October 23, 2025, 5:08 PM MDT
On October 22, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints welcomed the visit of the Mongolian Ambassador to the United States at Church headquarters.
His Excellency Batbayar Urziidergar was welcomed by Church President Dallin H. Oaks and his counselors President Henry B. Eyring and President D. Todd Christofferson at the Church Administration Building in Salt Lake City, Utah.
News and photos of the gathering were published at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
Ambassador Urseydelger concluded his visit to Utah with a dinner hosted by Elder Neil L. Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
The Ambassador first met Elder Andersen as a guest of honor at the opening ceremony of the Festival of Lights at the Washington, D.C. Temple last December.
Because of their friendship, charitable donations from Latter-day Saints were used to purchase and distribute 3,000 Chromebooks to students in Mongolia.
“(Ambassador Urziidergar) said that in Ulaanbaatar you can find a way to learn English and you have the (necessary) tools, but in these provinces you need support. You need a way to study online,” Elder Andersen said. “They need electronic capabilities. This is a huge blessing for many communities. It fills a real need.”
Elder Andersen recently posted on social media about his trip to Mongolia in September.
“The church has been established. The church is being established. The voice of the Lord is moving forward and may be heard by all who hear,” he said in the video.
The missionary work began in Mongolia in 1992 with six missionary couples who taught college and high school classes and personally shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with interested people. The first two Mongolian converts, missionary students, were baptized in 1993.
The first branch in Ulaanbaatar was established in 1994.
Currently, nearly 13,000 Latter-day Saints attend nearly 25 congregations in Mongolia.
President Russell M. Nelson announced construction plans for the Ulaanbaatar Mongolian Temple on October 1, 2023.
