Extreme Asia

Tears and More Tears

2009-12-30T00:20:00.002+08:00

As I got onto the plane in Ulaanbaatar I had to wipe away the tears as it finally hit me that it is a reality that I was leaving Mongolia, my adopted homeland of seven years. Minutes before I hugged, cried and said goodbye to all my students, Mongolian friends and to my teammate/sister/friend Rita. I know it is God's will for me to come back to the USA at this time, but still a difficult time emotionally. I plan to visit back to Mongolia over the summer. The next six months I hope to rest and pray and seek the Lord for what His plan is for me.
All for now...sniff...sniff...
Penny

One Month

2009-11-18T13:21:00.002+08:00

One month from today I will be back in the USA. I am filled with many different emotions as I prepare to leave my home of 7 years to return to the USA. As I clean out my apartment and give its contents away I am in awe of all the wonderful memories this place has brought to my mind. I remember first moving here in the winter of 2003. I wasn't sure I would survive my first winter, being a Florida girl and all! But, I learned the basics of layering and wearing a long down jacket! Seven winters later and I have adapted to the coldest Capital city in the world! I am not sure I can handle the heat and humidity of Florida again. Ha!

More thoughts later...
Penny

November

2009-11-09T18:03:00.003+08:00

Wow, I can't believe it has been two months since I posted anything! My bad. Well, a lot has happened in that timeframe:

A team from the USA came the beginning of October. Incredible people with an incredible heart for the Lord to share His love with all whom they met. That was an amazing time as they worked with 9 different meeting places in the countryside and in UB
We held a leadership seminar for all our meeting leaders. I taught on tithing and finances
The students are doing great and focused on the Lord and their school work. They continue to bring their classmates to the weekly meeting. Their faithfulness and commitment are such a great encouragement
Our teammate Carol left to return to the USA last month. She will be missed greatly!

Also, some news, if you have not heard already....I will be moving back to the USA! I will live in Orlando and take a time of about six months and see what the Lord has next for me! Please keep me in your prayers to do His will alone and not mine!

All for now... :-)
Penny

Gobi, Gobi, Gobi

2009-09-12T11:54:00.002+08:00

I took 10 students to the Gobi desert on a trip to minister to the youth in a town a few hours from the Chinese border. We had a wonderful time holding daily youth meetings, church meetings and getting to know the youth in this town. It was encouraging to see my student leaders lead the entire trip and work together in unity. Always great to see young leaders rise up and take their place in the work of furthering His Kingdom. Take a look at some pictures in the slideshow.
God is good. We serve an amazing God!
Later...

Finland

2009-09-06T22:21:00.002+08:00

I took a vacation to Finland and had a wonderful time! It was amazing how beautiful the country is. I was visiting my friend Sanna who I met here in Finland 7 years ago when we both first arrived here. She has now moved back to Finland and gotten married! I had the privilege of attending their wedding party. It was a great time! We traveled to Eastern Finland and visited her family. Also, we went river rafting, hiking, biking, berry picking and much more. Thank you Sanna and Marko for blessing me!

Camels...

2009-07-21T20:46:00.001+08:00

Well, we did see camels and took a ride on some, but I failed to mention that in my previous post! See the pictures in the slideshow to the right!
All for now...

Gobi Desert: Sand, Blue Sky and Camels

2009-07-21T16:35:00.001+08:00

Last week thirty three of us, Mongols and Americans, took a trip to the Gobi desert via train. A medical team was here visiting from the USA. We traveled to a town of about 17,000 where we already have a church. We spent two days doing medical clinics and ministry. It was so encouraging to see so many people being treated in the clinic and over 50 make decisions for Him. Also, we did student ministry and we were encouraged at the number of young men and women that are actively seeking to know about the One true God. I brought our two summer interns and my student leader Moyo on the outreach. They did a wonderful job of coordinating and in doing ministry activities! I was very proud of them!
After two days, we traveled to another very small village of less than 500 people and also had medical clinics and ministry. This small village only had a handful of believers before our arrival. When we left, two church meetings per week were scheduled with some leaders in place. Incredible time of labor for the Lord. Thank you for all your prayers for our outreach!

Camp and More

2009-07-04T13:47:00.002+08:00

This past weekend was our annual Student Campout in the countryside. I had checked the weather reports and was not happy to see cold weather and projected 20mph winds for the weekend! But, we went ahead anyway! It was pretty cold, rainy and I think the tents survived 30mph winds for days. We enjoyed time in the Word, playing games and having fellowship and food on the fire. I am happy to say I didn't do too much leading as my student leaders did an excellent job leading the 34 students all weekend. The last day of camp we spent in the city and climbed a local monument and had baptisms on the river. See the pictures in the slideshow to the right.
Next week we have visitors coming to the orphanage, followed by a trip to the Gobi!

All for now...
Penny

Warmer Days

2009-05-24T21:19:00.002+08:00

Warmer days mean that Summer is here! Since my last posting...my best friend here returned to her home country of Finland...she is getting married on June 3rd! I will be attending her wedding party in August. Never been to Finland before, also visiting Sweden on that trip. What else...I took the students to the countryside for a one day camp. Eighteen students in a van that seats 8! Beautiful time, weather wise and with the Lord. Also, this past weekend I had a girls fellowship lunch which was very encouraging for all of us. Looking forward to hotter days and for upcoming outreaches!
All for now...

Spring to Summer

2009-05-16T09:42:00.002+08:00

Last night they turned off the heat around the city...today it snowed! This is Mongolian Spring weather for you. If you ask Mongolians what is their least favorite season, it is Spring. Mine too. Amen to that. But, on a positive note, summer is just around the corner. The Springtime winds off the Gobi are bringing change into the ministry this month and next. A time for seeing the Lord work in marvelous ways and bring new light and understanding. I look forward to seeing ALL that He will do!
This past week we celebrated the adoption of one of our little boys at the orphanage. He was so excited to be in the arms of his new Mother, who herself was overcome with joy. Also, for orphanage news, we painted the interior of the building with a donation we received. Yeah! It looks so much nicer now.
All of my students are gearing up for summer. Most of them have summer jobs and will be pretty busy so we pray we can keep their focus on the Lord and in coming to the meetings.

All for now...more later!

April Happenings

2009-04-06T19:27:00.002+08:00

My blog is definitely outdated! My last post was in January and for that I am very sorry! My bad! I just returned from the USA after six weeks. I enjoyed spending time with family and friends and attending my church's annual missions conference. It was an encouraging time! Thank you for all your prayers and support during my time in the States.

All the children are doing great at the orphanage. It has warmed up to 63 degrees today so the children were excited to be walking and playing outside today. It is so great to be outside without 10 pounds of extra clothes on!

The faithfulness of God is overwhelming! In such a personal way, He hears the prayers and meets the needs of His children. But, I think we don't always give Him the credit He deserves. We think we met the need in our own strength....we forget, what do we have that we have not been given? And ALL has been given by Him and Him alone. Thoughts to ponder...

Winter Traveling

2009-01-26T19:20:00.002+08:00

I just got back from a time in the countryside living in a ger! It was extraordinary! I loved it! I was visiting my friend Sanna who lives in a ger about 12 hours from UB in a small village. Yes, it was a bit cold...as many of you are thinking right now. But, with the fire burning in the ger, it was very warm. The mornings were a bit cold of course as the fire went out in the night. But, my friend was faithful to start the fire each morning before I arose from my sleeping bag and blankets. During this time I was fortunate to share the Word in a local church and teach english in the school. Also, we took a day off and climbed a volcano, the only volcano in Mongolia. No, it is not active and hasn't been for thousands of years they believe.

You can check out some photos in the slideshow on the right! Enjoy!

All for now...

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-28T19:44:00.002+08:00

Merry Christmas from Mongolia! It was definitely a white Christmas here as we celebrated our Savior's wonderful birth! The stockings were hung, the tree all a glitter and the children posing for our Christmas photo! Yes, we were able to get all 24 children posed in a photo for Christmas....a miracle in itself! Enjoy the photo that is in the slideshow to the right.

Last week we had our orphanage staff Christmas party with all 24 staff members and part of the construction crew for our new building in attendance. We worshipped, ate, gave and received gifts and danced into the night! This coming week we will have the children's Christmas party. We are waiting...and praying...on their gifts to arrive in five boxes this week. Thank you for ALL who donated, prayed for and gave gifts to your sponsored child. It has been a tremendous year for the kids and for the ministry thanks to each of YOU!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love, Penny

Random Thoughts

2008-11-21T12:14:00.002+08:00

Random Thoughts:
--I put away my light coat and grabbed my long, heavy winter coat this week. That was a sad moment! I guess winter is now here to stay. Interestingly enough, the construction workers are continuing to work in this cold weather and snow. They say the cement will dry...oh I hope so and it won't crack!
--This week I have officially caught up on all the tasks I needed to do, so for that I am thankful. Speaking of being thankful, next week is Thanksgiving! Yeah! Of course, Mongols don't celebrate this holiday, but all the Americans here do. I will be eating chicken on that day :-(.
--Last week I met the parents of the new little 3 year old girl that was given to our orphanage by the police a few weeks ago. The parents met us at the police station to receive back their daughter. They were absolutely filthy and looked like they lived on the street. It is a stark reminder, that even with all the Land Cruisers on the streets of Ulaanbaatar being driven by the rich, the enormous construction projects financed by both foreign and national investments, there is still a high percentage of the population living in poverty. Rising fuel costs, food costs such as daily staples of flour, bread, milk and rice, continue to push the low income families even deeper into the pit of poverty. How do you end the ongoing cycle of poverty in this nation? How does a family emerge from this cycle? Thoughts to ponder this week...

All for now :-)

Snow

2008-10-25T08:05:00.003+08:00

I arrived back from the USA this past week and I was greeted the next day with snow! Coming from the heat of Florida, it was a bit of a shock of course! Thank you to everyone who has supported and prayed for my family this past month as we grieve the loss of my nephew Drey. I am glad I had the opportunity to travel back to the USA to be with my sister and our family.

It has been a busy week catching up on happenings here, but to be brief, here are a few:

Orphanage news..we have had two children adopted and received one new little girl.
The church students are all in the midst of school and tests, but still faithful in meeting together each week.
Construction began again on the new Community Outreach Center building. We will try to finish the basement and first floor now and make it operational in 2009. We are still fundraising for this phase of the project. If we wish to add on a 2nd floor later, we can if funding is available. All done in the Lord's timing

That is all for now!

Mongolia

2008-09-10T18:03:00.003+08:00

The Olympics have ended and I have returned to Mongolia. (Yes, a little late on a blog posting!) I so enjoyed my time in Beijing and seeing the Summer Olympics for the first time. Definitely a memory for a lifetime.

Unfortunately, winter is coming too soon in Mongolia. This week the heat will be turned on citywide and I am already cold!! But, this is life in the coldest capital in the world. All is good here and very busy. This week I am the driver for the orphanage....taking 8 kids to kindergarten at 8am and then 7 kids to school (1st - 3rd grade) moments later! They are so excited to go to school and I certainly feed off their energy first thing in the morning...and I need that seeing how I am a nightowl!

Our church students have all started school. Servant International, with all your donations, has provided tuition scholarships to many students this year to enable them to seek higher education. On average, one year of university costs about $900 per year. That seems pretty inexpensive to Americans, but in Mongolia that could be the annual salary for their family. The tuition assistance helps them attend university and get a degree that they may not have been able to afford. The way to overcome poverty is education. We must decrease the "education gap" to ensure that more young people will have the opportunity to receive higher education and be elevated out of poverty in their generation. :-) Thank you for praying for and supporting our students!

All for now...

Finals of Track & Field

2008-08-24T17:07:00.001+08:00

The Track & Field finals were awesome last night as the USA Men and Women 4x400m relay both won the gold! Yeah! (No dropping of the baton thank goodness!) I stayed until the very last medal ceremony to hear our national anthem played twice for both relays. I sang proudly along with all the other Americans in the stadium. It was an awesome ending to my first summer Olympics! I can't wait for London in 2012! I don't know how they could top this Olympics though. We will see...

More later...going to the airport now to fly back to Mongolia.

It Tasted Spicy!

2008-08-21T14:30:00.003+08:00

Scorpion!! Yes, I ate a scorpion. Sarah and I visited the night time food market here in Wangfujing near our hotel this week. This is the place you may have seen on the news where all kinds of strange and interesting food items are put on a stick for your eating enjoyment. Well, I just wanted to take some pictures...but then Sarah said "I'll eat one if you do." I replied "Okay!" What was I thinking??!! So, with some fellow Americans cheering us on, we both ate scorpion. It was crunchy and very spicy! (My lips were numb for at least 20 minutes!) So, you can see the pictures in my slideshow of that eating event! Yum!

I have enjoyed Track & Field this last week here in Beijing. Last night we were in the stadium when Usain Bolt from Jamaica broke the world record in the men's 200m race. It was amazing! The crowd of at least 75,000 jumped to their feet and roared with cheers as he crossed the finish line well ahead of the other racers which included three from the USA. (USA got the silver and bronze medal). Tonite there are 15 events and 5 of those are finals. It is a thrill to see the medal ceremonies and the emotion of the athletes as they win for their country. Today the USA Women's Beach Volleyball team won the gold. Hearing the National Anthem played certainly stirs the patriotism for our great country and a reminder that I live in the most free country in the world. One that was founded on religious freedom by our founding fathers in search of a new world to practice their Christian faith openly. I pray that freedom for this nation, for these beautiful people. That the Lord will reign and His name will be called upon.

All from Beijing for now... <><

History in the Making

2008-08-15T17:21:00.002+08:00

It has been an incredible week so far with the USA leading in medals...so far, but the Chinese are close behind! Yesterday marked the day that Mongolia for the first time in Olympic history won a gold medal! A young 24 year old named Tuvshinbayar won the gold in Judo! I wish I could have been at that event! Tomorrow I hope to see some Mongols compete in wrestling!

This week we have seen Men's and Women's Gymnastics! Go girls, winning the gold! Also, I saw Water Polo, Beach Volleyball and Greco-Roman Wrestling. Tomorrow our Athletics (Track & Field) tickets begin. Also, tomorrow afternoon I will hopefully be watching Mongolia in the finals of Free Style Women's Wrestling! Go Mongo!

It has been a joy to be here for the past week and a half. The city is truly alive with the excitement of the Olympics. People can be seen in every store and restaurant watching China win many medals on the big screens. The Chinese are so proud of their athletes and glad to have the Olympics in their nation. Their hope at the moment is in winning medals. I have to wonder after the Olympics are over, and life goes back to normal for them, where does their hope lie? We are all the same, regardless of what continent we live on. We all want to live a life filled with loving relationships, family, abundant joy and live our lives with purpose. For those of us that believe in the One and Only, we know that our Hope can only be found in a relationship with HIM. He is our Hope. He is the One relationship that will meet every desire of our heart and fill our lives with purpose. More precious than gold or silver! When the Olympics are over, the medals will be a symbol of achievement and strength for an individual or a team, but the true prize to be won awaits us in eternity.

All for now... :-)

Let the Games Begin!

2008-08-10T16:04:00.002+08:00

I am in Beijing for the Olympic Games. A few years ago when I heard that the Olympics would be in Beijing in 2008, I said I definitely would go if I was still living on this side of the world....well, years later, I am still here, so I am at the games!! I met up with my friend Sarah and we have tickets for several events. We didn't get the tix for the Opening Ceremony, but we watched it with some very excited Chinese!! The torch lighting was truly amazing! Go Mongo! Go China! and Go USA!! (okay, my friend Sanna, a shout out to Finland, too! Go Finns!)

Last night we got to watch NBCs Today Show being filmed with Lester and Jenna! Sarah and I were in the background holding a sign that said "Hey Orlando!". We got some pics of us there, so that was fun. We had tickets yesterday for the men's Artistic Gymnastics, and they were great. Tonite we have tix for the women's Artistic Gymnastics. Maybe we will try to get on the Today Show again as they are filming there all week.

So, get up early and watch the Today Show all week!! Maybe you will catch us waving!

More from Beijing later...

Rain Rain Go Away!

2008-06-25T15:09:00.002+08:00

It has been raining here for several days! This is very unusual for this time of year. We certainly need the rain...but not all at one time! This week we had an adoption party for one of our little boys. He had spent the last week getting to know his new parents and was so excited to go home with them. Many tears of joy were shed!
We are planning our orphanage picnic for Saturday, July 5th. We have invited our entire staff and their families to go to our 1st ever work picnic! It should be fun. We are also taking all the children from the orphanage and my students will watch them so our staff can relax and take part in all the games and races we will have.
I am also in the midst of planning for our student camp which will be held in the countryside July 7th to 9th. We are expecting over 30 students this year!
Thanks for all your prayer support!

It's Been Awhile!

2008-06-17T19:29:00.002+08:00

Yes, I just realized I have not written on my blog in quite awhile. My bad. So, to catch up...Spring came and went with many windy days and snow. Now it is summertime and it is a joy to have some hot weather. I am indeed a Floridian at heart! I love the heat, hate the cold...well, now I don't hate the cold, I just can survive in it much better than in my younger years! Last month I went to the USA for 2 1/2 weeks for my family reunion. It was wonderful to go on a cruise with my entire family! Such great memories we all made and we hope to do one more often. (We hadn't all been together in six years!)
So, this month brought a dental team from Lakeland, FL. They ministered here in the city and also in the Gobi Desert. They are a delight and a joy to be with. I didn't go on the outreach to the Gobi, but stayed back here to work at the orphanage. All 23 of our children are doing great and enjoying being outside. We have an adoption this week which is great news!
All for now....more later...and more frequently! :-)

Springtime!

2008-04-28T20:31:00.000+08:00

Spring is here in Outer Mongolia, but it does not bring with it singing birds, green trees and tulips blooming. Noooooooooooooooooo. If you were to ask a Mongolian what season of the year they dislike the most…the answer is always SPRING! Why you ask? Well, there is a saying that you can see four seasons in one day during springtime. And yes, I have witnessed this. It snows, snow melts, it rains, a dust storm blows through the city and then the birds comes out, the sun peaks through the clouds and it is warm!! Crazy weather patterns! So, needless to say, I do not like Spring in Mongolia! But, I am hopeful that the summer is just around the corner.

Gobi Desert Times

2008-03-22T21:17:00.002+08:00

Gobi, Gobi, Gobi....yes, it seems like that is the only place I travel to!! Well, again I traveled to the Gobi desert via the "very slow train" about 8 hours. We began a new maternity project giving gifts to 50 new or expectant mothers in a small town of about 3,000 people where we have a church. It was truly a sweet time to bless these families with some items: Baby bathtub, mattress, blankets, clothes, vitamins. I posted some pictures in the RECENT PHOTOS section. So take a look!

Time Flies!

2008-03-12T14:43:00.002+08:00

We are celebrating our 5th Anniversary at The Children's Place orphanage! It is amazing to believe that it has been 5 years since the doors opened in 2003. Even more amazing is to think that I have been here going on 6 years now! It seems like such a short time ago that I first arrived here...in the dead of winter and froze! Now, anything above 30 is warm to me. Ha!

This past week we held a big celebration with about 60 in attendance at the orphanage. We welcomed adopted children, staff, government officials and friends to celebrate with us this milestone in caring for Mongolian children. The children performed a concert and drama. Very cute. I posted some pictures in the RECENT PHOTOS section to the right. Enjoy!

I am off to the Gobi desert now for a few days! More later! :-)

Winter Wonderland....NOT!

2008-02-27T21:16:00.002+08:00

Well, I am ready for Spring! This past week I traveled to the Gobi. Well, I am a Florida girl...yes, I like shorts, t-shirts and sandals. So, the Gobi Desert is one of my favorite places to be! However, winter time is not a Winter Wonderland here! Oh my! Below zero....just above zero...snow...blizzards...wearing winter coats that weigh 10 pounds...that should not be words to describe a visit to the desert! I can't wait for Spring and Summer to arrive. It can't come quick enough at this point. But, all in all, the trip was wonderful and encouraging for me personally. I needed a break from the city, a break from the hectic life, a break from the routine. So, off on the train headed south towards China I went with Dr. Rita and her son Jaffe (He is 4 years old and cute). The week was made up of the following: Leadership seminar with leaders from two of the churches; teaching the youth; fellowshiping with our church leaders; food shopping in the town of about 17,000 people with a 4 year old in tow constantly singing his ABCs therefore everyone stared at us; eating Mongol food, I do love it....guess that is God's grace. He gives it to us just when we need it....uh...well, mutton I am not particulary fond of, but can handle it better than the milk tea that everyone serves you. (Milk, tea and salt. I can't say I am lactose intolerant...but I don't enjoy milk products. This is pretty difficult to not like milk when you live in a country that milks every animal here - cow, horse, camel, yak, goat!) Enough said for now.

Holiday Times

2008-02-12T14:08:00.000+08:00

This past week was filled with holiday celebrations of the Lunar New Year, called Tsagan Sar. It is a time of reflection; time of visiting families and friends; and eating lots and lots of food...especially meat dumplings! I enjoyed visiting a few families, but am ready to not have to eat anymore meat dumplings! Ha!

At the student meeting on Saturday I was reminded of the need for a Savior in so many ways. We all have sin in our lives. We all have a past that sometimes creeps up at unexpected times and reminds us of our humanity. It is in these times that we must remember that at the cross, our Savior finished it all. He took our sin, our past, our frailties and they were all nailed to the cross with Him. It is finished. We must learn to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes, sin and hurt others. It is finished. Let us keep our eyes focused on Him and not on ourselves. We must decrease and He must increase. A good reminder during this New Year!

My New Blog

2008-01-30T22:36:00.000+08:00

Hello Everyone!

I have entered the world of blogging! A wonderful tool to keep you all more informed on what is happening with the work here in Mongolia. Thank you for being the first to visit!

I just returned from my 5 week stay in the USA after spending Christmas with my family and friends. It was a great visit and very refreshing. I purposely didn't have any speaking engagements so that I could relax and be renewed. I needed it!

This week I am easing back into work and enjoying being back and seeing all my friends and our beautiful children at the orphanage. Thank you for all your support and praying for the ministry here.

More Later....