Orphanage Open House for New Kitchen Appliances November 23, 2013

After just a couple of months working at the orphanage we noticed the old appliances they were using in the kitchen.  The TINY refrigerator was broken and a recent inspection by the health department threatened to close them down without a working refrigerator.  Other equipment was old and broke down often as well, costing them a lot of money for continuous repairs.  We contacted Deseret International Charities (D.I.C.) to see if they could help.  They asked us to put together a proposal of what the orphanage needed and submit it for review. They said proposals like this usually take 2-3 months to get approval. It took some time to locate a distributor, identify the right equipment and pricing.

       Here is the old soup cooker.                                         The old cooking table.

We were so surprised when we heard the proposal was approved within two weeks and we could order the equipment!!  The story is much longer than this but D.I.C. felt it was so worthy a project it passed it right through the Ulaanbaatar office and then the Hong Kong office where final approval was given.
 
Here are the new appliances which included: A new, LARGE refrigerator, a commercial-size, electric soup pot and cook table,  an electric range, a commercial-size dough maker, a large washing machine for the girls dorm, an industrial vacuum, and an electric water kettle.  It truly helped their shoe-string budget.  With the money she had allocated for on-going repairs they were able to  purchase new, much-needed carpeting for the boy's and girl's dorms.

They were so thrilled to get all of the new appliances that they painted the kitchen before it all arrived. They put up new curtains and their art teacher even designed and personally made new cabinet doors!

Below is the new cook table (left) and soup pot (right).             
 

    The Dough Maker

 

The New Kitchen Cabinet Look

 

Help for the Hearing and Vision Impaired

Those with hearing problems

As we were meeting with an older member we asked why he was not coming to Church any more. He said we can't hear the speakers anymore.  I told him that there must be a way to hook up some earphones to our sound system and I would get back to him. I called a number of people and finally talked with the head of Physical Facilities for all of Mongolia.  He told me all the buildings in Mongolia have a wireless system for the hearing impaired. He said we just need to order the headphones and chargers.  We ordered six sets and a 10 head set charger. We had hoped to have all in place by the Christmas Program today.  The equipment arrived a couple of weeks ago, but the charger didn't work, so we are waiting for a replacement.  We will be so happy when we see their faces light up to hear the sacrament prayers and the speakers.  What a wonderful blessing it will be.


Those with vision problems

In late October Mission President Benson issued a challenge to all Mongolian members to read the Book of Mormon in 90 days beginning November 1st and ending January 31st. There was a Mission-wide broadcast kicking off the event, large posters for recording names and progress of all participants were placed in all buildings, a nice bookmark with the daily reading schedule was given to everyone. 

Debbie thought about a few people in our Branch and then we thought about a number of people in all the units we work with that are vision impaired.  She had the idea that we could record the Book of Mormon in Mongolian and make CD's so they could participate in the challenge.  We called the Mission President and he loved the idea and checked on resources. He called back and asked us to do it locally.  The Sister Missionaries and another couple took the project on and recorded the entire Book of Mormon in 5 days working day and night. We then started burning CD's for each unit for them to make copies in addition to the copies for all the people we knew who would love to participate. They were a big hit. They are thirsting for resources like this.  So many Mongolian members want to learn English so they can read other LDS books written by General Authorities.

We also received quite a few pairs of reading glasses provided through an Eagle Scout project!  As we are visiting members throughout the District we take the box with us.  If we find anyone that has difficulty reading we have them try on different strengths of glasses to find one that might help them. We were visiting one sister in the hospital we knew had vision problems but none of them helped her. Her roommate asked if she could try them on and she found one that worked for her. She was so thankful.

Other

An Eagle candidate in our Ward in Utah chose a project to supply winter coats for the 40 children in the orphanage where we teach.  We will be presenting them to the kids at their Christmas Party coming up.  The logistics to gather them and also to earn the money to pay for the shipping was quite a task.  We were excited to find out he was willing to take this on for his Eagle project. We will create a new post after the event and include some pictures with the kids and their coats.

We are thankful for so many people that have donated time, effort and resources to help those in need here in Mongolia.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

It has been 6 months and a week since we arrived in Mongolia! The time has gone extremely fast. We are still enjoying our mission and the wonderful people here in Mongolia. We have made many friends and are continuing to meet new people weekly.

I am becoming expert at making khyaram. It's basically watered-down milk. The Mongolian people serve it as soon as a guest arrives especially in the winter time. You bring a pot of water to a boil and add milk and salt. (Approximately 4 cups water and 1 cup milk and 1/4 tsp. salt.) You then bring it to a boil again and pour the boiling hot liquid into small bowls, not cups, and serve. They drink it very, very hot, because it is very, very cold here. We have learned that whenever Mongolian guests come, I put a pot on right before they arrive. I'm finding it tastes pretty good, but I've burnt my mouth a few times. :) The people here do not drink coffee! Just plain boiled water is also popular. No one drinks hot chocolate except if we offer it here in the apartment.

Most people in Mongolia are Buddhist and do not celebrate Christmas. The stores however have been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving like they do in the States. Several businesses have put up trees and decorate. The first Sunday that the Old Darkhan branch had their tree up, several families were wanting to have their picture taken in front of the tree. Most families do not have that luxury.  We bought a little tree for Christmas and some lights and ornaments. We placed our family picture album under the tree because it is one of the greatest gifts we have received from our Heavenly Father. The family is of God and everyone needs to do all they can to fortify, strengthen and protect.




I did buy a cute little Mongolian nativity. It has a camel, yak, horse, goat and lamb. Jesus' birth is such an important event. I didn't want it to come and go as Thanksgiving did. The birth of Jesus brought light and hope to everyone who has ever lived or will ever live on the earth. It should give everyone a reason to rejoice.

For the past couple of weeks Dan and I have been sharing our own family's Christmas traditions by reading Luke 2 about Jesus' birth, whenever we visit someone or have them in our apartment.  We also invite them to sing a few Christmas carols. Most know Silent Night, but that's about it. It has been a very special time. I hope that you will gather your family around you and share this wondrous story.
When we are out visiting at night in the ger district, and it is bitter cold, we have the Sister Missionaries sing Christmas carols with us as we make our way back to the taxi stand (at least a half mile away. It helps us forget how cold it is and makes the time go faster. :)

We spent Fri., Sat., and Sun., Dec. 6, 7, & 8, up in a little town on the Russian border, called Selenge. We visited about 12 families in their homes, sharing the good word of God and some Christmas carols. In the picture on left, the girl in pink has been in a wheelchair all her life. Whenever we visit the Branch, she is faithfully at church with a beautiful smile. She is such an example to us. She is the oldest of 6 children. All the children are so sweet.









Dan and I spoke at a fireside Friday night in the chapel up there. The topic was "Obeying the Commandments." We also spoke in Church on Sunday as well. Dan conducted Leadership training and I gave a Sharing Time lesson and conducted Music Time in Primary for the children of the Branch. They were all so sweet and eager to learn about Jesus' birth and when He will come again. The people are so warm and friendly.  It was a good trip!

This family is being taught by the Sister Missionaries (Sister Batulga is wearing a white coat and the other is in the tan coat.) They came to the fireside and also to the Sunday meetings.

 

The two ladies closest to me are Mother and Daughter. They sew children's boots and vests for their living. The Mother is deaf and lip reads. 

 

I imagine that all of you are busy with preparations for Christmas. We wish you all a very, merry and blessed Christmas. We pray for all our family and friends back in the States. Thank you so much for your prayers and encouragement. Thomas S. Monson said if you remove the last three letters in, "The Spirit of Christmas" you will have --- "The Spirit of Christ". I like that. I know as you focus on the reason for the season, you and your family will be blessed with the Spirit of Christ. Merry Christmas and God Bless!   ~Dan and Debbie

Baby, it's cold outside!

This is us on a -28 below zero, sunny day. 

They keep telling us it's going to get cold in January!!!!!

What fun?

Cant wait!
We are acclimating to the colder temperatures and not letting it slow us down. Before leaving the states, we were told that we would need to wear two sets of under armor in the winter. We had a hard time believing it, but it is true. How cold is it here in Darkhan? Well with the wind chill, the coldest it has been so far is -28 degrees Fahrenheit. We have been told that it will get colder! We have not had our eyelids freeze shut yet, so that is a plus. It happens. Several people keep telling me that I do not dress warm enough and that the wool coat that I bought before I came is not warm enough. We will see. The only place I feel cold right now is on my face, so I did go out and purchase a long heavy scarf to wrap around the face a few times.

We will definitely be having a white Christmas. It is so cold here, that when it snows in November and December it stays until April. It's not like in Utah or Kansas where it snows and then melts later in the day. It's beautiful, BUT UNFORTUNATELY the ice stays all winter as well. :(  I have to hold onto Dan's arm constantly so HE doesn't fall. :) Dan and I were walking along and I slipped so fast I didn't realize what had happened until I was on the ground. Dan kept on walking not knowing that had even fallen.  I have been holding his arm firmly ever since. Fortunately I wasn't hurt. Two members have recently fallen, one broke his arm and the other cracked his ribs! Two of the younger Sister Missionaries fell at the same time. We see a lot of people around town falling because of the ice.

Speaking of ice, they do not have snow removal trucks or salt and sand trucks here in Darkhan. But, they do have a lot of people who work for the street department chipping ice at 7 a.m. They then sweep the ice up with a shovel and throw it on the sidewalks. Few businesses will remove snow and ice from the sidewalk in front of their shops.

We took a taxi to Erdenet on Sunday, a 2 and 1/2 hour drive. The temperature "felt like" -28 degrees Fahrenheit. There was NO heat in the taxi. Mongolians say, "That's normal!" :(  It was cold! I kept my hat and gloves on the whole way and a scarf around my face. Dan's toes were frozen! :(
 

Baji's Bistro

We have made a number of new friends here.  Baji and Suuvda have been special friends. About a month ago they opened a little restaurant we have started calling "Baji's Bistro". A bistro is a French word meaning a small, casual restaurant serving local food at a modest price.  That's their place. It is straight Mongolian food with soup, stir fry, fry bread and peishcke, a meat stuffed, fried bun. 

We asked the art teacher at the orphanage where we teach English to make a sign for them and we presented it to them today. Bon Appetit'!

She teaches Institute class and he teaches the early morning Seminary class. Their daughter is serving a Mongolian mission now and their son is a returned missionary and works for the Church in UB.

Great couple!!

A Special Evening!

"And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!"

 Dan had the privilege last Friday of baptizing this sweet grandmother, Duudee. The little girl is her granddaughter whom she is raising on her own.  After she was baptized, this sweet, quiet woman stood at the pulpit and gave her heartfelt testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and how she was a "changed person". As she spoke, you could hear a pin drop in the Chapel. The Spirit was so strong. It was truly a highlight of our mission.

Afterwards they had refreshments. The sister missionaries, Sister Onon and Sister Stevelmaa, had baked 2 delicious cakes and 2 pans of  jello with fruit! Then everyone around the table read 5 scriptures each. Sister Onon, who is cutting the cake, is a very good interpreter and has helped us out many times when Nyam-Od was not available. The interpreters are our life-line. Without them we surely could not accomplish all that we set out to do. We are still learning phrases and words in Mongolian, but it is slow going. :(  Nyam-Od has been invaluable. She is like our guardian angel, always watching out for us!

 

It was a very special evening!

 

 

 

Below is the Batsaiken Family that we've been visiting. We first got to know Brother Batsaiken as he did a lot of taxi driving for us. He's an exceptional taxi driver, always willing to go the extra mile and the real PLUS is that he knows where all the members live!! :) If you've ever driven or walked the ger district you would understand why. It is just a mindboggling maze of fences, gates, ruts, rocks, dogs and mudpuddles.

 

We have a hard time getting the Mongolian people to smile for pictures. I guess it's a tradition. :)

Anyway, they had us over for delicious Mongolian homemade noodle soup, so we had them over, and of course our interpreter, Nyam-Od, for American BBQ chicken, American potato salad and of course American baked beans and homemade French Bread. :) It was quite a different experience for them but they loved it!!  Brother Batsaiken said he wanted to drink the whole bottle of BBQ sauce!

 

 

They are a sweet couple and family. See the boy, in the red sweat shirt? He is sitting on a box. We had originally put our coffee table at the end for the kids to sit on since we did not have enough chairs. But, the mom and dad said it was bad luck to sit on a table and would not allow it. We thought that was very interesting. There are a lot of other strong traditions/superstitions like that in Mongolia, of which I am sure we have broken especially when it comes to ger etiquette! Oh dear!!

 

 

Above is our dear, sweet, Sister Uran, her grandson and great grandson! Sister Uran is a precious daughter of our Heavenly Father. We met her when we first arrived in Mongolia. She had had two daughters pass away within two weeks of each other. It was so, so heartbreaking. As we continued our visits, we have become very close. She says, "You are my parents"! :)  Sister Uran is 78, hard of hearing and going blind.

 

 Her oldest son who is 60 years old, is totally blind, mostly deaf and needs a wheelchair. Deseret International Charities gave him a wheelchair some years back, but no longer can Deseret distribute them to anyone. The government here requires that they are given first to Social Services, then the people have to apply for them. If they want to give you one, they will. Deseret recently gave them 200 wheelchairs. They got a newer one from Social Services but it was too small. We took her to Social Services to get a bigger one and at first they said yes, then a week later they said no. But a few weeks later, they just showed up one day and delivered one. Yay!!

 

 You can't help but smile when Sister Uran is around. She is such a fun person to be around and always upbeat. She reminds me so much of my own mom. Brother Batsaiken, the taxi driver, and I make our way to the far end of the ger district to pick her up each Sunday for Church. She always has her dell on and ready to go. She came to one of my English classes and had a blast!! 

 

 

 

 

Nomin Kindergarten & Handicapped Day Care

A couple from Ulaanbaatar, who own and operate a Kindergarten there, bought an old Darkhan Police Station and converted it into a large Kindergarten.  For the first time she is accepting handicapped children at a very reduced rate so parents can afford to place the children in this Day Care. They have no experience working with the handicapped and a local handicapped children support organization was asked to help.  We have been working with that group on other projects and we were invited in to offer our advice.  Since I worked for 7 years as an OSHA consultant I provided advice and ideas on how to make the facility "accessible". 

At that point Debbie really took over and has been instrumental in changing the dialog about how to support the handicapped.  Her experience working with Autistic and Aspergers kids in Kansas has been a huge help here.  Her ideas and experience teaching them "Life Skills" has become the new buzz words for how to teach these kids to become more independent from the constant care of their parents. She has given a number of lessons to the staff and parents on how to teach the kids to brush their teeth or their hair. Also, how to hold a spoon, etc.  She has other great ideas to help them communicate using patches with Velcro on the back. Last night we attended a presentation in another city nearby and the presenters spoke about the need to teach "Life Skills" they learned from her to the handicapped kids in their town.

(News just received. At the event last night the parents has been requesting a room in one of the schools to be just for the handicapped kids. They want some developmental tools, floor mats and physical therapy equipment too.  The board said no at previous meetings.  I meet with them and I guess I argued a pretty good case.  The parent heading up the effort told us they approved the room today.)

She has been out scouring the city looking for toys that can be used for teaching kids to speak that haven't spoken or made noise before.  She found a toy the kids immediately took in hand and tried to speak or make noises. The parents were in tears.  She found others that helped them to develop flexibility, eye-hand coordination and increased motor skills. She is also helping to develop a proposal to submit to Deseret International Charities to fund floor mats and physical therapy equipment.

I am so very proud of her. She is so good with kids. They all immediately fall in love with her.  We are in demand to attend every handicapped event or activity in the area. They all want our advice and to speak at the event and to have pictures taken with us.

Dasha, Borolzoi Families and General Authority Elder Toronto

Here are 8 of the 9 members of the Dasha Family. We enjoyed dinner with them in their Ger last week and we invited them, plus our interpreter, Nyam-Od to our apartment for dinner this Sunday after General Conference. One of their daughters was working that day.  We served an all American meal. We had a lettuce salad with tomato, cucumber and red peppers. Also Pork Tenderloin, (that was tough as a boot as is all Mongolian meat even after marinating it!), mashed potatoes which they devoured, carrots and 3 1/2 loaves of Debbie's homemade French Bread. For dessert we served fresh apple crisp with ice cream, a big hit!

 All are members except Brother Dasha and of course, the youngest child.  Bro. Dasha has been investigating for two years.  Can't seem to kick the smoking habit, but we committed him to stop for three weeks and get baptized and receive the Holy Ghost to give him the strength to quit for good.  This is another wonderful family we have had the pleasure to meet and get to know.

The Mongolian people have fairly big families. It is fun to visit them in their Gers. The children basically sit quietly listening intently to the conversations that the adults are having. The moms and the teenage daughters are busy preparing food to serve. We have seen a few times the moms and daughters laboriously rolling out the dough in large perfect circles. After allowing the dough to dry, they then cut the dough into perfect beautiful strips to throw into a huge pot of boiling soup. The soup is usually made of mutton or beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage and a little salt, and some type of bouillon.  

 

Below is another sister, Sister Borolzoi cutting noodles. She works 7 days a week in a restaurant, 8am to 7pm, then comes home and fixes dinner. She is also 3 months pregnant.

 

 

Below, the Borolzoi family is teaching us how to play the traditional "Ankle Bones" game. There are many variations to the game. They are the actual ankle bones from sheep, hence the name!

 

 

Here is the whole Borolzoi family--

 

 

I (Debbie) had the privilege of touring Darkhan with the Toronto Family from Beijing! Elder Toronto, who is in the Area Seventy Presidency, came to Darkhan along with the Mission President and one of his counselors, to do some Priesthood Leadership training.

 

 

We first went to this Buddhist Temple that is located in Old Darkhan, but it was closed. We were allowed to walk around the premises and take some pictures.

 

 

This is Sister Toronto and just 2 of their children. The family is so awesome and fun to be around! We took them to Sun Child Orphanage where they got to meet some of the children and see some of the staff perform traditional Mongolian instrumentals and throat singing. They bought some "ankle bones" while they were here. For lunch they wanted to try some traditional Mongolian food so we took them out for, of course--Hosherr and Boadz!! 

 

 

In the evening we joined the brethren for dinner at the hotel. We were joined by President Doko (Next to Dan) and President Soko (In the orange sweater) of the District Presidency of which Dan is the 2nd Counselor.

 

 

 

At the beginning of this blog we mentioned General Conference. Below is a link to all the wonderful talks if you would like to listen to them! One of my favorites is, Be Meek and Lowly of Heart. One of Dan's favorites is, Do We Know What We Have? This past weekend the two Darkhan branches broadcasted it in Mongolian. It's pretty amazing how one week after General Conference, here in this little corner of the world, the people have the blessing of receiving it in their own language!!

 

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2013/10?lang=eng

We are so very thankful for all your encouraging comments and your prayers. May God bless you and your families! With love, Dan and Debbie

Pizza Party at Sun Child

This was a very busy week again for us.  Sunday's are always packed. Monday we spent trying to get the handicapped sisters a job.  They interviewed at one place but the supervisor was rude to them.  I am sure they were not interested.  They can get employment at a meat processing plant, cleaning out stomachs of animals. That may be their only option. One of the sisters is very anxious to have that job. I understand that it pays better than cleaning the street. It better! :) We will still continue trying to find something for them.

I (Dan) have been assigned by the District President to plan and provide a Young Single Adult  (YSA) Conference for the 18-30 year old members. As we researched dates for the event we were forced to select Saturday October 5th. Only two weeks away. So Tuesday was spent making numerous calls to YSA representatives from each of the 6 Branches to collect ideas and get a plan put in place. Tuesday evening is our weekly District Presidency Meeting that usually lasts 2 1/2 hours, due to translations.

Wednesday we teach two English classes at the New Darkhan Building and four lessons at Sun Child.  As you can see from the two blogs below we were extremely busy Friday and Saturday. We worked the Open House Friday and Saturday, squeezing in the handicapped childrens event on Friday and then the Sun Child Pizza Party!on Saturday.

After the Old Darkhan Open House we did some quick shopping and rushed over to the Sun Child Orphanage to make six huge pizza's.

The orphanage has a large commercial size Kitchen Aid type dough making machine, although it may be over 10 years old.  I think it could make 50 pounds of dough at a time.  Every kid there knows how to use it. Everyone takes turns in all duties in the kitchen, cleaning the building, maintaining the garden and greenhouse, laundry, etc. They know how to work. We had them grate 15 pounds of mozzarella cheese, slice 8 red peppers and 5 sticks of pepperoni. 



The older ones also opened the cans of pasta sauce and pineapple tidbits with KNIVES!  They don't have a can opener and other common kitchen appliances and utensils. This is Zoogii, on the right. He is the son of the Director of Sun Child.  He will be going to Chicago in January to attend school there. We are currently working with him on his English one on one each week. His English is pretty good, actually, and has a huge vocabulary. He just needs to practice conversation, so we come up with topics for the following week and then discuss.







Each of the children helped assemble the pizzas.
We had a great time.  The commercial oven handles four large pans at a time.  Each pizza was 18"x26".  We ate all 6 of them!





 

We then watched "The Croods" and finished up with ice cream cones.  There are only 22 in this picture, but all 37 kids were with us.  Some left before we took this picture.  It was exhausting, but fun. They each said "Thank You" numerous times. They are all so sweet and loving. We get lots of hugs all the time! Ok, we're softies!  We love them!

 

Sunday we woke up to see snow on the mountains and hills that surround Darkhan.

Successful Open House!

On Friday and Saturday, Sept. 20th & 21st, there was an Open House at the Old Darkhan Building. Between the two days there were approximately 110 visitors that toured the building! On Sunday, it was exciting to see at least 8 of those show up for Sacrament Meeting!!

We were not part of the planning committee, but it was obvious that the Branch had held them before. 

The young Elders and Sister Missionaries were busy out on the sidewalk inviting passers-by to come and tour the facilities. There was a nice big sign outside on the fence, with balloons above the gate. We thought it was funny that the job list that we brought to the Branch was taped to the brick as you can see in this picture. It was a pretty good draw as there are many people in Darkhan who are out of work and looking for a job. Dan's name and number are written at the top if anyone is needing help or has any questions, so he might be getting lots of calls! :) We just hope the job center doesn't find out! They may not appreciate it.

 

In the library and the Chapel they had on-going church videos. Each of the auxiliaries had a display in one of the rooms. Everything was nicely done and very inviting. Many members were involved in the tours.


Sister Nada, the Relief Society President, is talking to a visitor.











 Here are a couple of Elders and two members.












Below is the Family History center.  Many people were particularly interested in Genealogy!

 

Below is a wonderful picture display of the Church history here in Darkhan. There are many pictures of General Authorities that heard of President Ganbaatar  and wanted to meet him. He was the very first person baptized in the city back in 1997. He was also the first Branch President and the New Darkhan Chapel was the first one built in Mongolia.  He is now Branch President for a 2nd time in Old Darkhan which has a newer and larger building. What a great man and what a great testimony he has.

 

 

Here is President Ganbaatar with one of the visitors who had brought a kitten with him.








 
 
Left, the President is giving a tour of his office. he first shares the picture of the Savior and his testimony then points to each picture of the First Presidency and explains that they are prophets who guide us today under the Lords directions.















On Saturday, we still held our English class in conjunction with the open house.  (The majority were visitors! :)

Two girls came about 11:00 and decided to just hang out at the church until 1:30 waiting for the English class to begin. I went ahead and just worked with them on their alphabet for quite awhile and we were joined by other visitors who were interested. It was a lot of fun.




At the end of the day, they had a dinner for all the members who helped.











At Sacrament, one of the visitors from the day before attended with his 2 small daughters. He said with a big smile, "I want to come always!" His wife died last February and he was looking for a church. He is also looking for a job! His mom lives with them to help take care of the girls.