V.E.T. Net was asked by the Swiss government to oversee a project to install and make operational an HPLC machine in a veterinary drug testing laboratory here in Ulaanbaatar. HPLC stands for High Pressure Liquid Chromatography. This machine tests for and measures the active ingredients in drugs and is very important in the drug registration process for Mongolia. A few years ago the Swiss government tested an Invermectin type drug made and sold in Mongolia and found it to have zero active ingredients. This explained why the Ivermectin was not working. Since that time the Swiss government has wanted to fund the installation of an HPLC unit here in Mongolia. Of course, as with most things here in Mongolia, that is easier said than done.

In 2004, soon after we moved here, Dr. Cory Langston from Mississippi State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, came on a fact finding trip to evaluate if the installation of an HPLC would even be possible. Through his investigation the Swiss decided to fund this project. This has been an emerging project since that time and was finally accomplished in February 2006. Richard and Zola have worked very hard coordinating this project.

Flat Stanley visits Mongolia and rides a camel

During the month of February, Cory donated his precious time and knowledge to travel to Ulaanbaatar and learn the HPCL software and to teach the operation of the machine to the Mongolian lab technicians. He also had a day long meeting with the infantile group of the Mongolian Veterinary Pharmacopoeia. Cory is the head of the American Veterinary Pharmacopoeia so he had much to offer this new group. Cory was quite an inspiration to us as he worked through many challenging situations while accomplishing his goal. Zola and Manda both traded off days translating for him. Cory will return later this year to continue the training. Meanwhile another HPLC technician from America will come and supervise the HPLC operation for a few weeks and continue with the training which Cory started.


We thank Cory so very much for dedicating himself to this HPLC project. This project will change Mongolia forever in the way they test for quality veterinary drugs. As a side note, as with any V.E.T. Net project, the main goal is to share the love of God and the Good News of Jesus Christ. Through relationships built over the past months preparing for this HPLC project, the main Mongolian technician has been touched by God's love and attended church for the first time two weeks ago. She said she continued to see a joy in Cory, Zola and Manda which she could not explain and wanted to go to church to see if there was "something there" that brought that joy. Please pray for Altantuya and that her spiritual eyes will be opened to the truth of Jesus Christ.

The Wednesday night veterinary student Bible study continues to grow and a young man accepted Christ this week!! What an awesome outreach God has provided V.E.T. Net to reach a young group of soon-to-be veterinarians for Christ. I will soon be introducing them to Easter and the significance of why we celebrate this holiday. Please pray that more will accept Jesus Christ as their Savior after they learn what Jesus Christ really did for them on the cross. They will also watch either the Jesus film or the Passion of the Christ during the month of April's Bible studies.

Our veterinarians are traveling to the countryside now on remote follow-up trips to the CE training. And our teacher teams are starting to take trips to the countryside in preparation for their summer work.

Please pray for our final preparation of our 2006 CE curriculum to be completed within the month. Our CE team, once again, has worked very hard to prepare a 2nd year of quality training for the Mongolian veterinarians. This training will begin May 1 and there is still some final touches needed. We will also need to finish the drug registration process for the new training drugs. Thank you for your prayers in all of these areas.

Iowa State University Team

We just had a team of eight veterinary students from Iowa State University spend their spring break with our teachers out in the countryside. They were a wonderful group of young people and really had a fantastic time teaching English, Bible studies and building relationships with the countryside people. We hope that they will return someday as veterinarians and be involved with our veterinary training. Thanks to each one on the team who shared their lives with all of us.

As summer gets closer we all look forward to our furlough in hopes that we can see as many of you as possible. We will leave Mongolia June 27 and return to Mongolia September 9. We will talk more about our furlough plans next month.

We thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support. You are such a big part of what God is doing in Mongolia!

In His Service,

Richard, Mary, George and Sally