On March 8, 2016, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. Here in Mongolia we also celebrated Mother’s Day. Such a special day like this deserved our full attention, the least we could do to demonstrate our appreciation for one of God’s most precious gifts – our mothers and all women in general.
To properly observe the occasion, Tusgal Adventist School carefully prepared two activities. On the morning of March 8, all mothers and women who entered our institution were honored with a nice decoration that we had made for them. They were offered songs as well. To cap it off, they were each given a delicious cupcake. The elementary students had also made handcrafts for them and cards with lovely and heartwarming messages for their mothers.
In the afternoon, we invited the mothers of the secondary students, too. We decorated the school cafeteria using the pictures of the mothers and their children. The tables in the cafeteria were also arranged in such a way that they could eat their snacks in groups while having conversations.
Starting with God´s presence is always the best way, so we prayed first. This was followed by musical numbers and recitations of poems written by the students. We had moments of recreation and games. Ultimately, the most memorable moment was the presentation of photos and messages of love and affection that their children had written to them.
“In Mongolian culture, we often don’t express our feelings, even to people that we really love. So this special date and celebration was a good opportunity to say to mothers and women in general: I Love You!” said Ogie Otgontuya Tserenpil, the Tusgal Adventist School principal.
All the mothers were thrilled and touched by the honor they received. Our school also paid tribute to all the women employees by handing them roses and cookies. And with that, we celebrated Mother’s and Women’s Day in Tusgal Adventist School, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
By Rodrigo and Gabriela Assi
(Vice director and volunteer missionary in Tusgal Adventist School in Mongolia Mission, respectively)