Nick Bogardus

(Me, the pastor, and Eggie)

You go through phases as you live abroad.  When you first get there, all you can see are the differences.  First it’s just the obvious differences of language, lifestyles, and quality of life.  Then it’s the differences in cultures and customs, and slowly that starts to reveal thought processes and worldviews; the deeper stuff that underlies all of those bigger differences.  Around that time I think you begin to see the similarities between your home culture and new culture as well.  The differences aren’t so imposing and the similarities make it all welcoming.

One way you notice differences and similarities is by looking at how people do their jobs.  Every culture has teachers, politicians, policemen, grocery store clerks, doctors and so on.  Observing those shared professions help give you insight into the larger culture as well.

Then, sometimes, something happens and you’re reminded of just how different it is.

About a month ago one of the elders of the church here died.  It was a little sudden though not unexpected.  He had been at the church for a long time, it was like his second family, and from what I understand he was dearly loved by the congregation.

The pastor of our church is a great guy; hugely generous, caring, and passionate.  Part of the Monoglian/Buddhist tradition is that, when someone dies, everyone visits the family’s house to share food and mourn.  This happens for a period of days (if not longer).  So, as the pastor, he was at the family’s house to comfort and counsel.  In the midst of his own grief over the loss of his friend, he ministered to his friends’ family through that mourning period.

Then, not only did he have to officiate his friend’s funeral, but because he was his friend and pastor, he helped dig the grave.  How many pastors, or people in general for that matter, have dug their friend’s grave back home?  More so, in M*ngolia it gets so cold that the ground freezes completely solid.  It might as well be concrete.  So, in the below freezing, sub-Siberian winter, our pastor dug his friend’s grave with a jackhammer.

I’ve been fortunate to not have been around very much death in my life, but from what I’ve seen in America it is usually a pretty sterile thing.  Here is this man, this friend, this pastor sinking his hands into muck of life and death.  Who, in the midst of his own grief, comforts and consoles, and who not only braves temperatures you only see on Planet Earth to dig the hole in the ground for his friend’s body, but he does it with a jackhammer.  Then he climbs out, dusts himself off, and says goodbye to his friend by doing the funeral.

It’s the little differences that you see like that, that are humbling and inspiring; and for which I’m truly grateful to be here to see.

If you are interested in what we will be working on for the next seven months, I am posting a run down of our different projects.  We will need some financial support for a few of the projects so if your church is looking for some overseas work to support, please forward our information on to them.

Together:

-Producing a ten episode series for national TV about people whose lives have been changed by Christ.  This will probably prove to be the most difficult as 10 episodes in 7 months would be difficult in America, let alone a country with very little infrastructure. 

-Looking for a way to get Bibles more cheaply, or at all, for the people here.  Bibles here cost 7000-8000 tugruks.  That is only $6-$7, but when you adjust it to the economy here it’s like each Bible costing $50-$60 for us.  The poor can’t afford them, students can’t afford them.  One of the small group leaders in my Tuesday night class has a group of 17 people, most of which are new Christians.  14 of them do not have Bibles.  We’d like to find a way to print more cheaply or to at least buy in bulk.

-We want to find a way to bring a few of Kim’s photography students back with us for a month or so when we come back.  One way we were hoping to help alleviate the financial burden for the students is to have an exhibit back in America and sell their photos to help cover the cost.  If you would be willing to assist with that somehow, please let me know.

-Continuing to teach English at the youth cafe every Friday night and having students over once a month for a dinner and movie night.

Nick:

-Continuing to teach English to the doctors and nurses at the central hospital.

-Continuing to co-teach the Bible study at the Mongolian church to their small group leaders every Tuesday.  We just finished Romans and are doing Galatians next.

-Working on getting Mark Driscoll’s On the Old Testament translated and printed into Mongolian.  They have next to no study materials available for the layperson out here.  Driscoll’s Re:Lit series are short, easy to understand surveys of the Old and New Testaments.

-The kind folks at Crossway Books donated one of the most incredible 40lbs of books for me to bring to the missionary library here in Erdenet.  If you’re a reader, support them.

Kim:

-Continuing her second photography class and holding another photo exhibit in April.  This is Erdenet’s first photography class and only creative art class - the schools don’t have art classes.  The two exhibits Kim will have done by the time we leave will be the only two ever done in our city.

-Continuing to help with at the school for disabled children.  Our friend Magda started one of the only schools in the country for children with special needs.  Though she has been here for 10 years and provides an exceptional service that no one else in our city - and less than a handful in the country - provides, the government will not help fund her.  This is an extremely worthy cause if we’re all over the global warming thing.

-Continuing to teach English to the children in the Children’s Parliament.

-Organizing and leading a seminar for social workers.  With the rampant alcoholism and domestic violence out here, social workers are incredibly needed but grossly under trained.  Kim is going to do her part to help fix that.

Please help us by keeping those things in your prayers.  

It’s good to be back.

Nick