Some Roads Less Travelled

We had the opportunity to go out into the "Countryside" last weekend.  In a remote spot we visited with one of the potential members of the "Virtual Branch".  Because Mongolia is the most sparsely populated country in the world, there are members of the Church in many far away places.  They are trying to get a "Virtual Branch" started.  It works by having the people call into a central location and then conduct Sacrament Meeting over the phone.














  On one occasion a herder called in and when they took the roll, he reported at his location, (out on a hillside somewhere),

 there was one person and 300 sheep!

We had an excellent driver with an old Russian Van.  It was "OFF ROADING" to the maximum!  He managed to pull a group of German Tourists out of the mud in a very far away place.  Then just a few kilometers later they pushed out a big family in a stuck van and  got them on their way.

Now this is one way to make a road "less travelled"!
It is just about ready for a coat of asphalt and they
didn't want anyone to drive on it!!

The traffic in Ulaanbaatar is unbelievable but they are working on many roads so things should improve!

















We went on some really interesting roads (paved, trails, tracks, rivers, gullies!!).  When driving they just choose which one looks the best and then go for it!!  It sure is a good idea to have a driver from the area so they have an idea which trail to take at the junctions!

The roads are not just used by cars and vans, but
the drivers must be constantly watching for others
crossing as well.  They just lay on their horns and
never seem to hit an animal!!

Needless to say, we have a lot of pictures!!


 Mongolia is a
 "National Geographic" paradise!!




The people, the scenery, the animals and the history - - -

Typical Mongolian cowboys - they have a different way of "roping"

Did not know that camels shed in the late spring

Some of the many Stupas

The "Ger Girl" getting our fire ready -
using several kinds of Dung
It burned well and didn't smell too much!!

Ger doors seem to always be Orange and face South.










We got to visit another hospital, this time in Bulgan.  It was very clean and the Head of Internal Medicine was a pleasant and knowledgeable lady.  We felt the missionaries would be well treated there.  Cal even made a house call to the missionaries in Darkhan, and visited 6 others in Erdenet.  Another Senior Couple travelled with us, the Farmer's.  They are responsible for Family History so had teaching sessions and helped members in both Bulgan and Erdenet.  The Mongolian people are very excited about working on their family history.  All in all, it was a very productive weekend.

Life here is good and All is Well

YOUNG and OLD

One of the big celebrations in Mongolia is Children's Day.  It is sometimes called MOTHER'S and CHILDREN'S Day.  It is always on June 1.  Children get new clothes and gifts and go out with their families to have fun.  It was amazing to see all the families, fathers, mothers and kids,  and grandparents, enjoying the beautiful day by going to the children's park, gathering on Sukhbaatar Square, taking pictures or having a picnic.  Fathers were very visible and appear to really play a role in their children's lives.  It seems that the family emphasis in the Church is a big drawing point for investigators here.

  The crowds were unbelievable, spilling out of the big square and filling the roads on both sides which were blocked off to traffic.

Yes, there is a man under there!

An unexpected surprise happened when the "Peking to Paris" Road Rally rolled into the Chinggis Khaan Hotel, right across the street from us!  It was exciting (even if we know nothing about old cars!) to see all the different vehicles.  This is the fifth running, the first being in 1907!!  We talked to people from New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Austria, Miami, Japan, etc.  We read that there are 97 cars from 26 different countries.  Each has a navigator and a driver. The total distance is 12247 km. over 33 days.

When they arrived they were all just covered in dust from the stretch across the Gobi Desert - hard to imagine that they could even keep them running through those bumpy, dusty areas.  Saturday was a rest day for them so they were all tuning up their motors, cleaning brakes (and everything else), and generally restocking.  Lots of people were around to show off their cars and visit.  These pictures are the morning they headed out on the next leg.

It was hard to choose just a few - I saw a blog about the preparation for the VW #55 - quite an undertaking!!

We get new missionaries today - back from their MTC stay in the Philippines - it is always exciting to see their enthusiasm and commitment to do what is right!!  We really try to keep them healthy and safe!

Life is Good and All is well. 

New Life

Spring is such a beautiful time of year.  When we came last fall all the trees had lost their leaves and there were lots of dead looking "ever greens".  We wondered if they were Tamarack (Larch) and sure enough they were.  It has been exciting to watch them get green.

At home we see them on the Tamarack Trail but we never have the opportunity to see them as the needles come out because it is too early in the season for us to be hiking high up in the mountains.  Our altitude here is about  4500 feet above sea level so is comparable to a bit higher than Waterton Townsite!!          

 Different stages of "leafing out" of Larch.

Last week we went for a tour of the Parliament Building.  They have a big "Chamber" that looks like it could be Canadian, with the ruling party on one side and the opposition on the other.  They have been a democracy since the Russians left in the early 1990's.  Progress is being made and the next Presidential Election happens the end of June.







We were able to see the official Mongolian Peace Flag - nine flags made of only the best horse tails, white to be flown in peaceful times and black to be flown during times of war.  The horse tails are from all 21 provinces of Mongolia.  It only leaves the official Government spot during Nadaam, when it flies at the Nadaam Stadium.

We have now finished teaching English for the summer so we are looking forward to that break.  It was fun getting to know all the students.  So many of them are keen and enthused about learning English.  It really makes a big difference for their future when they become more fluent.  The experience sure did give us a great appreciation for all those teachers who have worked with us and our family through the years!!

Some of the Nurses we taught at Songdo Hospital
who took us out for dinner after our last class

Thanks to everyone for all your support.  The work is going great in Mongolia!!
                          All is well and Life is Good!!

Spring

We are happy to announce that Spring is really coming to Mongolia!!  There is green grass poking through and lots of trees are showing the signs of forthcoming buds.  The temperature is warming up - one day it was about +25C but is back cool today.

We even had a picnic out in front of the Church Building yesterday!  There is a small fenced in area below the street level with a bit of grass, some bushes, trees and soon to come flowers.  It is a pleasant oasis in the midst of the big city.

Since we are trying to learn more about Mongolian Culture, on Saturday we visited the Gandantegchenling Monastery (Gandan).  Much of it was destroyed during the Communist occupation but in 1990, after the Democratic Revolution, they started on a restoration project.  According to their info there are about 900 monks living or working there.  It was interesting to visit some of the different temples, hear the chanting and witness some of their music.  There were hundreds of prayer wheels which people touch or turn in seeking blessings.  They also have a 26.5 meter (about 90 feet) Buddha housed in one of the temples.  We were not allowed to take pictures inside.

 It was a busy place with literally thousands of pigeons.  They have many people selling small bags of wheat (does not look like our wheat!) to feed them.

The little lady we bought our bag of wheat from

We are trying to make some progress on a project to get Cochlear implants for some of the deaf people here.  This morning we went to a very small building where a deaf man runs a sewing business, employing other deaf people.  They do contract sewing as well as making bags and other small items.  What a wonderful opportunity it is for those folks to do something productive and be able to make a bit of money to support themselves.  It was not only informative, but inspirational to see a man making an effort to help people help themselves!

There are over 10,000 deaf people in Ulaanbaatar, many because of antibiotics or other tainted drugs given about 20 years ago to children.  A typical story is that they were sick, given a shot and then became deaf.  Several of our missionaries are deaf but are able to function quite well with a "sign language" companion.  They are excited at the prospect of cochlear implants!


We are busy  -   All is Well and Life is Good!!