July 31st, 2025, 4:11pm MDT
When President Russell M. Nelson announced the Ulaanbaatar Mongolian Temple at the October 2023 general conference, sister Mary N. Cook overcomes feelings.
The temple announcement marked the fulfillment of a prophecy that Elder Neil A. Maxwell spoke 30 years ago. Mongolia will become “beacon lights.”
Sister Cook, who served 70 from 1997 to 2001, and her late husband, Elder Richard E. Cook, were the country’s first mission leaders.
On the Church’s News Podcast, Sister Cook shared an account of witnesses’ explanations of church progress in Mongolia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aha0Reuaiji
From Detroit to Ulaanbaatar
In 1987, Sister Cook met Elder Cook, a widowed father of four and a Ford Motor Company executive. Their unexpected romance led to marriage, which ultimately led to mission calls.
In a meeting with Elder Aldin Porter, 70 members of the Missionary Executive Council, they received a call saying they would be life-changing.
“What I say is that you will strike fear in your heart,” Elder Porter said. “Mongolia.”
At the time, Mongolia had recently shifted from a communist regime to a vulnerable democracy. The conditions were strict. Cooks were only allowed to have a limited amount of supplies for their service in what the church classified as a “difficult mission.”
Despite the challenge, they accepted faithfully.
The land and people have been prepared
The Mongol’s path to freedom opened the door to the gospel. One important figure was Oyun Altangerel, a brave librarian and democratic activist who staged the hunger streak in 1990 to protest the government’s crackdown.
Her efforts helped bring about a democratic constitution – and a few years later she became one of the nation’s first Latter-day sacred converts. Her son, Ogel Ochirjab, became Mongolia’s first stake president and patriarch.
In another series of miraculous events in Germany, a Mongol professor named Togthin Enktubsin encounters a missionary while studying Christianity. He read the Book of Mormon in one day and was baptized. Upon getting home, he met the Latter-day Saint Missionary at a department store. This is a sacred coincidence that connects him with the small, growing church of Ulaanbaatar. His family became the first Mongol family to be sealed in the temple.
When the chef arrived in 1994, there were about 70 members. Basic needs such as food, water, electricity, etc. were inconsistent. They slept in uneven twin beds and washed with boiling water and portable washer. Sister Cook recalled what her husband told her.
Despite the challenges, joy and growth continued. Often, spas and pools experienced 10-20 baptisms every two weeks.
The first Mongolian mission
Though he is not an educator, Elder Cook’s business background was essential. He volunteered to help the Mongol economy move from Soviet accounting to Western practices.
This gave him access to influential government leaders. This is a connection that helped the church gain legal recognition later.
The Sister Cook background in education was not wasted either. She was studying to become a principal and was equipped to support and oversee young missionaries teaching English at university.
In 1995, the Mongol Uraanbaatr Mission was officially organized, and the chefs were called their leaders. As more missionaries arrived, work was accelerated. New cities like Erdenet and Darkhan have begun missionary work.
The fulfillment of prophecy
Sister Cook recalled when Elder Neil A. Maxwell of Quorum, the 12 Apostles, visited Mongolia and prayed for prayers in April 1993. He added: “Mongolia could become a beacon light for other countries too.”
“I think the temple’s announcement in October 2023 will allow us to say that the Gospel message has been firmly established in Mongolia.”
Religious freedom and public perception
Sister Cook also shared recent developments that demonstrated the trust and presence of the church in Mongolia. Elder Cook was awarded the order of Polar Star, one of Mongolia’s highest honors, at a ceremony in Utah in October 2023.
The award-winning ambassador, Bathbayar Urjdhaga, has become an important advocate for the Church.
Humanitarian projects, including Chromebooks for nomadic communities and addiction recovery programs, deepened the church’s reputation and outreach. New laws have been proposed that will further protect religious freedom.
The gathering continues
Today, over 130 missionaries serve in Mongolia. It’s only been forty years a few years ago. Since Elder Maxwell’s commitment to Mongolia, other apostles visited the country in 2009, including then-Russell M. Nelson.
Because there is a temple on the horizon, Sister Cook said that the hands of the Mongol Lord cannot be denied.
“When I think of the blessings of 31 years… I remember this Bible: “And the Lord will certainly prepare a way for His people” (1 Nephi 22:20),” she said. “Mongolia are really beacon lights and so are their members.”
She added that her late husband’s greatest desire was to attend something groundbreaking in the temple. “He’ll be there,” she said, “and I’ll be.”
