Today we piled in the van to enjoy some Western breakfast at a popular restaurant owned by a Cuban man & his wife from Camaroon. The potato pancakes were a big hit, along with an icy diet coke. We then headed to one of the feeding centers to see what they do, help out & play with the kids. When we arrived, I was amazed to see a tiny building with a big yard. The enter center was about the size of my living room. Evidently, even when you own the property it is really really difficult, especially as a foreigner, to get the clearance to tear down and build something new---so they have a small pieced together building with no running water. Here, they feed anywhere from 10-60 kids every day, generally for only about $15. When we arrived the kids were shouting in Mongolian, "oh no! so many teachers!!" We took a very brief tour, and met the woman who does the cooking, then turned our attention to the kids. As soon as they spotted cameras, many were striking "American" poses, arms flexed, or rock & roll hands. One of the men who runs the center began telling us about some of the children there.
One boy who was no bigger then an average 10 year old was 15, another about the size of a 6 year old, was 12. Their growth and development had been horribly stunted from lack of nutrition, and many times food in general. When we brought out the face paint, we had their undivided attention. Girls were asking for flowers, hearts and kitty faces, while the boys wanted 'tattoos' like our friend Joey. Soon all the boys had flamed bellies and big anchors on their arms, proudly showing them off. It was amusing that even without being able to speak, they could communicate with us, pointing out others paintings or clasping their hands for "please ONE MORE!!" When lunch was about to be served, we joined them inside to help plate the food and pass it out. I was expecting rice and a few vegetables, but it was 2 scoops of rice, and 3 different dishes with it, a full and colorful meal. After lunch, we were able to give the kids coloring books, puzzles and balls, they were very excited when they could tell us "thank you", one of the English phrases they've learned. What's even more amazing about the free center is that the couple who runs it is only a few years older then Adam and I, with two small kids. They knew all the kids by name, and were so happy to get to show us what a difference a little help in that community really makes, especially when these kids have little else. I knew alcoholism was bad in Mongolia, but Mitch (one of the Manna employees) told us 80% of Mongolian men are alcoholics, and since birth control is not widely taught or accessible, many of the women have too many children for their un-employeed alcoholic husbands to provide for, and many children are left in gutters to die or be taken. This is exactly what happened to their adopted daughter Mishka when she was 7 weeks old. They also told us that here in Mongolia, the child mortality is 40%--4 out of every 10 children won't make it to 18. By stepping into these communities and providing these children with what their families can't, Manna is literally saving lives.
After our afternoon at the center, we went to one of the churches where they give free English lessons, mainly to teenagers and young adults. We sat around, and practiced conversational English--but their questions weren't quite what you'd expect. A few "are you married?" and "what state are you from?" but mostly it was "do you play guitar?", "what's your favorite band?", and "do you like The Beatles?". At one point someone began to sing "Yellow Submarine" and everyone joined in, a very good way to spend an evening! Tomorrow we are supposed to go out to Mitch's feeding center and then to the orphanage they're running to play with the children and do some construction. Good night from Mongolia, and good morning to you in Texas!
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