Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Ministry Update






First of all, thank you for your prayers over the past few months.  Many of you knew that we were in a time of transition in our ministry.  After pastoring in Darkhan for the past 5 years God began leading us to hand the churches over to the leaders He had brought up and prepared for the job.  This all really came about this past spring and although we didn’t know what the next step would be for us, we prayerfully let go of the reigns of leadership first in our Ulaan Baatar Church then in the Darkhan Church.  

THE NEWS
Almost simultaneously with that decision, we were contacted by a friend who was soon to be transitioning out of his position as Ministry Director for AMONG Mongolia.  He is American and he told us that the board was looking to hire a Mongolian for his job.  He thought that Hetee should apply for the position. 
We had worked with Eagle TV and AMONG over the past 4 years or so, doing translations and TV Bible teaching programs for them so we were familiar with their ministry.  Hetee applied and met with 2 board members who happened to be in the country.  After that initial meeting and a skype conference call with 3 other board members in the US, they invited him to come to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a time to get to know each other.  After a series of meetings, they offered Hetee the job and he accepted!
Hetee’s job will consist of leading a staff team of about 45 in translating and producing Christian television shows and Bible teachings and classes for television, specifically for Eagle TV, which is viewed in all parts of the country.  We are excited about this next step in Ministry as it takes us to a place of impacting the whole nation of Mongolia for the Kingdom of God.  

THE PLAN
Moving the family to Ulaan Baatar was not an easy decision.  UB is notorious for its heavy traffic and air pollution, especially during the winter months.   Over the next 8 weeks Hetee will be commuting to and from Ulaan Baatar for work as part of a phasing in approach to the new job.  Around mid November, we plan to go to the USA, as a family, for a time of rest and then fundraising.  Most of our time will be spent in Arizona and South Dakota.  We would love to see all of our supporters and family in Louisiana and we are praying to make it all the way there.  Our family’s move to UB will probably take place in early February of 2013. 
If you would like to send a one-time gift or make a commitment to support us financially in this new phase in ministry, please contact us at ihetee@yahoo.com or   melaniekocke@gmail.com  and we’ll let you know what to do. 

                Blessings,
Hetee and Melanie

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Interview

About 3 months ago I was contacted by a German woman who works with a group at a university in Berlin doing research for a book soon to be published about international families.  They asked if they could interview me and I said "sure!". 

I thought it would be fun to post the interview here on my blog, for our friends to see.  I'm sorry it took so long to get to this.  It was around that time that I discovered Pinterest we moved across town and things got really busy.  (Both versions are true.)

1. What do you think is most challenging being a mom/dad in modern times?
I think that at this time in Mongolia and in many other places in the world, the economy is not very good so both parents are forced to work.  Even mothers with very young children are forced to leave them to the care of others while they work hard to help provide for their family’s needs.  IMO it is hard --nearly impossible to parent effectively while working a fulltime job.  Those moms that are stay-at-home moms, who raise their children themselves and don’t rely on daycare are rare but the children tend to be happier and a lot better trained. 
2. Could you tell me something about your birth experiences? Did you have a natural birth?   
My oldest son was born in hospital in the capital city, Ulaan  Baatar.  The soviet style hospital and harshness of the doctors made me feel very strongly about not birthing in a Mongolian hospital again.  At that time I didn’t know much about homebirth but over the months following my son’s birth I began reading more and more about it.  When I became pregnant with our second child, my husband (who is Mongolian) and I sat in a Bradley Birth class (I would strongly recommend this to all expecting couples!) and decided that we would have a homebirth.  Since that first home birth we have had 2 more babies and one miscarriage, all at home with no medical care or intervention.  It can be done!
3. What do you wish for your kids? What kind of personalities do you want them to be?
I want my 4 kids to develop the personality they were born with.  They all differ from one another and have their own special identity.  I want to cultivate it and help them develop other good characteristics such as, being loyal, honest, friendly, hardworking, obedient and respectful to others. 
4. How would you define your parenting style? Are you strict, more relaxed...?   
I think I am relaxed compared to say, my previous generation but when compared to my peers I am probably more strict.  But once my kids know the rules and everything is clear and set, then we can all relax and have a lot of fun.
5. What do you think is a good father/ a good mother?  
I believe that a good mother/father is one who knows their weaknesses but is not a victim to them.  We must always try to rise above our struggles in order to be a good example for our children.  I also think that a good mother is womanly and teaches her daughters how to be a woman of grace and teaches her sons how to respect and care for  the women in their lives.  A good father teaches his boys to love their mother and respect her, through his own conduct.  He teaches his daughters what they should expect from a man.  He protects and cares for his children, not just with material things but emotionally as well.  And he doesn’t always have to have everything figured out. =)  
6. Are you happy with the day care system and schooling in your country?
We’ve never relied on the daycare system in Mongolia.  All our babies are kept at home where am the primary caregiver.  This kind of lifestyle is not common here but it is catching on and we now have many friends who choose not to send their kids to daycare and make the necessary lifestyle changes to support their decision.  Our 2 oldest children went to Mongolian schools off and on but we encountered many frustrations with the school system.  Many of the teachers were educated during communism or under the still-present communist system.  We just weren’t compatible with that.  We are a happy homeschooling family now.  It’s not always easy but we manage. 
7. How important is it for you to experience nature with your kids?
I am not a nature person, really but living in Mongolia, it’s practically impossible to “miss” nature, as it’s all around us!  Everywhere we go there’s the vast steppe, full of huge herds of horses, camels, yak , sheep and goats roaming about.  The big, blue sky is ever present and we enjoy picnics by the river all throughout the summer. 
8. Do you think that being a teenager (you probably know some of them:-) is a troubling time? If yes, why?  
I’m not an expert but I tend to think that it’s because teenagers struggle to find their own identity apart from their parents but they still haven’t decided what to throw out and what to take along into adulthood.  If the parents are diligent in their teaching and discipline, however, teenagers can feel more secure and open with their parents during this time of maturing.  And even if they do stray for a while, they will have a good foundation to fall back upon. 
9. What do you think: Does the culture/country you are living in have a friendly attitude towards kids?   
Most Mongolian would say they love children but still, the country has a very high abortion rate.  The main atmosphere here is one of “children are a bother”, and sadly, children often get pushed onto someone else to be raised and cared for.  Of course, this is not the case in every home.  There are many wonderful, loving Mongolian families.  But it’s so sad to see that children abandoned by their parents as they seek a “better” life (usually through a high paying job away from their family or even in another country) becoming the norm. 
10.What could be done to improve the situation for children?  
I think that Jesus is the only solution.  When parents get to know the Heavenly Father and His Word it gives us and our children hope in a dark world of child abuse, sex trafficking and many other horrors children often face. 
11. What kind of experiences do you have being a parent in another culture? 
I think it just depends on who I’m dealing with, like if it’s someone from church or relatives it’s usually very fulfilling.  For the most part I have the unique opportunity to teach and encourage other young mothers who are struggling with parenting issues.  But some days can be hard, especially dealing with nosy taxi drivers or strangers staring at us in the street.  They all have something to say and usually it’s not very tactful.
12. What values did your parents teach you? What are your memories of your childhood?  
I think that the main value my parents taught me was to be bold and not follow the crowd.  Because they homeschooled me for more than 10 years, they also taught me I was worth the investment of time.  This did volumes for my confidence, especially in trying times.  I know my parents love me because I know how big a commitment homeschooling is.  Their guidance has brought me to where I am today. 

My memories of my childhood…there are so many!  We lived several years in Mexico and so this has influenced me so much.  My fondest memories are of traveling to and  from Mexico, the anticipation of seeing friends and relatives, and the time spent with my family in our big diesel truck! 

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Miracle Parenting


Three weeks ago we began teaching our parenting class, Miracle Parenting (By Phil and Cynthia Phillips) at my mom and dad's church here in Darkhan.  We are teaching it in 4 Sunday sessions and, as always we are just as blessed and challenged as those who are attending the classes.  Mongolian churches are full of young families and the need for biblical teaching in the area of parenting is so great.  

When we first discovered this course we were in such a need of biblical direction regarding parenting our then 1 year old strong-willed oldest son.  There were times we had no idea what to do and many nights I would go to bed in tears, crying out to God for help.  

The Miracle Parenting course is not called "Miracle Parenting" because it teaches some magical, miracle formula to raise kids successfully.  What it does teach are biblical truths and precepts, delivering the message that God's way of discipling and training our children should be our number one concern in this life, after only our own relationship with Him.  It teaches parents that in order to get an accurate picture of the Creator's masterpiece, that is our families, we need to have His vision for our children's lives.  

This is where the miracle part comes in.  So many families are lost in the darkness and lies of society and they need to return to the truth of what is normal.  For them, seeing their children and their marriages through the eyes of their creator can seem like an impossibility.  It is such a joy to reach out to them and see God move in their families.  





Sunday, July 15, 2012

I Was Born This Way



Yesterday and today the kids have been spending time with their daddy, making paper planes from instructions and patterns he found on the internet.  Today as, as they all sat around the table working on their planes, the conversation turned to the topic of talents and gifts that God has put in us.

Now,  I don't know about other Christian families out there, but whenever WE have any serious conversation about anything remotely pertaining to the spiritual in our home, you can be sure that the seriousness won't last long.  It's just a matter of time until someone says something hilarious and all the seriousness is gone, just like that.

People will fart.

Snot will roll.

Threats will be made, you can be sure of it.

Indeed, we are so full of the joy of the Lord we sometimes find it hard to breathe

So today,  in an effort to help us appreciate the talents in one another, I asked the children what they thought their dad's talents were.  Their answers were pretty right on--

"He's good at helping people"

"He can do hard things"

Then Abi piped in,  "He takes risks!"

Wait a minute?  He takes risks?  None of us really understood what she meant, even after she explained it 2 times.  Nate rolled his eyes and said in Mongolian, "Abi's speaking left-hand."

Then we moved on to Nate.  According to us, his talents are making people feel at ease, making them laugh and smile, and planning things.  He's a great planner and helps me out a lot in this area, since planning ahead is not my strong suit.

Then Kenny mentioned the fact that Nate helps people fly.

"Hm", I thought.  Interesting insights.  Maybe even prophetic.  It even gave me goosebumps until the real truth came out.

"Once, Nate kicked me SO hard I didn't touch the ground for a lot of seconds!"  If you know Kenny, you know exactly what that sentence sounded like. 

Well, that makes sense.  And it does require talent.

We concluded that Abi's talent is making and keeping friends.  She does not have many that she calls close friends but to those who are she is fiercely loyal.  She is always thinking of ways to make them feel special.

And animals.  She loves animals. As we speak, there is a baby pigeon in a box on our balcony, waiting to finish growing in his feathers so he can fly away.  He has to fly away.  He. Has. To. 

According to Kenny, his number 1 talent is burping on demand.  His next talent would be telling those around him, "I love you" 50 million times a day.  He's such a cuddly teddy bear, that boy.  He just makes people feel good. 

When I asked what they thought Eva's talents were I was met with protests and looks of, well, horror.

"Talent?!  What talent?  The only thing she's good at is being grumpy and bossing us around!"  Nate said, in that exasperated, dramatic voice10 year-old boys use.

But after some silence and a little chat about how none of us is perfect yet God still uses us, we decided that Eva is just really good at organizing.  We also decided she wasn't bossing people around; she was just displaying her leadership skills.  It's all in how you look at it.

According to Abi, my talents are being a good mommy and making people happy.

Kenny said, "Mommy, you're really, really good at putting people to bed."  I assume by that he means himself and his siblings.  I really don't go around reading to people and tucking them in at night. 

What are some of your talents?  We all want to know!

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Update in Photos

So, summer is here and with its arrival all semblance of order and routine have disappeared out the window.  Our plans for schooling all summer got a bit upset because of our move to a different apartment.  The Move took a lot longer than we thought it would.  BUT during out time off from desk work we have read a few good books, including a great children's version of Robinson Crusoe and a few of the Boxcar Children books.  The kids are still learning and are up to all sorts of interesting things, from baking cookies to catching tadpoles. Just not in the same context, of course. =) 



On June first we had our first outing to the river.  Since Eva spent most of last summer sick, it was a new experience for her.  She was happy running around free like the wild thing that she is.


In June we also welcomed these 2 twin girls into our church and into our lives.  


Last Sunday about 70 of the church members went out to the river for baptisms.  Twelve people were baptized, including our oldest son Nate.  I had mixed feelings about his decision to be baptized at such a young age but that's another blog post.  In the end, it was a good thing.  Hetee was there, and baptized his son.  It couldn't have been more perfect.  



Today!  At the stadium, enjoying the Naadam festivities...


We missed the horse races but just as we pulled up to the stadium to watch the wrestling, we saw this racehorse and his boy.  We asked if he would mind posing with the kids.  Come to find out, he had won the races!  He and this horse were the race champs! 


My hubby and his Naadam huushuur.  He waited all year, poor guy. 


Found this handsome little fella peeking at me from behind his hat...


Mmm, free cotton candy from our friend... Thanks, Enkhee! 


I thought I'd finish up my little post with a picture of these church cuties.   
Left to right we have Mergen, Ariun-Solongo, Eva, Uchka, Kenny and Javkhlan.  

Friday, June 29, 2012

The One Where I Can't Teach My Own Kid English

Last night we had a pretty comical game of Go Fish.  We were trying to get Eva to play and speak in English.  Nate and Abi had played with me and my English students before and they had seen how I have used the game to teach basic English phrases.  We all thought it would do the trick to get Eva talking to us in English. 

We were wrong. 

Now that's she's 2 and a half, it obvious that Mongolian, NOT English, is her strong language.  It's pretty amusing for the rest of us, especially since the older 3 have English as their strong language.  And I do, too, obviously. 

We do ok, though.  We probably switch back and forth from one language to another a lot more since Eva started talking.  She understands English pretty well, but sometimes she gets extra toddleresque when we use too much English.  

And that's understandable.  Language is linked strongly to feelings and that's why we like to let our kids speak in any language they want, regardless of who we are with.   The only problem is that when I'm tired, my brain doesn't do the language thing very well.  So at times when Eva is feeling particularly chatty and I need a break, I send her to the other Mongol in the house: her daddy.  He doesn't mind.  He's happy for the Mongolian-speaking company.

So, back to the game...for the tenth time I say slowly, "Eva, say, 'Nate do you have a frog?'"

She ponders.

She furrows her eyebrow.

She almost gives up.

Then she says, "Ummmmm. Nate, chamd frog baigam uu?"

Close enough. 

Go West, Young Man!

Summer is finally here and with it the nice, sunny weather and long days.  We've had a good bit of rain, to which is nice.  Our little short school break was full of moving (across town), a Bible training session for Hetee and I in UB and a Music/worship seminar here in Darkhan.  Any extra minutes I could spare were spent working to finish an online course I'm taking to become a certified ESL teacher.  I'm not finished yet but I'm in the home stretch!  

In other, quite strange and sudden news, we are planning on being in the States at the end of this year.  It's funny, going to the States and visiting friends and family has long been a faraway, sort of unattainable dream for some time and when I imagined telling the news of our visit on my blog, I imagined it with more exclamation points.  I imagined it with a sense of calm excitement that comes from having our trip, money and itinerary all figured and mapped out. 

But, we don't.  We began to feel God's nudge in this direction and we've started walking but, for me at the moment it's all a bit scary. Scary because I don't know if or when we'll make it to Louisiana to see my family and friends there.  Scary because of our shaky finances.  Scary because it's America and I don't feel very American. 

Our journey has not yet begun, but I have decided to document it here, as best as I can, for other TCKs (Third Culture Kids) who may be in need of reading about someone else who doesn't have it all figured out.  As always, happy to please. Plus, I'm pretty sure that spilling my guts will have the pleasant side effect of making me feel better.  You know, getting it all out, and everything.  

I feel lost when it comes to living in America but at the same time I feel drawn there because I have family there.  Family and friends who are, to my children, like characters in a fairy tale.  I long for the connection to be made.  To see, talk to and be with family.  For my kids to play with their cousins and meet their Aunts and Uncles.  

The thing that scares me most, the thing that I struggle with every day but never blogged about is that my siblings and I haven't talked in several years.  For a long time it was on and off, but for the past 2 years or so it's been just mostly off. 

Things have happened between them and between them and my parents. I've been told many times that it has nothing to do with me but I'm not so sure about that.I'm pretty sure I crossed a line when I moved to the other side of the world.

My older two siblings and I parted when I was about 7.  They were much older and made their choice to stay in the States when my parents moved us to Mexico.  I was very close to my other sister who is 3 years older than me and lived with us until we made the move to Mongolia when I was 17.  

I haven't seen my family in the US in 10 years.  In a way, Mongolia has become my comfort zone.  The place I have found family.  A safe place where I don't have to deal with the rejection I have been feeling for so many years.  

Yet, I'm finding that I can't escape from wanting to feel the love and acceptance of those 3 people, way on the other side of the world.  I also know that without a miracle, I will never get it. 

I see my siblings in myself and in my children. When I look at Nate, I see my brother.  When we play cards he talks like Damian used to.  He teases his sisters like Damian used to tease me.  He likes ice cold milk on a hot day, just like Damian. 

Abi is left-handed, just like her Aunt Leah.  She loves animals like Leah.

Kenny, so like Leah,  laughs so hard he can't stand up.  If he's eating or drinking, you don't want to say anything funny or it'll be all over the table.  

When I look in the mirror, I see Jennifer.  And I miss her. 

I long to be happy and whole, even if we don't live close together.  I wonder if we'll ever be in the same room again.  If we'll ever have a family photo taken.  Life seems way to short to wander about this for too long so, if you think about it, please lift up our family in prayer.

I don't mean to hurt or isolate anyone in any way by writing my thoughts out on my blog.  I hope that the words that are written here can bring healing or, at the very least, help me process the many changes Hetee, the kids and I  will be going through over the next few months. 


Thursday, May 10, 2012

Homeschool

Lately I've been giving the subject of year round homeschooling a lot of thought.  Growing up we always homeschooled year round with just a short break in the summer, from what I can remember.  We always had birthdays and most holidays off and we never took our textbooks with us when we traveled (which we did a lot of!).  I liked it, most of the time.  I think that being the type of learner that I am, had we taken long breaks in the summer I would have had to spend a lot of time reviewing, and the time spent reviewing coupled with the 3 summer months off of school would have pushed me further behind every year.  I think schooling all throughout the year sounds ambitious but in reality it's the easiest choice.  Since we're going all year round our daily school load is lessened and so is the pressure to finish the curriculum within a certain time frame.

One of the main reasons behind our decision to school year round is that living in Mongolia, the winter months are really long and we tend to get cabin fever when we're bent over our desks for too long.  I prefer to be baking or reading and the kids prefer to play with Legos, building forts or ice skating etc.  So last winter we took about 3 weeks off of school to just do our own things to help us get through the month of January, which seems to be by far the longest month of the year!

Right now the kids are focusing on finishing their current text books and then we'll take about a 2 week break.  Hetee and I will be teaching English again soon so this break will give us time to do our lesson plans and preparations.  Also I hope to find some time to work on my online course assignments (one can hope, right?)  Over the summer months we'll probably have days off here and there, just because.  Also we have a few holidays and birthdays all throughout the summer. 

Things we will be focusing on over the next few months:
Memorization: Poetry, scripture, and the books of the Bible.
Copy work to improve handwriting.  Our leftie needs it!
Alone reading time. (We read every night as a family)

Anybody else out there doing similar things?  If you have any advice or input we'd love to hear from you!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Yard $ale!

Once or twice a year we have a church-wide yard sale where we sell donated items really, really cheap and use the money to help the poor or a local missionary family. Besides raising money for these special Helps Ministry projects, it's also a great chance for the less fortunate in our congregation (and in many cases, believers from other churches as well) to buy things like clothes, school supplies and toys for at very affordable prices.  I'm always a bit nervous doing something like this since the idea of selling used items at a yard sale is a pretty Western idea.  But, although the idea may be new to some people we've found that the Mongolian believers really like yard sales, especially the women.  I've said it before and I'll say it again -- women are the same the world over when it comes to saving a buck, and in the case of the Body of Christ, when it comes to helping someone in need.    

So today was yard sale day and we were blessed with a great outcome! 


Our fabulous Helps Ministry team!

Today they turned this...

This...

This...

And this...

Into this, a big pile of cash (ok, so it wasn't that big) with which to bless our  Erdenet church  leaders.  They are a young couple, with 3 small boys and can really use the help.  It's such a blessing to be a part of Christ's body!

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

2.5 Years of Birdie

I have a very busy toddler.  In fact I haven't seen such business around here since Nate, our oldest, was little.

Capturing Eva's attention is difficult and if you do manage to make eye contact maintaining the connection is nearly impossible.  Sometimes, when I see the difficulties her brother has today paying attention during desk work, I shutter to think that in a few years I'll have another one come along and challenge my patience all over again.  They are two peas in a pod, those two. 

It's amazing to see the polar opposites Eva can reach in a matter of minutes.  She changes from an independent  child who claims she can do everything from dressing herself to pottying alone,  to a whiny baby who declares that she can't do anything at all, even walk--all at the drop of a hat.

She has a toddler table with 2 little plastic chairs but these days she prefers to sit at the big table, on a big chair even though that means she'll probably fall off before mealtime is through.  It means more spills, interruptions and clean-ups.  And don't try to sit someone else at her little table.  She'll get angry and let you know that "Gamma and Gampa" gave her that table and it belongs to her.  Nevermind that she doesn't want to sit at it.  It's the principle involved, you know. And besides, who wants to feel like they're in exile during mealtime?  All alone, apart from the bustling family table where obviously they have better food and conversation. 

Yesterday there was a glimmer of hope.  The child who has never sat through more than 5 minutes of any children's DVD, asked me to read her a book.  I had started reading to her at nap time a few weeks ago and I guess it sort of grew on her.  But reading was something she associated with sleeping so she had never asked me to read a book to her at any other time.

But yesterday, out of the blue, she brought me a book to read.  We read the little book and she got up and brought another one.  She sat through half of that one before she decided she had better things to do.  But still, I had her attention for all of 14 minutes or so.  It was encouraging, to say the least.


Birdie, busily playing with my phone before it gets snatched and put on a high, (high as in way up where she has no hopes of reaching it) shelf. 


Wednesday, April 4, 2012

April Ministry Update


Dear Friends,

We are happy to update you all on the things God is doing through Christian Fellowship in Mongolia. 

Church:
The children’s ministry leaders recently took a few of the older children from children’s church to minister in nearby Selenge.  The team ministered God’s love to the children there and handed out Samaritan’s Purse gifts. 

On March 7 had a women’s network meeting and over 80 women attended.  Melanie spoke and they spent time in fellowship.  Most of these women are regular members of the church.  Some of these ladies are praying for unsaved husbands and children to come to God.  Please join us in praying for complete families to come to Christ. 

The youth meet regularly once a week and they are really growing.  Almost every week they have new people.  God is really using dramas and music to touch them. 

Countryside Works:
This month we are looking forward to meeting with all of our countryside leaders.  We are currently gearing up to make some changes in the Selenge church.  A young family from  Darkhan has asked to go and serve the church in Selenge.  They have 2 small children and are expecting again.  Please pray for them, Ganbold and Saraa. 

Darkhan Pastors’ Forum:
God has allowed Hetee to be chairman of the Pastors’ forum in our city for the past 4 years.  There are about 27 pastor/leader members and we come together once a month or so to encourage and build one another up.  These churches partner with each other and along with World Vision in various outreaches and activities.  We are praying for even more unity within the body of Christ in Darkhan and in Mongolia. It is amazing to see Darkhan’s churches working together as one body. We are currently arranging a youth conference for the northern region of Mongolia. Please pray for the Holy Spirit touch young peoples’ heart to change the communities.

TV ministry:
In January Hetee finished recording a 26 part series on “Who is Jesus” for television.  It took over 6 months to record.  The series is being broadcasted by Eagle TV and can be viewed in most cities throughout Mongolia.  So far, the ratings have been very high and we’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback. 

Prison ministry:
Since January, every Wednesday we have been sending a team to the local prison.  About 30 inmates regularly attend the weekly Bible teachings.  Our team has found favor with the guards and administrators of the prison.  With God’s help we have been able to donate 2 computers to their work. 

Thank you for your prayers and support.  God bless you!

Prayer requests:
  • For a minivan for the church.  We have many elderly members who live out of the way so we are praying to purchase a small van that we could use to bring them to service.  
  • For our health.  Melanie and I have both been battling exhaustion and we really need to be refreshed by God. 
  • For God's direction and leading.  Please pray that we are able to hear His voice and obey what He would have us do.  

Hetee and Melanie

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Filling The Days

With the arrival of the warmer weather the kids are now able to play and ride their bikes outside for a few hours every day.  This gives us all the break we need--from each other and from school work.  On a typical day desk work takes from 3-5 hours.  The 4th grader and 2nd grader are only "officially" doing 3 subjects: Math, Language Arts and History/Geography.  Things like Bible, reading and handwriting are done on the side and throughout the day.  Kenny, who will be 6 this summer, is doing pre-reading activities, math and handwriting activities about 3 days a week. 

We really don't have that much of a school work load.  I like to keep it simple, since this is our first year of homeschooling exclusively.  The fact is, if Nate...ahem...one particular 4th grade student spent as much time doing his work as he spends making excuses and elaborate schemes to get out of doing his work, we'd be done before lunchtime every day.  But then how else would I die to my flesh?  Every. Single. Day?

Since I'm not teaching English part time at the moment, I have more time to spend training the kids in working around the house.  Just about all our meals have to be made from scratch here and, as a result, I spend more hours in the kitchen.  I estimate that meal preparation (meals, snacks, baking) takes me about 3-4 hours a day. And that's with a helper helping out 5 days a week. My goal is to get the kids helping more and more and not have to rely to paying someone to help around the apartment.  At the moment I can't imagine not having her--she is a sweet friend and a tremendous help.  But I've got to get the kids trained and that just won't happen as long as we have someone else to do the job. 

Imparting the necessary skills to my children is not easy and can be so overwhelming some days.  I'd appreciate your prayers for Hetee and I for wisdom in this area. 

Until next time!








Monday, April 2, 2012

Marching On

After an almost 1 year long hiatus from blogging I am happy to say that I have returned, hopefully a better writer and more faithful poster than before.  The past year has been full-- full of work, full of ups and downs and all the things that make up life around here.  It has been my most challenging year so far, as a child of God and as a wife living in a foreign land.  The things that have taken place over the past 20 months or so have turned me into a bit of an introvert. This past winter, my 13th consecutive one in Mongolia, was especially trying.  There were many times I just couldn't see the point in hanging on, much less blogging about my situation.  The freezing temperatures along with the spiritual lessons I was going through were enough to send me to the funny farm a few times over.  The only thing I was sure of was as long as day turned into night and back into day again, Spring would come. 

And it has.  With the arrival of Spring I feel as though some of the weight has lifted.  The trials come and go, but through it all I have the promise that, if I let them, these troubles will produce that Perfect Patience James talks about. 

One thing I have learned is not to compare my hardships with those of anyone else.  Many times we ignore our own pains and hurts because we compare them with those of someone else who has it much harder than we do (especially true for those of us living in a foreign country).  I've learned that my trials and troubles are mine and they are happening to produce patience in me.  At the same time I shouldn't be so wrapped up in my own suffering that I stop caring about others.  This has been hard as my life and ministry (to my family and to my church) seem to have merged into being one and the same. 

Through it all, Jesus, the Good Shepherd leads me.