Can you believe we actually found a Mustang Rental company? This rig was touted as a "Ford Mustang Convertible". Should we sue for false advertising?

Leave it to kids to find a new use for a water cart! Now it is a tow truck..

Cut your hay and load it, too. Farming is not mechanized here and it is hard work. Do you think they have little too much hay on the truck? We wouldn't want to have to make two trips.

This is not the UB zak but it is a Mongolian zak. The UB zak is outdoors and has dirt floors. It has the same big wooden chests to storage and things are hung like this. I found this picture on line. They don't like you taking pictures at the zak..a lady yelled at me when I tried to take a picture so I did it the "safe" way.

The streets and sidewalks are not conducive to ease of access for wheelchairs. There are so many who are only able to get around because of the donations of DIC. We see their wheel chairs everywhere.

Beautiful Mongolia

Back packing Mongolian style...

The reindeer people don't live in gers. Their homes are more like the American Indian tepee. They use the reindeer for everything...food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

Life is very hard for some folks here. I really have a hard time in the winter when there are those without warm clothing. We know a man who lost parts of both feet because of frost bite last winter.

There are pigeons everywhere. They are the fattest birds I have ever seen. There is a lady across from us that feeds them everyday. The Buddhists believe that the birds take the sous of those who have died to heaven so they treat them very well. I just thought this child chasing the birds was cute.

This year there have been people selling pine nuts everywhere. Every corner has a little vendor. We bought some from some little boys who were are the gas station.

There is a lot of unemployment in the city. People do whatever they can to survive. You see lots of people collecting plastic bottles. It serves to purposes...it cleans up the city and it provides them with a little money.

UB is a busy city of over 1,000,000 people. We lived in the center of the city and sometimes we forget how large the city is until we have to visit someone on one end of the city or the other. Traffic is a real problem at certain times of the day so you have to plan accordingly.

Sukhbaatar Square

I can't resist Mongolian children...they are delightful in everything they do.

Unlike other airports...heat is really lacking here. Unlike other planes...heat is lacking there as well....

Getting to the airport in Choibalsan is not an easy thing. The road isn't plowed so it is a real adventure. There was a car stuck in the snow and they had to push it out of the way so we could get by. Unbelievable....

Choibalsan district missionaries. Elder Davaanyam, Elder Munkh-Erdene, Sister Dashmaa, Sister Erdensuvd.

Lkhagva and her grandson Enkhmanlaii. They live in one small room in an apartment with other people. OH, how blessed we are.

This is Munkhtsetseg. She is 18. She was baptized about a year ago and has recently become inactive. We went to visit her to invite her to come back. She has had her feelings hurt and of course, it is someone else's fault. She had been to youth conference so we talked about that. We also talked about the temple. Hopefully some day she will feel the things she felt when she was first introduced to the church. She said when she came to the church she heard music and that music made her feel something.

This emee is called the "Chicken Grandma". She gives candy to the missionaries on the sly. What cutie...

Guess why I took all these pictures? Isn't she darling? A future pianist for the branch.

Choibalsan Children....I love Mongolian children...

Sister Ford and Saraa

We took two quilts to Choibalsan. They were made by sisters in the stake. I had planned to give them both to Narantuya. She lives in a ger with her son. But the R.S. president insisted that one go to Bolormaa. The top picture is Narantuya. When I gave her the blanket we both cried.

Elder Ford, Sister Ford, Pres. Damdindorj, Erdenesuvd

Elder Ford, Sister Ford, Biguuum (Big Mama) , Purvee, Saraa

Baatar, Elder Ford, Sister Ford, Tselmaa

Shirjirbaatar, Elder Ford, Sister Ford, Dawaa, October. These are October's parents.

Boditsog, Elder Ford, Sister Ford, Purvee. This couple wants to serve a mission. they would be the first senior couple from Mongolia. He served as a counselor in the prior Branch Presidency.

This little guy was going to Choibalsan on the same plane that we were on....He was so Cute...love this traditional Mongolian outfit.