Waking up to calls to the wife and kids has been amazing. I still think something is a miss. I mean how can I call my family, see their faces, hear them perfectly, all on a little "smart" phone...all for free. Come on?!?!
Every morning we slip into a bit of Europe here at the "Oasis". Sybille, the owner and operator of this hostel has been given the gift of hospitality. This place is truly an oasis and all of us love her kindness and warmth. We sip tea and eat toast and jam, and all the americans wonder why we don't keep it this simple. On day 5 I was asked to give a word of encouragement to the team. I spoke about doing immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine. I asked some tough questions and challenged the conventional norm. I hope it stir their souls for more than just the day.
We then left to visit the Football Association. We did not have an appointment but trusted they would kindly welcome us after traveling from all over the world. The were so wonderful! We were given the royal treatment. We had a meeting with Oggie, the technical director and given a tour after. They recently put in a new indoor futsal court and the field is scheduled for renovation.
During the tour many of the guys got suck into a pick-up game. It was impossible to resist little angles wanting to play the game we love so much. Smiles, laughter and wrestling dominated the kick-a-round. The girls won 3-2!
As we were leaving Aaron had a little revelation. He, Jonah, Mark and I stood on the field of a National Stadium together before ten years ago in Sudan. We had to mark the moment with a photo. Our hope is after this spirit filled visit we get the invitation to return and play a game.
After the MFA we traveled over to a Korean University and did a futsal clinic for a local men's team. After our 3 other clinics I'm convinced the Mongolian soccer community have never seen a "drill". This can cause some trouble but Jonah rocked an organized and well developed session that impressed me and them. We finished with a mini tournament then Reggie the teams comedian did a skit to help demonstrate our need for hope and how football can be used to do just that. It was amazingly funny and we left ready to eat.
The night ended with a dinner at Papa's Cafe, a local food and coffe shop ran by a wonderful Korean Christian woman. At this point I need to talk about the food here. I have been blessed to travel to over 20 counties (by the way thats nothing compared to Aaron at 120!) and the food has always challenged me. Here, that is the last of my worries. EVERY meal has been spectacular! I mean over the top good. The hamburger at Papa's was
almost as good as mine.
Day 6 started with an another clinic. This time it was open to ages 17 and above. Once agin we drove into the shadows of buildings constructed during the reign of communism and, for the first tie, we ran into the typical 3rd world logistical pitfalls. Arriving 15 minutes early we were locked out of the field and told it was already booked. It took a while and our time was cut in half but, in the end, the clinic was a success.
We went home to rest and prepare for the 2nd of our main games here. We had learned our game a 4pm was going to be a bit tougher than the first. The team, Ulaanbaatar DS, had heard of our success against the defending champs and were ensuring they had all their pro players their to give us a game. However, after our 3rd goal in 7 minutes they had lost their gusto and the game ended 6-3. They we young and a few youthful mistakes were their downfall. It was a day I was glad to have the wisdom of 30 years playing this game. Without it we would have been run into the ground.
Once again after the game we headed to Papa's where we hosted to a dinner and..a game of Uno. Its amazing how a simple game can bond relationships without words being spoken. They picked it up fast and not a single game won was by a Football Plus player. The day ended in a similar fashion.
As we were leaving Aaron had a little revelation. He, Jonah, Mark and I stood on the field of a National Stadium together before ten years ago in Sudan. We had to mark the moment with a photo. Our hope is after this spirit filled visit we get the invitation to return and play a game.
After the MFA we traveled over to a Korean University and did a futsal clinic for a local men's team. After our 3 other clinics I'm convinced the Mongolian soccer community have never seen a "drill". This can cause some trouble but Jonah rocked an organized and well developed session that impressed me and them. We finished with a mini tournament then Reggie the teams comedian did a skit to help demonstrate our need for hope and how football can be used to do just that. It was amazingly funny and we left ready to eat.
The night ended with a dinner at Papa's Cafe, a local food and coffe shop ran by a wonderful Korean Christian woman. At this point I need to talk about the food here. I have been blessed to travel to over 20 counties (by the way thats nothing compared to Aaron at 120!) and the food has always challenged me. Here, that is the last of my worries. EVERY meal has been spectacular! I mean over the top good. The hamburger at Papa's was almost as good as mine.
Day 6 started with an another clinic. This time it was open to ages 17 and above. Once agin we drove into the shadows of buildings constructed during the reign of communism and, for the first tie, we ran into the typical 3rd world logistical pitfalls. Arriving 15 minutes early we were locked out of the field and told it was already booked. It took a while and our time was cut in half but, in the end, the clinic was a success. 
We went home to rest and prepare for the 2nd of our main games here. We had learned our game a 4pm was going to be a bit tougher than the first. The team, Ulaanbaatar DS, had heard of our success against the defending champs and were ensuring they had all their pro players their to give us a game. However, after our 3rd goal in 7 minutes they had lost their gusto and the game ended 6-3. They we young and a few youthful mistakes were their downfall. It was a day I was glad to have the wisdom of 30 years playing this game. Without it we would have been run into the ground.
Once again after the game we headed to Papa's where we hosted to a dinner and..a game of Uno. Its amazing how a simple game can bond relationships without words being spoken. They picked it up fast and not a single game won was by a Football Plus player. The day ended in a similar fashion.
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