ON THE ROAD AGAIN!!!!

I'm free! I'm free! Even though I have had a Mongolian driver's license for 3 1/2 years, I just couldn't do it. Oh, I tried a few weekend city drives and a few trips out to the airport, but the aggressive no-rules-apply style of driving in this 3rd world country just undid me. Fast forward 3 years: hundreds of trips schlepping to meetings, getting groceries and begging rides from friends with drivers--oh! and dealing with the Wagner van schedule, well...enough is enough. I asked Randy for a car for this Friday, expecting a retired 5-speed pickup belonging to Wagner. Nope! Randy had his own car delivered to me this morning--a Land Rover Discovery that I believe is worth more than my house in USA! So be it--off I went. It was wonderful! I went to Good Price (the American goods store), Mercury (the veggie market), picked up cleaning, dropped by the IWAM library, went to lunch with a friend, made a salon appointment, stopped by an ATM--all while maneuvering through crazy, crazy traffic and equally crazy roads and rules. OK, I did pray first thing, "Lord, please don't let me do any harm; to another being nor this car." God is faithful--He sets the captives free, right? Now, this car is still Randy's and on loan to me temporarily. Seize the day, eh?

P.S. I cannot get rid of the underscore, sigh. Also, you may note by the puddle I'm standing in how tickled I am :)

Here Comes Peter Cottontail...!

Here is what I made and mailed to our precious grandkids for Easter! They were supposed to be totally handmade, but I tossed the directions and did them totally on the machine--except for the whiskers. Then, I only had 2 weeks to get them to USA; what to do? A friend, Janine (Tawainese raised in South Africa who lived in Tanzania for 9 years before Mongolia) was moving to Kansas City, so she took them with her to mail.

Holidays here are a challenge and Easter is no exception. Last Sunday in church for example, not a word about Palm Sunday nor Easter. What's up? It's not like it's an American holiday--it is the highlight of the Christian calendar! Ah well....still praying in a good International church.

HAVE A BLESSED EASTER!

St. Patty's Day UB Style

I know this is a few days late, but we've been out of power for about 48 hours. Another story, another time. Anyway, holidays as we know them are a real challenge here. We did manage to go over to the Grand Khaan Irish Pub (remember, I do not make this stuff up) for a pint of Guinness (OK, it's watery Guinness out of China, but the sentiment is there as you can see :) and some Chinese stir fry. You see, their power was out, too, so the the grill was down but the wok was up. The place was packed and when the power did flash back on now and then, the Irish Rovers were a playin'. My first response to the 2nd picture was "Agghh! I look 110 years old!" Randy reminded me that he took this on his cell phone. Hmm...

The 1st picture is of my first homemade corned beef!!! My dear friend, Beverly, shared her recipe (and her corned beef!) with my Bible study group 2 years ago. It turned out stellar! I have a handful of ladies of a Certain Age that inspire me and Beverly is in this group. She is amazing! She has been here in Mongolia about 7 years I think. Her life call here is working with a Christian foster/orphanage that takes in abandoned babies and then raises them. She is SO energetic and her love for the Lord just shines--and she drives here! Beverly is currently facing some real health issues, so please pray for her--for the doctors here, for healing, for God's will and direction. Below is Beverly's picture (she has the beautiful white hair and is on the right) and her recipe for corned beef:

3-5 lb beef brisket
2 qts. of spring or distilled water
1/2 cup of canning or pickling salt
1/2 cup of tenderizing salt (e.g., Mortens)
3 TB sugar
2 TB mixed pickling spices
2 bay leaves
8 whole black peppercorns
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
Dissolve the ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil for 2 minutes, then cool. Brine the meat in a glass, enamel, plastic (Ziploc bags work fine) or stainless steel container for 4-7 days (depending on the thickness of the meat.) Drain off the corning solution and rinse with fresh water. Cover the meat with water or bear and boil for 15 minutes then turn down the heat and simmer for 4 hours OR place same in crock pot and cook and low for 8-10 hours.

Big Fat Mongolian Wedding

Last weekend Randy & I were privileged to attend our 4th Mongolian wedding ceremony. It was actually a 5 p.m. reception and not the actual wedding ceremony, which is usually somewhat private. This was for a Wagner Asia employee, Gerry (short for Gerlt-Od). We were 2 of 6 foreigners in a room of about 200. Anyway, it was a lot of fun! Weddings are weddings wherever you go: 2 families blending, relatives who have had too much to drink and want to sing, exhausted brides, etc. However, the groom made calls to all his guests the next day thanking them for coming!!

A few of the pics show Wagner Asia's big boss, John Karlsen, presenting a wedding gift on behalf of Wagner. Oh! See my first attempt at inserting a video--"The Wedding Singer"! Just ignore the pic that says "movie" and keep scrolling (just couldn't figure out how to delete the other picture :/

Big Fat Mongolian Wedding