Birthday and Baptism and Preparations for Tsagaan Tsar

January 25, 2014

This again has been quite a slow week.  Everyone in Mongolia is getting ready for their big celebration of  Tsagaan Tsar which will happen at the end of next week.  Tsagaan Tsar is one of their two big holidays and a lot of cleaning and preparation is done for this big family event.  I will talk more about Tsagaan Tsar next week as we have an opportunity to experience and learn more about it.

All of the stores  and outside of the stores are busy with people purchasing the items that they need so that they can be perfect hosts for this wonderful holiday.

These pictures were taken behind the hotel across the street from us.  The tradition is to cook a whole sheep for the celebration.  They leave it on the table during the celebration, ready to serve the guests that come to visit. The celebration usually lasts 3 days or more days.

 There were trucks and trucks filled with sheep carcasses and their hides.

It is cold enough that all of the carcasses are frozen though.

You still did not see me buying one however. I don't know how they cook a whole sheep.

It is too cold to do a pit barbeque, most apartments have small ovens and most gers just have a small coal stove. 

 Should be interesting to find out how they do it.

 Boys will be boys.  These gentlemen are having a friendly wrestling match while waiting for customers.

 We had another baptism in the Sukhbaatar Branch on Friday, January 24, 2014

This is Tuvshinjargal.  He was baptized by Elder Faber. Elder Palmer and Tuvshinjargal's daughter are also in the picture.  

His daughter was baptized earlier this summer.  

Tuvshinjargal was brought into the church through the loving example of his sister and his daughter.

We pray he will stay strong in the gospel and be a great priesthood holder in his family.

These two fine looking young men are the elders from the Chingeltei Branch, Elder Stanley and Elder Higgs.

We had them over for dinner this week.  We have been so impressed with how hard they work and how well they teach with the spirit.  

One of our recent highlights in the mission was to sit in on a lesson they taught to "Grandma" in the Chingeltei Branch.  

The spirit was so strong and we could feel  it and "Grandma" good feel it testifying of the truths that were being taught.

 We were pleasantly surprised with a visit from the Director and Manager of the Life Skills Center.

They presented us with Deels made by the instructors and students of this Center using the sewing machines donated by DIC. 

We were amazed at their generosity.

  Now comes the hard part of trying to find a suitable gift to give them.

  Our translator said that she has not had experience with this (she comes from a humble background),

 but we need to think of something quick because he has invited us to his home for Tsagaan Tsar. 

 Us and Muugii.  She is so sweet!

 Enjoying cake in office for my 60th birthday.  It was fun to share a few moment with the other senior missionaries. 

 I am wearing the vest given to me by Elder Nay and Muugii.

 Sister Benson, the Farmers, Ulziika, Elder Gardner, Elder England, Sister Gardner

This is Mary Ann Benson. She somehow found our scissors and was happily cutting paper. Hopefully that was all she cut.

Have a great week!

Scripture of the week: Alma 13:28 

But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, 

that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, 

becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering;

 29 Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; 

having the love of God always in your hearts, 

that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.

Another Week, January 13-January 17 2014

This week was relatively warm in Mongolia.  It has been a mild winter so far and we have been grateful.  We are grateful when the Sun shines.  It's warmth makes a lot of difference even though it may be -13 F it still feels warm with the glow of the Sun on on your face!

This week started out with a visit to another kindergarten in the Bayanzurkh District.  This is a government run kindergarten and is for children ages 1 1/2 to 3 years of age who are having problems with nutrition.   These children have to be referred here by a doctor and they attend this kindergarten for 1 year. (From September thru June)  Some of these little children stay Monday thru Friday, and are picked up by their parents Friday evening.  The rest of these little ones are here during the day.  They focus on the children's nutrition also exercise and development.  This kindergarten requested help for their kitchen.  This kindergarten has been around for 50 years and some of their equipment needs to be replaced to bring it up to government standards.  They were asking for a new stove, and pots,pans and 2 small refrigerators.  (They have to store samples of the food that was served for government inspection)

The facility was very clean and the children were adorable.  They explained to us that some of the children could not even walk when they started here, but now all were looking really good to us.  They also provide classes for the parents, to teach them about nutrition and how to fix nutritious, simple inexpensive meals.

I don't think I could leave my little toddler for a week at a time.  Anyway the children were cute.  They were all kind of starving for attention.  We came in and they would come up to us to show us their shirt, or the toy they were holding or whatever.

Here are 2 sets of twins. (So cute and the best of friends)

  In almost every class there are at least one set of twins. 

 I thought this was very interesting.

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The kitchen was clean and sparse. I could not imagine doing 

dishes in the sink that they had.  But they did a great job with what they had

The end of the week we traveled 370 K to Erdenet.  

It was a long trip. It took us about six hour to get there.

Deseret International Charities donated a laptop computer,

projector and a screen to a Local Clinic for the health care classes

that they teach.  They were grateful and very appreciative.

Elder and Sister Groesbeck are serving in Erdenet and

we are so grateful for their help.  

We still have some kinks to work out in the project and

we are grateful for all of the help the Groesbecks are giving us to help resolve these problems. 

 We left before the sun was up and 

arrived back home way after the sun had gone down

 The full moon was still up and beautiful.  

The scenery was great!

Goats grazing on the road to Erdenet.

 This is the local Khorro Governor.  She is a member of the church

and helped to initiate this project

 Setting up the projector

 The screen with a presentation on it and Elder and Sister Groesbeck.

 Hanging the DIC banner

 Elder Nay, Erdenet Branch President, Khorro Governor and the Director of the Clinic

at the turnover ceremony.

 Elder Nay being interviewed by the local Media with Muugii translating

 We are on our way home and the cows are going home also. Notice the blankets on their backs.

It's cold here for cattle and humans.

Scripture of the week

John8:12Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Birthday and Wheelchairs

This week was Elder Nay's birthday.

We celebrated with Cake and Ice Cream even though it was -32 F outside.

The cold proved useful however in keeping the ice cream frozen while at the office.

We just opened the office window and put the ice cream out on the window ledge.

It definitely stayed frozen!

 Elder Nay received a very special gift from Muugii and her father.  

It was one of his original paintings.

It was a beautiful picture of the magnificent Mongolian Horses.

It will be something that we always will treasure!

 Elder Nay in Office with Elder and Sister Farmer

 Enjoying cake and Ice Cream

 Sister Farmer, Elder Farmer, Sister England and Sister Stewart

wishing Elder Nay a Happy Birthday!

 

Sister England, Sister Stewart, Ulziika, Muugii

 

Sister Gardner, Sister England

Some Wheelchair Recipients

As part of our calling we are to randomly call on wheelchair recipients 

and see if they really received a wheelchair and how and if the wheelchair is meeting their needs.

This is a 79 year old man that we visited this week while we were checking

on wheelchair recipients.  He was just walking outside of his Ger and broke his femur

right below his hip which required surgery and lots of pins. 

Then he broke this same leg again.  

It was determined that he will not walk again. 

He and his wife were so grateful to receive this wheelchair from

Deseret International Charities.

His wife has to do all of the work around the Ger now, and having

a wheelchair enables her to be able to take her husband out of the Ger.

 This 10 year old boy was born with a paralyzed left hand and right leg.
He however was walking until he was in an accident and broke his good left leg.
The mother really needed to have a wheelchair so she could take care of her son because
he was just to big for her to lift and carry around.
Both she and  her son are grateful for the wheelchair.
They live in a 1 room apartment  (There are 5 members in their family)
on the 10th floor of an apartment building.
There is an elevator, but on entering the building you need to go up a
 flight of stairs to get to the elevator.
Both this young man and his mother look forward to him
being able to walk again. Hopefully that will happen for him.

This 30 year old young woman was born with "weak legs". 

She has no strength at all in her legs.  Her family saved and bought her a walker.

She tried to demonstrate  how she walked with it.
She had to use her arms to pull herself up and
 literally hung on to the walker and tried to drag her feet. 

Both she and her family are so grateful for the wheelchair now.

She waited for two years to receive this, her first wheelchair.

Before, the only way she really could get around was to be carried by her family.
She now has a two year old son who also is exhibiting
the same symptoms as his mother with weak legs.
She lives with her mother and other family members who can help her out.

 

This is where the 30 year old young women lives with her family.  

It was the first two room Ger we had ever been in.  

It was very creative to connect the two

Gers together so they could be assessed from the inside. 

(It may look warm in this picture by what this mother is wearing

 but it really was -20F outside.  The inside of the Gers are quite warm, the outside is cold! 

You can also tell that we don't have much snow right now )

I would like to share the Youth Theme for 2014

Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him,

 and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32).

I encourage you to watch the video at this link

 https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

A New Year Celebration

December 31 was kind of slow day at the office,

 our translator had taken the day off and there was not much to do

because all the rest of Mongolia was getting ready to 

celebrate the beginning of a promising New Year.

The stores were packed. 

This is the bread aisle in the local Sakh where we usually by our bread.

As you can see, there was not much bread to be found put plenty of cake and alcohol

Mongolians like to party!

We went for a walk because it had warmed up to a Balmy 7 F. !

It was the warmest day we had in weeks and the smoke was not bad either!

This is who we saw on our walk.
(Those are real reindeer, they are native here in Mongolia)

I guess he hangs out in Mongolia after the Christmas rush.

On New Year's Eve, Elder and Sister Gardner invited us to a social at the hotel room they had rented.

They will be leaving in March and have already served several other missions. 

In each mission, they try to stay in a nice hotel room before they leave. 

They decided it would be memorable to stay in the Sky Hotel, 

which over looks Sukhbaatar Square for New Year's Eve.

We are grateful for their generosity in inviting the other Senior Couples 

to enjoy the view and good company in welcoming in the New Year.

(It was a beautiful clear night, amazing!)

Such party animals!

 Practicing the macarana for the Single Adults New Year's  Day Ball

Sister Wood and Sister Stewart definitely have the hip swing down!

A wild game of scrabble.

 We decided to head down to Sukhbaatar square and to experience the excitement of the crowds.

The weather was great, clear and warm (for Mongolia). 

There was a lot of friendly people and a lot of cute children

 riding on the shoulders of loved ones

Wednesday January 1, 2014
It was a warm (22 F), CLEAR DAY, A promising start for the new year

Families were out walking and playing on this gorgeous first day of the year

A cutie going for a walk with her family.

We wish everyone a wonderful new year. May you experience the hope that faith in our Savior Jesus Christ brings.  Hope for a better world. Hope to be with our families forever, Hope that brings joy in knowing that we can be forgiven of our sins if we repent and use the gift of our Saviors atonement.

3 Nephi 15:3 And he said unto them: Marvel not that I said unto you that old things had passed away, and that all things had become new.

9 Behold, I am the law, and the light. Look unto me, and endure to the end, and ye shall live; for unto him that endureth to the end will I give eternal life.

 10 Behold, I have given unto you the commandments; therefore keep my commandments. And this is the law and the prophets, for they truly testified of me.