Journolia: A journal of life in Mongolia.

Thankgiving for An Encouraging Word

2011-11-25T16:31:00.004+08:00

A sharp dressed young man stands in the foyer of the CAMA project center as I walk in...

Inside I smell our Vietnamese food cooked by our IM Family friend for our Thanksgiving meal.

The same guy then says to me in perfect English: "Could I talk to you?" I tell him sure.

"I'd like to know how I can enroll in (I'm thinking he's going to say English courses) the Church", he says.

I ask him, "Are you a believer?" And he says, "no I'm just interested".

I tried to mask my surprise and amazement and pointed down the road to our church building, got his name, and found out he is already a student of our CAMA English teacher.

It takes a team eff Teaching English, Cooking the Food, or whatever you do, "do it all for the glory of God." Jesus said, "He will build his church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it."

A Life Rebuilt

2011-11-24T15:39:00.001+08:00

A Life Rebuilt

In 2001, River of Love church moved into a vacant office building. A large structure with lots of rooms, an auditorium; it held a lot of potential. But it lacked a good heating system or insulation and was famously cold. Most everyone who has attended River of Love has a story to tell about how severely they have froze. Too cold to use in winter, it became uninhabited and fell into disrepair. Windows were broken and bricks were stolen right off the structure. The auditorium wood floor was torn up and burned for firewood. The fence around the yard was missing so many planks it looked like a toothless grin. The name and face of Jesus in this little town was under a load of shame and disgrace.

Spring of 2011, the church decided to do something about it. They made a God-sized plan to dismantle the building and reassemble it smaller and warmer. They made a list of materials. They noted that the building frame was loaded with more bricks and lumber than they would need which could be sold. But they still needed 4,000 dollars worth of materials. Thanks to Alliance people’s giving to our approved Work Special account, we were in a position to bless God’s church in Mongolia with needed assistance.

At the same time, a new assistance program called Food for Work was born at the CAMA services project center. The program targets unemployed men by offering work in exchange for food or other non-cash compensation. The idea being that if they are at work and don’t have cash, they won’t be as likely to dive into a drinking abuse cycle. While they enjoy the fruit of their labor in the form of a meal, they also hear hope for rebuilding their life from God’s word. “Man does not live on bread alone”.

July 6^th, a Food for Work team joined a few locals to begin rebuilding the fence around River of Love. A cold rain bore down on us from the north. It made the ground softer, but the railroad tie posts heavier. That evening, muddy boots and clothes tramped into the condemned building to sleep on a linoleum floor in the building’s one usable room.

Under the demolished auditorium floor lived a family of dogs. Down the hall a homeless family squatted without the blessing of the church leaders. Settling down for a sleep would not have been easy had we not been so tired from the work. Drifting off to sleep there were thoughts of what other unwanted inhabitants might be haunting around. A screeching sound woke us from sleep in the middle of the night. What was that? Out into the hall I crept to find out. A howling cowering puppy cried in a corner of the dark hallway. He was more scared than I was, and bit ferociously when touched. It was at least a little less scary that what I might have imagined lived in such a forsaken place.

Soon the fence was finished, and the real work began. Demolishing the church building began by pulling down the exterior bricks and dismantling the roof tiles and frame. Then the floor boards were removed sorted and stored. Windows and doors were removed and stacked up and stored. Soon we were pulling down walls made of massive 2-inch rough sawn planks covered with lath and dried dirt. (Noticeably absent was any kind of insulation.) The ceilings were just as heavy built and covered with tons of dirt and coal ashes. They made terrific plumes of dust when the crashed to the ground. Lastly, the frame itself had to be dismantled. First we tried to pull it down with ropes, then pushing from the corners, then hitting with sledge hammer. Cheers went up when it finally fell.

At meal times, men who had never heard the good news of new life and forgiveness listened to God’s word. We sat in the shade and digested our food and discussed what was read. Among the workers hearing God’s word for the first time was a man named Happy. He had helped on a previous Food for Work project and proved both useful and faithful. He was especially pleasant to work with because he was so thankful to be out of Darhan, where his drunkenness demons seemed to have a stronger hold on him. Church leaders began to ask about him when he was gone. They prayed for and cared for him.

Soon the rubble of the old building was cleared and a new floor was built on the old foundation. Getting the new floor level was a big challenge. The Apostle Paul was right; it’s no fun building on another man’s foundation! But soon it was nailed down and wall erected, this time 6 inches wide stuffed full with wool, foam and fiberglass insulation.

The frame covered less than half of the old foundation footprint. And half of that became a parsonage with a special heating system to keep the church space warm all the time.

Church leaders decided on November 20th for the grand opening. The ladies worked away decorating and preparing. The Saturday before the big day teams spread out all over town inviting people to the party and sharing the good news. An old classmate of a leader had never heard the gospel before and prayed to receive Christ.

The Church building was packed with people the next day, and plenty warm. Songs were sung, speeches given testifying to God’s goodness, gifts of appreciation given and finally a group picture taken to commemorate the beginning of a new chapter for River of Love.

As the crowd dispersed a mid-aged man holding a new bible nodded at me. Someone took his picture. Curious, I inquired to find it was the guy who received Christ yesterday.

Happy, the man who did so much good work on the building, still has a long road to recovery from alcohol. The last time I saw him at the River of Love church I told him “Jesus loves you”. He shyly looked at his shoes and smiled an “amen”. Now he is faithfully following Jesus and attending Celebrate Recover class Saturday nights at the CAMA project center. Whenever I see his bright smile, which is still minus more than a tooth or two, I see the love of Jesus working on him, and I see hope of a life rebuilt.

River of Love Grand Reopening

2011-11-24T15:35:00.002+08:00

Missionary Kids' School

2011-11-10T16:17:00.000+08:00

Maggie, Lydia and Johanna with their two friends are part of a one-room MK school. They have one kid in each of 5 grades.

Darhan Prison Heart and Soul

2011-11-10T15:26:00.002+08:00

This week I went to the Darhan prison with a team from the Cama Project Center. Dr. Pham and his team taught about health for the heart. They asked me to talk and lead the folks in prayer about the heart’s function in matters of faith.

The prisoners especially enjoyed the game “Healthy Heart”. Dr Pham divided the audience into two teams. The players took turns rolling dice to advance. Some squares were labeled, “you quit smoking, advance three spaces” Others were marked “heart surgery”, “eating too much grease”, with a ladder that slides you down a level or two.

My part was to demonstrate the other use of the heart, prayer from the heart. God says that we believe with our hearts in Romans 10:10. “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Mongolians have the same idea that belief is a matter of the heart.

So we prayed the Father and Creator of Heaven would give them faith to believe in Jesus and join the family of God. After all, none of them has ever seen Mongolia’s founder Genghis Khan, yet they believe in him fervently, heart and soul.

The visit with the prison workers promising to invite us back soon. Amazingly that’s actually something to rejoice about! I think we were all encouraged, heart and soul.

On the Job Drinking -- Drives you to Prayer

2011-10-07T12:54:00.006+08:00

The more you live here, the more used you get to seeing people buy vodka at all hours in every store you go into....even in the early morning hours on their way to work.

This week Renee and I saw a man on the walking along at 9 am with his freshly purchased bottle. Yesterday morning I saw two men walking to work each drinking a big can of beer.

But even worse is smelling alcohol on the breath of people who work in public places, and offices.The hardest is having people who are trying to escape the demons of alcoholism, people you've come to know and love, show up to work late and smelling of liquor.

Life in this country is hard. Scarcity, poverty, and the power of sin can drive a man to drink, even a woman. Lately, a lady collecting bills came to our door with what smelled like paint-thinner on her breath. A man from the heat company showed up on official business. When he talked and all I understood is what he drank for breakfast.

I hope hardness and darkness here would drive people in another direction -- to their knees before the only One with the power, knowledge and presence to save and set free.

The only way that will happen is if we willingly lead the way and bend our knees to Jesus on their behalf for as long as it takes.

Today a worker came and confessed he fell off the wagon and was in no shape to work....

It's hard when you see it on the street, but it's much harder when its someone you know and are pulling for to escape the alcohol trap. There's only one way from here - forward on our knees.

Food for Work Job #2

2011-08-30T15:28:00.000+08:00

I guess we're about half done with the rebuild. Using old wood and nails from the previous building has been a bit tedious. Sometimes you have to start 5 nails to drive one. In the same way, you go through many workers from week to week. But eventually you end up with a set of folks that can bring about the finished product. But the church is not the building. We, God's people are.

So it says in 1 Peter 2;6 "you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house[a] to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."

Resurrected Church Hall Frame

2011-08-30T15:09:00.000+08:00

These walls have 3 layers of insulation, where as the old ones had only dried mud.

Brick by Brick

2011-08-30T14:39:00.000+08:00

These bricks were so loosely slapped up that they were easy to pull down by hand. Therefore, many of them had been stolen.

Inside Old Church Building

2011-08-30T14:12:00.000+08:00

This building was built 20 years ago, and came to us ten years ago. Since then it has deteriorated to be unusable. This area was a part of the sanctuary at one time. Even when it was usable it had a reputation of being reliably a few degrees colder than the winter weather cold outside!

Tearing Down

2011-08-30T14:08:00.000+08:00

As daunting a task as demolition is physically, the implied committment to rebuild is greater still.

Rebuilding

2011-08-30T10:47:00.000+08:00

Food for Work project #2 this summer began by rebuilding the broken down fences around the community of faith in Baruun Haraa, a small town about an hour south of Darhan. One of the books of the Bible we studied after mealtimes was Nehemiah. He was a man sent by God to rebuild a people ruined by rebellion. He began by getting them to work rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem.

Grandparents Deliver

2011-07-05T21:04:00.000+08:00

Here's Johanna showing off the stuff that makes for smiles...especially when sent 10,000 miles.

Present Time

2011-07-05T20:42:00.000+08:00

Johanna is six!

2011-07-05T20:40:00.000+08:00

Package from Grandma

2011-07-05T20:39:00.000+08:00

Johanna starts the 4th of July right by opening her present from Grandma.

Fun as a Root Canal

2011-06-23T13:45:00.003+08:00

Dear Diary,
I began yesterday at a dentist appointment. It's been more than a week since I gave my eye-tooth there - had it pulled. It looked like there was no other option after trying many others to remedy an old root canal I had when I was 16. That procedure was long and involved, and if that's not bad, the doctor said afterward said it might give me some trouble since they didn't drill deep enough. It lasted 23 years.

Remembering that experience, I was braced for a pretty bad morning. The doctor said the only way to check for sure that the tooth next to the pulled one is really dead is to drill without novacaine. That sounded like a blast from the past so we tried it and it worked! No pain as he drillied about and inch or so up into the canal of my very front upper tooth. Then they have these neat rasps that they used to drag stuff out of the hole that goes nearly up to the bone. Am I being too dramatic?

The crecendo was when he got something green about the size of a mosquito out showed it to me and said: "That's your nerve" At one point he dropped an instrument or somehting which I tried to grab for him, and he noticed my hands were kind of clammy. "You don't need to be afraid", he reassured. The one bright spot was I didn't have to get an injection or wait for the numbing to come.

Next to that, haggling over building materials and running all over town to find them, and trying to keep things at Kama going seemed pretty easy.

Only problem now is that they infection that was still in the old tooth socket seems to be leaking out and making me a bit sick. He said this chronic infection can be cleared out by something he injected through the front tooth's newly opened canal. I'm hoping that works.

On top of that I would welcome prayers to get this long episode behind me.

I'd rather have the fun of a root canal anytime versus the systemic sickness that seems to be associated and sticking with me at least 6 months now. But thank God I'm still moving. This truly may have been too dramatic, once and for all there it is....

New Worker

2011-06-14T23:08:00.002+08:00

It's nice to be on the interviewer side of the table. You get to ask people about themselves, help them see how much they have to offer, and actually get to choose who you want to work with.

It's hard to choose too, because you know the ones you don't choose might really want or need the work. This week our new worker at the KAMA project center started. His name is Amaraa and is working hard on some hard plumbing jobs, when that has never been his main thing. But it's a pleasure to see men of God get their hands dirty and learning new skills that will hopefully help them lead their families, and God's church more effectively and fruitfully.

I hope we will get into his main thing Thursday: building. In process I pray we help men change: "no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone." Ephesians 2:19,20

Settling In

2011-06-14T22:52:00.002+08:00

Looks like we're going to make it into an apartment the same size we moved out of 4 years ago. Some of our furniture has changed, and not all of it will fit from the house in Bulgan, but we are able to use some of it as office furniture at work. So it all works out.

The girls are getting plenty of play time with their American friends on the first floor. Summer free-time is in full swing for them. Mom and Dad are starting to horn in with the gentle nudges toward getting them to read. Second and third waves of trying to give them constructive activities are piano and possibly dance lessons.

Right now though the prospect of getting our routines together in a new home and new work is starting to become a visible near future reality. And that's something to be grateful for.

There is a comfort in having a home and having food in the cupboards. Just have about 10 more cardboard boxes to work through and get rid of, then we're really moved in, thank God.

Cold Shower

2011-06-14T22:29:00.003+08:00

Believe it or not, Mongolia is not always cold. But the water is.

Tonight I took a polar-cold shower and it wasn't at the request of Renee.

Monday morning, turning the hot water brought nothing but a sinking hollow sound out of the faucet. Then we heard that is would remain that way for the whole week. Cold water for dishes not much fun, cold water only for shaving isn't either. So I was putting off the inevitable cold shower, hoping to somehow make until Friday, or hoping it would come on early.

But some guys at the local basketball court waved me in for some hoops, and I came in the house dripping with sweat and not excited about just letting it dry and climbing into bed.

So you're in there trying to keep your feet and hands from going numb. Splashing water sparingly enough to keep the ibii jiibiis at bay, but copious enough to rinse the soap.

Then the big rinse of the hair was like getting up the nerve to plunge into the Puget Sound on a hot day. That 'take your breath away' cold is the same here.

I've always liked cold water swims because I claim its an easy way to burn calories. I was in there thinking I might have burned more calories in the shower than in the three games of basketball that caused me to take on in the first place.

(The hot water is off to give people the chance to repair or replace rusty pipes)

Only three more days to go...

BBQ Season in Mongolia Arrives

2011-06-13T21:28:00.000+08:00

Went out of town a few miles to picnic by a lake (not pictured), and grill some burgers (pictured), where some camels grazed (also not pictured, oddly enough). Maggie, Clara, Anika, Toby, Lydia, and Johanna taking it all in.

Farewell Picnic for Miss Karen

2011-06-13T21:23:00.001+08:00

The girls' teacher Karen ( playing catcher), is going back to the US after teaching at the Darhan MK school for two years.

Baseball on the prairie

2011-06-13T21:19:00.000+08:00

Johanna takes a swing for the (whoops, no fences).

Thailand Vacation

2011-06-13T21:17:00.000+08:00

Blue water in front (pool) and blue water behind (ocean). That about sums up what we need in a vacation. God is good and kind.

Making Friends

2011-06-13T21:14:00.000+08:00

Juniper Tree, the place we stayed, had a great place for kids of all kinds to play.

Three Hour Tour

2011-06-13T21:13:00.000+08:00

Vacation in Thailand is one of our few chances for adventures involving oceans.

Monkey Island

2011-06-13T21:11:00.000+08:00

Some liked it better than others

After hike into huge cathedral-like cave

2011-06-13T21:10:00.000+08:00

This just in....

2011-06-13T21:09:00.000+08:00

Vacation Roooocks! Clara in a cave.

Johanna and Clara Enjoy a Boat Ride

2011-06-13T21:07:00.000+08:00

Clara maybe not as much...but at least not seasick-green.

Super Grandpa, to the Rescue

2011-06-13T21:06:00.000+08:00

Jerry, a hero to Clara her parents

Jerry and Ann pose with Renee at Darhan's Horsehead Fiddle Park

2011-06-13T21:04:00.000+08:00

Maggie's 9 now

2011-06-13T21:02:00.000+08:00

Her friends Isaiah and Annika showed up to witness it.

Maggie Turns 9

2011-06-13T21:01:00.000+08:00

Here's Maggie and her cake at Pizza Romano, a pretty good pizzaria in Erdenet Mongolia.

New Year's Day Basketball Tournament--Top Three Teams

2011-01-25T20:47:00.000+08:00

Grandfather Winter and his attendants

2011-01-25T20:38:00.000+08:00

Clara dances as a Snow Princess in her school New Year's Party

2011-01-25T20:35:00.000+08:00

More Hats!

2011-01-25T20:33:00.000+08:00

The second-place basketball team from a tournament Jeremy
hosted also asked for some of the hats from America!

At the Local Skating Track

2011-01-25T20:28:00.000+08:00

Maggie and Lydia with friends from the local skating track;
handing out hats on Christmas Day. The hats were all
handmade in the colors of the Mongolian flag by a sister in
Christ from California!

The finished product

2011-01-25T20:21:00.000+08:00

Friends share the fun of decorating cookies

2011-01-25T20:19:00.000+08:00

Our First Gingerbread House

2011-01-25T20:16:00.000+08:00

Maggie and Lydia play a duet for the school competion

2011-01-25T20:14:00.000+08:00

Down Side of Winter

2010-12-13T10:36:00.000+08:00

The good feeling about snow and winter dissipates pretty quick when you see this -40 sign outside your window.

Not to be too dramatic, but technically it's still fall.

Even the Mongolians say the real cold is still to a week or so away.

Working against the weather

2010-12-13T10:32:00.000+08:00

Maggie and Lydia thought we needed a trail around the yard to keep the middle all nice, white and untracked.

Winter Wonderland

2010-12-13T10:29:00.001+08:00

Lydia waves while wading through and shovelling still-falling snow. The flakes were big and piled up quickly. I'd say we had at least 8 inches here.

T-bone

2010-11-15T19:12:00.000+08:00

One of those days...today was one where nothing much encouraging and noteworthy happened until dinner.

Through a near-miracle chain of events, certainly an act of God, we were able to have T-bone steaks on the grill and table tonight.

About dinner time, the neighbor dropped in, locked out of her house. So Clara invited her to have dinner with us.

This neighbor is one who is learning English and joined in conversation a time or two at the table. I think instant mashed potatoes may have been a first for her too.

Then she said 'I can't eat this', in Mongolian. I was surprised because I thought she said she can't eat meat. Then I thought maybe she meant she doesn't eat beef, as most Mongolians eat more mutton than beef. Then she said something like 'it's lacking' in Mongolian. And I was aghast again, thinking she didn't get a big enough piece. But Renee understood the term to mean 'undercooked'.

I guess since the meat on the t-bone was pink, it was not edible to her.

On reflection it makes sense for Mongols to be used to eating brown meat only, because they mostly always boil it. Grilling it to a nice medium rare pink and juicy and to us perfection, to them must seem a bit barbaric. But from our perspective, it pure glory from God.

Thank God for T-bone steak!

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000+08:00

Fall in Mongolia is usually celebrated at the end of October.
and is mostly observed by the preschools. Some teachers
make a big fruit salad with their students in class. Johanna's
class opted to have the mothers fix some fancy salads with
the local veggies--carrots, turnips, beets and potatoes.

2010-11-14T16:39:00.000+08:00

Johanna's preschool class also celebrated with a Fall Festival.
In fact, her class won first prize in the school for their
presentation, preparations, and decorations! Here they are
reciting a poem about fall:)

2010-11-14T16:30:00.000+08:00

Clara's preschool class celebrates Fall. She herself has become
a tomato, with other students dressed as turnips, carrots and
grandmother and grandfather farmer! Otgoo, a teacher which
Lydia, Johanna and now Clara have enjoyed is in the background.

October Fun

2010-10-20T20:41:00.000+08:00

The girls and their friends enjoy pumpkin carving.

Haystack Horizons

2010-10-10T21:36:00.000+08:00

There was hours of fun to be had between the pup and the
haystack. Soaking in Indian Summer--today, a little over
one week later, we have had several days of snow!

Smiles all around

2010-10-10T21:30:00.000+08:00

Maggie, Lydia, and Johanna have been waiting and counting
the days for Clara's celebration! The excitement is contagious.

Clara turns three!

2010-10-10T21:23:00.001+08:00

Clara celebrates her third birthday with her friend Mendee
from preschool.

Puppies! Puppies!

2010-10-10T20:53:00.001+08:00

Lydia holds up the latest visitor at our house. The school yard seems to be abundant with these furry friends but they are transient visitors!

House Call

2010-10-05T12:31:00.001+08:00

My phone rang tonight. It was my neighbor. “Have you ever given someone a shot?” he asked.

“No, I haven’t seen your son”, I replied. (Understanding Mongolian is hard enough in person. By phone, the gap between what was said and understood can be even wider.)

“Can you give me a shot?”, he said more simply. “Yes”, I said before thinking about it too much. “Come on over”, he said, and hung up the phone.

On the way over our shared back yard fence I pondered my answer: “I’ve given lots of shots to horses and a few to cows…I used to give my self allergy shots, so I’m able.”

I walk into his house. People are watching TV in the front room. They ask if I can give an intravenous injection. I start to feel creepy. What if there are narcotics here?

The man of the house is laying on his bed in the other room watching his own TV. “What’s the matter, friend?” I ask.

“Allergies,” he says flatly. “Here in my nose”. “Sometimes it’s plugged or runs, sometimes it’s okay” he explains.

“So where’s the medicine?” I ask. He motions. I pick it up. On glass viles is written in Mongolian letters the name “Dexamethazone”. The name comes rushing back to my memories from working at my father’s veterinary clinic. “We used to give this to horses as an anti-inflammatory and pain reducer,” I announce suppressing shock and surprise.

His wife walks in. She picks up a bag of IV fluids. “You’re supposed to put the medicine in here”, she explains. The man of the house chimes in “it’s supposed to go in this vein here,” touching the back of his hand.

“I’m not doing this!” I exclaim. “I’ve never given IV shots to anyone. Isn’t there a nurse that lives right across the street? If we have allergies we just take pills, you want some?” I ask. So I go fetch the nurse, and send Renee over with a bottle of Benadryl.

First Day of School Friends

2010-09-02T22:37:00.000+08:00

Lydia and Maggie's friends came by to walk to school together for the first day of school.

Our TEAM from Bellevue Alliance

2010-08-17T17:52:00.000+08:00

Chuck, Corey, and Zach lived through lots of cold showers and greasy Mongolian food in their 8 day stay in Bulgan. They remained healthy and forged new frienships along the way. Here they are with some of their students after a hike up slope of a dormant volcano, which is a destination for tourists. It was a good way to celebrate our week of Bible English Sports Training. God bless them all.

Stand and Deliver

2010-08-17T17:46:00.000+08:00

Chuck the coach cues his team as they recite what they've learned.

BEST Students and Teachers

2010-08-17T17:45:00.000+08:00

This year's English camp had the blessing of three fine English teachers from Bellevue, Ohio. Zach and Corey are themselves students, but served here as capable teachers, friends and conversation partners for our neighbor kids.

Chuck, who is a high school teacher and coach, brought these young men around the world to be a blessing to us and our neighborhood.

Because they came we got to know our neighbors more, some whom we had never met. And God got glory in new friendships, and in Mongolian children learning Bible verses and honing their English and sports skills.

Bible English Sports Training

2010-08-17T17:36:00.000+08:00

This years' English camp expanded to include Bible and Sports. Mornings were spend learning English and Bible. Afternoons were spent playing soccer, football, and basketball.

BEST week ended in a presention to their parents of all they had learned. We used our porch as a stage for them to sing and recite what they'd learned. Here they are reciting Mathew 24:14. "And this gospel of the kingdom will preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come."

Chuck and class

2010-08-17T17:29:00.000+08:00

Chuck's class here had several advanced students who memorized whole passages of scripture and dialogues. Here they are leaning something of an American institution: Marshmallows.

I guess all that time as a High School Teacher and Soccer coach pays dividends in creative approaches to teaching.

Corey and class

2010-08-17T17:25:00.000+08:00

This was his star pupil Ernie. He earned a starring role in the presentation of scripture and songs for all the parents of participating kids.

Zach and Class

2010-08-17T17:23:00.000+08:00

This was one of the most challenging groups of kids, because their english level was as low as their energy level was high. Zach proved up to the challenge and transfered all that energy into English phrases, some of which were scripture. It all translates into glory for God.

Girls' goodbye to Great Grandpa

2010-07-12T12:05:00.000+08:00

Crater Lake

2010-07-12T11:58:00.000+08:00

Wilsons visit the RV

2010-07-12T11:55:00.000+08:00

Back Yard Fun in Bellevue

2010-07-12T11:53:00.000+08:00

Friend Fun

2010-07-12T11:51:00.000+08:00

Johanna and Grandpa Joe

2010-07-12T11:50:00.000+08:00

Cousin Fun

2010-07-12T11:49:00.000+08:00

Ivars Fish and Chips at Mukilteo

2010-07-12T11:48:00.000+08:00

Sundown on the Big Blue

2010-07-12T11:47:00.000+08:00

Depoe Bay Rocks

2010-07-12T11:46:00.000+08:00

Lydia on the Beach at Depoe Bay, OR

2010-07-12T11:44:00.000+08:00

2010-07-12T11:42:00.000+08:00

Sands Down the Best Dune Fun on any Coast

2010-07-12T11:41:00.000+08:00

Pistol River, Oregon - USA

Maggie Sees a Seal

2010-07-12T11:38:00.000+08:00

Seeing the Pacific Ocean at Patrick's Point

2010-07-12T11:37:00.000+08:00

Family Farewell to America

2010-07-12T11:34:00.000+08:00

When you're away from your homeland, you want to see some of the places that make it great.

Thank God we got to see the Redwood Forest.

2010-07-12T11:28:00.000+08:00

2010-07-12T11:27:00.001+08:00

2010-07-12T11:27:00.000+08:00

2010-07-12T11:25:00.001+08:00

AWEsome Tree Pillars

2010-07-12T11:25:00.000+08:00

Got to see the world's tallest trees on our way down the west coast, which was the first leg of our journey back to a prairie nation pretty short on trees.

Fallout from Froze Out Herds

2010-07-12T09:52:00.003+08:00

Here's a good article on Mongolia's recent extreme winter and the resulting poverty cycle.

http://www.eurasianet.org/node/61446

Johanna turns five years old

2010-07-12T09:52:00.000+08:00

We spent the 4th of July celebrating Johanna's birthday along with America's before leaving for Mongolia.

Deadly Mongol Winter

2010-02-25T21:53:00.003+08:00

Millions of Livestock have died, leaving their shepherds likely refugees come spring.

Here's a picture of one herdsman with his flock in deep snows that starve them.

mongoliax-large.jpg

Read the full article from USA Today.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2010-02-24-mongolian-winter_N.htm

You can give to relief efforts at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Website:

https://www.cmalliance.org/give/online-giving?page=contactinfo

Christmas Vacation

2010-01-06T11:54:00.001+08:00

The kids all got homemade hats for Christmas. Lydia lost 3 teeth while out of school for two weeks.

American Christmas Eve

2010-01-06T11:33:00.000+08:00

Santa House Call

2010-01-06T11:30:00.000+08:00

The girls were suprised on Christmas eve when Saint Nick showed up before they were in bed. They were scared they stayed up to late. It was 6:15 p.m.

Ohio Amish Country

2010-01-06T11:15:00.000+08:00

And that means Cheese!

Front Porch in Pajamas

2010-01-06T10:57:00.000+08:00

Jaydyn is 3 and Karys is 2 (front left)

Halloween at Grandmas

2010-01-05T23:13:00.000+08:00

Settling into Ohio

2009-07-14T03:44:00.002+08:00

It's been almost 2 months since we moved into our house in Akron, Ohio. We live near a nice park named Firestone, after the man who founded the rubber company here.

The girls love to walk or ride bikes to the park to play. Maggie learned to ride a bike a few weeks after we got here. She like to ride around the block on sidewalks whenever she can. Lydia and Maggie had soccer camp in the park for a week. They loved it!

Maybe that will be a good experience to get them ready for 1st and 2nd grade in September. It will be their first time in American school. Firestone Elementary School is adjoins the park.

We just returned from summer vacation at Lake Erie. Renee and family have spent a week in a white cabin overlooking the lake for the last 31 years. The girls enjoyed 6 nights of splashing in the lake and spending time with their cousins. Six girls under 7 years old was an adventure.

Add to both sets of parent grandma and grandpa to even the score at six adults for six kids. A great time was had by all.

Soon we'll travel out to Washington state for more summer fun with the grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles out there.

BACK IN THE USA

2009-05-06T04:58:00.002+08:00

We're all safely back in the land of our birth, except Clara, who is enjoying her first visit to America. California is nice and temperate, and we're working through jet lag while staying with family. Last night we went to a little league baseball game to watch the girls' cousin's team.

The Braves won, with some key plays contributed and runs scored by 3rd grader Zach Bergevin. Sitting on lush green grass eating great pizza from the concession stand and chatting with other spectators, smiles from a passing stranger, all made for an enjoyable American experience....

Leaving Home

2009-04-29T00:46:00.002+08:00

Late night packing here for a Wednesday morning departure - the first step in a long journey back to America for a year. We will leave Mongolia on May 3rd, spend some time in California on vacation. They on May 17th we'll arrive in Akron, which we'll call home for a year.

The good news is, when we leave our home in Akron in summer 2010, we'll be coming back to this home in Bulgan, for a longer 3 year stint, which is twice as long as we've lived here so far.

Good Article on Mongolia from Wall Street Journal

2009-04-21T22:12:00.000+08:00

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124017991210632815.html.html

Hallelujah

2009-04-20T17:08:00.002+08:00

Clara joined in the singing and body motions of the kid favorite 'hallelujah' on Sunday. She seemed to be singing it the whole day thereafter. Seeing her squatting down and saying the same title word over and over again is pretty entertaining. She doesn't quite have the "praise ye the Lord" part down yet, but she sure stands up and stretches her hands up over her burred head.

I don't know why it tickled us so much. I guess it's her excitement that resonates.

Straight Talk

2009-04-15T21:18:00.002+08:00

We were reflecting the other day with some fellow team mates how Mongolians don't mince words, and aren't afraid to tell you if you do something well, or badly. They are not overly polite.

Last night was a volleyball context, the second this year I was asked to participate. Both have been for the parents of the girls schoolmates. It's a pretty good idea actually. You get to have a chance to mix it up with all the other parents you've been passing in school hallways all year.

So this morning, in the hallway, a lady whose kid is in another class met me on the stairs. She greets me with..."You're tall, but how terrible you play?" From my stunned silence, she guessed that I didn't recognize her with her sunglasses on and without her spectacular serves, bumps and sets from the previous evening.

I told her I do recognize her. She says, "well how about basketball? You wanna place a bet on one-on-one?" Out of another stun I was narrowly able to muster, "now?" She said "no", thankfully and something else, but I was already inching away, easing down the stairs.

I often think of Mongolians as indirect when it comes to confrontation or conflict, like other asians perhaps. But when it comes to calling it like they see it, they can be pretty straight up.