Zunnmod

This week we had a closing ceremony at the Zunnmod Village ​​​​.  We rebuilt their library for them.  We were supposed to show up at 11:30 am.  They had a celebration all set up for us.  The children sang several songs, they danced, and recited poetry.  The children were beautiful, all dressed up and performing before us.  There was one dance that was facinating.  A teenage girl, about 15, danced with 4 bowls stacked on her head.  As she moved around and about her head never moved and the bowls did not fall off. Then she put one bowl in one hand and another in the other hand and danced more, then she squatted down and put one bowl on her foot and stretched about, then another bowl on the other foot and stretched about, all this while there were two bowls still on her head. Then another bowl came off her head into her hand and she moved all about, then finally the four bowls went back on her head and the dance ended, and then she poured the water out of the bowl that had stayed on her head the whole time.  Quite a show! After the ceremony they feed us Hor Hog. It is a traditional Mongolian meal.  Lots of meat, potatoes, carrots, all cooked in one big pot.  There were also lots of salads on the side.  So, we had a good week this week. We gave the Michigan Test 3 times this week to young adults that are trying to go to BYU-H.  Usually only 1-2 pass out of 25.  We are hoping for better results this time.

Faith in Every Footstep

This week we worked on our 2 wheel chair projects, our 4 water stations, a school library project, and our English Class.  At our English class they asked us some questions that were way beyond us:  What is a subjective verb?  What is auxillary verb? What is a nominative case?  We think it is so funny, us teaching English! We need some of you over here to help out:)  Since all our students can read English, we just tell them to read, read, read--aloud. Listening to Conference talks and then reading them aloud is a good practice. Spend 2 to 3 hours a day doing this.  We tell them listening and then reading aloud is the best way they can get familiar enough with English that they can understand a native speaker and speak fluently enough that a native English speaker can understand them.  We tell them one hour a week is not enough to make hardly any progress.  They want to know all the grammer rules and they memorize a lot of words, but they cannot use the word in a sentence and they have no idea what we are talking about when we try to explain a grammer rule.  

We heard this week who will replace us the last of May, Elder and Sister Washburn.  This is good news so there is not a big gap between the Humanitarian senior couples.

This is Laurie--I was asked to lead the singing in Relief Society last week--the sister who usually does it is gone to America to visit some family--and this week the Presidency asked me to help them all learn to lead the singing--so, me, and our sweet translator, Taivnaa, explained about measures and 4 beats to a measure and drew on the white board the 4/4 time pattern--then everyone stood up and followed along as the two of us lead the song.  We faced the front so they could see the right direction our arms were going. Next week I need to watch them all lead so I know if they're getting it, or not. Then maybe I can have them take turns leading.  Anyway, it was fun:)

Being Sick

I have been sick for 6 weeks now.  I spent 2 days in a hospital clinic.  I am doing much better.  The fever has gone, my blood oxygen is higher,  I do not cough nearly as much,  I feel better and they say I look better.  We have been doing a little work at home, processing paper work on projects.  

We have 9 projects right now going on:  4 water stations, a wheel chair project to bring 600 wheel chairs in April to Mongolia, a wheel chair users project where we are going to bring repair parts and give wheel chair repair training, an English Conference to be held the first week of May, a school library project, and a vision project. We also have an alcohol rehab project we are working on.  So even though we have been sick we have still been doing  a little from our apartment.  Grandma has been teaching our English class for those wanting to pass the Michagan test so they can go to BYU-H.  

Spring is just 4 months away and then it will be time to leave Mongolia.

Mongolian Alphabet

Hello there ya'll--that's right, I feel like I want to be in the warm South today:) I wish!

Today in Church Dad and I felt like we were back in the day--several children on their knees, coloring Christmas pictures I'd printed for them. 

It all started when the previous Mission President asked us to help the bishop's wife with her children--two, ages 4 & 6, and she has a small baby. I started bringing coloring pages and it at least helped the 6 year old girl be quieter--she's a cutie but likes to TALK--loud and a lot!  She's very smart and colors well, so she enjoys being by us--after the Sacrament.  That was the original plan, but she often sits by us from the beginning in eager anticipation of coloring:)  The 4 yr old boy doesn't care for coloring and tends to wander around--most of the children are allowed to do this and it's very disrupting to the Spirit and to hearing our translator and keeping our minds on what's being taught. 

ANYWAYS...word spread and today we had 5 kids coloring--it's good I brought plenty of pictures. The 6 yr old girl was born and lived in Hawaii for 5ish years so speaks excellent English.  She's learning Mongolian in school so on the back of her picture she wrote lots of the Mongolian alphabet--so I could "take it home and learn Mongolian."  She said she knows I can do it and she gave me this picture and alphabet because she loves me:)  Ahhhh :)

We had a good Sunday today--hope you all have one, too:) 

We love you and are so grateful for each one of you!

Love, Grandpa & Grandma

Pictures:

Mongolian alphabet

hoof we found on our small veranda--gift from up stairs:)

Missionaries at ZC---white elephant time

Christmas picture

my cute little friend & her baby sister

 

 

 

Terrible amd Miraculous Event

This week we had a terrible and miraculous event take place in the mission.  Two sister missionaries were running to the bus stop trying to catch the next bus, which was coming down the street.  As the bus got along side the sisters, Sister Nelson slipped and fell and her left leg and her right foot went under the bus.  The bus went right up and over her leg and foot.  The pain was terrible.  When she arrived at the hospital by ambulance they found out she had no broken bones, no broken blood vessels.  These buses are huge.  They carry 50 to 100 people packed in like sardines. After removing her shoe and leggings they could see a 10" tire track on the shin side of her leg right above her foot.  She is doing great, she has some slight bruising on her left leg and right foot. With the size and weight of the bus her leg and foot should have been smashed flat.  Since the tire ran over the shin side of her left leg, that means her left foot had to of been upright between the dual wheels. Sister Nelson is from Sally's town, Colorado Springs. Everyone here is humbled and grateful that Sister Nelson has been so blessed.

Over my life time I have seen several times when God has intervened and blessed someone.  Sister Pritchard in Ireland when a bomb blew out all the windows in a large department store, where hundreds of people were seriously hurt from flying glass, and she was unharmed because the window she was standing in front of was unbroken.  The only unbroken window in the whole store.  Alan, when he flew through a window when a mission van of nine people crashed traveling 60 miles an hour.  Brady, when he was choking and turning blue with a piece of candy stuck in his throat.  Brady, when given a priesthood blessing and he immediately began to get better when he was in serious trouble with his kidney's malfunctioning.  Karamine, on at least two occasions while carrying babies during pregnancy. Claire and her sweet spirit and healed body still with us here on earth.  Sylvia, on several occasions when her life was being threatened with serious heart issues. She actually would have died several times without God intervening to help and bless her. These are just a few of the numerous times we have seen God come to someone's aid and the impossible happened.  There are many other times when God did not intervene.  It is hard to sort out why God blesses on one occasion and does not heal on another; nevertheless, we are grateful when he has heard our prayers and provided a blessing.  

Big Deal

We sure wish you would send all the Global Warming our way.  A lot of people are worried and complaining about climate change throughout the world.  Well, here in Mongolia we are having a cold snap, a week of 20 below zero, with even a couple of days 30 below, and it is only the middle of November!  When you look for winter clothes the selection is different than home. Gloves and socks come in camel, yak, wool, and horse.  Hats come in felt (wool), mink, yak, and rabbit. Coats come in down, mink, rabbit, wool, yak, goat (cashmere).  Boots come with camel, yak, and wool linings inside and reindeer and goat out. We saw a man with a mink hat the other day at the bus stop that was as big as a small bushel basket.

From this letter and last weeks letter you can see what is on our minds -Winter in Mongolia.  Mongolia is down wind from Siberia.  Siberia generates the cold and then blows it over Mongolia.  In the winter you do not have to check the forecast or the temperature.  Just put everything you have on and hope it's enough.  We have been told that Camels can take the winter cold better than any other animal. When you touch them you find out they have a fur coat that is 4 inches thick. It doesn't look like it but they are heavily insulated.  Yaks look like they are covered with 6 inches of long fur, which they probably are.  Just imagine a cow with a fur coat that hangs clear down to the ground and you have a yak.  We were also surprised to learn that the one animal that has a very hard time in the winter in Mongolia is sheep.  All this makes for a very interesting world. The meat consumption goes up in the winter, especially meat with lots of fat.

We bid out a water station this week.  It looks like we will be doing 4 more water stations before we return home in May.  We will be having a big meeting with the National Rehabilitation Center to bring several hundred (500) wheel chairs to Mongolia next spring.  We are also meeting with the National Federation of the Deaf to consider helping them develop and print a National Sign Language for Mongolia.  We are doing good and hope we are making a difference.

We are so grateful that we have this Gospel. Living it makes us so truly happy.   We pray for you all every day. 

How many pairs of tights do you wear?

Dear Family,

While you are enjoying the warm weather we are hoovering around zero every day.  I thought I would tell you what the missionaries wear to keep warm.  Some missions do not allow the missionaries to go out when it is, like, ten below or colder.  In this mission it is just the way of life, everyday, so they learn to dress appropriately.

Elder's will wear 1-2 pair of thermals, slacks, shirt, sweater, 2-3 pairs of socks, and wool lined boots.  A large coat with hood, a beanie (or fur lined hat) ear muffs, scarf, mask--required because of smoky air--, two pair of gloves (preferably mittens) and they will pull the hood up over the beanie with only a small hole to look through.

Sisters will wear 2-4 pairs of tights or leggings, blouse, skirt, sweater, pair of wool or yak socks over the 4 pair of tights, wool lined boots with goat or reindeer fur on the outside, a large coat or maybe two coats with hood, a beanie, ear muffs, scarf, mask, two pairs of mittens, and they too will pull the hood up so that there is only a small lookout hole.  

As you can imagine it is a major operation to get all this on and off several times a day.  October is over so that means one month of winter has passed.

This Gospel is wonderful!  We love it so very much.  It allows us to be truly happy and forget ourselves and go to work.

We are doing great!