A Cool Update

We had our first snow of the season this week.  Temps are dropping to less than 10F at night, and the mountains around the city are now snow-covered (maybe until next March).  This has been a fairly hectic week for us.  Apart from the weekly activities of language school, weekly leadership training and Sunday activities - we've had a video team here from the Alliance Video Magazine.  It's great to have the opportunity to tell the story of God's work here.  It is our hope and prayer that God will use the product produced from this week's work to raise up partners for the renown and glory of Christ here.

School Daze

This week it's been something of a daze. Or a fog.  Or bright dazzling sunshine that blinds the eyes.  Or some mixture of the above.  School started for all of us two weeks ago.  Jonathan and Cori are beginning their second year at ISU (10th and 8th grade respectively).  This year will be quite different due to the fact that the International School of Ulaanbaatar (ISU) is in a brand spanking new orange and blue building.  We attended opening ceremonies which included the American Ambassador and the President of Mongolia.  The building is large and very western.  One of Jonathan's teachers quipped "It's just like a real school now!". 

The Principle of ISU with the President of Mongolia, Enkhbayar.

Renee' and I have also re-started our classes at the Bridge International College.  We're back in the throws of homework, school buses and complex sentences.  Coupled with that, we are also meeting with Church leaders once per week and helping with music and teaching on Sundays.  The nice thing about it is that we only studying four days per week, now.  This will give us more time to work with the church and practice language.

Language learning has so many ups and downs.  This past Tuesday I went to a little coffee shop to do my homework.  I was studying a new way to essentially give the reason for doing an action (e.g., "therefore" and "because") so that I don't sound like a 5 year old when I talk.  While I was paying my bill a chatted for a few minutes with the lady who owns the shop and realized that I had an opportunity to use my new grammar.  So after a moment of getting my head straight, I said, "I might be able to come drink coffee on Friday mornings, because I don't have class on Friday anymore" (woo hoo ... nice complicated sentence).  She understood me.  Success. An hour later we had a living room full of Mongolian students.  I understood little and could speak less.  We still need a translator for pretty much anything we need to do beyond small talk (and sometimes for that too!).  I went from being thrilled at what I could do to being totally bummed by what I couldn't in a matter of an hour.  But, that's what I am finding to be the the nature of language study. 

So the school daze has begun. 

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Here is one of the brightest rainbows I've ever seen hovering right over the Russian embassy.  This is was taken right out of our window.

Sorry for the delay in updating our site, but my computer is in the shop.  Hopefully it will be out sometime this week.  For all of my friends(and even some family) who are trying to convert me to Mac ... (Pieter, David, Joel, Josh, Doug, Scott ... and I think there are others out there), I am almost there.  If my computer can't be fixed, I think that's the direction I will be heading...

Until then, here is our rainbow.  Maybe there is a Mac at the end of the rainbow?

The Mysterious Muttering Monk in Apartment #5

9/5/2007 - Update: Our monk neighbor is alive and well. I saw him early this morning in the parking lot as I was walking the dog. He stayed a safe distance from my vicious animal. The commotion from a few weeks ago still is an unknown to us, adding greater mystery to our muttering monk. I wonder if monks are allowed to play cards or dominoes? Maybe we should have him over for a game of spades...(or five-card stud?).

Across the hall and two floors down at apartment number 5 lives a monk. He is not a monk like St. Augustine or Luther or Friar Tuck. He is a Tibetan Buddhist. I don't see him too often - but often enough to know that he's there in his maroon and saffron colored robes. He wears the same colors as my old high school, and I confess to being tempted at times to look for the small 'trojan' mascot insignia on his right shoulder.

He's terrified of my dog. Literally - he's terrified. If I happen to meet him in the stairway after walking her, he sees her and freezes in his tracks. He starts muttering something unintelligible. I don't know if he's cursing her or praying to whatever god he prays to for help against this vicious and wild beast. After my repeated assurances that she's 'okay' and that she doesn't bite - I have to hold her by the collar and shield him from her with my body. He will finally pass, and only at that point even acknowledging that I am there with a traditional Mongolian greeting.

In reality I don't actually 'see' him that often. Occasionally he leaves with some of his monk-ish friends. I have seen him with friends or family members loading a vehicle with what looks to be camping equipment. I suppose he is going to the countryside for some R&R. Most of the time, I don't actually see him. I just know he's there. People are always coming and going from his apartment. I assume they are visiting him for advice or healing or blessing of some sort. Every morning I can smell the pungent odor of incense in the hallway as I pass his door. I know he's there. But I don't know what he's doing

I confess I have a real curiosity about the monk who lives at apartment number 5. I wonder what he does during the day when he's not camping or giving advice. Does he play cards or watch television or enjoy Sumo wrestling? There is a lady who shares the apartment with him. They are both older - but I don't how old they are. Who is this lady? Is she his sister? Wife? Concubine? What does he eat? Does he eat meat or just herbs and potatoes? What are his dreams about life and what are his expectations for the life hereafter? What are his opinions about politics? Are those robes 'dry-clean' only?

There's a sense in which this monk in my building represents everything I don't understand about this country and its way of thinking and way of being. I don't understand it, but I want to understand it - problem being, I don't know how to ask. And even if it's explained to me, I don't really understand the answers.

The other day an ambulance pulled into the drive of our building. Two doctors got out and entered into apartment number 5. Later than day, I saw a young girl crying in the hallway outside of his door, and another older lady comforting her. Yesterday, two ladies dressed in black went to his place and were met by the woman who lives there - also dressed in black. I've asked our building security people if they knew if anything happened to the Monk in apartment five. They shook they're heads and said "we don't know" - and went back to their card game. I hope he's just sick. Maybe he died. I don't know if I'll ever see the monk again.

I sort of wish that I had the opportunity to get to know him and could have talked with him about books and movies and politics and food and Sumo wrestling. I also wish I could have understood his thinking about God and had the opportunity to share with him all that God has revealed about Himself in His Word. I wish there had been opportunity (and ability!) to share good news with him. I have decided that I am going to make it a point to get to know a Buddhist monk or two. I want to find out the answers to some of these things. I would also like to find out what really happened to the monk in apartment number 5.

For now, like so many things about this country, he remains a mystery.

The Waning Summer

The days are getting cooler - and noticeably shorter.  The short Mongolian Summer is coming to an end. 

Friday's Photo is of our team that is currently in Mongolia.  We recently had our Field Forum at the Mongolian Secret Histories Ger Camp.  The camp is named after a famous book that was supposedly written by Chengis Khan chronicling the ancient history of Mongolia.  We had a great time getting to know our new team members Brent and Lisa Liberda and there kids, along with the new Darhan MK school teacher Kirsten Hewitt.  We had several team members absent from forum this year for various reasons, so it was a small year.  Our hope and prayer is that next year will be a much larger group! 

On another note, I have been working on a field website this summer.  I hope to have it finished by the end of this week.  You can go to http://www.camamongolia.org to see what has been finished so far.  The purpose of this site it to encourage partnerships with individuals, US churches and Districts.  Check it out and pray about how you might be able to partner with us for His Name and Renown in Mongolia.