These last 10 days have been SUPER BUSY.
We have had a self reliant specialist visiting from Salt Lake City, Elder Squires. He came to Mongolia to evaluate past garden projects that DIC has sponsored and to also teach the Districts, Stake, Ward and Branch counsels about using the Lord's Storehouse to help the poor and the needy in their branches.
In the past, DIC has come up with the food projects, (garden supplies, seeds, water jugs, pumps, greenhouses, tools, and small animals) and the DIC couple has managed it. Elder Squires tried to teach these priesthood brethren and sisters of the branch councils that they need to see to the needs of their members that are poor and needy, and come up with a solution that they can manage. They first use the Lord's Storehouse that is in the branch. The Lord's storehouse consists of the resources that are in that branch which may include their own members, their knowledge, maybe someone has extra seed they can share etc. If they do not have enough in their own Lord's storehouse to do a project for the poor and needy then they can call on the church's Lord's storehouse. That means they can come to DIC with their ideas, and how they are going to manage their project, then DIC will help write up the project and submit it for approval. DIC does not manage it, the local leaders do. We do not come up with an idea, the local leaders do. The project is not for everyone in the branch, just the poor and needy that the Branch President has identified.
Poor and Needy is someone who is not meeting the basic needs of survival for their family. (This project is for food) Elder Squires knows that they will need some help, so he is willing to come back and help guide them through the process. It still will still be their project run by the local priesthood.
We held training's and evaluations of gardens in Murun, Baganur, Nalaikh, Darkhan and of course Ulaanbaatar. There were many in attendance and they seemed to understand what was being taught. It will be up to them if they want to use this tool in their branches and wards.
It was a lot of travel and a lot of 12 - 16 hour days.
I felt bad for our translator, But we could not do it without her. Muugii is Great!
Here are some of the pictures of where we went.
We first flew to Murun, It is a 1 1/2 hour flight or a 3 day drive.
I was glad we flew, even though we had to stay 2 nights because of flight schedules.
While in Murun we went north to one of the largest lakes in Mongolia, Khuvsgul Lake
It was beautiful, all of the leaves are turning yellow,
including the Larch tree which is a pine tree.
Elder Nay getting a picture of one of the local yak herds and herder.
I love the solar panel and satellite dish on this ger which was out in the middle of nowhere.
All of the gardens have basically been harvested.
This was some cabbage that was growing in Murun.
Mongolians are so generous.
If you come to their home, they always want to feed you and share what they have
even when they do not have much.
We love these people!
The Murun Branch had a harvest festival while we were there.
Everyone brought something that they had harvested or preserved.
They make wonderful pickles and canned carrot salad, beet salad, cabbage salad.
It was very impressive.
We then flew back to UB and then drove 2 hours to Baganuur.
These people were also very humble, and willing to do whatever the Lord may ask of them.
On the way back from Baganur we stopped at the Chinggis Statue to take a few pictures
We then went to Nalaikh and did a training there.
Unfortunately, no pictures turned out for Nalaikh.
They are still great obedient people.
We also visited and did training in Ulaanbaatar.
Here are a few pictures.
Chinbaatar is a great gardener and has been a resource and trainer
for his branch,
Ukraine Nara also is a wonderful gardener and always willing to share
her knowledge and resources with others.
All of these gardens were done on their own this year with no help from DIC
We call the wonderful lady the Goose lady. She started last year with the help of DIC and has been able to keep both her chicken and geese flock growing.
She has earned enough money to help buy her children clothing for school.
We then traveled to Darkhan to do training and see projects there as well.
Sister Fredley serves in Darkhan with her husband.
They are very loving and serve with all of their heart there in that wonderful city.
This was one of the families we visited. The father was not home.
His wife has left him, the two 5 year olds were home alone while
the father was at work. They were behind a locked fence. You can see the garden
in the background. We asked if they had had something to eat, they said yes, but we gave them
our travel treats over the fence anyway, They were happy to have it.
The second day in Darkhan, we woke up to snow, wind and cold
But we continued on with the tour.
This lady's garden was awesome!
She does not have a husband but still manages to plant and harvest
a wonderful garden.
This is her rainwater collection to use in her garden.
This is her stack garden. She had cucumbers growing out of the side
of this 55 gallon drum. Very impressive
She had underground storage under her kitchen floor.
She had shelves built into the sides and then a pit to store her vegetables.
It was great to see how the past training has helped these saints and that they are using their training to keep gardening to provide for some of their needs.
Some of them have become experts and are helping their family and branch members.
It has been a good week.
Scripture for the week: Galatians 6:7 ... for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap...And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
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