belig (he’s the one in the picture) kept following me around. He then told me to bend down and he whispered in my ear. He asked how he could see me again. So, I told him that if he wanted to, he could come to church with his friend and we could meet there. Tumurhuu then came over and started explaining church to him. Little Erdene said he wanted to, but his grandma wouldn’t like it. Before I could say anything, Tumurhuu told him he needed to pray. He then gave him a quick run down on how to pray and promised him if he prayed and asked God, his grandma would let him go to church. He then said, "I have a lot of pamphlets at home that I'll give to you". It was the cutest missionary experience I’ve ever seen. And it reaffirmed my testimony that every member can be a missionary.

It was such a wonderful moment. I love the people here in Mongolia. I love meeting people from all different backgrounds and knowing that we have at least one thing in common: we are all human!

Work is good here. I’m glad I sounded happy in my last email because I am so happy! Work is just really great :) This week, our little family of investigators came to church! And their little girl (Huuslen) still calls us everyday just to talk and tell us that she is reading from the BOM. haha. So so cute Also, this Sunday was our little new members birthday (a ten year old boy named Ariunbold) and I really wanted to make it special for him because his family is kind of rough and I wasn’t sure if they would do something for him. So, we picked him up at his house and sang a birthday song to him. He was so happy and cute! And I gave him some yummy chocolate and Spiderman stickers and a note. And while we were at church, I saw him keep looking at him stickers and then re-reading the note. haha. I seriously love him. And the best part is, before I came he was pretty inactive. And then I came into the area and I just feel like I have a connection with him. And I know he feels the same way. You would love him. He’s the sweetest in the world! When we come back to Mongolia together, we'll visit his house :)

That’s my life. I just do work work work. Let me tell you our schedule: We wake up and leave the house by 8 so that we can get to my comps kindergarten by 9. We teach from 9-12 and then grab something to eat from a store and head out to meet with people. Then, at 5 I teach my English and then we go home and study from 7-10. haha. There is literally NO time for anything. And we go on splits every Wednesday with ward missionaries because we have too many people to meet with and not enough time. But, even though its kind of stressful, we count our blessings because we know we are living every missionaries dream. I mean, we are too busy because we have too many awesome people to meet with? Yeah, I’ll take that over the alternative any day.

And I miss you a lot. But, mom just told me that we have 6 more Sundays until we get to Skype with each other again sooooo..... purty good :) And then after that, just 6 months! Crazy right??

This week has been great. I’m just really happy here. And spring is on the verge of springing! haha I feel it! Can you believe its already almost April?? That’s crazy. But time flies when your having fun :) I love you!

Love,

Sister Royal

Also, I got a letter in the mail from both grandpa and Aunt Deb. Please tell them thank you for me!!!!!

Pictures:

1) The cutest little boy ever! 

 

2) Our fun game we played 

 

3) These kids are the cutest :)

 
 

4) This family is THE BEST. They taught us how to make Hushuur. The little girl with
 glasses is great and going to get baptized in May. 

5) Mongolian Rural Life

I Am Loving Mongolia

March 15, 2015

March 15, 2015

This was a ward activity where we learned tradition Mongolian dance. The Mongolian people are so kind and there are some faithful saints here.

Ok everyone. I have a total of 10 min to right this email. So get ready for the most condensed email ever! haha. I have so much to say! Anyways, this week has been great! I’ve official been in the khan uul area for 2 weeks and I finally feel like I’ve got the hang of it now. I love my companion sooo much. But the poor girl has no sense of direction. Which made this week the most stressful and fun week of my life. We've spent lots of days being lost and seen lots of really really nice Mongolians who are willing to go out of their way to help us find our way. I have fallen more and more in love with the Mongolian people because of the kindness complete strangers have shown to the two lost foreigners on the side of the road ;) haha. Also, I finally feel like I have gotten to know all of our people now. And I love them! I just feel a connection with them here!

Thanks for the little quote you sent me! I just love the general authorities! haha. Also, mom, I just can’t tell you how much I am falling in love with this work! I’m just so happy! I feel a connection with these people I’m working with. Before, I loved my investigators and new members. I loved them a lot. But I always felt like my comp could do a better job or that my help was just kind of generic. But coming here, for the first time I felt special. Like It’s my words and my actions that are meant to help some of these people. And it makes me realize (finally...hahaha) why the heck I was called to crazy Mongolia. Because If I can just help Ariunbold get to church or Tserma get baptized, it will all be worth it. You know? Mom, I’m just sooooo happy :)

To answer your questions, no Mongolia doesn’t celebrate daylight savings.. I don’t think at least! haha. I live in a nice apartment in the nice place of the city called Ziasan. My new ward is the pretty rich area and where all the Americans live. It’s like the Scottsdale of UB. So I’m pretty lucky :) I love you dad :) Keep on keepin on!

This week, we really felt the need to meet with a LA man named Batmunkh who hasn’t come to church in years. We had no idea where his house was or his situation. But the spirit prompted us and we followed. So, we found his house and to our surprise, he has the cutest little family in the world! We sat down with His wife and his children and taught them about God, something they didn’t know much about. And Although it has been at least 10 years since Batmunhk has come to church, he started to remember things and he gave his testimony to his family about the truthfulness of the gospel. And the family asked us to come back! It was such a miracle. And the best part it, their little daughter, Huslen, calls us almost every night to tell her about her day and to let us know that they prayed as a family. It was truly a miracle.

This week, we also met with a member family who just moved into our ward. They are such a special family with lots of cute little girls. And the mom started making huushuur, a yummy Mongolian meal and sister Overson and I realized we have no idea how to make it. So, we asked if we could help. In order to make the meal, you have to fold the dough in a really special way: and naturally, I was the worst at it! But it was so fun. The whole family gathered around the table and made huushuur together and laughed and my bad huushuur making skills :) it was a happy moment.

Family and friends, I can’t tell you how happy I am! Mongolia is such a special place and these are such special people! I miss you all, but I’m so happy for the time I have to spend with and learn with these people :) The church is so true and miracles happen everyday! We just have to look for it :)

Love you!

Sister Royal

Sain uu everyone!

March 8, 2015

Sain uu everyone!

Well, I hope everyone’s week has been a good one. I hear that spring has hit Arizona. Well, at least it’s warming up somewhere... haha. I’ve learned this week that I was so wrong in thinking that Mongolian spring would be a step up from Mongolian winter. Because its not! This week has been the coldest week I think I’ve ever had! And to make it worse, the wind blows like crazy now. It’s a good think I wear lots of tights, because there is no hope in keeping my skirt down! haha. Anyways, despite the cold winter, this week has been full of great moments! I'll start from the beginning:

The night I heard about the transfer, I was so excited I was getting transferred I couldn’t even think about the fact that we were going to have to speak Mongolian. haha. And then, we got to the church; made the transfer and bam... it hit me. Oh my gosh, I’m the senior comp... in Mongolian! I have had lots of feelings of inadequacy this week, especially because my comp has only been in this area for 6 weeks so we don’t know that area well... at all! It’s been such a stressful but soooooo fun time calling people and trying to find their houses in the middle of these crazy ger districts. haha. I’ve actually quite enjoyed it. My comp actually has really good Mongolian (way better than I was after 3 months in the country) So, we've been making do. She is 22 and she is such a good listener! Sometimes, it will be quite or I’ll be feeling a little sad or overwhelmed and she comes up with the most random question to ask me and it lifts my mood. She’s just what I need :)

The new area is pretty great! At church yesterday, we found 2 new investigators, which is great! We teach lots of English, but with the little time we have, we meet with some great people! Yeah, sometimes it feels weird to be the one who has to make decisions. haha. I forget that as I senior comp, she looks to me for answers... and sometimes I have no idea what to do. But I fake it till a make it and it seems to work out pretty well. haha. It’s actually kind of fun :) We get a long really well.

Here are some highlights of my week:

1) Returning to my favorite kindergarten in the world! When I fist came to Mongolia, my trainer Sister Magleby taught English as a cute little kindergarten. Those times were some of the most fun times of my mission. And, as luck would have it, my new companion works at the same kindergarten! So, 5 months later, I got to return to that place a see all of my favorite kids and teachers again! And what better is I could actually communicate with them this time ;) haha. I am thoroughly convinced that there is nothing cuter than Mongolian kids!

2) This week, we have spent a lot of time getting used to the area. My comp has only been in the area for six weeks before me, so in a lot of ways, we are kind of whitewashing the area. It’s been really fun and stressful trying to get our way around and consequently, we haven’t had a lot of time to meet with people. So, every meeting meant so much to us. One night, we were heading over to meet with one of our investigators when she suddenly cancelled on us. We were so sad because we didn’t have enough time to travel anywhere else to meet with someone. So, I asked my companion if there was a member who lived close to the area. She told me that an old grandma lived just in the floor below us. Although it was kind of late and we weren’t sure if she was even home, I felt a strong need to meet with her. So, we knocked on her door. As we walked in, the grandma burst into tears. That morning, she woke up and her sight was gone. She had been laying in bed all day praying that someone would come by to visit her. We sat down with her, prayed with her, read her a scripture and then called someone from our ward to help her out. We sat for almost an hour just holding her hand. As I sat there, my heart was filled with gratitude that we were burned by our investigator. It is so interesting how the Lord works. Of course, being stood up by an investigator is never fun. But, it is through that experience that we were able to bless the life of someone who truly needed it. I’m so grateful that the Lord knows our plans better than I do :)

3) So, now that I am together with an American, we have made a goal to improve our Mongolian . We thought for a while what our plan would be and we came up with the idea to speak English when we are home and to only speak Mongolian when we are out of the house. At first, I was a little apprehensive... lets be honest, I enjoy speaking my native tongue. But as we have been trying it, it has brought more blessing and funny experiences that I could have imagined. So, I just want you to imagine this: being a Mongolian seeing two Americans trying to speak to each other in what I like to call Monglish (mostly Mongolian with an English word here or there if we don’t know the word) lets just say, we've gotten lots of funny looks, laughed at, and had lots of people come up to us and talk to us. It’s actually been so fun! There have been many times just in this week where on the bus or in a taxi, people hear us and ask us what we are doing here in Mongolia. Although I can’t straight up talk about the church, we have invited many people to come to our English classes we teach at the church. Again, I’ve been reminded this week that the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Well, that’s my week in a nutshell! I’m sure there are lots of other things that I forgot, but this will have to do. Our weeks are full of miracles; we just have to look for them :) I hope you all have a good week! Love you all! Hairtai shvv!

Love,

Sister Royal

A Test of my Mongolian Knowledge

Dear Family and Friends,  March 1, 2015

 So, this week has been full of changes! First, I hit my half way mark this week! Nine more months! Does it feel like it’s gone by fast for you? Second, transfers came out this week and I got a new companion and a new area! I was so sad to leave Bayanzurkh, but, I had been there for about 5 months, so its nice to have a change! I’m now in the Han uul area. It’s in the center of the city and it is also the area where a lot of international people live. Our ward has a translator who translates everything into English (not me thank goodness haha) and we even get to teach a few lessons in English! It’s actually really weird! haha. My companion is Sister Overson, a cute sister who came to Mongolia about 3 months ago. She is also from Arizona (Gilbert area) and I think you should be friends with her family :) Her moms name is Amanda Overson. Sister Overson is amazing! She is so smart! She knows WAY more Mongolian than I knew when I was here three months! I’m so excited to learn from one another and work REALLY hard on our Mongolian. haha cause we need it ;) Also, sister Overson's English Class is the same as Sister Magleby (my trainer) So, I get to go back to the cute kindergarten that I loved so much when I first got here! It’s going to be great!

One of my favorite pass times as a missionary is reading or listening to Conference talks! I remember how before my mission, it was a rare occasion if I would pick up the Ensign. Well, those days are no more. I can’t wait for each month when the new Liahona comes out. haha. I’m a changed woman! And yes, I’ve had to give 2 talks so far and 1 talk over the phone (they have an over the phone sacrament meeting so people in the country side can have church). It was scary (duhh) but I just kind of treated it like teaching a lesson and I’m getting pretty used to teaching lessons so its not too bad. Mongolian is coming along. I’m not going to say I know everything or even that I’m fluent, but, I’ve gotten to the point where I can teach all the lessons and I’m not afraid to change things up or modify things according to the spirit. With transfers this week I’m with sister Overson, who came to Mongolia only 3 months ago. So, I guess this will be the biggest test of my language, to see if two Americans speaking Mongolian can navigate the city on our own. haha.

I hope you all have a great week :) Everyone, make sure to spoil my mom for me on her birthday! I love you all!

Love,

Sister Royal

 Sister Overson and I celebrating my halfway mark with oreo shakes and big plan :)

Tsagaan sar

Subject: Happy Valentines Day!!!

From: Amy Royal <amy.royal@myldsmail.net>

Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2015, 9:00 PM

To: Patricia Royal <azroyal2@yahoo.com>

Well, Hello family :) :)

This week has been such a wonderful week! I’ve seen so many miracles and I have realized how FUN missionary work can be! This week, my companion went on a 4 day exchange with one of the Sister Training leaders and that meant that I got to spend 4 days with non other than my bestie... Sister Petersen! haha. We have literally been waiting for this moment for 7 months. haha. Each time we see each other, we think, maybe we'll be together this transfer. its always been wishful thinking, but this week, our wishes came true!

So, to be honest, I was a little worried... Although our Mongolian has grown a lot in the last 7 months, we are still kind of the newbies you know? But, as we got together and prayed earnestly that the spirit would be with us and that we would be safe and that people would actually understand us, we had peace come over both of us and we set out for our little adventure. And it was full of miracles!!! I can’t tell you all of them, but I will tell you one or two:

1) first, her area is kind of infested with really scary dogs. She told me about it before we left, but I guess I didn’t really take it seriously until we go there. We found ourselves walking up the side of a hill with two rocks in each of our hands. I was looking behind us and she was watching the front of us. hahaha. It may seem like we were being a little overdramatic, but trust me... it was necessary. haha. Anyways, we finally got to the house and she warned me that we couldn’t go inside because they had a really mean dog. So instead, we called her name and waited for some one to let us in. But, we waited and waited and no one came. We called their phone and no one answered. But, we just knew they were home. So, we said a quiet, secret prayer. We felt that we needed to just walk in, because we couldn’t see the dog anywhere. So, we said another little prayer for protection and walked in. Right as we walked in, I screamed as I saw the dog come up behind Sister Petersen. But, the dog ran away from us and cowered in the corner. We both sat there in shock. Sister Petersen told us to run into the ger, even though no one was inside. she then told me that she has NEVER seen that dog so calm. She said that most of the time, the owners have to use all their strength to hold him back from getting them. We then said a little prayer of thanks for protection and I KNOW that angles were by our sides.

2) Being two Americans in Mongolia can sometimes be a scary thing. But it can also sometimes be such a blessing. Because we are both Americans, its almost like we can get away with being more bold or something. Anyways, we decided to go to a less active members house to visit. They have visited before, and never really been welcomed. In fact, the last time they went, they basically told Sister Petersen and her comp to not come back. But we decided to take our changes. So we went over and they reluctantly invited us in. We were able to share a short scripture with them and Sister Petersen told them that they would like to come back. And they invited us over for Tsagaan cap! They opened up to us right in front of our faces. It was such a wonderful thing to watch the spirit touch their hearts as we taught.

So, there were so many more miracles that week! And soooooo many fun times! But I have no time to tell it all... haha. So you'll just have to read my journal when I get back ;) haha. Missionary work is so important you guys! And when two people have the same goal and have follow the spirit, miracles can happen! I love you guys! This week, I will experience my first Tsagaan sar! I will make sure to take lots of pictures and wear my del for you :)

Have a good week!

Love, sister Royal

February 22, 2015

Hi!

I hoped you liked all the pics :) this week was so interesting because I got to see more of the beauty that is part of the Mongolian culture. Tsagaan sar is so interesting! Missionary work basically stopped.. haha. but we got the opportunity to visit people from our ward and people that we used to meet with. We ate so many buuz. haha. Like, I would go in for seconds because I knew that people wanted me to eat buuz and I would think, "yeah, that’s got to be enough" and then, they would grab my plate and put more on. haha. And then, we would leave and go to another house and do the same thing all over again. haha. It was great!

I’m glad you made buuz at home! They look really good! Did you steam them? How'd you get the recipe? I’m so excited to come home and make Mongolian food at home. I’m trying as hard as I can to learn now while im with Mongolian companions. haha. Anyways, sorry this is so short. I hope you have a good week mom! I love you so much! Don’t forget it.

Love you,

Sister Royal

1) So this was a big day because... I didn’t have to wear my big marshmallow coat! yay for spring time!!!

2) Tsagaan sar get up. You might think we look silly, but this is how everyone 

looked all last week.

3) Typical tsagaan sar table spread. Also, they are my favorite family :)

4) we got to take part in the traditional hair shaving party. if you are asked to participate, you are able to cut off a small piece of their hair and give them a blessing of long life and happiness. And then you give them money. haha. It was such a cool experience and it was  an honor to be asked to participate!

A Mongolian haircutting ceremony. Mongolian children get their first haircut in early ages between 2-5. It is called Daah Urgeeh. The ceremony symbolizes the end of "babyhood" and the transition to "childhood".  It is a great honor for a foreigner to participate.