Miscellaneous June 09

On Saturday, June 17, Elder Woolsey and I decided to hike stage 8 of the Wilson Trail. We decided to do this one at the last moment because the day was fairly clear--though hot. But we knew we would see some beautiful country and wanted to see it on a clear day and so we decided to go. At first, upon starting on the trail, we weren't sure we were on the right one because it didn't look like anyone had hiked it for years. We were to find out why before the end of the day.
Still not much of a trail and pretty country without much effort. It was a deceiving beginning.
As we started to climb, the trails department had poured cement and we had seen some signs so we knew we were on the right stage. We still wondered why it was rated so difficult.
We walked for an hour and a half this way.
We were at the highest point of the trail to this point and saw this cozy little village nestled in a mountain valley and wondered if this was 'cloudy hill.' You can see the headstones of the family burials in the right foreground. At this point we started descending to the city of Tai Wai. We walked through the city and wondered what being back in a city meant--but we followed the signs and if they were right, it was obvious now that we had not ascended Cloudy Hill.
We left Tai Wai and ascended the mountain just outside the city. We could see the trail ahead for quite a ways and it still didn't look like Cloudy Hill was too foreboding. But it was hot and we were happy we each had five bottles of water.
We reached a summit and the vista of mountains opened up before us and we could tell we were in for a hike. The haze had started to settle in by this time, but it was still beautiful and things were going well--I thought.
I set my camera on a rock and we took this picture. If I had noticed how Elder Woolsey was looking, I would have known we were in some trouble. But I was usually in the lead and so I just kept up the ascent.
This picture is only one of so many of the beautiful scenery before and to the sides of us. The hiking guide was right about one thing--this was the most spectacular stage of the Wilson Trail so far. And we were finding out that it was right about another thing. This was a difficult hike, and we had chewed it off on one of the hottest and most humid days of the summer so far.
We talked as we hiked and then things were quiet. I kept hiking up a steep incline and then stopped to take a picture--but not this one. I looked back and Elder Woolsey was down. I hurried back down to where he was and he was suffering from heatstroke and could barely put one foot in front of the other. So we stopped for a while and hydrated him and cooled him off. We started up again and I carried both back packs to spare Elder Woolsey as much as I could. I would walk for a ways and turn around and realize that he hadn't been coming and so it was back down again to give him water and rest. I didn't know for sure if we would make it because I could see that we still had several sharp inclines to make before we reached the top.
This was one of the last climbs. Luckily we found a small grove of trees and that was the first shade on this part of the trail because of a fire about 15 years ago that had burned everything, and the new brush wasn't that big yet. The trees we came to were spared of the fire. We had our lunch and it really helped to take a half hour to cool off. Finally, Elder Woolsey said he thought he could go on. This was such a surprise to me because he is the most determined person I know and he never admits that he is hurting or sore or tired--until today. He kept telling me that he was spent and couldn't make his body respond. But the rest gave him a boost and we were able to make the final push to the top.
The trail looking back didn't look too bad, but this picture doesn't really show the steepness of the climbs in this section. And the fact that we had hiked for two and a half hours in the heat before we started this part of the climb isn't shown in the picture either. But after reaching the summit, we had finished stage eight. What a crazy place to finish a stage. We could go down from there for an hour and hope for a taxi to civilization or continue on to stage nine until we got to a road. Elder Woolsey opted for the road and while it was another hour and a half, it was mostly a gentle decline on a fairly good path until we came to a reservoir where there was a road down to town. We walked down the road where we were supposed to catch a mini-bus to the train station. It wasn't there and so we kept walking. Before too long, we saw a taxi pull into a residential area ahead of us. Elder Woolsey almost ran to catch it coming out. We were able to hail it and it took us to the train station. This was truly one of those days that Elder Newell used to comically refer to as a "death march" although we never had one with him like this.

Dinner with the Returning Filipina Sisters

On June 23, we had a dinner in our apartment for the four Filipina sisters who were returning home to the Philippines from their missions. All four of them have served in the Pen 3 branch and we have grown so close to them. They are the first missionaries that we really are going to feel a loss from after they leave. We have had the Career Workshop with all of the returning missionaries and loved them all, but these four are special. Mom didn't think we could invite them without inviting their companions and so we had eight altogether. The four returning home are in front.
Sister Monsader is always smiling. Sister Masuela is such a sweet, humble and warm person. Sister Babula is so positive and is a get-the-job-done kind of person. Sister Madjos is was in the branch when we came and stayed for almost seven months. She is a favorite--well, they all are.
They loved Mom's funeral potatoes and roast beef and green salad. I had to leave early for institute and parting was a time of many tears from the sisters. It is hard knowing that we probably will never see them again in this life. The hardest part was knowing that they go home to so little. Sister Madjos has a very active family. Her brother is her bishop and so she will have support. The others have varying support. None of them will go home to a situation like our Americans go home to.

Mongolian Temple trip June 14-20

On Wednesday night while the Mongolians were here, President and Sister Goo told us that we needed to come up to their apartment after we finished our service for the night. When we arrived in their apartment, they had food prepared for us--and the Ericksons--and then a surprise. Anjanette Schofield (maiden name) from Sugar City, who was Jan's best friend over 30 years ago was there with her husband who was a missionary under President Goo when he was here as misson president. We had a great visit with them and renewed old memories of our time in Sugar City.
This is Jagar and his wife Tuvshinbayar. He is such a dedicated soul. This is his third trip to the temple since we have been here in Hong Kong. On the first one he was still single. He has been so blessed for his faithfulness. No one in Mongolia would have predicted his getting married, but he has a sweet, humble wife and now an eternal marriage. I am so happy for him.
Anand is a returned missionary from Sumara, Russia and Zolzaya is a member of the Bayanzurkh branch who we knew as a young woman while we were there. Anand is the son of Enkhtuvshin who joined the church in the early 1990's in Europe and is likely the first Mongolian to be baptized in this dispensation.
Myagmasuren served her mission in Mongolia while we were in Mongolia. Her and her husband, Sukhbaatar have a little girl who was sealed to them. But she screamed every time someone wanted a picture and so we didn't have her in this photo.
Tsog and Dashka were sealed with their children and Dashka is expecting their third. Tsog was just sustained as the second counselor in the new stake presidency in Mongolia. They have been friends for a long time and have continued to correspond with us on a regular basis. Tsog served his mission in Novasibirsk and Dashka served in Utah Provo. We had a lot of fun with them.
This is the whole group who came this time. The woman in front is Myagmasuren's mother, Khisigsuren who spent most of her time tending the baby. She and her husband, Ganbat, are very active in the Songino Ward.