International Woman's Day Hike Outside City

Renee liked how the trees were planted in rows.

They do a good job of stopping the wind!

Clara with the city behind.

Josiah as he summits the snow and rocky crags.

The wind was strong on top, but mercifully not too cold.  Above freezing for one of the first times all day, it was a great day for a hike.  Renee's idea, Happy Woman's Day!

"New Beginnings" Church Beginning Again

This is the first time we gathered with them since before COVID.

Always nice to have a little meal and talk after church.

Seed of Faith Church Meeting in Person Again

After the service we all had a Mongolia huushur lunch together.

That's a fried meat pancake, kind of like the hamburger for Americans, a national hand-meal. 

But first there was worship....

Preaching...

and prayers for the kids...

It's nice to be together again after a couple years separated by COVID. 

Our View from Capitol City of Ulaanbaatar

Our friend David from Cornerstone Church of All Nations took this picture from our window.

On a visit with his wife and twin sons last Friday...

He also played us a bunch of great worship songs on our piano.

It was a memorable time of fellowship and fun for both families. 

Warm Winter News from Germany

Johanna and her dorm sisters dressed up for "Galentine's" festivities. 

And heard a talk from their teacher's love and marriage story.

Some of them got away for a day of sledding this month as well. 

Here's the whole sledding crew in front of an alpine "Edelweiss Hut" 

Clara's Basketball Team Wins International High School Championship!

Congrats to Clara and all the Wolves at the American School of Ulaanbaatar!

Sadly we had to watch the game remotely, at least it wasn't from across the world.

 Here we are at a coffee shop across the street.

IMBA Training Pivot: Spin Move

We had around 30 students training at IMBA through about 8 weeks of extended winter break recently.

Our training continues with fewer students now since half of them have returned to school in the afternoons.  Less is more.  Fewer students allows us to focus more on advanced moves.  This also helps coaches build deeper relationships with IMBA kids. You can see more at IMBA.MN

Happy Lunar New Year 2022!

We were invited to Pastor Lxavga's Home Friday, the 3rd day of the New Year on the outskirts of UB.

It was our first ever Tsaagan Sar since moving to Ulaanbaatar since the holiday was canceled in 2020, and we were evacuated to the US in 2021.

We invited our friend Jonathan along with us, for his first Tsagaan Sar in Outer Mongolia. 

Pastor "Luke" cooked beef this year instead of sheep for his foreign friends.

Then we visited a family who works with us in their apartment in the city.  They also cooked beef this year instead of sheep dumplings.  You can see their festive table behind us as we play ankle bones.  

You start with a big pile of shagai or ankle bones. You flick them together to try to win "all the marbles". 

But it was hard to beat our hostess.  Happy Lunar New Year of the Water Tiger! 

Team Visit to Terelj National Park

Just outside the park, we visited this neat lodge which in summer in on the waterfront.

We had homegrown Seabuckthorn juice instead of hot chocolate.  

And then in the National Park, we climbed up to this Mountain Lodge, which has a nice restaurant.

The kids ordered pizza...

But the adults ordered traditional Lunar New Year food of mutton dumplings and fried pancakes.

They even had one of the best sledding hills we've ever seen in Mongolia.

Johanna Getting Over Omicron Spike at Boarding School

Johanna caught COVID on the way back to Germany from Mongolia.  At first she had symptoms with no positive test.  After several days, she got a positive PCR result and was quarantined in her own dorm room during finals week.  Thankfully she was still able to talk all her tests, and got out of quarantine early after only 5 days.  Here she is reunited with her roommate, visiting through a the balcony window, another dorm sister who subsequently tested and quarantined in her room.  

And here they are reuniting with the rest of the dorm family after restrictions were lifted.

Here they are gathered around the old kitchen island for a meal in celebration.

Thank God for those who served and brought food to all those that got sick or quarantined.  And thank God everyone is feeling healthy and happy now.

 

January Home Scenes

Omicron is making some waves in Mongolia, but so far we're 'keeping it negative'. 

Church is back online for now, so Clara led some hymns for us at home.

She was also led the songs at youth group this week!

Josiah does the reading.

Thank God we were lucky enough to find a box of Lucky Charms!

Also really grateful the kids have been in school in-personall year so far!

Big Basketball Academy Turn Out During Winter Vacation!

We had more than 30 kids showing up for training almost all December and January.  Each day they memorize a verse from the gospel of John:

  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." 

(What verse was that if you like Jeopardy?)

The big kids practice their 'ready position'. 

The big group warming up with offensive squats.  I the academy everyone is a 'shooter first'.

Coach Ganaa and Pastor Lxavga helping to plan the ministry

 in the Mongolian Alliance Church Sports Center.

Snow Skiing at Sky Resort Outside Ulaanbaatar

On a sunny day outside the capital, Johanna and Clara get ready to take the bunny hill. 

After a long wait in line, we finally got on the lift.  The price is right, about 7 dollars on non-peak days including rental skis, boots and poles.  

Clara also rode the lift for the first time and learned quickly!

Hoping we can visit again when Johanna gets back in spring.  When the sun goes down the temperature goes below zero Fahrenheit quickly.  It was -8 on the drive home.  And the car's heater wasn't working!

Celebrating Johanna's Christmas Vacation Visit to Mongolia

Though it's sad when it ends, we are so grateful Johanna made it to Mongolia for Christmas vacation!

We celebrated Thursday night with dinner at her choice of restaurant: Italian food at "Veranda".

And she finished her Christmas gift model of the German castle that inspired Disney's:

 "New Swan Stone" in English, it is called Neuschwanstein Castle.