Mongolia started off with a bang. Nearly literally as I caught some weird stomach bug in Botswana and tried to launch myself to the airplane toilet as we were taxiing into our gate. After three airline stewards urged me to sit down as to not cause a scene, we came to a stop in the capitol city of UlaanBataar. In travel capris, flip flops, and a T-shirt I waltzed out of the airport and into below freezing weather.
With the sweetest of greetings, including music, loud cheers, and a colorful sign we were escorted by our hosts to our living space for the month. 22 of us piled onto the floor of a church and set up camp after a lovely snack of tea, biscuits, and what can only be described as a meat log.
The city is fascinating. Cars were only introduced in the last decade and drivers are not afraid to create their own lanes. Also, everyone is a taxi. Literally, everyone. You stick out your hand and about 30 seconds later you will have a stranger in a car pull up. You then hop into their back seat and they take you to your destination for 2,000 bucks….which is the equivalent of a single US dollar (yeah, that exchange is fun).
The culture is a very open and friendly one and we have been able to participate and engage in a variety of ways so far. We have been preaching in a small house church, teaching English and games in an elementary, helping museum tour guides practice their English, facilitating open mic nights, and making friends in a local coffee shop run by the raddest missionary couple you ever met.
On the side, I’ve officially joined a Mongolian fight club so that I can earn back some toughness points- most of which I lost when I couldn’t handle the freezing ice falling from the sky and piling up under my feet in a very non-magical way.
In a couple of days, we will head to the countryside to hop on furry camels and horses. In the next couple of weeks, we will be doing varied things in various places and basically trying not to freeze to death. Although home is frequently on the brain (with only two months left!), there is still much to be seen, done, and experienced in this region. Please pray for us as we focus on the tasks at hand, while also preparing to transition back to normal American human-hood (where you don’t have to traipse through snow to an outhouse for your morning constitutional) in June. Please also pray for health- I’ve been struggling with what we’ll just call “stomach issues” for a couple of weeks now and would love for those to cease before heading to China next month.
Thanks for all of the love and support guys! We’re on the home stretch!
Love,
