together -Jan 2016

Embracing life as a
rubber band
“...I’m not sure
you called the right
person here.”
Several months ago I farewelled the sun and the sand of Sydney to move to
Ulaanbaatar, the capital city of Mongolia. For an Aussie who has lived most
of his life with sand and surf, this really is “the ends of the earth”. For me
living in Mongolia is to be stretched in many directions. My tongue is twisting
and my ears are itching with the strange sounds. In the first few months,
the many cultural obligations seemed interesting. But as the reality set in,
the differences became more acute.
“Live life as a rubber band” has become my unofficial motto as the Lord
and I have been sharing this journey together. We’ve had some interesting
conversations, and a few arguments. He always wins, but he’s gracious
enough to listen to my side before he helps me to see that his way is best
— though not always easy. He’s been challenging me to embrace being
stretched, to give up some of the perceived rights I have held on to and
partner with him in the process. There are three main rights I’ve been seeking
to lay down.
1) Time. Mongolians’ nomadic heritage has shaped how they deal with
the world around them. Life is transient and time is tremendously flexible.
People leave planning or taking action to the last minute. Whereas I like to
have an idea where I’m going and what I’ll be doing. Mongolians don’t plan
too far ahead, because you never know what a day may hold. The national
!
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