Bible Quizzing

Maggie joined our church's quizzing team and competed for the first time Saturday.

They started the season off by winning this first quiz!

Grateful Thanksgiving

We had a great meal on Thursday afternoon to celebrate with our friends and colleagues, the Currie family and Americans around the world as President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed in 1863:

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens...with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience..."

We thanked God for food and good health, and reviewed the history of this American holiday.

A little further back in the history of the people of God, He said to Israel, who like the rest of humanity was prone to wander away from Him and forget his many benefits:

"if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land." (2 Chronicles 7:14)

Who Made America Great in the First Place?

Three hundred ninety-five years after the first Thanksgiving, today is a great day to be grateful.

Remember that release of calm on November 8th, when the long national argument was finally over? This Thursday, let’s pause again to give thanks, at the very least, that the election is over.

Along with our peaceful transition of power, one of America’s great gifts is a day dedicated to be grateful for what brings us together.  

Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national holiday for “Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens” for the “gracious gifts of the Most High God”  for “blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies”.  And this he proclaimed during a civil war!

So who made America great in the first place?  

If you consider America’s foundational story of the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock, my answer is crazy kings, courageous Christians, friendly foreigners, all covered by the great grace of God.

Why did the Pilgrims come to America?  They were facing persecution for refusing to believe as their king demanded, overreaching his political powers into the religious lives of the people. 

Courageous Christians fled to find freedom of worship. In 1620, the Mayflower carried 102 people across the Atlantic Ocean. Over two months later near present day Cape Cod, 100 passengers arrives alive.

Many died that first winter.  But American native people helped many pilgrims survive and find enough food to plant their own crops in spring of 1621.  That fall they celebrated the harvest in what is now known as our first Thanksgiving Feast in thanks to God and good friends.

Samoset and Massasoit are American names that should be remembered alongside ones like William Bradford, and Eduard Winslow, who courageously crossed the Atlantic to live in peace and freedom.

These people settled a land that 150 years later became the United States of America.  It was born through a decade’s bloody battles of the Revolutionary War.  In our Declaration of Independence, our people appealed to a higher power than kings; “their Creator”.  By God, declaration, and defense of their rights, they did “dissolve the political bands” of tyrannical rule. 

Today we have more freedom, communication, entertainment, food, drink and shelter than our ancestors could have dreamed.  We have far more luxuries than the licentious leaders they fled and fought to find freedom. We cross oceans in hours. Roads unite our continent’s coasts. Cities boom. Buildings tower.  

Let us gratefully remember our Maker.  He made America great.  Let’s remember to give Him thanks for our great American history and hope-filled future.

Out of the American wilderness walked a native named Samoset to meet the Pilgrims. Their silent astonishment was broken by his perfect English:  “Welcome, have you got any beer?”  They did not.  

Look how far we’ve come.  Happy Thanksgiving!

International Basketball Training Academy

Friends from an Alliance church in North Carolina came to conduct a hoops camp for local kids.  

 Do you recognize any of those players?  (Hint: Not all of them are Mongolian)

 Attention to basketball basics as well as foundational truth to build your life on was taught through three days of training.  About 60 kids received instruction and prizes free of charge.  The man in charge of the gym was happy to receive 5 basketballs the team brought, also free of charge.  

Harvesteen

You saw it here first....I'm making up a new word (at least to me).  I like to try to take stuff like Halloween back from the dark side.  I like how it used to be called All Hallows, or All Saints Eve, where Holy People who lived devoted to God were honored.  But I understand the night holiday has too many dark references to be celebrated as anything to do with the light for some.

So I offer this word which is a mix between Harvest Festival and All Saints Eve or Halloween: "Harvesteen" (after a quick search online, it looks like their are people with this as their surname, and some church named their fall festival by this "made up word").

Enough semantics; here's some pictures of our fall festivities....

Alliance World Fellowship

Close to 400 people from about 50 countries came to Thailand for the Quadrennial meeting of the Alliance Churches around the world.  

Our Mongolian brothers with believers from Africa above and the Middle East below.

Here they are with friends from southeast Asia

After all the great Word and worship, the group did some sightseeing at the king's summer palace.  

 Do our American Alliance people recognize the couple in this photo?

 They've got some skillful gardeners.  That's some royal creativity.

 "Luke and David" even got to ride an elephant, and an airplane.

To God be the glory!

Fall Birthdays

September and October bring birthdays for Jeremy and Clara.  She turned 9 years old this year!

Overhangai Provincial Capital and Southern Countryside

Chognam, Dawaa, Lxavga and Jeremy arrive at Overhangai Aimag Capital.

 Dawaa teaching Financial Peace lesson to government and community leaders there.

 Then we traveled south to the town of Togrog and conducted similar training there.

Here is a class of 6-8th graders hearing a one-hour lesson on character.

 At sunset on the way out of town, God painted a pretty sky.  Celebrate Recovery!

The night sky is amazingly lit with stars above this herdsman's home.  Can you see the big dipper?

Morning means everybody helps with chores, milking and handling the livestock.

Dawaa learns some animal husbandry.

Even their one year old son gets in on the fun!

The mom of the family handles the milking. Camels give 8-12 ounces/ each time.

Chores included roping horses to treat one and train another.

In another area, irrigation is starting to be used.  I believe this circle may be American made.

Gobi Sights, Scenes and a City

These two hills are a kind of Mongolian version of the pyramids, but smaller I think. 

 They are called "Lovely Pressed" loosely translated from the Mongolian.

Pastor Lxavga used to herd Camels, Goats, and Sheep here.  Now he shepherds Alliance churches.

Horse milk and other dairy was given to us every where we went.  

Meat was also plenty, it was like a 'moveable feast'.  Here a goat is being butchered.

Water for the stock come from well like this, some dug almost 100 years ago.

Herd of small sheep and a camel cross paths

This 360 degree panorama shows the flatness and expanse of the Gobi.

Camel's feet almost as long as mine! 

A rare bit of wood to burn on the fire.  Most fuel for the fire is from manures.

Finally out of the Gobi, we come to the provincial capital of Bayanhongor.