Remember Mongolia

Frozen Orthodoxy

This is a Russian Orthodox Church near our language school. The smoke and the early morning cold make it seem a mystical place. It does seem strange to see a church like this in a land of Buddhistic Shamanism.

2 comments January 30th, 2008

RememberMongolia Podcast #1:
The Mongolian Winter

Here is our first! This is the first installation of the RememberMongolia podcast. In this episode you will learn a little about the Mongolian winter season. It’s more than just cold!

Update: You can now download and subscribe directly from iTunes! Simply search ‘Remember Mongolia’ and hit subscribe!

 

 The Mongolian Winter [5:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

7 comments January 18th, 2008

A Tribute to Don Rulison

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…�
(2 Timothy 4:7)

Surely this is a verse that every believer in Christ hopes to be able to say as they complete their race. If we are honest, our failings keep us from making any prideful assumptions, only an understanding that it will be but by God’s magnanimous grace.

It is a comfort to know that God uses earthen vessels, but use us He does, and it is His desire to continue to do so to the end of our days. Will we let Him to the end? Can we put aside thoughts of our last years being a time that is spent for ourselves?

While it is easy to look at men who laid down their young lives for God’s kingdom (such as Jim Elliott or Nate Saint) and be challenged by their dedication, it is even more challenging to consider lives lived faithfully over the long haul. Let me share a quote from my Beth Moore Bible Study this week as been ringing in my ears.

True God-seekers do not outlive their usefulness. If we’re still here, God’s still working.

Bernie and I have been challenged and encouraged over the past years by a dear brother from our days at the Evangelical Institute. Don Rulison, along with his wife Kathy, served God in China until the communist regime forced them out. They continued their service for many years to the Hmong refugees in Thailand until Kathy’s cancer led them to return to the US. We were so thrilled to receive his letter a couple of years ago saying that He was returning to Thailand. While he would have every worldly reason to retire and enjoy his leisure in the comforts of the US, he chose to seek his joy in His King’s service.

Today we received his October prayer letter encouraging his supporters to pray for those who faced persecution. At 92 his eye is still on his Reward. His closing statement, “I don’t know if or when I shall send another update� was bittersweet. He has chosen not to have invasive heart surgery.

We feel privileged and honored to have know this man whose eyes were never far from the harvest fields. May God give us grace to follow his lead.

2 comments January 9th, 2008

More Than 12 Days This Christmas

Nine Christmas parties and two New Year’s parties later, tonight we officially wound up Christmas. Here’s a recap of what this past month has held.

Bernie had the privilege of leading the Christmas Carol Candlelight Service with the small International Fellowship that meets once a month for communion. It was nice to forget for a little while how few of us here really celebrate as we sang the carols that are very precious to all of us.

Renee’ had a wonderful time with about twenty other ladies at a Women’s Christmas Party. Someone even brought stuffed mushrooms that almost tasted like Grammy’s.

Bernie, Renee’ and Cori enjoyed an International Christmas Dinner with other friends from the mission community here. Jonathan hung out with friends.

We hosted three Christmas Open Houses this year. The first was with our teammates that were able to make it into the city. We had this a bit early as Nghia and Anhoa Pham and children were going to be spending Christmas with his family in Vietnam. They were concerned for his mother’s health as she had suffered a stroke in August. Our prayers go out to their family, because in spite of his mother’s condition, his father preceded her into the presence of the Lord just after the New Year began.

The second was with our school. Last year we only invited classmates and our two teachers. This year we were a bit braver and invited the principle, the dean of students and the school cook. We invited 12 people and they all attended. They were a bit unsure about the interesting food, but after watching Jeff and Jonathan mound their plates full, they finally took the plunge and tried everything.

The third was with the youth group and we had a living room full of teenagers eating and playing games and sharing White Elephant gifts.

The Saturday before Christmas Bernie, Renee’, Cori and her friend Honorah went to Darhan for a Christmas celebration with the Mongolian church leaders. That evening we had a dinner with the rest of our team.

Details about the Christmas program at church can be found on a previous blog. Christmas Eve we introduced the church to a Candlelight service where we lit the Christ candle of the Advent. There weren’t many of us, but it was a special time and everyone had a sense of His presence. We even shared our family favorite Christmas song ‘Born to Die’ for the first time in Mongolia.

Christmas morning the cinnamon rolls turned out perfectly and were followed by a time together emptying our stockings. We confess to some disappointment that all the presents that had been ordered weren’t at the Post Office when Bernie made one last ditch effort late that afternoon. We had a nice dinner that evening with Dennis and Marilyn and Kirsten Hewitt.

New Years Eve we spent at the Maves? singing Happy Birthday to Miriam Liberda, who turned 2. We finally convinced her to blow out the candles, but she didn’t seem to be very happy about it.

New Year’s Day saw Bernie, Jonathan and two friends from language school learning Jonathan?s new game “Puerto Rico” while Renee’, Cori and our friend Shauna taking a walk in the freezing cold to the movie theater. Rumor had it that there was an American movie showing. The rumor turned out to be true, but unfortunately it was sold out.

While walking home, we stopped by the store. It seemed strange that they had boxes stacked in front of liquor aisle, especially on New Years. It made sense when we read the headline of the UB Post the next day. 12 people have died and over 100 were hospitalized by drinking poisoned vodka.

This is an interesting side note. As a result, all liquor sales in the country have now been banned indefinitely. It is amazing to be out at night. The streets seem deserted. Traffic is manageable and crime is down significantly. Bernie’s teacher’s husband is a police officer and they are all delighted at the change it has made in their jobs.

The next day the Christmas decorations came down and were stored for next year. And today, not only did Bernie’s new computer arrive with the short term team from California, but there were slips for five boxes containing our Christmas presents. Yeah!!!

So, that?s it in a nut shell. Hope this newsy blog hasn’t bored you too much. The only way the holidays could have been better would have been if all of you could have joined us.

Add comment January 9th, 2008