Trish's Visit to Mongolia! June 2010

We so enjoyed Trish here for a little while. She was a good guest, as always, and wasn't afraid to try things, which you will see later! She has posted some of the same-kind of pictures on her blog, but we have a little different view, so you will see alot of Mongolia,

some things a tourist will never see!
This is Zican, the hill on which Elder Neal A. Maxwell dedicated Mongolia to the Gospel. One of the things he said was that Mongolia will be a beacon to the world. They are that...There are more Mongolian Missionaries per-membership than anywhere else in the world! And Mongolia is the only Country that has identified all of the 12 Tribes of Israel!

The Lord truly is blessing this country!

This is another view from the top of Zican, looking the opposite direction that Trish posted. Her view was of Ulaanbaatar, this view is quite a contrast.

This is a Ger District all the little round things are Gers. And yes, people live in them, they are still quite prevalent, even in Ulaanbaatar.

We had the opportunity to go to a Production of traditional singing and dancing.
The costumes were so beautiful!
Notice the horse-headed fiddle. they have two strings and they sure make pretty music.
This singer is throat-singing. That is amazing to hear, you can't see his lips move but they have such a range of voice. It was so neat to see and hear!

The dancers were so beautiful, and were so fun to watch! The costumes are so elaborate.

I would guess they are traditional to specific tribes, and peoples of Mongolia.

This is the whole Orchestra, with two of the singers. The long violin, to the right. Chime-like instruments in the middle. And horse-headed fiddles, on the left,

with bass-fiddle and horns in the back.

Gate to the Chinggis Khan Statue. This was an amazing place.

I liked the warriors on the top, huge like the rest of the place.

The world's largest boot!

It took 225 cows hides to make this boot.

(Sorry I haven't figured how to turn the pictures, Loren and Tama have given me some ideas,

I just need to study them a little more.)

Trish, with an Golden Eagle, it was pretty cool!

She posted the picture of the Ger from the outside, and with it's satellite dish.
This is a picture of the inside. Notice the pillows, they are used to store their clothes,

with no closets they have to put them somewhere.

The bottom of the Ger has been lifted up to let some air in. They can be very hot, with all that felt around it to keep it warm in the winter.

This Ger was a very clean and neat one.

We are probably about 35-40 minutes out of Choibalsan.

This is the family that owns the camels.

We found the camels!

After a 30 minute ride on the steppes, in a meeker, which we had to get out of and push out of a ditch, once, we found them. The owner came with us, he had to get out a few times to look through his binoculars to find them.

There were 6 of them. This is the baby camel.

Dad is with Elder Batsaikhan, a brand new missionary.

The baby camel is giving me a kiss!

I wasn't too sure about that, but he was gentle!

This picture has a story that Trish forgot to tell!

The owner asked if anyone wanted to sit on the camel,

one of the missionaries and Trish offered.

The missionary got on and sat without any resistance from the camel.

Then Trish started to get on. She was half way up,

when it decided it wasn't in the mood for another rider!

The camel started to dance, and do a 360! She was holding on to the hump for all she was worth, and the amazing thing was that She Did!!

The two Elders were also holding on to the camel's neck, so grateful they didn't let go!

Her horse riding skills, and her strength kept her on!

And I would imagine an angel or two, also!

Then when the camel couldn't buck her off, he turned around and spit on her!

That she didn't dodge quite as good, she got some on her sunglasses, hair and forehead!

It was an amazing experience and so grateful it was all OK!

Posing with the camel!

Dad, Elders' Altunsuu, Batsaikhan, Onon and me

Sister Bassanjav, Trish and Sister Mandkhi.

This last picture was taken a couple of days after Trish left,

she was probably somewhere over the ocean.

She brought some little towels, jump ropes and Uno games for the children

at the Lighthouse Orphanage here in Choibalsan.

There are currently 16 children, most without any family.

We weren't able to deliver them while she was here,

so Dad and I took them over Sunday afternoon.

The kids were very pleased and were excited about the Uno game.

We weren't sure if they knew how to play, but the older ones did.
The man who runs the Orphanage is a member of the Church.

He was pleased when we called him,

he actually came and got us so we didn't have to walk the 2-3 miles to get there.

We feel so blessed to have all of you children!!

We are so grateful for the Lord's watchful care over each one of you!

(especially Bradley and his biking!)

We are grateful to be here in Choibalsan, on a Mission and to be among some beautiful people!

Thanks to each one of you for your love and support of us.

We have a deeper love for each of you and for each other!

There have been some challenges and some hard things we have had to go through

but we know more now than at any other time -

That the Lord lives!

He is aware of us!

He loves ALL of us very, very much!

And we love you to!!

Mongolia Senior Couple Outing - June 2010

We flew into Ulaanbaatar on Monday, June 21st. Here we are gathered to leave on our outing - June 23rd. President and Sister Andersen are in front and they have a week left before they finish their mission and go home to Hong Kong. They have been a good Mission President and wife, and we have enjoyed serving with them. Elder and Sister Atkins, front and to the left, are also leaving when we return from our trip. There are some amazing couples here who are so willing to serve and do what is needed. They have been so supportive of us, being so far away.

13th Century is a Theme Park, camps that have been reconstructed to the time of Chinggis Khaan. They think he had 13 of these camps, only 6 of them have been finished.

Guard Camp: It was set up to train his soldiers - 2,000 at a time.

This is the dress they would have worn, when it is hot we see the men slip one arm out of their deels.

This is a Chinggis Khaan's Flag. The white represented peace. The black one, just like this except with black hair, meant they were coming to war. I think it would have been terrifying to see Chinggis Khaan and his army coming toward you with the Black flag waving! When C.K. went to war only half of the soldiers would go, he left the other half to protect Mongolia.

President Andersen and Dad. They did get to ride horses the next day. Dad was so excited! He still missed Minnie and Missy, I think.

Education Camp: This is where the children were taught. The big Ger at the top was the classroom and sleeping quarters for the children. It was huge and held 50-60 children at any given time. They were taught language, writing, poetry, music, domestic arts, how to make clothes and how to kill an animal, etc. The children learned to ride a horse at 4 years of age. The boys began training as a soldier at 8 years. One of the interesting things was the young boys would memorize poetry, which were instructions a soldier would have to know. When C. K. gave a command it would go down the line of troops in the form of a poem that they all had memorized and knew, so the last soldier knew exactly what the first one knew, there would be no misunderstanding.

She is writing our name, Anderson, in Old Mongolian Script. The Mongolian people have a very high literacy rate - like 95%. They all learn Mongolian and another language - usually English, sometimes Russian.

This is the bathroom facilities! No seat, just a place to put your feet. and two can go at one time!

Herder's Camp: We got to ride a camel! This camel is 8 years old. The hump is sagging, because his water is low. They can go 2 months before they have to drink! This camel is molting so there was hardly any fur, but they brush them and use the fur like wool, to make clothes and sweaters which are very warm. I felt like I was going to fall off, as he was getting up.

Next!

This is his wife and their homes. I think they live here during the summer, there was a herd of goats. We watched them "sheer" a goat. It is done with scissors and takes about 20 minutes. The colored goats, brown, black and red, are combed, it is sold for Cashmere wool. The white goats are used for food and family needs. She fed us goat yogurt and cheese, which tasted alot like rich butter. There were also a couple of children, 8 and 10, I think. One of the interesting facts that our Guide told us was - There are 30 million sheep, 20 million goats, 15 million cows, 5 million camels (mostly in domestic herds), and 3 million people - in Mongolia.

King Ger: This is like the Ger that C.K. would have lived in, it was never taken down. It is built on a huge wagon and transported as needed. This is where he received guests and visitors. We had a traditional Mongolian meal, soup, salad and hoshers. They had some music, also - Horse-headed fiddle, the Mongolian Long Harp, and Throat Singing. They were beautiful. The location is amazing, it is set out on a vast prairie, (the steeps). It is so hugh and open, it goes on forever! Every July they hold a traditional Nadaam Festival there with the 3 Manly Sports - Archery, Wrestling and Horse racing.

We were able to dress up in the King and Queens clothes. They told Dad that a soldier never smiles, he is trying not to smile!

Shamans Camp: This is Mongolia's traditional Religion, dating back to 545 AD. Buddhist did not come to Mongolia until the 1500, under the 14th King of Mongolia. All 22 of the Mongolian Tribes are represented here on a pole with an animal or symbol. They worship the sky and earth and various animals. This is a woman Shaman

Chinggis Khan Statue: This place is where he is said to have found his Golden Whip, which brought him good luck, and the place he fought China and Turkey and won. The Statue is 130 feet high. We climbed up the tail and out onto the horse's mane. You can see little people there.

A long ways down! The complex is supposed to be completed in 2012. It is amazing!

Us with His Golden Whip.

Buddhist Monastery Gate: A working Healing Monastery. Things are so colorful. The Russians came in and killed all but about 100 of their Priests. The others were able to hide in a cave, the people protected them. They still hold services here.

Heaven's Envoy Ger Camp: We spent the night here our Ger is the last one on the right.

We then traveled back to Ulaanbaatar and had a lunch cooked by Pres Batbold and Baatar.

It was a very fun Outing and we took so many pictures, it was hard to decide which ones to use. I hope this gives you an idea of the beauty and vastness of the land...it is truly beautiful and lives up to its name of "Country of the Blue Sky"!

We love you and are so appreciate of our rich Heritage,

and the opportunity to share it with these people!

Summer in Choibalsan

Remember our little Ice Skating pond out back of our window? Here it is in the summer - a parking lot. There is a lot of rain during the month of June. We had about 2 weeks of rain. A couple of thunder storms and even lightening! With no mountains to block the thunder, it goes on forever - rolling from one end of the Countryside to the other! You could hear the girls scream and run for cover. The rain doesn't bother them, just the thunder and lightening.

We went for a walk, there was this cute little park with green grass and trees - and a public restroom, for all to use! we passed on the opportunity!

Family Home Evening at our home. We had dinner - pancakes, eggs and hash browns, they really didn't like the syrup, to sweet. But they liked everything else. We had a lesson and played a game of "Shagai". There are several games, we're trying to collect some and learn the game so we can show all of you. The Shagai is ankle bones, usually sheep, sometimes goat. It is interesting to see and watch how fast they are. Right to left - Bolor Erdene, Sunshine, (her name means sunshine, she likes to be called that and it is easier than her Mongolian name), Dad, Erdenetsegseg, (Sunshine's daughter), Tserenume and Bimbajaw. Bimbajaw translates for Dad at church and we take him visiting with us once in a while.

Dad getting his exercise on the playground equipment.

This is Tagooch, she is about 80 years old, she has been in one of our previous blogs. This is her new calf, she was so proud of it!

Pool is a common summer pass time for the men, I haven't seen many women play. This is at a young member house and his friends. I'm not sure of names. At the Zaax there is about 15 tables set up. We've seen a lot of betting and gaming.

I'm amazed at the construction of some of their public utilities, The green pipes are water lines, this is a public road to one of the neighborhoods so they built it up and over the road. I'm amazed they hold up in the cold winters, but they do! If you go any place other than the road you just climb over them or under them!

The trees they have here in Choibalsan are Cottonwood or Chinese Elm. It is warm enough for the cotton to fly. The Mongolians call it "snow in summer" and it looks like snow, it covers everything and gets all over. Dad is feeling it in his eyes!

The other night we heard some singing, we looked out and saw the Military marching on the street in back of the apartment. They do love their music, love singing, and they are all good singers, too. It was kind of fun to watch and hear them. There is a Military Base here in Choibalsan, so we see men and women in uniform all the time.

We do love all of you!

Hope you are having a fun summer, too

Happy Father's Day from Mongolia!

To the Father's, Son's, Brother's and Uncle's in our life!

We are so grateful for each of you and the wonderful

examples you are to us!

Dad is bored, with no grandchildren to come and visit - so he made some cookies.

He also wants you to think he does all the cooking, cleaning and baking...

I don't think so...

but he still vacuums!

Thanks for taking care of your families!

Thanks for watching out for each other, and your sister's!

Thanks for being good examples to all the children in your lives!

We love, appreciate and honor you!

To my own Dear Father!

I love and honor you!

We are so grateful for the rich heritage and legacy you have given to,

not only me but all of us as your children,

and to all of our children,

and to our children's children!

We love You!

Happy Father's Day!

English Classes

I teach a Beginning English Class. These girls are pretty good, they mostly want the practice of speaking. We have had a couple of interesting experiences with these classes, we wanted to share with you. One was when we registered the last part of May, with the City and neighborhood, for our residency papers, we thought we were OK, they told us were didn't have to do any thing more. But, the next day the Immigration people showed up at the Church and our English Classes, wanting to see our passports and work permits. We needed to leave and go home to get them. The girls were a little upset, "Maybe they will have to leave Choibalsan again," so they all said a prayer for us! This is quite touching, because half of them are non-members. We had the right papers and all went well, we finished the classes. One of the girls in Dad's class, Zolboo, is a translator for me at Church, she speaks very good, she told me about them.

Dad teaches the more advanced class. The two on the left are missionaries, Elder Onon and Sister Mandkhai. The other two are Zolboo and Nergui, they are wanting to take an English test to enter a university. Elder Onon wants to come to BYU Idaho when he is through with his mission. Elder Neal A Maxwell said, "EFL is the way the gospel will be taken to the world." They so much need and want to better their lives, I hope we are helping in this small way. We are actually teaching 13 English classes a week. 8 at the church, 2 at the Red Cross, they are our sponsor, and 2 at the Eznis Airlines and 1 at the Herlen Hotel. We are busy with them!

These girls are so fun! At the end of class we sometimes play games to review. One day we were talking about describing words, so we were playing a game of "I Spy", they would describe something and the rest of us try to guess what they were describing, with yes or no questions. One of the girls picked something - The questions came down to: It is a person, a girl, she's old, she's medium fat, she's beautiful and she teaches English. I had to laugh, the "beautiful" part off set the "medium fat" part and I was just grateful that it wasn't just "fat"!

"Main Street" in Choibalsan. It really is beautiful! We were told that the Russians, when they were here planted the trees. I am just amazed they can survive the cold Mongolian winters, but they do and they are pretty! One of their main trees is the infamous 'Chinese Elm'. We ought to send all of our seeds over here, they do well here! One of the missionaries told us that the first of May is cold, snowy, no sign of life, but by the end of May there would be leaves on the trees - that was true, I have a picture of of snow on the playground the first of May, and this is what it looked like the end of May. I'm standing in front of the Church building, it is off the the right.

Like I have said several times the Sunsets are beautiful!

We love each of You!

Always do your best!

Be thankful to God for the blessings you have!
We do have so much and are so blessed!
Love Emaa and Ovoo

THE FIRST "BOYFRIEND"

So I have heard that apparently girls may have to kiss a lot of toads before they find Prince Charming ... but what will a girl who kisses a lot of turtles find, besides salmonella?

Driving Ms. Daisy a.k.a. Someone is the Brains in This Companionship and Someone is the Brawn ... Guess Which One is Which