Well tomorrow morning, I have an early departure for Seoul, Korea. I will be heading there for a few days to get my Mongolian visa. Please pray that it goes smoothly and that I will be able to get the visa I need to continue to live in Mongolia. We believe all things are in order for this, but you just never know. I faced these same difficulties in Tanzania and the Lord worked it out, so I trust He will work this out for me.
It has been a busy time in the office. We are gearing up for a busy September as a team will come to operate on many Mongolian children who have heart defects. Each of the CHP staff has trips coming up, so it seems we are never all together. I guess when it is very cold in the winter, we will have lots of time together. But now while the weather is good, we are busy visiting lots of families. Next week, I plan to visit a couple families with a coworker who live outside of UB in the countryside. I really look forward to meeting with the families.
This week I started to recognize some Mongolian words when I heard them. I was so thankful for this. I heard words like work, driver, down, and a few others. I was rejoicing that I am starting to hear and know some words. I really need to make a commitments to learning a few new words a day. It is hard when most of our staff speaks perfect English. But by learning a language, you can build relationships.
Well I have to get to bed early to be up in time for my 6:45 am flight. I have mapped the buses and subways I need to take to get around to the Embassy and guest house. It will be a bit different traveling in a country that I cannot read any of the language, but I have some connections there, so I know things will be great. I will post some pics next week.
Peace Friends! Em
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Pictures
Here are a couple pictures you might enjoy. The first is of the cutest little baby being screened for a heart defect. She just giggled while her mother dangled toys above her head. And here I am at a Bible Study program where young adults from a local church lead a study around town every Saturday.
Be sure to check out my prayer letter below.
August Prayer Letter
Hiya Family and Friends!
As I sit down to write this letter, I am a bit embarrassed I have not written sooner. There is so much to share, which makes me wonder why I waited so long to write. I have called Mongolia home for two months now. I am settling into my job and life here. Mongolia is a beautiful and intriguing place. I am humbled daily by how Mongolians survive as poverty is all around. They are some of the most resilient people in the world. The nomadic herdsmen care for hundreds of animals and pack up their ger to move where grazing is good. We asked a nomadic family how long it takes to pack up and move their ger and they said about two hours. How many of us could pack up all our possessions in two hours? The rains have been very good this summer, so we pray for a moderate winter so livestock survives. Two and three winters ago were very bitter cold causing some herdsmen to lose many if not all their animals. The Mongolians who live in the city face a very expensive life. Everything is expensive from food to household items because few things are manufactures here and it is difficult to import anything. As mining has a greater influence on this country, I pray it reaches Mongolians on all levels, not just the wealthy. The one thing that encourages me so much with this country is the hope in Christ many are coming to know. The church just celebrated it’s 20th anniversary and Christianity is taking hold and growing. My biggest prayer for the church is that it matures and continues to grow and be solid in their Biblical foundation.
These past two months have been shaped by learning a new job, settling into a new community, and learning to travel Mongolian style! I had two weeks of orientation and then jumped all in. There is so much to share with you about my work, but I think the highlight for me this summer is to see the Lord’s hand at work within our Heart Camps. Over 70 children attended our three camps. Our camps program centered on The Greatest Journey, a discipleship program that teaches kids about Jesus, how to accept and follow Him, how to study God’s Word, along with how to share about Him to others. Each day was packed full with two large group sessions full of skits, worship, and games, small group studies that focused on a specific story in the Bible, games, crafts, and special activities. The Heart Camps were great follow up to the families we have served the last 11 years here and I feel a great encouragement for these families to grow in the Word. We are already thinking and praying about next year’s Heart Camps. Some parents attended the camp and here is what one mom wrote about CHP and Heart Camps:
“I live with my husband, two sons, and two daughters. “D” is my youngest son. Even though my son started to have symptoms when he was one year old, it was because of certain problems that we started to go the hospital when he was four years old. At that time I heard about Jesus through CHP and soon my son was accepted to have surgery in the States. Through this event my whole family heard about Jesus. Through the love of God my son’s surgery was successful and my son’s healing happened through all the people who prayed for my son. My whole family and relatives are so thankful for this. Even now I am still feeling God’s blessing that He sent me to this great camp and let me meet these nice people. I thought I want to thank God for everything He did for me and I love all the people in this camp.”
Your prayers for these camps and this ministry are vital!
These past few weeks, I have focused my work on knowing our waiting list. We have so many children on it and just added 11 last week when an American pediatric cardiologist came in town to screen children for heart defects. I desperately wanted more time with each of these families to encourage them that we care deeply for their child and are concerned with them about their child’s heart defect. Many asked how much our program costs, and we would say free. That blew their mind, but it was a great prelude to sharing that the greatest free gift of all time is Jesus. God gave us the free gift of salvation through His Son’s life, death, and resurrection. We just need to accept and believe in this truth and we will forever be a part of the Lord’s kingdom. Our work through Children’s Heart Project is not solely about mending physical hearts, but a complete spiritual repair through faith in Jesus Christ for the entire family.
My work as program manager of Children’s Heart Project encompasses many things. I manage the staff of three Mongolians who work for CHP, use my nursing skills to understand and help prioritize the children on our evaluation list, work to keep records organized, plan post visits, educate families on their child’s heart defect, know our interpreters who go with the children abroad, and keep our Mongolian team focused on the vision and accomplishing our goals. Many of you know I love numbers and statistics, so here are some about that last two months:
· Traveled over 6,000 miles to get here
· Assisted (I say assisted, but really our Mongolian staff and intern did all the work) with 3 Heart Camps where 75 children attended
· 2 trips to the countryside (so thankful for good Land Cruisers)
· Helped screen around 40 children for heart defects
· Assisted with hosting a group of Australians (for a week) and 6 visitors from the US over the last 2 months
· 1 cup total of fermented horses milk drank, but thankfully have not eaten horses meat or marmot yet
I love my apartment and feel so spoiled to have electricity, running hot water, a washer, an oven, tv, and internet. This is a huge step up from the standards in Tanzania. I can walk to work and am learning where to get all my groceries. You can get almost anything here, but you have to hunt around town for it. With the weather being good, I can walk anywhere, but come winter, I think I will depend on taxi’s and buses. I have found an international church that I really enjoy and am beginning to meet people. My roommate this summer was a young lady who came to work on Heart Camps. She was such an asset to this ministry, but also became a dear friend. I was sad to see her go this week. I started Mongolian language lessons a few weeks ago. Let’s just say it is a challenging language, but I have a great language teacher. I will finish up a 20 lesson survival course and then move to lessons a couple days a week.
These next two months are sure to be just as busy. In the next few weeks, I hope to have a vision meeting where we can see how the Lord is guiding our ministry. I have some ideas, but I need to see what our team comes up with. I am truly so blessed to have such amazing coworkers here in Mongolia, but also at Samaritan Purse’s headquarters in North Carolina. I feel each person is uniquely gifted to balance this ministry. I feel my gifts of administration fit it well, but sometimes I think I drive them a bit crazy with planning and preparing for all variables. I am learning and seeing how the Lord intervenes and takes care of details in amazing ways which is a blessing from not planning so strictly. Lessons I have learned while living in Mongolia have really helped to grow and stretch me. My faith is getting stronger every day, but let me tell you many things bring me to my knees. Our staff has been busy traveling across this country doing follow up visits for our children who have had corrective heart surgery. That is no easy task, but they sure do it well. I have been on two countryside trips and they wiped me out. The roads can be awful. A 500 kilometer trip took us 12 hours. I need to learn to just enjoy the ride!
In a few weeks, I will be heading to Korea for a few days to settle my visa issue. In September, a team is coming that partners with SP to screen children for heart defects and then will do a week of operations and cardiac cathetarizations here in Ulaanbaatar. And I will be accompanying a child, his mother, and an interpreter back to the US September 30th so the child can have surgery. Then I will get to be in St. Louis for my brother’s wedding which I look forward to very much. Following that I will spend some time at Samaritan’s Purse’s headquarters for meetings and orientation.
Would you please join me in prayer for the following:
· For the continued growth of the children following camp, may they read and study their Bible’s, and share with their families and neighbors
· For hospitals in the US and Canada to continue to take our children and that new hospitals would be connected with our program
· Safety in travel with all our staff’s trips to the countryside to visit children
· For the upcoming surgical team that comes in September to operate on many children
· My management skills-that I would learn to manage and guide the staff well so that we can be effective in our ministry
Thanks for reading such a long letter. I will do my best to make sure it is not two months before I write again. I dearly appreciate your partnership in prayers for this ministry.
Blessings,
EmilyPS-If you want my address here, just email me and I will get it to you. It’s tricky with the Cyrillic alphabet.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Helping the Poor
One thing that has been heavy on my heart is Christian's role in helping the poor and the oppressed. As I was walking down the main street in Ulaanbaatar a few weeks ago, a street boy asked me for money. Instead of stopping to take the time to show love on this child, I made sure my purse was tucked under my arm so it could not be stolen, and walked away fast. How I dealt with this situation bothered me for days! I could have taken the opportunity to take this child to a market near by and buy him some food, to show him the love of Christ, but I did not. The Holy Spirit has used this situation to work on my heart and think about what I can do to serve the poor. The Bible is filled with passages about remembering the poor and the mistreated, caring for widows, and loving the oppressed. Let's as a church body, do this well. As James 1: 27 says "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The world is full of people in need who we can reach out to. People seem to be looking to the government to address these issues, but I truly believe it is the role of the church to deal with these problems and reach out to the poor. It does not necessarily mean with money, but with time and love, serve those in need. Let's seek to care for the poor well!
I met a young man last week who lived in the dump from age 7 years old when he was orphaned until age 16. In Ulaanbaatar, children, many who are orphans, live in the dumps. Can you imagine this, especially in a climate that gets to -40 degrees in the winter? They do not go to school and pick through the dumps to find food. This young man shared that a church reached out to him and gave him meals. And over many years of living in the dumps, the Lord worked on his heart to see the hope that the church people, who were serving him food, had. He wanted that hope and a future and he came to know the Lord. He now lives in a ger on the church property and is very involved in ministry with children who live in the dump. I told him that the Lord will use his story to reach out to many people. He is a very mature young man passionate for the Lord. He had not gone to school, but started around age 16 and will be graduating next year. What an accomplishment! I want to go visit this ministry as every Saturday they minister there, but I will have to prepare my heart for this.
Last week was great. I was in the office all week, which takes some getting used to being in an office 5 days a week. By Friday, I was wiped out! I had many meetings, two of them being with the US and Canadian Embassy, and I was so thankful for the support they are giving our program. Please pray for favor with the Mongolian government with a container that is bringing much needed medical supplies. Also please pray for a family who lost a teenage girl. She was a beautiful young woman who died much to young. Pray for comfort for her mother and family. Two families who have children with heart defect came into our office this week to seek assistance from our program. I am so thankful our program exists because there is very few other options for children with heart defects to be repaired in Mongolia. I am thankful we can give them hope by enrolling them in our program and also share about the true hope that exists in Christ Jesus.
Next week I start language lessons, which I am very excited for. I will start with a 20 lesson survival course. It will be intense, but what I need. Pray for me as I balance work and language, along with two visitors coming in the next few weeks.
Thanks for tuning in and supporting this ministry and work through prayer!
Blessings,
EM
I met a young man last week who lived in the dump from age 7 years old when he was orphaned until age 16. In Ulaanbaatar, children, many who are orphans, live in the dumps. Can you imagine this, especially in a climate that gets to -40 degrees in the winter? They do not go to school and pick through the dumps to find food. This young man shared that a church reached out to him and gave him meals. And over many years of living in the dumps, the Lord worked on his heart to see the hope that the church people, who were serving him food, had. He wanted that hope and a future and he came to know the Lord. He now lives in a ger on the church property and is very involved in ministry with children who live in the dump. I told him that the Lord will use his story to reach out to many people. He is a very mature young man passionate for the Lord. He had not gone to school, but started around age 16 and will be graduating next year. What an accomplishment! I want to go visit this ministry as every Saturday they minister there, but I will have to prepare my heart for this.
Last week was great. I was in the office all week, which takes some getting used to being in an office 5 days a week. By Friday, I was wiped out! I had many meetings, two of them being with the US and Canadian Embassy, and I was so thankful for the support they are giving our program. Please pray for favor with the Mongolian government with a container that is bringing much needed medical supplies. Also please pray for a family who lost a teenage girl. She was a beautiful young woman who died much to young. Pray for comfort for her mother and family. Two families who have children with heart defect came into our office this week to seek assistance from our program. I am so thankful our program exists because there is very few other options for children with heart defects to be repaired in Mongolia. I am thankful we can give them hope by enrolling them in our program and also share about the true hope that exists in Christ Jesus.
Next week I start language lessons, which I am very excited for. I will start with a 20 lesson survival course. It will be intense, but what I need. Pray for me as I balance work and language, along with two visitors coming in the next few weeks.
Thanks for tuning in and supporting this ministry and work through prayer!
Blessings,
EM
Friday, July 15, 2011
Nadaam
Nadaam is the huge national festival for Mongolia. Mongolians look forward to this event every year. They showcase their national pride and there are competitions in all their favorite sports-horse racing, archery, wrestling, and ankle bone flicking. It is a week of holiday for the Mongolians where they gather with their family and watch the events on TV and enjoy two traditional Mongolian food and beverage that being hoshur and fermented horse's milk. Nadaam was this week and it was so special to be a part of this unique cultural experience. We went to the national stadium for the opening ceremonies. It was awesome. There were lots of performers dressed in traditional Mongolian costumes. I think I saw Chingis Khan many times! Children had dance routines, hundreds played the traditional horse fiddle, there was a big performance of men in very old traditional military costumes, and lots of showing of national pride. I was so impressed with the performances. After the opening ceremony, we went and had hoshur, but I skipped the horses milk as I just cannot acquire a taste for it. Then we went on to see wresting, archery, and ankle bone flicking. Wrestling has no weight classes and it starts with over a thousand men competing and in two days, they crown the winner. Ankle bone flicking was a very interesting sport. Men flick this small piece towards a box that has two small ankle bone pieces to try to knock them off. They flick this piece about 3 meters, so pretty far. I thoroughly enjoyed my first Nadaam and am joining in their national pride.
I went into the countryside again last week with some visitors from Australia. We had a great trip and I had the opportunity to learn more about the agricultural projects Samaritan's Purse does. The province we visited was hit hard with a very dry summer and a harsh winter two years ago (called a Zud), killing nearly 8 million animals in this country, so SP did disaster relief to give families who lost all their animals new animals. They could choose 5 yaks with 5 baby yaks, or 25 sheep with 25 baby sheep. We visited some families who received yaks and they were so grateful. We shared with them that we give God the glory for providing. Many shared with us some yak butter which was so rich and creamy, very good on bread. SP is doing some model farming work to help teach them to better care for the land. We are so blessed to have some very wise Mongolian men who lead this project. I think they have a strong influence on their community which will so positively impact the work there. It was fun to showcase the work to the Australian visitors.
Because it is a week of holiday with all our staff off, it has allowed some time for me to catch up and get organized. I have tried to rest lots as I was getting tired from all the trips. My stomach is back in order after being a bit off from all the new food and meat. I am not used to eating much meat at all. We went floating and it was awesome, but a true adventure. I did not do so well navigating our small boats and popped one chamber going over some sticks. But we were able to mend it to finish the float. We laughed a lot. In good weather, Mongolians love to be out by the river, so they had lots of comments for us, luckily we did not know what they were saying. Today I have been resting at home. I do not know what to do with myself with a whole day free. We plan to get an early dinner and see a movie. Thank goodness there are english movies!
I am starting a new Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself, a study about the fruits of the spirit. I am very excited to begin this study as I think it will grow me personally, but also help me in my new work role. Beth quoted John Stam's speech at Moody Bible Institutes's graduation in 1932:
"Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ...It is ours to show in the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in personal communion with Him, a joy unspeakable and full of glory that cannot be affected by outside circumstances."
Aren't those words very powerful! Our victory is already won in Christ. Think of what Paul and Barnabas endured as they reached out to the Jews, discussed in Acts 13. They faced persecution, but they "shook the dust from their feet" and "were filled with joy." Let us have joy when we face trials and persecution.
Thanks as always for your prayers and support. Next week brings lots of important meetings. Please pray for those as we need the Lord's intervention in several issues. I plan to start language lessons, which I am excited about. Up to this point, I have not had time to make that a priority, so next week is the week.
Blessings,
EM
I went into the countryside again last week with some visitors from Australia. We had a great trip and I had the opportunity to learn more about the agricultural projects Samaritan's Purse does. The province we visited was hit hard with a very dry summer and a harsh winter two years ago (called a Zud), killing nearly 8 million animals in this country, so SP did disaster relief to give families who lost all their animals new animals. They could choose 5 yaks with 5 baby yaks, or 25 sheep with 25 baby sheep. We visited some families who received yaks and they were so grateful. We shared with them that we give God the glory for providing. Many shared with us some yak butter which was so rich and creamy, very good on bread. SP is doing some model farming work to help teach them to better care for the land. We are so blessed to have some very wise Mongolian men who lead this project. I think they have a strong influence on their community which will so positively impact the work there. It was fun to showcase the work to the Australian visitors.
Because it is a week of holiday with all our staff off, it has allowed some time for me to catch up and get organized. I have tried to rest lots as I was getting tired from all the trips. My stomach is back in order after being a bit off from all the new food and meat. I am not used to eating much meat at all. We went floating and it was awesome, but a true adventure. I did not do so well navigating our small boats and popped one chamber going over some sticks. But we were able to mend it to finish the float. We laughed a lot. In good weather, Mongolians love to be out by the river, so they had lots of comments for us, luckily we did not know what they were saying. Today I have been resting at home. I do not know what to do with myself with a whole day free. We plan to get an early dinner and see a movie. Thank goodness there are english movies!
I am starting a new Beth Moore study called Living Beyond Yourself, a study about the fruits of the spirit. I am very excited to begin this study as I think it will grow me personally, but also help me in my new work role. Beth quoted John Stam's speech at Moody Bible Institutes's graduation in 1932:
"Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ...It is ours to show in the salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in personal communion with Him, a joy unspeakable and full of glory that cannot be affected by outside circumstances."
Aren't those words very powerful! Our victory is already won in Christ. Think of what Paul and Barnabas endured as they reached out to the Jews, discussed in Acts 13. They faced persecution, but they "shook the dust from their feet" and "were filled with joy." Let us have joy when we face trials and persecution.
Thanks as always for your prayers and support. Next week brings lots of important meetings. Please pray for those as we need the Lord's intervention in several issues. I plan to start language lessons, which I am excited about. Up to this point, I have not had time to make that a priority, so next week is the week.
Blessings,
EM
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Camp Update
Hey Friends!
Well since the moment I have arrived, I have been going non stop. I has been an amazing and whirlwind month. I just got back from a trip into the countryside for a week. We had our second heart camp for children from the middle/western part of the country. The camp was so amazing and such a blessing to be a part of. Camps are not a foreign concept to Mongolians, but to countryside kids, it was a totally new and amazing experience. We stayed at a nice resort near a hot spring. The camp had skits, games, Bible stories, small group and large sessions. We ate lots of good Mongolian food and had so much amazing fellowship. The camp was run by a group of young adults from a local church and they did an awesome job. They loved on these children with the heart of Jesus. Some parents came to the camp as they traveled such long distances (one group traveled in Russian Jeep for 49 hours and crossed 5 mountains and 4 rivers to get to camp). And the time was very encouraging for the parents as many live so remotely and have no church, but prayerfully they will begin to have cell group meetings in their gers. The last day was challenging as it was so hard for the kids to leave. The camp changed their lives and they had a blast, so it was hard to leave. Almost all the campers cried and I tried hard to keep my composure. But I encouraged them that I will see them next year!
The drive to camp was a long one. I have learned that Mongolians like to just enjoy the ride, so a 500 kilometer trip took nearly 11 hours. We had many stops along they way and the road was very bumpy. I was able to learn how they milk a horse and had lots of fermented horses milk. I think it is an acquired taste, but I did not get sick drinking it thankfully.
I am adjusting the to culture slowly. There is a steep learning curve, but it is going well. I need to just sit down with a Mongolian friend and hear more about their culture. I hope to start language lessons in the next couple weeks, but have just not had the time. I am headed back into the countryside with some Australian visitors the end of this week and then next week is Nadaam, their big national festival. There is a group of us going to the opening ceremonies and we hope to catch a wrestling match and a horse race.
Please pray for many adjustments that I am going through right now. I have made some friends and really enjoyed hanging out with a new friend today.
Well got to run to get some good rest before another trip!
Blessings,
EM
Well since the moment I have arrived, I have been going non stop. I has been an amazing and whirlwind month. I just got back from a trip into the countryside for a week. We had our second heart camp for children from the middle/western part of the country. The camp was so amazing and such a blessing to be a part of. Camps are not a foreign concept to Mongolians, but to countryside kids, it was a totally new and amazing experience. We stayed at a nice resort near a hot spring. The camp had skits, games, Bible stories, small group and large sessions. We ate lots of good Mongolian food and had so much amazing fellowship. The camp was run by a group of young adults from a local church and they did an awesome job. They loved on these children with the heart of Jesus. Some parents came to the camp as they traveled such long distances (one group traveled in Russian Jeep for 49 hours and crossed 5 mountains and 4 rivers to get to camp). And the time was very encouraging for the parents as many live so remotely and have no church, but prayerfully they will begin to have cell group meetings in their gers. The last day was challenging as it was so hard for the kids to leave. The camp changed their lives and they had a blast, so it was hard to leave. Almost all the campers cried and I tried hard to keep my composure. But I encouraged them that I will see them next year!
The drive to camp was a long one. I have learned that Mongolians like to just enjoy the ride, so a 500 kilometer trip took nearly 11 hours. We had many stops along they way and the road was very bumpy. I was able to learn how they milk a horse and had lots of fermented horses milk. I think it is an acquired taste, but I did not get sick drinking it thankfully.
I am adjusting the to culture slowly. There is a steep learning curve, but it is going well. I need to just sit down with a Mongolian friend and hear more about their culture. I hope to start language lessons in the next couple weeks, but have just not had the time. I am headed back into the countryside with some Australian visitors the end of this week and then next week is Nadaam, their big national festival. There is a group of us going to the opening ceremonies and we hope to catch a wrestling match and a horse race.
Please pray for many adjustments that I am going through right now. I have made some friends and really enjoyed hanging out with a new friend today.
Well got to run to get some good rest before another trip!
Blessings,
EM
Pictures!
Here are some pictures for you to enjoy. There are so many, but these are some of my favorites. I love capturing peoples faces as I feel it tells a story. A few of the pictures are from our second heart camp which was simly amazing. I will try to write more soon!
Emily
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