Pictures 6/28/07
Below you can see additional pictures that I could not include in the Prayer Update e-mails.
Click here to return to the Prayer Updates page
The Mongolian flag.
Erin's mother (right) and twin sister Emily (left) made the trip to
Mongolia for Erin and Emily's birthday in May.
I don't usually like to take pictures of idols, but this was one thing
that I remember seeing for the first time in Mongolia. This huge
idol (reminding me of Nebuchadnezzar's golden image) was just
erected a year or two ago near a mountain we like to climb.
Our CTI staff was graciously invited to the home of one family from
church. We enjoyed some traditional food and good fellowship together.
Posing for a picture outside the home. Shipping containers are often
used for more secure storage or garages for vehicles.
We had the opportunity to share a session for a Korean mission
conference several weeks ago. I was surprised to see many Korean
people that we knew from various churches and ministries here.
A gas station near our building. All of the gas stations here are full
service, with an attendant to run the pump and receive the money.
Most people only put a few dollars in the tank at a time, so it is
very unusual to see a gas tank gauge more than 1/4 full.
The Basic Seminar was a major focus of our energy in the month of
April.
While the adults watched the video sessions, the children enjoyed
a full program of lessons and activities designed to present the
same basic principles of life.
Small group sessions gave the teams more opportunity to interact,
and for the leaders to share testimonies and illustrations from their
own lives.
A boy studies the picture of the Wood Duck after
learning about obedience and how God works
through the authorities He has put in our lives.
On one day the leaders took the children outside for some exercise
and fresh air. The children would spend over 30 hours learning
together through the week.
In the background you can see a ger district like many that surround
the city. I recall hearing that three-quarters of the population of
Ulaanbaatar live in dwellings like this without running water.
On top of a mountain, the group posed for a picture.
Helping us with the seminars was a group of Koreans that came to
visit the work in Mongolia. They were very gracious and we enjoyed
our time together very much.
One man had a birthday that week, so we presented him with a cake
and various ones sang "Happy Birthday" in four languages.
Tumerhoig, pictured with David, came in from the countryside to help
with the Children's Seminar. A radiant young man, Tumorhoig works
with the Warners, a missionary family in the countryside. As the only
known Christian in the town where he lives, Tumorhoig faces much
ridicule for embracing this so-called "foreign religion."
It was a real blessing to see the whole-hearted involvement of the
Mongolian young people from several local churches. The training they
received at the Children's Seminar had a great impact on their lives,
and many are currently involved in weekly children's programs where
they continue to grow in the skill of communicating Biblical truths to
children.
A man stops to buy a newspaper from a street vendor. The lady is
wearing a traditional Mongolian del and boots. Many common
scenes here are very similar to what you might see in Russia.
Sarah joined the Randalls and some friends for a little jaunt outside
the city.
Since they couldn't get a taxi for the ride back...
-No, actually they were just enjoying a little camel ride. Things like
this are usually at a low cost, unless the handler has been around
too many tourists.
"UB Auto Parts, Inc." Actually, this is a section of a large open
market where you can pick up an engine or a few car parts on your
way home from shopping.
Teaching on the character quality of virtue at the Batbaigal bakery.
The food coloring and cotton ball illustrate the need to not be
contaminated by the evil that happens around us in the world.
Samuel and Sarah took on the project of putting new upholstery on
one of the aging couches in our apartment.
It was a great learning experience for them, and the result was fantastic.
Chingis teaching at a character training.
The man in the top right corner of the picture came to Christ through
a character training, and after attending more trainings, he is now
teaching character at a high school where he works.
Our CTI staff in May.
Back: Mr. Waller, Adam, Chingis, Kate, Sarah, Melody, Zola.
Middle: Hei Jin (visiting from Korea), Puje, Emily, Mrs. Randall,
Bolorma, Erin, Mrs. Waller.
Front: Rachelle, Lydia, Rebecca, Matthew, Samuel, David.
Our Character-English classes can vary greatly in size, and in this
case only one student wanted to place herself in the "beginner" class.
Whether many or a few, we try to make it a good learning experience
for each one.
Yes, even a Land Cruiser can get stuck trying to cross these piles
of dirt. (He was trying to avoid traffic by taking a shortcut through
a dry riverbed.)
Before leaving Mongolia, Melody had requested an opportunity to
climb "Script Hill". (So named by us because of the vertical script
written on the side with hundreds of small white stones.)
A favorite mountain of ours to climb, it is higher than the typical tourist
attraction on a nearby mountain, but not to difficult for Matthew or
the others to climb.
This rock brought back special memories of climbing this mountain
with Isaac two years ago.
The happy climbers at the top of "Script Hill."
David and I try a "special effects" shot...
We held a Teacher Training Class in May, where we trained about
sixty teachers how they can teach character to others.
It was an attentive group, and we enjoyed some good discussion in
our small group times.
Adam looks over his notes a few minutes before going up to teach.
We usually rotate teachers in longer trainings to keep things
moving and interesting for the listeners. This Teacher Training Class
included six hours of instruction on character and teaching methods.
David and I discuss some logistical details for the training. It is such
a blessing to be able to work with your brothers and sisters.
A group picture. We were all very encouraged by the large turnout
for this Teacher Training Class. Many of these are Christians that
will go out to the countryside this summer as teachers.
Dad has not played the guitar for many years, but in Mongolia he had
the opportunity to take some lessons from a Korean teacher that
we know from the Mongolian International University.
A garbage truck comes to empty out the trash container. These old
Russian trucks are very common here, and sometimes you see
the driver with a hand crank, trying to start the engine.
My parents worked out an opportunity one day for my whole family
to go outside the city for a picnic. Here we were waiting for the bus.
Even at the end of May, the landscape is pretty barren out here.
It was a bit chilly, with a good breeze blowing, so we all worked together
to block the wind so we could start the campfire.
Matthew tests the water to see how cold it really is.
David enjoys taking the younger ones on hikes.
David puts the "foil dinners" on the fire. These are comprised of meat,
potatoes, carrots, and onions, wrapped in foil and cooked over hot
coals.
The food turned out well, and it was nice to have a hot meal on a
cool day.
The river was shallow enough to wade across, if you could stand the
cold water and not slip on the rocks. :-)
Rachelle decided not to cross the river, so she had
fun climbing a tree instead.
Matthew, the youngest of the smaller Wallers, is
now nine years old.
Our microbus driver didn't return, so we walked back to the road.
In Mongolia, this is how you flag down a taxi. Actually our prearranged
microbus driver came before the yellow bus did, so we had a nice
ride back to our apartment in Ulaanbaatar.
At the Teacher Training Class, it was a team effort, from the oldest
to the youngest. Here we served lunch for the attendees of the course.
The testimony of a whole family serving together probably has a far
greater impact than we realize.
Tsolmon, a translator at a nearby Bible School, decided to attend the
Basic Seminar in April. Her life was greatly impacted, and she has
been our most faithful participant to the Follow-Up Course that our
family is hosting. Here we are showing her how to do word studies
from a passage of Scripture.
Several from our family pose with the Champanhet family who had
flown from Shanghai to see the Basic Seminar in Mongolia. It was
a great encouragement to see their faith and desire to follow the Lord.
This spring a number of forest fires around Ulaanbaatar blanketed the
city in smoke. This picture was taken in "broad daylight", but we could
not even see the mountains on the other side of the city.
This is a more typical view, seen a week or two later from the same
window.
Our pastor invited the CTI young people to join the "middle-aged group"
(ages 25-40) for a retreat outside the city. Our training schedule did
not allow us to take part in the whole weekend, but we joined them
for Friday afternoon.
It was a blessing to be able to interact on a different level than how
the church people usually see us. Most of these people had probably
never seen me without a tie on. :-)
Pastor Ideree finds a good spot to take pictures with his camera.
You see a different side of people when you play a good game of
volleyball together.
Rachelle has an opportunity to serve... ;-)
Whether teaching at a training, or playing a
game of volleyball, we like to put our whole heart
into the task at hand.
Watching the ball...
The retreat also gave some good opportunities to talk with various
people from our church.
With Tim away in Korea, David assumed the responsibility of finishing
the character course semester at the Mongolian International University.
We went out to a riverside for a Memorial Day picnic together one
Saturday. Friday had beautiful weather, but it was forecasted to be
cold, windy and rain all day on Saturday. We decided to go anyway,
and I spent the first hour building a lean-to shelter in case it started
raining hard.
But we had brought warm clothes and tarps, just in case.
Huddled in our makeshift shelter, we enjoyed some warm pasties.
(We couldn't build a fire because of a current burning ban.)
But the cold and occasional light rain didn't stop us from having
a fun time together. :-)
A flock of sheep and goats wandered over. They loved eating the
green leaves from the bushes and trees.
If you pulled down a branch for them, the almost trampled each other
trying to get a mouthful of something green.
Coming from a farm in Wisconsin, the smaller Wallers were happy
to be around animals again.
Hattie, a Chinese friend of ours, found this goat particularly friendly.
Samuel worked to build his own little shelter.
With a little squeeze, the four youngest could fit inside.
Remembering our earlier outing, Mom wasn't going to take the risk
of getting cold.
Stringing our net between a couple trees, we enjoyed a few games
of volleyball together.
While Mom kept an eye on our bags.
This goat seemed especially curious about digital cameras.
We have continued trainings at the Batbaigal bakery.
This is one of my favorite trainings, and it is exciting
to see how the people are applying the principles that
we study together.
Their primary focus is cake decorating, although they
are now making a number of other foods and dainties.
They have expanded to now having seven branches and distribution
centers. It is really neat to see how God has blessed this company
as they apply principles of character.
Hope you enjoyed the pictures!!
Click here to return to the Prayer Updates page