Mongolia Matters #2

There is so much knowledge and skill that we long to share with the veterinarians, students and pet owners here in Mongolia. We are doing our best each day to impart some nuggets of knowledge, some pearls of wisdom into those willing to learn. The Mongolian people are sharp and catch on quickly; it is the opportunity for quality education and experience that they are lacking.

We have been taking every opportunity to teach, sometimes one on one to veterinarians consulting about a case. There have been multiple cases of various kinds of trauma. Helping them learn to read x-rays is important, as at the Mongolian veterinary school, they don’t even have an x-ray machine. Finding alternative ways to treat conditions is another important thing. The medications available in this country are very limited, partly by government regulation and partly due to cost. On line ordering from a pharmacy for delivery is not available. One day we were attempting to locate insulin to treat a newly diagnosed diabetic poodle. So far, insulin has not yet been found even at the human pharmacies! Unfortunately, there isn’t an alternative treatment. It’s hard to accept, because in America, we take so much for granted as being readily available.

We both enjoy it when there is opportunity to teach a group of student interns or everyone in the clinic who is available. We have taught how to obtain a good history and perform a thorough physical examination, basic microscope care and usage, blood film preparation and film reading, obtaining cytology samples from growths, and introduction to the usage of ultrasound.  We have been working with the Chief Veterinarian, Lead Veterinarian and the Office Manager to develop standards for training procedures, evaluating staff, team building and marketing the clinic. The best teaching opportunities involve the whole V.E.T. Net staff when we each have had the opportunity to share a Bible lesson and our personal testimony about God’s graciousness to us. Next week we will get to share about working with your spouse in business, a subject we know extremely well after 34 years of married life!

Each day that we have assisted one of these wonderfully hospitable people here in Mongolia, we feel grateful to be part of God’s plan for the greater good in the world. Jesus was asked which the most important commandment was. Jesus answered, “The most important is, Hear of Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31