As Church members prepare to celebrate the legacy of pioneers this July 24, commemorating the arrival of early Latter-day Saints in the Salt Lake Valley, a story from across the globe offers an important reminder: pioneer spirit isn’t limited to wagons and the 1800s.
It lives on today — in the steppes of Mongolia, in the hearts of youth pulling handcarts and in the strength of senior missionaries who helped lay the foundation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in their homeland.
This is the story of Elder Togtokhin Enkhtuvshin and Sister Doyodiin Dashgerel, a senior missionary couple in Mongolia.
From a film in a theater to faith in the gospel
The year was 1992. Mongolia had begun its transition from communism to democracy, and uncertainty blanketed the country.
In a small theater, Dashgerel and her siblings watched a newly translated Biblical drama. It was the first time they heard Christ’s name in their own language. “We felt something different,” she recalled. As the film ended and taught viewers to pray, she went home and tried it herself, reported the Church’s Mongolia Newsroom.
The next day, her husband came home carrying a package. Filled with food and treats, it was completely unexpected and deeply needed. For Dashgerel, it was an answer to prayer.
A book in Germany
The next year, Enkhtuvshin, a university professor, received a scholarship to study in Germany. Walking the streets one day, he saw two young men with books spread on a table, one of which was a Russian Book of Mormon.
Intrigued by the language and message, he began to read. Though he didn’t fully understand the Church or its doctrine, the Spirit was unmistakable. He was baptized June 27, 1993.
Back in Mongolia, Dashgerel had never heard of the Church. When her husband wrote saying he’d been baptized, her siblings warned her to stop him.
When he returned, the family met two of the first missionaries in Mongolia — Elder Duane L. Blanchard and Elder Brett A. Hansen. Though the missionaries didn’t speak Mongolian and Enkhtuvshin didn’t speak English, Hansen knew German.
In one of the earliest missionary discussions in Mongolia, the message of the Restoration was taught in German, translated to Mongolian and received by Spirit.
Soon, the family was baptized.
A legacy of firsts
The road wasn’t easy. The family took long rides on crowded buses to attend meetings. There were no chapels, no wards and very few members.
On Jan. 16, 1994, Enkhtuvshin was ordained and became one of the first Mongol Melchizedek Priesthood holders.
Their family became the first Mongolian family sealed in the temple — in the Hong Kong Temple on Oct. 26, 1996.
“We will always remember the names of the missionaries,” she said. “Without them, we would not have the Church here.”
A mission call
Encouraged by Nadmid B. Namgur, then-president of the Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission, and despite health challenges, Elder Enkhtuvshin and Sister Dashgerel began serving earlier this year, becoming the third Mongolian senior missionaries in Church history.
Almost immediately, Darkhan Mongolia District President Otgonzaya Batbaatar invited them to participate in youth trek.
All are pioneers
Walking beside the youth was a spiritual high point. “At first, we thought we couldn’t do it,” she admitted. But the experience proved transformative. Their son had helped weld the handcarts, so watching the youth pull them was deeply personal.
Most touching of all were the words they heard from youth: “We are grateful for our pioneers who brought these happy days.”
Enkhtuvshin said, “The Church is still so young. All members in Mongolia are still pioneers. We are proud to be part of this work. We are all leading together in this pioneering effort.”
Dashgerel added, “Heavenly Father has blessed Mongolia. He prepares and helps those who follow Him. The Church is growing fast, and many missionaries are serving. The (Ulaanbaatar Mongolia) Temple will soon be built. When we hold to the iron rod, we can stay on the trail. I hope the pioneers in Mongolia will build up the Church just as the early Saints did in Utah. Mongolia will be a beacon light.”
The pioneer spirit continues
As the Days of ’47 approach, stories of oxen, covered wagons and westward trails will echo in parades and gatherings across Utah. But the pioneer spirit didn’t end in 1847.
It has lived in a crowded theater in Ulaanbaatar, in a professor reading a Russian Book of Mormon on the streets of Germany and most recently in muddy boots on the Mongolian steppe and in handcarts pulled by teenagers who are the first members of their families to find the gospel.
“We have seen 32 years of the Lord’s kingdom growing in Mongolia,” said Enkhtuvshin. “We have seen miracles. We want to share this miracle with others.”
