Mongolia Mission Week 55 - Tina's story & Thanksgiving #2

Mongolia Mission Week 55

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). 

Hello, I'm Tina. I'm taking over the Roses' blog this week to tell my story. I was born and raised in France but made it to the Roses' apartment to join them for Thanksgiving dinner this year. I want to tell my story. Since I was their turkey for dinner, it's my last story. A memoir, I guess you would call it. Which seems appropriate, since I'm French. This isn't a sad story, though. I was born for this!

Did you know France raises over 30 million turkeys a year? But I'm special. Not many turkeys get to go to Mongolia. The Roses found me and my friend in a freezer in the Amtat store in Ulaanbaatar. They bought us, took us to their car, and wrapped us in a blanket along with a frozen salmon because there was no room in their ice chest. We thought it was to warm us up. But no, it was to keep us frozen on the car ride to Sainshand. I'm pretty sure that none of our other friends made it to Sainshand this year!

Next, we were put (still completely frozen) in the sisters' freezer because they had room for us. Young volunteers seem to only have a little bit of chicken in their freezers. Senor couples are spoiled, though. They constantly bring things like ground beef and frozen fruit from the capital to put in their freezers. Anyway, we stayed there until close to the time for Thanksgiving. Trudy, my friend, was in last week's blog. She got to go to the group Family Home Evening and provide tastes. I had an extra week in the freezer.

I was taken to the church to hang out for a few days in the refrigerator there because the Roses did not have room in their fridge for me while I thawed. It's pretty small. On the morning of Thanksgiving, John came to get me. That's when I finally got to see the apartment. And get a massage. Butter and spices. Poultry seasoning isn't really a thing here, but the stuffing and I really benefitted from the Roses' imported seasoning and the wild sage they found this summer.  I was amazing. And I finally got to get warm. Then warmer and warmer. They didn't take pictures of me with my tan, but it was gorgeous!

I was enjoyed by 13 folks in the Roses' little apartment: 2 sisters, 2 elders, and 7 local Mongolian friends - none of whom had enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner before. I was so proud to be part of their first experience! They fit everyone around their kitchen table and their coffee table. Some people sat on little stools that are very common here and easily found because many people entertain around their coffee tables.  

Notice the traditional Mongolian design
in the area rug. It represents eternity.

I was served with mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, corn, whipped cream fruit salad, and rolls made by the elders. Oh, and cranberry sauce. It was made by rehydrating dried cranberries and combining them with the zest and juice from an orange. Not as good as fresh cranberries, but they were an acceptable accessory for me.

For dessert, the Roses made their pumpkin pie (from Kuri squash). They also made an apple pie and a banana cream pie with a crust made from Digestives, a common biscuit (cookie) here imported from the UK. They couldn't find vanilla ice cream, or even milk-flavored ice cream (which is a Mongolian favorite), so they used butterscotch-swirl ice cream on the pie. How international was this feast? An American Thanksgiving dinner with a French turkey, UK biscuits, Russian cranberries, and American pudding! Plus many Mongolian ingredients like sage, the stuffing bread, milk, etc.

My carcass sat out on the freezing balcony while everyone ate and chatted. It sounded like people were having fun. Later I became soup, as all decent turkey carcasses do. However, as I end my memoir, I must say that I'm a little confused. I was invited to Thanksgiving, but they don't have Thanksgiving in Mongolia. And back in the United States, it was still Wednesday. How was this Thanksgiving? I think I was tricked!

Later that night the sisters left for Ulaanbaatar for transfers. Sister Fish left Sainshand to serve in Selenge, way up north (where it's really cold!). We are all glad she got to have Thanksgiving dinner before she left. On Saturday, Sister Fifita came to serve in Sainshand with Sister Veile. I'm happy to report that she did get some Thanksgiving leftovers to enjoy when she got to Sainshand.

The official welcome dinner after transfers.

Well, that's my first and only Thanksgiving story. A turkey only gets one. And the Roses only get one in Mongolia, so it's good this one included my spectacular contribution. It was strange for them to not be with family for Thanksgiving, but they were surrounded by wonderful people. And there were so many other Mongolians they were thinking of, but they just couldn't invite everyone to their little apartment. 

I'm told there is an even greater holiday coming where they celebrate the birth of the Savior of the world. It's what they're here for - to help His children to see His light and feel His love. That light and the desire to share it is in all of us. We just have to find it, cherish it, and do something with it.