While there was plenty to do on this trip (just getting around town is laborious given the incredibly dense traffic!), Nomin and his wife were gracious enough to take us a little ways out of the city to see some things they are very proud of as Mongolians.
They were eager to share a bit of their culture in terms of animals. I wasn’t aware until this visit, but there are camels in Mongolia. Long-haired, two-humped camels which, we have it on good authority, are far more attractive than the short-haired one-humped camels more associated with the Middle East. And, truly, the local camels are impressive creatures! We were even blessed to have the opportunity to get on one and ride for a few minutes for photo opportunities!
Mongolians are also known for their prowess at using birds for hunting, and I was able to see an incredible (and very intimidating) specimen up close!
Mongolia is perhaps best known as the birthplace of Ghengis Kahn, who conquered a truly impressive amount of the known world in the thirteenth century, and organized his conquests in ways that lasted for centuries. Mongolians spell and pronounce his name Chinggis Kahn, and we were able to see the largest equestrian monument in the world, dedicated to his memory.
I’ve tried to make good use of our time in Asia to learn much more about Asian history, an area we didn’t have time to delve very deeply into during high school, and which my focus on English history completely bypassed in college. At least according to this author, Chinggis Kahn was not necessarily the ruthless savage he is often portrayed as in Western lore. I look forward to learning more about this curious historical personality!
We wrapped up our time with a side visit. When you live and serve abroad, you make the time to make connections whenever possible. Distances are far and home is far and a little effort to connect is always appreciated. We were blessed to have dinner with these two fine folks, one of which is the son of an LCMS worker deployed elsewhere in Asia. A good time of learning a bit about their lives in Ulaanbaatar and what the Lord might be leading them towards next.
We are so grateful to Nomin and his family for helping share their country and culture and church with us during this week in Mongolia. I pray there will be future opportunities for work in this beautiful country and these hospitable people.
The Nelson Family Indonesia 