I want to thank-you all for praying for me on Wednesday. It was the 2nd time I taught my usual weekly Bible study to the Mongolian men at Teen Challenge in Mongolian without a translator. After the study I asked the guys if they understood what I was trying to share with them in my child like Mongolian. They were great, saying that they did understand my study on forgiveness. They said that they can tell whenever I teach them it comes out of wrestling with God & God challenging me in these areas. It's not from a place on the outside looking in, but a place on the inside, struggling, not wanting to learn, listening, accepting & being taught by God looking out.
Everyone at Teen Challenge has to take turns cooking, cleaning & everything that needs to be done around the property. I am part of the team so I have volunteered to be part of the everything that needs to be done. Last week it was my turn to prepare supper for Thursday. So I made my specialty here with the Russians & Mongolians, Ukrainian cabbage rolls. All 17 of us sat down to eat supper & the coolest thing was that Esme didn't like cabbage rolls, but when she saw all the men eating them & enjoying them said she had decided to like them & ate 2 big cabbage rolls. After supper we were suppose to leave, but the kids begged me if we could stay for the evening chapel service. We all sat in a circle & shared about of lives & it was amazing to hear all these guys stories. All of these men/students are educated knowing a minimum of 3 languages & most having university degrees.
I will not post pictures of the men at Teen Challenge out of respect for them. Although here are pictures from the inside (slide show on left of blog). It's an awesome place. Please continue to pray that the Russians that are planning to come live & serve here will be able to. This is an amazing ministry to help alcoholics be free from their addition.
Teresa had a good week home schooling the kids & continues to have her women's small group on Thursday evenings. Each week they pray, encourage each other & do all the other good things women do together. On Wednesday evenings she attends a English speaking Mongolian women's study in the ger district & is very busy, organizing, pricing & selling all of our things we are not taking to Canada with us. We are giving away all of our clothes (whatever will not fit in a carry on suitcase). It's so cool to see, Mongolian boys, girls, men & women around wearing our clothes.
I really like living overseas in a foreign country & culture because you are always thinking, struggling, depending on God & others, learning & serving. He also knows that we need rest from time to time & provides that too. Dependance is such a hard thing for us. We strive for it, but deep down know that it is not what God intended for us. He wants us totally dependent on him & others (head & body of his community).
We "...live in the world, but are not of it."
I spend time each day in my room by myself looking out my window with tears falling, or hold back my tears (like yesterday sitting on the couch in Mongolian home church) thinking of leaving Mongolians & this place. Each day I ask God to give me his heart for Mongolians & Russians here & he has. But, know we need to leave when Teresa comes home from a walk sneezing & wheezing because of the air quality. The air is much cleaner now that it's Spring then in Fall or Winter. I know that he wants us to serve in another foreign country soon, but a place in my heart will always be saved for Mongolians & Russians living in Mongolia.