Today is awesome! I was talking with one of the engineers for the new apartment building going up next to ours & they had a laser thermometer. I loved what I saw. She pointed the laser thermometer at the concrete driveway in the sun & the reading was 49 degrees Celsius. I am laughing because Mongolians can't handle the heat of their summers, but I am loving it. It sure beats the -52 degrees Celsius we had on Christmas Eve. I will never complain about the heat as long as God wants us here.
Teresa & I both have one Mongolian language class each before we are able to rest for the summer. We can't wait. Although Teresa & I both will be meeting with our instructors over the summer. Teresa's instructor (& mine 3 days a week) have told us both that we are her best friends. This means so much to us because her family are not Christians, but want to safely continue to ask questions & slowly discover who Jesus is when we spend time toether. We love them for who they are now & maybe sometime in the future will want to know Jesus personally.
My male instructor (a Ger pastor & language instructor) & I went out today & we were arm in arm. We are best friends & I have to say that I never thought that God would give me such a close Mongolian friend so soon. In Mongolia when you see 2 girls, 2 women, 2 boys or 2 men arm in arm or hand in hand it shows that they good friends & most Mongolians only have 1 or 2 friends close enough that they would walk hand in hand or arm in arm with. Westerners find this extremely difficult because in our culture it means something totally different. However, many of you that know me, know that Ukrainian culture (what I essentially grew up in) was/is very embracing (can't think of another word to describe it.) It makes me laugh because I am very comfortable with it, but Teresa & my other American good friend Erik both said they are "definitely not" comfortable to be arm in arm or hand in hand with a friend.