Well poo (sorry I had to, given the name of this post). Anyway, I apologize for failing to get this other, second half of mongolia up on here).
Thanks for being understanding!
When on the world race in Mongolia, you may..
Go to a dump where you hand out tea and cookies to the workers, and climb over all sorts of things in an effort to love these people well. Smiles, laughter and joy abounded in these people in spite of their circumstances.
Play soccer with dried cow patties delineating the goals!
Hold a poof ball of a puppy as much as I can for as long as I can while staying at his house a few nights!
Learn that the church that is our contact, The Church of All Nations, is in a place known as “darkness” in Mongolian. Why? It was one of the last neighborhoods in UB to get electricity, and as a result was a very dangerous part of town, characterized by drug deals and gang violence, and for reasons such as this it was chosen as an ideal place to plant a church. The early Christians there, including the current pastor, were regularly punched and harassed by neighborhood thugs, but they endured for the sake of the Gospel. And today, this church is bringing light to the neighborhood, and though it is one of the poorest churches in UB, they are doing great things for the Kingdom. It’s led by a family that is right around my age, 31 and 33, and they have been pastoring the church for the past 6 years. Financially, things are hard for the church but they don’t let it stop them from continuing to minister and love on other Mongolians.
Get to teach your precious host family how to cook broccoli!
Can’t read, write, or barely communicate in the language. The language of charades is of utmost importance!
Get prayed over by your precious host mom… we have several Mongolian mommas!
Eat REAL bacon for the first time since leaving the USA in September! We were told it was in the fridge, but knowing the word “bacon” usually doesn’t denote American bacon here in Asia, we didn’t get too excited, until Tera found it! Lets just say we had a dance party in the kitchen, and savored every bite. But Muuggi…. thought it was disgusting! You should have seen her face! It was a classic look of disgust. Perhaps how I reacted to simply the look of the blood sausage that first night on the farm?! No, my face was probably a lot worse.
Freedom reigns in this place. I was delivered from my fears of not being wanted, not being enough, as I forgave the people in my past who unintentionally spoke “death” over me.
Swoon over Mongolian Kazakh textiles at a Christian fair trade shop. I kinda wanted to move in and take over?!? Can’t wait to see what I can do with the ones I got!
Take a break from shopping and treat ourselves to Cinnabon with our precious Mongolian friends!
Take a selfie in Chinggis Khan square!
Climb to the top of the largest seated rider statue in the world, and the doors might open up between Chinggis Khan’s (pronounced Chingis Haan here in Mongolia vs. Genghis Khan in English) legs! I later learned they designed it liked this on purpose, because all Mongolians are believed to be the ancestors of the great Chinggis!
Marvel over the beautiful lines and stories that must come with the lines in the faces of the elderly here in Mongolia. Some of these “elderly” might be around 60, and therefore younger than my parents!
Daily be dismayed at the fact that it’s still bright out at 9:30 at night, with sunrise around 5 AM!
Have a desire to steal every Mongolian baby you see… you don’t get more beautiful babies than here! They’re chunky in all the right places, especially those cheeks!
Experience three seasons in one month…. snow and winter temps, spring temps, and flat out summer temps! From the 20s to 80s!
Do archery for the first time since high school— and with a Mongolian style bow and target as a goat skin!
Climb up and repel down cliffs! With a shaky start, I was a pro by round 2! Love that my first experience jumping cliffs was here in Mongolia!
Drink water right out of a river, with no hands, because Sato, our 5 year old friend, made it look so cool!
Stay up late talking to our house mom, Nara, and her precious daughter, Muuggi! I look forward to hearing how Muuggi gets to the US and I have an excuse to visit Louisville and see her!
Experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost Sunday… worship was epic and church ended with this precious, ALIVE, and Holy Spirit-seeking church body praying over us!
Julia praying over me at church and speaking out about how I can bring Kingdom to the communities I am in!
Learning through trial and error the best way to swing a pickax and break up the ground to remove rocks from the rock-littered ground!
Create a website for the first time in an effort to give this beautiful church family an opportunity at long term funding in the future! Check it out y’all (www.canmongolia.org) and don’t be surprised if you hear me encouraging you to consider supporting these guys financially! These people seek the Lord in all their decisions, and I have a ridiculous amount of respect for how they run their church!
See love walked out like never before through our hosts, who gave us the first opportunity at a home stay with church members, take us rock climbing, give us an experience in the countryside, shovel poo alongside us, teach us how to make tea and cookies, have our host family refuse to let us pay for food or even lift a finger on dishes while staying at their house, who gave up their beds and their bedrooms, so that we might have a comfortable and enjoyable experience!
Cry, hug, say goodbye, and hug some more in the airport for at least 30 minutes on the morning you leave for Beijing!
