This wasn't in the manual...(Scenes from 11th Grade)

We finished talking about love today, and moved onto beliefs.

Teacher, let's talk about belief!

Ok. What do you believe in, class?

I believe in family.
I believe that everyone is here for a reason.
I believe in the Shaman.
I believe in my friends.
I believe in Jesus.
I believe in trust.
I believe in Chingis Khan.
I believe in Allah.
I believe in Satan.

And then the bell rings.

I don't really know what else to say. Class ended; they are writing short essays on what they believe. I'm excited and terrified. Once again, the potential here is so great, but I feel so inadequate. Pray for us. We continue our discussion on Friday.

(Mongolia week 4)

"The harvest here is indeed great, and the labourers are few, and imperfectly fitted without much grace for such a work. And yet grace can make the few and feeble instruments the means of accomplishing great things--things greater than we can even conceive."
--Hudson Taylor, A Retrospect

Why write a blog post, when Hudson Taylor already said everything you want to say? Imperfectly fitted and feeble--this is how I have felt a lot while adjusting to this new role as a teacher. But, "grace can make the few and feeble instruments the means of accomplishing great things..." and it's a beautiful thing to watch and experience.

Every day at Oyunii Tuv is an adventure. If I told you everything, this would be a book rather than a blog post. (Ok, Connor if you are reading this, I promise...I will start working on that book...) One of the highlights of this week was guiding the 11th grade class through a discussion on love. One of my students, Jackson (he calls himself Jackson because of Michael Jackson) asked me if "Love is everything," which then started a great debate with his classmates. From what we have discussed in class, I believe the question can be better understood when rephrased, "Can you live without love?" One side believes that love is everything, because it is a part of all we do. The other side (my little pragmatics) feels that love can't be everything, because it can't give you material things, or status.

We have now spent 1 and a half class periods examining this question, and will finish the conversation on Monday. I loved watching the pragmatics and saps have at it...and it's pretty amazing to me that we are having such a deep, theoretical discussion in a language that is not their own (Especially since we had such a rocky beginning).

I'm excited that I get watch them grow, and feel blessed to be their teacher--the hard days are worth it.

Thank you for praying, and please continue!

“Teacher, what do you love about Mongolia?” (Week 3)

He probably didn’t know that this was not a great day to ask me what I love about Mongolia. He probably didn’t know that I had to force myself to walk out of my sanctuary, my apartment, and self counsel myself all the way through the bus trip to his school. He probably didn’t know that last night I seriously doubted I could handle being in his classroom today. And, he probably still doesn’t know that our 40 minutes of class conversation cemented in my mind and heart that I’m going to make it, and that we are going to learn together.

So, he asked me, “Teacher, what do you love about Mongolia?”

I love the people, especially the kids…beautiful lives, I wish I knew all their stories.

I love the potential for growth here. The church is celebrating its 20^th anniversary this weekend…20 years ago Mongolia was a much different place, and still today Mongolians are deciding what it means to be Mongolian, and for some, what it means to be the church. A student today was telling me her reason for wanting to learn English, and she included the thought, “It seems that Mongolia is behind the other countries…we are late in learning English.” I wouldn’t say that Mongolia is late—but it is definitely at a far different place than where I come from.

I love that my students have big dreams—and that in some small way, I have the privilege of helping them accomplish these dreams. I would love to one day see that Shur Erdene has accomplished her future goal of being #1 world’s best doctor, for Dulguun to become the president, for Enkhtsetseg to be a good mom.

I love that I’m being stretched, and that I can see God at work here…in me, in the church of Mongolia, in the people, in the missionaries.

I love that when I felt like giving up, Jackson pulled me back to the truths that I had forgotten. I am privileged to be here, and do love Mongolia.

He picked the best day to ask, “Teacher, what do you love about Mongolia?”

I am a teacher; I am a student (Mongolia week one).

(I am a teacher. I am a student.)

I have received many requests for a blog post...so here it is!I have been here in Ulaanbaatar for less than a week, and I think I'm still adjusting to the time difference, because I once again was up at 6 this morning. Ah well, this too shall pass. :)

This week has been one of the most humbling weeks of my life. Learning a new language and culture and city has required a lot of assistance, and a lot of patience...and a lot of admitting that I'm totally lost. It's all part of the adventure though, and I am honestly glad to be at square one here. The need for help is a good place to be when trying to form new relationships, I have found.

Yesterday was the first day of school for the school kids of Mongolia (yep, national first day of school...love it!) I was able to take part in the opening day ceremony of the school at which I will be teaching. The ceremony included speeches from the principal and senior class rep., performances by different students, and a presentation of gifts from the students to the teachers (the flower in the picture above was a gift to me from a student). That's right. I'm now a teacher...and I couldn't be more excited! The school is a small private k-12 school, run mostly by volunteers (from what I've gathered). I will be spending time with the students, reviewing what they have learned from their official English teacher and encouraging them to use their English skills in conversation (from what I've gathered...the details are still yet to be determined...and I'm ok with that!)

Yesterday I also began my "survival course" in the Mongolian language school located in the same building as the organization I am working with. My class will be eight 3hr sessions...it's a lot to cram into 3 hours. My teacher is very patient, however, and I am once again being taught humility...as I'm sure my handwriting looks like that of a 6 year old...and my "voiced lateral fricative" is awful.

Two main thoughts have kept me going as I've been working on my language homework. One--the little first grader who wanted to converse with me and told my friend to tell me to speak Mongolian, and two--Philippians 2...the ultimate example of humility and sacrificial incarnation. Somehow in a small way, I think learning a new language, and learning a new life style fit in with the calling to have the same mind as Christ.

There are many more stories that I could tell, but you'll just have to hear them when I return :)