Mongolian decorating tip

This is no Martha Stewart decorating tip, but you might be curious to know how Mongolians decorate at this time of year. Many of the places that I visit have strings of tinsel hanging down from the ceiling. Here is how it's done.

For this decoration you will need cotton (or cotton balls), bar soap, water, and tinsel. Shave bits off the bar of soap (laundry bar soap works best) into the water and mix gently. Dip the cotton in the soapy water. Take wet balls of cotton, attach a piece of tinsel (often the ball of cotton is put in the middle of the tinsel so that two strings hang down from the ball), and throw the ball up on the ceiling. The balls of cotton wet with soapy water stick to the ceiling and dry. I've added a picture of the final result.

Prayer update

This Sunday we will be hosting a New Year's Eve party at our home. Several Mongolians who cannot come Sunday mornings have said that they will come this Sunday evening. It will provide Mongolians an opportunity to celebrate the New Year without alcohol (a rarity in Mongolia) and will provide us with an opportunity to present the Gospel to them. Two saved families have already remarked how excited they are to have an opportunity to celebrate without alcohol. Please be praying for those who come and for the opportunity to share the Gospel with them.

Don't forget: your prayers enable our ministry!

the Sunday before Christmas

We took advantage of the day before Christmas being a Sunday this year to invite out people for the Sunday services. That is to say, we always invite people out, but this past week we'd point out that if they came on Sunday they would learn more about what Christmas is truly about. God blessed us with two first time visitors, both young men. I've included a picture so that you can see everyone who came.

For those of you who are keeping track of names: sitting in the foreground of the picture is Matthew Patenaude. His family has been working with our family since our return. They currently are making plans to return to the U.S. for a furlough. Next to him on his left is Ulzee (you can't see her face but that's her) and then her husband Ganpurev. Sitting next to him is Bilgee whom you can't see at all because he is sitting in a low chair. Buren is sitting in the corner, and you can only see his ear and sweater. His daughter Chimgee is sitting next to him, and on her left sits Kristie whom you all should recognize. Sitting next to Kristie in the green top is Bayambaa, an artist who saw our "Bible lesson" sign when it was in storage and decided to come. She has come faithfully for about a month now. Next to Bayambaa on the couch are Dagvaa and Gasraa. They are two of my English students who came for the first time. Please pray for their salvation and that they would come again. Both listened to the lesson intently and said that they would come again. Of course, we hear that many times and yet the person who said they would come fails to come. In fact, three other people who attend sometimes said that they would come today but were unable to make it. Last, there is a person sitting whose face you basically cannot see at all. He is another missionary who recently returned to Mongolia from a furlough. His name is Roland Gay.

Please pray for direction as some important decisions face us in the next few months. We need another place to meet and are praying for a place that would be convenient for the Mongolians to find public transportation so they can attend. Also, with the Patenaudes leaving, there are several other missionaries who have offered to help us. We need wisdom in the decisions that we will make. We know that your prayers will make a difference!

Ministering at home

One cultural difference between Mongolia and the United States is that Mongolians don't call before they come to visit - they just come. Many times this is very inconvenient: the neighbor next door comes over while Kristie is trying to fix dinner, I'm having a quiet evening with my kids when there is a sudden and loud invasion of neighbor children, I'm trying to digest a good book when a friend comes over to talk. I've had visitors come as late as midnight.

But, praise the Lord, He gives grace to deal with the seeming distractions. Plus our "open door" policy has led to multiple opportunities to witness to Mongolians. We had another example of this the previous week.

It started two weeks ago when two young ladies, Chimgee and Lkhagvaa (Chimgee attends our services on Sunday), came over to have help translating a brochure about India from English into Mongolian. I really didn't want to help them, after all, it was one of my few nights at home with my family. Still, I decided to help out. It took over an hour to help.

Friday night the two girls returned. I was out with a neighbor, and Kristie was trying to do some Christmas time baking. It seemingly was a most inconvenient time for visitors. In fact, when they started knocking on the door, Kristie took her time answering the door because she thought it was just the neighbor kids. But when she answered it there stood Chimgee and Lkhagvaa. Thinking that they might have come over to have something translated again, Kristie invited them in, seated them in the living room, and gave them a hot drink (all standard Mongolian hospitality). After taking a few sips of their drinks, the two ladies said that they had come over to help around the house.

Charissa and Emily were engaged in cleaning and washing so Kristie declined their health. Instead she took the opportunity to ask Lkhagvaa what she knew about Jesus Christ. This led to a discussion of Jesus Christ. At the end, Kristie invited Lkhagvaa to come with Chimgee to the meeting on Sunday. Lkhagvaa who became more and more interested as the conversation deepened said that she would come.

But what would have happened had our doors been closed to Mongolians coming to our house? What if our friends did not feel comfortable visiting anytime? The small inconveniences are worth it for the opportunities to give the Gospel to Mongolians. It's most important to realize that ministry isn't just what happens on Sunday or Wednesday or whenever the church is meeting. Ministry is what happens everyday as we interact with friends and neighbors and co-workers and others that God brings into our lives.

Prayer update

I must share this story with you! You remember how Enkhee was saved in the month before we returned to the States. I had a few Bible studies devoted towards discipleship before I left but felt I had left Enkhee when he was still a newborn. For a while James followed up with him, but Enkhee needs a lot of attention. After James left, Enkhee was left to himself.

There are several obstacles to overcome: he lives on the other side of town, he also works seven days a week, and he is generally not very talkative. So when one drives thirty minutes to visit it often seems that he is uninterested. But I've been assured by people who know him personally that this is not the case, that indeed he is interested.

Well, Sunday Ganpurev and I went to see him. When we arrived at his ger about 7:30, he still had not arrived from work. But we only had to wait twenty or thirty minutes for him to arrive. We ate dinner with the family and then Enkhee suggested that we study the Bible. So we opened up a discipleship book that I had given to him and looked at confession and repentance. But much of the time was spent listening to Enkhee tell us about how God had been protecting him at work.

He said once that he left work with two other co-workers. The two co-workers soon returned to work and stole some tools. When he found out, Enkhee was concerned that he would be blamed too and prayed that God would reveal the truth. Well, providentially, there was another man on the job-site who saw the two men come back and take the tools and noted that Enkhee was not with them. This incident also increased Enkhee's boss's trust in him.

It is just so exciting to hear stories like this come from young Christians! It shows how God is building their faith and teaching them to rely on Him. I was so excited when I heard these stories. I emphasized to Enkhee that we must grow every day. We also set up another Bible study on Saturday night. Enkhee has said that he would make time to be there.

Also, pray about the New Year's celebrations. Most Mongolians will spend New Year's Eve drinking. Liquor will be abundant at every celebration. To help our young Christians avoid temptation, we have arranged a New Year's Eve/Christmas Party at our house on Sunday evening, December 31. Please pray that many would come. The Gospel also will be given clearly at this party so please pray for Mongolians to be saved.

A Smoky Capital

More than the cold the difficulty with winter in Mongolia is all the smoke. The picture on the left is taken on a clear morning. The picture on the right may appear to be taken on a foggy morning, but it's not fog. In fact, the air is probably quite dry. That's smoke that obscuring your view. Sometimes the smoke is even worse than this.

Most of the smoke comes from families in the ger districts who burn coal for heat and cooking. Ulan Bator is in a valley, and the smoke can get trapped in the valley and sometimes linger for days.

Sunday school children's party

It's always a thrill when you do something and the Mongolians enjoy it so much that they want to do it again. Such was the case with the Sunday school children's Christmas party. Two years ago (last year we were in the States for Christmas) we held a Christmas party at our home for the children who were attending Sunday school. It was a little surprising when about a month ago, one of our neighbor boys who has been attending Kristie's Sunday school said to Kristie, "Are we going to have a party this year?" He was so excited about it! Kristie actually had been considering something else, but our neighbor boy was so eager to participate again that we decided to go ahead and have a Christmas party for the children on Saturday, December 16.

The children started by decorating bags into which they could later put their goodies. We were disappointed that two of the older Sunday school children missed the party because they had school lessons on Saturday. There were lots of ribbons, stickers, colored pens, and other things with which the children could decorate their bags.

After the bags the children cut out and decorated sugar cookies. The ladies had made some sugar cookie dough, and the children had a great time punching out the shapes and decorating the cookies with food coloring, sprinkles, and various other embellishments. This was the highlight of the party for most of the kids. Mongolians don't make cookies and don't have all the various shaped punches with which to cut out cookies. They thought it was great fun to roll out the door, cut it into various shapes, and then apply decorations to it.

Then while the cookies were baking, there was a gift exchange. Like all children, Mongolian children enjoy opening gifts and watching others open gifts.

After the gift exchange we had a Mongolian game of Pictionary. We had a white board and some simple Mongolian words that my wife had thought up and written down on slips of paper. The children had a blast drawing and guessing the drawings. It was fun to watch the five and six year olds try to draw and the older children seemingly scratch their heads trying to figure out what it was that they were drawing.

Then the activites were done, and the children left with their cookies and a Gospel tract. They all have heard the Gospel in Sunday school and it is our prayer that not only the children but also the parents would be saved. Please pray for our ministry to children in Mongolia and pray that it would continue to provide opportunities to be a witness to the parents as well.

We wish you a smoky Christmas

Christmas in Mongolia is much more low-key than Christmas in the United States. For one thing, Mongolians don't celebrate Christmas When the Russians came to Mongolia, Mongolians began to join them in celebrating New Year's Eve on December 31. Before that they only celebrated a lunar new year usually in February. So they often mix the New Year's Eve celebration with Christmas. My Mongolian neighbor asked me recently if I celebrated Christmas on December 31.

The stores do have sales in December that they often characterize as Christmas sales. But since the Mongolians neither give presents nor recognize December 25 as a special day it is difficult to understand why they chose to call them Christmas sales. I think the stores are using Christmas as an excuse to stimulate materialism and greed in Mongolia. It is sad that Mongolians would view Christmas as a commercial holiday (which is what it has become in America) rather than as a religious holiday.

As a consequence Christmas Day is often a very relaxing day. During the weeks preceding Christmas, we invite over Mongolian friends for some celebration and usually have a party for the children that attend the Sunday school.

Along with celebrations to mark our Savior's birth when I was teaching I often had special classes to conduct and final exams to give because it was the end of the semester. In fact, one year I was rather busy with classes on Christmas Eve.

Then on Christmas Day we usually stay at home and spend the day as a family. Our first Christmas in Mongolia though had its share of excitement. But first, you must understand a little about our dwelling situation. We were living on the fifth floor of a nine-story building. Our building had multiple entrances. Each entrance had a stairway and a tiny elevator. The elevators were so small that four adults would find it uncomfortable to be on the elevator together. Clustered around each elevator and stairwell were four doors that led into four different apartments. Behind the elevator shaft was a trash chute.

When our first Christmas in Mongolia arrived we had been in Ulan Bator for about three months. We had read the Christmas story and opened gifts. We had eaten a delicious Christmas meal and were in that stage where the kids fiddle with their gifts as the parents watch. We pick at the leftovers, help ourselves to another serving of dessert, and clean up the mes. Much of the litter that remains afterwards on Christmas - torn wrapping paper, boxes of various size and shapes, ribbon, smashed bows, and the little twist ties that hold so many items in their boxes - had been picked up. I decided to take it all out to the garbage chute. As I opened the door, I noticed that the stairwell/elevator area was smoky, more smoke than I had ever noticed before.

When I went back inside I remarked to Kristie that there was lots of smoke in the stairwell and elevator area. I thought I ought to check on it again after an hour or so. I told my wife that I would hate to be trapped on the fifth floor of a burning building because we couldn't use the elevator - you should never use an elevator during a fire - and would be unable to escape down the stairwell because of the smoke. Remember in the winter there is very little or no ventilation in Mongolian buildings. Any smoke in the building gets trapped there because there is no way for it to escape.

The other consideration was the weather outside. Late December in Ulan Bator is cold. The temperature was probably zero outside. Because we had three children and Caleb was less than a year old at the time, taking everyone outside was a half hour of preparation - another half hour for the smoke to build up. Finally, we didn't have a vehicle at the time ... so where would we go if we abandoned the apartment?

The smoke out in the stairwell wasn't bad yet, and I thought if I waited it might clear out. But when I checked again less than an hour later, the smoke was so bad that I thought we might not make it down the stairwell. Concerned that it would take us a half-hour to get prepared to go outside into sub-freezing temperatures, I made a decision that we should start preparing to leave the apartment immediately. Once we were ready if we discovered that the smoke was clearing, we could always take our warm clothes off again.

Wondering where we could go, I called Buren, my closest Mongolian friend at the time and told him in my broken Mongolian that I thought there was a fire in my apartment building and to come over. Meanwhile, Kristie began getting the children ready for the Mongolian ice-box. As soon as I had completed my phone call, I rushed to join her.

Having completed my phone call with Buren, we hurried to get the three young ones ready to hurry out the door. Of course, the children were upset, here we were on Christmas Day suggesting that we should leave all their toys. Charissa in particular was worried about leaving a stuffed animal that meant a lot to her. But despite their young age, we must have communicated the urgency of the situation because in record time, we had put on sweaters and hats and gloves and scarves and something on the girls' legs. As we rushed out the door, I noted that the smoke seemed to be even worse than before. Used to riding the elevator down, the girls headed for the elevator shaft. However, the elevators in Mongolia can often be unreliable anyways and one should never take an elevator in a fire. So I herded them towards the stairs.

Interestingly enough, as we headed down the stairs, the smoke lessened until by the first floor it was quite bearable. As we rushed out the entrance of our apartment, Buren drove up in his car. We put the children in his car and drove the short distance over to Buren's house. The kids seemed short of shocked as we entered their house. We had been there several times before but they had expected a quiet, calm evening with their newest toys.

Buren and I headed back over to the building. I was interested to try to find out what was going on. Were there others who needed evacuating? When would the fire trucks pull up? Could we go back to our apartment tonight? When we arrived things were still quiet. I tried to explain in my three-month-old Mongolian just what was going through my head. I was surprised that there wasn't more activity. In the hustle and bustle and anxiety of evacuating my own family, I hadn't noticed how quiet the building seemed. But now as I returned with Buren my senses were sharpened trying to discover what I could. Buren and I entered the quiet building and I immediately noticed that the smoke had lessened already.

We worked our way up to the fifth floor; the smoke didn't seem so bad up there now. When we went into our apartment it was still relatively smoke free. I was surprised that the smoke seemed to be lessening. There didn't seem to be anyone fighting a fire, and it had been growing worse for the previous hour.

I asked Buren if he thought it was safe to return to the apartment. He said that he thought it would be safe. I asked him what he thought caused all the smoke. He explained (several times since I couldn't understand everything immediately) that often people throw burning material down the trash chute. If there is much trash at the bottom it can cause a lot of smoke. The trash is too soggy to really burn so it just smolders and creates a lot of smoke. The smoke then spills out from the garbage chute into the stairwell and elevator shaft.

After Buren explained it all to me I felt really silly. My family never had been in any real danger. I went back to Buren's house, collected my family, and returned them to the apartment feeling very silly.

It's a story that illustrates some of the pressures of living in a strange country: the lack of understanding of what is going on, the feeling of helplessness as you try to describe what you are thinking in an unfamiliar language, the dependence on others patience when you do strange things (like abandon your apartment when there is no danger).

Prayer update

Snow, ice, and wind - it has been a cold week here in Mongolia. Yet God has warmed our hearts with the interest of people in Jesus Christ. We had twelve Mongolians come on Sunday and three others were prevented by illness from joining their families.

It is exciting to see this ministry grow, even though the growth is slow. We started back in August after our arrival with one Mongolian family of four. Last Sunday we had twelve Mongolians representing six families. Our goal is to see every member of every family saved, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and attending church services regularly.

Towards that end, Kristie and I went to visit Bayambaa who has been attending regularly. Her husband, however, has not attended with her. I wanted to meet her husband and have an opportunity to speak to him about our Savior. We had a pleasant visit and a chance to talk about Jesus Christ. Her husband, Mandaa, says he is non-religious and is not interested in Jesus Christ. Thank you for your prayers. I trust that someday we will be able to report that Mandaa has accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

Two Cultures, One Mind

As I was recently reading the biography of a man born in India but who has spent the last several decades in the U.S., I came across this idea of two cultures in one mind. The author writes, "God makes an incredible investment in you when He combines two worlds into your mind. ... Being able to speak in two languages from opposite ends of the world helps you to be sympathetic, and, I believe, effective in not just hearing but listening; in responding not just to the question, but to the questioner. For this, language and shared tragedy are indispensable. You really only learn to think like the other when you learn their language and share a cultural DNA."

There's much to think about in that quote although unfortunately few Americans can speak with experience about knowing two languages and two cultures from opposite ends of the earth. Let me take this opportunity to encourage all of you high schoolers to learn a foreign language and practice it with people for whom it is their heart language.

And pray for us here in Mongolia. Language learning is a life-long process (even learning English should be). Sometimes it is frustrating when you've spent four years of your life learning a language only to go out and be stumped by something that someone said. We need dedication to the task of learning the language, ability with our tongues to speak, capable ears to hear and comprehend what is being said, and patience to stick at it when the other three are lacking. Recently, it has been exciting to me as I speak this language; for Kristie, it's been just the opposite. So pray for us as we continue to make speaking this language as fluently as the Mongolians a priority.

Prayer update

Wednesday afternoon was quite busy here. About three o'clock, we had a piano teacher teaching Charissa piano, a Mongolian lady teaching Emily and Caleb the Mongolian language, and Kristie teaching a neighbor boy the English language. Meanwhile a neighbor lady and her daughter were over to visit too!

Thursday evening Kristie and I are scheduled to make a first-time visit to a family. The wife, her name is Bayambaa, has been coming on Sundays, but we have never met the husband. Please pray for fluency and freedom as we speak Mongolian. Also pray that we will be able to witness to her husband. We are grateful for your prayers and know that they impact our work in Mongolia.

Update on printing press & translation work

Some of you remember me mentioning a printing press that was to be brought to Mongolia. I'd like to update you on that so that you can pray. Actually, there are two different things that are happening at the same time. The first is that FirstBibles International helped FirstBibles Mongolia obtain a printing press and ship it to Mongolia. The press arrived in July and is now set up. A man from the U.S. came to help Mickey Cofer, president of FirstBibles Mongolia, set up the press. He plans to return in the spring to begin running the press and to train someone else to take his place.

The goal of having a press in Mongolia is not only to print Bibles but also to print discipleship materials and tracts, etc. The work of printing Bible materials and tracts should start next spring.

Let me give a brief overview of the current Bible translation situation. Currently, as I see it, there are two translations in common use in Mongolia. One is a translation of the New Testament although a complete Bible with a revision of the New Testament has been "near completion" for several years. This Bible (so far a New Testament) sacrifices accuracy for readability. Having talked to several of its proponents, I believe that they would agree with me that readability was given a much higher priority than accuracy.

The second is a complete translation of the Bible. It has its own set of problems. It stresses literalness over readability. Also, it was rushed out in a short time, and it's my belief that the translation could have been done better if there had not been a rush to complete it. Because of its hurried nature, this translation has already been revised multiple times since it was first published.

Further, these two translations are very different in their choice of terminology. The first favors "descriptive phrases" to try to explain concepts that are lacking in Mongolian culture (and many concepts are simply not understood). The second tries to use religious words in current use even though those words do not carry the same meaning as the Biblical terms which they were chosen to represent. Much more could be said about both translations, but this is a summary of their strengths and weaknesses.

Recognizing the difficulties with the current translations, several groups have begun to work towards a new translation of the Bible. Two of those groups are independent Baptists who have been working in Mongolia for some years.

One of those groups has a connection to FirstBibles Mongolia, FirstBibles International, and through the latter to the Trinitarian Bible Society. FirstBibles Mongolia has offered their printing press to print Bible portions initially and the complete Bible when it is done. FirstBibles International has offered to assist with funding and translation checking. Also, the Trinitarian Bible Society has offered to assist with translation checking. This group wants to form a committee of foreign and Mongolian translators who would translate the Bible. There is a meeting tentatively scheduled for January 9, 2007, at which a call will go out to interested churches to support the translation effort.

Please pray especially for the right people to translate the Bible. Bible translation is an awesome task and a exacting responsibility. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

The witness of a foreigner

Imagine with me that you are sitting at home one evening. You are in your comfort zone: you are in your own home, listening to your own music, surrounded by familiar surrounding and loving family. Then there is a knock at the door. It is a Japanese man and he wants to come in and talk with you. Except that he is not yet fluent in English. Would you let him in? Would you listen earnestly to what he had to say? I would not. I am too busy with my family, my ministry, and my friends to spend much time listening to someone from another culture who is still learning my heart language try to tell me something I have never heard about before.

It is the same way here in Mongolia, except we are the foreigners intruding into Mongolians’ comfortable lives. If it were not for the eternal consequences and the calling of the Holy Spirit, I would not be here trying to interrupt their lives.

I once heard a person equate witnessing with warning people that their house is on fire. That analogy breaks down rather quickly when we consider that if a person’s house is on fire, you can easily point out the fire to convince them of their need to escape. But how does one point out the fires of an eternal hell. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit to convince men that they are sinners in danger of eternal judgment. Then too, it usually takes the respect of the person whom you are trying to persuade.

I have found in Mongolia that few Mongolians are willing to listen to some foreigner about non-material things unless they have grown close enough to me to understand my love and concern for them. As one man put it, “No one cares how much you know [about the Bible] unless they know how much you care.” So we spend a large amount of time getting to know people here in Mongolia.

God has blessed us recently with the opportunity to get to know several neighbors much better. As you pray for us this week, please pray for the salvation of Vantchaa and Mongoo his wife and for the salvation of Javkhaa and Batmaa his wife. And if the Mongolian names are difficult for you, just pray for the Dean’s neighbors.

In other news, both Buren and Bob for whom you have all prayed for a long time along with me have been coming to our Sunday Bible studies. The last two weeks both of them have been there. Last weeks sermon about freedom from sin was a particularly pointed message about man’s need for Jesus Christ. Please continue to pray for their salvation.

Global Warming in Mongolia

There is a lot of fear and fear-mongering about global warming. Scientists around the world are warning us about the dangers of global warming. Here in Mongolia we take a different view of global warming. If implications are understood correctly, Mongolia has little to fear and a lot to gain from global warming.

First, global warming will raise the temperature. So what's so bad about higher temperatures? For Mongolia, that's great! Yesterday's low was -20; and it's not even December yet. Even a temperature increase of a few degrees would be appreciated. Seriously though, consistently higher temperatures would mean a longer growing season in Mongolia.

Second, increased global temperatures would mean more evaporation from the ocean which would result in increased rainfall. Indeed global warming would melt the polar ice caps and increase the surface area of the oceans (more on how that benefits Mongolia later) and decrease the surface area of the world's landmass. More surface area from which to draw water and less area on which to rain it must result in more rainfall.

Third, a rise in the level of the oceans would mean less land area for the world's population. Any economist can tell you what happens when supply decreases and demand increases - prices rise. With the supply of available, arable land decreasing and the world's population increasing, the price of land must rise. Mongolia with its lowest point at 1700 feet above sea level stands to lose no territory. Furthermore, by lengthening the growing season global warming will increase the amount of arable land in Mongolia. Even better, everyone knows that oceanfront property is some of the most valuable on earth. Of course, Mongolia doesn't have any oceanfront property ... yet.

Fourth, the same scientists who warn us about global warming also believe in the neo-Darwinian idea of evolution of species by random mutation and natural selection. Many of these scientists also believe that in the past new species evolved as climate change brought pressures that favored the species with newly developed parts.

One good example of this is the very common evolutionary belief about anaerobic bacteria, oxygen, and the emergence of eukaryotic life. Evolutionists believe that anaerobic bacteria was the initial life form on earth. This was because the early earth lacked much oxygen in its atmosphere. (Why do evolutionists believe this? Because oxygen would have made it impossible for life to form according to their understanding of life and chemistry. But I digress.) But as the anaerobic bacteria proliferated some of them began to produce oxygen as a waste product. This oxygen killed off many types of anaerobic bacteria but caused aerobic bacteria (the kind that uses oxygen) to flourish. Since all other life forms evolved from aerobic bacteria, I would think that we should thank our lucky stars that anaerobic bacteria produced oxygen as a waste product. Otherwise, we'd all still be giant mats of bacteria instead of thronging masses of humans.

Imagine though the situation above as the situation today. Instead of anaerobic bacteria, we have humankind, rather than oxygen as a waste product think of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, and rather than aerobic bacteria and every life form associated with it imagine ... well, now who knows what new life forms might evolve. We may be on the threshold of a new evolutionary future! So exactly why are neo-Darwinian scientists so bothered by global warming? Why not welcome it with open arms as an opportunity to spur new evolutionary development. After all, change is good.

So go ahead and fire up that two-stroke lawn mower. Take another Sunday drive with the kids (if you can afford it). There's no need to worry about global warming. At least , not from where I am in Mongolia.

Monday update

As I sit here writing this blog entry the temperature is plummeting. It was about 6 degrees about zero when we woke up this morning and now is about 6 below zero. The sun just went down and I expect that we are in for a cold night. Praise the Lord for a warm apartment! One weather report says tomorrow's high will be 19 above and another says 3 below. But no snow is forcast.

It's been a busy week for all of us. Usually, I am gone quite a few nights each week, visiting families and teaching Bible lessons in people's homes. Kristie often is at home with the children making sure that they get into bed at a decent hour. One of the reasons that I feel more comfortable than Kristie speaking and hearing Mongolian is that I am around it so much more.

Recently, however, that has all changed. You may remember that we live in a twelve story residential building. (If you haven't looked at it before check out my blog post about finding it on Google Earth. It's the bottom blog entry for August. Click here and go to the bottom of the page.) One of our neighbors whose name is Mongoo is a teacher. We had met her and her husband before, and everyone was friendly; but we had just never spent much time together. Two weeks ago while schools were out for a short break, Mongoo came over to visit Kristie. I wasn't home that night, but Kristie had a good talk with her. At least it must have been a good talk because she returned the next evening. When she found out I was gone again, she asked, "Isn't your husband ever home?"

One thing led to another and we're quickly moving past the acquaintance stage with them. I returned the visit with my wife the next evening only to discover that her husband, Vantchaa, was playing basketball with a group of workmates. So we finally all got together early this week. They have three children, ages 10, 6, and 1; and our children enjoy playing with their children. Several times this week, they have come to our house, or we have visited them.

This is an answer to prayer. Many of you have been praying along with us for help with the Mongolian language. It would be nice if one could absorb Mongolian in his sleep, but reality is that to continue our language progress, we need to speak and listen to the language. In the past, Kristie especially had trouble getting out of the house to speak and hear spoken Mongolian. After all, someone has to put the kids in bed at night. But in answer to our prayers, God has brought more Mongolian speaking into our house. Not only Mongoo, but another neighbor whom we know better, Batmaa, has also began to come over regularly. In fact, this previous Saturday, first we went to Batmaa's apartment for an hour or so, then immediately following that Vantchaa and Mongoo came to our apartment for a couple more hours, and later that evening Batmaa returned again to stay for a while.

Sunday morning, two of Mongoo's children and two of Batmaa's children came with us Sunday morning and attended Sunday school. With seven Mongolian adults, we had a total of fifteen Mongolians on Sunday which is another good turnout. As I've mentioned before, our desire is not only to reach the children but also to reach their parents. Please pray for Vantchaa's and Mongoo's salvation and for Javkhaa's and Batmaa's salvation. And if you can't remember the names, just pray for the salvation of our neighbors.

Ambassadors for Christ

Recently, a new ambassador arrived in Mongolia. In taking over his duties, Ambassador Mark Minton must have met with the Mongolian President, Enkhbayar, and the Mongolian Prime Minister, Enkhbold. He probably had many other meetings. But the new ambassador also wanted to meet with all the U.S. expatriates living in Mongolia. So a general invitation went out to all the U.S. citizens living in Mongolia.

I had the privilege recently to attend this meeting, shake hands and introduce myself to Ambassador Minton, and meet the other staff of the United States Embassy in Mongolia. In a short speech that Ambassador Minton had prepared for us, he reminded us that while he was the official ambassador of the government of the United States to Mongolia, all of us were representatives of our country.

It was another good reminder of the truth that we find in II Corinthians 5:20, "Now we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us." Everywhere I go, I represent Jesus Christ. Even more amazing God the Father chooses to call others to Himself through my life and verbal witness! Notice the second phrase, as though God did beseech you by us." I don't always understand why God does what He does, but I know without any doubt that God uses people. He could earnestly entreat sinners through angels or through His own voice, but God chooses to use me and my limited skills (especially in the Mongolian language) as His personal representative. What a privilege! And what a responsibility!

Language progress

"It's exhilarating to have a new adventure every day. And when I go [places] and find here and there a word that I can really understand, I feel like shouting." - quote by an unknown missionary

There are some days when language goes well and some days when it doesn't. Today was a "good language day." It started when I spent several hours with a Mongolian man from the countryside. He remarked on my good language skills - though he admitted that my language wasn't as good as another American that he knows, an American who had been here for 14 years, I might add. Then as the conversation progressed, he asked me several times, "Please come to my village to teach the Bible. We need someone in our village who knows the language." There is a church in his village, but it is currently led by an American who preaches and teaches through a translator. So that was thrilling.

Later, I called to talk to an American friend. When a Mongolian answered the phone I launched into the typical Mongolian greeting followed by a request in the Mongolian language to talk to Trina.

When Trina came to the phone, she seemed surprised to hear from me. "Scott, is this Scott? Oh, it is you," she basically said.

Since I hadn't told the Mongolian who it was, I was a little perplexed. "Of course it's me." I couldn't imagine why she would be shocked to hear my voice.

But she soon explained herself, "My Mongolian friend said that it was a Mongolian." It's nice to be mistaken for a Mongolian over the phone. Thrill number two.

Then I went to the store to procure some ham for our Thanksgiving Day celebration. Hey, we have a lot to be thankful for here in Mongolia too, even if there will never be a PlayStation 3 launch date in the foreseeable future. (I hope none of you wasted time standing in line for one this last week!) The meat shop where I was did not have any of the ham that I wanted. I called Kristie, explained the situation and asked what her preference was. Should I get the ham that they had? Kristie wanted me to ask when the other kind of ham might be available. My heart fell. Try to explain that I didn't want the ham they had but another kind that they sometimes had. I could envision going around and around with the shopkeeper. "Do you have any other kinds of ham?" "Yes, this kind." "Any other kinds?" "Don't you like this kind?" "No, I want the other kind." "What other kind." "The kind you don't have." "If we don't have it, why are you asking for it." You get the idea.

I hung up the phone, turned to the lady at the counter, and within one sentence had the other kind of ham in my hands. The key was to say, "Do you have any square ham like this round ham?" (Except to translate it directly from Mongolian would be something like, "This round ham like square ham have?" Try saying that fast five times ... in Mongolian.) Absolutely thrilling!

Then I was shopping for eggs. Usually when I shop the shopkeepers recognize my foreign face and simply shout at me as I walk by, "Buy anything?" But today, one man overheard me talking to another shopkeeper and remarked, "He speaks really well." After completing my purchase from the shopkeeper, the man engaged me in a conversation more complex than "Buy anything?" and I ended up buying some of his product too. Kind of thrilling, only later I wished I hadn't bought any of what he had to sell. That's one of the perils of knowing the language too well: aggressive shopkeepers can talk you into buying meat that's sat out all day.

Finally, a Mongolian friend who speaks some English but not much called me asking for urgent help. As we finished up, we left together. He was talking to me about how stressed he had been. I thought to myself, "Boy, it's amazing how much his English has improved. I understand him better than I ever did before." Then I realized, "Wait! He's speaking Mongolian - that's why he sounds so good." That simple recognition that I understood his Mongolian better than his English was like a glorious ray of sunshine breaking through the clouds after a week of Oregon rain. (Unless, of course, you like Oregon rain better than sunshine. In which case, you're messing up my analogy.) Another thrilling episode in language acquisition.

But I don't say all this to pat myself on the back. One day I'll write about a bad language day. (And I didn't bother to tell you that at the meat shop I responded to the question, "Do you want your meat cut?" with the answer, "Yes, you will.") But I do want to say that I attribute the language skill I have to the blessing and grace of our Lord! Many of you have been praying for my language, and God is answering your prayers. I'm still a long way from being good at speaking Mongolian, but it's something when you know enough language that you can be talked into buying meat that has sat out all day!

Sunday update

We had a good turnout at the meeting this past Sunday morning. In fact, we had the best turnout of adults since we returned, nine Mongolian adults came. That may not seem like a lot, but to me that's a crowd. Buren was there for the first time since I returned from the States. Although I've visited him, he had not been to our meetings on Sunday before this one.

In another first, we actually had a Mongolian preach on Sunday. Ganpurev was our first speaker. I know it won't be the last time. When I first asked Ganpurev to prepare, he seemed hesitant. I've spend some time the last several weeks helping him to prepare. He did a respectable job. Of course, it was his first time and he left many things unsaid that I would have said; but he didn't say anything wrong. And of course, he spoke Mongolian much better than I did. I enjoyed listening to him. He spoke about trials and temptations from James 1. I'm encouraged and hope that Ganpurev is encouraged. Keep praying for him.

Ganpurev's wife Ulzee passed out on the way home Sunday afternoon. So he had an immediate opportunity to practice what he preached about trials. As amazing as it sounds, I don't think Ulzee's problem is serious. She went to see a doctor today, I understand. If it's anything serious, I'll post about it soon.

I'm back

If you check this blog regularly, you've noticed that I haven't posted anything for about ten days. The day after the elections when I went to check the results, I found out that I had no internet connection. It took the company about a week to get it back up. I'll give you an update on things tomorrow so check back again.

Walking by faith

I found this today in a Spurgeon sermon that I was reading. It was such an encouragement to me that I had to share it with you.

"How shall I tell you what it is to walk by faith? I have sometimes had, before my mind's eye, as it were, a vision. I thought I saw a great staircase, made of light. There appeared to be nothing solid or earthly about it. I was called to ascend this staircase. Beneath my feet there seemed to be nothing. Each step I stood upon appeared to be the last, yet I went on, on, on, up, up, up, till I was at a dizzy height, and I thought that a voice said to me, "Look up." I could see no other step; but, as fast and I ascended one tier, I was told still to go on, and fresh steps of light revealed themselves beneath my ascending feet. I trod upon the clouds, and found them to be granite. It seemed to be thin air and mist; to mortal men, it was nothing. They laughed at me for trusting to it; but, each time my foot went down upon the stair, I found it to be like the eternal hills that are never to be moved. When, in my vision, I had climbed, and climbed, and climbed, till I seemed to look down upon the stars, I still climbed on, and I understood that this is walking by faith,--going ever upward, seeing Him Who is invisible, depending upon Him Whom no mortal eye can see, but Who is clearly recognized by our spiritual senses ... This is walking by faith, and it is a great mystery." (C.H. Spurgeon, The Suffering of Man and the Sovereignty of God, Oswego, IL: Fox River Press, 2001, p. 248-249)

Faith is a lot like that. There are many times when we have no idea how God's plan is going to work out because He has only showed us enough for today's step. Taking today's step is usually the hard part for me.

Prayer update

If you haven't checked out mongolia-ministry.blogspot.com in some time, you should check it out. I've finally been able to secure a regular connection to the Internet which means that I can update it more regularly. I've tried to add several posts every week.

We had a total of ten Mongolians on Sunday. That's a nice start but we hope to grow it from there. Please pray that those we invite would come.

I am also considering starting another Sunday Bible study across town with Ganpurev's help. We have three families who say that they are interested and another family to ask. Because it would take these families over an hour to ride public transportation to our current meeting location, we desire to start another Sunday Bible study at a location that is closer to them. As always it is the power of the Holy Spirit and the preaching of the cross that draws men to Jesus Christ. Pray that the power of Jesus Christ would be evident as we reach out to these other families. I will be visiting some of these families on Saturday.

Missions quote

"Did you think that the missionary path was all glory? Then you have never read of God’s greatest Messenger to earth, Who sat and wept over Jerusalem, crying out, 'I would … but ye would not.'" – Isobel Kuhn

Wacky Mongolian moment

I took this picture of a man painting his window frame. The only thing is, he is painting a window on the ninth floor without any safety equipment. You can see five of the nine floors; there are another four floors that you cannot see. 

One weekend, three visits ... or was that one visit?

I posted a little update about the upcoming weekend at the end of last week. I mentioned that I planned to meet with three men: Zorigoo, Daimkaa, and another Zorigoo. Well, as seems typical since we've returned to Mongolia. I only met with the first Zorigoo. We had a talk about the Bible. He's interested but said that his wife has no interest whatsoever.

When I sent Daimkaa an SMS (short text message - we commonly use SMS here in Ulan Bator) to say that we'd be coming over in the afternoon, he responded that he was unable to meet with us but offered to have us over next week.

I was planning to visit Zorigoo on Sunday afternoon, but he was not home; he was at work. So I agreed to wait until he had a day off to visit him.

Keep praying for the salvation of Mongolian men!

Weekend opportunities to minister

I know that some of you check this sight regularly to know how to pray for us. This weekend I have several people with whom I hope to meet for whom I would ask your prayers.

Friday evening I will be with Zorigoo for a while. Please pray that I will have another opportunity to witness to him. I will actually be meeting him to try to accomplish some work for another missionary. Still, I believe in using every opportunity that presents itself.

Saturday, I will go to visit Daimkaa at his home. Although I've prayed for Daimkaa for some time, I can rarely seem to get him to focus on spiritual things. He thinks his biggest need is to get to America. I think his biggest need is to be reconciled to the true God.

Sunday afternoon, I've been asked to visit Zorigoo, Bilgee's brother. This is a different Zorigoo than the one with whom I will be Friday night though they are both carpenters. This Zorigoo is usually quite opposed to hearing about Christianity. Pray that the Holy Spirit would open his heart to hear truth and would give me boldness to preach.

Of course, on Sunday we also have our regularly scheduled meeting. Please pray for Mongolians to come. I will try to update you on the events of this weekend on Monday. Visit the blog again for an opportunity to see how God has answered our prayers.

Missions quote

"So many missionaries, intent on doing something, forget that His main work is to make something of them …" – Jim Elliot

Prayer update

Wow! The last few weeks I couldn't seem to find a Mongolian I knew who had time to meet. In the past week, I've met with five different Mongolian men, two of whom I had not seen at all since I returned to Mongolia.

One of those was Buren. He still needs pray for salvation. I do think his work is finally winding down and that I should be able to see him more often. I met with him for the first time since the first week of September.

Whew! it seems we are finally recovering from our various and sundry illnesses. There are still some sore tummies left, but the worst of it seems to be over. Thank you for praying about our health. God has answered your prayers and has increased my faith and patience too. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to help.

These updates have grown from a single e-mail to Westgate Baptist Church to include more than a dozen family members and friends. It is encouraging to know that so many are praying for us. Remember that we are a team working together to make Mongolians disciples of our Savior!

Prayer update

Things continue to move along slowly here. Nothing ever seems to happen as fast as I wish it would. But here are a few updates about people for whom I asked you to pray last month.

I visited Ganbold and already mentioned his openness to study the Bible. Like many Mongolians, he seems to lack time. Please pray that Ganbold and I would find a good time for him to study.

Moogii’s baby was born at the end of September. I plan to visit, congratulate them on their new baby, and offer a small gift. But in Mongolia, friends do not visit the newborn and family until after a month has passed. Here in the next few weeks, I should be able to go by to visit.

Last night, I visited Mendee and was able to see him for the first time since I returned. He has a government job that takes him to the countryside for weeks at a time. Ganpurev and I visited him together and told him more about salvation, the one true God, and repentance. He and his family listened intently and asked many good questions. His grown son Bayaraa, who is a student at the border soldiers’ officers’ academy, was surprised when he was told that man can have a direct relationship with the true God. They seemed open to meeting regularly to study the Bible although Mendee’s frequent trips to the countryside may hamper regular meetings. Pray that we could visit them regularly and that they would be saved.

I finally saw Enkee last night too. He seems to be struggling. His work has him working 10-12 hours a day, seven days a week. He says he does not have any time to meet and no hope of a break from work for some time.

I have a visit scheduled with Daimkaa next Saturday. Daimkaa remains convinced that his only hope in life is to travel to the US to work. Please pray that he would see that his greatest need is Jesus Christ.

Bob continues to come on Sundays. Sometimes he takes an adversarial approach to the lesson. Sometimes he seems to be listening intently to what is said. Continue to pray for his salvation. I believe that the biggest obstacle is his own pride.

Don't forget that we are laborers together for the sake of the Gospel!

Prayer update

What a couple of months it has been. Kristie and I both expected that we would come back and slip back into the flow of things and all would be well. It certainly hasn’t turned out that way. The turn signals were stolen off my car, Kristie was sick for over a week and still doesn’t feel entirely well, Charissa contracted pink eye, and this last Sunday only three Mongolians adults came. Despite the fact that several of you faithfully reminded me to rejoice in infirmities, I clung to my disappointment that circumstances were not better. Still, I cried out to God for help to deal with my disappointments and discouragement.

God recently answered my prayers in something I read. I reproduce it here for your edification.
Dr. G. Campbell Morgan and his wife went to hear a young preacher in whom they were particularly interested. He was eloquent, fine-looking, and he delivered a great sermon. Afterward, on the way home, Mrs. Morgan was profuse in her praise and was surprised that Dr. Morgan made no response. Finally, she asked, “Don’t you think he is a great preacher?” He answered, “He will be after he suffers.” Time went by, and this young preacher found out by experience what it cost to stand for Christ. He went through problems at his church. Then one day he stood by an open grave as he buried one of his beloved children. Dr. Morgan and his wife loved the young man and went to hear him speak after this. After the service, Mrs. Morgan asked again, “What do you think of him now?” Dr. Morgan answered, “He is a great preacher.”

It reminds me of two quotes that I collected somewhere. Helen Keller said, “Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” A. W. Tozer once commented, “Seldom does God use a person greatly who has not been hurt deeply.” These stories and quotes reminded me again that God prepares me by passing me through the fire so that I can do greater things for him later.

So I am rejoicing in my infirmities and claiming for my life the truth of I Peter 1:6-7. Please praise the Lord with me that even when I am faithless, He is faithful.

Prayer update

We've had good and bad things happen this last week. I would like to publicly thank our great God for bringing me people who are interested in studying the Bible. Details are on the blog.

But we've also had more small obstacles (I think steps of progress and overcoming small obstacles go hand in hand). Last week, several things happened to the car that cost us several hundred dollars and still are not finished. Then over the weekend, Kristie became quite ill. It is Wednesday morning here, and she still has not fully recovered. I had spent extra time last week preparing for Sunday's preaching only to have it seemingly fizzle out. I was tired from nursing my wife and taking care of the children and concerned about my wife sick in bed. On top of that, the Mongolians asked several good questions which I was not able to answer as thoroughly as I would have liked to answer.

So our prayer requests this week is that Kristie would recover from her illness and that the rest of us would avoid it. Please also pray for wisdom and ability as we use the Mongolian language to point sinners to Christ.

Update

Various projects in Mongolia has kept me from updating my blog as often as I would like. So for those of you still reading this … thanks. I hope that today’s update will inform you about what is going on in Mongolia and give you some specific ways to pray.

Much of my recent busy activity has been to help Mickey Cofer, director of FirstBibles Mongolia, to set up a printing press and other printing equipment that recently arrived in Mongolia. My job has primarily been interpretation and finding supplies, but I also helped set up the imagesetter.

I know that people are praying! While traveling last year one pastor reminded me that many missionaries experienced a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit on their ministries after returning to a foreign country after a furlough. They often attributed it to the prayers of people who were challenged to pray more by hearing about their ministry. I believe I am beginning to see some of the Holy Spirit’s work here in Mongolia. Not that I haven’t seen it before … it’s just more obvious now than in the past.

First, my wife and I talked recently about how many small obstacles to accomplishing things we have faced since we arrived in late summer. We both expected that coming back to Mongolia would be relatively easy: after all, we knew the language and culture, had our own place, and had some friends here. It has been unusually hard to accomplish the little things such as register my car, find items that we need and expected to be in Mongolia, make minor repairs, or even meet with friends. We know that Satan works to discourage us. We also know that God is interested in conforming us to the image of His Son and that He uses little pressures and disappointments to focus us on what is truly important! We believe that God is in the many frustrations and disappointments of our first few months. He has taught us patience, perseverance, and trust. He is preparing us to be more effective servants.

Second, Bilgee brought a friend from his workplace to my house some weeks ago. Enkhamgalan’s name means “peace,” but he has very little of it. At the end of our second meeting two weeks ago, Enkhamgalan asked, “Can I come to your meeting on Sundays?” It’s the first time anyone has ever asked if they can come to our meetings and a clear sign to me that the Holy Spirit is at work. He came this last Sunday and said that he will come again this Sunday.

Third, I mentioned in an update some time ago to pray for Ganbold because his mother Soli had asked me to visit him. Because he works seven days a week, usually fourteen hours a day, it has been difficult to find a time to visit him. I finally arranged to go to his house this past Friday night. He was glad to see me. When the conversation turned to the Bible, he was glad to talk. He talked about how the Lord was watching over him two years ago when a bus ran him over and his lung collapsed. He also mentioned that he was never alone because the Lord was always with him. He even talked about asking the Lord to forgive his sins. He asked me to come to his ger and teach his whole family the Bible. Again, I have never before been asked on a first visit to come back and teach the Bible. I attribute this to the work of the Holy Spirit and the prayers of God’s people.

Fourth, Bob seems to be more interested in the Bible than I have ever seen him. He comes on Sundays, sings the songs with us, listens attentively to the preaching, and asks questions. I am greatly encouraged by his interest and trust that he will soon trust Jesus Christ as his personal Savior.

So be encouraged that your prayers do count and pray for the Holy Spirit to continue to work in the hearts of Mongolians. I need wisdom, direction, and ability in the Mongolian language as I seek to minister to Mongolians as Jesus ministered to people.

Sunday

Fifteen minutes after the hour on Sunday, exactly zero Mongolians had arrived. The week before we were pleased with fourteen Mongolians in attendance. Several times in the previous week, I had suggested to Kristie that maybe there would be a big drop in attendance. I wondered if my suggestions were prophetic. But then, within about five minutes, eleven Mongolians arrived.

Much of the rest of Sunday was spent with a Mongolian family whose father was out in the countryside. They needed their ger set up and called Ganpurev for assistance. When Ganpurev told me their plight, I offered to go with him to help. Ganpurev is known locally as the ger setup expert. Anytime someone needs a ger setup, he’s usually the one they call.

Sunday update

I don’t plan to give an update every Sunday, but I know that some of you are curious about how things are going here in Mongolia. This Sunday, we had nine Mongolians adults and five children. Because we have the help of the Patenaude family on Sundays, we typically have had more Americans at the meetings on Sunday mornings than we’ve had Mongolians. But this morning we had a total of fourteen Mongolians and only eleven Americans; so for the first time since we’ve returned we’ve had more Mongolians than Americans.

Also, I had planned a more evangelistic message for today. By God’s grace, three of the adults were first time visitors. So they heard a good presentation about repentance. Please pray for us as we plan to do more visiting this week. We are swiftly outgrowing our living room where we have been meeting. That’s a good thing!

Buying a car - the Mongolian experience

What follows is a daily journal of the last few weeks as I tried to purchase a car. The goal of publishing this post is not to complain or murmur. I want to give Americans who have never lived an a foreign country an idea of what some of the obstacles are like.

Also there are three reasons that we have a vehicle. The first reason is to be able to take the family out (especially in the winter) without standing out in the cold waiting for a taxi. We've noticed that it's getting harder to get taxis. Of course, the price of gas here has more than doubled since we left and may have something to do with it. We've also found that having a car makes the regular shopping trips so much easier. You can go to one store, put the items you've purchased in the back and then head for the next store. It is such a time saver when shopping. Most importantly, a car gives me the flexibility to visit Mongolians all over the city.

So without further ado, here is a journal of my car buying experience.

Preparation: Wednesday

The goal is to buy a vehicle. I’ve already asked Mongolian friends about it and narrowed it down to two cars. I take Kristie out to show her the type of cars that I am anticipating that I will buy. Kristie likes those choices, but we must wait for the money to arrive from the US. We have picked out a Toyota Mark II. It is a vehicle that is ubiquitous in Mongolia, known for its reliability, and easy to find parts for. The car we buy will probably be ten years old and have about 100,000 miles on it. It may even have a few nicks and dings, but there is no point in buying a newer car in Mongolia where the roads will tear up the suspension and dings and nicks are the norm for a car.

I call Bob that evening and tell him that my money for a car should be here in the next day or two and ask if he has time to take me to look at cars. He says maybe and that he’ll call me when he has free time.

Preparation: Thursday

The money for a vehicle is in my bank account. I call Bob, and he suggests that he can take me out tomorrow.

Day One: Friday

Bob and I go out to look at cars. We look all over and cannot find the car that we want which is strange because they are all over Ulan Bator. One of the last places that we visit has one, but they want almost $1,000 more than I am willing to pay. We finally find someone with the kind of vehicle for which I am searching at a reasonable price. But the windshield needs to be replaced and won’t be ready until Monday.

We go by to look at the vehicle. Not only does the window need to be replaced but also it is apparent that the door to the gas tank does not open. But the price that the seller offers is about what I want to pay. Fortunately, the windshield replacement work is being done right next to the place that does government vehicle inspections. Since a vehicle inspection is required to register the car, we go ahead and run the vehicle through the inspection. With the inspection done, we are ready to register it and get a license plate for it on Monday when the office that does that kind of thing opens.

Day Two: Saturday

The seller of the car wants to do the paperwork and receive his money today. I don’t want to give the seller any money until I see the car on Monday. Besides all the banks are closed and I haven’t withdrawn the money for the car yet. The transaction will have to wait until Monday.

Day Three: Sunday

Nothing happens

Day Four: Monday

Today should wrap up my car buying experience. On the schedule: meet with the seller to look the windshield, complete the sales paperwork, take the paperwork to the district traffic police station to receive a vehicle registration card in my name, take the vehicle registration to the municipal traffic police station to receive a license plate, and put the license plate on the car. If all goes well, I could have the car home by dinner. Then Tuesday I can take it to a mechanic to have the oil changed and some other small things repaired.

We arrive at the windshield repair place and find that they have not even taken the old windshield off yet. The seller is upset and asks why the work isn’t done when they’ve had two days. But all his scolding won’t complete the work any sooner.

We leave there and travel across town to complete the paperwork at a notary public. After the paperwork is completed I pay the seller his money. Bob talks him down $100 because the windshield needs to be replaced. Then Bob and I take the paperwork to the district traffic police station where we find out that we need to have an application form filled out, pay $1.60 for registration, present proof of residence, and pay a fine because the car was not registered within three days of entering the country. We agree to pay all that but the policeman working at the window refuses to take it. We must pay the $1.60 at a bank and then return with a receipt to prove we paid it. Perhaps someone doesn’t trust the police to receive the money directly … of course, if you can’t trust the police, whom can you trust? Probably though, the police do not want to be bothered with carrying change for those who offer to pay with large bills.

We leave, go to the bank, and pay the $1.60. Then we go by my office to pick up the proof of residence. We return to the police station and wait in line for an hour. When we finally reach the window, the police officer complains that we haven’t paid the fine (about $21.50). When we say that we’ll pay it, he refuses to take it. He informs us that we must go to another office in the same building to pay it. We give up our place in line and find the other office, but no one is there. We wait for about five minutes before someone shows up. He tells us that the person who will take the money for the fine is out and he’s not sure when he’ll return. We wait another 45 minutes. Finally, the registration window is closing, and we realize we won’t finish the registration today. We head for home.

Day Five: Tuesday

I arrive at the police station a few minutes before ten and call Bob. He has not even left his house yet. It doesn’t matter: the police officer who takes the fines is still not there. There are several others waiting too. I wait a half-hour for Bob. After he arrives, we wait another forty-five minutes or so. No one seems to know where the police officer we need is. Finally, one of Bob’s friends arrives dressed in plain clothes. Bob begins a conversation with him and they enter the police station together. Soon Bob comes back out with his friend. His friend looks at my paperwork as Bob explains things to him and then takes it inside. He comes back out and says that the fee is about $5. After he goes in a second time, Bob comes back and explains that his friend is doing me a favor and needs another $4. I ask who his friend is. It turns out his friend is a police officer who happens to be on vacation. That’s why he isn’t in uniform.

I wait another half-hour before Bob’s friend returns and says to come back at four to pick things up. It looks like another day lost.

I return to the district traffic police station after four o’clock and the vehicle registration is ready for me. I take the registration downtown to the municipal traffic police station. Behind the municipal traffic police station is the place where they issue vehicle license plates. I find my way behind the building and que up at a window. There seems to be some hold-up as the line, which was moving, is now stopped. But it does not take too long before we start to move again. Approximately, half an hour later and $10 poorer, I pick up a license plate for the vehicle.

I call Bob to see if it’s possible to pick up the vehicle tonight. Bob says that its too early to pick up the vehicle, the seal on the newly placed windshield has to cure. He says that we will pick it up tomorrow.

Day Six: Wednesday

It has now been a week since I started the car-buying process: part of the hang-up has been the weekend, part has been the trouble at the police station. Perhaps today I will finally have a car.

Bob calls about 10 A.M. which is early for him. He asks if I am ready to pick up the car. I thought he’d never ask! As we are traveling to pick up the car, Bob asks me where the triangular sticker is. I know nothing about a triangular sticker; all I have is a rectangular sticker from the car inspection. Bob says I need another sticker for my windshield. That means more work somewhere!

When we go by to pick up the car, the windshield is ready. Unfortunately, the other small repairs have not been done because Bob didn’t trust the car’s seller to have them done right. One of the small repairs is the gas tank door. It will be hard to fill the car’s gas tank if we can’t get the door open. Also since Friday, gas has gone up about 30 cents a gallon! Using a screwdriver, we finally get the door to the gas tank open.

I put gas in the car on the way home, but Bob says that his mechanic cannot look at the car today. He’ll check it out tomorrow.

Later, I go by the municipal traffic police station again. A driver there tells me I need to pay a tax at the district tax office to get the rectangular sticker. I go by the district tax office and pay the tax – they’ll actually take my money at the tax office. But the tax lady says that we need a stamp from the district traffic police station. I was just there for two days and no one said anything about another stamp and sticker. It’s too late to try to get the stamp today.

The entrance to my garage has a slope to it, to allow entrance into the basement of the building. When I go to park my car in my garage for the night, I find that the car is so low that it scrapes the bottom to try to enter the garage because of the slope. I know that the mechanic will raise the suspension tomorrow so I don’t worry about it; I simply park it outside, something I won’t be able to do when it gets colder.

Day Seven: Thursday

Will today be the day that my car is finally done? I take it to Bob’s mechanic and they remove the rear struts and springs. It takes several trips to the car market before we finally have the correct springs for the car. Once the springs are changed the car is high enough off the ground to fit into the garage. We also change the oil.

At the end of the day, we decide that the front brakes need to be changed. By the time all this work is done, there is not time to re-visit the dictrict traffic police station and see about the other sticker.

Day Eight: Friday

I go by the police station by myself on the way to a lunch engagement. I look at signs on different doors. There doesn’t seem to be any place that I haven’t seen before, and none of those places are giving out stickers. I decide to wait until Bob has time to go with me.

Instead I head over to buy a set of brake pads and have the front break pads changed.

Day Nine: Saturday

On my way to the airport, I am stopped by a policeman (not an uncommon occurrence in Mongolia). He tells me that I am missing a stamp on the back of my car registration. I ask him where I get one. He tells me that I get one at the district policestation. I tell him that’s where I got the car registration. He tells me I need to go back and get the stamp. I am very frustrated by the whole experience.

Day Ten: Sunday

Nothing happens

Day Eleven: Monday

Bob and I go back to the police station and ask where I get the stamp I need and the triangular sticker. We’re told to go back to the window that we were at a week ago. We go back to that window. The policeman there says that we need to show them a document that proves that we had the vehicle inspected. Bob reminds them that we gave them that document when we registered the vehicle. They say it doesn’t matter that they need another copy. As we drive to the local vehicle inspection station, I ask Bob if it’s common for Mongolian drivers to have to visit the vehicle inspection station twice. He claims that it is not. I begin to suspect that the policeman who originally gave us the car registration overlooked the stamp on the back.

We arrive at where the vehicle inspection station used to be before I left Mongolia over a year ago. Bob’s friend there says it is no longer a vehicle inspection station for small vehicles, only for public transportation vehicles. The inspection station we want is down the street. We drive down the street and don’t see any place inspecting vehicles. We ask half a dozen bystanders where the vehicle inspection station is. No one seems to know. We drive back to see Bob’s friend at the public transportation vehicle inspection station. He gives us new directions, and we find it. We ask for another copy of the inspection document that we were given a week ago. The lady at the station claims that we have to return to the original station that inspected the vehicle, which is across town. We drive across town and arrive at the vehicle inspection station that we originally visited about ten minutes after the lunch hour started. No one is available to help us. I offer to Bob that maybe he has other work to do; but he’s determined to get this done and says we’ll wait until they re-open in an hour.

About 45 minutes later, we have a copy of the inspection document that we need. We drive across town to the district traffic police station and turn in the document. The vehicle registration is now complete.

Wow! I thought when I began that I would be writing a chapter. I had no idea that it would end up being a whole book.

Prayer update

Things are started to get accomplished here. I finally completed the purchase and registration of a vehicle yesterday. Head over to the ministry blog if you want to read all the details of registering a vehicle in Mongolia.

This last Sunday, we had five Mongolian adults and four Mongolian children in attendance. We hope to see many more attend in the coming weeks. Matthew Patenaude did a good job of speaking about obedience.

Monday night we received fifteen boxes of food items from a church in California that doesn’t even support us! We are so grateful to the folks at Faith Baptist Church and to our gracious God for giving us baking chocolate, boxes of breakfast cereal, cake mixes, molasses, pudding, egg noodles, and about 100 cans of soup that we can hardly ever find in Mongolia. We’ve already given some away and plan to give some more away to other families here. Isn’t God good! Rejoice with us in His provision.

This coming Sunday, I will be speaking on lost things from Luke 15. Please pray that Bob and Buren would both come and be impressed by the Holy Spirit that God loves them and is seeking them.

September prayer letter

One of the first Mongolian friends I went to see when I returned to Mongolia was Bilgee. Bilgee is probably the second Mongolian man with whom I developed a friendship. He is in his late twenties and unmarried, so he still lives with his mother. He has two older brothers (Ganbold and Ganzorig) and five older sisters (Tsetseg, Selenge, Gantseteg, Ganbolor, and Gantuul). Ganbolor was Kristie and my Mongolian tutor and was the one who introduced us to Bilgee. You know Ganbolor by her shorter Mongolian name, Ganaa.

Usually when I visit Bilgee, I talk to his mother whose name is Soli. (For those of you who are interested in pronouncing her name correctly the “i” is silent, and her name sounds much like “sol” as in “solar.”) Older Mongolians are difficult for me to understand because they seem to talk faster and slur their sentences more. Once while talking to her several years ago, she told me how bad the children were in her neighborhood. She told me how disrespectful the children were and how they threw dangerous objects. I tried to turn the conversation toward biblical truth by pointing out that all of us are sinners. While it is true that some sin more than others, all are sinful. She did not seem interested in that kind of talk. For a while I taught a Bible story each week to the children who lived in the same area as Soli, and often she would come. I would try to ask her questions to see what her level of comprehension was, but often she would not respond. In short, I was not sure how to reach her with truth.

So you can imagine my surprise when I went to visit her and Bilgee, and she began to speak about being a sinner. “I’m a sinner; we are all sinners,” she said several times. Then she added that her oldest son (Ganbold) has two children who are married. They were all living on the same property and had problems. They need to change she said. After repeating this several times, she left the small shack that she lives in to go outside. Her son Bilgee speaks some English. We had been speaking Mongolian out of respect for his mother, but when she left, Bilgee said to me, “Did you understand what my mother said?”

“I understood that Ganbold and his children need to be changed,” I replied.

Looking at me seriously, Bilgee responded, “Yes, she thinks you need to change them.”

Bilgee’s relatives include not only Ganaa but Ganpurev and Ulzee and Enkhee and Bayambaa. Having observed their lives, Bilgee’s extended family has come to think that I am responsible for the changes in their lives. I knew this, but had never had anyone say it to me directly. Of course, I never talk about changing people; I only introduce them to the One Who can change lives.

Bilgee then asked me frankly, “Can you change people?”

“No,” I replied.

When his mother came back in, Bilgee and I switched back to Mongolian. I explained to his mother that I do not change people. She responded by pointing out several relatives whose lives have changed since meeting me. I do not change people, but I know Someone Who does!
The whole conversation brought things sharply into focus for me. First, although I had thought my conversation with Soli about man’s sinfulness had gone unheeded, she obviously took it to heart. Second, she sees the changes in the lives of people. What a testimony to the power of God!

But there are also several prayer requests that result from this story. I need you to pray for my ability with the language. Being away from the country for a year has not totally eradicated my ability to speak the language, but there is room for improvement to get back to the place where I was. Also, I need to be able to capture the nuances of language, both in listening to others and in talking to them.

I need you to pray for Ganbold and his family. Bilgee and I are already making plans to visit them. But I know that I am powerless to affect any change in their lives. Only Jesus Christ can make sinners into saints.

Sunday update

It's been a busy week here because I've been trying to complete the purchase of a vehicle.

There were five adults and four children at the Bible lesson on Sunday. That’s triple the number that we had last week. If we keep tripling the number of people who come, by Christmas the whole country should be coming! Seriously though, we are encouraged at the incrase in numbers. There still some more who ought to be coming who are not, and there’s still work to do.

On Saturday night, I went to visit Enkhee. I stayed at his house until eleven, and he still wasn’t home from work. Bcause I had to leave to pick a new missionary at the airport at midnight, I was not able to stay later. I have been praying for Enkhee and his family and really desire to train them to be disciples of Jesus Christ too. But Enkhee needs a job where he gets home earlier in the evenings.

Unusual things happen in Mongolia

Look for these unusual things happen in Mongolia blog posts from time to time. I'm not making fun of Mongolia or the Mongolian people, but some things happen here that are so different from what happens in the U.S. that I have to entitle these blog entries "Unusual things happen in Mongolia."

On Sunday, Ganpurev was telling us that his name was really Otgoo. When he was born, his parents named him "Otgoo" which is a common name in Mongolia. Later, a relative went to the sum center (like a county seat) to register the birth. He couldn't remember what the name of the newborn was. The father's name was Purev, so the relative registered the newborn as "Ganpurev."

Ganpurev's family continued to call him Otgoo until he went to school. At that time, the government records said that his name was Ganpurev. His teachers and his classmates all called him Ganpurev. At home they still called his Otgoo. At home they gradually began to call him Ganpurev too; until by the time he reached high school, he was known as Ganpurev. All because his relative couldn't remember his name when he went to register him.

Weekly update

It is our great privilege to serve here in Mongolia, and we are so grateful that you labor together with us in prayer. Because we know that you labor together with us, we invite you this week to pray for us in this way.

Since my last update Kristie has been sick. Last Wednesday not long after I sent an update, she became quite sick. Since then she's been sick off and on; she is still recovering from it. This has slowed us all down as I have stayed home to help Kristie and direct the family. Both Kristie and I have experienced a sense of discouragement and spiritual oppression in the past week. Our request is that you would pray for us. Of course, Kristie needs physical strength and to recover from her recent illness. We both need spiritual stamina to accomplish the task of ministering to others. Finally, we both need to be on guard against discouragement and depression. I take great encouragement from Joshua 1:9, "Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest."

We covet your prayers for physical recovery, spiritual stamina, and encouragement in the Lord this week as we seek to serve our Savior in Mongolia.

This Sunday was the first meeting we had that we officially invited people to come to. We have been meeting with Ganpurev’s family. Besides Ganpurev’s family we had one other person come. But we refuse to be discouraged. We know that it will take some time to "get the ball rolling again."

I am encouraged for two reasons. First, sickness made it difficult for me to get out and visit as much as I wanted to this week. Yet, we still had a visitor. Plus one family wanted to come but sickness kept them away. Second, God keeps bringing me people to whom to minister.

Friday night, it was a friend that Bilgee brought by. His friend Enkhee (a common Mongolian name) wanted to see how Americans lived. He was surprised, for example, when he didn't see a TV in the living room. But Enkhee has a difficulty for which he blames God. We discussed what salvation really is because Enkhee thought becoming a Christian would mean that one's life became materially better. I invited Enkhee to come again. Please pray that he would come over again. I believe he needs true salvation.

Prayer update

We’re finally concluding the process of moving into our apartment. The apartment is starting to feel like home again. Just an aside, we’ve been without water – hot or cold! – since about 10:30 this morning. I hope that by the time you read this water has been restored. Anyway, it’s good to be back in Mongolia.

Our ministry here is another story altogether. When we left fourteen months ago, I felt as if I was beginning to get some momentum going. I had some new acquaintances that were interested in the Bible and some new Christians and all that. People with whom I had worked for some time such as Bob were finally beginning to open up to me. My desire was for James to “keep this ball rolling” so to speak. When I returned in January, the momentum seemed to be ebbing though it was still there.

Now, in August, it seems to be gone. Folks that used to be eager to visit with us now seem distant and cold. There’s just something about being gone for thirteen months that seems to cool relationships. Certainly, we can “get the ball rolling again.” But it will take time.

So pray that God will lead us to the right people, that people would open their hearts up to us, and that the Holy Spirit would convict Mongolians of sin, righteousness, and judgment.