"The sound"

I told you recently about the interesting sound that Mongolians make when they are agreeing with someone, and how making that sound caused me to choke. Unfortunately, I don't have a video of the actual 'incident' while I was eating rice; but I do have some video of me making the sound while interacting with Mongolians one Sunday. I've looped it three times so that you can get a better idea of what it sounds like without playing it over and over. Right about the middle of each section, I quickly suck in air. Notice the sound that I am making. It approximates the sound that Mongolians make when they want to say their version of 'uh-huh.'

Sunday debriefing

This post is a debriefing instead of an update because I want to cover many things besides the events of Sunday.

Our attendance was down yesterday. Still the singing was good, and I felt that the preaching was strong. Roland preached from I Timothy 6, and my sermon focused on Peter's question, "We have left all to follow you, what will our reward be?" Many Mongolians purposely say that they will follow Christ in an effort to gain some material benefit: a job, food assistance, the prestige of being with foreigners. I want to teach the Mongolians that God has entrusted to me that we follow Christ not because we believe that we will receive some material benefit but rather because we love the Savior and realize our debt to our Creator and Redeemer.

Buren was in the hospital, and one of his daughters did not come; I am not entirely certain why she did not come. I had known that Buren was in the hospital but had been unable to visit. So on Sunday afternoon, I went to visit Buren.

He told me that Thursday night blood was gushing from both nostrils so profusely that a handkerchief that he held up to his face quickly became soaked with blood that it began to drip. Two of his daughters that were with him were very afraid. They called an ambulance at 7 PM. When it did not come immediately Buren's brother drove him to the hospital. (The ambulance ended up showing up at 10 PM, but hey, it's free because they have nationalized health care here).

Doctors finally cauterized a blood vessel in Buren's nose on Friday. But Sunday when I visited, he still had some minor bleeding. He has taken many tests, but the doctors cannot seem to determine the cause of the bleeding. Please pray that this strange medical problem would help Buren realize his own mortality and bring him humbly to our Savior.

In other news, on Thursday night I was visiting Bayambaa and her husband Mandaa. We had a chance to talk briefly about Jesus Christ, and I invited both Mandaa and his brother Manlai to our special Christmas-oriented service on December 23. By the way, I met Manlai for the first time on Thursday night while I was at Mandaa and Bayambaa's house. I had been at their
house for about thirty minutes when Manlai came in. He came in not sober at all but a very talkative drunk. He claimed that he had seen my car outside of Mandaa and Bayambaa's hashaa and came to meet me. He knew enough English to say, "Hello, my name is Manlai. How are you?"

We made some conversation and talked about Christians. He asked me to teach them all (Manlai, Mandaa, and Bayambaa) English and said that he would come to a church service. But I never place much confidence in anything any Mongolian says while he is not sober.

Later, I found out that Manlai had come by their house not because he saw my car and wanted to meet me but because his wife had kicked him out of the house because he was drunk. He spent the night at his brother's house. In the morning after the others had left, he stole some things from his own brother's house probably to buy more alcohol. Needless to say, we did not see Manlai on Sunday.

Several of our church members and regular attenders are facing serious pressure from their families not to identify themselves with other Christians. We know that this opposition is from the Enemy and that if our Christian brothers and sisters respond to it appropriately they will be stronger for it. Please pray that God would pour His grace upon these young Christians, enabling them to be a bright light for Jesus Christ in a very dark society.

Children's Christmas Party

Having a party around Christmas at our home for Mongolian children to attend has become an annual event for us. This year's party was held on December 15. Although we invited about a dozen children including children from families at our church and neighbor children, only five of those showed up along with two toddlers that were too young to really enjoy the party - or so we thought.

This year we added teaching the Biblical story of Christmas which gave us an opportunity to be a witness for our Savior. (Last year we gave out tracts for the children to take home.) I taught the story extemporaneously - that is, without notes. The children seemed to understand. I used some flash cards but maybe will not do that in the future. At the end of the story one Mongolian child asked if Jesus was hot when he was born. I was stumped by the question because I could not comprehend why he would think Jesus was hot as a baby. As I tried to inquire further about his question one of the other Mongolian children told me that Jesus must have been hot because his face was "red" in the picture. I wonder if the pictures distracted more than added to the account of Jesus' birth.

Along with the Biblical story of Christmas, we decorated sugar cookies again at this year's party. That always seems to be a big draw. Our neighbor's children will often ask as Christmas approaches, "When are you going to have the party where we decorate cookies?" Mongolians do not have any baked item that they spend time decorating. Some families make a type of hard cake with a decorative shape that Mongolians jokingly call sole cake because they say the decoration looks as if someone stepped on it with his shoe and left the imprint of a sole on it. But as far as putting on sprinkles or cutting cookies out in shapes - these things are unknown to the Mongolian children. Strangely enough, the Mongolian children seemed to tire of the cookie decoration time more quickly this year than in past years. Perhaps they are getting too used to making sugar cookies.

The children also exchanged gifts. Like all children that I know, Mongolian children enjoy opening gifts. We concluded the party with a game of musical chairs which the children also seemed to enjoy. The two little toddlers who came did not play musical chairs but would get excited when the music stopped and cheer. I guess they liked the excitement. As the other children were packing up their cookies and preparing to leave, the two toddlers started pretending to shoot each other and everyone else and laughing. I think perhaps they had as much fun as anyone else even though they really could not participate in most of what the other children did.

Who said that speaking Mongolian couldn't kill you?

The Mongolians have a way of agreeing with something that is said similar to the way that we say, "Uh huh." The best way I can describe it is this: put your tongue way up near the roof of your mouth and make sure that your mouth has lots of spittle in it. Then quickly inhale. Mongolians make this sound many times in conversation usually subconsciously I am sure. I asked someone one time what it meant, and he did not even notice that he had been making that sound. But it is just one way that Mongolians quickly and unobtrusively express their agreement.

Several years ago, I decided that if I wanted to speak Mongolian like a Mongolian person, I would have to learn how to make that sound. The first few weeks that I made that sound, my tongue close to the roof of my mouth and with a quick intake of breath I always expected the Mongolians to laugh at me. After all, to American ears such a sound seems odd in speech. (One American described it as a cough.) But the Mongolians did not react at all. They just kept right on talking.

With time, it has become second nature when my mind is in Mongolian mode to simply make this sound whenever I want to unobtrusively express agreement. Well, let me tell you that speaking Mongolian in this way can be hazardous to your health.

Last week, I was eating rice at lunch with some Mongolians. I do not even recall what the conversation was about but remember that subconsciously I wanted to agree so I did the little quick inhalation thing. But one should never try to inhale quickly while eating, especially while eating rice. The result was several pieces of rice heading down my windpipe. I briefly choked, coughed, and tried to be dignified in it all.

Fortunately, the rice did not get lodged in my windpipe; and after some coughing and hacking I was able to breathe again. But I'm telling you, speaking Mongolian can kill you.

Clear reversal

One of the interesting things about speaking Mongolian is that so much of what is said in Mongolian is said in a different order than it is said in English. (I'm not sure if it's English that is backwards or if it is Mongolian).

Here's an illustrative example from Psalm 119:11. In English it reads, "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."

A wooden English translation would read, "You against sin to not do your word I heart in saved." And grammatically it's good Mongolian.

Speaking this language effectively in the power of the Holy Spirit is one more reason that we need your prayers.

Sunday update

It's cold here. The type of cold where any exposed skin starts to hurt after a while. Of course, that's no surprise when the temperature is below zero. Sunday the high was 3 above. (The low was -18). But our apartment is cozy and warm.

We seem to be stuck on about 10 Mongolian adults in attendance. The number of children seems to fluctuate. Sometimes we have as few as two, yesterday we had six. But there has been 9 or 10 or 11 Mongolian adults in attendance, I think, for the last month or so. I'm not complaining. During that time we've had some Sundays where many of our regular attenders were out with sickness or something and visitors have come to make up the difference. At other times, we've had no visitors and all our regular attenders have come. It just is interesting to me that we have had 9 or 10 or 11 every week for a while.

I would like to see us break through this plateau and begin to see an increase in the number of people who come. Not being from a nation with a history of Christianity, Mongolians do not have a tendency to come out for a church service in Christmas and Easter. Despite that fact, we are planning to have a special service on the Sunday before Christmas to explain the Good News that Jesus came to be our Savior from sin. Please pray that many would come out to our service on Sunday, December 23.

Where have I been? Why I'm glad you asked ...

I know that some of you are wondering why I haven't written more updates recently. You may even be asking, "Where has Scott been?"

I've been out tasting goat's head; and believe me, it's one of those things that you just have to experience. Most Americans don't like to be able to identify the animal's body part that they are eating. (I consider myself to be one of those Americans.) If you want to eat liver - I like liver, by the way - you want it chopped up with onions. No one that I know wants a whole liver to be brought out to them on a platter. One should view animal's body parts at a dissection not at a dinner.

So I was a little bit taken aback Saturday night when I went to visit Bilgee. When I arrived something was boiling covered on the little stove that serves both to warm their shack and cook their food. (As an aside: I really wish that I could post pictures of the interior of their tiny shacks, the Mongolians huddled around a metal box, a few chunks of coal their only source of heat when the weather outside is below zero. But I feel awkward taking pictures of such primitive conditions because Mongolians know that these conditions are primitive and feel ashamed. If you want to see such poverty, you'll just have to come to Mongolia yourself.)

Bilgee happily announced that they had a delicacy on tap for that night: goat's head. Sure enough, when his mom whipped the lid of the pot, there sat two goats' heads. Bilgee pulled one out and placed it on a platter. There was the head of a goat; his eyelids had swollen in cooking and covered his eyes, so you couldn't really say it was looking at me. The tongue was slightly hanging out of his mouth as if the poor creature was slyly sticking his tongue out at me. I fought back the urge to stick out my tongue at the now lifeless beast. Bilgee made some cuts along the side of the head from the edge of the mouth back and, with a mighty crack, pulled the head into two pieces. He cut of the ears and offered me some with the advice that they were a little chewy. I passed on eating the ears. He then cut the tongue up. I've had tongue before and was happy to eat that. Goat's tongue is a little strong for my taste but at least it can be chewed. Bilgee looked as if he was chewing shoe leather as he worked on one ear.

I tried a few other pieces but missed out on the eyes. I guess you have to dig those out of the eye sockets with a knife. All in all, my first experience with goat head went rather well as I was able to chew and swallow everything I took without mishap. And my stomach felts fine the next day. Happy times indeed.

An evening with Ankhaa

On a hillside overlooking a thin trickle that passes for a river in Mongolia sit a variety of small brick homes, wooden shacks, Mongolian felt tents, and a diverse assortment of other structures that constitute Mongolian ger districts. Dividing the hillsides and river valley into a patch work of properties are fences mostly of rough wood. Each fence encloses an area called a hashaa. These hashaa's rarely include just one family. Most hold several tents or shacks and each tent or shack may house a family or more. Within Ganpurev's hashaa (the fence around his property) is Ganpurev's small house and Ankhaa's ger.

Ankhaa is Ganpurev's nephew. About a year and a half ago he was married. The first year of marriage Ankhaa and his wife lived in the countryside and only moved to the city this last summer. When he moved to the city his dad told him to pitch his ger in Ganpurev's hashaa. Ganpurev immediately saw it as an opportunity to be a witness to Ankhaa and told Ankhaa's father as much in his summer visit to the countryside.

Soon after Ankhaa arrived in town, I met him at Ganpurev's place. Ankhaa has spent several weeks off and on in the countryside with his father and mother. It is shaping up to be a hard winter in the Mongolian countryside. A very dry summer left behind drought conditions on the steppe. Then an infestation of rats (in some parts) killed off much of the grass that the animals need to survive the winter. (The rats eat the roots which kills the grasses). One consequence of these conditions is that Ankhaa has been in the countryside helping his father and mother move to another part of the country for the winter.

Ganpurev has taken many opportunities to preach Jesus Christ to Ankhaa, his wife Otgoo, and his wife's younger sister who lives at their ger some of the time. Ankhaa has been eager to hear and seems to be understanding. His wife Otgoo comes from a very Buddhist family and is hesitant to listen and is sometimes antagonistic.

A prior engagement kept me from reaching the hashaa that they share until after 9 on Friday night. Last night when I went for a visit, Ganpurev and I spent over an hour talking with Ankhaa about the Creator God, sin, righteousness in Jesus Christ, our Savior's death on the cross in our place, and other Biblical topics. Actually, Ganpurev did most of the talking. It is so thrilling to see Mongolians speaking about the Truth to other Mongolians because, in the end, it will be Mongolians and not foreigners that will effectively evangelize their country.

Please continue to pray for Ankhaa and his wife. I would love for them to make professions of faith together and grow together as Christians. I have already told Ganpurev that should they be saved, I want him to work to disciple them. Ankhaa and Otgoo are expecting their first child in February. Would it not be fantastic to see this young couple saved, growing, and raising their children to serve the God of the ends of the earth?! Please pray with me to this end.

Mongolian Independence Day

Monday, November 26, was Mongolian Independence Day. This holiday does not seem to be particularly special to Mongolians. I asked several Mongolians what Mongolians traditionally do on their Independence Day. Only one had an answer: he said that Mongolians read their constitution (he was joking). Knowing that there is a tendency in Mongolian society to take any day off from work as a day to drink alcohol, I thought I would organize a small get-together for our church on that Monday when many members would have the day off.

We ate a potluck meal, talked some, and played some group games. Roland introduced our group to a very interesting game called "Four on the Couch." The men then lost four games to the women. We also played spoons. The picture I posted includes Roland and Kristie preparing to play a game with some of those who attended.

Almost every time that we do something like this, the Mongolians remark on how much fun they have. It gives them an opportunity to interact with other Christians, see that having fun does not need to include evil, and relax in a welcoming environment.

Sunday update

We enjoyed eleven adults and a couple of children Sunday at our church service. Five minutes after the meeting was scheduled to begin we still only had three adults and no children. But in the end eleven adults had trickled in.

Elsie was sick, and Emily stayed home with her. Also, both of Roland's children were sick which meant that Joann was unable to attend. Roland and I preached to the adults. Kristie and Ganaa worked with the children. Kristie led singing and the craft; Ganaa taught the lesson while Kristie worked with the flannelgraph to give the children something to look at.

Please pay for Bob and Ganaa. As you know, Ganaa is saved, but Bob is not. Ganaa has been praying for her husband's salvation for years. Recently, Bob has become rather antagonistic to Ganaa attending church services. In the past, Bob has come or been willing to bring Ganaa and the children. More recently, Bob has insisted that the children stay home, and Ganaa has been coming by herself. Today, Bob tried to discourage even Ganaa from coming. Please pray earnestly for Bob's salvation.