Mongolia Mission Week 20 - Driving across Mongolia or "Who's Clyde?"

 Mongolia Mission Week 20

Our hope with this blog is to share highlights with our family and friends about our exciting opportunities and awesome responsibilities in Mongolia. It's an impossible task, though, because it's hard to condense everything into a few words and pictures. So ask us individually if you'd like to know more about anything! You can contact us by email (jrose219@gmail.com or krose213@gmail.com), Facebook messenger, or you can text Kathy's phone (515-537-3273). 

Surprise! We took another train ride to the city. We left at 7:30 pm but then stayed up, as we wanted to Zoom in for the talks given by Boyd and Carol Fife in our ward back home prior to them going on a mission to Adam-ondi-Ahman. But traveling across Mongolia on a train means poor cell service and certainly no wi-fi. We got to hear about 5 minutes of only Carol's talk and were lucky to get that much. Then we were awakened at 6:15 am by helpful (?) train staff after about 5 hours of sleep so we would be ready for our arrival in Ulaanbaatar at 7:00 am (!). More than ample time to deflate and fold up our indispensable camping pads we brought from the US. 

Then John finished studying for the Mongolian driving test at the mission home. He only had to do the written part, which was to answer 20 questions out of a pool of 800. He, like all the foreigners we know, found it amazingly hard because of how detailed the questions are about everything from first aid (which drivers are required to offer when they come across someone who needs help, including taking them to a medical facility), to pedestrian rights, to both city and country laws, and to a dizzying array of traffic signs and symbols.  And many questions are purposely tricky. 

On top of all that, there are funky translation issues. The test is in English, but that doesn't mean the translation is great. "How far from a railroad crossing must you be to stand?" Hmm, does stand mean stop or park? The answer for each is different. Anyway, he passed! So we rented a car from the mission and drove back to Sainshand the next day. It's a RAV4 with the steering wheel on the left side. Most drivers in this country have steering wheels on the right side, because those are the cars they can get. But we all drive on the right side of the road. You get used to it.

First time driving in the big city, and headed for
the country as fast as we can legally get there.

This is the traffic John had to join - and
 then cross to make a left turn at the corner.

A cemetery along the way home - the first we've 
seen in this country.

We passed herds of cattle, horses, sheep, and goats.
People herd with cars, horses, motorcycles, or ATVs.

Everything stops when there are cattle crossing,
but the herder threw a rock at the last one to 
hurry it along.

We weren't in the city long this time, but we did catch a few pictures to share.

Choijin Lama Temple Museum against a skyscraper
backdrop in Ulaanbaatar. Too bad it was closed!

Nearby, some construction. We got a kick out
of all the bad things that can happen if you enter!

We found a store that sells American brands - for 
three times what we'd pay in America-

Yes, there's a disability ramp, but 
what a wild ride that would be!

Vietnamese Pho for lunch with the Mission
President and his family 

After driving through lots of blowing tumbleweeds that kept looking like rabbits darting out across the road, we finally got back to Sainshand, thankful for its reasonable number of cars on the road. 

Then it was back to teaching. When we went to teach at the medical school on Thursday, the person who oversees our teaching let us know that we would only teach for a half hour because a country-wide emergency drill was scheduled and we would all have to leave the building.

It turns out that when the first siren rings, presumably for an earthquake, we are all to get under our desks....

When the 2nd alarm sounds, we are to exit the building and meet at the designated gathering place. In our case, we just followed the crowd. But we didn't realize we were supposed to hold a book over our heads!

Interestingly enough, the students returned back to class afterwards and wanted to continue where we had left off!

One very busy Saturday, we were invited to help with a service project. We thought it was to help plant trees. When we showed up at the restaurant that was the appointed meeting place, we were fed a filling breakfast of mutton and seaweed soup, fried bread, and warm milk tea. Then we drove to the outskirts of town and helped fill in a trench, at least part way, but then we had to leave for other commitments before any trees arrived.

Tumenjargal, Tierney, and McWhorter
(in his suit pants re: baptism later)

John had a shovel with a very long handle - and
slivers -.made from a rough 1x2

He traded off periodically with Kathy, whose
shovel had an extremely short handle!

That same day we went to visit a young lady from our church who'd had a premature baby and had spent several weeks in the hospital with her. 

John was able to give a priesthood blessing to bless
this infant as she grows to be strong and healthy.

Also that same day, we had two young men get baptized and join our church. They recognized the truths of the restored Gospel and want it in their lives. They both have a special and obvious glow now and were confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost the next day in sacrament meeting. We are excited to see new young members in our group here in Sainshand! The Holy Ghost is such an important part of our lives; we're pleased to know that other people can share in this precious gift of peace, knowledge, and protection from our Heavenly Father. We were both baptized and confirmed when we were young and have so appreciated having access to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in the ups and downs of our lives and know it will bless these two young men, as well.

Attendees at the baptism.

P.S. In case you're wondering who Clyde is, we named our little, white RAV4 "Clyde" because

we don't have a camel to ride across the desert (a nod to Ray Stevens fans).