Mangham Mayhem

Penelope Kicks

2010-12-08T03:13:00.003-05:00

Umbrella head

2010-10-18T09:04:00.004-04:00

And we're walking...

2010-10-09T04:49:00.002-04:00

Penny took her first steps on September 9th and doesn't want to stop walking.

Catching up

2010-10-09T04:02:00.006-04:00

Well, we've falling way behind on blogging again. It's already getting pretty chilly here as we head into October. This summer was gorgeous and warm and we tried to be outside as much as possible. We were able to have lots of picnics by the river, went camping and hiking. Work has been very busy and it's always a challenge trying to keep a balance between work and family life. It's also difficult because when you live overseas, sometimes it doesn't feel like you have a personal life. Or maybe that's how it is for everyone in ministry. This is probably more accurate, it's just my first experience in ministry is overseas so I don't have anything to compare it to.

The latest thing that's going on at work is our Livestock and Agriculture Recovery Project. This is our more long-term response to the dzud that happened last winter. It involves a number of different things including animal redistribution, grass growing and a model farm. It's interesting for me, being on the very fringe of what's going on but to start learning more about grass growing and organic farming. I NEVER thought I would say this in my life, but growing grass is really interesting. Our project location is in a province called Arkhungai which is in the center of the country. This year 62 families are being helped who lost everything or almost everything in the dzud last year.

Anyway, here is a smattering of pictures from the last few months (mostly of Penelope) and a new resolve to blog at least 2-4 times a month.

wolf hunting

2010-04-11T00:26:00.003-04:00

Dzud

2010-02-25T03:27:00.005-05:00

I don't know how long this link will be good for, but this is a really good, clear article about what's going on in Mongolia right now. Samaritan's Purse is doing a relief project providing food for people who have little or nothing left. Please pray with us for all these people who are suffering terribly.

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/storms/winter/2010-02-24-mongolian-winter_N.htm

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-15T02:51:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, Lunar New Year/Tsaggan Sar (Mongolian national holiday) and 2 months for Penelope! All in one day - February 14th!

Home Leave/Holidays

2010-02-02T01:57:00.009-05:00

We are back in Mongolia after an absolutely wonderful home leave and holiday season. Our biggest news was the birth of our daughter, Penelope Grace on December 14th at 3:04pm. She is the biggest joy in our lives and we are loving every minute with her! I was so blessed to have an easy labor and delivery. After a brief jaundice issue, Penelope has been healthy and growing so much.

We spent most of our time with my family in Ohio although Tom's whole family was able to come for a few days to celebrate Penelope's birth. It was so fun to have everyone together and spend good time with family. Our home leave was definitely a much needed time of rest and relaxation after a great, but very intense year. It was also nice to be able to take some time to reflect and get ready for our next year in Mongolia.

We came back January 9th to very cold temperatures, but to a place that has become home. Tom jumped right back in at the office while I have been staying at home with Penelope on my maternity leave. I'll go back to work part time in March, but we still need to figure out childcare issues. If you want to pray for us this year, here are a few things that are on our hearts: health for our family (especially Penelope), following God's direction in our work, and wisdom in dealing with some of the problems that we see every day (poverty, unemployment and alcoholism).

Our tiny little girl!

Under the bili blanket.

Always with her hand up.

Our family

Back in Mongolia

Baby Bundles

2009-11-28T22:08:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been trying to explain how people keep their babies warm in Mongolia and I ran across this picture:

Keep in mind that this is indoors. You have to add about 4-5 more layers to go outside, but this is the general idea.

Thailand

2009-11-28T21:15:00.008-05:00

At the beginning of November we went to a Samaritan's Purse Eurasia Ministry/Training Conference in Thailand. The first part was some project planning and grant writing training and the last part was a ministry retreat. We were so blessed to stay in a beautiful resort about 2 and 1/2 hours south of Bangkok. It was a fun time to get together with fellow SP workers from Europe and Asia and hear about what's going on in other parts of the world as well as a time to be spiritually refreshed. At the end of the retreat Tom and I spend 3 days in Bangkok on a mini-vacation before he headed back to Mongolia for a couple weeks and I went to the States as I wouldn't have been able to fly any later. Here are some pictures from our time in Thailand:

Our SP Mongolia staff who attended the retreat, Tom, myself, Gany, Tuya and Ada.

On our porch swing outside our room.

Tom on the water slide.

8 1/2 months pregnant, playing water polo.

Our staff and Joel (SP China).

Not a great pic, but just so it doesn't look like it's all fun and games. This is myself, Ada, Jerry and Carloes doing some logframes.

On our mini-vacation in Bangkok. This is the pool on the top of our hotel.

Our fancy Italian dinner at L'Opera, thank you JP.

33 Weeks

2009-10-24T06:02:00.005-04:00

It's time to give the "how big is Em?" update. You'll notice we tried to replicate the first photo; however, we felt the picture should be horizontalized to better accentuate the protuberance of the belly.

A Divine Reminder

2009-10-19T09:21:00.003-04:00

Tom - Hello friends, family, and whoever else happens to stumble upon this little blog of ours. Yes, it's been a long time since we gave an update, and it's bad form, I know. It's just, sometimes it feels like more work, and that's the last thing we've needed in the last few months. We do want to keep you updated on our lives as best we can, so I'd like to take a moment to share with you what's been on my heart lately.

The truth is, over the last few months, I have been completely consumed with work. My wife can verify this. It's enjoyable and rewarding work that has taken me to places I never thought I'd see and allowed me to be in pictures that I'm sure I don't belong in. Not that everyday is an adventure. Trust me, most days are rather boring and there is little else to do but work. God has allowed the work here to grow and it's been exciting to watch things develop, but it's been very stressful running around all day thinking that I'm the one making it happen. I'm learning that even a "ministry" can easily become an idol, something that takes our eyes off Jesus. Very soon, we find ourselves seeking after selfish ambition and the approval of others - things that the world tells us are important. Jesus tells his disciples, "If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you."

Jesus in his mercy and infinite love has been reminding me recently that he is all I need and all I could ever want out of life. I feel confident that He has led us to Mongolia primarily to draw us closer to him and teach us his ways. I don't know why he chose to bring us so far to do this, he could have done it anywhere. I know that if we are to be a blessing to this nation, it will only be because we are daily submitting ourselves to the refining fire of a close walk with Jesus. The sweetest thing in life is to trust in Jesus no matter where in this world we find ourselves. It is so much more rewarding than any profession or "ministry" could ever be.

We're having a baby!

2009-08-08T03:12:00.003-04:00

Another bit of exciting new is we're having a baby! Probably a girl, and she's due in December. We'll come back to the States to give birth and we are really excited!! Here is a picture of me 21 weeks pregnant:

July Highlights

2009-08-07T23:07:00.004-04:00

Wow, we just really can't keep up with this blog. I can't believe we missed July. I'll give you a few highlights from the past month or so. At the end of June we went on a long road trip for work. It was myself, Tom, our driver Khuyaga and one of our lovely Mongolian staff members, Tuya. We started off heading south into the Gobi desert to visit a couple CHP families (see Tom's video in the last post) and then West to a couple of beautiful places to check out some potential partners. Finally we came back up north and then east back home. It was really great to get out of UB and check out the Mongolian countryside. It is such a unique, beautiful place and so different than anywhere else I've ever been.

Right when we got back from that trip we took a very mini vacation to a place called Hovsgol. This is the same place I went to in March for the ice festival but this time it was a totally different experience. Although, I was expecting to go swimming in the lake, but it was not nearly as warm as I though it would be. It was a lot of fun because we met up with some friends and spent a few days hiking, playing games, taking our boat out on the river and relaxing.

There was a national festival called Nadaam in the middle of the month during which the three sports of Mongolia are celebrated: wrestling, horse racing and archery. We also got to enjoy ankle bone flicking and some very cool horse acrobatics. One of the last Saturdays in July Tom and I took a taxi about 40 km out side the city to the national park and we spent the day floating down the river in our little raft. It was a lot of fun and a different way to enjoy Mongolia.

Here a few pictures of our different adventures:

Floating down the river.

One of the jockeys from a horse race (yes, he really is about 6 years old).

Wresting during Nadaam at the stadium where the opening ceremony took place.

Lake Hovsgol

A rest stop on our road trip.

Road trip.

Visiting a CHP family in the Gobi desert

2009-06-29T09:27:00.002-04:00

Chicago

2009-06-16T09:11:00.008-04:00

On the way back from the States Tom and I transported one of our Children's Heart Project groups back from St. Louis, Missouri. We ended up getting stuck in Chicago for a full day which just happened to be the same day that Samaritan's Purse and CHP was being represented at a mega-church just outside of Chicago. We were able to take the group to this church and the 10 year old girl who had just given her life to the Lord stood up in front of hundreds of kids and gave her testimony. It was absolutely precious. The two moms on the trip gave their lives to the Lord also!

Here's a picture of Nandia, Bayraa the translator and our Samaritan's Purse representative (the previous Country Director in Mongolia) Beth in front of one of the children's services during which Nandia gave her testimony.

Here's our group at the Navy Pier in Chicago after church on Sunday.

5 Hours in Beijing

2009-06-16T08:21:00.013-04:00

Whoops - we fell off the blogosphere. A couple of weeks ago we went to the States (Tom for meetings and me for family time and Target shopping) and we were able to spend some time in Beijing with our friend from Eastern, JC. It was a whirlwind because we only had a short time during our layover, but it was great to see JC and great to see the city. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Here we are at Tiananmen Square almost 20 years after the protests in 1989.

Having some real Chinese food with JC and his friend Sunny.

These two pics are the front of a line of buildings that were built to make the city look nice for the Olympics. Most of the stores were empty and behind both sides of the buildings were more of the old city.

This is what old Beijing and the back of the buildings look like.

Another day at the car wash

2009-04-19T09:46:00.003-04:00

Khuyagaa

2009-04-10T07:10:00.002-04:00

(Tom) This is Khuyagaa, our driver and all around go-to-guy at the office. He is a gentleman and a scholar and one of the finest men I've known. His full name is actually Altankhuyag Ganbaatar which literally means "Golden Armor, Metal Hero." As hard as it may seem, it's a name he lives up to, particularly when he's hunting wolves from his Russian Jeep or tending to his 250 horses in the countryside - horses he's used to win numerous long-distance races. He comes to us with a wealth of experience running relief and development projects with some very prominent agencies. He also makes some of the most beautiful and intricate woodcarvings you can imagine. Ladies and gentlemen, the man... the legend... the metal hero.

The Horsemaster

2009-03-31T09:35:00.004-04:00

(Tom) While in Sukhbaatar, we had lunch with a man known simply as "The Horsemaster" (although now that I thinking about it, that probably was the name I gave him... just now). He is famous throughout Mongolia for breeding fast racehorses and he has the hardware to prove it. In his younger days, he was a national wrestling champion, and his four sons have each gone on to make their own mark in various disciplines of violence including freestyle and traditional Mongolian wrestling. In a culture where machismo counts, the Horsemaster checks all the right boxes, even if he happens to wear a cellphone holster. He asked me if I own horses in America. I'm sure he had no idea what a ridiculous question this was especially given my background, but for a second I actually felt threatened. I quickly responded, "Can you grow a beard? No? Hmm." Game, set, match.

Road Trip

2009-03-29T09:18:00.005-04:00

(Tom) I recently got back from a road trip to the northern town of Sukhbaatar about 20 miles south of the Russian border. It turned out to be one of the most scenic drives I've ever been on rivaled only by the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) in fall, highway 410 near Mt. Rainier (WA), and anywhere along the coast in Greece. Mongolia is a spectacular place, miles and miles of rolling grasslands broken only by snow-capped mountains and winding frozen rivers. Sudden snowstorms blow across the plains like Florida rain - 10 minutes of fury and they're gone. It is desolate too. You could start to think you're on some kind of distant moon if it weren't for the occasional herds of horses, goats, sheep, and camels. I'd love to do the same drive again in summer when everything greens over, and on a harley with the wind blowing through my long golden dreadlocks and "Hero" by Enrique Iglesias playing in the distance.

Khovsgol

2009-03-09T10:59:00.009-04:00

(Emily) Last week I went to northern Mongolia with one of our national staff, Gany, to do some work for our project (the Children's Heart Project). Lonely Planet's Mongolia country guide says this about Khovsgol: "Tourist brochures tout it as the Switzerland of Mongolia, and this is no idle boast. Khovsgol is a land of thick forests, rushing rivers, sparkling lakes and rugged mountains." It was a great trip and we had a wonderful time. It was a little hard for me to grasp the "Switzerland" like-ness of it since it was still winter and very cold, BUT the one thing you can't do in Khovsgol in the summer is go to the Ice Festival! The picture above is one of the "sparkling lakes" totally and completely frozen over. We drove over it for a good 10 kilometers as did many other cars, trucks, SUVs and mini-buses to get to the main part of the festival, which also took place right on the lake.

Tsagan Tsar!

2009-03-08T10:00:00.007-04:00

(Tom) Tsagan Tsar or "White Moon" at the end of February is one of two major holidays here in Mongolia along with the Nadaam sports festival in mid July. It marks the lunar new year and the beginning of Spring. Typically Mongolians visit all their friends and relatives over several days exchanging gifts and consuming large quantities of meat. Our office did two visits together. One with Saraa's family (on the left in the picture above) and the second with Oji and her husband (pictured on the right in the same picture) at their traditional "ger" home. It was fun. We hung out drinking tea and playing a variety of games with sheep ankle bones. Check me out in my "del" and fur hat!

Mongolia, Pool, Britney Spears

2009-02-25T05:57:00.004-05:00

(Tom) The other day we had our co-worker Ada and her husband Adam over for dinner. I had been noticing some activity in the basement of our apartment building for a few days so we all decided to check it out. What we discovered was the flowering of a Mongolian entrepreneurial spirit. This guy had set up a couple of pool tables and a poster of Britney Spears, all you really need for a solid business model. We had two options, pool or gambling. We opted for pool and soon found out that in addition to the game we would be receiving advisory services for each and every shot. Just as a bonus, he threw in cheering and high-fives for successful shots and heckling for missed shots. All he asked for in return was a copy of this picture to add to the decor, what a deal!

"Hueten"

2009-02-22T03:28:00.004-05:00

"Hueten" more or less is the mongolian word for "cold." Of course, if a Mongolian tells you it's cold outside, you cannot overdo the winter weather gear. So far, here are some of our experiences and observations in the Mongolian winter:

1. Most days, I have to start our vehicle every few hours throughout the day and I must remove the battery overnight.

2. I've found that if you don't blink enough, the fluids in your eyeballs can start to freeze.

3. The other day I bought a houseplant across the street. By the time I got it into the apartment it was dead.

4. If you have cavity fillings in your teeth, it's best to breathe through your nose.

5. It's perfectly normal to see vehicles parked out on the river just outside of town.

7. Anything at or above zero degrees F is considered a warm day here. The kids are out on the playgrounds playing basketball and soccer - no joke.

8. This is one place where thick authentic furs seem more like a necessity rather than a luxury, so you can't really be too judgmental.

Goodbye Beth

2009-02-22T01:14:00.003-05:00

(Tom) Well we've been officially pushed out of the nest. Beth Huskamp, the former country director here, took off about a week ago after a full month of overlap with us. I thought we managed the transition really well so that by the time she was ready to leave Emily and I were handling pretty much everything. It was still a comfort to have her around in order to answer any questions. She has really done a fantastic job here and built a lot of solid relationships. My hope is that we will be able to continue and build upon the great work that she's started. Good luck Beth!

One Month!

2009-02-06T05:26:00.008-05:00

(Emily) It's February 6th which means we've been here for about a month now. It honestly feels like yesterday. I can't believe how fast the time is flying. In so many ways it feels like home already, but sometimes I find myself shocked that we're actually here. In all the craziness of getting adjusted I constantly have felt a peace knowing that we are right where God has led us. If you want to pray for us, I've been thinking of a few prayer requests: Pray for Christians in Mongolia. Many of them are new believers and don't have much access to discipleship or solid Christian community, especially outside the city. Pray against alcoholism because it is a huge stronghold here. Pray for us as we continue to get adjusted as well as some good solid friendships. The picture at the top is when we went to this plateau/park thing right on the edge of the city (not that you can tell where we are). It was a balmy 17 degrees that day and people were out in droves enjoying the weather.

The Mongolia Squad

2009-01-27T08:53:00.003-05:00

(Tom) We went out to lunch today at this great little restaurant in UB run by a Cuban gentleman. Since this is my first picture of all of us together, I thought I'd introduce you to our office staff. From right to left: Saraa, Ada, Gany (below), Oji (above), Tuya, Beth, and I'm not sure who those last two chuckleheads are on the left. Saraa, Oji, and Gany work with the Children's Heart Project, Ada is our program manager for children's education, and Tuya is our office manager/finance person. Beth has been country director for over a year and will be leaving Mongolia in two weeks - just as soon as she makes sure we don't screw everything up! God willing, we will soon be adding a few teachers (for Ada's programs) and a driver to the mix. Keep us in your prayers and God bless!

UB from the air

2009-01-21T09:28:00.004-05:00

(Tom) Just thought I'd throw this up here. It's from the plane on our way in to UB. The smog is from the coal fires used to keep everybody warm and it's pretty nasty when there's no wind. Course when it's - 20 F, the last thing you want is wind so... that's what you call a catch 22. Anyway, this is our new home town.

Sanshand

2009-01-21T06:39:00.005-05:00

(Tom) This is Sanshand... well actually Sanshand is the dusty little town behind the camera which serves as a provincial capital in one of the Gobi regions in southern Mongolia. This past weekend, we partnered with Mongolia Asia Reach and a local church to do a maternity distribution/clinic. It was a great way for us to help establish the church as a community outreach center and gain a hearing for the gospel. For me it was a chance to get out of U.B. and see the country side as well as spend some quality time with Dr. Rita Browning whom I'm sure books will be written about before too long. The trip also gave me my first experience with real herders in a ger for a traditional meal of milk tea and "botz." Despite all the forewarnings, I actually thought it was delightful. It is amazing how the people here are able to sustain themselves in such a harsh and unforgiving landscape. Mongolians are TOUGH!

(Unfortunately, Em couldn't join me as there was some Children's Heart Project business in U.B. that needed her attention. I'm sure she'll have future countryside opportunities.)

We Have Arrived!

2009-01-13T07:19:00.003-05:00

(Emily) Actually we arrived a little over a week ago, but still. So we now live in the great city of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. These last 8 weeks or so in transit have seemed so long at times with much expectation that it feels unreal to finally be here. In this past week we have: met and started relationships with our staff at the office (who are incredible people), moved from a hotel to an apartment and started putting that in order, begun to learn our jobs and all that they entail, taken 4 language classes, taken a taxi BY OURSELVES to the store and back, checked out all the good "expat" restaurants UB has to offer minus a few, met up with friends from Ohio (yeah, we're everywhere) and finally realized what cold weather really is. We are excited and happy to be here. Much more in the coming weeks after we've had a little more time to get adjusted. Thanks for your prayers and keep them coming!

Boone to Penang

2008-12-14T18:11:00.004-05:00

(Tom) After two weeks of intensive orientation and job training at SP headquarters in Boone, NC (and more eating out than our gastrointestinal tracts could have possibly prepared for), Em and I have finally struck out from the US on the start of our Mongolian Odyssey. We had a bit of a scare as our work visas didn't clear until the day AFTER we were suppose to leave necessitating a flurry of flight adjustments, but thankfully everything came together in the end. After about two days of Tylenol PM fog squirming in airplane seats and wandering about in various airport terminals, we arrived to the familiar sights, sounds, and heat of Penang, Malaysia - the home of my youth. That's where we are now. We've been here almost a day and I'm struggling with jet lag. Em's doing a little better than me. We'll spend Christmas here with the fam before going on to Mongolia January 3rd. Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers and Merry Christmas!

30 degrees and sweating

2008-11-18T14:13:00.013-05:00

Tom here - In preparation for our arrival to Ulan Bator (or UB if you're cool, Ulaanbataar if you're feeling kinda zainy), Emily and I decided to invest in some serious winter gear. You see, preliminary reports on the "hospitality" of the Mongolian climate have not been encouraging. Our investigation indicates that UB is on average the coldest capital city on earth, a fact which I'm sure instills a great sense of pride for all UB residents. Em's folks paid for our coats as early Christmas gifts - coats that would feel at home in the Iditarod. As you can see, I measure a coat's quality and warmth by the amount of faux fur lining the hood and I'm pretty sure I picked a winner. It was 30 degrees and snowing hard today in Ohio so we decided to get out and test their performance. Passed with flying colors, but then again, this is no UB.

Life is better in Ohio

2008-11-13T16:14:00.006-05:00

Tom here - Recently, Em and I established our permanent US residence in the great state of Ohio. It turns out it wasn't that hard. A few phone calls to our creditors, a written driver's test, a couple rounds of Euchre and boom, we were in the saddle. This has spurred me to ponder the advantages of being an Ohioan over say... a New Yorker, Floridian, or semi-Pennsylvanian - all labels that have pegged me at one point or another in my lifetime. I figured I'd share some of these advantages with you now:

1. Who needs a traditional Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) when the duties of 1 office can so easily be split between 4 or 5 - title office, license and registration, testing center, E-check - streamlined, just the way I like it.

2. Ohio well water - stinky, slippery, and totally delightful

3. I like knowing that I can get my fill of Lebron James highlights on television anytime day or night.

4. Helloooo swing state. What power and responsibility. The road to the White house runs straight through me suckas.

5. Instead of having to drive myself all the way to the shooting range, blasting off a few shotgun rounds can now be enjoyed in the comfort of my own back yard.

6. Diversity here means a mixed gathering of Reds and Indians fans. Not really an advantage but it's nice that we're not completely homogenous and bland... like Indiana.

7. I'm nine times more likely to be President than you (historically speaking)

8. The friendliness is shocking. Last time we went through Akron/Canton airport, we were greeted by two middle-aged women in holiday sweaters (airport security) who asked us politely to "raise your arms like an airplane" while they detected us for metal. You don't get that on the East Coast.

9. Has anyone tried buckeyes - the candy?

Ohio-bound

2008-11-09T11:17:00.002-05:00

On Friday we packed everything that we own into a moving truck (with the help of Jim, Kendra, Joy and JC) and we moved to Ohio. Then the next day we dragged everything up two flights of stairs into my parents attic (with the help of my dad) except for a few bags which we will take to Mongolia! It is crazy to go through all of your possessions and decide "do I need this in the next two years? and if not, is this worth taking across the country and storing for an unknown length of time?" We ended up giving away/throwing away garbage bags full of stuff which was actually very refreshing. All that to say, we are in Ohio, hanging out with my fam until December when we will go to NC for job training. Everything is different for what it was two days ago, and won't ever be the same again!

What's up

2008-10-24T17:31:00.003-04:00

"If you so much as harm one hair on Stanley's head, we will burn Utica to the ground." -Michael Scott