Elder Andersen sees Mongolian members’ joy and excitement for announcements about country’s 1st temple

Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ministered in Mongolia the same week that the Ulaanbaatar Mongolia Temple site and rendering were announced by the First Presidency.

“I was bringing with me news that had just been announced by the First Presidency,” Elder Andersen said of the Sept. 15 announcement of the temple location and rendering. He added, “For the members, you can imagine their excitement and their anticipation.”

“Receiving a temple here in Mongolia is a monumental step in the Church,” said Elder Andersen in a report on ChurchofJesusChrist.org, noting that it will take several years for the temple to be built. He added: “It is a statement to say, ‘We are never leaving Mongolia. We will be here when the Savior returns.’”

The temple will be built at the base of a sacred mountain in Mongolia called Bogd Khan Uul, whose name can be interpreted as “mountain of the Lord” or “mountain of the king,” reported ChurchofJesusChrist.org.

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Mongolia currently travel 2,000 to 3,000 miles to attend the house of the Lord in either Hong Kong or Bangkok, Thailand.

During his ministry Sept. 18-19 in the country, Elder Andersen was accompanied by his wife, Sister Kathy Andersen, and Elder J. Kimo Esplin, a General Authority Seventy and president of the Church’s Asia North Area, and his wife, Sister Kaye Esplin.

Elder Esplin said, “There was excitement, big smiles and tears of joy as Church members saw the renderings of the temple, the rooms inside and the surrounding gardens for the first time.”

Elder Andersen met with local Church members and volunteers and with local government, community and religious leaders. He also climbed the 300 steps to Zaisan Hill, where Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles blessed the country on April 15, 1993 — the same month Elder Andersen was sustained as a General Authority Seventy.

“I am so thankful to be here and to see the blessings of the Lord from that dedicatory prayer,” Elder Andersen said. “I went up the hill because I wanted to think about the 32 years since [Elder Maxwell] walked up there and where we are now, and [consider] President [Russell M.] Nelson’s statement, ‘I pray that we will not miss the majesty of the moment.’”

The meetings with local government leaders included sharing the temple rendering with Ulaanbaatar Mayor Khishgeegiin Nyambaatar, who helped the Church find property for the temple.

Elder Andersen also visited with Venerable Battsengel, a Buddhist monk, who gave the Apostle a tour of the Gandantegchinlen Monastery.

“We rejoice in the things we share. Their Buddhist doctrine teaches people to be better, to use discipline, to be compassionate, and to be their best selves,” said Elder Andersen, who had previously met Venerable Battsengel when the latter came to Salt Lake City last year.

The Andersens and the Esplins met with the Amarbayasgalan family who had traveled in July to be sealed in the Hong Kong Temple.

Elder Andersen noticed how faithful and devoted the parents were to the gospel. While the family wore traditional dress, he noticed their church clothes hanging in a corner.

“They had a very beautiful feeling in their family. You see who the Lord calls the children of the covenant. Whether in a ger in Mongolia or a high-rise in New York City, they are all special, and we felt that tonight,” said Elder Andersen. (A ger is a traditional, circular nomadic dwelling in Mongolia.)

The Andersens and Esplins also visited Kindergarten 71 where the children shared traditional songs and dances. Twelve kindergartens received various pieces of kitchen equipment donated through Deseret International Charities, which is part of the worldwide humanitarian work of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Elder Andersen said it was a joyful moment during the ministry to see the children.

Erdenechimeg Sangidorj, director of Kindergarten 71, said, “Having [this new] equipment will help increase the production, save energy consumption and ease the load of kitchen staff.”

Mongolia is home to more than 12,500 Latter-day Saints across nearly 25 congregations.

“We have wonderful members of the Church [in Mongolia], and it’s a great joy to be with them,” Elder Andersen said.

Prior to going to Mongolia, Elder and Sister Andersen also ministered to Church members, including youth, in Japan and South Korea and he also instructed leaders there, which was also broadcast to leaders in Mongolia and Guam.