Last Sunday the Branch President called and asked us to go make a visit with him and some other members of the branch. We had no idea who we were visiting or why, but when we got to the church he told us we were going to a reception for the son of a member of the branch. Apparently, they got married last week (this is their 6 month old daughter) and they had the party last week for the alcohol drinkers. On Sunday they had planned a party for the branch members. And so we went. These are the deels and hats they were married in. They were really quite beautiful. He wore an orange sash with his and she had a beautiful belt with inlaid silver. In Mongolia, the parents of the groom provide a new ger for the new family to live in. This one was a very nice 6-wall ger and had all new furnishings. There is a bride's side of the house and her family furnishes that. The ger sits in the yard of the parents home! Nice to have close babysitters!
The bride and groom cooked all the food and we had soup (I ate what I didn't spill in my lap) a carrot salad and a potato salad. Then they served this non-alcoholic juice from a berry that is supposed to be very good for your health. It tasted like cough syrup! We drank what we could and then Puje finished it off for us. We thought we were safe, but we were asked to give a toast to the couple with yet ANOTHER glass of the cough syrup. As everyone gave their toast, they also had to give some talent--a poem or song or something of the sort. (Mongolians love to sing and I was surprised at what great voices members of our branch have!) So after our toast we sang "Love at Home" and, fortunately, everyone else who knew the words joined in!
Along with the cough syrup juice we received a "thank you" gift of a bar of soap called HARMONY! That seemed appropriate for a couple just getting married! They also have these huge biscuits that are filled with something which really tasted pretty good. They sent several of these home with us and we nibbled on them for several days. Just when we thought we were ready to leave, someone else would start a song and the Mongolians would all sing. Their songs seem a little sad and mellow, but were all about family and home!
This is a picture of the whole family. The parents are in the red and gray, and the other two are siblings of the groom. The girl on the left is handicapped, but is a very faithful member of the branch. She really is a sweatheart! The parents said they are preparing to go to the temple next year. He comes pretty regularly, but she is going to have to start coming to church before she will get a temple recommend.
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