Monday, August 4, 2008

First few Days

Well, we done got here. We's all set to teech Englidge. No, the flight didn't affect us at all. Actually, we were pretty tired after about 30 hours of travel. When we reached Mongolia, Peter Bunnell, the missionary we're staying with, met us at the airport in the capital of Ulaanbaatar where we spent the night. The next day we had another 9 hour train ride to get to Sukhbaater. The boys took the train and the girls rode with Peter since there wasn't enough room in the car. As the day progressed it got hotter and hotter until Mark melted into a puddle in his seat. Just before he evaporated, we noticed a huge cloud ahead, soon a stiff wind arose and before we knew it, we were in the midst of a raging storm. We arrived in Sukhbaatar in a downpour and were practically blown away. The next day, Sunday, we got up to sunny weather and set about fixing all the fences that had blown down. Joe, Rachel and Grace became instant babysitters of Sierra, 1 1/2 and Weston, 4, and Becca Bunnell (Peter's wife) treated us to some great home-cooked meals (even with no electricity). Today was our first day of teaching. Brook and I had 17 teenagers in our class and Mark and Marla had 20 adults. The teenagers are mostly beginners and the adults have a pretty good grasp of the language. The teens range from 14 to 18 and there's only one guy, so Brook pretty much has his pick. The community center here is quite modern in this city of 20-some thousand people (4th largest in Mongolia). Mongolia's population is about 3 million with half of that in Ulaanbaatar. The kids in our class are pretty shy, so pray we will be able to have some meaningful conversations. We'll keep you posted.

Love, Dave C.

P.s. (Brook here) - Below are some pictures from our travel here, and our first couple of days. Fence fixing, babysitting, teaching, and a couple of the country side and the storm that came up.
Another thing to keep in prayer is the electricity in Sukhbaatar. Becca is cooking for pretty much three times as many people, and being able to use the stove and oven would be an enormous blessing to her.
Go with God,

Brooklin
















8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh my, it was so good to hear from you and read all about your travels. Thanks so much....keep on doing that. The pictures and details were great; it really helps to know what you are doing and what you need prayer for. I know that you are in the Lords hands and I pray that he will empower you and impart wisdom and protect you all.

Hi Brooklin! We miss you around here! You are an amazing young man and God has shown us favor. I pray that you will do mighty things in His name and that you will be as effective over in Mongolia sharing Gods word as you are here in The United States. Be kind to all of those girlies!!

Take care & God bless you all,
Kristi

ethan and matt said...

Hi guys have a great trip
Have fun and serve God
Parents Grace and Joe
miss you

Mr Cragoe
We found a few seƱoritas to practice Spanish with.

Matt

Anonymous said...

Hey Brook! We are so glad you guys made it to Mongolia safely! We will all miss you at Tues. swim tomorrow but we will use a chunk of it as a time to pray for your team and all those you come in contact with. I pray that God would provide LOTS of opportunities to share your faith and show His love to the Mongolians you meet!
Lifting you up,
Kirsten & crew

Anonymous said...

Kristi sent me the link to your blog. I am so excited to hear how the Lord will use you all! We will be praying for strength and wisdom for all of you.
Blessings!
Marianne Sunderland

Anonymous said...

Yea! Love the pics and the blog. A few have asked about it so I am forwarding it to others. Keep it up as time and circumstances allow. Love and prayers to each of you,
Ruthi
Rachel - you look like you are in your element on the swing with the little girl. Missing you and Daddy - give each other hugs for me!

Anonymous said...

I was excited to hear not only that you have arrived safely, but that you had some fresh posts for us to read!

Remember, the experiences you will have can never be fully explained, so post lots of pictures for those of us who invented the phrase, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'

We are all praying for you guys. I pray your teaching is fruitful and there is oportunity for you to share Christ.

What's up with the frightful faces? Boys will be boys!

The Lord bless your mission,

Jerry

MeityFunny said...

Hi Guys -

So GREAT to read your blog - praying for you. If you could record Dave's rendition of the Mongolian Pink Panther, sure would like to hear it on the blog. We're praying for boldness and wisdom - God bless you guys. Paul (for the Meitler clan still on the meity road trip)

Mr. Edsel said...

I'm scary about some of the pictures...bald man with 3 heads, he scare me elbows they quiver and schake. Good think he smile at end. Well I alway say...wind blow, storm come, hard rain...pain. God blesses us too. Piece to all. Secrure the cool, thanks.