Elberel

An Annoying Girl

Fast Facts
 

• Mongolia is one of the world’s highest countries; its elevation averages 5,180 feet (1,580 meters).
• Genghis Khan, born Temujin in 1162, created the Mongol Empire in 1206. It became the largest empire in history, occupying about 22% of all land on Earth.
• Mongolians emphasize affection toward children. The average Mongolian family has four children, and women who have five or more children are called “honored mothers.”

By Andrew McChesney

Elberel grew annoyed during the Covid-19 lockdown. He studied at Tusgal School, the only Seventh-day Adventist school in Mongolia, and it was among the first to go to online classes. He didn’t enjoy sitting in front of the computer screen every day while children who went to public school were laughing and having fun.

He asked his mom if he could transfer to the public school.

Mom said she didn’t mind, but Dad said no. He was an Adventist pastor, and he was studying far away from home at Andrews University in the United States. Dad told Mom, “I’m not in Mongolia to help you. But we can’t risk our son’s future by sending him to public school. He might pick up bad habits.” So, Mom changed her mind and told Elberel that he had to stay at the Adventist school.

Elberel, however, didn’t give up. He asked Dad, “What about next year instead?”

Father didn’t relent.

Seeing it was useless to persist, Elberel didn’t say anything more.

But then the public school also went to online classes, and Elberel no longer saw other children laughing and having fun. The feeling of urgency to change schools passed.

After the lockdown ended and all schools reopened, Elberel began to think about public school again. The problem was a girl in his class. She seemed to like to argue with him and to insult him.

After two months, Elberel had had enough. He thought it would be easier to change schools than to put up with the girl. He called his dad, who was still studying at Andrews University.

“This girl keeps insulting me,” he said. “I want to transfer to public school.”

Father tried to talk Elberel out of his plan.

“You can’t transfer for something as little as that,” he said. “Even more kids will insult you in public school.”

But Elberel didn’t give up, and Dad relented. “I’ll let you transfer next school year,” he said.

Over the summer, Dad changed his mind, but Elberel remained steadfast in his determination to go to public school. He had studied at the Adventist school since second grade, and he was sure that it would be a healthy challenge for him to study somewhere else. He pleaded with Mom to allow him to transfer. Finally, his parents agreed, but Dad cautioned him to be careful.

“Ignore the kids who have bad habits,”
he said.

Elberel promised that he would.

The first day at public school came as a shock to Elberel. Many of the boys in his class seemed to be vaping all the time. They also insulted each other constantly. After school, they hung out and drank alcohol. Elberel didn’t want those kind of friends.

Moreover, Elberel had a problem with lunch. At the Adventist school, the children received a vegetarian lunch in the cafeteria every day, but the public school didn’t have a cafeteria. Elberel had to look for a place to buy food on the street.

As the days passed, Elberel realized that he had another problem. The classwork wasn’t challenging. He already knew everything that was being taught.

After a month, Elberel had had enough. He wished that he had listened to Dad, but he felt embarrassed to admit that he had been wrong. He prayed, “God, what should I do? Should I stay in the public school, where I am surrounded by bad influences and not learning anything new? Or should I return to the Adventist school and have to deal with that girl?”

The next day, Mom asked Elberel about his classes. Hearing that he wasn’t learning anything new, she asked, “Would you like to go back to the Adventist school?”

The question was like music to Elberel’s ears. He sensed God was answering his prayer. “Yes,” he said. “I want to go back.”

When Dad heard the news, he was happy.

“It isn’t too late,” he said. “You still can go back.”

Elberel has to wait a few more days before he can transfer back to Tusgal School. He can’t wait — and he has a plan on how to deal with the girl. “I plan to ignore her,” he said. “My dad said she wouldn’t be as much of a problem if I just ignored her.”

Tusgal School, located in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, received part of a previous Thirteenth Sabbath Offering to grow with new classrooms and a library. Thank you for your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter, which will help open a recreation center to introduce children to Jesus in Ulaanbaatar.

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