The BZ Building

The BZ Building in Ulaanbaatar is so named for the street on which it is located - Bayanzurkh. Really it’s more like “A thru Z” because it is a multipurpose building and used around the clock. In fact, it has a 24-7 guard!! It’s like a beehive – there are people here from 6 AM to 10PM daily. Three units of the Church, a Stake, the Mongolian Mission offices, and the Mission President’s residence are housed in this building and it’s one of the brightest, cleanest and most well built buildings in all of Mongolia. Six stories (including a basement), this 40,000 square foot building has it all including a rarity – an elevator!

The 5^th Floor is the Mission President’s residence and a sisters’ dorm for incoming and outgoing missionary sisters. President and Sister Mecham haven’t been here for about a month because she is being treated for breast cancer. Soon after arriving in Mongolia, Sister Mecham discovered a lump and went to America to have it checked out. Once cancer was diagnosed, President Mecham was instructed to go be with her. It is a stage two cancer and she will have surgery and radiation treatments. They are hopeful that it will all work out and plan to be gone for about three months.

The 4^th floor houses the mission offices including Elder and Sister Eliason’s medical room and the elders’ dorm. Elder Eliason is a retired physician. The Mongolia Ulaanbaatar Mission is the only mission in the world with its own doctor. Before coming here to Mongolia, the Eliason’s, parents of ten children, served a mission in South America where he supervised the medical services for three countries. The English library and classroom are also on this floor supervised by Elder and Sister Powell. Elder Powell taught school for about 35+ years before retiring. He and his wife have prepared curriculum and organized material used for teaching English, the official reason why we’re all here in Mongolia. At the moment, however, Elder Powell is the acting president of the mission while Pres. Mecham is out of country.

The 3d floor houses the stake, the patriarch’s office and the high council room. There is another huge classroom on this floor, which is used for Sunday School Classes, Relief Society, Mission Staff Meetings, and a daily seminary class.

Classrooms and the ward and branch offices take up the 2^nd floor. Here, young people together for their weekly Young Men/Young Women meeting. On Sunday these rooms are used for Primary and other classes.

That 24 hour guard sits on the 1st floor which is the entrance floor of the building. The chapel and overflow, baptismal font and room, and the humanitarian projects offices are located on this floor. Every Friday evening has been set aside for baptisms. Baptismal services begin in the chapel and everyone moves to the baptismal font room where we squeeze in for the ordinance then move back to the chapel. If, by chance, there are no baptisms, a fireside is held. The baptismal room is a busy place. Tuesday thru Thursday English classes are held here. Don and I had our first class last Thursday evening attended by 35 people. The Clarks class on Wednesday had about 45. They said they have had to seat people in the hall at times when over 60 people have come to learn English.

The basement floor includes a computer lab where students can take BYU-Hawaii classes on-line. The Career Center and PEF offices, which are run by Elder and Sister Clark are here too. Pres. Odgerel’s day job is overseeing the Seminaries and Institutes. His office and his secretary’s office are also here in the basement. There is a huge classroom which is used Tuesday through Thursday for various Institute classes including the Doctrine and Covenants, and Marriage classes. The Young Single Adults attend them all. We’ve seen it filled with 67 students!! One day earlier this week, the tables here were filled with baby quilts and sewing machines. The youth tied the quilts and the YSA would hem them. The quilts will go to a birthing center for new mothers who can’t afford quilts for their newborns. There is a small kitchen room useful for socials as well.

It's a wonderful building, dedicated to the work of the Lord. "By their fruits shall ye know them." Latter-day Saints here love the gospel, the Restoration and the activities of the Kingdom. It is a joy to be a part of this. But the one building these people are praying for is a temple. They have to have 20,000 members and have 50,000 temple ready names in order to qualify for a temple. They are half way there!! With over a thousand baptisms a year, a temple is within reach. Hallelujia Mongolia!!