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
Saturday, July 23, 2011
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
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Life in Mongolia
Where do I even begin! First off, I would like to share about something that has been on my heart. Before I left, my dad shared a video with me about Jesus being our intercessor. It was a powerful short video about how Jesus has interceded for us and our sins. So as I was reading through Hebrews, I was struck by Hebrews 7:25 “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” Jesus has interceded for us to bridge the gap from death to life, from sin to salvation, and from bondage to freedom. The Holy Spirits intercedes on our behalf as Romans 8:26 states, “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” The Holy Spirit is interceding in our hearts to work on our weaknesses and interceding with prayers. So I am struck by how I can intercede for others. I can pray. I can serve. I can give my time. I can love. I can share. My prayer is that I do intercede for others especially through prayer as I know all my prayers are answered!
Many people have asked about what life is like in Mongolia. First off, I am in the country of Mongolia. Inner Mongolia is a region in China. I live in the capitol city of UlaanBaatar which is where about 40% of the population lives, creating the worst traffic. Another 10% of the population lives in other cities and the rest are the last truly nomadic population in the world. The nomads have large herds of animals and are on the move to where grazing is good. The winters are long and harsh, so much of the livestock barely makes it through the winter. The animals they herd differ depending on what part of the country nomads live in (from the Gobi to nearly in Siberia). They have cows, sheep, horses, yaks, goats, camels, and reindeer and they milk them all! This is hard to imagine, but yes they drink the milk of all those animals. Next week when I am in the countryside, I will probably get to try mare’s milk (horse) and the best part is that the way they prepare it is by putting it in a large canister and allowing it to ferment. Good thing I packed my pepto bismal! Their diet is almost all meat and dairy products. And these people love to eat. They could put my dad to shame! Yet they stay so thin. I think it is all the walking they do it get places. Most nomads and even people living in the city, live in what is called a ger. It is a circular tent like structure that can be packed up and moved easily. It is one large circular room with a stove in the middle. The outhouse is outside. There is no running water in it, but some have electricity or a solar panel. Living in this type of housing is a full time job. It is a hard life, but it is the Mongolia life. Mongolians are so friendly when you get to know them. Not many people speak English, so getting around is still a bit challenging. One sad thing that is happening here is a massive building boom. They are putting up apartments and more expats are here because of the mining industry that is growing. This is driving prices up and things are already expensive. There is no middle class. I am concerned for the majority of Mongolians with prices getting higher. Also, Russia stopped selling Mongolia diesel fuel a few months ago which is a real problem. This could drive prices up even more.
I am living in an apartment on the 8th story of an old Soviet style apartment building. I have an elevator, but I call it pac man, as it’s doors practically eat you if you do not get in quick enough. I have a small kitchen and then two bedrooms and a living room. My TV has 100 channels , but only a couple English channels. I hope to be getting internet in my house, then I can keep people up to date better. It is furnished but I need to spice up the walls. I bought a beautiful wall hanging and have some pictures and a map up. My washer is new, but in the old style with a wash basin on one side and a spinner on the other, so when doing a wash it has to be moved back and forth to the spinner. The heat comes on September 15th and is turned off May 15th. The city is heated through steam heat that is piped throughout the town. This is a very old system, but hopefully will work well. I can get most groceries, but have to go to several shops to find all I need which takes a lot of time as they are all around town. There are a few good restaurants that I have tried out, even some that I can walk too. I hope to find a good taxi driver to take me on my errands every Saturday. If you have a good recipe, let me know as I am doing much more cooking and baking. Our weather has been just plain crazy. It has rained the last two days all day which is very atypical. Streets are flooding as there is no drainage. The world’s climate is changing.
My job is going quite well. A lot is going on with our program this summer as we are having our first summer heart camps for children who have benefitted from Children’s Heart Project. Our first camp had 50 campers and next week we are doing another camp in the countryside. Our third camp will be in an area to the far west in Mongolia in August. I am blessed with the most amazing staff! Each person deeply loves the Lord and is very gifted in different ways. I have a lot to learn in this new working environment outside of hospital nursing. Today I was able to visit an American doctor who has worked here in Mongolia for 10 years. She works out of the main pediatric hospital. It was definitely a third world hospital, but a step up from what I saw in Tanzania. I cried many times after visiting hospitals in Tanzania, but did not cry after seeing the hospital today. They even had a pediatric intensive care unit with two ventilators and oxygen and monitoring at each bedside. I was a bit impressed by this. I look forward to getting to know the doctors who work here. They truly do it for the love of caring for children as the government pays them next to nothing and the hours are endless.
I have many prayers requests you could join with me and pray:
· For the state of the Mongolian church-that it would grow and mature and have a heart for discipleship and service
· Our program with our camps this summer, may we connect with many children and may those children grow in their relationship with the Lord and share what they learn at camp with their friends and family
· Safe travels to camp next week for our camp staff and all the children and families traveling to camp
· My job role is extensive, so prioritizing what needs to be done and balancing my life here
· That I make friends and decide on a church home and make connections there (I have been to two expat churches, and two Mongolian churches)
· Settling into my life here!
Well I got get to bed. I hope to put up some pictures if I get my internet in my home this Friday.
Blessings,
EM
Monday, June 13, 2011
A week into work!
Hiya Dear Friends,
Well I am over a week into work and life here. Things have been going very well, but very fast paced. I am getting my apartment all set up and it has everything I need. I am so blessed that I can walk to work and have lots of good restaurant and grocery stores very close. Work is going very well. I am finishing up orientation today and then we have a three day staff retreat which will be refreshing and a good time to get to know the staff better. We had our first heart camp last week where children who have benefited from our program come to a Bible camp and it went so well. God worked in powerful ways through the hearts of the children who attended. I want to write more, but do not have a lot of time. I am getting internet in my house this weekend, so will be able to update more. Thanks for all your prayers!
Blessings,
Em
Well I am over a week into work and life here. Things have been going very well, but very fast paced. I am getting my apartment all set up and it has everything I need. I am so blessed that I can walk to work and have lots of good restaurant and grocery stores very close. Work is going very well. I am finishing up orientation today and then we have a three day staff retreat which will be refreshing and a good time to get to know the staff better. We had our first heart camp last week where children who have benefited from our program come to a Bible camp and it went so well. God worked in powerful ways through the hearts of the children who attended. I want to write more, but do not have a lot of time. I am getting internet in my house this weekend, so will be able to update more. Thanks for all your prayers!
Blessings,
Em
Monday, June 6, 2011
I'm Here!
Hey Friends!
I am here safe and sound. My flights went very smoothly, actually had 2 seats on all three flights. I was able to check my luggage all the way through to Mongolia which was a huge blessing. I hit the ground running and went shopping the first day to get things for my apartment. I started work yesterday and it was amazing. I am joining an amazing team, each person with a heart for the Lord and ministry. I will write more, but this is a very busy week. Praise the Lord for how is caring for my every need.
Blessings,
Emily
I am here safe and sound. My flights went very smoothly, actually had 2 seats on all three flights. I was able to check my luggage all the way through to Mongolia which was a huge blessing. I hit the ground running and went shopping the first day to get things for my apartment. I started work yesterday and it was amazing. I am joining an amazing team, each person with a heart for the Lord and ministry. I will write more, but this is a very busy week. Praise the Lord for how is caring for my every need.
Blessings,
Emily
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