A Mongolian Evening

Last night we visited a couple that we've recently met; the wife knows a lot of English and the husband knows very little.  This gave us an opportunity to speak in Mongolian to try to include him, yet we sometimes mixed Mongolian with English and charades!  They also had their neighbor friend over since her husband is out of the country right now (she's in the purple and black v-necked shirt).

We had a wonderful, simple Mongolian meal.  It included boiled carrots and potatoes (the best potatoes I've had in a long time!); shaved pieces of beef which had been boiled; a plate of cut up tomatoes; rice; some mantoe bread (dough which has been steamed)...it was rolled in the shape of a cinnamon roll, but steamed (not baked) and no cinnamon and sugar.  We told them about cinnamon rolls and the wife went to the cupboard and got cinnamon and sugar out.  I was surprised, as many Mongolians do not like cinnamon.  Kevin unrolled the steamed dough roll and sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on it, then rolled it back up.  They were interested and tried it themselves.  "Mmmmmm..." was the reply. 

We stayed for two hours and enjoyed talking about a book this man has recently written and had published concerning the history of Mongolia and how there is evidence of the Word being around in Mongolian history many centuries ago. 

Their daughter (around 11 years old) played some beautiful selections on the piano.  She has been taking lessons for four years, and I thought she was doing wonderfully for the period of time she's taken.

We then walked home in the dark at 8:15 p.m.  There was much activity in the city, still, but it seemed so late with it getting dark so early again.  It was a mild temperature--perhaps the last evening like this until next summer. 

Today it turned cold, and there were some hours when it was sunny and nice, and other hours when it was rainy and cold.  I think this is all due to being at this higher elevation, and being nestled in between two rows of mountains. 

I am asking for a content attitude no matter what the weather.  I can take notice of the weather, but I want to not grumble about the cold.  When I say, "Oh, it's so cold," it's not like I'm informing someone around me of something they themselves haven't noticed.  So, I want to focus on other things than the weather.  Set my mind on the things above...not on the things that are on earth. Col. 3