Gear (or How to Stay Warm in Outer Mongolia)

This is one of those posts that the women in my family don't understand. However, one of the things that I was kind of excited about when preparing to move to Mongolia was the fact that I actually had a legitimate excuse to buy outdoor gear. It's not that I am the proverbial "gearhound" - but I have to confess that if I had unlimited financial resources and a less restrictive conscience, I really could be. Of course, we also used to live in Tennessee, where if it gets really cold you might have to put on a long sleeved shirt. I know that there are some who read this who will find this an absolute waste of blog-space. That's okay. You can stop reading now. However, I wanted to share a little about how we actually stay warm here - and I am telling you, I stay quite warm even when temperatures drop well below 0 degrees F.

Now, I will qualify this by letting you know that we have had a rather mild winter this year. The real bitterly cold temps (-40F or -50F) didn't really hit this year - we will see what happens next year. Nevertheless, we definitely saw -25F and -30F. I walk the dog every night at around 10:00 PM, and was never really cold.

I found the key to be removeable layers, particularly living in the city. The buildings here are really quite warm. If you aren't wearing clothes that can be easily removed, it's possible to suffer heat stroke in language class. I typically wore a tee shirt every day, with a fleece and a good coat. This method enabled me to stay comfortable with the summer time temperatures of my classroom and sub-freezing temperatures while waiting for the bus.

However, if I knew I was going to be outside for any length of time, this became a different matter ...

Layer 1 - A good set of synthetic (NOT Cotton!) long underwear. Cotton long underwear will absorb moisture and bring on hypothermia like flies on a yak (ummm... Mongolian metaphor?).

Layer 2 - Normal clothes

Layer 3 - A good fleece. I don't really find good synthetic fleece here. But that could be because they actually wear sheep wool (isn't that what fleece is supposed to be, as opposed to polyester?). I brought several fleeces from the States, and they have been fantastic.

Layer 4 - A good "shell". I have been using a shell jacket made by Nordica, that is intended to be used for skiing. There is a Gore-Tex coating and it has been quite sufficient to keep the Mongolian North Wind from slicing through my bones on cold winter nights. I was also given a pair of North Face ski pants that make a great outer shell for the legs, particularly if there is a lot of snow and my kids have intent of hitting Dad with snowballs...

Appendices - This is key. If feet, hands or head are cold -- then everything else is a wash. So...

Head: A good hat. I've been wearing a hat that used to belong to Renee's grandfather. It's warm with a fleeced lining, and an option to come over the ears, if necessary. It's warm and has some sentimental value.

Hands: I bought a good pair of North Face guantlet style ski gloves. They're perfect.

Feet: Here's the best. I like my Smart Wool socks. But the essentials are my Sorel Caribou's. Being waterproof and with a -40F rating, they are the best and most comfortable shoe for snowy and cold conditions.



It is now spring time. Temperatures have creeped back to above freezing several days this week. Night time temps are staying slightly above 0F. The lighter jacket has come out of the closet, and normal shoes are sufficient. Perhaps next winter will be colder than our first winter here - if so, I may have to get different gear. Too bad about that ...

7 Ways to Pray for Language Students

I am taking the liberty of putting an article from our Family Newsletter on this Blog. Perhaps it's a little self-indulgent. However, we do want and need your prayers for us and for others during this long process of learning Mongolian. If you know others serving places where a second (in some cases a third, fourth or fifth!) language is required, pray this for them, as well. It is easy to become discouraged - and that plays into the hands of the enemy of our souls. Use this guide to pray every day for people that you know in language study.

Also, if you don't receive an e-copy of our family newsletter - write us on the contact page and we will be sure to add you to the email list. You can read the latest version here.



We are now full time students. This is a unique time in our ministry where we are completely focused on learning another language, and another culture. I would like to give all of our ministry partners specific ways to pray for us (or anyone else for that matter) while in language study. It can be wearisome and tedious at times, and requires the continuous help and strength of Christ. You can use this calendar to pray specifically for us daily.

1. Sunday: Spiritual life and enjoyment of God (John 15:5)�It is possible to learn the language and the culture without a close walk with Christ. However, without abiding in Him there will be no fruit. Pray that we will invest in that which is most important.

2. Monday: Mental and emotional stamina�Language learning is much like running
a marathon. It takes patient endurance to get to the finish line. Pray that we will not be discouraged with the difficulty, intensity and length of the journey.

3. Tuesday: Time Management� Particularly with a family, there are many demands that are placed on our time. It also takes longer to simply live here. Pray that we will be given wisdom from God to use the time He has given us in the way that will most glorify Him.

4. Wednesday: Wisdom and vision for future ministry� Pray that God will give us insight into the people and future ministry that we might have in Mongolia, even while we are learning the language.

5. Thursday: Team Unity and relationships�We need our team and we need the national church. Pray that our relationships with those that God has put us into fellowship with will be unified and glorifying to Him in every way.

6. Friday: Family Life� Family life can be a challenge when the entire group is making adjustments cross culturally. When Mom and Dad are learning a language and the kids are not, it can be tough at times. Pray that we will make the right investments into family times and pray against the enemy’s attack on the family.

7. Saturday: Safety and Health�It is very difficult to concentrate on language learning when the body is worn down. Pray that each of us will be kept physically healthy and well.

Thank you for partnering with us in Mongolia!

A Hearty Welcome to the Year of the Golden Pig

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year - known as 'Chinese New Year' in the West. In Mongolia, we call it Tsagaan Sar (the White Month). These three or four days are probably the most important days of the year for Mongolians. Tsagaan Sar is a return to Mongolian Culture, even here in the city where most of the old ways are forgotten and overcome by westernization, modernization and the other things that make this a 21st century city (sort of). Today people were strolling the sidewalks of UB in traditional Mongolian dells, visiting friends and family. This day marks the beginning of the new year, as well as symbolizing all things old and traditional in Mongolia. Everyone also advances to their next year age today (dang, that means I am now 40 from the Mongolian persepctive). It also marks the first day of Spring. Winter is over (it's a nice balmy -13F right now).

Last night we had the privilege of celebrating with our friends Irka and Dawgee.

They invited us to their ger and we ate buuz (a meat dumpling)
Eating buuz is an important Tsagaan Sar tradition. The Mongolians believe that on the first days for the new year it is important to eat a lot of food. Being full means that there will be plenty for the coming year. I ate seven. That was plenty for one night. We'll be eating more, as we visit two more homes tomorrow.

We also enjoyed some excellent Mongolian potato salad, fruit salad, salty milk tea (Renee's personal favorite - not) and taking a piece from the traditional "boov" (that's the stacks of cakes and candies and sour milk cheesein the picture below).


We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and were privileged to celebrate with our friends. Dawgee leads worship at our little church. Her husband, Irka works with YWAM. They were married just before our arrival in July and are expecting their first child in May.

So to all we say "Saxuan Shinlerei" - and sometime this week enjoy some Salty Milk Tea with us (Salty Milk Tea will have to do since I am now officially out of Starbucks...)

Better Never Than Late

This is a direct quote from Cori’s art teacher. If it were one I heartily subscribed to, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. I suppose I have put it off long enough. It’s hard to believe I haven’t contributed to our family website since Thanksgiving, but there it is. The reasons are numerous and have been a combination of any of the following: holidays, illness, busy-ness, school, and I confess an unwillingness on my part that I won’t go into.

It’s time, however, to bring you up to date on our everyday life. Had I written this 6 weeks or so ago, I would have titled it, “Sunshine gone away today, don’t feel much like dancing…� If you don’t recognize these words, talk to someone older than you and they can hum it for you. In website timeline, this blog should fit between our Thanksgiving blog and our Christmas blog. It was the Monday after Thanksgiving that Narah came, but she wasn’t wearing her typical smile and she didn’t take off her coat. She was coming to tell us she was moving back to Darhan that afternoon.

The good news is that she is going to Bible School. I wish it were one that we strongly endorsed, but those don’t really exist here yet. However, we trust that God will honor her heart and teach her of Himself. You may be thinking that such an important decision was made rather quickly. So did we. But such is life in Mongolia.

There isn’t really bad news except that she left a gaping hole in our family. She really did bring sunshine into our home (if I didn’t mention it in a previous blog, that is what her name means). I’ll never be able to hear “Frosty the Snowman� without thinking of her. If interested, you can email and ask me why. She came back for a visit a couple of weeks ago and spent the evening with us. It was just like old times and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The other good news is that we were able to find a replacement helper relatively quickly. Her name is Undraa, and she is a sweetheart. She is as different from Narah as she could possibly be, but we have grown to love her as well. She was a tremendous help to me at our Christmas Open House. She has a real eye for presentation when it comes to serving food, so most of you know how much I appreciate that. She is an excellent language helper, which I really need.

Undraa is also in Bible School in Ulaanbaatar. She will be gone to the countryside starting next week for a month’s ministry practicum. No, I can’t explain that. She has a replacement lined up, so I get to start over again. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it is truly only for a month.

Our lives this past year seem to have been a succession of good-byes. I thought that would change once we finally arrived, but that was not to be. When Bernie and I were making our list of things to bring, there is a framed quote that he insisted on packing. Now I am so glad it hangs over my kitchen sink. It helps when I need Eternity’s perspective.

Measure thy life by loss and not by gain
Not by the wine drunk, but by the wine poured forth
For love’s strength standeth in love’s sacrifice
And he who suffers most has most to give.

I don’t begin to claim to understand suffering. But I am beginning to understand loss and sacrifice. The challenge is perspective and to recognize it as “momentary, light affliction� that is borne by the hope of an “eternal weight of glory� (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Ice Skating With New Friends

Well, I haven't done this in awhile. But I thought I would give you a little update.



When I first started at ISU I didn't like it that much. I thought the work was pretty hard and I also thought that maybe people didn't like me. But after a couple of months people started to hang out with and do stuff with me. I felt like I was being accepted at my new school. At first I was hanging out with the Mongolian girls. They were the first ones who wanted to to spend time with me! My Mongolian friends are friendly and a lot of fun to be around! Now, I hang out with all of the girls in my class and they are from all over the world. I have friends from Mongolia, Germany, Wales, India and Norway! How cool is that? When I was in the States I couldn't imagine having so many friends from so many different places.

Last week I went ice skating with two Mongolian friends and my German friend. The Mongolians made an ice-skating rink right across the street from my apartment. We went the other night for about an hour and it only cost about 50 cents (that's 600 Mongolian Toogrugs). After ice skating we were all freezing, so we went to Pizza King for pizza. It was a fun day with my friends. Now I look forward to going to school on Mondays because I love hanging out with all of my friends from all over the world.