A Hard Day

Well Teresa & the kids are in Seoul. Tomorrow hopefully they will be on their way to the US for Aunt Jenna's wedding. Then to Canada to see family for the 1st time in 3.5 years. We all are excited to see family & friends, but are not excited to be back in Canada. We love Mongolia & the life we lived here. Many of you don't understand which makes it difficult.

Home: my beautiful old Russian apartment building, garbage in the streets, broken glass everywhere, we walk by homeless people asleep in our stairwell, stray dogs & cats everywhere, containers for cars lined in alleys for Kiel to climb/play on/jump the gap between them, The sticks & old pop bottles the kids play with outside because you need to be creative, my older Russian & Mongolian friends I sit with in our apartment building entrances hearing their stories, praying for most people that I know or just walk by in the streets & our home that is not beautiful, but Teresa has made it nice & feels like home.
    
Last night before we went to the airport the first time Kiel was hiding in my room & I could hear the quiet noises we all make when we are crying & don't want others to hear us. I walked over to Kiel sitting over next to my bed, reached for his head & placed my hand on his head. I told him that it's ok to cry. This is very difficult for all of us & that it's ok to morn the loss of our lives here in Mongolia. 30 minutes later he was hiding behind the couch cuddling with his cat, Mittens crying again. I walked over to him & hugged him. He started to cry even more. He said "dad I don't want to leave. I love Mongolia. I don't want to go back to Canada, Skype is ok for our family & friends." I was crying too & said, "Kiel I don't want to go back to Canada either. I love Mongolia too, but we need to go back to see our family & friends. I don't want to leave Mongolia for good, but feel it's what God wants. Sometimes God asks us to do really hard things. Leaving Mongolia is really hard." I looked at his teary eyes with my teary eyes & said "I love you."

God has forever changed us. We no longer value what many people in Canada value. All of us enjoy living in a place where English is not normally spoken & there are many things that are completely different to what many accept as normal.

My kids are missing the Mongolian men at Teen Challenge on Wednesdays & Thursday evenings. Teaching them conversational English, practicing their Mongolian with them, playing sports (basketball, football, table tennis, etc...) with them, just sitting next to them learning about their lives, helping them make supper, & the thing both Kiel & Esme said they will really miss, laying hands on these men & praying for them. They want these men to love Jesus, their families & live for Jesus.

We believe that God has asked us as a family & we all have chosen the life of serving others. It's not a job, but a life that God has asked us to live.

Hillsong Kids - trust & obey

Of all the things I could do for You
And all the things I could say
Nothing is better Lord
Than to simply obey

 The many things that I could be for You
The many things I could pray
Jesus I'll trust in You
And do what You say

 And I follow You
Where You're leading me
And I follow You
Where You're leading me
And I follow You
Where You're leading me
Jesus

 Jesus You're watching over me
As I trust and obey