Countryside kindergartens

Our organization is all about children. Everything we do is based first and foremost on a foundation of caring for children. This past week I had the pleasure of visiting 4 little towns surrounding Darkhan where we support kindergartens for children who otherwise would not be able to pay to attend. We provide money to help support the teachers and feed the kids healthy meals. My sweet friend Norjin is our staff in charge of this ministry, and I got to accompany her as she made her rounds to the towns of Baruun Buren, Sant, Orkhon and Khotol. We were treated with overwhelming hospitality and gratitude, and I got to visit many of the kids in person. All of these children are from poor families, and the kindergarten meets critical needs for the family - the kids get education and nourishing food, and the parents are able to work during the day. This little group was prepared for our arrival, all decked out in Mongolian garb!

Cool kids

The weather was nice enough this week to play outside with the kids. I took the younger boys out to the field to play soccer on Wednesday. We practiced their English while walking - I've taught them a short conversation that includes 3 simple questions: "Hello, how are you?" "What's your name?" and, "How old are you?" They know most of the responses but sometimes get them mixed up or leave out words. Like, I will ask them: "How old are you?", and they might respond, "My name is ..." But I'm proud of how hard they try. They always make me laugh, too. I was standing near one of them (the one holding the ball) while he was playing soccer goalie, bored while the other boys were at the other end of the field. He just randomly started screeching like a crow for a couple of minutes. They are great entertainment.

By the way - as nice as it looks in this picture, today the snow is back on the ground in full force. I woke up this morning and thought "drats!" when I looked outside.

Where does the time go?

Hard to believe, but this is my last week in Mongolia. I'm flying home on April 2. After ten months and over 50 blog posts, my time is up. I've already started reminiscing, and I'm looking forward to sharing my experience in person with friends and family. April is going to be a busy month, preparing to go back to work in May. From the long list of things I've learned and loved here, I thought I would share my "Top 5 Favorite Things About Mongolia" (in no particular order):

• The famous hospitality of the Mongolian people. Mongolians are very friendly, and will open up their home to strangers, treating them like friends. I've lost count of how many gers I've visited, enjoying the unique company and foods served.
• The also-famous Mongolian sky. It feels like the sky is just bigger in Mongolia....you may laugh at that, but I've never seen better stars anywhere, and despite the cold winter, many days are sunny and blue. One night recently I saw Orion, absolutely clearly. I had never seen Orion before. It was amazing. Last summer I liked to lay outside on my back in the country and watch shooting stars, too many to even count.
• Traditional Mongolian music. Singing is in Mongolians' blood. Everyone sings. I love the traditional throat-singing, and listening to the traditional instruments like the horse-head guitar. Hip-hop is popular here too, but I just can't get into a Mongolian version of Snoop Dogg.
• The unspoiled vastness of the country. The size of the country (BIG) versus the population (small) makes Mongolia one of the greatest "wide open spaces" on the planet. It's no surprise that it's becoming a tourist hot-spot, especially for those who want to get far away and breathe some really fresh air for a little while. Fascinating fact: many dinosaur bones and dinosaur eggs have been dug up in Mongolia, and there's probably more to be found.
• It's American-friendly. I've traveled to over 15 countries, and in most of them I've met people with a chip on their shoulder toward Americans (valid or not). Not once have I ever heard a Mongolian hassle me about America.

Now, before you get excited, this is not my last blog post. I'm sure I'll have a few more things to share over the next week, and possibly shortly after my return. Stay tuned!

Special visit

Today was a great day. I visited one of the housemothers at her home after we finished bible study this morning. Her name is Lhagva, and she's been a widow for 8 years. Her husband died at the age of 40, and although she's quite resilient, she misses him. I've gotten to know Lhagva well over the last 10 months, and I wasn't going to leave Mongolia without going to her home. She surprised me when I found out that she lives in a ger, rather than an apartment. She does so by choice, and it's a very nice ger by Mongolian standards. She made us a nice meal of khuushuur, which are fried meat pies typically made for special occasions.

I got to look through her old photo albums, fascinated by the old black and white photos of her parents and deceased husband, most of them during Communist times. She has the best stories of her childhood, and we really enjoyed each others' company. Before I left, she blessed me with a couple of very special gifts. One is a wooden box made by her father (now deceased) from trees in her hometown. The other is a 1911 Mongolian/Manchu silver dollar that her father also gave her. It was hard for me to accept such a treasure from her, but she wanted to thank me for spending time with her and the staff over the last year. She told me that "many things have changed in her life" since I've been here. Primarily, God has become very real to her. I'm amazed and speechless at God's grace and thankful to know such a cool lady!

Say thanks to your local garbage man

This is a typical sight in my stairwell. One thing I have grown to appreciate while living in Mongolia is the American sanitation system. Don't take your local garbage men for granted! The Mongolian system is much less sanitary, and I've learned to live with trash on the ground everywhere, including lots of animal bones. There is a group that very much likes the Mongolian system, and in fact survives on it - packs of stray dogs. The free range cattle also feed off the trash laying around. Nice.

Die, Winter, Die!

I can't believe it, but today it got up to almost 60 degrees. A week ago, it was still in the 20s and 30s, and there was snow on the ground. In a matter of days, all the snow has melted and it looks brown outside again. Of course, there's a lot of slush and mud on the ground, too. It's almost too fast to believe - after months of bitter white cold, it's unreal how fast it disappears. As if to mock my winter weather misery, overnight it's warm and sunny, saying "what were you so upset about?"

I realize it won't last. We'll still get some snow and cold temperatures, but I'm glad most of winter is over. Any new snow probably won't stick for long. I've switched to a lighter coat, and hung up my big heavy sheepskin for a while. The days are longer, kids are playing outside, and I can open up my windows again. It's such a relief.

Incredibly, I've only got a few weeks left here. I'm hoping the weather stays nice most of my remaining time. Die, Old Man Winter!!

Siblings

This is Shurenchimeg, 15, and her brother Bayrtsogt, 13. They came to live with us in 2000, after their father abandoned them in UB. Their parents got divorced, and these two went with their father. Unfortunately, he was homeless, and after wandering a while, he finally left them in UB to be picked up by the police. I'm glad to say they found their way to us. Each of them are very talented and smart kids. They both distinguish themselves as excellent English students. And last night, I taught Shurenchimeg and the other girls in her age group how to dance the Texas two-step. We had so much fun dancing around their little apartment listening to country music!