Senior Missionaries, Fall Vibes, And A Broken Washer

Hello Everyone, this week I have a lot to talk about, so I'll just jump right in.

Last Friday, Sister Egnew and I found out that all of our American senior missionaries will be leaving the country. This is due to a tax law that was passed in 2023 but is just starting to be put into effect. This tax law requires any organization or other foreign adults staying in Mongolia between 6–12 months to pay an income tax. Because of this, church officials and lawyers have reached out to the senior couples and have advised them to be reassigned to another mission. My dear friends Elder and Sister Price are getting sent to Guam. While I'm really sad about this new development, I'm excited for the senior missionaries to see more of the world and bless the lives of other missionaries.

Right now, we have four American senior couples and two Mongolian senior couples. But as soon as next week, the American senior couples will fly out.

This is also pretty devastating because, as the church here in Mongolia is in its beginning stages, senior missionaries are instrumental in setting up the organization of the church, creating a good relationship with other churches, and helping the missionaries with things we cannot do ourselves.

Now the only thing on my mind is that all of the missionaries here are foreign adults, so will this new law affect us? How are we different from the senior missionaries in the eyes of the Mongolian government?

Moving on from all of that:

Right now, Mongolia's weather is full-on fall. It is definitely pumpkin-picking weather!

It's definitely going to be a dreamy transfer with this kind of weather.

And last but not least, the broken washer.

This washer has been giving me issues since I arrived in Sükhbaatar. The first time it "broke," it kept washing our clothes in dirty and grimy water and would not drain the water afterward, making our clothes smelly, stiff, and just disgusting. We ended up temporarily fixing the issue by draining the whole thing and replacing a part.

This time, when we were pulling the washer out to drain the dirty water, one of the water valves broke and ended up flooding our entire kitchen floor. We also ended up draining the machine of the dirty water.

So all in all, a pretty busy week. But I have a great spiritual thought as a treat for listening to me rant for an ENTIRE email.

Mosiah 4:9

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

One of the things I really do enjoy about both the Bible and the Book of Mormon is how simple verses such as the one above seem to hit so hard. Don't get me wrong, I love a good parable, but sometimes I need scriptures put plainly. When I read this verse, I immediately understood how King Benjamin feels in this address.

I remember my first time on the train coming up to this area and marveling at the scenery. I was in awe at the thought that God created all of this for us. He created all of the different kinds of animals, the different kinds of terrain, and the different colors of the sky so we can feel the joy and peace He feels in our creation.

I know that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father created our bodies and our whole world to fulfill His purpose here on earth. And I know that sometimes we think we fall short of that purpose. I just want to let y'all know that if you try—like really try—the outcome does not matter. The Lord wants to see progress, not perfection.

I know He lives and loves each and every one of us. He always hears us.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

I love you all,

Sister Vestel

P.S. One of the pictures below has me and my companion being silly. The zone challenge for this past week was to clean your companion's shoes, and we posted this.