Day before yesterday we were asked to do a 40 minute live talk show on the topic of abortion in Mongolia. Leave it to Mongolians to tell you the day before. But since it was about abortion, Hetee and I didn't want to reschedule. We were born ready!
We were nervous but the day started like any other which helped calm my nerves. A sink full of dirty dishes, kids' toys everywhere, and unannounced company were the order of the day.
Around 4 we took the kids to my parents' house where they would be spending the night. Hetee and I made plans to have dinner at The Empire following our 7 pm TV studio appointment. Since we were all dressed up and it was Friday night and all. =)
We came home, got dressed and got our ideas together. Hetee downloaded a presentation he made onto his phone for transport and we were ready. (It turned out to not be in the right format but they kept it and will air it later.)
We left home for the studio at about 6:25 in hopes to meet with the manager and staff. As it turns out the station manager's wife was 7 months pregnant with their second. She and I barely exchanged names and we were already talking about stomachs, due dates, and other things men would never talk about. We exchanged phone numbers and agreed to get together later this week. She and her husband signed up for my next birth class, too. =)
Quiet on the set...
The fact that we were going on live gave me the willies. But the Mongolian public has been hungering and thirsting for the truth about abortion so I was almost positive that we wouldn't be getting any prank callers. It was one of those "I was born for this" moments. Even so, Hetee and I are not TV people and we were definitely stepping out of our comfort zones.
As we were talking about fetal development, the phone rang. I held my breath and concentrated hard to hear what the caller was saying. Sometimes I can't understand Mongolian too well on the phone because I can't see the movement of the person's mouth. But this time he spoke slowly and I understood everything.
The caller was gushing as he spoke about how he and his wife visited our home months earlier when she was pregnant and everyone was telling her to have an abortion. He said that I comforted them and gave them hope with my advice (this is where my eyes started welling up with tears). He said they went to UB to give birth because the Darkhan doctors would not take them. They now have a perfectly healthy daughter and his wife is doing well also. All of this ON THE AIR!!!
I took this opportunity to talk about how people and doctors counsel women to abort just to stay on the safe side when something is wrong. I told my own story with Abi (one day I'll go into it here) and encouraged women out there to protect their children from such doctors and to give their babies a fighting chance.
After that the phones really started ringing! We had a few callers who wanted to meet us at our house, too. =)
Hetee talked about sexual abstinence before marriage and staying pure for your future spouse. A concept that is virtually unheard of in Mongolia. The man doing the interview was so mesmerized that we went over time 5 minutes! We cut into their next program!
Everything we said was so well received and we give God the glory. We were invited back to teach our abstinence course (13 classes) and air them as well. So it looks like we'll be getting to know the station manager and his wife and the crew of TV 3 a lot better. One of them asked if they could come to church next Sunday.
After the taping, at about 8:30 pm we headed over to our favorite place, The Empire. We ate an entire pizza and basked in the glow of our cell phones that were going off non-stop. Our church members were calling and text messaging to let us know they watched and were proud of us. One lady from my G12 didn't have a TV so she asked the neighbors if she could watch with them. She texted me to let me know that her neighbors would be visiting our church on Sunday. =)
At The Empire there was live music (loud!) and lots of people. We even spotted a celebrity. During this whole time I had my camera but Hetee and I are notoriously bad picture takers. We forget or just don't feel like it. Then we kick ourselves. So at the moment we're kicking ourselves for not taking pictures of the TV thing. Oh well; next time.
Well, I'm off to pick up the kids...
Till next time! Here's to saving lives!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Have you ever...
(Bold the things you've actually done.)
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
Monday, November 10, 2008
Whew!
What a WHIRLWIND the past few days have been! I guess we looked bored so Pastor Chris thought he'd come and shake us up a little.
On Saturday morning we woke up at 6 am and started getting ready to bring Pastor Chris back to UB and the airport. His flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 pm that evening, or so we thought. We had made plans to have lunch in UB with another missionary family we had only met through Skype. We were jazzed, ( I know I was) to have the day to shop, eat and enjoy each other's company. We had even found sitters for the kids so there were visions of uninterrupted adult conversations dancing in my head.
Ok, so back to Saturday morning, 6 am. I'm in the kitchen, sleepily stirring my coffee and Pastor Chris comes in and says something to the effect of, "Man, I really messed up big time". He informs me that his flight was leaving at 8:30 am, not 6:30 pm like he thought. Ooooo, boy.
Let the record show that I did feel genuine pity for the man. But during the week of his visit he had been teasing me about girl stuff, hormones and whatnot (he has 3 daughters) so I also saw this as a good opportunity to get back at him. Don't worry, I waited until the initial shock had passed and my jabs were very tasteful. I think I only mentioned senility once.
Pastor Chris immediately got busy on his laptop, calling and skyping various airline offices around the world, and managed to change part of his flight schedule from Korea to Seattle. The only part remaining was from UB to Seoul. We would go to UB as planned and try to get it taken care of there.
Laissez les bon temps roulez! (That's Louisianan for let the good times roll)
We had an uneventful trip to UB (about 2 and a half hours), unlike the missionary family who drove 10 hours from the countryside to meet us. They hit a horse.
Upon arrival in UB, we went straight to the MIAT airline office. MIAT is the only Mongolian airline company and it stands for Maybe I Arrive Tomorrow. Just kidding. Well, not really. Especially in this case.
To make a long story short, they couldn't help us but they sent us to another office. The lady there took about 3 hours, during which time we ran some other errands, found a place to stay and canceled lunch, but she finally gave Pastor Chris a pass. Not to be confused with an actual boarding pass, this one was just a pass of some sort but apparently it worked because Hetee put Ps Chris on a plane bound for Korea the next morning and we haven't heard from him since.
There were perks to Pastor Chris being delayed, though. We had an incredible supper with him and the a fore mentioned missionary family at a restaurant called "The Silk Road". And we also got a nice hotel room out of the whole deal. And extra time with our friend.
Hetee preached in UB yesterday and we spent one more night. It was a pretty leasurely trip, without the kids. We took advantage of this and got my eyes checked at a private eye clinic. I had been having trouble with infections and a yellowish growth on the whites of my eyes. The dr (elderly Mongolian guy) checked me and said it's nothing serious. I just have to massage antibacterial ointment into my eyes twice a day. Don't you wish you were me?
The dr thought he was so funny. When I told him my name he said, "melamine?! You're that harmful substance!" Like I never heard that one before.
We heard it was snowing in Darkhan so we left UB and started home as soon as possible. We didn't want to be on an icy road in the dark. The threat of icy roads proved to be only a threat so, as the sun broke through the clouds, we slowed down and enjoyed the drive home. We sang, worshipped, cried, talked about what we would do with the money if we won The Amazing Race, and stopped and took pictures like tourists.
It was a great weekend, a nice change of pace and a time to reconnect as a couple.
Pastor Chris would be proud.
On Saturday morning we woke up at 6 am and started getting ready to bring Pastor Chris back to UB and the airport. His flight was scheduled to leave at 6:30 pm that evening, or so we thought. We had made plans to have lunch in UB with another missionary family we had only met through Skype. We were jazzed, ( I know I was) to have the day to shop, eat and enjoy each other's company. We had even found sitters for the kids so there were visions of uninterrupted adult conversations dancing in my head.
Ok, so back to Saturday morning, 6 am. I'm in the kitchen, sleepily stirring my coffee and Pastor Chris comes in and says something to the effect of, "Man, I really messed up big time". He informs me that his flight was leaving at 8:30 am, not 6:30 pm like he thought. Ooooo, boy.
Let the record show that I did feel genuine pity for the man. But during the week of his visit he had been teasing me about girl stuff, hormones and whatnot (he has 3 daughters) so I also saw this as a good opportunity to get back at him. Don't worry, I waited until the initial shock had passed and my jabs were very tasteful. I think I only mentioned senility once.
Pastor Chris immediately got busy on his laptop, calling and skyping various airline offices around the world, and managed to change part of his flight schedule from Korea to Seattle. The only part remaining was from UB to Seoul. We would go to UB as planned and try to get it taken care of there.
Laissez les bon temps roulez! (That's Louisianan for let the good times roll)
We had an uneventful trip to UB (about 2 and a half hours), unlike the missionary family who drove 10 hours from the countryside to meet us. They hit a horse.
Upon arrival in UB, we went straight to the MIAT airline office. MIAT is the only Mongolian airline company and it stands for Maybe I Arrive Tomorrow. Just kidding. Well, not really. Especially in this case.
To make a long story short, they couldn't help us but they sent us to another office. The lady there took about 3 hours, during which time we ran some other errands, found a place to stay and canceled lunch, but she finally gave Pastor Chris a pass. Not to be confused with an actual boarding pass, this one was just a pass of some sort but apparently it worked because Hetee put Ps Chris on a plane bound for Korea the next morning and we haven't heard from him since.
There were perks to Pastor Chris being delayed, though. We had an incredible supper with him and the a fore mentioned missionary family at a restaurant called "The Silk Road". And we also got a nice hotel room out of the whole deal. And extra time with our friend.
Hetee preached in UB yesterday and we spent one more night. It was a pretty leasurely trip, without the kids. We took advantage of this and got my eyes checked at a private eye clinic. I had been having trouble with infections and a yellowish growth on the whites of my eyes. The dr (elderly Mongolian guy) checked me and said it's nothing serious. I just have to massage antibacterial ointment into my eyes twice a day. Don't you wish you were me?
The dr thought he was so funny. When I told him my name he said, "melamine?! You're that harmful substance!" Like I never heard that one before.
We heard it was snowing in Darkhan so we left UB and started home as soon as possible. We didn't want to be on an icy road in the dark. The threat of icy roads proved to be only a threat so, as the sun broke through the clouds, we slowed down and enjoyed the drive home. We sang, worshipped, cried, talked about what we would do with the money if we won The Amazing Race, and stopped and took pictures like tourists.
It was a great weekend, a nice change of pace and a time to reconnect as a couple.
Pastor Chris would be proud.
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