Lessons in Peace

Let there be Peace on Earth. Happy Children's Day

Joy in a Baggie

         Jim and I would like to have a dog. But a dog would not please our landlord and would be too much hassle for us, living on the 5th floor in this climate. Amazingly, there are a few hobby fish stores in UB, so we got an aquarium. Yesterday, I bought 3 Glofish at a shop down the street and carried them home in a water filled baggie.        
          When I rounded the corner to the front of our building, I saw one of my neighbors, sat down beside her, and exclaimed, "I have fish." She blandly said, "Za" meaning ok. I repeated my declaration and she repeated her 'Za'. Then I pulled out the baggie and held it up to her. She has poor vision, but immediately her face lit up and her finger traced the neon orange spots as they darted around their bagged lake. "Can you see them?" I asked. "They are orange with black eyes" she answered, laughing and pointing some more.
           My friend's giggle was cute and contagious. I don't think she thought she understood me. I really did have fish. Just then Jim came around the corner and snapped some pictures.
          The 3 Danios are happily chasing each other in our tank now but they have served their purpose in life already, by bringing my elderly friend and I a few moments of ecstatic joy!

Lost Bible found!

   According to literature, all the 1856 London Bible Society copies of the Mongolian  Bible were destroyed by Communists in the 20th Century.  But in 1970, an unbelieving student at Bowdoin College - Brunswick, Maine found one when they were moving the library.  The librarian didn't want to keep it because it "wasn't old" and no one had checked it out for 50 years.  The student asked if he could keep it and the librarian said, "Sure."
   Forty-one years later this now believing-graduate presented this 155 year old Mongolian Bible to the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance at the 20th anniversary of the modern Mongolian Church.  It's probably the only copy left and perhaps the oldest surviving Mongolia Bible.

We have met the Khan

I'm guessing that besides the airport, this monument to Genghis Khan has the biggest parking lot in the country. From the traffic we saw today, it is a successfully busy Tourist attraction tho you have to hire a driver and travel an hour outside the city to find it. When you are in his neighborhood, he looms over everything. This is gigantic hunk of stainless steel.

Happy Birthday

Around UB, the tell tale sign of an upcoming celebration is a  box tied with a string. Russians brought with them the decorated tort. It has become a must-have for almost every holiday. But no one bakes at home since most families don't have ovens. Bakeries are thriving businesses here in the city. After a birthday party, the guest of honor gets to carry the leftover cake home in the sturdy box. This was Liz's privilege today after everyone at Streams helped her celebrate by throwing a lunch time party. We had pizza (catering to Liz's meatless tastes), coke, m&m-like candies, chips, and this cake. Happy 52 Liz!