Another gold for Mongolia

There were two Mongolian boxers today on the last day of the Olympics in gold medal bouts. When I asked for prayer requests at church Ganaa mentioned the two boxers and asked that we pray for them. When I finished up our service today about 1:15, Buren stated to everyone that the first boxer was just about to start his bout. The first boxer ended up losing his bout and earned a silver medal.

We were just finishing our afternoon meal about an hour and a half later when from outside we heard the sound of cheering. First, it was faint but gradually become louder and louder. I said to a Mongolian sitting at the table with us, "The Mongolian boxer must have won." She smiled and said, "Probably." Kristie and I looked out the windows to see where the cheering was coming from. But we did not see anything outside. It must have been the din of people cheering in their homes. Sure enough, when I checked later the second Mongolian boxer had won gold.

Several hours later, there are still people honking their horns and occasional shouts of victory in the streets. I expect some sort of public celebration. After the first gold medal was won nearly 10,000 people spontaneously gathered in the main square to celebrate. Several prominent politicians also came out to address the crowds.

The reason Mongolians have been so excited about this is because these are the first gold medals that Mongolians have ever won in the Olympics. Also, with the Olympics taking place in Beijing, Mongolians have had a greater interest in them. It is a good way to start a conversation.