Grateful for Freedom, Wherever We Celebrate It
It feels a bit strange to be in another country while our friends and family back home are celebrating the Fourth of July. At the same time, living outside the United States has given us an even greater appreciation for the freedoms and blessings we enjoy as Americans. Ironically, we spent the day celebrating Mongolia at a "Mini Naadam" celebration hosted by Selenge, the Prime Minister's wife. The official Naadam holiday begins Friday, but it was fun to attend this pre-celebration complete with boortsog (fried bread), traditional entertainment, wrestling, and airag (fermented mare's milk). We each took our customary sip just to confirm that, yes, we still don't care for it!
(I couldn't resist including these two cuties!)
On our way to the Naadam celebration, we stopped by a BYU–Hawaii alumni gathering where they were preparing khorkhog, a traditional Mongolian barbecue. We've enjoyed this delicious meal several times but had never watched it being made. It was fascinating to see them layer the meat, potatoes, carrots, onions, and hot rocks into a large steaming milk can before sealing it up to cook.
The rest of the week before Independence Day was spent in the mountains attending FSY, a five-day conference for youth ages 14–18. More than 350 young people participated in spiritual, social, physical, intellectual, and service activities throughout the week. You may remember that about a month ago we shared about helping clean up this same resort after a devastating fire. The staff worked incredibly hard to make the facility usable in time for the conference. They rented bunk beds and squeezed a few extra youth into each room to make up for the 60-plus beds that were destroyed.
Our accommodations were certainly memorable! The bathroom was so tiny that you could use the toilet, brush your teeth, and shower without taking a step, and the shower was well-water cold because the fire had destroyed the boiler. Even so, we were grateful to have our own room, our own bathroom, and a beautiful view of the mountains. More importantly, it was a joy to spend the week with these remarkable youth and witness the faith, enthusiasm, and strength of this rising generation.
A few weeks ago, we were invited to participate in a promotional video for the Royal University. We spent an hour or so filming, and the finished video has now been released. HERE IT IS! We appear right at the beginning. We may not be ready for Hollywood, but we'll gladly add "Mongolian commercial actors" to our missionary resume!
As we reflected on this week, it struck us how many different cultures and experiences can fit into just a few days. We watched young people strengthen their faith, celebrated America's independence while enjoying Mongolia's rich traditions, and even made a brief appearance on camera. Moments like these remind us how grateful we are for the opportunity to serve, to learn from wonderful people, and to experience life in a part of the world that has become so dear to us. Every week continues to bring new adventures and countless blessings.
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