A visit to the dentist and our last English class

 

Mountains in western Mongolia

Goodbye to the Richardsons. We had Elder and Sister Richardson over on Sunday evening prior to their Monday morning departure for home in Utah. They have been a wonderful support to us during our mission and we will miss them. Our driving trip with them to Murun and Lake Hovskul was off the charts and a wonderful memory.

The Richardsons are on our left, the Groesbecks on our right

Today it snowed 2 inches. Big snowstorm for Ulaanbaatar. Who would have thought we would be fascinated by snow in Mongolia? 

View from our front window

A visit to the dentist. One Monday I came down with a toothache and by Tuesday morning after a poor night’s sleep, we made an appointment to an English-speaking dentist the senior couples have been using. She was in the hospital for her own health issues and her partner agreed to see me if I brought a translator.

 

Ulzicka works next door to us

Ulzicka came with me and helped with finding the office and all the translation work needed. The dentist worked for a solid hour cleaning and preparing my teeth for the work he would need to do to repair the problem. I was completely satisfied with his work and the professionalism involved.

The cost of the visit was $5. Really! I went back on Friday and again he worked for an hour doing a different procedure and the cost was $15. This next week I will have a crown fitted, made and installed for around $180. Similar work in Salt Lake just before our mission cost us $3,400 and the work didn’t last. 

We figure that if we have dental problems in the US after our mission, we could pay for two round trip tickets to Mongolia, have the dental work done here and come out about even.

Some of our students on an average day

English class. We gave our final exam on Wednesday and had our last class on Thursday. On Wednesday, Darlene fell getting out of the van. She bruised her hip, nothing more. The next day about two hours before class she suddenly couldn't walk on her right leg.  

She didn't want her to miss the last day of class. She tried out some crutches and decided to try to walk. She could and she was back to normal in the space of one hour.  

We speculate that when Dr. Stewart moved her leg around during his examination, it loosened a bone chip floating on her knee and the problem disappeared. Ulzicka called it the 18th miracle.

Eight out of the initial 20 finished the class. They were great motivated students. Sometimes their work responsibilities kept them from class but they were there when they could be.

Our first day of class

We had a readers’ theater for our final class which they thoroughly enjoyed. Our approach to conversational English and pronunciation was what they appreciated. Our camera battery was dead so they took pictures with their cell phone cameras. When we get the pictures of our last class from them, we will post them.

The students gave us some lovely traditional Mongolian gifts. Our contribution was chocolate chip cookies, banana bread and drinks for our final send off. They are invited attend our new class on April 16 when our daughters and daughter-in-law will visit the class. We start with a new round of students next Wednesday. We've grown attached to these students and will miss them.

Family History. We are getting ready for a visit to Erdenet next weekend. Darlene trained FH consultants during the week and did some planning for the Family History open house and display during the 20^th Anniversary celebration coming up on April 19.
 

Elder Farmer and Alimaa

Marriage seminar. We held another marriage seminar this Saturday. Attendance has fallen off some but it is still substantial. The couples who attend are delightful, animated and have a great sense of humor. All the feedback we have been getting is positive.

 

Handouts

Alimaa is a great help with the translating and as a co-presenter. She is working hard on translating my book into Mongolian. This week’s class focused on anger and anger management after reviewing the basics of communicating and problem-solving.  

Explaining the Khadag

The couples have a homework assignment to discuss how to be a team when it comes to money management, parenting and relating to relatives. All the materials we prepare for class are translated into Mongolian and put on the Internet.

Our marriage seminar attendees

Easter Choir performance. The week ended with a Easter Choir performance on Sunday evening. I took this picture at their rehearsal on Tuesday night. Church members love music and their choir. We had a full chapel and overflow. 

Prior to the concert, Battsey and her mother came to our apartment for a roast beef dinner. 

We had a roast in the crock pot waiting for us

Getting ready for Easter

This was the choir after their Easter performance. They did a fine concert.

Most but not all of the choir