Out and About

We went on a fieldtrip the other week and it was quite the Mongolian adventure! After figuring out the "pecking order" with the local bully (see pic) our kids were able to chase the goat kids to their hearts' content. And of course there was plenty of fresh milk, which was good because we didn't take lunches and we were stuck there for quite some time with a flat tire (and no spare). Thankfully friends brought some glue and a bike pump so we could fix the tube...

Naptime

Mongolians say that Spring makes you tired (probably from surviving the long harsh winter). Well, it is true, and we have been exhausted this past week. Our projects and churches are a juggling act, our house and well need some work, and there is a big beautiful garden to plant! God help us to help Him!

Basking on Ice

Summertime in Mongolia! I know I promised no more ice pictures... but if that's so then you may never see a picture of us again! The weather has been fabulous, despite the thickness of ice. Saiah just HAD to dig into our boxes to find his shorts... and Eden doesn't want to wear any clothes at all! We had a nice little stroll, and sometimes we take our kite. Too bad we didn't have our beach blankets! We could even make snow castles... but I don't suppose anyone would want to be buried on our beach...

Happy B-Day x 3

Happy Birthday to Eden and Saiah! 3 and 5, we can't believe it... and Zeke turns 8 in a week or so! We kept our parties small and simple (of course I had a leadership training all that weekend!). Eden got a chocolate cake (American) and Saiah got this frosting bonanza right here in Darhan. Thankfully the weather has been great so they have played outside LOTS! Their favorite toy is the shovel and so far we have a nice big pit right in the middle of garden. We're just happy to have them outside!

Intensity on Ice

Ok, last picture of ice for the year, honest! (Actually I don't have a choice because our long Mongolian winter is apparently over!). We are now officially moving on to Birthday season. Two of Zeke's friends had birthdays recently (the Liberda boys), and they went ice-skating at the nearby homemade rink. It was Zeke's first time and he had a wonderful attitude... he also got lots of advice, like from this young expert. Next week we will celebrate both Isaiah and Eden's birthdays, followed next month by Zeke and Krista! With all of these parties, along with the slushy puddles, tis our season to be jolly...

Sledders

Yes, I know you are getting tired of pictures of snow and ice...
but you are going to have to deal with it, about half the year, and be thankful you are not living it! We had a lot of fun this last weekend on a team Prayer Retreat. Normally trees are not a hazard to consider in Mongolia, but it was quite exciting to try and avoid them as well as all of the small children wobbling around! Thankfully all of those layers act as a good buffer. Now we are looking for Spring, especially with the temperature dipping above freezing the other day. Here come the T-shirts and shorts!

Watering Hole

Here is the local watering hole - the Haraa river about 100 meters from our house. Thankfully we mostly only see the cows using it now, although before taking the picture I told another man to please get water from our well. The ice is at least a foot thick, perhaps not smooth enough for skates but great for a little sled ride with our friends! If you can stand the bitter wind, that is...

Here's Johnny...

We have an announcement to make... our middle son will heretorfore be referred to as "Johnny" - a head-banging lead guitarist for his new band, Rockadooz. He's been practicing quite a bit, and he has some moves that will really make you gasp (in amazement, or perhaps just in fits of laughter). Anyway, thought you should know.

Beauties

Things are much better now that everyone is healthy ... mostly. Krista is on her last couple weeks of medication, praise God! Eden is a busybody - up and down the ladder, carrying the cat all over the house, and changing her clothes like a mad woman. She also colors in most of her free time (when she is not helping Orna to wash dishes and clothes). Anyway, I think they are pretty! Zeke, though, is in his "I hate girls" phase, so don't ask him.

Rough Start

Well, 2008 is off to a "rough" start. I know we look happy, but it is COLD! And it is going to get colder this weekend (-40). Several of us were sick this last week, including both parents. Who is supposed to cook and keep the fire going when that happens?! But things are looking up. Actually we are always looking up, which is where our hope and our strength come from! I believe it is going to be a wonderful year after all...

First Christmas

Eden has never celebrated Christmas before ... but I think she likes it! She loves keeping all of her goodies in a stocking, especially her gum. She can chew it for hours! She likes getting presents, especially her little plastic tea set (it is hard to find nice gifts here, i.e. anything more than $5). Unfortunately she is not quite old enough to understand WHY we are celebrating Christmas. Hopefully all of Mongolia's children will come to celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Lots of silliness occurred during our Christmas break. Most of us had been sick one way or another, so we didn't do anything productive the entire time... but I realized that just living can be pretty hard work sometimes! How did the pioneers do it? How do Mongolians?!

Eden's 1st Christmas

We put up our decorations, which took about 15 minutes total, and we spend about that much time every day picking them up again as Eden takes ornaments off the tree, figures off the advent calendar, or pictures off the Waiting Tree. I think she likes Christmas! She is either cute as pie, walking around singing "Yesus, Yesus" (Jesus in Mongolian), or a mischeivious elf. Isaiah usually is too, but he has hardly gotten up from his bed all week with a fever! A blessed Christmas to all...

Christmas cookies

We had a very enjoyable weekend at our friends' (the Bergevins) new home in Bulgan (3 hours west of Darhan). They have 4 little girls and will hopefully begin some new projects and house churches there this next year... they've got their hands full! We had a lot of fun with them - for me that meant checking out their house's construction and contraptions,
and for the kids that meant playing and making Christmas cookies. Although I did enjoy a cookie or two myself...

Can you dig it?

The ground is beginning to freeze here in Mongolia, but Saiknaa and his crew are still driving wells. We have slowly perfected the process and completed 14 of these wells. Next year we are praying for God to enable us to do at least 50. It's pretty simple - weld a point on a piece of pipe, beat it into the ground, weld on another pipe, repeat - but it sure is HARD work! This well (about 35' deep) was for Tsetsekmaa and cost about $150, half of which the families are asked to raise themselves.

Yard Soccer

We got in a little game of soccer this weekend, which is good because we got a lot of snow last night. Not that you can't play soccer in the snow! It is Zeke's new favorite sport (can you tell his school is very international?!). Also notice the little green tree in our yard... I planted 3 of them (plus my 6 poplars). Anything to add some green!

Work, work, work

We are back to work ... well, at least these guys are. Zeke is doing great in the 2nd grade at our little MK school. He's especially working on spelling and reading, which he is finally interested in doing. Saiah is back going to Mongolian pre-school, which some days he is excited about and other days he cries hysterically. But he loves coming home and doing English homework with his big brother! And so does Eden, though nobody is quite sure what she is writing or drawing. Isn't it funny how kids love to try things and learn ... whatever happened to us?!

Excitement

I love the nervous energy of kids starting school! Our boys are so excited to go and make friends, learn how to read, swim or play dodgeball (do they still do that?)... it's a little bit scary, and it's a lot of work, but think of the experiences and growth that will occur! I have to say that I kind of feel the same way about going back to Mongolia (Sept 23rd). It's a little overwhelming to follow Jesus, and there will be plenty of sacrifice, but think of the chances to grow and help people... possibly even save them for eternity. That's exciting! We hope you are excited to go and grow this year too.

Extended vacation?

More fun for the Fields family! Most of us had never been sailing before. It seems like endless vacation, but there really are some important things we are doing...honest. And we would really like to go back and get to work for Jesus in Mongolia! Two more weeks until our next tests and Krista's x-ray...

US time

Although restless to be back in Mongolia (or back in God's calling?), we are enjoying some extra time in the States. We even had a little romantic getaway for our 11th anniversary! Some US time in the U.S. How cute are we?! And how beautiful is Oregon?! Thank you, God!! We have about 3 more weeks before Krista's next x-ray, but she is feeling good and we are hopeful to head back into "the fray" late September...God willing.

Close to Home

Due to unexpectedly being diagnosed with TB, our family will not be returning to Mongolia for at least a couple more months. Although we were looking forward to going back, we will certainly enjoy some more time around here with family, friends and church! This is "The Cabin," our favorite hangout, on the family farm where I grew up on the Santiam river. It's my "homeland" or, you could say, the closest thing to heaven on this earth. And a pretty nice place to be semi-quarintined for a couple months!

More Oregon Fun

Another fun outing this past month was the Enchanted Forest. We met up with some cousins and spent a whole day among the kiddie rides and fairy-tale creatures. It was a LOT of fun even for us big kids (very nostalgic). Eden liked it too, even though she hasn't heard any of the fairy-tale stories yet! Even with the roller-coaster and log-ride I still think the boys liked running around in the Indian cave-maze the best.

We're not in Mongolia anymore...

No, this is not Mongolia...it's the Oregon coast! These last couple weeks we have spent a lot of time with our families in some really neat places. Krista's parents live in Reedsport so we spent several days visiting sand dunes, tidepools, and the beach. Then we were off to spend a few days at a hot springs resort in the Cascades. Surrounded by green trees and warmth... we are a long ways from Mongolia!

Airports

Travelling with 3 small kids can be a challenge. Especially when it takes 2 car rides, 3 airplanes, a host of metal detectors, and about 30 hours to get home! Thankfully they all did great ... notice we are mostly smiles and only one plane left to fly! Of course real french fries and a grande latte go a long way in making us happy (even if they do cost twice as much in the airport). It is sure nice to finally be "home" for a couple months. We're not in any hurry yet to do the 30-hour trip back to Mongolia!

One of the Boys

Well, we'd say Eden continues to adapt very well around here. I don't think that they ever let her play outside very much, so now she is out in the dirt every chance she gets. She also likes to wrestle with the dog and the cat. Fortunately for her, this has been our earliest thaw and the weather is great (but a bit windy and sandy). We even planted some potatoes and everybody helped out. She hopes there is lots of dirt in America, because here we come!

Family Picture Time

It's that time again, as we get ready to go back to the States for a couple months... family portrait time. As if it is not hard enough with two active boys, now we also have a TWO-year-old! So we figure 4 out of 5 good smiles is pretty good (what is Zeke doing?!). Here we are, standing in front of our small ger (yurt) church in Tosgon (a rural suburb of Darhan, in northern Mongolia). It's certainly a long ways from the US of A!

Birthday fun

It has been a month of birthdays...first Saiah and Eden, then Zeke, and now Krista. Of course they got wonderful packages from the States (except Krista, she got a vacuum from the market)! And no, Zeke did not get a new little brother...that's Isaiah in his new personalized carry-on. He's quite the world traveler! And they are all VERY excited to be going back to "America" to see their grandparents (and fastfood is probably somewhere near the top of the list too).

Home Sweet Home!

She is here! We have waited a long time to bring our girl home. God gave us His heart, He provided the means, He heard our prayers and taught us how to seek Him more deeply. Her name is Eden Glory. "Eden" means delight, and so does her Mongolian name "Bayasaa." She is adjusting well beyond our expectations and she is truly a delight. But our greatest delight (and glory) remains in the love and faithfulness of our great God - Father to the fatherless and Redeemer of His lost children!

Third Time a Charm?

This was our third visit with Bayasaa. We didn't have any "officials" with us this time, so we could stay and play for as long as we wanted! It took about 30 minutes for all the kids to warm up to us...and then we were flooded, especially Zeke! We were also able to meet with Susie, our social worker from Holt, who hopefully made some headway with the "higher-ups." We are praying that the final committee will meet this week. Bayasaa's birthday will be March 16th...

Fine Lookin' Fellows

This is my crew! In the back (left to right) there is Munko and Olambayar, our maintenance guys, and Sansar, the newest addition who has begun researching cultural traditions related to funerals and death (tough first job!). In the front we have Dawaa in the middle, my "right-hand man" and good friend, and then Saihnaa and Gerlay on the ends, who have driven three water wells and will begin implementing the slow-sand filters they've constructed next week. Right now, though, we are all dressed up and ready to welcome the new Mongolian year. Happy Tsagaan Sar!

The Big City

Relaxing AND stressful. What a pleasure to stay in a nice highrise, surrounded by an assortment of restaurants and cable TV, for a few days. And yet, the traffic and chaotic errands add heaps of frustration. But best of all we were able to visit Bayasaa again. We continue to hope and pray that the final committee will approve us in the next couple weeks...

Boys Will Be Boys

Growing up with two sisters there are just some things that Krista will never understand about little boys. Why does everything, from sticks to toast, turn into a gun? What is the fascination with small cars and mini-soldiers, ALWAYS crashing or fighting? Why do they feel the need to jump from several steps up on our ladder/stairwell, at great risk to life and limb? And why in the world would Saiah put his underwear on his head and run around his preschool class? Well, at least his teach thought it was hilarious. For obvious reasons we will not include a picture with this blog...

Christmas Blur

That week of Christmas was such a blur that I forgot we had pictures! Here I am entertaining the crowds. It was fun to tell new people about the amazing (and somewhat strange) birth of Jesus...especially because there are so many similarities to Mongolian culture. The signs and wonders of Jesus' birth marked a humble yet glorious destiny far beyond even that of Chingis Khan. Long live the King!

Shadows of Dreams

Land of the blue sky...and icy toes. It is now -20s (a mild winter) and I finally pulled out my thick wool socks. I may even need a scarf soon! I like this picture because it sums up our city and much of Mongolia. There is a huge post-communist infrastructure...that flour factory in the distance is HUGE, and very empty. Many of the development efforts are now hollow "monuments to failure," a sign that the Russians forgot to invest in the most important things - people. So many Mongolians continue to set up and survive in their traditional gers, living in the shadows of their industrialized (now computerized) dreams. May God grant Mongolia peace and self-respect as it struggles to become like other nations...

Family Christmas

Once our 2-day "Birth of King Jesus" extravaganza was over we were able to relax in our own home over Christmas break. Of course several of us had colds and our house can be a small space with two boys, but it was a pleasant and refreshing time overall. This is our candlelight carol session (right before the unwrapping frenzy). Now we are back to work and school, with our minds full of exciting goals for 2007 and our hearts full of passion to share our King.

Our Little Angel...

This is Zeke, our oldest son (6). His English school did a small Christmas program, and here he is playing the angel Gabriel. Isn't he sweet?! Of course the next day, when I asked him to stand up with us in church and sing a praise song, he responded, "It's my life and I can do what I want." Thank you, Disney. Upon later discussion we discovered that is a quote from "Mighty Ducks 3," and that our lil' angel has a photographic memory when it comes to cartoons and movies...

Our team

Over a year ago our team in Mongolia was down to four people...now look at us! And most of the bigger kids are away studying in Taiwan! We are truly blessed to have each of these special people. Sure, sometimes it is difficult - gender, age, culture, personalities, etc. On our team we have brothers and sisters who have been born in the U.S., Canada, Korea, Vietnam, and South Africa (plus Isaiah was born in the Philippines!). But we are all citizens of Heaven, striving together to bring others home through Jesus.

Lookin' like Christmas

Well, it's been white for quite some time now, but we just put up our Christmas decorations this weekend. The boys had a blast (notice all the branches decorated within their reach). Sure it's a 3-foot plastic tree (we put it up on a box to look taller), but there is just something about celebrating our King that warms the heart and lightens the spirit! We plan on inviting about 60-80 neighbors (over 2 nights) for a Christmas feast and to introduce them to the birth of our living Khan.

Mischievious

This is our youngest, Isaiah. You will probably notice right away his charming looks and the glint in his eye. His Mongolian pre-school teacher sure does! Every day she calls him a "mischievious little boy" with delight. Mongolians, like most cultures, think that naughty boys are adorable and obedient helpful girls are a blessing. Sometimes we aren't so sure! He always makes us laugh, though, and we certainly enjoy having an extrovert in the family.

Friends in the Family

I had a lovely trip to Baronghara yesterday (our first sub-zero day!). My partner Dawaa and I met with some church leaders to talk about ways the church can use projects to reach their community and/or better support their "elder." This is the "elder's" family...no, not the older man, and no not the husband (although he assists). Her name is Batjargal and her husband in Munko, and they have a lovely joy-filled family (even though their only income is grandpa's social security). Please pray for them!

Halloween for Jesus?

This is Bodio and Aruka. Bodio graduated with an English degree (at 19) and is now translating for CAMA. Aruka is studying Japanese...I'm not sure why. They were both a part of our community research team this summer, and they are both helping to lead the youth group here in Darhan. Here they are making pinatas. Why? Because we are preparing a Halloween party for English students. Mongolians already know about Halloween... all of the bad things anyway. As Christians we want these students to know that Halloween is really holy day, a day to laugh and celebrate victory over evil through Jesus. So that's what we'll tell them!

Toothless

Zeke lost his first tooth. Most Mongolians tease him that he "looks like a grandpa" now. I tease him that he needs to stop fighting at school. But he is thrilled. It hung in there for a week or two and then, of course, he must have swallowed it or something. So here he is writing the Toothfairy a note to explain the whole situation. And yes, she did leave him a nice dollar (is she American?) under his pillow from Grammie ... now Isaiah wants to lose his teeth.

Mongol funeral

I had the privelege to attend a funeral yesterday. We piled into cars and headed to the cemetery at 7am on a Wednesday (they must bury on Mon., Wed. or Fri.). It was neat to see how cleanly everything was prepared and the small traditions (sprinkling milk and seeds, piling white stones)...despite the cold steppe wind. It was a very special day because Tsingay was a Christian (notice the cross on top). The family, mostly "Buddhist," respected Tsingay and his wife Digit (in the wheelchair, with the orange blanket) and pastor Tsogoo was able to read and explain the hope we have in Christ (for 2 minutes). Unfortunately, not many who die in Mongolia share this hope...

Cooking

Here is a happy three-some, huddled over our one-burner making an evening meal. Zeke absolutely loves to cook...unfortunately, he almost always wants soup (that's what he has almost every day at Mongolian kindergarten). Saiah, on the other hand, just likes to watch and stick his fingers into whatever is close by. Oh, and notice the head chef's hot new haircut!

Thirsty

We've started a new venture in our little community this month - "driving" for water. I hired a young guy named Saihnaa, who is taking evening Bible courses, to research local materials and methods for drilling wells (our "western" method was difficult and expensive). So we started hand-drilling the first two meters (until we hit water) and then we simply put a pipe in the ground (with a point on it) and start pounding it down. This was our first well (we are now on our third and taking orders for more!), with Baljee and Gerlay doing the heavy lifting and pounding. Pray that 8-10 meters is deep enough for clean water, and that we figure out a way to keep the wells from freezing throughout our -30 winters!

School time

First week of school. For Zeke this is 'old hat' - Mongolian kindergarten in the mornings, English 1st grade in the afternoons (plus an hour with mom doing homework). Zeke is now counting by 10's, doing addition, and already starting to read with phonics! For Saiah things are still kind of new. His very first day he was so excited that he forgot to cry...but the next couple days he would scream 'mommy' or 'daddy' as his Mongolian preschool teacher kept him from attempting a desperate escape. Finally, after just one week, he has decided he is a 'big' boy and likes going to school. He likes the snacks and even takes his nap there! There is still time to get out and play with friends, though. Not only are the Bergevin girls cute, but they have horses too!

Meeting family

Over the weekend we visited the capital city where we met with our adoption agency worker, Susie. Much to our surprise, Susie took us to meet our daughter Bayasaa ("Buy-suh"). We all got a bit of time to play with her and at lunch time Saiah sat down next to her and asked for his food. Zeke was a bit more stand-offish at first. We were also surprised with the news that we may have first committee approval within the next couple weeks and then we can foster our daughter till the second committee approval comes through! We are thrilled with these developments (even if we did walk around in a daze the rest of that day). Change is coming fast and we could not be more pleased!!

Last summer fling?

As you can see there are some beautiful spots in Mongolia (we just happen to live on the treeless steppe). We had some great camping trips this month. Here Krista is carrying her wild rhubarb, Zeke is packing his homemade bow, and Saiah travels light so that he can jump and climb and run after anything that catches his eye. We got rained out on the last night but we got to wade through streams, climb mountains, have pinecone fights, chase eagles, visit an old monastery, and spend time with our friends. Hopefully there will be plenty more Fall fun, but it is starting to get cool already (last night was down to 40)...

Blessed

I don't talk about money very often, but we have been working on our house and garden (which are getting better every year!) and we are so thankful to work in Mongolia for CAMA Services. Not only do they house us, but they help us raise funds for living and ministry too! Thank you for giving to support us through CAMA (P.O. Box 35000, Colorado Springs, CO 80935), because it is your gifts that help us to grow vegetables, fix up our house, provide water to neighbors, and work with local churches to bring the presence of God into our Mongolian communities. We are truly blessed to be a blessing! By the way, the car isn't paid for yet...

Beautiful baby girl?

As many of you know, we are going through the long process of searching for our daughter. This is Bayasaa. We have just been matched with Bayasaa which is very exciting, but we still have a lot of approval committees and paperwork to get through. We are waiting on the Lord to complete what He has promised for our family! Please pray with us that, if Bayasaa is meant to be with us, the authorities will release her quickly and easily so that she can come home to be with us!