Archive for November, 2006
No football. No Turkey. But it was fun and memorable, all the same. We had Thanksgiving supper with Narah and Boldoo. We all enjoyed whole roasted Chicken, dressing, mashed potatoes, canned cranberries, and a “real” Pumkin pie. I even picked up a special treat for our dog Sadie at the market this afternoon. Can you find it in this picture?
Here is Sadie enjoying here treat:
Narah and Cori gave Jonathan a hard time by singing “Frosty the Snow Man” in his ears. You can tell he really loves it.
Narah and Sadie are now quite good friends. It’s fun to listen to Narah fuss at and scold Sadie in Mongolian. Sadie just loves her. Narah helped Renee’ to prepare the meal and even helped clean up the kitchen. Sadie did not help so much.
Renee’ made a pretty good list of the things we are truly grateful for in her Blog below. I just wanted to add a few more things - some quite similar, some a little different, all can be found in our newsletter. We are so glad to know where every gift comes from.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
(James 1:17 ESV)
-The boxes we have received (right now we only need three more and they’ll all be here!)
-Youth Group for MK’s in UB
-A nice place to live
-Technology that enables us to stay in touch with friends and family (Skype)
-Our puppy Sadie (when she stays out of the trash and doesn’t bite while we’re tying our shoes)
-New friends and colleagues
-Guitar lessons (for Jonathan)
-New beginnings
-Chocolate
-Our new Mongolian friends, Baldoo and Narah
-A new coffee house 100 meters from our home
-Weekends and other breaks from school
-A relationship with God based on the blood and cross of Christ and not on how well one is doing in language study
-The fact that we can be together as a family
-The climate (cold weather with low humidity)
-God’s gracious years of preparation
-Friends at home who are faithful prayer partners
Thank you all for partnering with us!
November 24th, 2006
When this first article started coming to my mind, I wanted to name it “Bumper Sticker Theology.� My thinking was along the lines of “Have you hugged your (fill in the blank) today.� I think it came out around the same time as the one that says “My child is an honor student at…� followed by “My child beat up your honor student.�
The thought was that I would give you some ideas of how to fill in the blanks, based on things we took for granted before moving to a third world country. Some possibilities are:
Hot water heater (that works on a daily basis)
“No smoking� restaurants
Dishwasher
Emissions Control workers
Clothes Dryer
These are just of few of the things that we never thought about, but now think about frequently in their absence.
However, we are finding that having a family of four full-time students doesn’t always make it easy to get out monthly newsletters, and therefore determined that this month’s would be a “Thanksgiving� edition and our next one would come sometime over the Christmas/New Year holiday and would also serve the purpose of being our yearly Christmas letter. So I decided to take these thoughts in a different direction and use them to express our new perspective of gratitude.
There are many things that make life easier that we were never thankful for in the States. I’m not going to say that I wouldn’t love to have a clothes dryer or a dishwasher. I’m not going to say that I don’t wish I could go to a restaurant and eat non-smoke flavored food. I’m certainly not saying that I’m not hoping that the government will wake up and do something about the incredible pollution issue. So, what am I saying?
I’m thankful.
I’m thankful for what I have.
I’m thankful for the majority of our boxes that have come.
I’m thankful for the wonderful home that God has provided for us.
I’m thankful for the new friends, Mongolian and English-speaking, that we are meeting and getting to know.
I’m thankful for technology like Skype, Instant Messaging and email that allow me to stay so connected to my faithful friends and family back home.
I’m thankful for good restaurants, even if they are smoking.
I’m thankful I don’t have to eat out of a dumpster.
I’m thankful my children don’t have to live in the streets and beg for food or money.
I’m thankful my children have parents to hug them.
I’m thankful that my husband didn’t choose a bottle over his family.
I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to hear the Gospel sooner rather than later.
I’m thankful that I can begin and end everyday with my relationship with my Creator, my Savior and my King.
I’m thankful for the privilege of serving Him in many capacities over the past 20-something years.
I’m thankful for each of you that take the time to read our newsletters and website, and especially for those of you who take what you read and pray.
I’m thankful for that I have a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11)
I’m thankful that this life isn’t all there is and that we can look forward to a city whose Builder and Architect is God (Heb. 11:10)
Last, and least, I’m thankful that I decided to take a “thankfulness� perspective instead of pursuing “bumper sticker theology� because it has left me much more encouraged. Count your blessings this Thanksgiving holiday – literally. Maybe even take the advice of the old hymn and “name them one by one.� It’s worth the time.
November 23rd, 2006
This is my language helper/conversation partner, Jonathan’s guitar teacher and one of our new Mongolian family friends. His name is Boldoo. He’s 20 years old. He’s been a Christian for maybe a year. He is an incredibly gifted musician, and is here in UB studying music at a University. He is a Piano student, but can play guitar, drums, violin, and the Mongolian Horse Fiddle.
Last night I met with Boldoo at a little Mongolian “fast food” place called “Indra’s Food Planet”, located just around the corner from our apartment. I was prepared with workbook in hand and my topic that we were going to discuss. Today’s topic happened to be a very important one for Mongolian Culture: His family. I was looking forward to asking Boldoo about his countryside home (his family is from just north of the Gobi Desert). Boldoo showed up a little late, but it was no problem. We ordered food (both of us ate for less than $3 American. That’s both - not each) and started to talk. I asked him about his family (in Mongolian, of course). I was not surprised by what he told me. However, I was deeply saddened. Boldoo’s father left his home 13 years ago. He said his father is “nothing”, he’s gone. His mother raised four boys and a girl on her own. There were other men - but they were not fathers. They were users and manipulators of his mother. Today, Boldoo’s youngest brother is still at home with his mother. Another younger brother is in prison for thievery. His family - which is such an important value in Mongolia - is fragmented and scattered. Boldoo told me that his life is hard, and he often cries for his mother (who has nothing) and his brother who is in prison.
I wanted so much to comfort him. For some reason when we were talking last night, the imagery of diamonds came to mind. I wanted to tell Boldoo that God makes his children into diamonds by putting them through the pressure chamber of difficulty and hardship. I want him to know that he is a diamond and that God is making him into the glittering, dazzling, Christ-exalting, God-glorifying image of Jesus. I wanted him to know that God has purpose for him and for his life. I wanted him to know that Jesus sees and cares and knows what it is to be rejected, even for a time by his own father. Jesus knows, cares and loves. I want Boldoo to know that. My heart breaks for him and I want to walk with him in his pain.
But if you’ve read below, my snowball isn’t that large yet. Thankfully, Boldoo knows a little English. So with much effort - and a handy Mongolian-English dictionary, we were able to go a little beyond simple questions and answers about family. However, I long for the day that we will be able to walk with people like Boldoo in a free and effective way. Because unfortunately, Boldoo’s story is not uncommon in this country. There is a brokenness here. Boldoo’s brokeness is just one example of why I want to take the time to make this snowball. It’s worth it.
Your name and Your renown are the desire of our souls.
November 12th, 2006
One of the main things I’ve learned in our first three months in Mongolia is the fact that language learning is an extensive, laborious process which requires marathoner endurance and gymnast strength. I’ve decided that for the English speaker (at least for this English speaker), learning Mongolian is kind of like attempting to make a snowball out of powder-dry snow. You grab a large scoop of snow in your hands and work with it, and work with it. The majority of what you scoop up doesn’t stick and falls to the ground. After a great deal of time and effort - a little bit does stick and you have a very small ice ball to hold on to. So you reach down and scoop up more snow (some that you already possessed, but had fallen off - some new) and continue the process all over again.
There are several nuances to the Mongolian language that I will share here. Most will probably find this rather dull - a couple of our readers may be interested. However, before we left the States we were asked a lot of questions about the Mongolian language. Here are few factoids that may be of interest.
There is quite a bit of difference between the written and spoken form of Mongolian. While this is generally true of all languages, it seems to be obviously true to this language learner. The written form seems to be very precise and specific in relating meaning, grammar, etc. While the spoken form carries the same meaning - it sounds quite different to what is written. For example, to write “I am Buying Milk” would look something like this (I don’t have Mongolian Cyrillic font on my computer):
Cyy abch baine
However, this would be pronounced something like this:
Soo avchin
This is just a small example of how different the written form can be from the spoken form of this language.
Mongolian Grammar is rather complicated for the English speaker. We are currently learning the eight possible cases for nouns. We will begin learning the variety of verb forms after Christmas. There are no prepositions. They are replaced by post-positional endings tacked on to a word. So you would say “at my home” by tacking two different endings on to the word for “home”. The order of words in the sentence is also very different than English. The verb is always at the end of the sentence. The subject is first (like English), but after that comes the direct and/or indirect objects - which are kept straight with endings, not necessarily word order. Modifiers are also thrown in there, as well. Keeping it all straight is quite different - and difficult - for the English speaker.
The group is more important than the individual in Mongolian culture and this is seen in the language. You would never say “I am going to my school” in Mongolian. It’s not “your” school. It is “our school”. It’s not “my friends”, it is “our friends”. In fact - the strangest one to me is that even a spouse is grammatically referred to as “our husband” or “our wife”. (Just so there’s no question - there is no polygamy here!) The thing that I find interesting is that the language reflects a group value that seems to be quite important in this country.
Nature and family are also important subjects. There are literally hundreds of ways to describe a horse. The mountains and the sky and the “countryside” are important concepts in language and song. Even people who live in Ulaanbaatar and rarely leave the city hold a high sense of value and respect for the Mongolian countryside. The language often reflects this, as well. Mongolian songs also speak often of the family. The “ger” (also the Mongolian word for “home”) is incredibly important to the overall culture of Mongolia. I think one of the most interesting words I have learned is the word “Golumt” (my very poor transliteration). There’s not really an English equivolent. It means the place (physical place) where your family lives. Traditionally, the Mongolian golumt is very important to maintain. It’s a concept that some in American culture could relate to. Renee’s family has been in the same place since she was very small. She can go home to a place that she knows and remembers. Most of us Americans have moved around the country enough for this to be a very unfamiliar concept. However, it is a very important one to Mongolians in general.
I know this has probably been a boring read for most of you who have made it this far. However, I wanted to share with you some of the things we are attempting to get our minds around. Pray for Renee’ and I as we go through the incedibly tedious process of making a Mongolian snowball. Pray for the others on our team in this process, as well. Everyone on the team has a bigger snowball than we do. However, no one is ready to make a snow man, yet.
Here is a picture of our Mongolian language teacher (our “baxsh”). Her name is “Tuul”. Her daughter’s name is “Mongol-Jin”. This means “Mongolian Princess”. At this gathering we had just finished our first cycle of study and testing. Renee’ and I were somewhat pleased that we could almost communicate with a two year old. Almost.
November 12th, 2006
I learned about the effects of alcohol at a very early age. My very first “best friend� and I were inseparable. Ask our moms. We were always together, at my house playing dolls in my room, drinking milkshakes at the drugstore, playing dress up in my grandparent’s attic, on the swing set in our backyard. But I don’t remember her room. I never played there. Her father was an alcoholic and the family suffered many of the consequences you can imagine. It wasn’t until we were older that her mother, a very brave, dear woman managed to make a way of escape for them, that I was able to spend the night with her in her new home.
This week, the effects of alcohol have come back very clearly to all of us. My children are seeing now what I saw as a five year old, the consequences of alcohol. Walk back through our past week with me.
• Bernie and I were on our way home from school. As we rounded the corner by dumpster on the way to our apartment, one of the two men who “live� there was asleep on the curb, totally inebriated. As we got near, he rolled into the street just as an SUV was backing up. We both started yelling (I don’t remember what, but it was probably in English). Bernie ran and banged on the back window just as his torso was mashed between the road and the bumper. The vehicle stopped just before the wheels crushed him completely. He never felt a thing. His friend was in no condition to help him, so some passersby rolled him back off the road into the dirt. He probably doesn’t even know where the bruises he inevitably has came from.
• As we were walking back from the market, two other men, again intoxicated, were fighting in the street, with bloody hands and faces. They were too drunk to care how it looked to those walking by.
• While walking to church, Bernie and Cori saw another man fall into a hole. It was a struggle, for him just to get up. He wet himself in the process.
• Three nights ago, one of the leaders in the Student Church (the one who was supposed to preach this Sunday as a matter of fact), got drunk, broke into the building and took money. He is now awaiting church discipline and will have to find some way to repay the money.
These men all had one thing in common. They all exercised their freedom to drink alcohol. In the end, they pay a high price. It may have cost them their family, their friends, their jobs, their health, their dignity. For one, hopefully not eventually his ministry. I am not going to use this space to debate whether or not Christians should drink. Most people reading it know how we both feel about that and it is not my intent or desire to offend anyone.
I’m not really sure what my intent or desire is for this. Maybe I should ask friends who have been there what they would like to see me do with it. I could ask our former neighbor, David, or our dear friends, Bryan and Chris. These men have all looked this addiction in the face and are daily making the choice to live in freedom from alcohol. By their own testimony, it is the grace of God that has and continues to enable them to make this choice.
I could ask our house helper, Narah, who has won our hearts and is becoming part of the family. She lives every day without her father, who chose alcohol over his family when she was three years old. She has had to learn that God desires to be the Father she never had, and that He will not reject her.
I suppose, I will just use this to beg you to pray. Pray for those you know who have been affected by this and that somehow God would redeem their pain. Pray for the Christians here who have come to Christ from a past of alcohol abuse and that they would be delivered from its power. Pray for healing for their families. Pray for the church that it would know how to extend love and grace and mercy and help in light of this need. Pray for us, that our hearts would not grow dull as we see this every day. Pray that we would be available at any time in any way if God would see fit to use us in the lives of those we walk by. Pray “even so, Lord Jesus, come� because only then will all addictions and all strongholds be abolished. Until then…may we all be found faithful.
November 3rd, 2006