Sunday update

We had a good turnout this past Sunday despite a lot of sickness in Ulan Bator. Our total turnout reached 40 in the morning. Strangely enough, we had a very unusual guest come; I only know him as Dash Akh. He is one of the prime movers in the neo-evangelical movement in Mongolia. He pastors a church near where we live which is one reason his appearance was so unexpected. He also is a leader in the Mongolian Evangelical Alliance and heads up the Mongolian United Bible Societies. He came after the first hour and sat through my whole sermon.

I preached on the importance of prayer and challenged the church to pray specifically for four things.

1. The salvation of unsaved spouses of church members
2. A strong salvation testimony from Aya
3. God's blessing on Byambaa as she contemplates having her entire thyroid removed
4. For God to restore Gantsetseg's marriage

We then concluded our service with an extra time of prayer.

I know that many of you are praying for us and would ask you to pray for these four things with us. I'll try to write some more specific background on each request in this coming week.

The death of a friend's mother

I just received a message from Khongoroo who was one of my first English language students here in Mongolia. Her message was to inform me that her mother had passed away. I plan to visit her tomorrow. She and her husband both claim to be Christians but do not show it in the way they live. Please pray that God would give me wisdom as I visit.

Christmas post

It can feel a little odd here in Mongolia because December 25 is not a holiday. Because there will be some big celebrations on December 31, many Mongolians confuse Christmas with New Year's Eve. They will ask me when I celebrate Christmas and sometimes express surprise when I tell them that I celebrate Christmas on December 25. If they have any concept at all of Christmas it is the very commercialized "Santa celebration" without any reference to a Savior. It has been our privilege since we arrived to introduce many Mongolians to the fact that Christmas is a celebration of the birth of a long-awaited Savior.

We, the Dean family, wish each of you reading this a Merry Christmas. Remember the message of the angel to the shepherds, "Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." The wonderful news of the birth of a Savior is not intended to only be for Americans or Canadians or Europeans or Africans or Asians. No, our Savior is the Savior of the world. May Christmas reflect the joy of salvation that we find in Jesus Christ.

Quote of the week

When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmastime. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stocking with legs? - G. K. Chesterton

Sunday update

It has been a while since I updated you all on the attendance on Sundays. We have continued to have many first-time visitors and returning visitors. Many of them are finding us by walking past our new location. So besides having a larger set of rooms, it seems to me also that our new location is a more visible location in our community.

Last December, we had between fifteen and twenty-six people in attendance. So far this December we have had as few as thirty-seven and as many as forty-three. We also have a newly-established service for English speakers that has been running around thirty in attendance.

I am grateful for the way that God has blessed us with increasing attendance these last few months.

Cold weather front

The cold weather has arrived. This about 8 AM it was -9° F outside. By 4 PM this afternoon, it had fallen to -20° F. The forecast for tonight calls for a low of -32. One person told me that this afternoon's temperature with the windchill factor was -52! I've been out three times today; it certainly feels cold.

Some health updates

Yesterday I mentioned that Gantsetseg's daughter Ulaakaa was in the hospital. I visited her today and both of them were in good spirits. You would hardly know that Ulaakaa had been sick.

Also, Byambaa is considering having her thyroid removed. She has experienced thyroid trouble for the last few years. She has been asking for wisdom. Her doctors are telling her that her only option for treatment is the complete removal of her thyroid.

Need your prayers

I know that many of you pray not only for us but also for the Mongolians to whom we minister. One Mongolian who could really use our prayers right now is Gantsetseg and her daughter Ulaakaa.

Gantsetseg began attending Faith Baptist Church last spring, was saved, and was baptized in September. She has been very faithful to bring family and friends to visit the church. Both her father and mother passed away some time ago.

She has been separated from her husband who is not saved since before we met her last spring.

Two weeks ago her father-in-law passed away in a tragic car accident on a slick, icy road. I was praying that the tragedy would be the first step towards her husband and her reconciling. However, it only seems to have deepened the divide between them.

Tonight she called and said that her two year old daughter has been admitted to the hospital because she is very sick. I'll be visiting them tomorrow. Please pray that God would use these trials to teach His daughter His faithfulness and unfailing love.

Weather update

It looks like were expecting a little bit of a mid-winter heat wave. (Don't even tell me it's not strictly winter yet.) On Friday, the temperature did not even rise above zero. Yesterday's high was 7°. But this week's temperatures are to be near 20 above.

Children's Christmas Party

Something we do every year (the party for 2006 can be found here) is host a Christmas party in December for the children of the church and neighbors' children. It is a good opportunity to preach Jesus to the children. Unlike many American children most Mongolians children and adults alike tend to confuse Christmas and New Year. Although they are different words in Mongolian, often when we talk about Christmas Mongolians associate what we are describing with New Years Eve celebrations. Our party each year allows us to talk about why Christians celebrate Christmas: because Christmas is the time that we thank our God that He sent His Son to be the Savior of the world.This year we had more children than ever. Although we only invited a dozen children, 16 came to the party. Along with our four children that meant we had twenty children in our apartment. With temperatures outside below zero, sending the children outside to play was not an option.

We had a small craft for the children who came early. That was followed by the cookie decorating time which is always an event that the children look forward to. The sugar cookie dough is made ahead of time and then distributed to the children who roll it out and use cookie cutters to create various cookie shapes.
While the children are listening to the Christmas story and participating in the gift exchange the cookies are baked. Then the cookies go home with the children at the end of the party. With sixteen different children all trying to find their cookies at the same time it was quite a crowd in the kitchen.
Somehow when I took the picture at the end of all the children who came I cut out two of children on the end. Not counting our own family, nine families are represented in this picture. We have had the chance to witness to most of the parents at least once. Please pray for the salvation of our neighbors and that the seed planted at this year's party will grow to fruition on the lives of these young Mongolians.

Quote of the week

If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?" - David Livingstone

Weekly update

We have several prayer requests this week. Gantsetseg's father-in-law who was like a father to her passed away in a car accident last Thursday. His death has been very difficult for Gantsetseg.

Ankhaa, Ganpurev's nephew, has back surgery scheduled for Thursday. If you know how difficult, delicate, and dangerous back surgery can be in North America, it's even worse here. Ankhaa is not yet saved though we've witnessed to him several times.

Aya recently finished her fourth of five rounds of chemotherapy last week. She has been very weak and tired.

We have a very hard situation with a church member who has been publicly sinning and trying to hide it from me. I met with the church member over the weekend and was disappointed with his response. Pray for me to have wisdom and for the sinning church member to have a repentant spirit.

We had a decent turn-out on Sunday. There is quite a bit of sickness in Ulan Bator right now; several members missed because of illness. Despite that, we had a good turn-out with several returning visitors.

An unexpected phone call

I was awaiting a visit from Gustavo and his wife last Thursday when about 8:30 Gantsetseg called me her voice sounded frantic. Whether because she was frantic or because we were talking over the phone I do not know, but I was unable to understand just what the problem was. Although I was not comprehending the details it was clear that something was bothering her about her husband and husband's family.

She paused as if waiting for me to say something. I hesitated unsure of what she had just said and not sure that asking her to repeat herself was the best thing to do. So I asked if she wanted me to do something in particular or just wanted advice. She then made the first clear statement in the entire phone conversation: she said "Call me in 10 minutes."

I waited ten minutes and then called back. This phone conversation was clearer to me. I understood that he father-in-law had called because there was some problem with her husband. She wanted me to take her from her home to her parents-in-law's home which was some 14 miles away. Not far by American standards but late at night with temperatures below zero, those fourteen miles could be a long, arduous trek. So not completing understanding the situation, I agreed to come to her place, pick her up, and take her to a suburb of Ulan Bator. I took Kevin with me.

When we arrived at her shack north of the city, she was dressed for the weather and putting a scarf on her daughter. I asked again what was wrong. She said that her husband called her and said that her father-in-law had been in a car accident. When she asked what hospital he was in, her husband Erdenesuren told her to come to his parent's house. "I hope he's alive," she said to conclude her explanation of the situation.

We got in the car and drove to a suburb east of Ulan Bator. Traffic was light but the roads were icy in spots so it took some time to get there. I talked with her some, but it was clear that she was unaware of the details of the accident or her father-in-law's condition.

When we arrived at the house where she was heading she asked us just to drop her off. I offered to go in with her or to wait for her, but she declined. So Kevin and I dropped her off, watched her proceed through the gate with her daughter, and then drove back home.

Later, I learned that her father was driving to a town east of the city in the early morning before the sun was risen. The roads were icy and slick when he collided in his small car with a bus. He was killed instantly.

As far as I can tell, all but one member of the immediate family are not Christians. Gantsetseg has no desire to participate in the Buddhist rituals that the family is doing and has planned. Please pray for peace for Gantsetseg, for wisdom for her as she deals with her own grief and the grief of her family, and for the salvation of the family including Gantsetseg's husband.

It's cold

The really cold weather has officially arrived. Preparing to go out at 8 yesterday morning I checked the weather. It was -9°outside.

That evening, I went to visit Togsoo. When I returned to my apartment after 10, I looked at the temperature again. It was -27°. That's cold.

An acquaintance of mine left his diesel LandCruiser out overnight on Monday night. He hasn't been able to get it started since.

Prayer update

There is a bad case of colds and pneumonia sweeping through Mongolia currently. It seems that every family that we know both Mongolian and expatriate is being affected. Our own family has three family members with bad colds. Kristie was seemingly starting to recover after a month of various ailments when she came down with the latest cold. She has not been well since before her parents arrived at the end of September. Please pray for complete healing for her.

Ulzee's mother Aya continues to receive cancer treatment for lymphatic cancer. Physically, she seems to be becoming weaker and weaker. She cannot even perform basic hygiene functions for herself anymore. Ganpurev and Ulzee have experienced a very real peace that passes all understanding during this time of trial. Continue to pray that God would be glorified in their response to Aya's illness. Aya herself has told me that she believes in Jesus and has given up all the Buddhist rituals that she used to observe. Please pray too that she will have a strong testimony of faith in Jesus Christ before her mostly Buddhist extended family.

We heard this week that Ganpurev's nephew Ankhaa has spinal tuberculosis. He is a young fellow in his early twenties with a wife and a son who is not yet a year old. Ganpurev especially has witnessed to his nephew many times, but Ankhaa has always resisted hearing about Jesus Christ. Recently, Ankhaa was in such pain that he could not even talk. He thought he was dying. Ankhaa was living on Ganpurev's small plot; they have since moved away. Please pray for his salvation. Below is a picture of Ankhaa with his wife.


I also found out this week that a lawyer who occasionally helps me with legal matters has been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (a.k.a. Lou Gehrig's Disease). So that gives you many things to pray about this week. We here in Mongolia need your prayers!

My 400th post

This is quite a milestone to me. Since my first post on June 28, 2006 I have posted 400 posts. There's plenty of material for that book I need to work on.

"I had a dream last night"

I received an urgent SMS this morning from a young lady who has attended church a few times and whose home Ganpurev, Ulzee, and I have visited. She had a very vivid dream about her mother in the night and wondered what she should do about it.

I quickly called her to ascertain the situation. She was obviously very upset and repeated her story: her dead grandmother appeared to her in a dream that seemed very real. Mongolians take such "appearances" very seriously and usually make an immediate trip to the Buddhists lamas to fulfill some ritual.

Her question was which ritual did the Bible prescribe when a dead relative appeared in a dream. She was very serious about her question. I explained to her that there were no rituals to perform, no need to exorcise any spirits even though her grandmother had seemed so life-like in her dream. I urged her to ask God for peace and pointed out that sometimes dreams can be tools that devilish forces use to upset us.

Her call was a reminder that in this superstitious culture dreams and visions are still taken quite seriously. Even today one can visit a shaman or witch doctor who will try to explain one's dreams. And demonic opposition is very real here too. Pray for these very young Christians that they would grow in their faith. Also pray for these unsaved yet sincerely interested Mongolians to realize their desperate need for Jesus Christ.

Picture of the week: Thanksgiving in Mongolia

A common question that we were asked on furlough is what do we do for American holidays. The short answer is we get together with our American friends and eat! This picture is our Thanksgiving Day spread from last week. This picture does not even include the desserts. There was lots to eat and plenty of good fellowship. We did miss out on turkey. A medium-sized turkey in Mongolia can cost over $100 so we rarely enjoy turkey on Thanksgiving. We did, however, enjoy the bountiful food that God gave us and the opportunity to be with fellow Americans. Some year, maybe you would consider joining us for Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day thought

What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience. - Adam Smith

A man in good health by the blessing of the Father of lights from whom all good things come. James 1:17

A man out of debt, not bound by his covetous passions, living contentedly with what God has given him. I Timothy 6:8

A man blessed with a clear conscience knowing that his sin has been forgiven and the price of his sin paid by the blood of Jesus Christ. I John 1:9

May all of you who read this enjoy a Happy Thanksgiving Day and rejoice in the good things that God has given us.

Pictures of the new rooms

On Sunday there was finally enough room for everyone to spread out. Too bad most people want to sit in the back rows.

Our new entryway so people who come late do not disturb the children's class. Lots of coats mean lots of people.

We have put all the chairs out; now we just need to take the plastic off and wait for Sunday.

Here is Ganpurev working to put up one of the walls. Ganpurev, John, and Kevin were mostly responsible for the walls in the new rooms. Another missionary, Don McIlvain, did all the electrical work for us.

Quote of the day

Let us depend upon it, that nothing but real faith in Christ, proved to be genuine by a holy life, can support us at last. That faith which consists merely in a correct belief of the doctrines of grace and prompts self-denial – that faith which allows us to spend all our days in serving self, content with merely refraining from outward sins, and attending to the ordinary duties of religion – is not faith at all. – Adoniram Judson

Picture of the week

These are four Mongolian men with Roland Gay. Roland spent some years in Mongolia learning the language, translating the Gospel of John, and assisting us at Faith Baptist Church. Health problems forced his family to move back to the States. However, he has such a love and burden for the Mongolian people that he has determined to visit Mongolia twice a year as the Lord allows. During his recent visit he preached some special meetings for us about the Word of God.

The four Mongolians in the group need your prayers. They are from left to right: Bob, Bilgee, Dashka, and Ganpurev. Bob recently made a profession of faith in Christ and now needs to grow. He really struggles with pride and a critical spirit. Please pray for humility and a teachable spirit.

Bilgee is not yet married but has a girl in mind and discussed marrying her. Pray that God would give him wisdom about this decision.

Dashka's wife and four children are not Christians yet. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Also pray for Dashka to be a God-honoring husband and father.

Ganpurev's mother-in-law has cancer. Because of the medical system here it is difficult for us to know exactly how well or how poorly she is doing. However, her poor health has been weighing heavily on Ganpurev and his wife. They need your prayers for peace and comfort and strength.

These men represent the core of Faith Baptist Church. Please uphold them in your prayers this week.

Dean's November prayer letter

“Not every Christian is called to the mission field, but every Christian ought to wrestle with the possibility.” I heard this quote many years ago from Ron Brooks. I have often thought that it appropriately sums up the responsibility of every Christian to consider missionary service. For those of you with God’s call on your life to serve Him in a culture that is not your own, Mongolia may be the place of God’s adventure for you.

The opportunities for ministry are many and varied. If we had two more missionary families serving with us, we could put them to work immediately upon their completion of language study. One area of service that weighs greatly on my heart is teaching Mongolians the Bible and training them to serve God. I have plans to start a Bible institute as a part of the ministry that we have here in Ulan Bator, but who will serve with me? Who will teach the classes when I am gone? Frankly, I need someone with more Bible knowledge than myself and a passion to impart that knowledge to Mongolians.

There are also some great opportunities for service in areas outside of Ulan Bator. Already, Ganpurev and I have been laying the ground work to plant a church in Ovorkhangai’s Bayan-ondor area. Ganpurev, who is from that area and knows many of the inhabitants personally, is not aware of a single Christian in an area larger than most U.S. counties. The three men with Ganpurev in the picture are all people who live in the Bayan-ondor area to whom we have witnessed more than once.

However, Bayan-onder is a good day’s drive away from Ulan Bator and desperately needs someone to go and live among them. Mongolians who live there tell us that evangelistic groups have come through before, but there is no one living there working to plant a church. We would be willing to go, but who would take our place in Ulan Bator?

I envision an American missionary, perhaps even my family, moving out there with a Mongolian family from Ulan Bator’s Faith Baptist Church to witness and labor among these people. For that to happen, there needs to be someone in Ulan Bator to labor among the million inhabitants of this city and hold the ropes for those in the countryside.

A further benefit to having three families is that as one family is away for health reasons or furlough the other two families can cover for them. I have often heard from those who know about missions that the best ministries are those who have teams of missionaries who work closely together.

Some may be worried that in these time of financial distress that it would be difficult to raise the funds to go to a foreign country. Who is it of whom it is said, “The earth is the LORD’s and the fulness thereof”?

Others may be concerned that the language will be too hard to learn. God told another of His servants who was worried about a similar difficulty, “Who made man’s mouth? Have not I the LORD?”

Maybe you fear adjusting to a new culture. I have claimed the verse, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.” If God can take His people through the waters and the rivers and the fire, surely He can lead his people in a new land.

"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest." (Matthew 9:38)

Don't talk so loud

Kristie and I were out shopping recently. Our normal supplier for gouda cheese has been out of cheese for some weeks. It's no crisis; but we do like cheese. Here in Mongolia Gouda cheese from the Netherlands is one of the least expensive cheeses we can reliably buy. (And I like Gouda more than cheddar).

We found some cheese at one of these indoor markets where there are some 30-40 vendors many of whom sell the same things. We noticed that several of the vendors were selling gouda cheese. I expected the price to be well above the price we normally pay since this indoor market is known for having hard-to-find items at hard-to-believe prices. (Would you believe over $12 for a single avocado? I like avocados but I've never had one in Mongolia.)

I asked one lady from whom we often buy mozzarella cheese how much the gouda was. She said a price within a few cents of the price that we pay normally. I was surprised and wondered if I'd heard her correctly. So I repeated the price. She quickly protested, "Be quiet!" Then she leaned over her counter and whispered, "Yes, that's the price but I don't want the other vendors to hear. They'll scold me for selling it so cheaply."

So we bought the reminder of her block and thank the Lord for His goodness. I believe that he gave us favor with the vendor to sell us her cheese at a price not far above what she paid for it.

Weekly update

This past week has been a busy one. The church voted to rent some new rooms; we have simply outgrown the rooms that we were in. This past Sunday evening at the English service we had 49 in attendance with a couple of American families from Russia joining us.

Kevin and John have been a big help in building walls in the new rooms. The walls are now done, and the two men are learning along with Ganpurev how to tape and mask the seams in the walls. The plan is to be in those new rooms by Sunday. Please pray for the men to complete the project in time. We simply do not have enough space in the old rooms for 50 people.

Also, last Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday night the church had special meetings. Roland Gay, whose family used to work with us in Mongolia, returned for a visit and preached for those three nights about the inspiration and preservation of God's word. There was a good response to his preaching. We hope that he will be able to return again and preach a similar series of sermons on God's word.

The cold weather arrives

The weather here in Mongolia has turned cold. I woke up this morning and checked the temperature. How does 26 below zero sound? Actually, that was the temperature in Celsius; the temperature in Fahrenheit was only 15 below zero. Although those two temperatures are the same, fifteen below just sounds more comfortable to me.

Special meetings

Having special meetings in Mongolia can be problematic because there are simply not very many special speakers who speak the language crisscrossing Mongolia. We have been blessed to have Roland Gay visiting for the past few weeks.

His family who previously lived in Mongolia, but health problems forced them to move back to the States. However, God has given Roland such a burden for Mongolia that he is determined to come back as often as he can to strengthen churches in Mongolia. Even while he is in the States, he continues to work on the Mongolian Bible translation work that is being sponsored by FirstBibles International and the Trinitarian Bible Society.

Because of Roland's unique language ability, his burden to preach, and his desire to strengthen churches, I asked him if he would preach to us during his time in Mongolia both on Sundays and during some special meetings during the week.

We have been pleased to have a good number of folks turn out. Roland has been preaching two messages each night: a message about the Bible, Its importance, preservation, and translation; and another shorter message to challenge the people.

Last night, we had a 95 year old first time visitor attend with some other visitors who have been coming somewhat regularly. Bob has come every night so far too which has been an encouragement to me.

New rooms

On Sunday the church voted to move to new rooms and to accept the extra financial responsibilities that will come with the new rooms. The current rooms that the church has been renting comprise three rooms that together equal about 600 sq. feet. One room which is very narrow is used for storage and as a nursery (not an ideal situation but one that has been forced upon us).

The largest room is used as the sanctuary. It can only seat 35, packing people in tight and not giving the preacher much more space than a place to stand. Since we have the children and adults meet together for the first hour of the service and attendance has been around 40, this room has been overflowing.

The third room is used for a classroom primarily for the children. Because there is no entryway or hallway everyone who wants to use the restroom, enter or exit the building, or simply get to the storage room has to pass through this room. This can be very disruptive.

The new rooms will give us a decent storage space (every church needs storage space), a sanctuary about twice the size of our current space where we plan to seat about 60 people, a children's classroom about the same size as the current one but with a better layout, and a fourth room that can be used as a nursery. There will also be an entryway, hallway, and much better bathroom in this new place. It is quite an additional expense for the church but one which we believe is necessary to allow its ministry to people to continue to expand.

Picture of the week

To those of you who are praying for us, I extend my sincerest thanks. We all need prayer; sometimes we seemingly need more prayer than at other times. This is one of those times when we need more prayer. I have included the most recent picture of our church. As you can see, we have grown some recently for which I praise God. We are preparing to move into bigger rooms - more about that in my weekly prayer update.

God is good all the time

"When you are hurting and afflicted, you are prepared to help those who are hurting and afflicted."

Talk about running across a quote at an opportune time. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start from the beginning. Kristie has been sick for over a month. It's been various things and only part of that time has she been in bed, but overall she's had some sort of illness bothering her since the end of September. Any time that Kristie is sick, it adds pressure to my schedule.

Then, we've had many breakthroughs recently in our ministry here - Bob's salvation, increased attendance on Sundays and Wednesdays, steps of growth in the lives of those to whom we minister. However, at the same time, we've been facing extra pressures. Some of these stresses have come from unexpected sources and these make them even more difficult to endure. Many of these problems I am unable to talk about which makes enduring them even more stressful.

I know from my study of God's word and the experiences God has led me through that these trials exist for our benefit, that it is God's plan to strengthen our faith and teach us patience. I also know that ultimately it is the trials of life and not the easy times that conform us to the image of Jesus and make us mature Christians.

Still, when one is actually in the middle of a trial it's hard to remember these things. It is easier to become discouraged and dismayed. So it is that while I am in the struggles I often forget the lessons that God is trying to teach me and my family.

Christians and especially missionaries have always faced difficult circumstances. James Fraser once remarked, "Refuse, however, to be discouraged, but get down on your knees at once and 'get right with God.' I have had many such experiences before, but I have made the mistake of giving way to depression instead of calmly investigating the cause of things. This time, however, the thief is not going to escape."

I have taken some time to prayerfully consider my circumstances and my response to them. I believe that I can see clearly some of the causes and can discern some of the purposes of God within my difficult circumstances.

First, as the quote I led with above states, I believe that God is trying to give me a greater heart and understanding spirit of those who are hurting.

Second, I discern God at work to purge me. In Psalm 119:67 we find, "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word." Affliction can often lead to cleansing. When times are good we are often complacent and willing to continue in the path that we are going. But hard times force us to re-examine our path and consider what God's leading truly is in our lives.

Third, we all know and recognize that when God's work is moving forward, our adversary and his minions will be there to oppose it. Even more significant, my own flesh, the old man, is not pleased when God's work is advancing. As with Elijah often our times of discouragement and sense of defeat is greatest immediately following our greatest victories.

So what am I doing to avoid discouragement and yield to the Holy Spirit. First, I am trying to listen to good music that encourages me (see II Kings 3:15). Just this morning while listening to music I was reminded of Jesus' admonition, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."

Which leads to the second way I am dealing with discouraging circumstances: prayer. I was reminded that Jesus shares our burdens and knows our discouragements.

Extra time in God's word reading not only what is on my reading schedule but extra passages where I can find encouragement and strength. "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." There is so much encouragement to be found in God's word.

Finally, I have reached out to some who know me well and are praying for me requesting extra prayer.

God is good all the time. He has been faithful to encourage me and support me. The issue has always been whether I will receive His aid or whether I will be content to wallow in self-pity and surrender to discouragement.

Thank you all for your prayers. Continue to pray for God to encourage us and to protect us from the attacks of Satan. We know that there is victory in Jesus Christ.

Pictures of Ulan Bator

I had a chance to visit an apartment recently on the 15th floor of a building downtown. Here are some pictures of the city of Ulan Bator from a new perspective.

Life in Mongolia

Recently, a new family came to Mongolia. After studying for two months, the wife was doing her best to communicate with a Mongolian lady. The Mongolian attempted to listen and then said something like, "For studying for two months, you sure don't speak the language very well."

I would be lying to say that Mongolia is an easy place to live. There is a certain amount of extra spiritual warfare and deep struggle that occurs. Instead of being surrounded by family, friends, loved ones, missionaries sense a certain amount of isolation. No matter how well one speaks the language, one never truly becomes "Mongolian." People call us names, accuse us falsely, cheat us because we are foreigners, make fun of us, misunderstand us (intentionally or not); any normal human would respond with some kind of defense mechanism.

Different people choose different ways to protect themselves and their heart from this isolation and rejection. Some adopt an "us vs. them" mentality that allows us to be as critical of Mongolians and their culture as they are of us. "Mongolians drive wrong," or "Mongolians smell funny," or "Mongolians don't do this right." These are some common complaints that we hear.

Some missionaries withdraw from Mongolian society all together, congregating in compounds, fellowshipping with other foreigners, and visiting the expatriate hang-outs that exist in any capital city. Surrounded by a few thousand foreigners and a million Mongolians they know more foreigners than Mongolians.

Sometimes we just leave the country completely. Without God leading us away, missionaries strike out to new lands or return to the States.

Margaret Clarkson famously wrote about missionaries' experiences in her song "So Send I You."

So send I you to loneliness and longing,
With heart a-hungering for the loved and known,
Forsaking home and kindred,
Friend and dear one -
So send I you to know my love alone.

Many years ago, long before I "became a missionary" I sang that song in a church service and contemplated its bleak outlook on missions life. It was only today while looking again at that song that I came across her other verses written many years after the first verses were written.

After a life of experience and a wealth of pain (a father and mother who divorced, migraines, back trouble, and childhood arthritis), Miss Clarkson looked back and realized that her initial verses were an unbalanced reflection of the Christian life of service. She wrote several new verses to bring her song into balance.

So send I you - by grace made strong to triumph
O'er hosts of hell, o'er darkness, death, and sin,
My name to bear, and in that name to conquer
So send I you - my victory to win.

We have seen victories, we have seen defeats. We have been blessed, we have been oppressed. To those of you who pray for us I say - continue to uphold us in prayer. We need God's power to avoid the natural defense mechanisms and the victory of the Holy Spirit-filled life to minister in this place.

Annoyed by a drunk

Last night just after six, Bill Patterson and I were standing outside by our vehicles waiting for our wives. It had already turned dark, and we were passing the time profitably discussing ministry in Mongolia. I noticed that an obviously drunk man was standing several feet away from us staring at us. Often drunk people stare at foreigners so I did not think much of it.

After staring for a minute or so, the man walked up to Bill and poked him hard in the stomach. I thought to myself, What is this man doing? What he was doing was trying to pick a fight. He clenched his right hand into a fist. Bill wisely avoided being punched by reaching out and taking the man's clenched right hand as if to shake it and greeting him kindly both in English and Mongolian.

But the man wanted none of that. He continued to sway back and forth for a few seconds without doing anything as if he wondered what to do next. Bill took a step back to avoid confrontation but the drunk man stepped towards Bill again with a clenched fist. As if to confront Bill, he said in Mongolian, "Do you know what the word 'disrespect' means?" Hoping to calm the man and avert trouble, I stepped forward and put my hand gently on the man's shoulder. He hesitated a second and then grabbed my hand and thrust it away. Bill tried to talk to him. The man claimed he knew a little English and kept saying, "Two dollars." The drunk brought out his wallet and showed us it was empty repeatedly saying, "Two dollars," first looking at Bill and then towards me. Knowing that he would only spend the money on more alcohol, we politely refused.

Then he pointed to Bill and said, "One dollar," and then to me, "One dollar." We shook our heads to refuse his demand. Then he moved toward me. Bill got out his phone perhaps to call someone for help. The man started speaking Mongolian saying, "Is he going to call the police?" and laughed histrionically. Then he reached for his back pocket as if he had a knife and whipped he hand back toward me threateningly, but I could see that he had no knife.

Bill and I moved away from him again but he followed us. He said to me, "You understand Mongolian. I'll bring the police here and kill you. Do you know the word 'knife'? I'll kill you." I must admit I chuckled at his obviously silly threats. He was so drunk that a strong push would have knocked him to the ground. Besides, why show fear?

And then as abruptly as he came, he walked away. We were in a very public place and two or three dozen people must have passed us as we stood there. But no one chose to intervene except one man who walked up who looked as if he might live on the streets. The drunk waved him off and told him to go away which the man did.

I never really felt as if I was in any real danger. The greatest danger seemed to me to be to get in a fight with a drunk man and seem to those who passed by to be picking a fight with a drunk man. But God gave us grace that enabled us to avoid a confrontation. Soon after that, our wives came out and we left.

Sunday update

Kristie has been sick for almost a month now. First she had a cold and fever. The fever went away after a few days but the cough remained. Then she had a really nasty stomach virus that kept her in bed or near the toilet for a few days. After that went away the cough returned. Last week, she would feel decent during the day but in the evenings she would feel sick at her stomach and dizzy in her head, especially if she stood or sat. Lying down, she might feel only slightly sick although one night even lying down did not help.

I have been trying to help with the homeschooling but do not think that I make a very good substitute teacher. I have also been making dinner and feel better with that job. It would be nice if Kristie would feel completely better. Then we could get our family back to normal.

The turnout was good again on Sunday with 17 Mongolian adults. That is about double the adult attendance of last year. We have one new family that has been faithful the last few weeks: Byasaa and his wife Ganchimeg. They both say that they are saved; however, I am not sure what to think. Ganpurev started this week teaching them a Bible study. He and I will be working with them closely to make certain of their salvation, to see them baptized, and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ. Please pray for these and many other young Christians with whom we are working.

Funeral for Bold's sister

"It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that it the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart." Ecclesiastes 7:2

I attended the funeral for Bold's sister today. Bill went with me and was an encouragement to me and, I believe, to Bold also.

It was different than most Mongolian funerals in that there was no Buddhist monk present at the funeral. Nor had a Buddhist monk visited the family's home. The mother had refused to allow a Buddhist monk to enter her home.

We left for the funeral at 5:45. Mongolians always have very early funerals. The temperature outside was a little above zero as we stood in the early morning sun and watched the ceremonies that mark the depositing of a body and casket into the ground. My feet began to lose their feeling because I chose to wear a pair of dress shoes rather than my winter boots. Still I was glad to be there to encourage my friend during his time of mourning.

Quote of the day

"To me there is nothing more tragic or shortsighted or lacking in insight than the assumption, made by so many, that the Church herself is all right and all she has to do is to evangelize the world outside. Every revival proves clearly that men who are outside the church always become attracted when the Church herself begins to function truly as the Christian Church, and as individual Christians [should act]." - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

"Weep with them that weep"

I had been sitting for almost an hour, the conversation in Mongolian swirling about me. I have never been good at these kinds of things.

There was no light in the room except for the faint evening sun that was blocked by the building directly to the south. On the table in front of me sat three tall thermos flasks filled with milk tea; several plates with sliced salami and cucumbers; and a large bowl piled high with candies, dried curds called aaruul, and other small treats.

I was waiting for my friend Bold who had left before I arrived to obtain his sister's death certificate.

Bold's sister Oyungerel had surgery several months ago to completely remove a cancerous kidney. Her surgery had been followed by a series of chemotherapy treatments. As far as I knew from Bold her recovery had been slow but steady until about a month ago.

On a warm Wednesday in September, I came at my regular time to meet with Bold to work on Mongolian translation work. I found the whole house in a panic; Bold was very apologetic. "I'm sorry," he said, "I cannot meet with you today. This morning my sister suddenly discovered that she has no feeling in her right leg from her hip to her knee. We're just getting ready to take her to the hospital."

I felt awkward because I had already loaned out my jeep to a Mongolian friend to use to take his mother-in-law to the hospital to continue her cancer treatments and could not help Bold transport his sister to the hospital. Instead I began to pray and asked the church to pray.

Bold too was praying. Bold was saved about eight years ago and was left in charge of a house church when some missionaries from Germany returned home about four years ago. Our time of working on translation together has drawn us close. Sometimes instead of translating we will spend almost an entire session discussing a Biblical response to Mongolian culture or the latest news among Christians in Ulan Bator. It has been very helpful to me to have a Mongolian friend with whom I can discuss such things.

His sister Suvda is also a Christian, but the rest of his family continue to worship false gods though they respect his "religious beliefs".

Bold's pre-occupation with his sister and my parents-in-law's visit kept us from our regular meetings for the past month. But through a phone call and sneaking in visits I was able to follow his sister's condition.

The doctors came to realize that the cancer that they had thought was confined to her kidneys had already begun to spread before her surgery. Although the doctors completely removed her kidney, the already metastasized cancer was swiftly working its way into her spinal column. Its growth there caused pressure on her spinal cord which resulted in the loss of feeling first in one leg and then the other.

Because of the delicate nature of the spinal cord and the spread of the cancer, the doctors were not certain that more surgery would be successful. Besides Oyungerel did not want to go through surgery again and declined further treatment. Barring direct intervention by God, it became a matter of waiting.

I will close the curtain of privacy on the details of her decline. But the family reached a point where they needed some relief from caring night and day for Oyungerel. Someone suggested hospice care, and for two weeks she was in the kind and gentle hands of Christian people who exhibit far more grace and skill than I have.

She returned home last week. On Wednesday Bold and I met briefly and talked. She was not doing well. As a church we began to pray. Almost every day I communicated briefly with Bold telling him that we were praying.

Monday morning I received the message that she had passed away.

Though I had not ruled out God's direct intervention, I was led to pray for the salvation of Oyungerel and Bold's mother and for the comfort & peace of the Holy Spirit for Bold and Suvda. God answered one of those requests as I found out Monday from Bold that while Oyungerel was in hospice care she had told people multiple times that she had received Jesus and trusted Him.

Because the Mongolian custom is to visit the home of the deceased as soon as one can after receiving the news, I found myself at Bold's house sipping milk tea and eating the aaruul.

The Mongolians spoke their language around me sometimes addressing the whole group of almost a dozen of us, sometimes chatting more informally in little groups of three or four. Even in English I feel uncertain what to say at times of grief, and in Mongolian I am concerned that I might say the wrong thing and intensify everyone's grief. So I sat silently, speaking if spoken to and waiting for Bold to return.

Finally, the group that was there, primarily people from Bold's church, took time to pray and then left. I was left alone with Bold's mother and sister Suvda and aunt. There was some light joking as I was introduced as Jeff because before me had been another foreigner to visit also named Jeff.

Shortly after that an even larger group of people, teachers from the school where Bold's mother taught, came to visit. The room quickly filled and then began to overflow with people. The family invited me to wait in another, smaller room.

I had only been waiting a few minutes when Bold returned from his visits to the officials. He came into the room where I was and we exchanged the usual Mongolian pleasantries. He began to explain mechanically the nature of his errands even showing me the newly acquired death certificate.

I put my arm around him and said in Mongolian (even though he speaks good English), "I don't have any fancy words to say. I want to say I love you." Mongolian men do not usually cry but Bold did. We embraced, and I gave Bold the chance to recover.

"It's hard for me," he said, "being the only man in my family." His father had passed away when he was a boy, and he has no brothers. "Everyone wants me to be tough." Nothing was said for a minute or two and then his aunt came in to discuss more burial preparations.

Oyungerel's death is real; her eternity is now decided. The recent news is another painful reminder that death is all around us. We tend to try to sanitize death and its details to insulate ourselves emotionally from it. But death is real. Which makes our work here in Mongolia all the more urgent and important.

Picture of Bob

We are still rejoicing at the recent salvation of Bob. His wife told us today that Bob told all his friends that he had become a Christian. She said that there was a long pause and then they said, "I guess that means you'll be changing." Please continue to pray that God would protect Bob from evil influences.

Sunday our attendance was down a little. But we still had 34 when we counted the Mongolians and Americans. I would have been very happy to have 34 people at a church service this time last year.

One of my Mongolian friend's sisters passed away this morning. Her name was Oyungerel, and she finally succumbed to cancer. I spent some time this afternoon and evening with him. Please pray for comfort and peace for Bold and his sister Suvda who are Christians. And pray for the salvation of Bold's mother who is not yet a Christian.

Details of Bob's salvation

It was not so many weeks ago that Ganaa (also known as Bolroo) was baptized. She was saved when we first met her in 2001. (She was Kristie's language tutor and helped me as well.) However, she was not a very mature Christian.

It took us a long time to see her baptized. We certainly encouraged her to be baptized; however, she usually had some excuse. We fully expected her to come to our previous baptismal service and be baptized and were disappointed when she missed.

I have also witnessed to her husband Bob many times. As a matter of fact, Bob was the first person to whom I witnessed in Mongolian. In 2005-2006 when we were on furlough, we asked our supporters to pray for his salvation.

It seemed to us that immediately after her baptism her problems increased. I was sure glad I did not promise my listeners that if they were baptized all their problems would go away. On the advice of his drinking buddies her husband told her the next day that she would have to choose between Jesus and him. Then he called me and asked my family to stop having Ganaa teach our children Mongolian.

The day after that, Ganaa, Kristie, and I met. It was amazing to see the peace that Ganaa had as she told us that Bob told her that if she followed Christ she would need to leave the house. She told us plainly, "I will follow Jesus even if I have to move out." She was seeking advice on what she ought to do. We began to pray with her that God would soften Bob's heart.

On the Saturday following I was going out to visit people. I was not sure if I should visit Bob's house or not and finally decided against it because I was concerned that a visit might make the situation worse for Ganaa. After all, he had not yet insisted that Ganaa leave. Instead I was led to pray that God would give me an opportunity to run into Bob. Strangely enough, I had completed all my visits and was returning home when I stopped at a local grocery store to buy some cheese. Who should be there but Bob! Providentially, God brought us together. I determined that I would show him that I loved him. My father-in-law (who is also my pastor) had offered to bring something with him to give to Bob as a goodwill gift. So I asked Bob if there was anything from the States that he wanted. He asked for two pair of jeans.

My parents-in-law visit was the perfect opportunity to have Bob over to our house. We held an open house for our friends to meet our parents and invited Bob and his family to come. Kristie's parents had brought with them the pairs of jeans that Bob had requested. Bob came with his family and seemed to enjoy his time with my pastor.

My pastor who was preparing to speak on Sunday told him that he could pick up his jeans at the church service. So Bob came again on Sunday. My pastor spoke and then Ganpurev preached an evangelistic message. Bob picked up his jeans, asked if he could meet with me and my pastor, and said that he would be back the next week.

A few days later Bob invited our family to come over for a meal. On Saturday, we went to Bob's house where he gave us plenty of good food to eat. Afterwards, my pastor and I took the opportunity to witness to Bob. It was not that Bob was unaware of the claims of Christ or needed to know the way of salvation. I had, in fact, been witnessing to him several weeks before his wife's baptism when he cut me off and said, "I know all that." His problem was that he did not want to place his trust in Jesus Christ as his Savior from sin. It was a classic situation where a person knows that Jesus claims to be the way, the truth, and the life but does not want to believe it.

Bob shared with us that Saturday that he was afraid that if he became a Christian he would be a hypocrite. He said he knew many men who said that they were Christians but continued to drink, lie, and deal dishonestly. It was apparent that Bob understood the basic concept of repentance; that is, if he were to become a Christian God would want to change his sinful life. A Christian's life should stand in stark contrast to the world.

My father-in-law wisely reminded Bob that we cannot be worried about God's responsibility but must accept our responsibility. Our responsibility is to respond to God with faith; it is God's responsibility to save and sanctify us. Bob said that he would think about it. I pressed him to give us an answer, and my pastor reminded him that no answer was to continue to resist the Holy Spirit. I asked if he would give us an answer the next day; he said that he would think about that too.

The next day, a Sunday, Bob again came to church. When we sang "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" to close our service, I noticed that Bob was singing the song, something that he has never done before because he believes as I do that it would be hypocritical for him to sing any song if he does not agree with the words. I noted this change of character in him and wondered what it might mean.

After the service, I asked Bob if he was ready to put his trust in Jesus. He said, "Let's talk, the three of us" referring to my pastor and me and him. So we found some privacy in a little storage room and talked. The conversation probably lasted an hour. Bob continued to express a fear that he could not live the Christian life. We agreed with him that he could not live the Christian life, showed him Galatians 2:20, and emphasized that the Christian life was simply allowing Christ to live through us. We also pointed out that he could only take one step at a time and that today's step was to put his trust in Jesus Christ and to ask God to forgive him.

Finally, after about an hour Bob said, "Okay, I'm ready to do that." So I suggested that he should pray and tell God what he had just told me. Bob bowed his head and without any prompting told God that he was a sinner, asked God for forgiveness through Jesus, and asked God to begin to change him. It was very moving for those of us who know how proud Bob was to see him humble himself before a holy God and admit his sinfulness.

For many years, I have witnessed to Bob, sometimes even angering him with my boldness. Now the Holy Spirit has transformed him, and it is exciting to see God at work.

(Bob's family is in the picture to the right)

Weekly update

I want to share with you a victory in prayer. I earnestly believe that your prayers are significant to my ministry here and want to assure you that God does answer your prayers. In last week's prayer update I asked you to pray for our meeting with Bob; this week I am rejoicing as I report that Bob made a profession of faith over the weekend. Let me bring some of you up to date on who Bob is and why the events of this past week are so momentous to me.

Bob is the first man that I ever witnessed to in Mongolia way back in 2002. Sometimes he would seem open to hearing the Gospel; sometimes he seemed almost possessed, railing against me and falsely accusing his Christian wife of all sorts of evils. But that is one reason that his salvation is so significant: his wife is a Christian. We want entire families to be united in Christ. Other missionaries have come to Mongolia, seen the difficulties in the marriage of a Christian to a non-Christian, said it was hopeless, and encouraged the saved spouse to divorce the unsaved spouse. I believe that God is greater than our "impossibilities," and Bob's salvation is another reminder of that!

If you were to ask me two years ago or four years ago who I thought the most unlikely man to become a Christian was, I would have answered without hesitation Bob. His pride, his self-sufficiency, his addiction to sin, his many unsaved friends - there is no doubt that Bob was the least likely to become a Christian. Again, that is why his salvation is so significant.

Finally, he has friends and acquaintances everywhere. We cannot walk down the street together without Bob meeting someone that he knows. One of them just recently became a member of parliament. Imagine the impact Bob's godly life could have on those friends. Some of these friends are very evil. One of Bob's greatest fears is that his evil friends will pull him back to a life of sin.

Let's pray together that the same miraculous power that God exhibited to draw Bob to Himself would be exhibited in Bob's life. I am praying that God would protect him from sin and cause him to grow spiritually. I am praying that through all of this God might be glorified and another light may shine brightly for our Savior in this dark country.

Victory!

Where to begin? Yes, yesterday our attendance continued to rise with over 45 people in both the morning service (Mongolian) and the evening service (English). We literally spilled out of the room we are in. We need more room! (I'm not complaining, it's a good problem to have.)

But the best news of the day was Bob's profession of salvation after the morning service. Pastor Jaquith and I had gone to see him on Saturday and had a profitable opportunity to witness to him. We pressed him to tell us whether he would surrender to Christ and beg God's forgiveness for his sins. When he said that he needed to think about it, Pastor Jaquith asked if he could give him an answer tomorrow (Sunday). Bob said that he would think about it.

Pastor Jaquith preached in the morning service on some duties of the Christian. Ganpurev followed up with an evangelistic sermon. To close the service we sang "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus." We have sang this song many times before, but I noticed this time that Bob had joined in the singing with us. That's odd, I thought, he's never joined in singing this song before.

After the service, I approached Bob and asked if he had an answer. He said that he was ready "to believe" but that he wanted the three of us to talk. We found some privacy in a storage room and began to talk. At the end Bob bowed his head and prayed confessing his sinfulness and asking God to change him.

There's so much more I could write about. I will try to do so soon. I know that many of you have been praying with me for years for Bob's salvation. Praise the Lord, I believe that God has answered those prayers. Now pray for Bob's spiritual growth and for protection from temptation.

Prayer update

We certainly enjoyed a good Sunday. Pastor Jaquith preached twice for us. We had 43 total people in attendance in the morning and 39 in the evening. Bob came to church for the first time in months, and his wife Ganaa taught the children's class. This past Sunday was truly a highlight Sunday.

Speaking of Bob, he called me last week asking to meet with me. He has pretty much tried to ignore me for the last year. But last week, after calling he came to my house to meet me. He expressed some remorse for some of his recent actions. Again, I preached to him that Jesus is the only way to peace. He said something like, "Do you really believe that?"

After the Sunday service, Bob came and asked if Pastor Jaquith, he, and I could meet this week. Many of you, Ganaa (Bob's wife), Pastor Jaquith, and I have been praying for Bob's salvation for many years. I have been praying especially fervently recently that now would be the time of salvation for Bob. What glory it would bring to God for this hardened sinner to come to salvation through Jesus Christ. Please pray for us as we meet this week.

Pictures of Mongolian Christians

I was recently asked for some pictures of people who have been saved through our ministry. I decided to go ahead and post these pictures for those of you who frequent this blog.

First snow!

We woke up this morning to snow. It's our first snow since last spring. Winter won't be long now.

Quotes of the day

"I am never tired of saying that what the church needs to do is not to organize evangelistic campaigns to attract outside people, but to begin herself to live the Christian life." - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

And later he also said, "The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it."

Prayer update

I met twice last week with Baska for Bible study and visited Hashbayar at his sister's home where Ganpurev and I preached Jesus Christ to him. Bob met me at my home today and seemed more open to the Gospel than he has been in a long time though he remains unrepentant. He did say that he would come to the church service on Sunday to hear my pastor preach. Ganpurev is preparing an evangelistic service. Pray that the unconverted who come this Sunday would understand their wickedness, repent of sin, and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.

Attendance the last two Sundays has been great! Two Sundays ago we had 32 Mongolians in attendance and last Sunday 30 Mongolians. Considering that last year's attendance in September averaged 13 Mongolians, I feel that we are off to a great start to a new school year!

Grandma & Grandpa, the Jaquiths, arrived safely last night and are already enjoying their grandkids. Kristie is sick, however, and unable to enjoy her parents visit fully. Please pray that Kristie would get better soon.

Aya's health

I have been wanting to update my blog for some time. But let's just say that I've been providentially prevented from updating my blog.

Aya's doctors seem encouraged by her body's response to treatment so far. The tumor is softening and shrinking they say. However, the doctors are now suggesting more potent treatments. I am not sure how Aya's body will hold up.

Ganpurev & Ulzee were very encouraged by the doctors' prognosis. The doctors were saying that the outlook was not very good; now they are saying that there might be hope for a full recovery. Keep praying.

Picture of the week

This week's picture is two sets of brother and sister. The younger brother and sister are Ermune and Oyungaa. Those two are the children of the lady on the right whose name is Byambaa. She has been coming to the church for some years now.

The young man on the left is her younger brother, Hashbayar. While he was staying at her home for a while last year, I took the opportunity to witness to him. But he did not really want to talk. After some months, he returned to his mother's home in the countryside.

Hashbayar came back to stay at his sister's again this fall to attend school. He has been coming faithfully to church on Sunday. Last Thursday, Ganpurev and I took the opportunity to preach Christ to him again. He seemed interested. Though he is not yet saved, I am praying that he will be saved soon.

Aya update

Aya has been going through a course of ten radiation treatments for her cancer: one each day. It is an outpatient treatment. On Friday she went in for another treatment, but after the doctors checked a test that she had given, they decided that it was not wise to continue the radiation treatment at this time. From talking to Ulzee it is not clear what the hindrance is.

Ulzee is very concerned about her mother. She says that someone needs to be close to her at night when she is sleeping. Maybe I misunderstand her Mongolian, but I think she is concerned that Aya will slip away in her sleep. She talks about her breathing stopping.

Aya has not been eating well either. The radiation treatments make her vomit up whatever she has eaten, and even before the treatments she did not have much appetite.

She is also in between chemotherapy treatments. The chemotherapy doctor saw her this past week and said that he would need to wait until after her radiation treatments were over to decide when to treat her again with chemotherapy.

I am truly grateful to all of you who have been praying for Aya, Ulzee, and Ganpurev. Ulzee asks me yesterday to pray every day for them. I will continue to post updates as I know more.

Melamine in the milk

Many of you probably have already heard about the milk scare in China that is rapidly spreading throughout Asia. For those of you wondering, China is a large source of milk in Mongolia. Also, Chinese milk usually tastes more like milk that American are used to drinking which means that many expatriates in Mongolia only buy milk brands from China.

For good or bad, Chinese milk is usually slightly more expensive than Mongolian or Russian milk. Since my children have grown up on Mongolian milk which is less expensive, they do not mind the taste. I do not drink milk anymore, and Kristie uses powdered milk. Our powdered milk may be from China.

I had an American friend who just bought a whole case of Chinese milk. He will not drink it since the United States Embassy in Mongolia issued a press release stating that Chinese milk should not be bought or consumed.

A new face

Hashbyar is Byambaa's brother. He came to live with her last year while he attended school. But he was very undisciplined, sometimes disappearing for days at a time without telling his sister where he might be. Despite the fact that his mother and sister had scraped together money for his schooling, it was only a few months before he quit school and returned to the countryside. Last year, he only visited our services once. I saw him a few times at his sister's home, but he usually was inattentive and quiet.

Hashbyar returned to the city this year to return to school. Since he returned he has attended our services every Sunday and payed close attention to the sermons.

This evening, Ganpurev and I went him at his sister's home. He says that he has been reading his sister's Bible. He has also read with interest several tracts that his sister gave him. He also listened attentively as Ganpurev and me once again witnessed to him. He did not have any questions, and although he admitted that he is a sinner, he seemed unrepentant at this point. He did say that he has stopped his previous practice of saying Buddhist mantras for protection.

Please pray for his salvation. This picture above shows Hashbyar with his sister, niece, and nephew.

Restarting a Bible study

"One of my primary goals for the work in Mongolia is to leave behind faithful men who will teach others also. In this passage there is a progression from Paul to Timothy to faithful men.I think about how many people have impacted my life, those who have invested in my life, exhibited Christ-like attitudes, and taught me God's Word. My goal is to invest my life in young Mongolian men 'who shall be able to teach others also.'

That is why the recent opportunity to study the Bible with Bilgee, Baska, and Jagaa is so exciting. I have known Bilgee almost since I arrived in Mongolia, and I met the other two young men years ago. However, it has only been recently that God has brought the other two young men back across my path. When I suggested that we study the Bible together, they were excited and agreed." --

I remember writing these words in my June prayer letter. I had such high hopes for these three men. And then ... nothing. Baska disappeared, Jagaa started to attend another church and despite the fact that he had no job he had no time to meet for a Bible study, and Bilgee claimed that he was too busy to have a Bible study. I was disappointed.

Then Baska came back somewhat repentant. He did not say where he had gone or what he had been doing. He did say that he was sorry that he had been away. During the time that he was away he started a job that required him to work on Sunday mornings. Perhaps that is why he stopped coming to the church service.

Whatever the case, he has been very faithful the last few weeks. Even though he cannot come on Sunday mornings because of work, he has been coming to the English service on Sunday night. (Since he does not understand English, he has trouble being edified through the English service. Please pray that either he job would give him time to attend on Sunday mornings or that he could find another job that would give him free time on Sunday.)

He has also been meeting with me once a week for a Bible study. He invited Bilgee to join us, but Bilgee declined stating that he was very busy. We met today. He admitted that in the past his Christian life has not been very stable and said that has to change. I was thrilled when he asked if we could meet twice a week to study the Bible together.

Baska asked me to pray that he would be more faithful in his Bible reading and growth in grace. He can be a very serious-minded, zealous man. Please pray with me for Baska to be spiritual stable and to grow in grace.

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also."

Sunday update

Wow! What a Sunday! We were overjoyed this week to have 32 Mongolians join us for a service this morning! They just kept coming in; one fellow even joined us about the time of the invitation. I think (without looking at my records) that it was the best turnout we have ever had on a Sunday morning.

Jagaa and Sanaa came for the first time in a long time, Dawaajab was back, even Enkhamgalan came. He has not come for about a year. Dashka job took him to the countryside for most of the summer; he had only been able to come a handful of times since summer started. He came today. We also had a first time visitor: the husband of one lady who has been visiting with us.

I was greatly encouraged by the good turnout. Please pray with us as we follow up this week with some who came.

Picture of the week

We have two young men with us for the next 9 months. We are excited to have them with us. As you can see they are quite adventurous. We visited Turtle Rock, and they climbed to this high point.

Though their main focus is language learning, they also are utilizing opportunities to minister in English.