Monday, May 3
Please be praying for Leon Heisey. He threw out his back about 6 months ago and worked through it with bed rest and exercise, but this past week he had another episode. A Korean doctor, whose kids go to the same home-school coop, ordered him to have a MRI. The MRI results showed 2 ruptured and 2 herniated discs in his lumbar spine. All the doctors told him that his MRI showed he needed surgery immediately and that he should look much worse clinically. He and Heather are going to Seoul, Korea this fall for a health check-up for Heather, and are praying about whether he should go ahead and have surgery while he is in Korea. They want to do what is best for him long-term.
Tuesday, May 4
It is hard to believe that this is my next to last day here in Mongolia. My time here has been wonderful and the Lord has really worked on my heart. Before coming and even the first week of being here, I had so much anxiety over all that had to be done by June. Throughout the past few weeks, the Lord has really helped me lay everything down at His feet and put on His peace like a mantle around my shoulders. I know that He is a good God and that He will never give me more than I can handle. I know that He is my ever-present help in time of need and that He is so very, very faithful. He will provide and give grace to make it through the crazy month ahead and the best news of all is that I can experience His joy in the midst of it. Sometimes I wonder why I am so stubborn and why He has to bring me across the world to remind me that He is God and He is the One by which ALL is held together. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him and he is before all things and in him all things hold together.” Col. 1:16-17
I will definitely miss my brothers and sisters I have met over here in Mongolia, but I know I will see them again. They will be in my prayers and I hope in your prayers as well. I hope they come to see me in the States and that I can treat them to some real Mexican food! They are such a beautiful people and will hold a special place in my heart.
Here is a list of the top things I will miss about Mongolia:
1. The children—they are sooooooo cute!
2. Mongolian worship
3. Relationships with everyone from V.E.T.Net
4. Getting to wear winter clothes—I have a feeling I’m fixing to sweat—A LOT!
5. Large animal farm calls—just one more horse!
6. One-on-one times with the Mongolians
7. Camel riding
8. Cheap waxing
9. Being free of my cell phone
10. Spending time with Kellie
Fun Fact of the Day: It took the Heisey’s 1.5hours to get home today. It was only 3 miles.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Ta haanaas irsenba?—means “Where are you from?”
Wednesday, May 5
Today is ONE MONTH until Beau and I get married! I am so excited. In honor of my return to the States, I am going to list off some things that I have missed from home.
1. COFFEE
2. Turkey Sandwiches
3. Non-crunchy undergarments (ie: clothes dryer vs. air dry)
4. Diet Dr. Pepper
5. VEGETABLES!!!!
6. Orderly traffic
7. Shocks on vehicles
8. Texas wildflowers
9. Apartment-free living
10. Beau Richland Schilling
My flight leaves tomorrow morning (Wednesday night in the States) at 11:50. I fly to Beijing, have a 2 hour layover and then fly to Chicago. I leave Beijing at 4 p.m. on Thursday and arrive in Chicago at 4 p.m. on Thursday! I have a 4 hour layover in Chicago and then will hopefully arrive safe and sound at 11:30 p.m. in Houston. Please pray for traveling mercies and thank you so much for all your love and support!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Mongolia Update #8
Friday, April 30
Today was by far the most beautiful day—60 degrees, sunny, blue skies and no wind. So much so that the boys (Aagie and Muugii) thought that their very critical patients needed to come out of the isolation ward and enjoy the beautiful day as well. Kellie and I had skipped over to the little store next to the clinic for a quick snack and when we got back to the clinic, we were shocked to see the boys sitting with their patients outside, IV poles and all, and Muugii had taken off his scrub top and had his undershirt with the cut-off sleeves getting a tan. Kellie and I just had to laugh and realized we learned a valuable lesson: Never let work stop you from enjoying the day!
This afternoon when the clinic was a little bit slow, Bayaraa showed me pictures from her wedding, of her family and of her recent trip to the States. It was so fun looking through them with her and hearing about her family. Her dad and her husband’s dad both passed away from alcoholism. She shared that they wouldn’t have normally spent a lot of money on a wedding, but only in the case of a wedding could they have everyone together in a big group. Her wedding was the first Christian wedding in her family and their desire was to present the Gospel at the wedding. What an amazing idea, as Christian marriage really is all about Him. God is slowly capturing the hearts within her family. One thing I have been really challenged by during my time here has been the boldness and zeal with which the Mongolians share their faith. It is awespiring. Most of the Mongolian Christians are first generation and their families are very involved in Buddhism or Shamanism. Pray that they continue in their zeal for the Lord and that He would continue to send people to disciple them in their faith.
Tonight on the way to dinner I saw something that broke my heart. Richard had told us not to step on the metal covers over the entrances to the sewer, as many people live down in the sewer and they are often very loose. Well, tonight as we walked by one where the cover had been removed, I saw a man sleeping down there. When you hear about something it is one thing, but when you see it with your own two eyes, it is another. We live in a world where it can be so easy to get caught up in your own little life that you often forget about the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan. In fact, if we are really honest, we often get bothered by them because they get in our way or maybe they smell, or maybe even worse, we stop noticing that they are there. It made me realize that there are so many broken and hurting people out there. Some wear rags and some wear three piece suits, but the issue is the same. They are in need of some Jesus with skin on—someone to reach into their world and offer them what they truly need, the life-changing love of the Lord. I pray today that our hearts will not grow calloused to the needs around us, but that we would look for opportunities to reach out. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:5-6
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians drive on the right side of the road (well . . . most of the time), but the cars are a mix between the steering wheel being on the left or right depending on where they bought their vehicle.
Mongolian Word of the Day: sookh (pronounced soo)—means “sit”
Saturday, May 1
So Kellie and I had spied a little bakery that appeared to have some “real” coffee. We decided that we would walk their today before heading to the clinic. I think perhaps we had our hopes set a little high. Two very sweet ladies made us what was probably the best latte in UB, but we decided there is just no comparison to home. A good cup of coffee is on top order when I get into Chicago!
I remember being in Alduba, Ethiopia with Trent and Tabby Cox and getting the revelation that while foreign influence to bring the Gospel to unreached tribal groups is great and even necessary initially, revival will break out from within each people. Well, as the Lord brought this to my memory, it made me realize the role that God has us in over here in Mongolia. We are primarily mentors and pouring into the staff at V.E.T.Net, helping them to grow in both their knowledge of veterinary medicine, but most importantly, their faith. As we pour into their lives, they take that growing seed and then pour into the lives of the people they directly touch through the different facets of their lives. It is a ministry of multiplication and I feel so blessed to be a part. One thing I am pretty sure of though, they have blessed and impacted my life far more than I have theirs.
Today Aagie’s wife came to the clinic and brought his little boy who is 9 months old. He is sooooooo cute and just the happiest little thing. He looks identical to Aagie. He let me hold him and he even got upset when I had to leave the room. His wife just graduated this past Wednesday from vet school. YEAH! She is unsure where she will work just yet. Mary shared with us that she was the first Believer through the student Bible study. So cool!
Fun Fact of the Day: Cereal like we eat in the States is $15 a box!
Mongolian Word of the Day: khewt (pronounced hefty)—means “lay down”
Sunday, May 2
This morning we went to church and lunch with Tseegii and Tsogoo (a teacher and large animal vet respectively). They met in 2007 and just got married this past October. Their wedding was the first Christian wedding in both of their families. They did not have any alcohol, which is so counter-cultural here. I think the Lord has really given this new generation a boldness to walk out their faith despite the lack of support of their family. So encouraging. Tseegii did an amazing job translating for us in church. She shared with us that they really wanted to have us for lunch in their ger, but her sister has cancer, is undergoing chemo and is not doing too well. Please be in prayer for her sister Amara. She has some type of nasal tumor I believe.
Today was a first—the first sign of GREEN! Get excited! We were walking outside and did a little double-take. There in front of us were a few tuffs of green grass!
Fun Fact of the Day: The State Department store is the only one of its kind in Mongolia. It is sort of a mall in one store. There are 6 floors that include everything from a supermarket to clothes to a workout gym to kitchen ware.
Mongolian Word of the Day: zogs—means “stop” or “stay”
(In case you haven’t caught the theme, the past three days are commands you can teach your dog or if you are really adventurous, your cat!)
Today was by far the most beautiful day—60 degrees, sunny, blue skies and no wind. So much so that the boys (Aagie and Muugii) thought that their very critical patients needed to come out of the isolation ward and enjoy the beautiful day as well. Kellie and I had skipped over to the little store next to the clinic for a quick snack and when we got back to the clinic, we were shocked to see the boys sitting with their patients outside, IV poles and all, and Muugii had taken off his scrub top and had his undershirt with the cut-off sleeves getting a tan. Kellie and I just had to laugh and realized we learned a valuable lesson: Never let work stop you from enjoying the day!
This afternoon when the clinic was a little bit slow, Bayaraa showed me pictures from her wedding, of her family and of her recent trip to the States. It was so fun looking through them with her and hearing about her family. Her dad and her husband’s dad both passed away from alcoholism. She shared that they wouldn’t have normally spent a lot of money on a wedding, but only in the case of a wedding could they have everyone together in a big group. Her wedding was the first Christian wedding in her family and their desire was to present the Gospel at the wedding. What an amazing idea, as Christian marriage really is all about Him. God is slowly capturing the hearts within her family. One thing I have been really challenged by during my time here has been the boldness and zeal with which the Mongolians share their faith. It is awespiring. Most of the Mongolian Christians are first generation and their families are very involved in Buddhism or Shamanism. Pray that they continue in their zeal for the Lord and that He would continue to send people to disciple them in their faith.
Tonight on the way to dinner I saw something that broke my heart. Richard had told us not to step on the metal covers over the entrances to the sewer, as many people live down in the sewer and they are often very loose. Well, tonight as we walked by one where the cover had been removed, I saw a man sleeping down there. When you hear about something it is one thing, but when you see it with your own two eyes, it is another. We live in a world where it can be so easy to get caught up in your own little life that you often forget about the poor, the destitute, the widow and the orphan. In fact, if we are really honest, we often get bothered by them because they get in our way or maybe they smell, or maybe even worse, we stop noticing that they are there. It made me realize that there are so many broken and hurting people out there. Some wear rags and some wear three piece suits, but the issue is the same. They are in need of some Jesus with skin on—someone to reach into their world and offer them what they truly need, the life-changing love of the Lord. I pray today that our hearts will not grow calloused to the needs around us, but that we would look for opportunities to reach out. “For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” 2 Cor. 4:5-6
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians drive on the right side of the road (well . . . most of the time), but the cars are a mix between the steering wheel being on the left or right depending on where they bought their vehicle.
Mongolian Word of the Day: sookh (pronounced soo)—means “sit”
Saturday, May 1
So Kellie and I had spied a little bakery that appeared to have some “real” coffee. We decided that we would walk their today before heading to the clinic. I think perhaps we had our hopes set a little high. Two very sweet ladies made us what was probably the best latte in UB, but we decided there is just no comparison to home. A good cup of coffee is on top order when I get into Chicago!
I remember being in Alduba, Ethiopia with Trent and Tabby Cox and getting the revelation that while foreign influence to bring the Gospel to unreached tribal groups is great and even necessary initially, revival will break out from within each people. Well, as the Lord brought this to my memory, it made me realize the role that God has us in over here in Mongolia. We are primarily mentors and pouring into the staff at V.E.T.Net, helping them to grow in both their knowledge of veterinary medicine, but most importantly, their faith. As we pour into their lives, they take that growing seed and then pour into the lives of the people they directly touch through the different facets of their lives. It is a ministry of multiplication and I feel so blessed to be a part. One thing I am pretty sure of though, they have blessed and impacted my life far more than I have theirs.
Today Aagie’s wife came to the clinic and brought his little boy who is 9 months old. He is sooooooo cute and just the happiest little thing. He looks identical to Aagie. He let me hold him and he even got upset when I had to leave the room. His wife just graduated this past Wednesday from vet school. YEAH! She is unsure where she will work just yet. Mary shared with us that she was the first Believer through the student Bible study. So cool!
Fun Fact of the Day: Cereal like we eat in the States is $15 a box!
Mongolian Word of the Day: khewt (pronounced hefty)—means “lay down”
Sunday, May 2
This morning we went to church and lunch with Tseegii and Tsogoo (a teacher and large animal vet respectively). They met in 2007 and just got married this past October. Their wedding was the first Christian wedding in both of their families. They did not have any alcohol, which is so counter-cultural here. I think the Lord has really given this new generation a boldness to walk out their faith despite the lack of support of their family. So encouraging. Tseegii did an amazing job translating for us in church. She shared with us that they really wanted to have us for lunch in their ger, but her sister has cancer, is undergoing chemo and is not doing too well. Please be in prayer for her sister Amara. She has some type of nasal tumor I believe.
Today was a first—the first sign of GREEN! Get excited! We were walking outside and did a little double-take. There in front of us were a few tuffs of green grass!
Fun Fact of the Day: The State Department store is the only one of its kind in Mongolia. It is sort of a mall in one store. There are 6 floors that include everything from a supermarket to clothes to a workout gym to kitchen ware.
Mongolian Word of the Day: zogs—means “stop” or “stay”
(In case you haven’t caught the theme, the past three days are commands you can teach your dog or if you are really adventurous, your cat!)
Mongolia Update #7
Tuesday, April 27
Today I was dragging after the late night we had with the emergency surgery. When we got to the clinic this morning, Roxy was resting comfortably. Karen had stayed with him overnight because we had him on a morphine/ketamine CRI (constant rate infusion). He would have periodic breakthroughs with pain that we controlled easily with ketamine and valium IV. He definitely has reason to be sore though!
Tonight we went and ate with Enkgchimeg and Saikhnaa at a Chinese restaurant. It was so funny when the waitress brought 2 forks and gave them to the Mongolians. Kellie and I were thinking “do we look like we are good with chopsticks”?!!! We had some really good conversation. Enkgchimeg was telling me that the student ministry at her church was not really growing in numbers. I encouraged her that maybe this is a time where the Lord is wanting them to pour in and disciple the young believers that are currently coming, deepening their faith. Yes, evangelism is a beautiful thing, but so is discipleship.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolia won their first Olympic gold medal in Beijing in wrestling.
Mongolian Word of the Day: nakhoi (prounounced na-hoy)—means “dog”
Wednesday, April 28
Today I went with the large animal guys to do a uterine infusion on the mare we cultured last week. It was much warmer than the previous week—PRAISE THE LORD!!! I definitely think that perhaps the weather in Africa more readily fits my bodily need for warmth! We researched the procedure and had everything ready to go. It all went without problems and hopefully the mare will clear the infection and be able to get pregnant. We had another horse that came because it had bloody noses and difficulty breathing during exercise. Tsek used the endoscope and looked up the nares for possible causes. Turns out that this horse has pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia. He was letting the owners look through the scope so he could explain the disease process whenever the power went out. We had 2 more horses on the books to radiograph, but after waiting over 45 minutes for the power to come back on, we decided to call it a day. This was the first time of going with the large animal guys where I would get to have any lunch! And I had come prepared with a FiberOne bar!
We got back to the office around 3:30 and so there was no point in me going to the small animal clinic only to leave to come back to the office for the student Bible study. I asked Mary if she needed anything done and so she gave me a list of library books and asked me if I would catalog any new ones since the original list was done and organize them. Guess who was the one who started the original list—my great friend, Audrey!!! Sometimes I really enjoy such tasks as they are a break for my mind.
Each Wednesday they have dinner, worship and a Bible study for the students at the veterinary school. We eat dinner together at 5 and just fellowship. Then after we are finished we move into one of the classrooms where they sing a few songs and someone gives a devotion. Mary was the one teaching today. She taught on the lost coin in Luke 15. She had hid a quarter in the room and asked everyone to help her find it. She then shared a story about a man that came to her church. He was obviously homeless and smelled bad and would often come to church late. Everyone was always kind to him. He started to come in each Sunday and sit closer and closer to the front. Then they noticed that he no longer smelled. The love of God through His servants had been what had changed that man and now he is a Believer. She talked about how the angels of heaven rejoiced just as much over this homeless man coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior as they would over the President of Mongolia. We are all that special to Him. Many students come to this Bible study to practice their English, and many of those who come originally for that purpose are now walking with the Lord. Please be in prayer for the students being impacted through this facet of the V.E.T.Net ministry.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians use 2 tub washers to wash clothes and then air dry everything on these nifty drying racks.
Mongolian Word of the Day: ukher (pronounced oo-ker)—means “cow”
Thursday, April 29
This morning after devotion, Karen dropped us off at the Mongolian National History Museum. It was 3 floors and documented their history since about 7-8,000 B.C. One of my favorite rooms had the authentic dress of the different tribes throughout Mongolia. They had a room dedicated to the “Communist Era”. It was very interesting to see the complete control the government had over the people. Even though this type of government is super controlling and destructive, one really good thing that they did was improve literacy from around 15% to 96%.
We got back to the clinic around lunch time. Roxy had been taken off all pain medications and fluids and he even started eating and drinking on his own! He was doing so well, we decided he would do best at home. His owner, a Cameroonian man, came and picked him up and Roxy could not get out of the clinic fast enough. I sure do hope he does well.
Tonight Kellie and I went to dinner with Narra (the teacher from previous entries) and Uuganna (pronounced “Ulna”). We decided on a Hot Pot restaurant. It was so much fun cooking our own food and they thought we were crazy for ordering the spicy soup and for putting in extra hot peppers! We told them that Texans really like hot and spicy things (and Kellie and I are really craving Mexican food). Narra told us the neatest story over dinner. Zulaa is a veterinary technician at the small animal clinic. Narra shared that on one of her trips to the countryside she met a young boy who was staying in a school dormitory. He told her that his parents had divorced and left him and his sister and that his sister was living with another family as a servant/slave. During V.E.T.Net’s trip to that county that summer, Narra inquired around about Zulaa. She found her and she came to the summer school and after praying and talking to Gerald Mitchum (founder of V.E.T.Net), they decided to bring Zola back to UB. They put her in school and provided her a place to live and now she works at V.E.T.Net and continues to grow in her faith and heal. This story just touched my heart so much. I cannot imagine the abandonment and hurt she experienced, but the Lord loved her so much to send these Godly people to find her and give her truth and agape love. Isn’t our Lord amazing!!!!!
Fun Fact of the Day: The boys at the clinic are really obsessed with Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World” song. They play it so much that it quite often gets stuck in my head!
Mongolian Word of the Day: guij baina—means “Please”
Today I was dragging after the late night we had with the emergency surgery. When we got to the clinic this morning, Roxy was resting comfortably. Karen had stayed with him overnight because we had him on a morphine/ketamine CRI (constant rate infusion). He would have periodic breakthroughs with pain that we controlled easily with ketamine and valium IV. He definitely has reason to be sore though!
Tonight we went and ate with Enkgchimeg and Saikhnaa at a Chinese restaurant. It was so funny when the waitress brought 2 forks and gave them to the Mongolians. Kellie and I were thinking “do we look like we are good with chopsticks”?!!! We had some really good conversation. Enkgchimeg was telling me that the student ministry at her church was not really growing in numbers. I encouraged her that maybe this is a time where the Lord is wanting them to pour in and disciple the young believers that are currently coming, deepening their faith. Yes, evangelism is a beautiful thing, but so is discipleship.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolia won their first Olympic gold medal in Beijing in wrestling.
Mongolian Word of the Day: nakhoi (prounounced na-hoy)—means “dog”
Wednesday, April 28
Today I went with the large animal guys to do a uterine infusion on the mare we cultured last week. It was much warmer than the previous week—PRAISE THE LORD!!! I definitely think that perhaps the weather in Africa more readily fits my bodily need for warmth! We researched the procedure and had everything ready to go. It all went without problems and hopefully the mare will clear the infection and be able to get pregnant. We had another horse that came because it had bloody noses and difficulty breathing during exercise. Tsek used the endoscope and looked up the nares for possible causes. Turns out that this horse has pharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia. He was letting the owners look through the scope so he could explain the disease process whenever the power went out. We had 2 more horses on the books to radiograph, but after waiting over 45 minutes for the power to come back on, we decided to call it a day. This was the first time of going with the large animal guys where I would get to have any lunch! And I had come prepared with a FiberOne bar!
We got back to the office around 3:30 and so there was no point in me going to the small animal clinic only to leave to come back to the office for the student Bible study. I asked Mary if she needed anything done and so she gave me a list of library books and asked me if I would catalog any new ones since the original list was done and organize them. Guess who was the one who started the original list—my great friend, Audrey!!! Sometimes I really enjoy such tasks as they are a break for my mind.
Each Wednesday they have dinner, worship and a Bible study for the students at the veterinary school. We eat dinner together at 5 and just fellowship. Then after we are finished we move into one of the classrooms where they sing a few songs and someone gives a devotion. Mary was the one teaching today. She taught on the lost coin in Luke 15. She had hid a quarter in the room and asked everyone to help her find it. She then shared a story about a man that came to her church. He was obviously homeless and smelled bad and would often come to church late. Everyone was always kind to him. He started to come in each Sunday and sit closer and closer to the front. Then they noticed that he no longer smelled. The love of God through His servants had been what had changed that man and now he is a Believer. She talked about how the angels of heaven rejoiced just as much over this homeless man coming to know Jesus as Lord and Savior as they would over the President of Mongolia. We are all that special to Him. Many students come to this Bible study to practice their English, and many of those who come originally for that purpose are now walking with the Lord. Please be in prayer for the students being impacted through this facet of the V.E.T.Net ministry.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians use 2 tub washers to wash clothes and then air dry everything on these nifty drying racks.
Mongolian Word of the Day: ukher (pronounced oo-ker)—means “cow”
Thursday, April 29
This morning after devotion, Karen dropped us off at the Mongolian National History Museum. It was 3 floors and documented their history since about 7-8,000 B.C. One of my favorite rooms had the authentic dress of the different tribes throughout Mongolia. They had a room dedicated to the “Communist Era”. It was very interesting to see the complete control the government had over the people. Even though this type of government is super controlling and destructive, one really good thing that they did was improve literacy from around 15% to 96%.
We got back to the clinic around lunch time. Roxy had been taken off all pain medications and fluids and he even started eating and drinking on his own! He was doing so well, we decided he would do best at home. His owner, a Cameroonian man, came and picked him up and Roxy could not get out of the clinic fast enough. I sure do hope he does well.
Tonight Kellie and I went to dinner with Narra (the teacher from previous entries) and Uuganna (pronounced “Ulna”). We decided on a Hot Pot restaurant. It was so much fun cooking our own food and they thought we were crazy for ordering the spicy soup and for putting in extra hot peppers! We told them that Texans really like hot and spicy things (and Kellie and I are really craving Mexican food). Narra told us the neatest story over dinner. Zulaa is a veterinary technician at the small animal clinic. Narra shared that on one of her trips to the countryside she met a young boy who was staying in a school dormitory. He told her that his parents had divorced and left him and his sister and that his sister was living with another family as a servant/slave. During V.E.T.Net’s trip to that county that summer, Narra inquired around about Zulaa. She found her and she came to the summer school and after praying and talking to Gerald Mitchum (founder of V.E.T.Net), they decided to bring Zola back to UB. They put her in school and provided her a place to live and now she works at V.E.T.Net and continues to grow in her faith and heal. This story just touched my heart so much. I cannot imagine the abandonment and hurt she experienced, but the Lord loved her so much to send these Godly people to find her and give her truth and agape love. Isn’t our Lord amazing!!!!!
Fun Fact of the Day: The boys at the clinic are really obsessed with Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World” song. They play it so much that it quite often gets stuck in my head!
Mongolian Word of the Day: guij baina—means “Please”
Friday, April 30, 2010
Mongolia Update #6
Sunday, April 25
So today we went to church with one of the missionary families here, the Heiseys. They are from Pennsylvania. Before moving to Mongolia, Leon worked as an engineer for Hershey while Heather was a small animal veterinarian. They have 3 children Sarah (11 years old), Jonathan (9 years old), and Lydia (7 years old). Sarah and Lydia were adopted as babies from China and Jonathan is their natural child. Karen also goes to this church. The church could not afford to pay for the heating and so the church service was the coldest one I have ever been to (we were blowing smoke)! You should have seen me. I was bundled up like an Eskimo, and let me just tell you, it is an act of fate to turn pages in your Bible with thick gloves on. However, I was not going take them off and risk getting frost-bitten!
After church we decided that it was way too cold to walk back to the Heiseys and so we all 9 piled into a taxi. Yes, that means 3 in front and 6 in back. One of the funniest things on the ride home was Jonathan and Sarah were discussing where they were in regards to Bible reading (they were in the life of David) when Lydia pipes up from the front seat and says, “Oh yeah, I am all the way to where Jesus wose from the gwave!” (She says her r’s like w’s.)
Once back at their house we ate a light lunch and then we played games. They received a Wii for Christmas and Lydia had a fun time creating a Mi for each one of us. She analyzed our face shape, hair color, eyebrow shape and she even added a mole on the right side of my face! We played some different board games and some that Lydia made up on her own. I don’t know if you have figured it out, but Lydia is quite the character! It was so nice to spend time with a family and have a little American food!
Fun Fact of the Day: Lake Khuvsugul in Mongolia is the second largest fresh water lake in the world.
Mongolian Word of the Day: teme—means “camel”
Monday, April 26
So today was a super busy day at the clinic. I worked on a blocked cat that had been in the previous Friday. He had stayed over night and then was sent home over the weekend with a urinary catheter. Well, he ended up pulling it out and came back in this morning and his abdomen was so taught. I passed a urinary catheter again and drained 150 mls off of his bladder! (For you non-vet people, that is a lot for a kitty cat!) The computer that we use to develop the radiographs is down and so we cannot take one in order to see if he has stones (yes, I do know that struvite stones will not show up on x-ray). So until we can get that up we will keep the u-cath in, put him on IV fluids, antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory.
Probably the most bizarre case of the day is a German Shepherd male dog named Roxy. He came in supposedly for 10 days of anorexia and diarrhea. Karen decided that an e-tube would be advantageous in this case and they worked very hard trying to get that placed. After we gave him the only injectable pain medication we had (morphine) and guess what happened next??? He vomited up a large amount of undigested kibble, potato and onion! So evidently he had been eating. Then he had a blow out of watery diarrhea complete with parasites. While he was under for the e-tube placement, we were palpating his abdomen and found what felt like a sausage in the mid-abdomen. We were very worried about an intussusception (where part of the intestine folds in on itself) and because we did not have any sort of imaging available and his color was so poor, we decided that it was better to open him up for an emergency exploratory surgery after dinner. We ate a quick dinner and then came back to the clinic for what we thought was likely to be a small intestine resection (removal) and anastamosis (reconnecting the ends of intestine).
Meg and I were the surgeons and Kellie and Karen were the anesthesiologists. Meg and I opened him up and the strangest thing happened. There was absolutely no small intestine present in the abdomen. The liver was completely displaced to the left side. The right kidney was pendulous within the abdominal cavity (normally it is tight up against the body wall). This was our supposed “intussusception”. When trying to figure out what was going on, we realized there was a hole in the diaphragm and all of the small intestine plus the pancreas were located in the thorax (chest)! We were dealing with a congenital abdominal hernia which was NOT on our differential list!!!!! If we could have taken a radiograph before surgery, it likely would have been! Meg and I removed the intestine from the chest while Kellie breathed for Roxy (when you have a hole into to the thorax it causes the lungs to collapse). There was a 4” hole running from right next to the AORTA to about midway down the right ribs. We needed an extra set of hands in order to keep the organs out of the way and the incision site open so we stole Karen away and she scrubbed in. Kellie was now the only one not sterile. She was quite the trooper dealing with all of our “breathe for him”, “don’t breathe for him”, “the intestines are too dry and need some saline”, “we need more gauze”, etc. At one point I knocked a bowl filled with blood off the table and it splattered all over the wall making it look like some crime scene. We finally got the hernia closed and then we placed the organs back in the abdomen and sewed him up. By the time we got everything cleaned up and Roxy recovering it was nearly 2 a.m. When we were leaving the clinic to walk back to our apartments, there was a blanket of snow on the ground—the perfect strange ending to a very strange day.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians do not particularly like the Chinese.
Mongolian Word of the Day: mere (pronounced merd)—means “horse”
So today we went to church with one of the missionary families here, the Heiseys. They are from Pennsylvania. Before moving to Mongolia, Leon worked as an engineer for Hershey while Heather was a small animal veterinarian. They have 3 children Sarah (11 years old), Jonathan (9 years old), and Lydia (7 years old). Sarah and Lydia were adopted as babies from China and Jonathan is their natural child. Karen also goes to this church. The church could not afford to pay for the heating and so the church service was the coldest one I have ever been to (we were blowing smoke)! You should have seen me. I was bundled up like an Eskimo, and let me just tell you, it is an act of fate to turn pages in your Bible with thick gloves on. However, I was not going take them off and risk getting frost-bitten!
After church we decided that it was way too cold to walk back to the Heiseys and so we all 9 piled into a taxi. Yes, that means 3 in front and 6 in back. One of the funniest things on the ride home was Jonathan and Sarah were discussing where they were in regards to Bible reading (they were in the life of David) when Lydia pipes up from the front seat and says, “Oh yeah, I am all the way to where Jesus wose from the gwave!” (She says her r’s like w’s.)
Once back at their house we ate a light lunch and then we played games. They received a Wii for Christmas and Lydia had a fun time creating a Mi for each one of us. She analyzed our face shape, hair color, eyebrow shape and she even added a mole on the right side of my face! We played some different board games and some that Lydia made up on her own. I don’t know if you have figured it out, but Lydia is quite the character! It was so nice to spend time with a family and have a little American food!
Fun Fact of the Day: Lake Khuvsugul in Mongolia is the second largest fresh water lake in the world.
Mongolian Word of the Day: teme—means “camel”
Monday, April 26
So today was a super busy day at the clinic. I worked on a blocked cat that had been in the previous Friday. He had stayed over night and then was sent home over the weekend with a urinary catheter. Well, he ended up pulling it out and came back in this morning and his abdomen was so taught. I passed a urinary catheter again and drained 150 mls off of his bladder! (For you non-vet people, that is a lot for a kitty cat!) The computer that we use to develop the radiographs is down and so we cannot take one in order to see if he has stones (yes, I do know that struvite stones will not show up on x-ray). So until we can get that up we will keep the u-cath in, put him on IV fluids, antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory.
Probably the most bizarre case of the day is a German Shepherd male dog named Roxy. He came in supposedly for 10 days of anorexia and diarrhea. Karen decided that an e-tube would be advantageous in this case and they worked very hard trying to get that placed. After we gave him the only injectable pain medication we had (morphine) and guess what happened next??? He vomited up a large amount of undigested kibble, potato and onion! So evidently he had been eating. Then he had a blow out of watery diarrhea complete with parasites. While he was under for the e-tube placement, we were palpating his abdomen and found what felt like a sausage in the mid-abdomen. We were very worried about an intussusception (where part of the intestine folds in on itself) and because we did not have any sort of imaging available and his color was so poor, we decided that it was better to open him up for an emergency exploratory surgery after dinner. We ate a quick dinner and then came back to the clinic for what we thought was likely to be a small intestine resection (removal) and anastamosis (reconnecting the ends of intestine).
Meg and I were the surgeons and Kellie and Karen were the anesthesiologists. Meg and I opened him up and the strangest thing happened. There was absolutely no small intestine present in the abdomen. The liver was completely displaced to the left side. The right kidney was pendulous within the abdominal cavity (normally it is tight up against the body wall). This was our supposed “intussusception”. When trying to figure out what was going on, we realized there was a hole in the diaphragm and all of the small intestine plus the pancreas were located in the thorax (chest)! We were dealing with a congenital abdominal hernia which was NOT on our differential list!!!!! If we could have taken a radiograph before surgery, it likely would have been! Meg and I removed the intestine from the chest while Kellie breathed for Roxy (when you have a hole into to the thorax it causes the lungs to collapse). There was a 4” hole running from right next to the AORTA to about midway down the right ribs. We needed an extra set of hands in order to keep the organs out of the way and the incision site open so we stole Karen away and she scrubbed in. Kellie was now the only one not sterile. She was quite the trooper dealing with all of our “breathe for him”, “don’t breathe for him”, “the intestines are too dry and need some saline”, “we need more gauze”, etc. At one point I knocked a bowl filled with blood off the table and it splattered all over the wall making it look like some crime scene. We finally got the hernia closed and then we placed the organs back in the abdomen and sewed him up. By the time we got everything cleaned up and Roxy recovering it was nearly 2 a.m. When we were leaving the clinic to walk back to our apartments, there was a blanket of snow on the ground—the perfect strange ending to a very strange day.
Fun Fact of the Day: Mongolians do not particularly like the Chinese.
Mongolian Word of the Day: mere (pronounced merd)—means “horse”
Mongolia Update #5
Thursday, April 22
Today when we were coming back for lunch, we had an interesting experience. When we were getting ready to cross the street, the two cars going each direction slammed on their brakes, tires squealing, in order for us to cross the street. Muugii said, “Interesting, very interesting. They would never have done that for a Mongolian. They don’t want to hit a foreigner!”
One thing that I have noticed pretty much everywhere I have been (outside of the USA) is that staring is not rude. Tonight as we were walking home, a young girl about 8 turned around and was blatantly staring. I could just hear her little brain thinking, “Those girls look strange!” I usually just smile, wave and keep on going. In America, we get used to seeing people from all different ethnicities. Pretty much everyone that is in Mongolia, is Mongolian!
Fun Fact of the Day: There are approximately 40,000 Christian believers in Mongolia. (Population is 3.5 million.)
Mongolian Word of the Day: more (pronounced mord)—means “cat”
Friday, April 23
Today was a busy day at the clinic. A lady from Lithuania brought in her Bengal cat because he was not chewing its food. He was BEAUTIFUL and just the sweetest natured cat (my type—he acted like a dog!). Her family (husband and 2 kids) just moved to Mongolia this past fall. Meg and Otka did a dental on the cat and it definitely had some lesions in the mouth that would make it sore enough where he wouldn’t want to chew. Then Karen and Aagie repaired a femur fracture on a dog. And every kennel in the clinic was occupied with either dogs for grooming or in being treated for parvo/distemper. It seemed like we just ran around like chickens with our heads cut off!
Tonight we went to the Moonstone concert. It is an event that showcases all the special things about Mongolian culture. There were traditional Mongolian dances, a contortionist, throat singing (you should youtube this), and various instruments that are unique to this country. I really enjoyed the traditional folk dance and the contortionist. She was crazy flexible and so strong.
After the concert, we had dinner with the Ballengers. It was so nice to have an American type meal and just to be in someone’s home, rather than eating out. We looked at pictures of their family. They have 2 sons and 1 daughter. The middle son and daughter moved with them to Mongolia in 2004. We stayed up really late visiting with them and then Richard walked us back to our apartment.
Fun Fact of the Day: The Nadam is a huge event that happens once a year in Mongolia. There are many different events, but the highlights are horse racing (5-7 year old boys and girls that race their horses over 15-32 km depending on the age of the horse), archery and wrestling.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Chi bol saikhan zaluu—means “You are a handsome boy.”
Saturday, April 24
Today we went to Terilj (pronounced Teril-ish), their National Park. It was definitely a cold day—about 20 degrees and snow flurries, but we didn’t let that stop us. Tseku (pronounced Se-ku), the cleaner for the small animal clinic, and Enchimeg (pronounced Inch-meg), one of the accountants, were our Mongolian “guides”. Tseku is Kazak, which is the most western province (ironically, or not, closest to Kazakhstan). The predominate religion there is Islam. She has been a believer for 3 years and one of her younger sisters is too. Her grandmother is Muslim. Enchimeg is from a province about 200km from Ulaanbaatar. She just finished studying abroad in South Korea for her masters in IT.
The first thing we did was drive out to see the GIANORMOUS Chengis Khan statue. Now, they had told us it was big, but I didn’t think it would be THAT big!!! Supposedly you can go up a bunch of stairs and then walk out onto his mane, but with the cold and the wind, I took a rain check on that! The Mongolians were super excited to see the statue—as it was their first time. Have I mentioned that they LOVE Chengis Khan???
Then we moved onto Terilj. We mostly drove through the park which was very mountainous and absolutely beautiful. I cannot even imagine how beautiful it is in the summertime. We ate a picnic lunch in the van. Enchimeg had come prepared with hot water, coffee and hot chocolate. She taught us that in the countryside, they fold the packet up and use it as a spoon. We saw this huge rock that looks like a turtle—no lie! Then came the highlight of my day . . . I got to ride a camel—and one with 2 humps at that! It was about like riding a draft horse without stirrups, but the 2 humps provided a perfect little support so you felt pretty stable. I must have made it look so fun that Kellie, Meg, Tseku and Enchimeg all decided to give it a go! I asked Ganba, our driver, if he wanted to ride and he said no. When I enquired further, I found out that he road a camel in the military when he worked as border patrol. He decided three years of camel riding was enough for a lifetime!
We had to search high and low for a bathroom and what we ended up using was a squatty potty. Just a bit of advice: if you ever have to go, make sure you check all your pockets before you go. You will not want to go after any valuables if they accidentally get dropped in! (and no I did not learn that from experience!)
Fun Fact of the Day: The only place in the world that has Bactrian (2-humped) camels is Mongolia and they are endangered.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Chi bol hoorhon—means “You are beautiful.”
Today when we were coming back for lunch, we had an interesting experience. When we were getting ready to cross the street, the two cars going each direction slammed on their brakes, tires squealing, in order for us to cross the street. Muugii said, “Interesting, very interesting. They would never have done that for a Mongolian. They don’t want to hit a foreigner!”
One thing that I have noticed pretty much everywhere I have been (outside of the USA) is that staring is not rude. Tonight as we were walking home, a young girl about 8 turned around and was blatantly staring. I could just hear her little brain thinking, “Those girls look strange!” I usually just smile, wave and keep on going. In America, we get used to seeing people from all different ethnicities. Pretty much everyone that is in Mongolia, is Mongolian!
Fun Fact of the Day: There are approximately 40,000 Christian believers in Mongolia. (Population is 3.5 million.)
Mongolian Word of the Day: more (pronounced mord)—means “cat”
Friday, April 23
Today was a busy day at the clinic. A lady from Lithuania brought in her Bengal cat because he was not chewing its food. He was BEAUTIFUL and just the sweetest natured cat (my type—he acted like a dog!). Her family (husband and 2 kids) just moved to Mongolia this past fall. Meg and Otka did a dental on the cat and it definitely had some lesions in the mouth that would make it sore enough where he wouldn’t want to chew. Then Karen and Aagie repaired a femur fracture on a dog. And every kennel in the clinic was occupied with either dogs for grooming or in being treated for parvo/distemper. It seemed like we just ran around like chickens with our heads cut off!
Tonight we went to the Moonstone concert. It is an event that showcases all the special things about Mongolian culture. There were traditional Mongolian dances, a contortionist, throat singing (you should youtube this), and various instruments that are unique to this country. I really enjoyed the traditional folk dance and the contortionist. She was crazy flexible and so strong.
After the concert, we had dinner with the Ballengers. It was so nice to have an American type meal and just to be in someone’s home, rather than eating out. We looked at pictures of their family. They have 2 sons and 1 daughter. The middle son and daughter moved with them to Mongolia in 2004. We stayed up really late visiting with them and then Richard walked us back to our apartment.
Fun Fact of the Day: The Nadam is a huge event that happens once a year in Mongolia. There are many different events, but the highlights are horse racing (5-7 year old boys and girls that race their horses over 15-32 km depending on the age of the horse), archery and wrestling.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Chi bol saikhan zaluu—means “You are a handsome boy.”
Saturday, April 24
Today we went to Terilj (pronounced Teril-ish), their National Park. It was definitely a cold day—about 20 degrees and snow flurries, but we didn’t let that stop us. Tseku (pronounced Se-ku), the cleaner for the small animal clinic, and Enchimeg (pronounced Inch-meg), one of the accountants, were our Mongolian “guides”. Tseku is Kazak, which is the most western province (ironically, or not, closest to Kazakhstan). The predominate religion there is Islam. She has been a believer for 3 years and one of her younger sisters is too. Her grandmother is Muslim. Enchimeg is from a province about 200km from Ulaanbaatar. She just finished studying abroad in South Korea for her masters in IT.
The first thing we did was drive out to see the GIANORMOUS Chengis Khan statue. Now, they had told us it was big, but I didn’t think it would be THAT big!!! Supposedly you can go up a bunch of stairs and then walk out onto his mane, but with the cold and the wind, I took a rain check on that! The Mongolians were super excited to see the statue—as it was their first time. Have I mentioned that they LOVE Chengis Khan???
Then we moved onto Terilj. We mostly drove through the park which was very mountainous and absolutely beautiful. I cannot even imagine how beautiful it is in the summertime. We ate a picnic lunch in the van. Enchimeg had come prepared with hot water, coffee and hot chocolate. She taught us that in the countryside, they fold the packet up and use it as a spoon. We saw this huge rock that looks like a turtle—no lie! Then came the highlight of my day . . . I got to ride a camel—and one with 2 humps at that! It was about like riding a draft horse without stirrups, but the 2 humps provided a perfect little support so you felt pretty stable. I must have made it look so fun that Kellie, Meg, Tseku and Enchimeg all decided to give it a go! I asked Ganba, our driver, if he wanted to ride and he said no. When I enquired further, I found out that he road a camel in the military when he worked as border patrol. He decided three years of camel riding was enough for a lifetime!
We had to search high and low for a bathroom and what we ended up using was a squatty potty. Just a bit of advice: if you ever have to go, make sure you check all your pockets before you go. You will not want to go after any valuables if they accidentally get dropped in! (and no I did not learn that from experience!)
Fun Fact of the Day: The only place in the world that has Bactrian (2-humped) camels is Mongolia and they are endangered.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Chi bol hoorhon—means “You are beautiful.”
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Mongolia Update #4
Tuesday, April 20
Today the boys, Aagii and Muugii, took us to lunch at this Mongolian restaurant not far from the clinic. They were so funny. They do not understand a couple of things. 1) Why we do not eat more. 2) Why we only want to drink water. We ordered what we thought was like 1 small thing each and the next thing we knew they were bringing plate after plate out and putting it on the table and the stuff that we had ordered, they doubled the amount we had asked for! We had a good visit and I got to know more about Aagii. He is 25 years old, is married and has an 8 month old baby boy. He told me that his father died when he was 12 or 13 and that he lost his mom when he was in his second year of vet school. Then this February he lost 2 brothers and a sister in some type of accident. He only has 1 surviving brother left. That is a lot of loss for one young man to go through. I am so thankful that he knows the Lord and that he is working in a place where the Lord can provide a “Spiritual family” for him.
A funny story for you . . . today we were trying to find out what Muugii’s the translation of his name is. He told us and what all of us American’s heard was “Eternal well-butt”. We were so confused so we responded with “well-butt”? to which he said no “well-butt”. Finally, after deciding we were getting NOWHERE, he went and got the English/Mongolian dictionary and we figured out he was trying to say “WELL BUILT”!!! His name actually translates as “Eternal Strength”.
Fun Fact of the Day: The favorite drink here is “milk tea” which is milk, tea and salt served hot.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Ogvi—means “No”
Wednesday, April 21
Between the dogs barking, the babies crying, doors slamming, and the people on the floor above me sounding like they are doing Sweatin’ to the Oldies, I have decided that apartment living is not for me! All of these noises are hard for me to tone out, but last night was something new! No lie, at 11 p.m., I heard popping sounds. For a second I was concerned about bombs or something like that, and then in the reflection from the apartment across from me I caught glimpses of red, green, blue, white and I realized something. It was not a war, it was FIREWORKS! Like a full out 4th of July show! I have no idea what they were celebrating, but it definitely makes the list of random experiences in Mongolia!
Today Meg and I went out with Tsek and the other large animal veterinarians to the LA clinic. They just built this clinic and it has been open for only 2 years. It doesn’t have set hours yet, they just go out whenever someone has called into the office. Hopefully, the clientele with build up and they will be as busy as the small animal clinic. Well, today we went out and it was VERY cold—windy and it actually had snow flurries coming down. We arrived and got all of our things ready for the horse (we were supposed to be seeing ONE horse for a uterine culture—remember this, it is very important). Then we waited, and waited, and waited for the client to arrive. I am sure it wasn’t that long, but when you are freezing, time seems to go by much slower. The boys noticed that I was turning into an icle, so they asked the man that stays in a ger (the Mongolian house) on the clinic grounds if we could go hang out inside his place. The ger is probably about 15 feet in diameter and is very warm from the stove they burn coal in. In the countryside, up to 8-10 people can and will live in one of these. While we were sitting in there, Sunny Boy passed around a white bucket that had bread in it. I thought to myself, “I am going to take a small piece in case I don’t like it.” This proved to be a strategic plan! Meg, however, had not eaten breakfast (she was worried about getting carsick) and so she took one of the biggest pieces. The bread was very stale and kind of tasted like the smoke from the coal stove. I thought to myself “How can I get rid of this: 1-feed it to the dog, 2-throw it in the stove, 3-put it in my pocket and dispose of it later?”. Then I started feeling guilty and thinking that most people would be thankful for a piece of stale bread. Later when Meg and I were talking, we both had had the exact same thought process!
Finally the client arrived with not 1, but 3 horses for us to look at. These were bigger than the typical Mongolian horse (more like a small thoroughbred). The first one he wanted a pregnancy check on. She was CRAZY and nearly killed herself and us in the process of getting in the stocks. Finally, the boys gave up and we moved onto the next patient. This one was a mare and she had an abrasion or laceration injury over her hock. She had a young foal with her, and they attempted to separate them to facilitate the exam. This proved to be a bad idea as both mama and baby got very upset. Strike number 2. The last mare was the one we had come to see. She had not be able to get pregnant and had some discharge. I helped Tsek, and with the help of some chemical sedation, we were able to obtain a sterile culture of the cervix and uterus. In the process, a man in traditional Mongolian get-up comes riding on a horse chasing another horse with a rope around its neck. He finally catches it. Two men who looked to be fairly wealthy were there and the owned the 2 horses that just came riding up. They were worried that the horse could be colicing. After treating that horse, they asked us if we would come to their place too access lameness on one of their race horses. By this time it is 2 p.m.
We get to the place and they have probably close to 50-60 horses. They had never used V.E.T.Net and had used what we would call in the states “alternative medical therapies” to try and treat their horses, but had not had any success. The first horse had a pulled tendon which requires 6-8 months of rest + anti-inflammatory therapy. Then we started a parade of horses and by the end, I am pretty sure we looked at almost every horse that had ever been sick on the farm! Very good for V.E.T.Net. Current time was 4:30 p.m. and we had not had lunch—much like the previous Wednesday when I had been out with the LA vets. It made me laugh because I am learning to expect the unexpected and to let go of my plans.
While I was out in the countryside, Kellie was at the small animal clinic. When we finally got back together at 5 right before the student Bible study, she told me a most interesting story. There was a little Golden Retriever puppy that we have been treating for a bite wound for the past week and a half. It came back in today, and we learned that this wasn’t just any dog. No it was the PRIME MINISTER of Mongolia’s dog and that the wife was coming to the clinic. Come to find out, they want V.E.T.Net to come out to their house and do training with their family and staff on how to care and train the puppy. Karen and Gerelee (pronounced Gary-le) are going to go out once a week. Talk about a huge open door to influence one of the most influential people in all of Mongolia! God is so good!
Fun Fact of the Day: This winter was the coldest winter in 30 years for Mongolia.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Odriin mend—means “Good afternoon”
Today the boys, Aagii and Muugii, took us to lunch at this Mongolian restaurant not far from the clinic. They were so funny. They do not understand a couple of things. 1) Why we do not eat more. 2) Why we only want to drink water. We ordered what we thought was like 1 small thing each and the next thing we knew they were bringing plate after plate out and putting it on the table and the stuff that we had ordered, they doubled the amount we had asked for! We had a good visit and I got to know more about Aagii. He is 25 years old, is married and has an 8 month old baby boy. He told me that his father died when he was 12 or 13 and that he lost his mom when he was in his second year of vet school. Then this February he lost 2 brothers and a sister in some type of accident. He only has 1 surviving brother left. That is a lot of loss for one young man to go through. I am so thankful that he knows the Lord and that he is working in a place where the Lord can provide a “Spiritual family” for him.
A funny story for you . . . today we were trying to find out what Muugii’s the translation of his name is. He told us and what all of us American’s heard was “Eternal well-butt”. We were so confused so we responded with “well-butt”? to which he said no “well-butt”. Finally, after deciding we were getting NOWHERE, he went and got the English/Mongolian dictionary and we figured out he was trying to say “WELL BUILT”!!! His name actually translates as “Eternal Strength”.
Fun Fact of the Day: The favorite drink here is “milk tea” which is milk, tea and salt served hot.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Ogvi—means “No”
Wednesday, April 21
Between the dogs barking, the babies crying, doors slamming, and the people on the floor above me sounding like they are doing Sweatin’ to the Oldies, I have decided that apartment living is not for me! All of these noises are hard for me to tone out, but last night was something new! No lie, at 11 p.m., I heard popping sounds. For a second I was concerned about bombs or something like that, and then in the reflection from the apartment across from me I caught glimpses of red, green, blue, white and I realized something. It was not a war, it was FIREWORKS! Like a full out 4th of July show! I have no idea what they were celebrating, but it definitely makes the list of random experiences in Mongolia!
Today Meg and I went out with Tsek and the other large animal veterinarians to the LA clinic. They just built this clinic and it has been open for only 2 years. It doesn’t have set hours yet, they just go out whenever someone has called into the office. Hopefully, the clientele with build up and they will be as busy as the small animal clinic. Well, today we went out and it was VERY cold—windy and it actually had snow flurries coming down. We arrived and got all of our things ready for the horse (we were supposed to be seeing ONE horse for a uterine culture—remember this, it is very important). Then we waited, and waited, and waited for the client to arrive. I am sure it wasn’t that long, but when you are freezing, time seems to go by much slower. The boys noticed that I was turning into an icle, so they asked the man that stays in a ger (the Mongolian house) on the clinic grounds if we could go hang out inside his place. The ger is probably about 15 feet in diameter and is very warm from the stove they burn coal in. In the countryside, up to 8-10 people can and will live in one of these. While we were sitting in there, Sunny Boy passed around a white bucket that had bread in it. I thought to myself, “I am going to take a small piece in case I don’t like it.” This proved to be a strategic plan! Meg, however, had not eaten breakfast (she was worried about getting carsick) and so she took one of the biggest pieces. The bread was very stale and kind of tasted like the smoke from the coal stove. I thought to myself “How can I get rid of this: 1-feed it to the dog, 2-throw it in the stove, 3-put it in my pocket and dispose of it later?”. Then I started feeling guilty and thinking that most people would be thankful for a piece of stale bread. Later when Meg and I were talking, we both had had the exact same thought process!
Finally the client arrived with not 1, but 3 horses for us to look at. These were bigger than the typical Mongolian horse (more like a small thoroughbred). The first one he wanted a pregnancy check on. She was CRAZY and nearly killed herself and us in the process of getting in the stocks. Finally, the boys gave up and we moved onto the next patient. This one was a mare and she had an abrasion or laceration injury over her hock. She had a young foal with her, and they attempted to separate them to facilitate the exam. This proved to be a bad idea as both mama and baby got very upset. Strike number 2. The last mare was the one we had come to see. She had not be able to get pregnant and had some discharge. I helped Tsek, and with the help of some chemical sedation, we were able to obtain a sterile culture of the cervix and uterus. In the process, a man in traditional Mongolian get-up comes riding on a horse chasing another horse with a rope around its neck. He finally catches it. Two men who looked to be fairly wealthy were there and the owned the 2 horses that just came riding up. They were worried that the horse could be colicing. After treating that horse, they asked us if we would come to their place too access lameness on one of their race horses. By this time it is 2 p.m.
We get to the place and they have probably close to 50-60 horses. They had never used V.E.T.Net and had used what we would call in the states “alternative medical therapies” to try and treat their horses, but had not had any success. The first horse had a pulled tendon which requires 6-8 months of rest + anti-inflammatory therapy. Then we started a parade of horses and by the end, I am pretty sure we looked at almost every horse that had ever been sick on the farm! Very good for V.E.T.Net. Current time was 4:30 p.m. and we had not had lunch—much like the previous Wednesday when I had been out with the LA vets. It made me laugh because I am learning to expect the unexpected and to let go of my plans.
While I was out in the countryside, Kellie was at the small animal clinic. When we finally got back together at 5 right before the student Bible study, she told me a most interesting story. There was a little Golden Retriever puppy that we have been treating for a bite wound for the past week and a half. It came back in today, and we learned that this wasn’t just any dog. No it was the PRIME MINISTER of Mongolia’s dog and that the wife was coming to the clinic. Come to find out, they want V.E.T.Net to come out to their house and do training with their family and staff on how to care and train the puppy. Karen and Gerelee (pronounced Gary-le) are going to go out once a week. Talk about a huge open door to influence one of the most influential people in all of Mongolia! God is so good!
Fun Fact of the Day: This winter was the coldest winter in 30 years for Mongolia.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Odriin mend—means “Good afternoon”
Mongolia Update #3
Saturday, April 17
I am learning some Mongolian words and phrases. I have decided that what makes a lot of languages (ex: German, Dutch, Mongolian) so difficult for us Americans is the fact that we do not use our throat (insert hacking sound here) when we speak English. They are very guttural languages. I always feel like maybe I overdo the hack/throat sound and am always worried that I might accidentally spit on the person I am talking to!
Today we worked at the clinic from 10-3 and had an early dinner. It was nice to actually get back to our apartment around 6 and be able to have some down time. They took us to this cute little store called Mary and Martha’s. It is run by Christian women and they sell Mongolian things that are fair trade. They have some neat stuff, so hopefully I will be able to go back before I leave.
Another American is arriving late tonight. Her name is Meg and she is a 2007 graduate of Michigan State veterinary school and is currently working as a vet in Arizona. She will be here until May 1.
Fun Fact of the Day: Monoglia is the size of the US east of the Mississippi River and has a population of 3.5 million and 1 million of those live in UB.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Ezen taniig ireeg—God bless you!
Sunday, April 18
We had most of the morning to veg and read, as we did not get picked up to go to church until noon. We went to eat with Pagma and Daavka and their 13 year old daughter. She was such a beautiful girl and I got a kick at her response to my question of what her hobbies were. She said, “watching t.v.—I am not going to lie”. After eating we went to their church called “Holy Way Fellowship”. The church was all Mongolians except for us, but they did have one girl translate for us. I am very impressed with the people who do translation for things like sermons because the person talking does not stop for them to translate and so they have to have one ear listening to the message and then their mouth talking in English something they had said minutes before. Most of the time we understand the general concept.
Tonight we had dinner with Narra. She is a teacher for V.E.T.Net and just the cutest woman. She is currently living in Melissa’s (a veterinary technician missionary from the USA) apartment and so she fixed us a lovely dinner of chicken and vegetable soup. I was so so so excited for CHICKEN!!!! Mongolia is like a man’s paradise. The staples are meat, meat and more meat (with a little bread and milk in there occasionally). They eat all kinds of meats: beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat, horse, camel. I have only had the first 4 since being here.
Fun Fact of the Day: It is tradition in this culture that when you enter a person’s home you take your shoes off at the door and put on slippers. If there are a lot of people at the house and no slippers available, you can just wear your socks.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Tanii neriig hen gedeg ve?—means “What is your name?”
Monday, April 19
Today was Kathryn’s (the Australian vet) last day with us. She leaves in the morning for the countryside and will be gone for 3 weeks. She is going to the Gobi desert. It will take them 2.5 days to drive there. Before she leaves she is stalking up on some dried fruits (remember I told you they do not eat many fruits and veggies?). She will get back after Kellie and I leave for the States. She has been such a pleasure to work with and I have really enjoyed getting to know her and learn more about Australia. I told her if she is ever in the States, she must come visit. We went to a pizza place tonight together to eat and celebrate our time together. It was the first “western” food that I have had since leaving America.
Today I asked Karen a random question: Was there anywhere to possibly get my eyebrows waxed? I mean to tell you, mine were looking very bushy and I forgot my tweezers at home. I was definitely sporting a unibrow and just did not know how I was going to handle it for another 3 weeks. It just so happens that she goes to a little salon close to her house which is open until MIDNIGHT! Crazy huh! She made us appointments and so we visited the “Wax Museum of Mongolia” tonight! I got three things done for like $12. It was actually a nice time to sit and visit with Karen and get to know her better.
Karen is a 2001 graduate from Texas A&M Veterinary School (WHOOP!) and has been in Mongolia since 2003. She serves as a foreign advisor over the small animal hospital and Bright Future House. She mentors the Mongolian veterinarians and is very active in her church. She shared with me that she is working on her Master’s from Azuza Pacific University and has been taking a class on inner healing ministry. It was neat to be able to share about the Restoring the Foundations curriculum that Mercy uses. Her parents much of her family are atheists. I just commend and am so blessed to watch her following her calling to serve as a missionary abroad, despite the fact that her family does not completely understand why she is here. Please be praying for her and for her family: for her perseverance and for the hearts of her parents to be softened to the Lord. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor. 2:14
Fun Fact of the Day: Every part of Mongolia that is outside of Ulaanbaatar (the capital city) is referred to as “Countryside”.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Minii neriig Bethany gedeg.—means “My name is Bethany.”
I am learning some Mongolian words and phrases. I have decided that what makes a lot of languages (ex: German, Dutch, Mongolian) so difficult for us Americans is the fact that we do not use our throat (insert hacking sound here) when we speak English. They are very guttural languages. I always feel like maybe I overdo the hack/throat sound and am always worried that I might accidentally spit on the person I am talking to!
Today we worked at the clinic from 10-3 and had an early dinner. It was nice to actually get back to our apartment around 6 and be able to have some down time. They took us to this cute little store called Mary and Martha’s. It is run by Christian women and they sell Mongolian things that are fair trade. They have some neat stuff, so hopefully I will be able to go back before I leave.
Another American is arriving late tonight. Her name is Meg and she is a 2007 graduate of Michigan State veterinary school and is currently working as a vet in Arizona. She will be here until May 1.
Fun Fact of the Day: Monoglia is the size of the US east of the Mississippi River and has a population of 3.5 million and 1 million of those live in UB.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Ezen taniig ireeg—God bless you!
Sunday, April 18
We had most of the morning to veg and read, as we did not get picked up to go to church until noon. We went to eat with Pagma and Daavka and their 13 year old daughter. She was such a beautiful girl and I got a kick at her response to my question of what her hobbies were. She said, “watching t.v.—I am not going to lie”. After eating we went to their church called “Holy Way Fellowship”. The church was all Mongolians except for us, but they did have one girl translate for us. I am very impressed with the people who do translation for things like sermons because the person talking does not stop for them to translate and so they have to have one ear listening to the message and then their mouth talking in English something they had said minutes before. Most of the time we understand the general concept.
Tonight we had dinner with Narra. She is a teacher for V.E.T.Net and just the cutest woman. She is currently living in Melissa’s (a veterinary technician missionary from the USA) apartment and so she fixed us a lovely dinner of chicken and vegetable soup. I was so so so excited for CHICKEN!!!! Mongolia is like a man’s paradise. The staples are meat, meat and more meat (with a little bread and milk in there occasionally). They eat all kinds of meats: beef, chicken, pork, lamb, goat, horse, camel. I have only had the first 4 since being here.
Fun Fact of the Day: It is tradition in this culture that when you enter a person’s home you take your shoes off at the door and put on slippers. If there are a lot of people at the house and no slippers available, you can just wear your socks.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Tanii neriig hen gedeg ve?—means “What is your name?”
Monday, April 19
Today was Kathryn’s (the Australian vet) last day with us. She leaves in the morning for the countryside and will be gone for 3 weeks. She is going to the Gobi desert. It will take them 2.5 days to drive there. Before she leaves she is stalking up on some dried fruits (remember I told you they do not eat many fruits and veggies?). She will get back after Kellie and I leave for the States. She has been such a pleasure to work with and I have really enjoyed getting to know her and learn more about Australia. I told her if she is ever in the States, she must come visit. We went to a pizza place tonight together to eat and celebrate our time together. It was the first “western” food that I have had since leaving America.
Today I asked Karen a random question: Was there anywhere to possibly get my eyebrows waxed? I mean to tell you, mine were looking very bushy and I forgot my tweezers at home. I was definitely sporting a unibrow and just did not know how I was going to handle it for another 3 weeks. It just so happens that she goes to a little salon close to her house which is open until MIDNIGHT! Crazy huh! She made us appointments and so we visited the “Wax Museum of Mongolia” tonight! I got three things done for like $12. It was actually a nice time to sit and visit with Karen and get to know her better.
Karen is a 2001 graduate from Texas A&M Veterinary School (WHOOP!) and has been in Mongolia since 2003. She serves as a foreign advisor over the small animal hospital and Bright Future House. She mentors the Mongolian veterinarians and is very active in her church. She shared with me that she is working on her Master’s from Azuza Pacific University and has been taking a class on inner healing ministry. It was neat to be able to share about the Restoring the Foundations curriculum that Mercy uses. Her parents much of her family are atheists. I just commend and am so blessed to watch her following her calling to serve as a missionary abroad, despite the fact that her family does not completely understand why she is here. Please be praying for her and for her family: for her perseverance and for the hearts of her parents to be softened to the Lord. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor. 2:14
Fun Fact of the Day: Every part of Mongolia that is outside of Ulaanbaatar (the capital city) is referred to as “Countryside”.
Mongolian Word of the Day: Minii neriig Bethany gedeg.—means “My name is Bethany.”
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
