MBA Coaches Training Continues

Fire In Ulaanbaatar

Sunday afternoon, black smoke colored the skyline over Peace Avenue.

A few moments later, the smoke darkened.  

Our building is the green peak-roofed one on the right in the foreground. 

But fortunately, the fire was further down the street.

It turned out to be coming from the historic State Department Store, opened in 1924!

Thank God about 30 minutes later, smoke began to dissipate.  

Police and fire crews were putting our the final smolders.  

It was the 6th floor of tourist souvenirs that burned.  

No word yet on what caused the fire, or whether fatalities occurred.

Childrens's Day in the Lock-Down

 Our friends joined us to the National Park outside Ulaanbaatar.

There were many people there, surprisingly.  Cotton candy and bubbles were for sale.

Afterward, we went for dinner at a favorite nearby restaurant.

Josiah went outside to play with his new bubble maker toy.

Clara enjoys the fun as well. 

Happy Children's Day, every June 1st in Mongolia! 

Inspiring Church Service

One of the beauties of the World Wide Web is the ability to travel (sort of) to experience places, even churches, where you've never been.  Maybe for you that means seeing and reading, perhaps praying for Mongolia from wherever you visit this journal, this web log of ours.  Thanks for dropping by!

Today I visited a church (virtually of course) in my own home state of Washington, that I had never heard of, in a town I couldn't place on a map.  I learned of it from a book that was suggested to me, which was written by the pastor of that church.  He happens to be the son of my favorite theologian, Eugene Peterson, who was born in another small town in our state: Stanwood, Washington.

Anyway I thought I would share this message of Home, the Hope of Heaven, and the need we all need for Justice and Grace.  The music and worship is what drew me to stay for the service of the proclamation of the Word of God.  I hope someone out there enjoys it as much as I did.

You can simply click here to see and hear.  Blessings!

German Mountain Sunset on School Year

The girls in Germany trekked up a nearby mountain to mark a significant event.

School is almost out and soon their dorm sisterhood will be separated by space and time zones. 

Mongolian Traditional Script Class

My friend Jonathan joined me in class last week.

He knows the vertical script quite well since he lived in Inner Mongolia.

Here we are after learning the traditional script numbers 1-9.

Here I am on the last day of class for the year, with some of the calligraphy script I had to learn to read with Tserma Teacher.  The poem behind us is like a poem of eternal blessing.  

Girls in Germany Celebrate Staff and Sisters

Birthdays are celebrated with fanfare at their dorm.

Maggie (above) celebrates their dorm mother Cheryl on her birthday.

For those with birthdays in summer, like Lydia , they celebrate a little early.

Maggie crowns her as princess of quick thinking, among other things.  

Getting Close to the End of School

Mrs B, alias Mom helps Josiah with a school project.

We're on the home stretch, and making them both stand the test. 

I think we could safely call the COVID-19 2020 school year a stress test for all!

Restarting Basketball Training

Right now kids are still not allowed to congregate.

So we're focusing on preparing coaches...

Been a long 3 months so we're getting back in shape. 

National Day of Prayer in America

No matter what your politics, a pandemic is a good time to pray to God in unity for healing.  

So many great prayers were offered for the world and country across denominations and faiths.

I especially recommend to you the two-song ensemble at the end of the prayer service.  

You can hear these songs and prayers for the pandemic by clicking here.

"Blessed  is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!"

Psalm 33:12

Quarantine Lock Down Loosens

Churches and schools are still closed, but gyms are open again!  Looking at the calendar, the last day we were able to train in the gym was February 4th.  

In late April, Mongolia canceled school until September.  I was thinking we might get into gyms in June or July if we're lucky.  Imagine my surprise when on May 1st we heard gyms were open again.  We walked in our rented gym and saw a pick-up basketball game going!  It had been a long hiatus.  

We met with the managers and agreed to reactivate our use of the gym as of May 5th.  That is almost exactly 3 months of the whole country being shut out of indoor basketball.  Can you believe it?

It caught us a little off guard, and everyone else as well.  So it was only three coaches at training.  It's still not allowed for kids to gather or be seen in public. So we have more time to prepare for when kids can start to gather, probably closer to September 1st, when school starts.  

Here we are after training for 2 hours on Thursday.  

Happy Birthday Renee!

We celebrated Renee's birthday at home last night.

Clara helped make her rhubarb pie.

Josiah made this cross out of clothes pins.

We played karaoke,

and ate pie!

She opened presents...

and cards...

We love you!

Washington State Quarantine Scene

This may not seem like a Mongolia post, but when you're stuck in a locked down country during a world wide Pandemic, and your loved one is in a Seattle area nursing home (the epicenter and hotbeds of the US outbreak of COVID-19) things can seem pretty bleak.  

Brothers Jon (and family) and Jake visit a month or so after moving Dad into a smaller facility with only 8 residents.  His previous facility had more than a hundred, and a few weeks ago had 39 cases of COVID.  So far no sickness reported here.  

We're all pretty grateful.  I think Dad is too!  God bless the USA with recovery and Jeremy's brothers for their care.  A blessing of big families is we can stand in for each other in caring for the old folks. He keeps asking when we're going to visit him.  "It's going to be a while", especially since Mongolia just extended their international flight ban through May 31st!

Here is another COVID Quarantine scene.  The kids' cousins visit their grandma outside her home in Ellensburg.  Kittitas county has had less than 20 infections and no deaths so far.  Praise the Lord!

More Quarantine Scenes

But first some humor...

Josiah learned about humming birds in school this week, and decided to make one out of legos.

Maggie makes pizza for her dorm in Germany.

Dying Easter Eggs...

And again with her dorm family and friends on an outing to an orchard.

Quarantine Ulaanbikers

Saturday was a great day for a bike ride

So Aibo and I met in the city, and headed out of town.  He is a professional basketball player.

 Here we are at our southern most point, over the tracks to China.

Aibo also coaches basketball for God.  Anyone else see the humor of my T-shirt slogan?

Basketball has indeed stopped officially, though we did see some guys playing on a play ground. Even though basketball is stopped, so far biking has not.  

Like water under the bridge, here's hoping 'this too shall pass'.

Happy Easter at Home!

Renee projects the hymnal onto the TV for us, so we can sing along as Ruth plays.

Remembering the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus.

 At home this year....

During the Pandemic, Easter was actually closer to home for us!  Even though we're all under quarantine, we were able to connect with family in via video from 5 different cities in two states.  

The internet also allowed us to connect by phone with Grandpa via phone, and see these pictures of his retirement home.  

Though this amazing technology, we were able to be 'together apart' to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus by catching up with loved ones.  'His love endures forever.' Happy Easter!

And finally, we connected with our girls under dorm quarantine in Germany for the whole of Spring Break.  Can you imagine what a two-hour long distance call would have cost even twenty years ago?  How much better to see and hear and even sing together!  We even prayed The Lord's Prayer aloud  together on behalf of those afraid and affected by the Pandemic.  We are very grateful all our loved ones are with us and well.  Give thanks to the Lord!

Psalm 136

1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
2Give thanks to the God of gods,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

4to him who alone does great wonders,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
5to him who by understanding made the heavens,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
6to him who spread out the earth above the waters,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
7to him who made the great lights,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
8the sun to rule over the day,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
9the moon and stars to rule over the night,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

10to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
11and brought Israel out from among them,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
12with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
13to him who divided the Red Sea in two,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
14and made Israel pass through the midst of it,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
15but overthrew^a Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
16to him who led his people through the wilderness,
for his steadfast love endures forever;

17to him who struck down great kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
18and killed mighty kings,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
19Sihon, king of the Amorites,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
20and Og, king of Bashan,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
21and gave their land as a heritage,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
22a heritage to Israel his servant,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

23It is he who remembered us in our low estate,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
24and rescued us from our foes,
for his steadfast love endures forever;
25he who gives food to all flesh,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

26Give thanks to the God of heaven,
for his steadfast love endures forever.

Girls Make Mongolian Tsuivan in Germany

Here's Maggie, Lydia and Johanna in their dorm's kitchen in Germany.

They were one of two groups to take the challenge to make an ethnic dish from their homeland for their dorm sisters.  

Tsuivan is a stir fry made with home-made noodles rolled out like pie dough as thin as a tortilla, then toasted lightly, and cut into strips.  After the meat and vegetables are stir fried, the noodles are added on top and sort of steamed and mixed to take on the flavor of the meat and veggies. Add soy sauce or ketchup (and some Mongolians add vegetable oil!) for flavor or moisture.  

Goodbye to Miss K

After about 20 years, on and off, serving the Lord in Mongolia, our kids' teacher Karen is returning to America to serve with the Alliance in another role at the National Office.

What a blessing to our kids and team she has been.  

Blessings Karen!