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“Wherefore, be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great” (Doctrine and Covenants 64:33).

Following Elder Maxwell’s dedicatory prayer in 1993, the Church in Mongolia continued to grow and was officially registered with the government in 1994. Although there were challenges to religious freedom, a great foundation was being laid, and the light of the gospel was beginning to shine in Mongolia.

First six young elders outside of their apartment in Ulaanbaatar, August 1993. From left to right: Elders Duane Blanchard, Bart Birch, Brett Hansen, Bradley Pierson, Jared Meier, Dee Mortensen. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

The arrival of new young missionaries to augment the efforts of the senior missionary couples was a welcome resource. Their energy and enthusiasm, along with their efforts to learn the language, were significant additions to the work. Furthermore, the translation into Mongolian of the first Church materials and resources was critical to help lay a strong foundation and grow the Church in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. As the Church continued to grow, temporary rented locations were sought to serve as meetinghouses for the growing numbers of members in Mongolia. Most importantly, the training of local leaders was vital in laying a foundation that could maintain and sustain the Church long after the first American missionary couples completed their work and departed Mongolia.

Additional Missionaries and Translated Materials

The first six young elders arrived from the Missionary Training Center (MTC) in August 1993.[1] Elder Smith recorded the following:

Six young elder missionaries arrived on August 14, 1993, from the MTC. They were Elder Brett Andrew Hansen, Elder Duane Lee Blanchard, Elder Curtis Dee Mortensen, Elder Jared K. Meier, Elder Bradley Jay Pierson, and Elder Bart Jay Birch. The couples all went out to the airport in a bus to get them. It was great to see their smiling faces as they came through the gate. They brought with them an incredible amount of luggage. . . . They had so much that it almost filled the bus we had, and barely left room for the passengers. . . . Everyone was happy—the elders because they had finally come to the end of their journey, and the couples because they would have additional help with the work here.[2]

Zone conference in Ulaanbaatar with original twelve young elders, 26 November 1994. From left to right (front row): Elder Jared Meier, sister Naomi Toma Tai, Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai, and Elder Luke Nielson. From left to right (back row): Elders Duane Blanchard, Gerald Rogers, Kent Nielson, Brett Hansen, Jason Hall, Bradley Pierson, Sam Hawkins, Dee Mortensen, Stewart Lynn, and Bart Birch. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

Elder Bradley Pierson noted, “When I was growing up my mother used to threaten to send me to Outer Mongolia if I did not behave. Little did she know this would come true!” He along with the five other young missionaries were preparing to serve in Russia when they entered the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. But while at the Missionary Training Center, they were reassigned to serve in Mongolia.[3] Although these young missionaries did not initially speak Mongolian, according to Elder and Sister Smith, “The young elders [we]re really doing well with the language. They [we]re starting to bear their testimonies, give some of the discussions, and in general talk to the members in the Mongolian language. It was exciting to see their progress.”[4] Elder Brough explained that rather than sending missionaries all over Mongolia, early on we “concentrated on establishing a presence in Ulaanbaatar.” Their focus was to build a center of strength before spreading out to other cities. According to him, during those first years, “We did not go anywhere else, nor did we feel we should go anywhere else, until [the Church in Ulaanbaatar] was pretty well established.”[5]

In addition, the missionaries were blessed to have additional translated materials to help them preach the gospel and introduce others to the Church. On 9 September 1993, Brother David Phelps from the translation committee of the Church came to Mongolia to coordinate the first translated materials. They began with the name of the Church, the sacrament and baptism prayers, the Joseph Smith story, the missionary discussions, and the Gospel Fundamentals manual. One missionary couple wrote, “The prospect of having these materials available to the members and investigators in their language was very exciting to us” because “it was very difficult to teach people without materials that they could read.” A large poster was printed with the name of the Church in Mongolian by late September, and the sacrament was blessed in Mongolian for the first time on 10 October 1993.[6]

State Central State Library and Peace and Friendship Palace

The Church grew quickly following the April 1993 dedication. Elder Beesley worked with one of the local newspapers, the Unuudur, to place an ad regarding the branch meeting schedule. Although he was waiting for a final translation approval to run the ad, it was run by mistake on 26 April. The Beesleys received many calls in response, but they were unable to communicate effectively with most callers due to the language barrier. Nevertheless, thirty-four people came to the sacrament meeting held on 2 May 1993, and many had come due to the newspaper ad. Elder Smith said, “Flandro’s apartment was literally bulging at the seams. . . . It was incredible to us to see how the Lord had sent us people that wanted to learn about Jesus Christ and His gospel.”[7] Smith described the following:

Missionaries and branch members at a church meeting held at the State Central Library conference room in Ulaanbaatar, on 26 December 1993. Courtesy of Bradley Pierson.

With more and more people coming to meetings, we saw the need to find a large place in which to meet. Elder Beesley had looked into the possibility of using a room in the Ulaanbaatar Hotel. They had a room, but no piano. Nayanjin had told us that his wife might be able to arrange for a room for us at the University of Fine Arts, where she was working. This location and others were being investigated. . . .

We continued in our efforts to try to find a new meeting place. President Beesley had located a building called The Peace and Friendship Center which looked promising. It was located only about three blocks from our apartments. Elder Beesley and Elder Smith met with the manager to make the final arrangements.

At the meeting to finalize the arrangements it was found that we could not start meeting in the facility until June 13th. Further, it was found that they would only guarantee us the availability of the building on 3 Sundays out of the 4 or 5 every month.[8]

Although the “Peace and Friendship Palace” (or Peace and Friendship Center) was still being considered and would later serve as a meeting place for the Church, there was a need to find another temporary location. Smith recounts the following regarding another site, the State Central Library.

Otgon, the Director of the Central Library, . . . told Elder Beesley that he had a room at the library that we could meet in, so Elder Beesley hurried over to talk to Otgon.

Elder Beesley was able to make arrangements to start meeting at the library the next Sunday instead of [at] the Peace and Friendship Center. We told everyone we saw during the week about the change in location and put notices on the apartment door where we had been meeting. We had Elder Harper stationed at the Peace and Friendship Building to direct people to the Library. So it was under these conditions that we held our first meeting outside of our apartments.

The room we met in for sacrament meeting at the library was very large, and very pretty. It had lovely big windows and crystal chandeliers and was very nice for us. Because of the new location, it was now possible to hold the children’s class during both gospel instruction and relief society time. Sister Alice Schmidt and Sister Donna Beesley taught the children, each for half of the time. Elder Gary Carlson was asked to teach the gospel instruction class.[9]

Reorganizing the Branch Presidency

The missionary couples serving in Mongolia traveled to Beijing and were there for seven days for a special zone conference with the Area Presidency. The Area Presidency instructed Elder Beesley to function as a lead elder and change the branch presidency. On 27 June 1993, Elder Richard Harper was sustained as the new branch president with Elders Stanley Smith and Royce Flandro as his first and second counselors, respectively.[10] At the end of 1993, there were fifty-two members, resulting in over a hundred members and investigators at sacrament meeting. Elder Smith said, “The Mongolian members holding the priesthood were performing the baptisms and the baptismal prayers had been translated into Mongolian.”[11]

In front of mission office/apartments in Ulaanbaatar, fall 1993. From left to right: Elder and Sister Harper and Sister and Elder Smith. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

On 16 January 1994, President Carmack visited Mongolia with his wife to reorganize the branch presidency and hold the first branch conference for the Ulaanbaatar Branch. Elder Smith recorded that at the conference, “the first brothers from Mongolia received the Melchizedek Priesthood and were ordained to the office of Elder.” He added, “Purevsuren, Bat-Ulzii, Batsuuri, and Enkhtuvshin were given the Mechizedek priesthood, and Enkhtuvshin and Bat-Ulzii were called as counselors to President Harper.” President and Sister Carmack spoke, as did Enkhtuvshin and Bat-Ulzii. There were 125 people at this branch conference.[12]

Another change came on 27 February 1994, when President Harper and his counselors were released. “Elder Gary Carlson was sustained as the new president with Enkhtuvshin and Bat-Ulzii as his counselors. Elder Charles L. Hardy was sustained as the new lead elder.”[13] New Mongolian converts continued to work alongside and support the missionaries during this time. Sisters Tsolmon Ulya and Davaa Hana, for example, were baptized in May 1994 and “became a huge help to the missionaries. . . . Since they both [had] excellent English skills, they became translators in many church meetings and missionary discussions.” They wanted “to share the beauty of the gospel with our families and our friends.”[14]

Additional senior couple missionaries arrived in 1994, including Gary E. and Joyce Cox and Richard E. and Mary N. Cook.[15]

Elder Carmack came to visit the missionaries and the branch on June 22, 1994, and on June 26, I [Elder Gary Cox] was sustained and set apart as the fourth Branch President of the Ulaanbaatar Branch. The time from March to June, 1994, was one of continued growth in numbers and in developing the systems for supporting the organization of the Church here in Ulaanbaatar. Elder Carlson devoted much of his time to working with his counselors in developing their abilities to conduct meetings, fulfill assignments, etc. He also spent many hours developing a computerized record-keeping system which could keep up with the rapid growth in membership. Finally, he was also very occupied with translation work in overseeing the work of a committee of Mongolian members who were working on various translation projects. Elder Carlson recommended to Elder Carmack that he be released and that one of the newly arrived senior elders be called to serve as the Branch President because he (the new branch president) would have greater longevity and he (Elder Carlson) could complete the membership program and the translation work. Brothers Enkhtuvshin and Bat-Ulzii were retained as counselors. Brother Purevsuren was the Executive Secretary and Ariuntulga was the Branch Clerk. The only other Mongolian leader was the Relief Society President, Sister Davaajargal (Sylvia).[16]

Oyun Altangerel was an early convert who brought her son, Odgerel Ochirjav, into the church. Her son later became the first stake president in Mongolia. Photo of Oyun Altangerel in June 2018, in Ulaanbaatar. Courtesy of Po Nien (Felipe) Chou and Petra Chou.

Elder Cox reported that when he became the new branch president, there were 102 baptized members, and sacrament meeting attendance was about 130 percent each Sunday. One of his top priorities was to pass the load of leadership and teaching from the American missionaries to the local Mongolian members.[17]

In one of our first presidency meetings, we decided we would release all American missionaries from their positions in the branch and call Mongolian brothers and sisters. We also decided we would use the senior missionaries as advisors to auxiliary presidencies to help train the Mongolian leaders. When I told Sylvia that Sister Carlson was being released as a counselor and that she could not have another American as a counselor, she looked very surprised (almost shocked) and said, “But, Why?” I told her this was a Mongolian Branch and it needed Mongolian leaders. She thought a moment and then seemed pleased with the idea. Developing new leaders is never easy, but the members have responded with enthusiasm. YW and Primary leaders have done exceptionally well. The advisors and their assignments have been as follows:

Sister Hardy—Relief Society with Sister Sylvia and Erdenechimeg . . .

Sister Cook—YW with Sister Soyolmaa as president.

Sister Cox—Primary with Jana as president (Sister Schmidt has previously worked with the Primary.)

Elder Hardy—Adult Priesthood Group.

Elder Cox—Sunday School.[18]

Freedom and Faith from Oyun Altangerel

Before Oyun Altangerel came into contact with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, she worked at the State Central Library and organized a hunger strike at the library to oppose communism and fight for religious freedom. She was the first woman to join the Democratic Society after the end of communism in 1990 and returned to continue her work at the library after the revolution in 1992.[19] Elder Dallin H. Oaks, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, explained the following during a speech on religious freedom at BYU–Idaho in 2009:[20]

To illustrate the importance of basic human rights in other countries, I refer to some recent history in Mongolia, which shows that the religious freedom . . . must be won by dangerous sacrifice in some . . . nations.

Following the Perestroika movement in the Soviet Union, popular demonstrations in Mongolia forced the Communist government to resign in March, 1990. Other political parties were legalized, but the first Mongolian elections gave the Communists a majority in the new Parliament, and the old repressive attitudes persisted in all government departments. The full functioning of a democratic process and the full enjoyment of the people’s needed freedoms [did] not occur without a struggle. In Mongolia, the freedoms of speech, [the] press, and religion . . . remained unfulfilled.[21]

Elder Oaks continued and further spoke of Sister Oyun’s courage despite the precarious and volatile environment she was in at the time.

In that precarious environment, a 42-year-old married woman, Oyun Altangerel, a department head in the State Library, courageously took some actions that would prove historic. Acting against official pressure, she organized a Democratic Association Branch Council. This 12-member group, the first of its kind, spoke out for democracy and proposed that state employees have the freedoms of worship, belief, and expression, including the right to belong to a political party of their choice.

When Oyun and others were fired from their state employment, Oyun began a hunger strike in the State Library. Within three hours she was joined by 20 others, mostly women, and their hunger strike, which continued for 5 days, became a public demonstration that took their grievances to the people of Mongolia. This demonstration, backed by major democratic movement leaders, encouraged other government employees to organize similar Democratic Councils. These dangerous actions expanded into a national anti-government movement that voiced powerful support for the basic human freedoms of speech, press, and religion. Eventually the government accepted the demands, and in the adoption of a democratic constitution two years later Mongolia took a major step toward a free society.[22]

Zone conference in Ulaanbaatar, circa fall 1994. Left to right (front row): Sister Jean Hardy, Sister Naomi Toma Tai and Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai, and Elder Charles Hardy. Left to right (back row): Elder Richard Cook, Sister Mary Cook, Elder Gary Cox and Sister Joyce Cox, Sister Bennet and Elder John Bennet. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

Sister Oyun explained that Mongolia had a democratic revolution in 1989–90 and that she was part of it because of she wanted freedom of religion included in the basic freedoms of the country. During this time, while employed at the Central State Library, she felt an impression to go to the library with her grandson on a Sunday, even though she didn’t work on Sundays. There, she was surprised to hear people singing in the library’s auditorium. Her grandson was interested in listening, so they went in to see. She said, “There were so many Americans and [a] few Mongolians. A beautiful sister with a beautiful dress invited me in. It was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, renting the auditorium on Sundays.” She took the missionary lessons and added, “It was my first time to hear the gospel. Once I heard it, I loved it. I wanted to be a member of the Church. I was baptized on December 25, 1993.”[23]

Missionaries hire a truck to transport members and converts for baptisms at a sports club in Ulaanbaatar on 25 June 1994. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

Next, Oyun Altangerel’s mother and sister were also baptized. The Russian culture of drinking continued among the youth even after communism left, and Sister Oyun’s only son also drank. She wanted her son to stop drinking and convinced him to come to church with her. Her son, Odgerel Orchijav, was soon baptized and would later serve as the first stake president in Mongolia.[24] The courage and efforts of Sister Oyun and others in fighting for religious freedom allowed the light of the gospel to shine in Mongolia, blessing her, her family, and others in Mongolia. Elder Oaks added the following during his 2009 speech at BYU–Idaho:

For Latter-day Saints, this birth of constitutional government in Mongolia has special interest. Less than 2 years after the historic hunger strike [organized by Sister Oyun Altangerel], we sent our first missionaries to Mongolia.

In 1992 these couples began their meetings in the State Library where Oyun was working. The following year, she showed her courage again by being baptized into this newly arrived Christian church. Her only child, a twenty-two-year-old son, was baptized two years later. Today, the Mongolian members of our Church number 9,000, reportedly the largest group of Christians in the country. A few months ago we organized our first stake in Mongolia. Called as the stake president was Sister Oyun’s son, Odgerel. He had studied for a year at BYU–Hawaii, and his wife, Ariuna, a former missionary to Utah, graduated there.[25]

Challenges and Opportunities

As noted, Church meetings in Mongolia were initially held in the apartments of missionary couples. However, as the Church began to grow, larger facilities were needed. Finding such a facility to hold Church meetings proved to be quite a challenge because 95 percent of the buildings were owned by the government and were generally not available to religious groups. The branch members met at the State Central Library for six months, until local members of the community complained of the lack of separation of church and state.[26] Elder and Sister Smith recorded the following after the first branch conference in January 1994.

There were 125 in attendance at the [branch] conference. . . .

We had found that due to the number attending our meetings, and also because of a provision in the new law that prohibits churches from holding meetings in a government building, we again found ourselves having to find a new location to hold meetings. Elder Beesley had been back to the Peace and Friendship building people to try again with them. This time, because we had changed our meeting time to the morning hours, they were able to accommodate us. President and Sister Carmack and most of the missionaries went to look at the facilities and also had lunch there. We found that we would be able to use a large auditorium which seats about 200 persons. In addition, we would have the use of rooms for priesthood, relief society, primary, and young women classes. We held our first meeting in the new facility on the first Sunday in February. . . .

The new law on religion was successfully challenged in the Supreme court and three of the provisions which were most threatening to the Church were declared unconstitutional. While there are still some provisions which may cause us some concern, we should be able to work around them.[27]

The missionary couples then encountered another challenge. Elder and Sister Smith recorded the following:

The parliament of Mongolia passed a new law pertaining to religion which had the potential of affecting the work of the Church very seriously, if not stop[ping] it completely. Many of the old Communists serving in parliament were still trying to return to the old ways. . . . All of the Christian religions, the American and British Embassies, and many of the opposition party members in the Mongolian Parliament were all opposed to the new law. There were parts of it that were definitely against the new constitution of Mongolia which grants freedom of religion. It was expected that there would be some challenges made to the new law in the courts. Meanwhile we proceeded with caution.[28]

Top: Baptismal service in Mongolia on 8 October 1994. Middle: Elder Brett Hansen in front of missionary apartment in Ulaanbaatar, winter 1994. Bottom: Many early missionaries were housed in Soviet-style apartments. Photo of Ulaanbaatar, October 1994. Photos courtesy of Brett Hansen and Bradley Pierson.

Meetings were then moved to the Peace and Friendship Center, another government building, which was rented for $225 for four hours each Sunday. Finding space to meet remained the branch’s greatest challenge, with more than 250 people attending sacrament meeting. Elder Tai from the Asia Area Presidency visited and spoke to the branch members in November 1994. Later, the contract was renegotiated for $350 for seven hours each Sunday. As the branch president, Elder Cox implemented additional changes to help manage the branch’s growth and lack of sufficient space for Church meetings. These changes included moving to quarterly rather than monthly branch activities and adjusting the meeting schedule.[29]

On March 5, 1995, we implemented a “split schedule” to accommodate the large numbers of members and investigators attending our meetings. On February 26, 1995, the attendance was 299 persons. We divided the branch membership alphabetically and named them “Group A” and “Group B”. Group A went to Sacrament meeting while Group B went to Relief Society, Priesthood, and Young Women. Then the groups switched. All Primary children and workers were in Group A so the children could then have a full Primary agenda together. Sunday School was held the final hour of the 3-hour block of time. After we split the meeting schedule, our combined attendance in Sacrament meeting never exceeded 296, which was the attendance on April 23, 1995.[30]

According to Elder Cox, there were several other significant developments during this time, including additional branch activities, the establishment of the branch budget, and “the establishment of a uniform method for recording Mongolian members’ names in the Church Membership Record System.” In addition, several Mongolian members were able to attend BYU–Hawaii in 1994 and 1995 under the work-study program.[31] These were important developments in training local Mongolian leaders. Elder Cox explained that the “development of Mongolian leaders has been a primary concern and effort. The Mongolian members are anxious, willing and excited to serve in the Church. They are very teachable and learn quickly.” He added that “there has been little in the society which would have prepared people to assume leadership roles” in the Church; nevertheless, “many of the leaders grasp[ed] the concepts immediately and serve[ed] very well in their capacities.”[32]

With the new government in Mongolia, Enkhtuvshin, the deputy minister of education who signed the agreement between the Church and the Mongolian government, lost his job. The man who replaced Enkhtuvshin was antagonistic and created some obstacles and challenges, making life difficult for Elder Beesley and the other couple missionaries. Nevertheless, Enkhtuvshin was later appointed to other positions in the Mongolian education system where his positive influence was a blessing to the Church.[33] Elder Brough said, “We were there right when the government needed us, and whenever anybody was giving us any trouble we had many people rally to our defense.” Elder Brough added that the couple missionaries were a valuable contribution to the community and its educational efforts: their “influence was felt, and it was significant, very significant.”[34]

Church Officially Registered in Mongolia

When Elder Brough was released as the Asia Area President and assigned to serve in the Presidency of the Seventy in August 1993, Elder John K. Carmack became the new Asia Area President with Elders Tai Kwok Yuen and John Groberg as First and Second Counselors respectively. Before his release, Elder Brough made three or four additional trips to Mongolia to “make sure things were going right, and to maintain a relationship with the really key people in Mongolia—Nayanjin, Enkhtuvshin, and some others.” Other key people included Dambadarjaa, the former ambassador of Mongolia to Japan and to Egypt and a later advisor to the Economic College in Mongolia. Elder Brough indicated that he “went up often enough to keep those contacts because we knew the couples would come and go, and we felt it was very important for the Area Presidency to maintain a relationship with key people in Mongolia.” After Elder Brough returned to the United States, Elders Carmack and Tai continued to nurture those relationships with these key people in Mongolia.[35]

Ward Christmas party in Ulaanbaatar with original twelve young elders, 23 December 1994. Left to right (front row): Elders Duane Blanchard, Bart Birch, Bradley Pierson, Brett Hansen, and Dee Mortensen. Left to right (back row): Elders Sam Hawkins, Gerald Rogers, Luke Nielson, Kent Nielson, Jason Hall, Jared Meier, and Stewart Lynn. Courtesy of Brett Hansen.

In 1994, Elder John H. Groberg, then a member of the Asia Area Presidency assigned to oversee the Church’s efforts in Mongolia, was sent urgently to Mongolia to resolve a visa crisis when “a government official in Mongolia had determined to not allow any more visas for [the] missionaries.”[36] Elder Groberg explained,

Our daughter Jennie Marie had recently finished her mission in Slovenija and was visiting us in Hong Kong before returning to school at BYU. We quickly made arrangements for Jean, Jennie, and myself to go to Mongolia. You can imagine our heavy hearts as well as our fervent prayers as we undertook this assignment. . . . Relying on the Lord, we flew to Mongolia to do all we could to “solve the problem.”

We met with the few members we had in Ulaanbaatar and found that the situation was even more serious than we had understood. Having been under Russian Communist domination for seventy years, many government officials were still steeped in the old ways and found it difficult to change their hearts and minds.

We took some local Church leaders and met with the man who had made the decision to terminate the visas. He seemed cold and determined to stick to his decision. . . . For several days we held meetings with every official who would meet with us. We hit a dead end every time.[37]

After holding a fast with the branch members and missionaries, one brother remembered that a Mongolian ambassador assigned to Europe was back in Mongolia briefly to visit his son in the hospital. Elder Groberg was able to meet the ambassador, who was friendly to the Church but unable to assist. “Almost as an afterthought,” Elder Groberg recounts, the ambassador said that he had to hurry to return to Europe because he had just had the country of Slovenija added to his European assignment and was anxious about having time to get briefed about it. “Really? Slovenija?” Elder Groberg responded, “I have a daughter with me who just returned from Slovenija, where she served as a missionary . . . for eighteen months. Maybe she could answer some of your questions.” Jennie Groberg met with the ambassador and answered his questions about the people, language, and culture of Slovenija, which impressed the ambassador. At the end of the meeting, the ambassador said, “You know, there is one person I could introduce you to who just might be able to help you with your visa challenge.” That key connection led to additional meetings and negotiations. Elder Groberg said, “That thin thread of hope began to thicken and to hold. . . . In the end, the visas continued to be issued and the Church continued to grow. Under the guidance of the Lord’s outstretched arm, that particular problem was solved.”[38]

Ulaanbaatar airport in 1995, as the first six young missionaries concluded their mission. Courtesy of Bradley Pierson.

Gaining legal recognition in Mongolia was a priority so that the Church could transact business such as renting, leasing, or purchasing property. In February 1994, Elder Charles L. Hardy, a former US federal judge, became the new lead elder in Mongolia and was assigned to obtain official registration of the Church from the Ministries of Culture and Justice. On 24 October 1994, the Church was registered as a religious organization and then officially recognized by the Mongolian government in November 1994.[39] R. Lanier Britsch wrote, “As has been expedient or required in other countries, legal status was also granted to one of the Church’s legal entities, in this case Deseret International Charities. This charitable organization was officially registered in Mongolia in May 1996.”[40]

Selbe and Tuul Branches in Ulaanbaatar

Before 1995 the work of the missionaries in Mongolia was supervised by the Asia Area Presidency as a part of the Asia International Mission. On 7 May 1995, Elder Carmack visited Mongolia to divide the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Branch. The original branch was renamed the Selbe Branch with John Bennet as branch president, and the new Tuul Branch was created with Gary E. Cox as branch president.[41] The boundaries for the Selbe Branch were the area north of the main road (Peace Avenue) and west of the river, and the rest of the city belonged to the Tuul Branch. The Ulaanbaatar Branch had 315 members before the division.[42] By 24 September 1995, Bat-Ulzii Tsendkhuu and Enkhtuvshin Togtokh became the first native Mongolians to be sustained and set apart as branch presidents for the Tuul and Selbe Branches, respectively.[43]

Enkhtuul Damdinjav was among the early Mongolian converts and shared her personal experience as a new member.

I was studying [at a] college where the couple missionaries were teaching English. They didn’t talk about the Church in class. I met the missionaries in the street and they invited me to church. After a second invitation, I went and stayed to learn. Two months later, I was baptized in Ulaanbaatar in December 1995. . . .

As a new convert, we only had the Bible in Mongolian and didn’t speak English. We would often have “scripture time” with about 5–10 people and two missionaries during the week. We would take turns reading the Book of Mormon in English and the missionaries would translate into Mongolian and explain it. We also had Family Home Evenings. We initially met in the missionaries’ apartment, which was [called] the “7^th ���ܾ����徱�Բ�.” . . .

At the Peace and Friendship Palace there were about 100 people, including six couple missionaries and about twelve young missionaries.[44]

Summary

After Elder Maxwell’s dedicatory prayer, the Church continued to grow in Mongolia.[45] Church meetings that began in the senior missionaries’ apartments soon moved into rental locations like the State Central Library and the Peace and Friendship Center in order to accommodate the expanding branch.[46] These efforts were not without challenges, but the faith and courage of the missionaries and members helped in laying a great foundation and establishing the growing young branch of the Church in Mongolia.

By August 1994, there were 120 members of the Church in Mongolia. Many of the new converts helped the missionaries a great deal since they spoke English as well as their native Mongolian. By May 1995 the Ulaanbaatar Branch was divided into the Selbe and Tuul Branches of the Church. Even more significant to the growth of the Church in Mongolia was when these two branches sustained the first local Mongolian branch presidents in September 1995.[47] With this initial foundation laid, discussions to establish a mission in Mongolia were on the horizon.

Notes

[1] Britsch, From the East, 308–11.

[2] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 8.

[3] Harper, “Nothing Less Than Miraculous,” 19–49.

[4] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 13.

[5] Brough, Life Is a Collection of Stories, 109.

[6] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 9–10.

[7] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 5.

[8] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 5–6.

[9] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 6–7.

[10] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 5–6.

[11] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 11; Mongolia mission area: local member directory, as of 19 February 1994. Copy in possession of the authors.

[12] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 12.

[13] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 13.

[14] Bailey, “FYI: Mighty Mongolians,” 36.

[15] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 1.

[16] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 1.

[17] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 1.

[18] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 1.

[19] Odgerel Ochirjav and Ariunchimeg Tserenjav, interview by Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, 24 October 2016, Taiwan.

[20] Oaks, “Religious Freedom.”

[21] Oaks, “Religious Freedom.”

[22] Oaks, “Religious Freedom.”

[23] Oyun Altangerel, interview by Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, 20 June 2018, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Translated by Ariunchimeg Tserenjav.

[24] Odgerel Ochirjav and Ariunchimeg Tserenjav, interview by Po Nien (Felipe) Chou, 24 October 2016, Taiwan.

[25] Oaks, “Religious Freedom.”

[26] Britsch, From the East, 312–15.

[27] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 12.

[28] Smith and Smith, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 10–11.

[29] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 2; Britsch, From the East, 312–15.

[30] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 2.

[31] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 3.

[32] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 3.

[33] Brough, Life Is a Collection of Stories, 102–7.

[34] Brough, Life Is a Collection of Stories, 107.

[35] Brough, Life Is a Collection of Stories, 110.

[36] John H. Groberg, Anytime, Anywhere, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), 6-9.

[37] John H. Groberg, Anytime, Anywhere, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), 6-9.

[38] John H. Groberg, Anytime, Anywhere, (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2006), 6-9.

[39] Harper, “Nothing Less Than Miraculous,” 19–49; “Mongolia,” Church Almanac: 2013, 525–26.

[40] Britsch, From the East, 312–13.

[41] Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission Files, box 1, folder 3, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; Annual Historical Reports, 1995–1998, 2001–2004, 2006–2012, Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission.

[42] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 3.

[43] Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission Files, box 1, folder 3, Church History Library, Salt Lake City; Annual Historical Reports, 1995–1998, 2001–2004, 2006–2012, Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission.

[44] Enkhtuul Damdinjav, interview by Po Nien (Felipe) Chou and Petra Chou, 21 June 2018, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

[45] Britsch, From the East, 311–12.

[46] Britsch, From the East, 312–15.

[47] Cox, “History of the Ulaanbaatar Branch,” 3.