What a Week

We had a pretty wild week here in Ulan Bator.  This Wednesday was Mongolian Independence day so we had school off.  In America there is no doubt that the 4th of July is a special day; there are fireworks, parties, and a whole lot more.  In Mongolia it seemed almost just like any other day, except their was no school.  Thursday was Thanksgiving but had our Thanksgiving get-together on Friday.  Unfortunately there was no turkey but we certainly didn't lack for food.  I don't how many people came but the Patterson's flat was packed.  After dinner, people sat around and talked or played games while the little ones ran around together.  I have never played Pit before but there was a group of people whooping and hollering it up, having such a great time.  All in all it was a pretty great time.

John

Uno and the News Crew

Friday was a great day of school.  That morning our teacher told us a news crew was going to be coming and doing some filming.  She tried to explain it but even then we weren't entirely sure what was going on.  Then we started class and the first order of business was playing Uno.  The teacher had brought and old, dirty, worn out deck of Uno cards.  We moved two tables together and gathered all our chairs around.  Just then Kevin pulled out a brand new deck of Uno cards out of his backpack.  His aunt had sent them and you never know when you're going to need a deck of Uno cards.  After Uno, we moved on to some other things until right at breaktime the news crew showed up.  A bunch of other students came to our class and another german student became our teacher.  American textbooks were passed all around and everyone crowded around the available tables.  Finally it got started.  What got started, I don't know; I don't think anyone knew.  Half of the ensuing filming session was in English while the other half was in Mongolian.  No one really knew what was supposed to be happening.  Moving on to other parts of the school, the film crew and students began to disperse.  Then I was called to help another fellow carry some of the textbooks out.  I didn't realize until we were halfway down the hallway that we were actually filming the staged conversation between me and this actor.  Trying a second time, we went back into the classroom.  We exited making small talk and continued down the hallway toward the camera.  We were to walk toward the camera then turn into another hallway right before the camera.  As we walked the actor ran out of things to say, but that didn't stop him from saying something.  I could still here him but what he was saying was not words at all.  The last bit of our conversation was entirely gibberish.

John

First Sunday

We had our first meeting in our new rooms today.  We had a few fewer attending than what might be considered normal, but it wasn't bad.  The new rooms were nice and there was plenty of room for everyone.  During the children's class, as they sang in the other room, the sound barely carried through to the main room.  This week we have a few more things to work on but nothing quite as much as last week.  This week may have no more free time in store for us but more of our busy time will fun related instead of work.

John

Paint and Chairs

The progress on the building as finally come to a place where we are ready to use it.  And just in time.  On Thursday we painted but we knew it was going to need about a thousand coats to get evenly covered.  We waited for it to dry and went back that evening to re-coat.  The next morning, while Kevin and I were at school, Ganpurev and Mr. Dean went back and applied the final coat.  Then yesterday after school we started moving all our furniture from the old building to the new.  A few of the items, such as the ping-pong table and a few metal storage shelves,  were too big to fit into either of the vehicles that we had at our disposal.  These items had to be carried by hand over to the new building.  It wasn't a particular abnormal sight over here, but it would have never been done in America.  When it was all ready we set up as many chairs as we could in the new meeting room.

John

Accomplishments

Wow, things are really coming together at the new building.  And they're going to have to since we told everyone that we are having church there next Sunday.  With all the walls finished yesterday we started to mud and tape the seams.  Kevin and I have never attempted such work before.  I was a little hesitant at first, not knowing what I was doing, but Kevin just jumped right in.  It really seamed (:D) like a daunting task at first but it wasn't as bad as either of us thought.  We finished with that all today and are getting ready to sand and paint tomorrow and the next day (until it's done).  Working with Ganpurev has really been good for both of our Mongolian, it's such excellent practice.  Even though he doesn't speak any English, he has really helped us learn new words and use the grammar we've learned correctly.  He also speaks very clear Mongolian, not the super speedy slurred stuff the rest of the country uses.  I continually find myself repeating that God is good; it's a good thing not to forget.

John

Taking Down a Ger

Friday night we had a game night at Mr. Elliot's house.  There were six guys there so played the most packed game of Warrior Knights that I have ever played.  There were guys everywhere.  Kevin and I got tangled up a bit in the beginning and then had a hard time keeping Mr. Dean and brother Roland from taking off with the game.  In the end brother Roland came out with a pretty good lead, winning the game.  We were up until about 11:30 playing the game and Kevin and I didn't get back to our apartment and to bed until midnight.  That would have been no problem since we can normally sleep in Saturday morning.  However, this particular Saturday we weren't going to get a chance to sleep in because we were being recruited to help Ganpurev take down a ger.  Ganpurev's nephew lived in a ger on his property but was moving out to an entirely different section of town for work.  A light dusting of feathery, flaky snow had fallen in the night and the day was a particularly cold one.  Mr. Dean told us that he would pick us up at 8:45 and give us a ride out to Ganpurev's.  At 8:40 I poured my breakfast.  Before I sat down to eat it, there was a knock at the door.  I inhaled my food to say the least.  Finally we got to Ganpurev's and got started taking the ger down.  Kevin and I realized then that we weren't exactly sure what we could do to help.  We started by taking all the layers of felt off off the frame.  Then we started to take all the roof spars off and untie all the ropes wrapped around the frame.  It was all an interesting process but I felt like I wasn't being that much of a help sometimes.  Finally, after moving all the furniture out, we began to take up the floor.  It was while we were prying up the floor that my back started to hurt.  (No worries though, it feels much better already.)  The floor was loaded into the truck first so after that was put in we started putting all the rest of the stuff in too.  At that point Kevin and just mostly watched as the rest of the Mongolians worked stacking and cramming furniture into all the crevices and cracks.  Ultimately they got the truck stacked up way higher than I ever would and it was time to go.  However, in the ger districts all the roads are just dirt and many are rutted badly.  On top of that, Ganpurev lives on a hill, and it had snowed that morning.  Always the ingenious ones, the Mongolians tied ropes to the side of the truck and as they drove down the hill they had the rest of the guys hold onto the ropes to keep it from tipping over.  It certainly was an interesting experience.  When the rest of the workers had left to take the ger to the new site, Kevin and I waited to be picked up.  While waited we threw snowballs at Bilgoon and  then went inside and had buuz and hot chocolate as we played card games with Bilgoon.  I showed him how to do 'the bridge' with a deck of cards and Kevin showed him how to cut a deck with one hand.  Practicing those tricks kept him busy for a while and provided free entertainment for Kevin and myself.

John

Not Like I'm Used To

As I posted a few days ago we have finally acquired a new place for the church to meet and this week we are trying to hit it hard building walls.  Things certainly are done differently here than what I'm used to.  At home I built walls with a stud every sixteen inches, here we put a stud every four feet.....ish.  The first day we actually got no work done because we were waiting for tools.  Yesterday we got started late because we were waiting for tools.  Today we started late because we were waiting for tools.  Just like my Grandpa used to say: No job can get started until every tool needed for the job has been taken to the job site.

We still go to school every morning; we're not skipping because we're not in that much of a hurry to get into the new building.  After school we head back to the Dean's for lunch then meet Ganpurev at the site and get to work.

I just realized tomorrow is Friday.  I love Friday.

John

Time is Short

I just ate lunch.  I'm going to have to run and help Ganpurev soon.  My battery is dying.  My time is short.  That looks like the way that this week is going.  School is going well.  It's really cold.  For all our work yesterday we got one wall up.  This isn't a terribly quick process.

John

The Road Ahead

We have been praying for many weeks for a new place to meet for church.  Today Mr. Dean signed a contract for a new room to meet it.  The new room is almost exactly twice as big as the place where we are currently meeting.  We are all so excited.  This week Ganpurev, Kevin, and myself will be doing our best to get new walls built.  Right now it is one open space and we really need at least three separate rooms.  Kevin and I helped Ganpurev unload a truck full of lumber and building material into the new room.  After school for the next few days that will be taking up a good bit of our time.  We are really hoping that Roland Gay will be able to have his last Sunday here in that room.  God is good (Lamentations 3:25).

John

Those Frustrations

There are some things here that are just so inconstant. No hot water one day-no cold the next and internet availability are just a few of those little frustrations.

Yesterday Mr. Patterson, Mr. Dean, and Roland Gay had planned at Bible translating session for all day yesterday. Kevin and I were invited to join them after school. Brother Roland's guest apartment is on the 15th floor of an apartment building. The view from his East and South facing windows is just amazing. It was so surreal to watch a light flurry of snow drift down past the windows from a thin veil of clouds inhabiting the firmament above. I was so excited to be able to join the missionaries for the Bible translation. I have never seen how it's done before and it really gave me a good idea of the way that things are done. Here's a little fact to help you understand how slow of a process it is. Those three men and Ganpurev worked together for eight hours, straight through lunch, and they didn't even translate the whole first chapter of the book of John, a chapter they have all already done a considerable amount of work on. That is amazing.

John

Grind

Yesterday I strangely contracted the standard 12 hour sickness that seems so common for me.  During church I didn't feel well, I was a little nauseated and my head was beginning to hurt.  After church there was a church meeting but I left that early since I wasn't feeling well.  I went back to our apartment and I felt cold and tired.  Finally, I just decided to rest and see if I would feel better for that evening.  Well, I wasn't better, I rested throughout the afternoon and evening.  At around 11:30 I finally started feeling better.  I took off my socks and sweatshirt and kicked off my coat that I had used as a blanket.  For the rest of the night I had trouble sleeping for longer than an hour straight.  Because of that I was really tired in class today and I'm still a little sore.

John

Oh, By the Way

It's November.

Basketball

On Fridays teachers and students from our school get together and play basketball at the gym right next to the building where our school is located.  This week the teachers invited Mr. Dean to come and play with them; the invitation was also extended to us.  I'm not a huge basketball fan but I decided to go along with Kevin and Mr. Dean.  There were more than ten people there so we put together three teams and rotated.  After two played the loser would come out and the next one would go in.  I rotated in about three times but after a while I decided I was going to sit out.  I felt more like a handicap to my team than a help.  I guess I just don't think in terms of basketball.  We all had a good time anyway.  Last night we watched a downloaded football game.  That was so much more my to my liking.

John