Mongolia

So, on the 15th of April Dwayne and I went to Mongolia to see some folks that we work with and supervise. It was both our first time to ever go and so we were a bit excited. I had been wanting to go for about 2 years and for one reason or another our trips always got canceled. Any who, we arrived. I was one tired girl because all the flights are late night flights. So, it was pretty tiring but ofcourse once we arrived we were alert and ready to see the place. Well, almost!


I could probably write a long blog but I'm going to keep it to the point :) ha! I'll try anyway!


Here is what I saw:

1. first impression: Dry and weary land...............
2. the land scape is pretty in its own right but it is a barren land or atleast it looked that way in the winter/spring time.
3. the people are stone faced- no emotion, no laughter, no smiles, no notta, nothing....
4. this country was built by the Russians- yep, they came in to a nomadic land and made a government, infrastructure and wha la, Mongolia has buildings and cities. I never knew this- and so as a result the people of Mongolia are really new at government and they really are struggling to figure it all out. Talk about a young country. I mean they have been on their own since 1994ish... So, wow, I was impressed! I mean they are really a young government and they are really striving and trying to make their country better. So, I really learned something about this people.
5. we had the opportunity to meet a couple of mongol people and they may seem stone faced but they are like gentle giants. They are kind and soft spoken and they are very open to share once they know you and think of you as a friend. Wow, their stories are just amazing.....
6. she- vol-ski horses..... yeah, this was cool- we were able to actually see some of the only wild horses still alive today. I learned another interesting thing- did you know that the mustang while we call it a wild horse isn't really a wild horse. It was tamed and then got loose and then became wild. Well these she vol ski horses are truly wild. They resemble the Zebra in many ways, their head and mane are the same and the she vol ski has stripes on the back hind quarters similarly to the Zebra, only the she vol ski is tan and dark brown. it was really neat!
7. It snowed... yippy ... ;)
8. there was a sand storm
9. it was in the 60's
10. they have some amazing western restaurants ( I was amazed)
11. the land is dry and barren but the land scape is just beautiful
12. the city of Ulannbantar is surrounded by 4 mountain ranges... Yeah,, the landscape is amazing....
13. montana is the Big Sky country, Mongolia is the Blue Sky country... :)
14. the people live in a tent kind of thing... it is called a ger and you pronounce it as GEER... up to 14 or more people can live in this open space. There are no rooms and it is pretty amazing! they actually come in different sizes and are pretty amazing.
15. they have phone people sitting/ standing on the side of the street and people just walk up to them and use the phone for pennies. I was like, where is the cord? our friends informed me that i was like a wireless phone.. HA ingenious! ;)
16. talk about cold place, in just this city it can get -30 yep, that is right negative 30.... so what about their cars? yeah we asked that too. they put them in Metal shipping containers.. Who would a thought! - I know another ingenious idea... use what you have .. :)
17. the people do live in apartments but most live in Ger districts. the first picture is of a Ger district. you can notice the hills are dotted with white round objects... well those are the ger's...... it was just amazing!
18. in the whole country there is approx. 2milion people. in the city of Ulaanbaatar there is actually 1 million people.. half of the whole country.. I mean it is astounding to think how vast the land is and that the other million are scattered throughout the country side...
19. most of us know about or have read a "Harry Potter" book, well you know that he lives under the stairs in a small room. In the apartment building where our friends live there is also a young woman, her mother, and 2 daughters who live in the room under the stairs.. it is probably 3 feet wide, 5 feet or so long, yet they live and work and cook in this little, NO tiny room.... What the heck do I have to complain about? see the picture below....

My kind of place...

I won't forget the Mongolian People and I will truly be praying for them that they would be saved and comforted by our Lord and Savior....

enjoy a few pictures....


This is a Ger church



Ger District



Herdsmen watching over his sheep and cattle



A father and child