We have had a fun week!  It started Monday evening as we drove to Nalaikh for family home evening.  It was sleeting a little and sooo cold that half way there the windshield wipers froze and so we had to drive with ice on the windshield.  The roads were icy and we were in the mini van so it took us an hour to make a 35 minute drive.  After the meeting we drove Bolorsaikhan home in the ger district.  The roads there are all dirt usually but that night they were ice.  We could not get traction enough to go up a small incline and were stuck there trying for 20 minutes.  Finally Tom kept backing up until he was level enough to get the van moving and we were able to get back to a paved road.  I should have taken pictures of us trying and of the Mongolian couple that did not speak any English that was trying to help, but I was too busy praying that we would not have to stay out there all night in the -20* F weather!  And on the way home, the wipers froze again!

 On Thursday, we had our Thanksgiving feast with all the couples in President and Sister Clark's apartment.  Yes, Sister Clark found a turkey at the American goods store!! And the couples prepared all the trimmings: stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, yams, green bean casserole, rolls with raspberry butter, and pumpkin desserts!  President Clark is telling one of his jokes.  We had a wonderful evening.

 On Saturday we went to Nalaikh for an activity.  While I was inside helping to set up, Tom was outside helping to shovel snow from the church parking lot.

 The activity was a Memory Book celebration.  We had three full tables of people and a few more that we squeezed in as they arrived a little late.  A great turn out.

First they had people represent each of the sections in a memory book and tell about what they put into those sections.

 Then some shared their memory books.  This is Nara and she is the district family history person.  She travels to all the branches and helps put on these activities to promote family history.  We happened to see her at the bus stop and gave her a ride.  She speaks pretty good English.  She served her mission in the Ukraine.

 She is one of the first members of the Church in Nalaikh.  She was showing temple cards of ancestors she has done the temple work for. 

And this was one of the younger people who shared his memory book.  He is showing his family tree sheet with pictures of his immediate family.  Everyone was given information about how to start their memory book, what they can put in it, and how to do their family history.  It was a great activity!

Today Elder and Sister Gledhill dropped us off in Nalaikh as they drove to Bagnuur for church.  After the block time, we attended the branch's ward council.  We are trying to help them hold productive councils.  Then we rode the bus back to the city.  By the time we got back to the apartment it was after 4:00 pm and my toes were frozen!  But overall it has been a wonderful day and a great week.