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Missionary Dan Email #10 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

April 13, 2009 by rickety 4 Comments

My district with member family. Daniel second left.

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s tenth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

I always enjoy Dad’s sense of humor. I need to learn how to translate it into Mongolian. :) You did well on your talk Dad. Not bad for such an old man. [Rickety note: Referring to me as “old man” started when I danced around energetically one morning and said to Daniel, “Not bad for an old man.”] Thanks for all the letters and updates about what everyone is up to. It will be exciting for Mom to get her carpet finally. Ha ha. Dad is a good man Mom, he does good work.

Thank you Mom for all the things you taught me. I’m getting better at cooking rice. My first time I cooked rice here, I put way too much water in and it was overflowing. On Tuesday, I made some rice, potato, meat mixture that my companion taught me how to make. I knew it didn’t taste good but everyone in my district ate it. I almost laughed that they ate it, but then decided not to. I liked it. My companion is really good at cooking and he teaches me how to make things. I really respect that about him. He is a great cook.

Missionary Work

We had many changes over transfers. My companion and I stayed together, we were excited about that. There was a lot more American missionaries transferred to our branch. We got a new district leader. He interviewed Mongon Od on Sunday and he passed. We are excited to baptize him this Friday. My companion has been working with him for a long time. He is a good investigator. The Mongolians are really good people. I love working with them.

We talked to a man yesterday. He asked, “Do you really believe that Christ appeared to the American people?”
“Yes I do, the book of Mormon is true.” I replied.
He said, “I believe that God created things, but I don’t believe in the golden plates.”
He had met with missionaries before but because of work had to stop investigating. He will with time know of the truth. It will bring great peace to his life.

Mongolian Culture Observations

The greatest thing about Mongolians is that most of them are still nomadic. We had a great first lesson with Ehx Tabah and his father. We went back three days later to see if we could teach them again and they had moved to the country side. There ger was gone. They simply pack up their house and move in one day. We had a good referral from our investigator and wanted to teach her, but my companion said she was leaving to the country side the next day.

There is so many grocery stores around. They go and buy what they need that day. I think the concept of saving food for a couple of days is still new to my companion. It’s awesome that this part of their culture is still alive. It makes them wonderful missionaries, transfers are simply a part of their normal life. Packing up and moving really quickly is what a lot of the culture does anyway. I am in no way an expert on their culture, just simple observations.

To Mom

Yes I got your postcard, thank you. It makes me happy that Andrew [Steinicke] got my letter as well. I haven’t received a package yet. Keep up the good work. I love you.

P.S. My camera card has all sorts of viruses so I won’t be able to send pictures until I figure out how to get rid of them.

Love, Elder Willoughby

List of Daniel’s missionary posts.

Jesus Christ Teaches About Money

April 11, 2009 by rickety 4 Comments

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This is my Easter Sunday talk I will give at church tomorrow. For a more traditional message watch the video.

Speaking In Church

I got a phone call from Brother Platt on April 1st asking me to speak in sacrament meeting. I thought it might be an April fool. When Brother Platt said that the bishopric needed a good speaker for Easter and they thought of me then I knew for sure it was an April fool.

On the 22 January 2009 President Obama signed an executive order that in part says, “…to be sure that our policies and practices comply with all obligations and are sufficient to ensure that individuals do not face torture and cruel treatment….” It appears that Brother Platt is not complying with this executive order — he’s still asking members to give talks.

My family enjoyed listening to all the sessions of General Conference. But half way through the last session on Sunday afternoon all of our family fell fast asleep. Two of Jake’s friends who were with us were most co-operative — they fell asleep also. We awoke to hear President Monson give a special message which we felt was just for us:

May we long remember that which we have heard during this conference. I remind you that the messages will be printed in next month’s Ensign and Liahona magazines. (Thomas S. Monson, “Until We Meet Again,” 179th Annual General Conference, April 2009)

The Life of Jesus Christ

I was requested to speak on the life of Jesus Christ. You all know a lot about His life. You know about the birth of Jesus; the friends of Jesus (John the Baptist and the twelve Disciples); the teachings of Jesus (the Sermon on the Mount and Parables); the miracles of Jesus (His power over nature, disease, and death); and the trials of Jesus (death, burial, and resurrection). In the time I have alloted I will concentrate mostly on the parables of Jesus and what he taught us about money. I will quote from our leaders and also I will add my own two shekels.

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Missionary Dan Email #9 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

April 6, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Daniel at a recent baptism with branch members

Daniel (in blue tie) at a recent baptism with branch members

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s ninth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Thanks for the wonderful letters. Wahoo Andrew Steinicke made SBO! I knew he would. I sent a letter of how to run for SBO and tips to follow like two or three weeks ago. It will probably get there in a week or so. It was a good letter, seems like he already knows how to get elected. Mom, when you give the letter to him, can you tell him to keep those things in mind through out his whole service as SBO? It will help him have a great time. Keep up the wonderful attitude. As Thomas S Monson said in December, “Become more focused on people than on things.”

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Past Pictures: Daniel Campaigns for Student Body Officer

March 31, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Vote Dan Willoughby poster on a wall of Davis High School

Dan’s poster on a wall of Davis High School

Today in the Past Pictures series I also have moving pictures. In 2007 Daniel ran for Student Body Officer at Davis High School. This is his campaign video which was a big factor in his being elected. If you do not see the video in your feed reader, try here. The inside of Davis High was awash in campaign posters (3.4 Mb image). Dan’s poster is on the railing, 16th from the left.

Elected with Daniel was Danny Anderson, Alex Gerrish, Steve Pitcher, Jon Rose, Mitch Steed, and Cam Turnbow. Notice that these are all young men. The theory goes that the Sophomore girls are the major voting block and so one should produce your campaign video to appeal to them. You also might want a great campaign manager like Daniel had in his older brother Paul.

Previous Past Pictures

Past Pictures: Who’s The Dame?
Past Pictures: Hill Aerospace Museum
Past Pictures: Temple Site
Past Pictures: A Double Blessing
Past Pictures: My Parents
Past Pictures: Richard At Eight

Missionary Dan Email #8 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

March 30, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Daniel (left) with companion (right) and Mongon Od

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s eighth email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission. If anyone wishes to send Daniel a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Thanks for all the pictures. They are really good to see. I am grateful to hear that everyone is doing well.

Missionary Work

The work here is moving at lightning speed. My companion and I are still running some days to keep up with the busy schedule. We have more referrals than we can contact at the moment. We have an investigator that asked when she can be baptized. Erdenmohx knows that the Book of Mormon is true and has such great desire. We held a fast to help her family accept the Church and not be so against it. Yesterday at church she said her family was OK with the Church. The Lord has greatly blessed us.

Mongon Od, our investigator, came with us to the fireside yesterday. The fireside was so full that maybe 30 people were standing with every seat filled. It was quite the site to see. They are incredible! After the fireside he said he wanted to serve a mission. We will work with him to get baptism first. :)

The Mongolian members are truly amazing. It is hard to imagine that the Church has only been here for 16 years. My branch has 130 members that attend almost every Sunday. All of them are so welcoming to those joining the Church. They are so good at doing their best to magnify their callings. The members are so faithful. For some they have to travel a long way to get to church. I am always learning things from them.

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Missionary Dan Email #7 from Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

March 23, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Presented here are portions of Elder Daniel Willoughby’s seventh email from the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission.

Daniel in Ulaanbaatar

Hello Family

Looks like the trip [to Texas] was fun. Thanks for the pictures. I planned on sending some today but I still have to figure out why my card reader won’t read my chip. Next week I’ll have it fixed. :) [In] all the pictures everyone looks really happy.

Congratulations Byron! It is really exciting that you were called to the same country as your dad. It seems to be a bit warmer [in Argentina] than here probably. Spanish is a good language. I don’t mind not being able to speak it. The Mongolian language is great. The Mongolians speak their language with perfection so everyone is always correcting me. It is a really good way to learn. I have been really blessed to learn the language quickly. I’m starting to understand people when I talk to them.

English Class

My schedule was switched around to a school closer to me now. I am working with the school to get times to teach. On Saturday they were asking me if the material they had for 6th graders was hard enough. I searched deep into my mind and tried to remember what English grammar I was learning in 6th grade but not much to my surprise I couldn’t remember. I said, “I don’t know… looks good…” My classes are great and they talk to me in English. I am trying to learn their names. They like to learn songs from American bands. Today I’m going to prepare more lessons so I can be a better teacher. I am still learning what to do.

Missionary Work

This week my companion and I were very busy. We spent a lot of time teaching. We were blessed with many new investigators. Erden Monx is amazing. She came to watch a baptism before we even taught the first lesson. During church she was taking notes like crazy, writing almost every word and scripture the teacher was saying, and even introduced herself. I was doing my best to give her the scriptures we were reading, but she was helping me more than I was helping her.

Our other investigator, Naram Dorj, my companion was calling to come to church. My companion asked him where he was and he said he was at the church. My companion asked, “Which church?” He said, “Yours.” We both laughed and thanked the Lord for blessing us. He went to church early because he had work at the meeting time. He stayed halfway through the meeting and went late to work. He has three kids which came too. His kids sat on the front row and were well behaved. Insanely well behaved.

Hepgyy came to church as well. She is getting ready to be baptized. She has come to church three times already.

The branch has made huge improvements from since I first got here. They are all getting so good at teaching investigators and asking questions.

To Jake

I have found that the best way to learn is by doing. A concept doesn’t stick until I put it into use. The church is very young here. They are all working towards getting a stake and they just barely got the Doctrine and Covenants awhile ago.

To Mom

Thanks for the great letter Mom.

Love, Elder Willoughby

If anyone wishes to ask Daniel a question or to send him a message, write it in the comments and I will make sure he receives it.

Our Visit to the Dallas Texas Temple

March 19, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Today Jill, Sarah, Paul, and I stopped by the Dallas Texas Temple. In the collage of photographs below, click on the individual picture to see a larger version.

This is the first time for us at the Dallas Temple. We came to take photographs and also went inside to participate in an endowment ceremony. For my readers that are unfamiliar with the temple endowment ceremony I will present a short overview.

The Endowment Ceremony

An endowment is a sacred ordinance. Endowments take place in a dedicated House of the Lord, or temple just like the Dallas temple. Temples were centers of religious worship anciently and Mormons build temples today to administer the ancient ordinances of salvation that have been restored to the earth.

The dictionary defines an endowment as a gift given by a higher power. The temple endowment is a gift of knowledge that helps Mormons understand who they are, where they came from, and where they are going. It helps members like us understand what they should do to prepare to meet God, and how Jesus Christ offers salvation to each of us.

The temple endowment conveys information in a highly symbolic manner. Symbols used in the temple endowment and the meanings of those symbols are sacred to Mormons. Mormons don’t talk about the details of what goes on in the temple—it is too sacred to be discussed, except in the most holy of places.

Temple Covenants

When presenting the endowment, Church members are required to make very specific covenants with God. A covenant is a two-way promise. In religious terms, a covenant is a sacred promise made between an individual and the Lord:

The ordinances of the endowment embody certain obligations on the part of the individual, such as covenant and promise to observe the law of strict virtue and chastity, to be charitable, benevolent, tolerant and pure; to devote both talent and material means to the spread of truth and the uplifting of the race; to maintain devotion to the cause of truth; and to seek in every way to contribute to the great preparation that the earth may be made ready to receive her King, the Lord Jesus Christ. With the taking of each covenant and the assuming of each obligation a promised blessing is pronounced, contingent upon the faithful observance of the conditions. (James E. Talmage, The House of the Lord, p. 84)

Also be sure to view Why Mormons Build Temples.

About the Dallas Temple

Announced: 1 April 1981.
Number: 30.
First President: Ivan L. Hobson.
Location: 6363 Willow Lane, Dallas
Site: 6 acres.
Exterior finish: Faced with light-colored marble tiles and topped with a dark gray slate roof.
Rooms: Baptistry, celestial room, five ordinance rooms, four sealing rooms.
Total floor area: 18,000 square feet. After remodeling: 46,956 square feet.
Height: 95 feet.
District: 50,000 members in North Texas, and parts of Louisiana.
Groundbreaking: 22 January 1983 by Gordon B. Hinckley.
Open house: 7-26 September 1984. 88,000 visitors of which approximately 56% were non-members.
Dedication: 19-24 October 1984 by Gordon B. Hinckley. Rededication: 5 March 1989 by Gordon B. Hinckley.

Major source: 2008 Church Almanac

Bryson Picture Book of Fort Worth Water Gardens

March 18, 2009 by rickety 4 Comments

	Bryson, Your Guide Are you all set for an adventure? Today we will be going into Fort Worth to tour the Water Gardens. You will need to stick close to me so that you won’t get lost. I will be your guide. Call me Bryson.
	A Cooling Oasis in the Concrete Jungle We are headed to the south end of downtown Fort Worth. Next to the Fort Worth Convention Center are the 4.3 acres of the Water Gardens, built in 1974. It was designed by New York architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee and was dedicated to the City of Fort Worth by the Amon G. Carter Foundation. Now stay close, Fort Worth can get messy.
	Hungry Work Being a guide in the city is hungry work. After Gerber Bananas this Sirloin Burger Combo from Jack In The Box is my favorite meal. I was planning on showing you the zoo afterwards but there are so many people headed there that the traffic is horrible. Now eat up and we will be on our way.
	Fort Worth Water Gardens This is a good sign, there’s not many people in the park so maybe we’ll be able to dip our feet in the cool water. The people here are my assistants, Jill and Rick. They are also my grandparents visiting from Utah. It’s as well that they are with me or they would really get lost. Grandpa says he checks his GPS but all it does is talk incoherently back to him. Annoying.
	The Active Pool The first of three pools is the active pool that you see here. The water cascades 38 feet down the terraces and steps into the pool at the bottom. As we roam about the park be sure to notice the over 500 species of plants and trees.
	Drownings The active pool was originally built for people to be able to walk down the terraced steps and experience the water tumbling around them. It was closed to the public after four people died there on June 16, 2004. Two children and one adult tried to save a child that had gone swimming in the pool. All were drowned. The water was unusually deep due to a recirculating pump malfunction and heavy rains.
	Step into My Pool The park was reopened in March 4, 2007 after being made safer by reducing the depth of the main pool from 9 feet to 2 feet. I’ll have my assistant Jill lead the way down the steps. It is quite safe now. There is just enough room to get past those people coming up, especially if you are my size.
	The Pool This is a pretty sight as all the water flows into the pool. Did you know that part of the film Logan’s Run was filmed here in the active pool in 1976? The pool is also featured briefly at the end of the 1979 television adaptation of The Lathe of Heaven. Before my time of course.
	The Vents Here is a close up of one of the vents that discharges water into the pool. I’m tempted to cool my feet but we need to move on. By the way the coordinates at the Water Gardens are 32°44′52″ North 97°19′36″ West.
	Photographs This is a great place to take photographs. The cascading water makes a great backdrop. I like how there is enough moving water to give a great effect but not too much spray that moisture gets in my camera. For this photograph of yours truly I had my Mom lift me up.
	The Quiet Pool Here you will experience the sensations of growing bigger and smaller. I can only grow bigger. The small stairway leading to the pool will make you feel bigger than your surroundings. After entering the pool area, you will suddenly feel smaller; any objects of human scale have been removed, giving you the feeling that you have suddenly entered a giant’s house.
	The Trough This trough that my feet are in is 650 feet long and releases 450 gallons of water a minute down the 22 foot high wall and into a moat at the bottom. If you are going to put your feet in the trough I recommend that you have your mother hold you.
	The Aerated Pool The pool is a visual illusion, giving you the impression that you can walk across the pool on tiles made of spraying water. I don’t recommend that you try it. The nozzles spray at the same height as the walkway, without spraying you, so that the water collapses on itself, looking ultimately like panels. The pool is 40 feet below ground with 40 nozzles spraying 871 gallons of water per minute.
	The Mountain The mountain is designed to give you the sense of the real thing. Its twenty inch steps cascade into one another, creating the sensation of mountainous topography. The mountain rises twenty feet off the ground. Now listen up, if you fall off of this mountain it will feel like the real thing.
	High On The Mountain Top At the top you can wave to all the world. That’s my grandma looking up at us. You know it is interesting that the mountain is 20 feet high using 20 inch steps. The aerated pool is 40 feet below ground level and has 40 nozzles. I’m 5 months old and it’s been 5 hours since I last ate. Let’s move!
	The Stage Sit down for a few minutes on the grass. Good. I have been pleased to be your guide today around this interesting park where 19,000 gallons of water flow every minute through 10 miles of pipe and flows past seven miles of retaining walls. Now that you have your feet wet you can go exploring Texas by yourself. And remember — If it’s big, It came from Texas!

The Book

You’ve just read the blog post Bryson Picture Book of Fort Worth Water Gardens. How about the real picture book Fort Worth Water Gardens by Bryson Moss? No need to buy one, the book is exactly the same as the blog post. Lulu is my publisher. Click on my nose to get a high resolution version of me (1.5 MB).

Water Gardens Video

Some have asked for video of the Water Gardens. One would think my book would be quite sufficient. Really, the young people today are very demanding.

Assassination on Elm Street

March 17, 2009 by rickety Leave a Comment

Window from where Kennedy was shot

Elm Street

On Monday I asked what significant event in history is marked with an X in the road. The X is located on Elm Street in Dallas and marks the location where President Kennedy was shot. Just before 12:30 p.m., Kennedy’s limousine entered Dealey Plaza and slowly approached the Texas School Book Depository. When the Presidential limousine turned and passed the Depository and continued down Elm Street, shots were fired at Kennedy.

Morbid?

As I was looking at the X a woman and her companion came up by me. The woman took a really good look at the X. As she turned away she remarked to her companion, “This is really morbid, all these people looking at where President Kennedy was killed.” To me it was history. I was excited to be at this famous spot. I made sure I had some photographs. Years ago when I visited Gettysburg, where 50,000 men were killed in three days, I didn’t think it was morbid. Lessons can be learned from Little Round Top and Pickett’s Charge. History is a great instructor if we will listen.

Assassination

As President Kennedy waved to the crowds on his right, a shot entered his upper back, penetrated his neck, and exited his throat. He raised his clenched fists up to his neck and leaned forward and to his left, as Mrs. Kennedy put her arms around him. The final shot took place when the Presidential limousine was passing in front of the John Neely Bryan north pergola concrete structure. As the shot was heard, a fist-size hole exploded out from the right side of President Kennedy’s head, covering the interior of the car and a nearby motorcycle officer with blood and brain tissue.

Kennedy parade route

GPS Coordinates

Within minutes of me asking the meaning of X, Jewel of Layton, Utah wrote in the comments that it is where JFK was assassinated and that the GPS coordinates are 32.77903, -96.80867. Jewel, alias Steven, my son, knew we were in the Dallas-Fort Worth area but so did everyone else.

The Window

Howard Brennan, who was sitting across the street from the Texas School Book Depository, notified police that as he watched the motorcade go by, he heard a shot come from above, and looked up to see a man with a rifle make another shot from a corner window on the sixth floor. In the photograph I took it is the second window from the top on the right. Brennan had seen the same man minutes earlier looking out the window.

The First X

The X where I stood on Monday was the second location where President Kennedy was shot. The first location is a few yards along Elm Street. Jill is standing on the spot in the road. The red building to her right is the Dallas County Annex. In Kennedy’s day it was the Texas School Book Depository where the shots were fired from.

Lee Harvey Oswald

Lee Harvey Oswald, reported missing to the Dallas police by his supervisor, Roy Truly, at the Depository, was arrested an hour and 20 minutes after the assassination for killing a Dallas police officer who had spotted Oswald walking along a sidewalk in the residential neighborhood of Oak Cliff. He was captured in a nearby movie theater. Oswald’s case never came to trial because two days later, while being escorted to an armored van for transfer from Dallas Police Headquarters to the Dallas County Jail, he was shot and killed by Dallas nightclub owner Jack Ruby.

Jill standing on the first X on Elm Street

Missionary Work

Mongolian Culture Observations

To Mom

Related Posts

Speaking In Church

The Life of Jesus Christ

Previous Past Pictures

Missionary Work

Hello Family

English Class

Missionary Work

To Jake

To Mom

The Endowment Ceremony

Temple Covenants

About the Dallas Temple

Bryson, Your Guide

A Cooling Oasis in the Concrete Jungle

Hungry Work

Fort Worth Water Gardens

The Active Pool

Drownings

Step into My Pool

The Pool

The Vents

Photographs

The Quiet Pool

The Trough

The Aerated Pool

The Mountain

High On The Mountain Top

The Stage

The Book

Water Gardens Video

Elm Street

Morbid?

Assassination

GPS Coordinates

The Window

The First X

Lee Harvey Oswald

Further Reading