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 ...

Maps of Mongolia

Here are some maps of Mongolia. The last one shows the city of Ulan Baatar with Mongolia International University, where we will be working, in relation to the city center. I will post more info soon.

Mongolia sits between Russia to the north and China to the south in the continent of Asia

Mongolia: the capital Ulan Baatar sits in the northeast of the country

Mongolia showing the provinces

The provinces around the capital Ulan Baatar

The city of Ulan Baatar - showing the city center in relation to MIU

We are moving to Mongolia!!!!

While we were in the countryside...

Today Kathy and I were told that our visas are ready for travel to Mongolia. I told my boss at Fluor where I work, and gave my two week notice, so my last day at work will be March 24th. And we also booked our flight, and will fly on March 30th to Mongolia and arrive on March 30th. We are so glad to finally get our visas and have a definite date for flying to Mongolia.

Some of you know that for the last few years Kathy and I have felt that a change was in store for us. There were many reasons for it: My mom, who we loved and had responsibility for, lived with us for 10 years before she passed away a few years ago, our older daughter Christy moved to Ohio with her husband Eric and their little daughter Audrey, our younger daughter Kim moved to Atlanta to pursue her doctor's degree in physical therapy at Emory University, and our church that I have pastored for some years seemed to be in need of a change in leadership. And when we visited friends in Mongolia in June of 2009 and particularly when we visited a friend who worked at Mongolia International University (MIU), Kathy and I began to have the crazy thought of actually being involved at MIU.

One year and nine months later, we're just about on our way! It has not always been easy to make so many decisions about it and get all the necessary things prepared, but onward we go! About MIU, all the classes are in English. Students come from many places including Russia, China, Korea and Mongolia. If they don't have a sufficient grasp of English, they are required to take English courses first. I will be the director of a portion of the English department. There is also an offshoot of the university for high school children from other countries. Kathy will be the college coordinator, helping the students with direction and the application process to get accepted at various universities in the U.S. and other countries

Included here are a few photos we took during our trip to Mongolia in 2009.

The main square in Ulan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia

Some boys at a church we visted

A view of Ulan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia

One of the churches Kathy and I visited

Another view of Ulan Baatar