Thursday, July 31, 2014

Middle of Summer in Mongolia!

It's the middle of summer in Mongolia. There has been a lot of rain here this summer... a bit unusual. BGut days like today are almost perfect... 75F (24C) and sunny. It's been great to spend some time with our LEI students playing basketball and having coffee; with friends renting bikes at the new city park; attending several weddings - one where our Chinese friends got married and one where our Kazakh friends got married - and taking some of my usual walks to new places in and around Ulaanbaatar.

The time Kathy and I are spending here in Mongolia continue to be blessed by the Lord. The adventure continues....... :)



LEI students spending a day around the city.





Kathy with our friend Jonathan on a motorcycle trip to the countryside.


Cool photo.... Kathy is super!



Mongolian children in the street.

The city opera house



Our friend Jossy and her husband Chinese wedding :)



Our friend Anar's Kazakh wedding.








... a train crossing a bridge outside Ulaabaatar ...




Saturday, July 5, 2014

Summer in Mongolia: A Hike and an Overnight Trip

Summer in Mongolia! It's always so nice to spend the summer in Mongolia... the weather is warm but not hot. Sometimes it rains but not much. Most everyone wants to get out of  the city and get in to the countryside, since the winters are so cold and the city is not easy to live in. 

One afternoon after the rain I took a walk up a small mountain just north of Ulaanbaatar where I live. The air was clean and clear. It was sunny and very windy. But the city was so clear. I never knew the hill was there with such a great view. I took some photos and a video.

And recently our church went on an overnight to Terelj National Park about 45 minutes from UB. We had a nice time. I have made a video of a walk that friends and I took along the river on the Saturday afternoon. Interesting to find a family sheering their sheep there. I have included the video here.



Ulaanbaatar as seen from the north.




Looking north from the hill.


Here is a photo to show you an ovoo built on the hill, which is a Shamanistic / Buddhist monument associated primarily with the worship of mountains and the sky. These can be seen on the tops of many hills and mountains in Mongolia. However, the true God as shown in Jesus Christ is not pleased with the worship of sky or mountains or any other thing. There are many spiritual forces at work in Mongolia, generally ruining many people and families. The Lord Jesus has set many Mongolians free from these evil powers and spirits. It has been wonderful to see.


Our overnight trip to Terelj National Park:


Oyuna, Kathy, Jonathan and I took a walk in the afternoon.












Some of my friends in the church.




The ger we stayed in.

The top of the ger from inside the ger.

A herd of yak on Sunday morning.




Sharing on Sunday morning.

A time of prayer.