Why are we here?

Monday-- Ministry focus ---- (please bear with me today as I preach to myself!)

Sometimes it is good to refocus again and rethink why we're here. The main reason we are here is because God wants us here and we are following Him in obedience. We are here because of God's heart for all of humanity. We are here because Jesus died for all people. It is not our drive that keeps us here, after four years we would have given up already. It is not our love for the Mongolian people that keeps us here. It is HIS love and HIS alone.

Sometimes with our human eyes it is difficult for us to see that us being here actually accomplishes anything. But Christ uses people to reach others, right? He doesn't have to do it that way. He could have the rocks speak out. He could open the heavens and declare His greatness and Christ's saving power to all. But that is not how He chose to save mankind.

Our job title is "church planter." Christ reaches out from person to person worldwide in the church. The church is not a building or a group of rules. It is a mass of people that believe in faith without sight, that Jesus is the way the truth and the light. So here we are an arm of the worldwide church- helping to start a new group of people that believe in Jesus.

The word of Jesus are so encouraging. He said, "I will build my church." He will do it. It is His work. What great news for us who have no idea what we are doing sometimes!

Here are some pictures that speak a thousand words about why Christ's love is needed here.This is the Mother Tree. I hate it! This is where people go to worship the tree's spirit.
It is where manyMongolians go when they are in trouble They offer scarves, matches, milk, vodka, money, tea, grain candy- it is not just a cultural thing to do.
They believe will help them.
This boy is laying on the ground amongst all of the offerings.
He is praying at the stump of the tree.

On this day the shaman (kind of like witch doctors) were there
dressed up in full costume and drumming.
They were trying to contact the souls of the dead.
All of these people are here worshiping and giving sacrifices... it is not a cultural show.
It is truly a act of faith that the spirit will help them.

Halloween is coming...

Friday posts will be about projects....

Weston and Sierra have really been enjoying the Wall E movie. Weston LOVES Eva. He thinks she is so cool because she can fly AND she has a gun. Weston wants to be her for Halloween and he wants Sierra to be Wall E. I couldn't bring myself to tell Weston that Eva is a girl and Wall E is the boy, since it really doesn't matter! They are robots, right? So he WILL be Eva.

When Peter heard our plans he said, "It's a good thing you are starting three weeks early!"

Wall E is pretty easy, a painted box with triangular tracks on the side, and cool eyes. We put the eyes on Peter's old beany hat so that they wouldn't bug Sierra. I have to add the top of the box, to cover her shoulders and then Wall E will be done. Here is our rough draft---
Eve, is much more difficult. She is has tear drop shaped body and her head is egg shaped on top and flat on the bottom. So we used paper mache a big bowl for Eve's head shape--- any paper mache professionals out there that know why that was a BIG mistake?
The answer? It is STUCK on the bowl. I even put oil on the bowl before we started--- it didn't work. So today I peeled (and tore) it off. I will wait for that to dry and then paper mache on the top and inside again to strengthen it.

For the teardrop body, I designed the costume out of batting/stuffing and white fabric. Cross your fingers for me... it is NOT easy and Weston knows EXACTLY what he wants. :)

I designed a little light for his costume using a book light so that the green plant light will glow on Eva's tummy. He doesn't know about that. He will love it, if I can do it.

He says, "It MUST be tear dropped shaped, it MUST have wings, and the wings MUST be pointy."

I take it as a compliment that he thinks I can do this, we'll see. I don't know if my Singer and I can pull it off.

Well let me restate that, my Singer sewing machine can handle it, it's the seamstress that has NO IDEA what she is doing!

Jack-O-Lantern and Pumpkin Pie

Weston had fun designing....and watching Peter carve our Jack-O-Lantern!It is the happiest Jack-O-Lantern I've ever seen.
This is the only way I could get Peter to pose with our new patio. He mixed it and poured it by hand.... what a wonderful man! There will be a flower bed in the middle square.
After a two nights of enjoying our Jack-O-Lantern, I chopped him up and baked him. :) Then I put him in the blender- sounds kind of morbid now that I am writing it down! :)

Then we ate some delicious pumpkin pie. I can't get evaporated milk, so I made it with sweetened condensed milk--- yep it was like candy! It was dangerously good. We had to hide it from ourselves!

I asked Weston which if he'd rather have a Jack-O-Lantern or eat pumpkin pie. He said he'd rather eat pie. I said, "It's nice you did NOT have to choose and you could have both!" And he smiled.

Kids

Today I was reading about Noah. I am doing a study that highlights people that seek God first in there lives. I am enjoying the study and I am thankful to NOT be on a smelly ark. But I do want to learn what it is to "walk with God," like Noah did.

Today the study ended with the rainbow after the flood. It records the words of the Lord, "Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood." Gen 8:21b

Though it had nothing to do with my study, even remotely, I thought of my kids. They are so wonderful and SOO cute and they do say the funniest things. I am truly blessed.

Today Weston woke me up and he had a long piece of hose that he was breathing through. He said that he was going to be a scuba diver and that I was going to be in a boat up at the top and hold the hose out of the water, so that he could swim and breathe at the same time. Smart, huh?

Then not more than an hour later, Peter was reading a book to him. They were sitting on the couch and Sierra walked by. Weston kicked her really hard, and then he got in trouble. After calming himself down, he said, "I have to tell you something (in his sassy and mad voice.) Peter said, "OK, but you have to say it respectfully."

Weston says back, "If you ever do that to me again, I will get a surprise for you. It is in my bed and it will attack you!" Nice, huh? Funny too, but you can tell how remorseful he was and how his heart really was repentant for kicking his sister! YA RIGHT! ;)

That brings me back to the my thoughts on Genesis, "even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood" Before I was a parent, I didn't really think this was true in a practical way. I really thought children were innocent and good. HMMM? But now I see my children do outright MEAN things, like stomping on puppies just to hear them yelp and things like that and it shows how much training is invovled in parenting. They must be taught God's way of kindness, respect, joy...

What a big (and fun) job I have as a mommy.

Monday- Ministry highlights

Ministry- a) the act of ministering or service (Webster's)

Sometimes I don't know how to describe our "ministry." I feel as though our whole life is service and that the lines of division are not as cut and dry as they were for us in America.

It is hard to put a face on ministry when I write about it. Sometimes when writing and more formal "update" I feel that it needs to be a business like kind of letter because it is our business/job. Therefore it seems that it should be formal, grammatically correct and be something that someone else wants to read. It also needs to be short, so it is not the place to really describe life. It is just what it is, "an update."

So I will take this opportunity to share in a more blabbery way here. I want to give more shape to my blog be more thorough for you. It is so much easier to write a recipe or a daily experiment but I want to also log ministry thoughts so I will do this on Mondays. Hope you enjoy.

The ministry we do here has less shape and is more like a changing and moving blob. It is because the culture here is organized differently from America. The culture here is event based and not time based, so that effects each part of our lives and ministry. There is no church calendar and there probably will never be. There is really not much planned far in advance.

Peter has grown so much through this process. He is much more organized and methodical than this culture allows. He has truly had to change the core of who he is to be able to live and work in these circumstances. He does a great job.

He is working on discipleship with Munkbold. It is not formal or planned and moves in the blob like way through conversations and last minute planning via cell phone. But it happens and it is going well. He is available to meet with him and really discuss things, to listen in a foreign language and try to work through what is being said.

It is so much more than that. He has to understand, but also work to direct Munkbold towards Christ and the Bible. Communicating these ideas in Mongolian is a challenge and he is really working to do that. He comes home so tired and says, "How can I be this tired? All I was doing was sitting and listening and talking." But we both know doing that in Mongolian is actually work for the mind and it is exhausting.

Peter also works at the school and teaches English as a service. A blessing that has come through this service is really knowing how much he enjoys teaching. It is a joy to see him really love his work in this area.

Peter is also working on learning songs on the guitar and plays them at the Mongolian service. He really enjoys this as well and it is a BIG need. We've been singing the same 12 songs with a CD for YEARS! ;)

Peter always ministers to me and he is truly a servant in our home. He takes care of the children in the mornings and does the breakfast hour so that I can run and read my Bible. If it has been a tough night for me with Sierra, he does the breakfast hour so that I can sleep in and catch up on my rest. He is really an amazing husband. He is a man full of integrity and I am so blessed.

I, however was born to be in an event based culture. I LOVE NOT worrying about time! I really enjoy only thinking about events and not the clock.

I have actually had to grow into a more organized person in this place- isn't that strange? Why is that? Because American culture keeps me organized. American culture, friendships, family and church all worked to give me accountability and motivation. With the lack these things I was set adrift and not able to function very well.

Also I had to be more organized because I only leave my house twice a week. There is no one to know if I am slug. I have to MAKE myself do the things that need to be done. I have to MAKE myself minister to my family. I have to MAKE myself study Mongolian and get out to my more so that I don't hole up and hide from this world I don't understand. I have to MAKE myself exercise.

But these are all good things. Peter is more laid back and I am more organized. God has used this place and our ministry to grow us.

Soy Meat

My new friend- soy meat. I found out what is was here in August and I was a little skeptical. Before that I had seen it but thought is was pork rinds!

But it is REALLY good. The greatest thing about it is that it is FAST. We don't eat it all the time, but it is a great food to have on hand for quick meal solutions. I've made it in stir fries, filling for pita, and in tacos.

Taco Soy Meat

The finished taco- you all know the truth about tacos, it's really the tortilla that makes or breaks it.

Magic dough

It is really true, that bread dough is magical.

The dough is so versatile-
So far I have make 5 small artisan loaves of bread, pizza rolls, cinnamon rolls with apples and nuts on top, flat bread with sauteed onions and garlic on top. Today I rolled it out and sprinkled it with sauteed veggies and a bit of cheese. I rolled it up and baked it in a loaf pan. We had tuna sandwiches with it... yum.

I added 1 cup oatmeal and 1/4 cup ground flax seed too- it still is a dream.

Had to let you know it is a no fail thing! :)

It is a Bunnell staple now.