Our LEI picnic and classes :)

Our Language Education Institute has been busy this fall. Recently we had an all-day picnic for the students. It is great for the teachers and students to get to know each other better at our yearly beginning-of-the-semester picnic. Great time! As I have mentioned before, learning a language is difficult, and it helps to feel more comfortable around each other in order to speak easier. 

I also have some photos of a few of the classes, as well as photos of the teachers. Also, there has been a lot of work on our new office space. Soon I will post some photos of it. 

The students and teachers who went on the all-day picnic. Beautiful day along the Tuul River.

Nandia and Sunigel leading the students in warm-up exercises.

Here is one of the buildings we used.

Me with Tom, one of the American teachers !

Two students and a roaming cow...

We all had lunch together.

A view of the Tuul River from our camp.

Our day-time teachers and staff. Great group!

Khaliuna, Degi and me

Our Mongolian language teacher Ganaa.

Our teachers and staff on Teachers' Day

Duuya our Mongolian language teacher

Some super students :)

Me with a class I was observing.

One of our excellent teachers Sunigel with her class.

Into the New Semester!

It's been almost two months since I posted on my blog! Summer is past; the temperatures are below freezing at night; it's time to get ready for winter here in Mongolia. Our semester at LEI began two weeks ago. As far as LEI is concerned, it has been a difficult summer and beginning of the semester. A new floor about us has been added. It is beginning to look great now, but it has taken a year. In our office and classrooms we have had to deal with loud construction noises on and off for a year, a poorly constructed new roof that has leaked horribly during rains and caused our office to have a tremendous amount of water, mold, ruined computers and other equipment, inefficient daily office work, and interrupted classes. We had to start our semester a week late. Now things are almost under control. If the difficulties were a normal result of construction, it could be ok. But things have been crazy because of poor planning, poor management, poor construction, careless ruining of equipment, etc etc etc that we have had to put up with. Such is life in UB!!

Here are some photos of our LEI logos and activities. The redeeming factor is the involvement we have with students eager to learn English.

Also our church has begun meeting in an art gallery. It is a super opportunity God has given us. We are all happy about it. Everything done well requires much time and effort and sometimes heartache! But we are growing as a church, and we are all happy about it.

Our Torch cell group

Kathy speaking at our church's new meeting place at the art gallery