Category Archive

by Mark

December 22 is the longest day of the year in Mongolia.  (I’m not sure why its not the 21st- if its something to do with date lines or what).  This is when winter begins.  The Mongolians say that winter is made up of Nine Nines or Nine periods of nine days each.  The nines build in coldness and then taper off.  The end of the Nine Nines, and winter, is Tsagaan Tsar  (White Month) a combination that equals Christmas, New Year and every other holiday rolled into one.  The date of Tsagaan Tsar is set by the Llams according to the (lunar?) calendar (I’m not sure about how which date gets the nod and apparently there was some disagreement this year.)  Tsagaan Tsar will begin on February 21 and run for 3 days.  Meanwhile we are working on the 3rd Nine.  Its gotten cold a few days but not really bad- I’m still bracing for the -30 F that is probably lurking around the corner and hoping the nines go quickly.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article5400568.ece

I have forwarded this article to several of you but if you have not read it I would certainly encourage you to do so.  The author, an atheist, is wrestling with what he sees around him in Africa.  It is an excellent article and I commend the author for his honesty on the subject.

by Mark

THE LINK TO THE BOW MAKER HAS EXPIRED.  I CANNOT CONTACT HIM AND CANNOT FILL ORDERS FOR HIM.  PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO DO SO.  IF THERE IS ANOTHER LINK FOR HIM IN THE FUTURE AND I FIND IT I WILL POST IT.

My friend Jeremy received a nice Christmas/Birthday present, a Mongolian bow.  The bows are still made by hand.  The horn of a wild goat is laminated to wood to give it outstanding strength.  This bow design was one element (in addition to tactics) that made Chinngis Khan able to conquer the world.  Its laminated design also is the reason (in addition to tactics in jungle) that he was not able to conquer humid areas such as SE Asia (Vietnam, Thailand).

These are the same bows shot during Nadaam Festival in the summer.  The targets are placed on the ground instead of parallel as western targets are placed. The Mongolian draw is unique in that it used a thumb ring to draw back and release- not a typical 3 finger release as used in the West.  The thumb release is very similar to trigger releases that hunters use today.

The bow maker’s family is famous for making bows.  He said at one time they made about 10 a year.  Now its around 100.  It takes quite a bit of time to make a bow.

The arrows are fletched with feathers from a buzzard/vulture.  The wood suspiciously looked like a dowel rod but the points were large and heavy.  They looked like they were turned from bone.

Bows run around $200 US (maybe a bit more).  Not bad for a hand-made bow.  The draw strength is around 55 lbs. I believe legal in most states for hunting.  For more information you can visit the website of this bow-maker  www.hornbow.mn

We hope at some point to visit this guys home/factory which is between Darhan and the Russian Border.

posted by Cinda, with Toby’s help

Sometime last week, Toby and I were walking down the sidewalk outside the apartment building.  Two men were removing a manhole cover and inspecting something down in the dark hole.  It was a cold and windy day (though in retrospect, not all that cold compared to this week) so we were both bundled up in our coats, gloves, hats, hoods, and scarves.  I heard Toby ask, “Mommy, what are those men doing?”  I didn’t really know the answer, but just gave a general answer of “oh, they’re fixing something” but the words must have gotten lost somewhere between my scarf and Toby’s hat because Toby looked up in surprise and responded “Did you say they’re chicken hunting?”  I started laughing first, then Toby.  By the time we got to our steps, we couldn’t stop giggling about the idea of those guys “chicken hunting” in a manhole!  I hope we didn’t deeply offend them because there’s a small chance they thought we were laughing at them — they definitely thought we were a little goofy, but it was just one of those moments.  That’s the price we pay for staying warm — garbled communication.  Laughter is good medicine, though, right?

     I don’t have a picture of Toby in all his winter wear, so here’s a picture of Annika bundled up on her way out the door to school.  She hasn’t put her hood on yet, but on the really cold days, the hood goes over everything else and she wears two pairs of gloves.  You can’t tell in this picture, but the down coat goes over the tops of her snow boots.  It’s at least one or two sizes too big, but she says it’s nice and cozy.  Thanks to Jubilee, Annika has gotten some very useful hand-me-down items!

by Mark

8 AM facing East

I’m looking forward to Christmas but I’m also very excited about the 22 of December, the shortest day of the year here.  (Yes I know the solstice is the 21 in the states but we were told the 22 is the shortest day here.)  We are excited about the days growing longer.  Its hard to get up and moving when it looks exactly the same out as when you went to bed.  These are a couple of shots of what it looks like when I walk Annika to the school bus at 8:00 AM and then at 9:00 AM.  The GPS has said sunrise is around 8:45 and sunset is around 4:50 give our take a few minutes. 

Some of the pics are blurry because of the shutter setting, I’m sorry about that but didn’t know how else to get the right resolution. 

8 AM facing West- full moon, day after biggest moon I have seen in my life

Annika gets ready to board.

9 AM facing West

by Mark

Well we are busy getting ready for Christmas.  We’ve been to a variety of programs and parties over the past week as we all prepare for celebrating the birth of our Savior.  More about those events in later posts.  A few presents are already under the tree. (Packages seem to arrive only on Monday’s in clumps of more than one- we still haven’t figured out the pattern.  You get a call and they expect that you pick it up immediately.  You have to pay 200 T for the phone call and have the customs official look at the package.)

Its a great encouragement to us when we hear from you via comments and emails.  To keep up to date on what is happening with the Wood clan in Mongolia you can subscribe to this blog by signing up at left.  When you subscribe you receive an email copy of any blog posting from this site.  We also want to encourage you to leave comments or questions- we will try to answer them below or in a future post.  We have not had much time to write since Thanksgiving but we now have a two week break from school and will be posting several thoughts and pictures- stay tuned and keep reading.

Merry Christmas To All-

Mark, Cinda, Annika and Toby

By Mark

This Thanksgiving Blog post is brought to you  by our sponsors- the C&MA Church of Russellville!  We love and miss you guys — thank you so much for sending the great treats for Thanksgiving.  Toby and Cinda are opening a package that Russellville sent with Jiffy Cornbread mix just in time to make cornbread casserole (a favorite). 

Our family traveled 3 hours west of Darhan to to the town of Bulgan.  Bulgan has about 13,000 people in it.  Jeremy and Renee Bergevin graciously opened their home (pictured above) to all who wanted to come and celebrate Thanksgiving; yes, its a log home- Bulgan has a lot of timber around it and log homes are the norm. 

Annika chows on some chicken.

Because there were so many families we had to eat in shifts.   The kids went first filling tables upstairs and downstairs.  The menu included chicken (we couldn’t get turkey but the roast chicken was fantastic- I wanted to sprinkle benadryl on it to simulate the tryptophan (sp?) in turkey but was turned down) fresh rolls, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole with the onions on top, jello jigglers, cornbread casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy and several other salads that I can’t recall.  We had plenty of coffee circulating to go with pumpkin and apple pies. 

The guys went outside to throw the football around while we watched the kids play on the frozen stream.  Although there was snow (is snow) in Darhan there was none in Bulgan. 

The cards came out to play some cribbage, euker and a serious game of Rook. 

Uncle Larry gets kooky while entertaining Anna Wahlen.

The kids’ upstairs table.

Toby goes after his favorite food group, gravy.

We also got together to sing Christmas carols as a team and had a game of musical charades.  You picked a slip out of a jar and had to come up with a song that fit the category. 

Kids watching a movie upstairs before bed.

Superhero’s play together: Toby, Jack, and Levi

In some ways it was very easy to forget that we were in Mongolia- except for the ride home.

By Mark

This Wednesday is the 10th Anniversary of the Nikdovnihan Church.  Its also a national holiday celebrating the Mongolian Independence (I’m still trying to get the full story on it).  Anyway the celebration is a big deal and calls for sheep.  The sheep runs about 80,000 ₮ or about 75 dollars.  I’ve seen several examples on YouTube of how Mongolians slaughter sheep but wanted to see it for myself.  When I went by to find out when the slaughter would be happening or in my limited vocabulary- Sheep When (draw line across throat- it is a universal signal)?  Answer- Now.  Hmm, didn’t bring the camera with so the following were taken with my cell phone (I am happy to say that I have discovered how to transfer pictures via blue tooth to the computer!) Below is the sheep- let’s call her Dolly.

I expected this to take place outside- instead they lead the sheep into the kitchen.  I can say this, sheep don’t go anywhere easily.  Its not uncommon to hear bleating around the apartment buildings and look up to see a sheep on a balcony.  What makes the Mongolian slaughter technique unique is that they do not slit the throat.  Instead a small incision is made in the belly (see below) and the person reached in and either tears the aorta or simply holds the heart until it stops.  I could see the arterial blood on the guys hand so I’m sure he tore the aorta (or thoracic artery).  The sheep really doesn’t move much and is out in about 1 minute. 

There really is no blood.  Its really a great way to slaughter because it keeps the blood off of the hide so that it doesn’t need to be cleaned. 

In no time the hide is ripped off- except for a portion of hide over the brisket.  I asked and they said they cook it, I’m not sure if they mean the hair with the brisket meat or what.  When the internal organs are removed the blood is scooped out into a pan.  I would estimate there was about 3-3.5 liters of blood.  When dressed out this sheep will probably yield about 25-30 lbs. of meat.  They say that the meat from the head makes good bootz or steamed dumplings.  Nothing is wasted.  The hide will be sold for 2000 ₮ about $1.50  As I left the intestines were being cleaned out and the stomach as well.  I’m glad I’ve dressed out deer and been around cutting up meat.  I can’t say I really enjoy the smell of the intestines (thankfully they turned on a fan- I guess the Mongolians we not big fans of the smell either)  but all of that helped me enjoy watching this.  The whole process was about 20 – 30 minutes. 

I published this over on the thoughts and reflections page but thought I’d put it here as well, some of you will find much of this familiar in other teaching I have done – WARNING: Does contain Theological Content

The First in a Three Part Series On Language

I have the language ability of a two year old right now. Well that’s not exactly true, a two year old Mongolian has more language ability than me. We get ready to start language study in a week or two and there is a long road ahead to become familiar with Mongolian. Is it worth it? What does language do? From a Biblical perspective is language a positive or a negative thing?

When language is viewed through the perspective of the cross there are three ways which emerge in which language functions. Language expresses the mercy of God, language communicates the Gospel of God and language magnifies the glory of God.

Language expresses the mercy of God Genesis 11:1-9

The beginning of language is found at the tower (or ziggurat) of Babel as found in Genesis 11:1-9

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. ³ And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” ⁵ And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. ⁶ And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So the LORD dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. And from there the LORD dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

When it comes to familiar passages it is easy to miss some essential truths that are part of the text. The central question here is how to view the Tower of Babel – What was God’s intention? I would assert that we can have a negative view of languages if we see them as a judgment of God instead of an opportunity to engage in His mission.

We must step back and evaluate the context before we proceed. The tower of Babel comes just after God has sent His judgment on the earth because of man’s rebellion against Him. He saved a remnant through the ark that Noah built. Although God declared that he would never judge man through a flood (Gen. 9:15) man has grown wise as well as continued in rebellion to God. In 11:3 it says that they used bitumen or tar for mortar- why? In order to make it waterproof and resist any flood that God might send. The tower was just as much a symbol of rebellion to God as a monument to man’s hubris.

The response of God begins in verse 6- this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. And so the Lord confused their language and as a result man scattered across the earth. Why? Was this a positive or negative event? Just as much as it is important to see what God did it is important to see what he did not do. Although God just as easily could have wiped man out by fire or had the tower collapse on them he chose not to. Far from being punitive God’s actions were an act of mercy, sparing man from the judgment he rightfully deserved, foreshadowing the grace of the Cross.

It is not until Paul preaches on Mars Hill that the full implications of the Tower of Babel as an act of mercy are understood in scripture as Acts 17:26-27 says

And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us

God’s action of introducing language was actually a redemptive mechanism for man to come and seek God. When this is understood there is also a better understanding of what is being said back in Genesis 11 when God states that nothing is impossible for man. The threat was not to God but to man – with man united there was nothing to stop sin from again flowing from one end of the earth to the other. The concern expressed by God is not for the height of man’s possible achievements but the depths that he might sink to. God’s action of confusing man and introducing languages acted like bulkheads on a ship. Although man is sinful it prevented further sin from automatically being communicated from one end of the earth to another. While in many ways mission would be easier without having to learn new languages its important to remember that God introduced and intended those languages to be an expression of His mercy.

by Mark

There are several ways to learn a language (I’ve been thinking about language acquisition quite a bit).  In general I see two approaches.  The first is the script, learning key phrases such as, “Where is the bathroom?”  “I can’t identify the rash I have in a medical textbook and think I am about to die, would you help me?” or other ways to smile and say phrases that you don’t necessarily fully understand.  The upside to this approach is you gain the ability to work in another culture very quickly – traveler phrase books are scripts.  When we first got here we learned the scripts for going to the market, a restaurant, a taxi and other life situations we find ourselves in here.  The problem is comes when people move off the script.  You can say hello in, oh about 2,000 different ways in Mongolian- in English we don’t say “Good morning sir, how do you do today?” but that is the script that is taught abroad- when you say “Hey, what’s up?” People look to the sky.  When people throw us a curve it takes a while to figure out what they are saying. 

The other way to learn a language is to learn the code.  We have two years studying this.  Its to learn the building blocks, grammar (I never thought I would be interested in discussing Mongolian grammar but it really is one of my new favorite topics for discussion- maybe a forum on the Internet?) vocabulary.  It takes much longer but we will be able to express and hear much more.  We will never be done with studying and learning the Mongolian language. (I realize I don’t really know English that great either, I just grew up speaking it)  The code is much more difficult but is vastly more usable. 

As I think about this I wonder if it is not true for the Christian life as well.  Do we know a script or are we going by a code?  Many Christians I know life life by the script (one they superimpose on the Bible) and as long as life follows the script all is good, but if things change-it all falls apart, they don’t know how to respond.  They can give the appearance of maturity and knowledge without knowing anything at all.  On the other hand those learning a code struggle.  Its embarrassing and not pretty, but they are growing, and maturing in ways that someone bound to the script can never know. 

Many are not content to learn the code, it takes to long.  I see many institutions who train pastors be content with teaching them a script of ministry  and not the code building blocks of theology, Greek, Hebrew, personal holiness an it goes on.  Its akin to teaching someone how to use Microsoft Word instead of how to program it and then calling them an engineer.  Most Christians don’t want to get caught up in it either- I mean forget theology, its about a relationship isn’t it.  The problem is we can’t understand what God is saying when he does speak, especially in the midst of suffering.  It isn’t easy but as that great example of cinematic theology, A League of Their Own Says- “If it were easy, everyone would do it.”