life ebbs and flows

Due to outstanding approval and per the request of people like Shelley L. and Amanda Y. (people who have taught me a lot about seeing humor) I have decided to continue "quirks and joys" on a weekly basis. Here they are, the latest 5 "quirks and joys": 1. We have heard it said that the Mongolian women wear high heels because they think that their ovaries will freeze and if they freeze, they won't be able to have children. I, for one, hope that isn't true because I'm not going to wear heels. 2. Every restaurant/bar/cafe/place where people gather, closes at 9 pm due to the fear of H1N1. Did you know that the swine flu comes alive at 9 pm? I sure didn't. 3. On Saturday when we went to see Harry Potter at the movie theater, we had assigned seats. Thankfully we picked seats that were literally right next to ours. 4. On Sunday, we had a delicacy, milk tea. The Mongolians love it. I describe it like this: liquid grits... 5. In an effort not to shiver all ni...

I have been thinking the past few days about all the quirks of Mongolia that Erin and I have been finding great joy in. I thought I'd share some of those with you... First, let me set the scene for you: I am writing this while eating a rather soupy bowl of broccoli soup. It's warm, though, and that's all that matters. Right outside my window is the coldest capital city in the world, UB. It is 22 degrees out there today. And I am sitting here without having taken a shower in 2 days. I woke up this morning and could not take a shower because currently we have no hot water. And that...that's just the beginning. Here is the mere top 11 quirks that bring us joy: 1. The days of the week are just 1st day, 2nd, etc. until you get to Saturday. Saturday literally translates to half good day while Sunday is a full good day. 2. When you text message you text in English-Mongolian (I call this Engolian) because their phones don't have the Mongolian language on them. 3. Our teache...

Let me begin with the confession that I honestly don't know where to begin and that is ok. I have been learning that there is value in whatever feeling that you are feeling and that you should embrace it, experience and move on from it, not to dwell in that feeling. Feelings are natural, they ebb and flow. I have been in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for a little over a week now. Today was the very first day I began to feel comfortable here. I even felt a little at home. Transitioning to life in Mongolia has been more difficult than I expected. I am not even quite sure I can accurately express it in words. But, to give you a tiny grasp of how I'm feeling, let me quote a little something from the respected and awfully wise...Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, " Now, this is a story all about how my life got flipped-turned upside down..." Erin and I have had many conversations and prayers expressing our feelings that are lives have become a jumbled mess, flipped and turned upside down (...

Hello! Erin and I are here! We got to our apartment around 12:30 last night. It is nice. We unpacked and stayed up until nearly 3. We layed in the floor of my room for a while wondering if we were crazy. We came to the conclusion that we are but that our God is faithful, so we will trust. We went shopping this morning. We needed blankets (we slept with just sheets last night...coollld) and pillows. We got some groceries too. I think we'll be using peanut butter as our main protein for a long while. We should have internet and visas by the beginning of next week so i can talk to you all soon. We are just going to rest tomorrow and then we will go to church on Sunday morning. One of the missionaries here, said that she would have a translator sit in between us, so that should be fun. Monday morning we will start language classes...I foresee that being interesting and really difficult. Right now we are just watching the tv shows that we have with us and movies, bundling up and resting...

we are at an internet cafe in the airport in korea. i told you i would do my best, mom :) 14+ hour flights are no fun. but they do have great movies...my sister's keeper is so sad. when people ask us where our final destination is and we tell them Mongolia, they give us the greatest looks. our flight boards in about an hour and then it will be another 2.5 hours of flying. then, we will live in Mongolia. say a little prayer for us. peace, love and joy.

As a fire is meant for buring with a bright and warming flame, so the church is meant for mission, giving glory to God's name. Not to preach our creeds or customs, but to build a bridge of care, we join hands across the nations, finding neighbors everywhere. We are learners, we are teachers; we are pilgrims on the way. We are seekers; we are givers; we are vessels made of clay. By our gentle, loving actions we would show that Christ is light. In a humble, listening Spirit we would live to God's delight. As a green bud in the springtime is a sign of life renewed, so may we be signs of oneness 'mid earth's peoples, many hued. As a rainbow lights the heavens when a storm is past and gone, may our lives reflect the radiance of God's new and glorious dawn. -Ruth Duck "As A Fire Is Meant For Burning" This is one of the last songs that we sang at our commissioning service last night. We had sung it earlier in the week and I thought it was beautiful then. So, I wa...