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Mostly True Stories

Elder Holland put me in a headlock

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“There will be a temple in Mongolia.”

I was on assignment in Asia, with Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I was conducting an interview with him in the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, when he made the statement, “there will be a temple in Mongolia.” It took my breath away. The nearest Latter-day Saint temple was in Hong Kong, eighteen hundred miles away by air and nearly twenty-one hundred miles by car. It was a long and expensive journey for the Saints in Mongolia.

At this time, the LDS Church in Mongolia was small, but growing. To think that the Church would build a temple in such a far away country from Salt Lake City was practically unimaginable. Yet, Elder Holland had just said it. I could barely believe it.

The restored gospel of Jesus Christ was moving throughout the world like the stone cut out of the mountain without hands prophesied by Daniel, thousands of years ago. I could literally see it. Elder Holland, as an Apostle of Jesus Christ was doing it. I was filming it. Amazing.

The next day, as I was preparing to do more filming in the city, Elder Holland approached me with his typical big friendly smile.

“How are you today, James?”

“A little tired, but great,” I replied.

“Walk with me,” he said.

Hmmm. This was a little unusual. As we walked, he put his arm around my shoulder.

“You realize that it is the prerogative of the First Presidency to announce temples.”

I nodded. He pulled me closer.

“Yesterday, when I said that there would be a temple in Mongolia, I was not announcing a temple in Mongolia.”

I nodded again. We stopped walking.

HE PUT ME IN A HEADLOCK.

“I’ve been in trouble with the First Presidency before and I don’t want to be in trouble with them again.”

I tried to nod, but my head was pressed against his chest and I could barely move.

“Do not use my quote about a temple in Ulaanbaatar.”

He let me go, but put both hands on my shoulders. He smiled. He has such a warm, friendly smile. I smiled back a little disoriented.

“And,” he said, with a twinkle in his eye, “do not tell this story until after the First Presidency has announced a temple in Mongolia.”

On October 1, 2023, during general conference, President Russel M. Nelson, in fulfillment of prophecy, announced that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be building a temple in Ulaanbaatar. I smiled as I thought of my own personal Apostolic headlock preceding the announcement.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints died on Saturday, December 27, 2025. He was 85 years-old and served as an Apostle for over 30 years.

I had the privilege to travel the world and rub shoulders, literally, with Elder Holland, while documenting his ministry and the growth of the Church.

I am forever blessed by his goodness and his kindness. For a brief moment, I was pressed against his chest in a friendly headlock and I could hear and feel his heart beating. In retrospect, that moment was far too brief, for his heart no longer beats here in mortality.

Nevertheless, through my association with him in documenting his ministry, I learned, first hand, of the goodness of his magnificent heart and I can still hear and feel his powerful witness and undying love for our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Mostly True Stories, People, Places, Things

Real Mongolian Barbecue

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There are no fast food restaurants in Ulan Batar.

Our driver, a native Mongolian, took us to what he said was the original Mongolian Barbecue. I looked at the menu, most of which I didn’t understand. Some of the dishes had English translations next to the Mongolian. My choices, among many others:

Rendeers wigwam

Baked Sheep Head

Ox Tongue

Fried Ox Tongue

Horse Meat Assortments

Fried Liver

Mongolian Khuushuur stuffed with mutton

We ordered an assortment of dishes to share. When they brought the baked sheep head, our Mongolian friend looked rather anxious. He waited for me to go first. I wasn’t sure I was hungry anymore. The sheep was sitting in the serving tray staring at me–literally.

“Do you want the eyes?” He asked. “Or the brain?”

“No thanks. It’s all yours.”

With gratitude and zeal, our friend speared the eyeballs from the sheep. Then, he lifted the skull from the sheep’s head and scooped out the brains.

I went for the Khuushuur. It seemed safest.

As we ate, and shared stories, I began to forget our differences. I began to relax and enjoy a culture I knew so very little about. I began to appreciate the food which had a very different, yet pleasing taste–that is–until I looked–again–at the eyeless sheep staring back at me.

The real thing, staring up at me.
Mongolia is known as the Land of Blue Skies; however, with an average annual temperature 27˚ƒ, the skies are frequently much more ominous in Ulan Batar, the world’s coldest capital city.
With a population of over one-million, Ulan Batar, or UlaanBataar, is the largest city and capital of Mongolia.
Where cars are rare and fuel is expensive, walking is the predominant means of transportation.
No longer nomadic, many Mongolians still prefer the comfort of the yurt, along with alternative housing.
Outside of the main city of Ulan Batar, running water and sanitation facilities don’t exist. Outhouses are bathrooms for many Mongolians.
Clean water and sanitation are key tenants of modern life. For many Mongolians, it requires constant daily effort to haul water for critical needs.
In spite of the abundance of garbage and lack of sanitation, this little stream is the primary water source for a large community outside of Ulan Batar.
Two boys play soccer near the family yurt, just outside of Ulan Batar.
Without baskets, and old basketball makes for a pretty good soccer ball.
On the steppes outside of Ulan Batar, boys love to play ball.
Each spring many Mongolia yurt dwellers pack up their home and move to greener pastures. Apparently, it helps to take the bus.
Even on a sunny day, cuddling for warmth is a good idea in Mongolia.
Still dressed in her traditional costume, this Mongolian grandmother protects her little grand daughter outside the family yurt.
Life isn’t easy when you’re small, in Mongolia.
The Lines and wrinkles hint at struggles and adversity; yet, the smile reveals her love for life in Mongolia.
The ceiling in the average yurt is just over 6 feet high. With a hole in the center to vent the wood burning stove, and a thick canvas flap which can be pulled back to let in the sun, the yurt is surprisingly comfortable.
No running water; but a generator for electricity supplies the power for entertainment.
The bucket with spigot above the wash basin is the water supply for hand washing and showering.
This sweet woman was baking bread in her wood stove when we arrived. It was delicious.
A wood burning stove for heating and cooking dominates the circular yurt one-room living room, dining room, bedroom, playroom.
Gathering wood for the stove occupies time during the warm months, in preparation for the minus 40 degree fahrenheit winter temperatures outside the yurt during winter.
Thick carpets and warm blankets make for ideal napping conditions when you’re small.
It’s a big wide world outside the yurt near Ulan Bataar.
Rickety makeshift fences separate squatter’s lands while dirt roads between yurts also double as trash dumps.
In the city, you can find great bargains on beautiful products. I purchased a beautiful cashmere scarf for my wife.