March 4, 2009

"Bat____* was reading her English book, Gan____* was studying, and I was organizing some of my things when we heard the steady beat of a drum coming from the apartment above us.  Just one drum, then the chanting started… Bat____ looked at me and said, “There is a Shaman upstairs working his magic”.  Her older sister has just become a Shaman so this practice has taken on new meaning for her.  Her sister had been quite sick for some time, so she went to a Shaman for healing.  He told her that the spirits had been waiting for her for two years, and if she didn’t allow them into her not only would she get sicker, her family’s life would be at stake.  So, out of fear and lack of knowledge she choose to allow 36 spirits to enter her body.   This is apparently not an isolated incident as Shamanism is on the rise in this country.

                A week ago last Friday; I made stir fry for dinner.  My flat mates got home a little late so we ate and went to bed.  An hour later I awoke feeling like I had a rock in my stomach and almost immediately I remembered my experience of food poisoning from last summer and knew.  I should have known to not eat the eggs as they had broken on the way home and Gan____ had picked out all the shells and fried them.  So, I had a rough weekend, but was feeling a bit better on Sunday so I ate.  Then I lost the battle as it returned with a vengeance, and did its best to turn me inside out.  I had Bat____ take me to the hospital Monday morning where they rehydrated me with IVs and brought my fever down and started me on antibiotics.  Since this week was Mongolia’s New Year celebration, I really only missed two days of school over the incident.  And even at its worst was blessed with a sense of peace and a song in the night.  A week later and my strength is coming back, so I am most grateful. 

                Just two Fridays before that, I was in the countryside town of Muren.  I threw my coat on and grabbed my gloves, hat and the house key.  As I was checking for taxi money my friend walked in and said, “We have come to take you to the airport”.  Well, they weren’t on a camel, but I figured Naomi wouldn’t mind.  Naomi, just thinking her name made me smile with anticipation.  What a blessing it was to have someone who knows me well walk in this part of the world with me, to touch, see, hear, taste and smell the realities I live in.  I am thankful she was able to visit the countryside and the city, and fellowship with me and the people I have grown to love.

                Just three Fridays before that, I flew into Muren anticipating a month of clean air and the break from formal language training.  Though since I didn’t know any other foreigners in town, it also meant all my communications would be in Mongolian.  It is time I am very grateful I was given, to reconnect with friends, meet new people, enjoy the quiet and slower pace of winter life, and have my share of little adventures along the way.  One sunny afternoon I decided to go for a stroll. I tried to unlock the outside door and since it was stuck I gave it a little tug only to have the door handle come off in my hand.  I had to stand there and laugh as just the day before I had told a friend, “I think tomorrow I am not going to go out of my house”.  Later that same week, the stove pipe on my only source of heat, a wood stove, completely blocked, sending all the smoke inward. Thankfully the Lord provided me with friends who were willing to come and help.  I also enjoyed teaching a young lady English once a week, and leading a speaking English club that provided opportunities to meet some very intriguing women. 

                I would appreciate being remembered as I am in the final semester of formal language training and pondering where I will live as well as a more specific job description for my move to Muren in the summer.   I have a lot to learn and desire to love the people around me well.