June 4, 2009

Hello Family!!!
I hope this finds you all well! thanks again for the letters as always, I love hearing about what you are doing, Mom and dad you are probably driving to utah right now, hope you travel safe and good luck with getting ready for the move!! Wow dad you sound super busy, campout to utah to campout, that canoe trip sounds so fun, hope it goes well:) and I got the packages!! linds thanks so much for yours, I love love love those granola bars and everything else you sent ;) and mom and family thanks for the package, the speakers are perfect! just the right size and work great :) and thanks for the soap on a rope! I am so excited about those, and Tor thanks for the wedding pictures!! grandma and grandpa sent me some too which was great so I got to see some, thanks! :) you looked adorable and Cate was gorgeous!! Linds, the v-ball day sounded like a hit!! way to go :) thanks for the dear elder, I think i did get it the same day :) tor when you sent me that card in the package i thought mom had written it, so when you started talking about playing in the mud and sliding around, i was picturing mom doing that and was like "go mom!!" haha :) that sounded like fun on memorial day, way to get muddy! :)
things are still good here, the weeks are flying by now and we leave in four weeks! With how fast the weeks go, that might as well be 4 days! we are getting really excited but a little nervous about the language, starting next week we are only speaking mongolian until we leave! our conversations will be interesting ;) Um, wow the week went by so fast I am trying to think what happened... oh! we started our english teaching training. We are required to teach english in mongolia and I found out we actually teach in universities and colleges, so i am glad they train us in how to teach english as a second language. We observe classes for missionaries who are learning english, and we taught two english classes this week. I like about everything and I didn't think there was a subject I didn't like, but I found one, English grammar. During our training I realized I don't even know my own language haha! But it is actually fun to teach because we get to teach these really cool missionaries from all over the world and we get to know them :) we teach a few more times this week and next.
The flu has also made things a bit interesting here, It is not a huge deal, there have been some cases of swine flu here, and they have a quarantine area on campus for all those that are sick, many people just have the normal flu but it is not a big deal. we are not allowed to shake hands, hug, etc and the new missionaries that come in have to leave their families at the door. They actually cancelled all flights for the next two weeks just so they can make sure the flu is under control. My comp was supposed to leave in a few days but is still here, I feel the worst for the Finnish district, they had been here 12 weeks and were all packed and ready to leave monday, but now have to stay two more weeks. I hope it all gets worked out by the time we are supposed to leave. But I and the majority of the missionaries here are healthy and well :)
Me and the sisters going to indonesia got off campus yesterday and got permission to go to the mall with our branch presidents wife, we had some things to return and needed a few things, it was funny to ride in a car again after 2 months ;) the elders asked us to bring back rocks from the real world haha. In my hall are the missionaries going to indonesia, figi, tahitti, madagasgar, samoa, tonga, and people learning hattian creole (no idea how to spell that) It is funny we are with all these tropical islands, and then there is mongolia right in the middle ;) It is really fun being with all the polonesians because they are soooo good at volleyball ;) we are still loving gym :)
So life is really good here, we get to hear amazing devotionals each week, (oh and tori, susan easton black spoke in relief society and it was awesome!!! :) and it is so neat and humbling to be a part of this work. I cannot wait to get out there and to start teaching what I know, even if it is in really broken mongolian :) I love you all so much and good luck with everything at home!!!
love ya!
ashley (sis mansfield)

ps I got my new name tag with mansfield written in mongolian, I will have to send a picture :) and we learned our names in old script and it is the prettiest language ever!!! love you all!!!