Thawed

H-o-r-s-e, hopscotch, 
tag, 
soccer, sitting, swinging, climbing, 
popsicles, 
giggles, & glee. 
Mongolian children 
have broken free from the ice.

First Day

Language study was difficult and endlessly challenging. Today, I began full time ministry, leery of decision making and process. Now, I look with longing back to the simple aim of learning to communicate. I had become comfortable with the routine of walking to class, sitting in a pleasant room, chatting with my teacher turned friend. We used our daily lives as discussion topics and little by little, I could express myself clearly. Playing with beads is relaxing. Coming up with designs using local materials and unique Mongolian characteristics is an enjoyable challenge. But figuring out how to make the same design a hundred times over without making them myself is tricky. Marketing, pricing, wages, taxes, packaging is all unfamiliar territory. Thinking I'd like to go back to school where I spent the afternoons sipping tea, gazing out the window trying to recall the newest 15 letter verb. But this Monday went well . . . so, perhaps a new norm will soon become the preferred routine?

Mourning

Jim's mom Ruth passed away on April 12. We miss her a lot already. Within 24 hours of hearing the news, we were on our way back to the states. Richland, WA was her home & where we are for this time. There is so much to do when someone dies. Lawyers, CPAs, social workers, caseworkers, pastors, friends, papers, papers, papers . . . the list seems endless. Perhaps you've been there done that. I imagine it is healing tho too, to be staying in her apt among her things, surrounded by her life and friends. Jim gave a marvelous eulogy and managed to lead singing  without an impeding amount of tears. Ruth lived her life well, loved her Lord greatly and left a legacy of love. She was our number one supporter and we will miss her in more ways than we know. Liz intends to be here for 2 weeks and Jim for maybe a month. One of the major tasks is to make sure Jim's brother Dan has a support network. Quick and busy trip.

5 Month Old Triplets

We will miss our teacher and friend, Gana.

But we are excited for her as she begins a new adventure as an au pair for a family in Germany. 

Softer

Our mattress felt more like bed springs.So this weekend our landlord  supplied us with a piece of эсгий (wool). The same material is used for  the walls of a ger/yurt. Jim says instead of sleeping IN a ger,
we are sleeping ON a ger.

Spring?

Mongolians declare it is spring the week after their Tsagaan Sar holiday which was Feb. 14 this year. Last Tues, Mar. 30, we had a blizzard. Liz asked several passersby if it was still spring that day. Everyone agreed it had become winter again. It still looks like winter to us. Ice everywhere, snowing once in a while, warm gear a necessity. But we have seen mud puddles a couple of times and a few ice cycles. Birds are singing and many locals have exchanged shoes for their knee hi boots.

Functional "plumbing" repairs

When the urinal is broken what do you do? In the US, the custodian puts a sign up or tapes plastic across the urinal. In Mongolia, they just add a bucket!

Erik Gets a Dad

I, Liz, attended my first Mongolian wedding yesterday. It was special to see my little friend Erik get a new dad. Erik & I played together 3 days a week last fall until he and his mom moved to their own ger in December. The couple met at church and have formed a beautiful family. I was greeted warmly by this little boy tho we haven't seen each other for a few months. He sat on my lap while we visited. "My mom is wearing a very fancy dress. She looks so beautiful. Soon you'll get to see her . . ." He delighted in helping me take pix of her and loved zooming in on her face to relish her beauty, his mom, the bride.

40-hours of Prayer for Mongolia

"40-hours of Prayer for Mongolia" was the inspiration of Alissa Van Dam, JCS English teacher at the Mongolian Technical College. She shared her idea with other JCSers and a small group made a plan.

They wrote "prayer information sheets" about Mongolian social, spiritual and legal issues. JCS staff and volunteers translated the information into Mongolia, English and German and posted it on the JCS webpage at: http://40hours.jcsintl.org/.

Promotional information was translated into additional languages; Indonesian, Korean and Dutch. We hope that people will volunteer to translate the material into Chinese, Russian and many more languages.

Individuals, small groups, schools and churches around the world have participated in the 40-hours of Prayer for Mongolia. These prayer sheets can be used anytime; devotions, missions conferences, preparation for a mission trip, etc. We hope to make this an annual emphasis.

Let us know if you use this information and where you are from. Thanks.