Tag team health flip-flop.

No let up from winter

I am in the process of recovery from pneumonia while Darlene seems to have finally succumbed to another variety of pneumonia. Now she is flat on her back and I the one carrying on with our mutual responsibilities.

Summer is coming - herdsman with his horses

The weather has moderated a little. Most days the highs are in the minus teens and, by contrast, seems much better that the negative 20s and 30s we experienced in December. 

Shaman performing among Reindeer people

Teaching the boss. On Thursday, I was well enough to join Darlene is teaching our new executive pupil, Jadambaa. We will teach him a private lesson Tuesdays and Thursday afternoons from 3:30 – 4:30 pm prior to our regular 5:00 pm English classes on those days. We also teach on Wednesdays so not every day is the same.

TelecoMongolia building where we teach three times a week

Jadambaa was an hour late for our meeting this past Thursday. It seems he was in a meeting with the Prime Minister and couldn’t break away sooner. We will be better prepared with our Mongolian dictionaries in case he is ever late again (likely). Jadambaa wants to enroll in a 2 year course in International Relations at George Washington University and his English needs to be on a par with the rest of the elites from around the world who participate.

Parliament building in summer

He has invited us to a Korean dinner at his home on January 21. We assume that both of us will be 100% by then. We will meet his wife and 7 and 3 year old children that night. I will try to have pictures of our new student. 

Parliament building in winter

Byamba, our son’s friend, will be joining our English class next week and be with us 3 days a week for the next three months.

Our new English class

Darlene wore herself out. After class on Thursday, she collapsed and went to bed. She has been down and out ever since.

I went to a Korean Hospital (private) with Dr. Stewart, our mission Dr., and our translator, Mohkjargal on Friday afternoon. I had a chest X-ray and I have double pneumonia in both lungs. Dr. Stewart and the translator helped me negotiate the system, meet with an Internist, pay for the Chest X-ray, medicines and hospital charges. As far as I can tell, the total bill is under $50.00.  I return on Monday for a follow up appointment and some blood work.

It was a good exposure to the medical system and how it works in Mongolia. The Doctors here are underpaid compared to the United States.

Monthly Family History training meeting on Saturday. I worked with the UB Family History leadership to help put on training on Saturday from 11:00 – 3:00 pm. The training went well.

Our January Family History Consultant training meeting

Normally Darlene would have been front and center for all of this but I took her place. It seems likely I will be teaching Jadambaa and the regular English classes by myself this week unless Darlene makes a sudden recovery. We both ran temperatures today and stayed home from church as a result.

Next weekend we are scheduled to fly to Choibalsan. We will see if we can make it or will have postpone our trip for a week. 

We will have visitors! Our fifth daughter, Tawny, will be coming for the 20th Reunion of the anniversary of the Mongolian Mission from April 13 - 21. All former missionaries and Mission Presidents are invited. We will share more about the schedule of this big week in a future blog. It looks quite likely that our our oldest daughter may join her on this trip. 

They will have room in their suitcases coming home for souvenirs. Make your desires known so we will know what to shop for in the meantime. 

Our Ger Nativity

Possible Senior trip this year to the Gobi Desert