Where I was: No clue! Somewhere in the foothills of Mongolia.
What I did: Lived life with the Nomadic church. This was anything from churning butter to cleaning the poop from a sheep pen, to sawing logs, to going to worship, to playing with the world’s most adorable children.
What I ate: Ok. Here we go. This is the winner. We lived with three Kazak families, and ate what they ate. So I ate sheep. All of it. Brain, tongue, kidney, liver, heart, stomach, intestines. Blood sausage (Google it. Or don’t, if you’re already queasy.) To be offered these parts of the sheep is a huge honor in the Mongolian/Kazak culture. So I said thank you and ate it. And it wasn’t bad once you get over the fact that you’re eating sheep brain. The next day we ate the meat. And it was freaking delish. The other thing we ate was barsok. Bread that’s been deep-fried in lard. That was the majority of our meals.
Where I slept: I tented behind some yurts. During the night I had to fight off hungry cows, sheep, and goats. During the day there were kids running around playing hide and go seek in between our tents.
How I got here: Took a 30-hour train ride from Beijing. We had beds and were able to sleep in comfort. I can also cross using a squatty on a moving train off my list of things to do.
How I got around: There weren’t very many places to go this month. Sometimes I’d take the 4 kilometer walk to the river to shower and do laundry. Once I went to “town” about an hour away to get food for the week. We would walk to do different church yurts.
Favorite moment of the month: One day I was sitting on top of a hill doing my quiet time. The line of the song “were the whole realm of nature mine, that were an offering far too small” came to my mind. And it really struck me as how true that was, looking around at the bright blue sky, beautiful rolling green mountains, the river in the distance. And all that is an offering that is not enough to offer to Christ for what he’s done for me.
Least favorite moment of the month: Using a nearly full squatty potty.
Closest to home I felt: Spending my birthday with good friends who celebrated me all day and made my 33rd birthday so special, especially considering I wasn’t able to talk to my family. #33years33cheers
Furthest away from home I felt: Watching a sheep get killed, skinned, de-organed, cooked, and served to me as a meal.
If you come here you should: Mongolia is a very interesting place. It’s beautiful and different and fascinating. Visit Ulaan Baatar. Come during Nadaam and watch the wrestling/archery/horse racing and strange interpretive dancing. Go to the countryside to see some of God’s most beautiful creations.
