It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us....
~ Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities
So begins Dickens' epic "Tale of Two Cities." Life is so often a series of contrasts. Another week spent with friends, our Saturday evening Bible study, and an uneventful bus ride until three drunks disrupted things!
Time we spend with friends is always nice. Mongolians can be so caring and kind and respectful. It is really something how we meet people from all walks of life and in all kinds of places. I find that as I live in the moment and pay attention to what is going on around me, I see how friendships can begin so naturally and continue on. And in our Bible study, people of different ages and backgrounds and cultures attend. Wonderful!
Ricardo and Serena and their two darling daughters had a big one year birthday party for their youngest daughter, a tradition in the Korean culture. Many of the staff at MIU attended the party in the Book Cafe at MIU. What a great family!!
But of course there is the other side of things that we speak about from time to time. The people that walk along the street or at the bus stops can often be rude. Kathy and I ride the bus to and from work and many times besides. There is often the pushing and shoving that comes our way. Yesterday three drunks - two guys and a girl - got on the bus, and seemed to be agitated by everything. For some reason there was a big scuffle at one point, and punches were thrown. The bus driver stopped the bus and got involved. So did a policeman who was a passenger on the bus. Eventually the three got their money back, but didn't leave without a fight. One of the guys was pushed out as the bus was moving, rolling on the pavement several times. Kathy and I didn't mind seeing them leave! Such is the other side of things... :)
And of course there is ultimately hope for every man and woman. I am convinced the all can find a new life full of purpose, love, faith and hope.... by finding Jesus Christ!
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| Kathy has a tendency to want to overpower me sometimes.. haha |
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| Serena, Ricardo and their darling daughters... |
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| Eric addressing the people who came to the party... |
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| A view of the amusement park in Ulaanbaatar... |
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| Haliuna and me |
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| Munguu showing Altjin and Holan her photo |
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| Holan, Munguu, Altjin, Kimberly, Anu and Nasim |
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| Nergui, me, Holan, Munguu, Altjin, and Kimberly |
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| Our friend Uyanga with Kathy |
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| Uyanga and me |
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| An evening view looking east from our window... |
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| An evening view looking west from our window |
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| Kathy! |
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| Our friend Tanya |
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| Kathy with Tanya |
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| Kathy cooked a great meal of spaghetti for Tanya and me as we talked about Mongolia, Russia, and other things |
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| Kathy - queen of the kitchen!! |
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| Some kids at a wedding at the Ghingis Khan hotel we stopped by to visit |
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| Nasim and me :) |
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| The fight begins on the bus!!! |
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| The policeman and the bus driver push the drunk out |
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| The drunk wouldn't leave without a fight |
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