True Conversion

Dear Family and Friends,

This week we were sitting (when I say sitting, I really mean standing) on a bus. A middle age woman who had been talking on the phone ran off the bus at the last minute and left a bag of stuff at her seat. The man across the aisle noticed the bag, quickly grabbed it, and started waving it out the window. Now, the bus was already moving again at this point and the woman was nowhere in sight. The man ended up dropping the bag out the window after we went a little farther down the street. Everyone on the bus was asking him, "Did she see it?" He didn't really know, but there weren't many other options. Even if she didn't get the bag in the end it was a nice gesture--something you don't see enough of in this country; however, the execution of the plan made me laugh.

This week we have been talking a lot about true conversion. This week in district meeting/zone training we talked about the difference between the "Gospel of Jesus Christ" and the "Doctrine of Jesus Christ." In order to truly be converted we must understand the Doctrine of Jesus Christ. In my personal study this week I read about the people of Ammon aka. the Anti-Nephi-Lehies. They are a great example of true conversion. In Alma 23: 6-8 we learn that they learned the doctrine, believed the doctrine, became converted, and never fell away. Even when they were faced with death they remained true to the covenants they had made.

This week as we taught our investigators we have been trying to help them become truly converted. This week our investigator Urantsetseg will be baptized. She is fourteen years old and she has been coming to church for the past eight months. She has a strong testimony, and really understands the doctrine. She strives to live the gospel, and we have no doubt that she has become truly converted. Originally Urantsetseg and Bolganjargal. were going to be baptized on the same day, but we are now trying to help Bolganjargal strengthen her testimony. She wants to be baptized so badly, but she is just barely taking the steps needed to really know the gospel is true. None of her friends are members, and that has been hard for her. Our last meeting with her was Thursday night. During the lesson she told us that on Saturday she had a work party and it was going to be difficult to follow the Word of Wisdom. She asked us to pray for her throughout the day. Yesterday she was so excited to tell us that she did not drink alcohol or tea during the party. She has a good heart and a desire to believe. We continue to pray for her and continue to find ways to help her gain and strengthen her testimony.

Yesterday we met a "new" investigator at church. Her name is Ariona. She has been an investigator for a couple of years, but is new to our area. She has taken all of the lessons and she "absolutely knows" the church is true. Through the course of our conversation (the bits and pieces I could understand) I decided the only question that would help us solve this mystery would be, "Why have you never been baptized?"" Sister Largin and I must have received the same prompting because she was the one who actually asked the question. From this question we learned that Ariona has a drinking problem. She flat out told us that she enjoys being drunk and has no desire to change. I left the lesson feeling confused because if you really understand the gospel and the doctrine it seems obvious that you would have a desire to change. We will meet with her again this week and see if we can help her gain that desire.

This was a really great week. I'm so glad that I have the opportunity to serve my mission in Mongolia.

Love, Sister Magleby