Hey Friends!
We are in Thailand now and our bodies are lovin the heat! What a change from Mongolia! We're in Chiang Mai working with Athletes In Action for the month but I wanted to share some of my thoughts about Mongolia too - so here's my two bits...
When we arrived back to VET Net headquarters after our trip to the countryside of course the ultimate question was, "So, how was the trip?" Craig & I had to take some time to think about how to answer that question cause honestly the trip definitely had some real highlights but also some very frustrating moments. We've come up with the very safe adjective... "interesting"
But now that we've had a chance to share more about the trip to different people I think the frustrating moments will become less frustrating and the amazing things we experienced will become more amazing! And already the lessons we've been learning about God are beginning to crystalize.
Lesson #1. Mongolians do not keep time like Canadians! And when you have only limited information - like breakfast at 8 and vet training at 10 but you show up & everyone's still sleeping@ 9 and then we're still eating breakfast at 10 - okay if it happens once, but by the 3rd time - frustrating... always waiting around not knowing the schedule and being cold! But definitely God taught us a lot about patience and utilizing our time in different ways - we got a ton of time to read the Bible and do lots of thinking. And it was good to just observe the culture and appreciate that although they recognize they are a little poor they have very little stress & live a pretty peaceful existence. We also realized that without some of those delayed schedules we would've missed out on opportunities to: pull a stranded family in their jeep out of the river, push a car with a couple of guys out of a trench & share the gospel with a couple of military soldiers while our van's transmission was being fixed.
Lesson #2. Language was a much bigger issue than we expected! We had a translator but really, its hard to translate everything and she couldn't be around 24/7. And trying to carry conversations over supper - that was a lot harder than we anticipated... after we asked about family, work & weather conversation would usually peeter out - not sure if culturally they just don't ask foreigners questions or what but it often left us feeling more like bystanders than contributing "missionaries" And that was its own lesson too. I think we both had to swallow our pride & learn that we don't need to be center stage. That sometimes God just asks us to observe and pray for those around us. We also learned we were the first shuttle to make the trip all the way to the most western part of Mongolia and many of these people had not met many foreigners - so part of it is just breaking ground for the future.
Lesson #3. We didn't feel like we really contributed a ton to the trip - 17 days of driving, Craig did 5 presentations & powerpoints on a vet topic that lasted about an hour each & I spoke only twice sharing my journey of faith and the Gospel message that took about 15-20 min each. In the back of our minds we were like, "They probably could have done this trip without us. However, we were reminded upon our return by some veteran long term missionaries that you never know just who we impacted and how. And not only that, as educated foreigners we're able to bring interest in VET Net and help them grain credibility as a reputable organization. They also stressed that likely, the very act of making a trip like that to the very furthest outreaches of Mongolia in late fall just to encourage & train the remote vets spoke greater volumes than anything we might have had to actually say.
And Lesson #4. Spending as much time as we did in the van with the 4 other Mongolians also gave us a chance to observe and interact with the Mongolian culture in ways that we would never have been able to as a tourist. In the 22 days we were on the road in all kinds of weather conditions and with all kinds of situations arising (driving out of a city in the middle of a snow storm so as not to be quarantined by HINI, crossing rivers not quite frozen, attempting to find the little towns along the way first try with no real road or signs, cooking meals in the cold while stopped for lunch on the side of the road, dealing with van repairs & so much more) we didn't hear any of our Mongolian friends complain. That was both incredible to us and a challenge to us. Seeing how Mongolians live and yet how happy and hospitable they are really made an impact on us. And that too is a lesson in itself.
Lesson #5. We have likely received more than we have given... For example: We attempted to have a devotion (thought for the day/reflection on a Bible passage) each day with our group - either over breakfast or on the road. We all took turns sharing and if Craig & I's devotions had as much impact on them as theirs did on us - then maybe that was what the trip was all about. One of the most stand out devotions was from our driver Toodoo. Toodoo's testimony is pretty amazing - his bride of only a few years got very ill and passed away leaving him with a little girl to raise, angry at his situation he drank away the pain and spent the next several years as an alcholic and left his daughter with a brother to raise.One day he was invited to a Christian conference that came to town and that was the beginning of hope he said - hope for a different life. Over the next couple years he searched more into what a relationship with Jesus is all about and later asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. He's a changed man - no longer an alcoholic and remarried with 5 children you would never have guessed his life had hit the kind of lows it had - so happy, peaceful and full of laughter. Anyways, Craig & I had spent much of our full day driving talking about our future once we get back to Canada. We planned out what kind of house we'd love to build someday and thought about family vacation spots etc. etc. In Toodoo's devotion that day he shared about the importance of acknowledging that no matter what plans we make we must always remember it will only happen if it is God's will. Such a simple reminder but perfect timing for Craig & I who'd gotten very caught up in all kinds of future planning without once thinking that its only if the Lord wills. And it was a lesson we'd have to keep at the front of our minds. We were anxious to get back to the city from our countryside and we'd make plans about how the travel would look for the day and then it would rarely pan out as expected and we had to just relax and remind ourselves we would get back to the city when God intended us to and not a moment sooner.
I'm sure with more time and reflection there will be more that Craig & I learn from our adventures but I wanted to at least share some. I know many of you who have been praying for us must be curious to hear about how God has been working. I hope that gives you some insight. Thank you again for all your prayers. If you can continue to pray for the Mongolian people and now also for the Thai children and athletes we are working with - that hearts would be open to hear about Jesus and his desire to be a very real part of our daily lives and that it has nothing to do with prooving to God that we are good enough - that would be awesome!
Lots of love
suz
Lesson #3. We didn't feel like we really contributed a ton to the trip - 17 days of driving, Craig did 5 presentations & powerpoints on a vet topic that lasted about an hour each & I spoke only twice sharing my journey of faith and the Gospel message that took about 15-20 min each. In the back of our minds we were like, "They probably could have done this trip without us. However, we were reminded upon our return by some veteran long term missionaries that you never know just who we impacted and how. And not only that, as educated foreigners we're able to bring interest in VET Net and help them grain credibility as a reputable organization. They also stressed that likely, the very act of making a trip like that to the very furthest outreaches of Mongolia in late fall just to encourage & train the remote vets spoke greater volumes than anything we might have had to actually say.
And Lesson #4. Spending as much time as we did in the van with the 4 other Mongolians also gave us a chance to observe and interact with the Mongolian culture in ways that we would never have been able to as a tourist. In the 22 days we were on the road in all kinds of weather conditions and with all kinds of situations arising (driving out of a city in the middle of a snow storm so as not to be quarantined by HINI, crossing rivers not quite frozen, attempting to find the little towns along the way first try with no real road or signs, cooking meals in the cold while stopped for lunch on the side of the road, dealing with van repairs & so much more) we didn't hear any of our Mongolian friends complain. That was both incredible to us and a challenge to us. Seeing how Mongolians live and yet how happy and hospitable they are really made an impact on us. And that too is a lesson in itself.
Lesson #5. We have likely received more than we have given... For example: We attempted to have a devotion (thought for the day/reflection on a Bible passage) each day with our group - either over breakfast or on the road. We all took turns sharing and if Craig & I's devotions had as much impact on them as theirs did on us - then maybe that was what the trip was all about. One of the most stand out devotions was from our driver Toodoo. Toodoo's testimony is pretty amazing - his bride of only a few years got very ill and passed away leaving him with a little girl to raise, angry at his situation he drank away the pain and spent the next several years as an alcholic and left his daughter with a brother to raise.One day he was invited to a Christian conference that came to town and that was the beginning of hope he said - hope for a different life. Over the next couple years he searched more into what a relationship with Jesus is all about and later asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. He's a changed man - no longer an alcoholic and remarried with 5 children you would never have guessed his life had hit the kind of lows it had - so happy, peaceful and full of laughter. Anyways, Craig & I had spent much of our full day driving talking about our future once we get back to Canada. We planned out what kind of house we'd love to build someday and thought about family vacation spots etc. etc. In Toodoo's devotion that day he shared about the importance of acknowledging that no matter what plans we make we must always remember it will only happen if it is God's will. Such a simple reminder but perfect timing for Craig & I who'd gotten very caught up in all kinds of future planning without once thinking that its only if the Lord wills. And it was a lesson we'd have to keep at the front of our minds. We were anxious to get back to the city from our countryside and we'd make plans about how the travel would look for the day and then it would rarely pan out as expected and we had to just relax and remind ourselves we would get back to the city when God intended us to and not a moment sooner.
I'm sure with more time and reflection there will be more that Craig & I learn from our adventures but I wanted to at least share some. I know many of you who have been praying for us must be curious to hear about how God has been working. I hope that gives you some insight. Thank you again for all your prayers. If you can continue to pray for the Mongolian people and now also for the Thai children and athletes we are working with - that hearts would be open to hear about Jesus and his desire to be a very real part of our daily lives and that it has nothing to do with prooving to God that we are good enough - that would be awesome!
Lots of love
suz
