Hong Kong

We flew to Hong Kong on Tuesday to get our visa's.  We returned back to Mongolia last Friday night--it's a 4 1/2 hour flight. We spent 3 days in Hong Kong getting our visa's so now we can stay in Mongolia. Yeah!  While in Hong Kong we enjoyed the 68 degree weather because we heard it was 30 below zero in Mongolia:)  Sure enough, when our driver/friend, Jigor, picked us up at the airport, we were sure glad he brought our big, warm coats, which we had left with him because we didn't need them in Hong Kong.  We did take our soft, fluffy down coats with us, which was good, because it was cool and rainy there. 

We are so proud of ourselves--we took the underground train, which is what they call the subway in Hong Kong--to the temple, all by ourselves!  We had to take three different trains.  One of the couple missionaries wrote down step by step directions for us because we needed to change trains so many times. The subways are stacked on top of each other so they can be three subways deep and they go across the harbor and under the ocean.  There are high rise buildings everywhere.  We saw some window washers lowering themselves over the side washing windows and then we noticed that most of the high rise building had a small crane, like the one Grandpa and Brady used to build the cabin. They wheel the crane on the flat roof to the edge of the building and then lower themselves over and wash away, 30 to 75 floors and hundreds of windows.  Money in Hong Kong is $7 to one of ours, so a $4 hamburger cost $28, but in Mongolia the same hamburger cost, 8,000$ Tugrug (Toogrick). Putting your brain around all that is a little daunting.   We actually got tired of Chinese food and were glad to get back in Mongolia.  The food is different in Mongolia but not as different as Chinese. We went to McDonalds in Hong Kong it sure was good.  Never thought we would say that about McDonalds. The temple was wonderful spiritual high for us, we were in a session with a zone of Hong Kong missionaries. We love you all and pray for you every single day.

- 30 Below

This week was around -30 below most of the week.  We bundle up and do not stay out in the cold too long so we are doing fine.  January and February are the driest months of the year in Mongolia.  We see so many fur coats, hats, and boots. So I started asking questions.  The best boots are sheep skin/wool inside and reindeer skin/fur outside. Everyone wears boots. Mink is lite and very warm so women like mink coats. The men like mink hats.  We have 5-6 projects we are working on: bedding for a hospital up by Siberia, a well house water station for a GER District,  wheel chairs, gardening, and supplies and equipment for a school.  Everywhere you turn there is a great need. We can not do everything so we pick and choose according to how many people will be helped and will our help move them along to become more self-reliant.  We are meeting with Egee to help him overcome his alcohol addiction. The Russians brought vodka to Mongolia and it is a real problem. About 1/4 of a grocery store is alcohol.  Egee told us this week that when he was in the communist party he felt troubled and confused, when he tried being a Buddhist he felt nothing. He said he felt empty; however, when he meets with us he feels warm, even, hot, and he feels peace, hope and happiness. We are going to Hong Kong this week to get our visa's. We have found a Mongolian food that we really like it is call khuushuur.  They are a small meat pie that is cooked in a fry pan and they are very good. We went to a musical program.  Mongolian throat singing and Mongolian instruments. It was excellent

1/18/16

This week we finished cleaning out the office and storage closets.  I am meeting with a man that has alcohol problems. We are going through the 12 steps addiction recovery program.  This was the coldest week yet, -25 degrees fahrenheit or -36 degrees celceus. We bundle up every time we go out so the cold is not bothering us much.  There is a new thin layer of fluffy snow most mornings.  It is not snow though it is frost.  When it snows it is usually only 1/8 to 1/2 inch. Most cars do not have frozen windshields in the morning. I think the fluffy frost keeps the windshield from icing up. The car owners just brush of the thin layer quickly and they are good to go. I also do not see windshields icing up as cars begin going down the road.  Maybe it is because the air is so very dry here. Because we are constantly getting a little layer of frost or snow the sidewalks are snow packed and very slick so we wear ice cleats, or shoe grippers. They really help.  We do not want to fall.   

We went out at night 4 times this week, home teaching, going with 2 sister missionaries, and attending English classes.  Laurie went on her first bus ride with some sister missionaries, another new adventure.  We are speaking in church tomorrow.  It will be different for us because we will have a translator.  We sent a couple of letters out this week.  They had to be translated into Mongolian.  I am sending you a copy so you can see what it looks like.  We have started eating some Mongolian food.  We had some soup at a sandwich shop it cost $1.30 for a huge bowl of soup.  Most people drink hot water because they believe you will catch a cold if you drink cold water. We try to help everywhere we can.  We think we will be starting some humanitarian projects the next few weeks.  We also attended a institute class this week.  It is pretty amazing to see the faithfulness of the members here. No one has been a member longer than 25 years and for most it is less than 10 years.

1/11/16

We had leadership conference this week.  They are trying to make another stake in Mongolia. There were about 190 leaders invited and 180 attended.  That is a lot better than southern or central Utah.  We have a translator that interprets things for us everyday.  We met with the National Rehabilitation Center.  It looks like we will bring a cargo container of wheel chairs, walkers and crutches to Mongolia in the late spring.  The Mongolian people really like fur.  Their boots, both men and women, are made out of sheep skin.  The wool goes inside and then often they will put goat skin on the outside with the fur out.  We see a lot of mink coats and mink hats as we are out walking the streets. Every car can be a taxi.  You just put your hand out.  They are really cheap.  So, we took a taxi this week.  We have been visiting the young missionary's English teching classes and we have been cleaning up and organizing the Deseret International Charities Office (Humanitarian Services).   

The doctor couple and our friend/helper, Puje, took us for lunch to a soup restaurant. We each had our own special hot plate in the table and we each ordered a pan of soup. Then, together, we ordered veggies and meat.  We each cooked our own pot of soup--interesting:). Then we went to a zack, which is a store with lots of stalls, selling about anything we need.  We bought some fruit and some dried soup.  Puje took us in her car, which was nice because we didn't have to carry our sacks of food home this time:)

1/4/16

For New Years we attended a program at an orphanage.  The mission donated some surplus equipment to them so they invited someone from the church to attend their new years program.  Also the young missionaries had visited Christmas Day and had given each child a gift. So Laurie and I were selected to attend.  There were 195 orphans, all excited and well behaved.  They put on a program and served everyone food.  Old man winter came and gave a few gifts.  It was humbling to see so many orphans, beautiful children ages 3-18 with no parents and family.

The weather is pretty consistent, never more than 10 degrees above zero in the day and always below zero (-10 to -15) at night.  We always bundle up before going out so we stay warm.  We try not to stay out long, 20-30 minutes at the most.  The faithfulness of the Mongolian saints is amazing.  Church attendance is very good and most have served missions.  We know about 30 Mongolian words, but understand almost nothing when listening.  Someone usually offers to translate for us.  We read all the gardening projects done in the past.  There Is poverty in the yurt districts outside of the city. Many live from day to day, trying to get enough food and using coal, wood, or dung for heat.   Their nutrition is not very good. They eat a lot of meat and fat and very little in the way of fruits and vegetables.  They are encouraged to boil the water but very few do it.  In the city nutrition is much better because fruits and vegetables are available in the stores.

We visited an English class this week.  Mongolians want to learn English.  It is exciting to see the desire to improve and make their lives better.  This week, since the holidays are over, we should get into our humanitarian work more deeply.  We received some sad news. One of our missionaries that served with us in Colorado died from pneumonia this week, he was 25.  We are doing fine, anxious to get to work and help anywhere we can.

A Few Picutres

Here are some pictures:) I haven't taken any in Mongolia yet--it's been so cold I haven't even taken my camera out of my purse.  The one of Alan and I is in front of the Hong Kong Temple