ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — The BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir gave its last formal performance here in a three-week tour of China and Mongolia that began May 7 in Laie; included appearances in Urumqi, Xi'an, Beijing and Tianjin, China; and ends back on campus May 29.
As BYU-Hawaii music professor Michael Belnap finished directing the 62-voice group in the final strains of Aloha 'Oe in the Ulaanbaatar State Drama Theatre, he and some choir members had tears in their eyes: They were perhaps conscious that the songs they would present the following evening at a Latter-day Saint musical fireside in this city of over one million people would be the last time many of them would ever sing together again.
Lauren Woodbury, a junior international culture studies major from Parker, Colorado, said reaching the end of the tour is "kind of bittersweet, but the tour has been awesome. The people have been so incredibly receptive and warm. It's amazing to see how they bring the Spirit to us, we reciprocate, and it grows. The tour has also uplifted my testimony that we are all Heavenly Father's children and we all share a common light."
Heather Foutz, a senior vocal studies major from Boise, Idaho, said the final concert was "super emotional. For example, when we sing You'll Never Walk Alone I just feel like there was a connection with the audience, especially here in Mongolia because the members and the Church are so new. I felt like we were saying to them that your work is going to be rewarded, and that even though it might seem like this is a new thing, Christ is behind them 100 percent, and He'll always be there for them. That really hit me."
"I feel a very real connection with the people," she added. "Places that seemed so far away and unfamiliar are not any more. I really have a testimony that the Church is for everyone, and I'm very excited about serving a mission in December. I feel like it could start today."
Ammon Cabrinha, a freshman originally from Laie, agreed the last concert was special, partially because Mongolia "has a different feel. You can feel the Spirit so strongly here. The experience of singing with the choir has also built my testimony about being unified." He added the tour has further helped him prepare to serve a mission: "I'm kind of a quiet, shy guy, but being able to interact with the people has helped me to break out of my shell. I actually wouldn't mind serving here."
Levin Gunter, a senior psychology major from Greenville, South Carolina, agreed the final concert was emotional, and that "the reception we got was pretty amazing." For example, Gunter was able to reunite with a former Russia Yekateriburg Mission companion from Mongolia. "The tour has also provided many confirmations of the Spirit that I don't think I would have gotten had I not come, and I'm very grateful for those. I'm very grateful for this opportunity, for those who provided the funding for it, and most of all for the hand of our Heavenly Father in this tour."
"It has been a real testimony builder for me and an experience that has changed my life," Gunter said. He added he was also able to use his Russian language skills here and in Urumqi, China, which shares a border with Russia.
Choir members were not the only ones affected. Many in the audience in the two concerts here are members of the Church, who especially appreciated the choir's appearance in their homeland. "It was wonderful to be with you," one said. Another said, "It's amazing the doors that have been opened just because you came here — not because you performed or not because you preached the gospel."
Zorig Altai, the director of Mongolia's first independent television station, was also deeply touched by the choir's two concerts in Ulaanbaatar and a recent visit he made to BYU-Hawaii. "There are not enough words to express the feeling I had while I was sitting in the audience," he said through an interpreter. "I will remember the music...and the great smiles and spirit of this choir in my heart. It will always give me encouragement in my life. There was an incredible spirit and feeling."
He added the concert made him "feel the closeness and friendship we should have with one another...through the connection of our hearts. Prior to my visit to BYU-Hawaii, I always felt kind of suspicious about all the different religions that have come to Mongolia, and I was very wary of what the results would be. But after actually experiencing BYU-Hawaii and witnessing how many students from around the world come together and learn to work and live together, that gave me a great witness that through this religion they have become better people. They have prepared to be leaders of the world. As a result, I now feel it's not bad to have religion in one's life."
"As a professional journalist I see the realities of life, and I know there are many negative things in the world that make us doubtful," Altai said, "but as I heard the songs and saw the friendship of the students from different countries, I felt a message of hope: We're not alone in this world. There are brothers and sisters behind us, who are willing to support us." He added he was sorry "not every Mongolian was able to witness this message of hope."
At the conclusion of the concert, BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway thanked all who had made the choir's tour to Mongolia possible, including educational officials and local Latter-day Saint leaders.
After the choir's May 25 concert in Ulaanbaatar, where there were some technical difficulties, President Shumway told the group that one audience member said she was "absolutely speechless. The Spirit made up for everything because of your sacrifice and determination to do your very best. In some ways the impact on the people was as great as we have felt anywhere on this trip."
He added that Mongolia mission leaders also told him the choir's visit was "historical in what it has done in terms of opening doors, eyes and hearts. They believe this will be the beginning of a new era."
President Shumway noted in a blessing Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve gave the choir before the tour began, said they would "sing and radiate the spirit of the gospel, that people would have a desire to hear the message of Jesus Christ. That blessing has come to pass through the light, music and sweetness of our choir."
— Photos by Mike Foley, (top): Music professor Michael Belnap conducts the BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; (bottom): BYUH, Mongolian education officials, and LDS mission church leaders join the choir on stage after their final tour concert.
