North Pacific Conference Women Ministries

2008 July 14 - Sedore/Mongolia Update

One month in Mongolia and we are "on a very steep learning curve."  Things we have learned: 

1. Never assume that you will have electricity, hot water or water at all.  We now keep several recycled bottles of water on hand at all times.  Each morning we wake us to see if we have water for a shower and breakfast.
   
   But, the Lord is faithful.  If the power is out, you got to bed early.  If the water is off, think of the time you save by not showering.  If there is no hot water but you have electricity, our new apartment has a little auxiliary water heater that creates plenty of hot water for our needs.
   
2. Try to see people thru Jesus' eyes.  Nomcpauxab is a 70+ year old grandma who lives in our apartment building.  She is about 5 feet tall and wears a worn del (traditional Mongolian robe/dress/coat).  She's missing some teeth but she has twinkling blue eyes.  From the moment she met Liz, she took her hand and wanted to know all about us.
   
3. Learning a new language is a mystery.  Sometimes the short, simple words get lost in my mind while the long tongue-twisters stick.  Some examples of words I forget:
    English:                         Mongolian:
   3 + 4                            gurov + dorov (I often get these reversed)
   husband + dog              nokhor + nokhoi (When I get these reversed I introduce                                                                                       myself as Liz�s dog.)
   The following are easy for me to remember:
   English:                         Mongolian:
   Water boiler                 osbutsalgakh (Every Mongolian family has one.)
   Purple                          cheerkneelingyagong (Think of purple cheerleaders kneeling on "ya"gong?)
   Good morning              Saahinsahammersnow (Say it fast and no one notices if you messed up.)

   Thank you for your prayers:

   • We are in our own apartment.  It is owned by an American missionary's parents and part of the agreement is that we will move out each year for 3 weeks when they come to visit.  However, it is furnished almost in US style with an auxiliary water heater, thermal-pane windows and a shower!  The kitchen is tiny but it has a fridge & full-sized oven/range.  It is located near a bus stop and overlooks the southern ger-district (traditional round felt tents) of Ulaanbaatar.
   • Mongolian language lessons are great.  We can now carry on a conversation, as long as the listener is very patient and we limit the topics to family members, common animals, colors, numbers, birth dates and some foods.  Most Mongolians have been very kind to us and we have had many memorable "conversations" with strangers.  Shepherds, kids and old women tend to be the best coaches.
   • Our family, back in the States, is doing well.  Our daughter got a new position at a closer library which will reduce her commute.  Our mothers are feeling well and we have been able to call or Skype with them a couple times.
   • We have almost avoided mutton for a month, although we attended a JCS picnic in the countryside where they baked mutton, potatoes, mutton, carrots, mutton, onions, and mutton in an old milk jug with heated rocks inside the jug.  The Mongolians thought there were too many vegetables.  We also had camel as the guests of some US missionaries.  Liz even chose to be gracious and ordered (and ate) 3 mutton dumplings (buuz) when we took a young Mongolian English teacher out to lunch.  The teacher chose the menu.

   This has been a challenging month for Mongolia.

   • National elections were on 29 June.  The Communist Party again won a majority of the legislative positions and there were accusations of voter fraud.  A crowd protested on 1 July and they burned the Communist Party national headquarters, 2 miles from our apartment.  Five people were killed, 700 people arrested and a State of Emergency was declared for 4 days.  Curfew was imposed, petroleum sales were controlled and foreigners were required to carry their passports.  The legislature met in emergency session and threatened to ban foreign media, including the Christian television station.  This proposal did not succeed but many people saw the potential to lose freedoms.
   • Eight days of measurable precipitation is rare in Ulaanbaatar.  During the end of June and the beginning of July, roads, sidewalks and waterlines have been washed out.  It is sad to see this water run into the Gobi Desert to evaporate rather than being stored for future droughts.

   Please pray for:

   1. Political progress.  This is a critical time in Mongolia and we are glad to be here.
   2. Our families back home.
   3. Language learning.
   4. The young believers and pre-believers of Mongolia.

   Look at our blog for new photos and updates:
   http://www.LJMonGO.blogspot.com

   Thank you for your prayers and support,
   Jim & Liz Sedore, Covenant Missionaries in Mongolia