Anciently, Mongolia began as an agriculture-based economy struggling to survive. Today, the country has one of the fastest developing economies in the world, the main industry being mining. The economy in Mongolia isn’t the only thing that is growing. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has been spreading in Mongolia since LDS humanitarian missionaries conducted the country’s first sacrament meeting in 1993. In 2009, the first Mongolian stake was organized. Today, LDS membership exceeds 10,500, with one full-time mission area and 23 congregations.
And BYU–Hawaii graduates are prominent among this growth.
Recently, a fireside for Mongolian youth was held on March 30, 2014. Over 143 people attended with the speakers being alumni from BYU–Hawaii. The purpose of this fireside was to share the importance of receiving a higher education and becoming future leaders of Mongolia.
In the past, several Mongolian students who graduated from BYU–Hawaii have not returned to their country upon graduation, seeking employment opportunities abroad. However, this pattern is beginning to change. The goal of this fireside was to encourage prospective students to get an education at BYU–Hawaii, learn to become leaders, and return home to contribute to their communities in Mongolia and help strengthen the Church.
Ochirjav Odgerel, stake president of the Ulaanbaatar West Stake, who attended BYU–Hawaii’s Asian Executive Management program in 2011, presided at the fireside. Odgerel encouraged all in attendance to take online classes through BYU–Hawaii in order to improve their English. He shared that he wanted to see online classrooms filled with Mongolian students.
Three BYU–Hawaii alumni shared their testimonies. Batgerel Khaliun (’11 Business Management - Human Resources) encouraged those in the congregation to learn English and spend many hours devoted to their studies. Bayartogtokh Oyuntsetseg (’13 Accounting) shared her experiences of attending BYU–Hawaii with her family. Her husband received his associate’s degree from BYU–Hawaii and is now serving in the Ulaanbaatar West Stake presidency as the first counselor. Demberel Bayarbold (’14 Business Management – Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain) followed and shared stories about his testimony and blessings that he gained from being at BYU–Hawaii. He also attended school with his family, where his wife received an associate’s degree.
Mike Sudlow, a former employee of BYU–Hawaii, then gave a presentation about the impact this campus has on students’ lives and their home countries. He shared several examples of individuals who attended BYU–Hawaii as students and were blessed because of their sacrifices. Sukhbaatar Tserennyam (’12 Business Management – Marketing, Operations, and Supply Chain), second counselor of the Ulaanbaatar West Stake presidency, served as Sudlow’s interpreter.
There are currently 25 students from Mongolia attending BYU–Hawaii. These men and women, those who came before them, and those who will come after are daily fulfilling the mission of becoming learners, leaders, and builders through service “in their families, their communities, their chosen fields, and in building the kingdom of God.”