Naadam Week: When the City Sleeps

We’d heard all about “Naadam Week” — how everyone in the city heads to the huduu (countryside) to camp — and they weren’t kidding! Ulaanbaatar, a city of 1.7 million, basically hit pause this past week. Shops closed, the Church Service Center (where we work) locked up, construction sites that had been bustling around the clock suddenly went silent, and the usual bumper-to-bumper traffic vanished. It felt like the entire city exhaled.



With so much quiet, we found a different kind of work: cleaning out closets, cupboards, and office spaces. We’re not sure how people will feel about the changes when they return, but it certainly scratched my itch for organizing and de-junking!

We also took a day to explore the State Department Store — an upscale building packed with familiar American brands. It was beautiful and modern, but it felt a bit too touristy for us. We were happy to return to our “regular” Mongolian rhythm.


On the way there, a local news crew stopped us for an interview! We’re not entirely sure how our answers translated, but here’s the clip for fun!


In other news, we played pickleball for the first time in Mongolia this week! Picture this: a gravel-filled church parking lot, a sagging net tied to a stack of chairs — and still, it was a blast. Sisters Gustaveson and Morton gave us a run for our money, and we all got a great workout.


A definite highlight was seeing two of our Mongolian Newsroom stories picked up by the Church News! It was incredibly rewarding to see the faith and experiences of the saints here shared with the wider world.

Here is the story about the Trek and Here is the story about some Mongolian Pioneers.  When the stories reference the Mongolian Church Newsroom....that's us! 

And, of course, no week is complete without a good food pic. We splurged (courtesy of the Saunders) on a delicious ribeye steak, served sizzling on a hot stone — absolutely mouthwatering, and only about $20 USD.


Now, we’re looking forward to the city filling back up and getting back to the joyful work of sharing the good news from Mongolia!

Comments

  1. timjquinnJuly 20, 2025 at 9:52 AM

    Great that you made it home and back safe and sound! The pictures are worth a thousand words but your narrative is even better. Great people living in an incredibly fascinating culture! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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