Some news from Mongolia

I found out this week that Bilgee and Saikhnaa are expecting their first child. I rejoice with them in this good news.

Weekly update

We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with Kristie's family. It was a blessing to be with loved ones during the Christmas season. This week Kristie's grandparents are traveling from Idaho to spend some time with us. We are also glad to be in the Portland area during Christmas because the temperatures are much warmer here. Christmas Day in Ulan Bator the high was -15 F and the low was -40.

I have been busy with preparations to start traveling and some speaking opportunities at Westgate Baptist Church. It feels so comforting to minister in my native language.

The church in Ulan Bator, Mongolia continues to have good attendance. Please pray for the Pattersons this week. I'm sure that there is a certain loneliness in being in Mongolia at this time of year.

God's provision for a vehicle

One of the great needs for missionaries is for a vehicle to use during the ministry in the United States. Most missionaries are back for a year or less. Often they are financially strapped: these are not people making six figure incomes that can afford to purchase a vehicle outright that they only intend to use for some months.

Some missionaries borrow and commit to large monthly payments to purchase a reliable vehicle. There are some people that work to provide vehicles for missionaries who are in the States. However, I am not aware of anyone like that in our part of the country.

God has been gracious and provided a van for us through a man in our church. It is a comfortable van and easily accommodates the whole family. We thank God for His goodness to us.

Quote of the week

"Once biblical authority is surrendered it leads to the most undesirable consequences. It will end in apostasy at last. It is my opinion that it is next to impossible to stop the process of theological deterioration once inerrancy is abandoned." — Harold Lindsell (quoted in Promise Unfulfilled: The Failed Strategy of Modern Evangelicalism by Rolland McCune).

Family picture

Wow! It has been too long since I updated the site. We have been busy at Westgate Baptist Church since our arrival. The children are getting adjusted to attending school rather than home school. I have preached twice, covered as a substitute teacher once at the Christian school (I love to teach!). And Kristie has been holding everything together while moving into a new home. According to my count, we have rented or owned seven different apartments since we were married fourteen years ago.

I have included the most recent family picture taken since we arrived in Oregon. All my dates are filling up fast. There are not as many dates when you only plan to be in the United States eight months instead of a year.

I will be trying to update this blog more regularly now that I am back on my feet. So check back often for updates.

Weekly update

We are now in Oregon. Westgate Baptist Church was so kind to help us move in. Many families participated in donating furniture and household items so that we moved directly into a duplex that we are renting for our time in the U.S. Also, a man at Westgate Baptist Church provided a van for us to use during our time in the States. We are all very grateful for the Lord's bountiful provision.

The kids, Kristie and I are truly grateful for the chance to be with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas. My brothers, who live in Alaska, will also be able to travel down to be with us. Kristie's brothers live in Oregon, and we have been able to see them.

Arrival in the U.S.

It has certainly been too long since I posted to my blog. Sorry for the complete silence.

We arrived in the United States without any trouble on Wednesday. The trip to Oregon was uneventful—just like we like it. We will be in North America until late July, serving at Westgate, reporting to our churches, and enjoying time with family.

I am still struggling with jet lag which is why I am typing this at 2 in the morning.

Sunday update

The services of this previous Sunday were a victory to me. We have been trying to make the transition from Kristie and I doing most of the planning and work to the Mongolians doing most of it. In that regard this previous Sunday was a complete success. Someone was there early to open up so that by the time I arrived twenty minutes before the service, the church was open, the lights were on, and a greeter was there to welcome people. Without prompting, Bilgee started off the service with Bible reading and call to worship. Then Dashka led the singing. Finally, faithful Ganpurev preached the sermon. Later I would teach a Bible lesson to the adults. Bill Patterson will be taking my teaching responsibilities while I am away. I was grateful to God to see the Mongolians taking their responsibilities seriously and being in their places.

Bob was there again for the second Sunday in a row. This is the first time that he has come to church two Sundays in a row in perhaps ten months. And he was in attendance despite the fact that he had experienced a significant disappointment in the previous week that I knew he could have used as an excuse to not attend church.

We will be returning to the States in two weeks. Anytime we leave Mongolia to spend an extended period in the States, there are so many details to be considered: packing, putting items in storage, arranging for bills to be paid, arranging for plants to be watered and birds to be fed. Please pray for Kristie and me as we try to take all these details into account during the next two weeks.

We have a Mongolian friend who will be traveling with us from Mongolia to the United States and spending about ten days with us in Oregon. I know it would be a treat for some of you at Westgate to host him for a dinner and ask him questions about himself and Mongolia.

The cold weather is upon us

Every year this happens: the weather starts to turn cold, and I think to myself—I can handle this cold weather. And then the weather turns really cold. The first, I can handle this kind of cold weather has finally arrived. We have awoken the past two mornings to temperatures below zero. That is -17〫for those of you used to Celsius.

The weather is predicted to warm up into the low forties some this week before dropping into the twenties for a high by the weekend.

Still, as I mentioned before this is the I can handle it type of cold. In a month or so—after we leave—temperatures will plunge into below zero for a high and -30 or even -40 for a low. At -40 it does not matter whether you are using Fahrenheit or Celsius. It is the same temperature. And that's cold!

Sometimes weekly quote

"Whitefield and Wesley might preach the Gospel better than I. But they cannot preach a better Gospel." - Spurgeon

Picture of the week

This week several of us gathered to discuss translation. Bill was at the meeting but was not in this picture because he was the one taking it.

Tonga update

Tonga is back in the hospital this week for her third round of chemotherapy. Keep praying for those Tonga and Dashka. Dashka needs love, grace, meekness, and perseverance to deal with his wife's long illness. Tonga needs healing but even more needs the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Dashka told me yesterday that he has noticed that his wife is more open to hearing about Jesus Christ.

Keep praying; good things are happening.

Sunday update

There has been much sickness this past week. Everyone in our family has been ill. Elsie still is quite ill.

I had also heard that many church members had been sick. So I wondered how many folks would show up at the service this morning. This was also the first Sunday morning in which most of the responsibilities were to be covered. So after wondering how many people would be at the service, I pondered how many people would forget their responsibilities.

I did not need to worry: everyone with responsibilities was there and in their place today. That was a great encouragement to me because while I am gone the Mongolians will be covering most of the areas of service in the church.

Lots of illness

There is lots of illness in the church; I mean physical illness. Chills, fevers, dizziness, coughing, headaches - I don't think that there's a family without at least one of these symptoms. I talked to another church member today who had an ingrown toenail removed. Her foot is all swollen and sore. And Ulzee has a nasty boil on her head of all places.

We were scheduled to have a special speaker for the ladies tomorrow. The special speaker was sick so I decided to re-schedule that meeting.

By God's grace, no one is so sick that they have been hospitalized or anything of that magnitude. We are just a bunch of sick people at home.

Quick update on Bob

I met with Bob today, and we talked for several hours. He still needs to humble himself and be teachable. He came to church this past Sunday; pray that he comes again this Sunday.

Also, I think I'm still recovering from my recent illness. Pray for me that I would recover completely soon and that I would be strengthened for my ministries on Sunday.

Weekly update

"In every thing give thanks." There are several nasty illnesses making the rounds in Mongolia including the normal flu, swine flu, and an unpleasant cold. Kristie caught her cold last Friday. I woke up on Saturday with a severe headache that heralded some illness. However, because I was unable to be sick on Saturday I took a Motrin and went to the church's activity. I felt good the rest of the day. During the activity, I fell into an icy stream along with Caleb. Caleb said smiling that I tried to drown him. The icy creek pictured to the right is the one we fell in.

I was unable to be sick on Sunday because we had a church business meeting and observed the Lord's Supper. I also had to fill in for Bill Patterson on Sunday night because he was sick with the flu.

On Monday I was busy trying to finish up some projects at the construction site.

So Tuesday was the first day that I could be sick; and sick I was. My head hurt and my whole body ached. But I was able to use the day in bed to read. I was very blessed by the opportunity to continue to read The Disciplines of a Godly Man. Caleb and Elsie seem to have caught this flu now too.

Pray that we will be healthy. It seems to me that I do not have time to be sick; however, God knows best.

Sunday update

The only thing that you can expect in life is the unexpected.

Sunday we had a good crowd out in the morning and a decent crowd in the evening despite the fact that the virulent H1N1 virus, nasty colds, and a severe flu bug thinned out the crowd. Still, those that we're healthy—and one that was not, more about him later—came out.

Afterwards we observed the Lord's Supper and held a church business meeting.

I had been covering for Bill Patterson on Sunday nights while he was away. I was eager for him to come back; he does such a good job of running the service. Bill returned on Wednesday morning and was at the church service on Sunday morning. But he shouldn't have come because he had the flu. He had fought it all day on Saturday and convinced himself Sunday morning that he could make it. However, he still isn't well. So he asked me to cover for him on Sunday night.

After the business meeting I met with Dashka. Hard times have been his lot since the summer began. With his wife's cancer, his own health problems, and four young children - he has plenty to keep his attention. He expressed to me his frustration with his own lack of spiritual growth. It is amazing to watch God work in people's hearts in ways that I cannot foresee or understand. I mentioned to Dashka that I've seen so much spiritual growth in him recently. Please pray for Dashka to be patient with his circumstances, his family, and himself.

I then went home to prepare for the evening service. God gave grace so that despite my lack of preparation during the week I was able to do a respectable job of leading the service. We had two first-time visitors in the evening as well. Praise the Lord.

Then after the service I had another counseling session; this time with a young man who thought that if he just had the use of $800 or so, he could work his plan and pay back the money within a year. I taught him that God wants us to depend on Him and not borrow money.

I've learned that Mongolians are full of good ideas. They often think that they have a "for sure way" to make money if only they could borrow some for a "short time." So it was a busy but good Sunday. To see growth in the lives of people to me is an encouragement.

Picture of the week

Once a month, we hold a fellowship after the English service. This week's picture is Elsie making a new friend at the fellowship.

Quote of the week

Let me reiterate what is central to my thesis and so overlooked in much academic cultural criticism. We were not suddenly transformed from customers to consumers by wily manufacturers eager to unload a surplus of [spectacularly inferior quality] products. We are many things, but what we are not are victims of capitalism. With few exceptions (food, shelter), our needs are cultural, not natural. We have created a surfeit of things because we enjoy the process of getting and spending. The consumption ethic may have started in the early 1900s and hit full tilt after the mid-century, but the desire is ancient. Whereas kings and princes once thought they could solve problems by possessing and amassing things, we now say, "Count us in." Whereas the Duchess of Windsor once said, "All my friends know that I'd rather shop than eat," we now say, "Hey, wait for me." – James B. Twitchell

Sunday update

Sunday went well for us. Both the Mongolian service in the morning and the English service in the evening were well-attended. We also had first time visitors in both services. After the evening service, we had a fellowship which is normally held once a month.

Ganpurev's trip to the countryside

Before Ganpurev left for the countryside, he picked up a handful of Gospel of John, a dozen or so Mongolian "This Was Your Life" tracts, and about 50 gospel tracts written by a missionary here in Mongolia. He said that he was able to pass out all the literature that he took with him. Many people also praised him for his "right" living which gave him opportunities to witness for Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, because he was attending a wedding many of the guests were not entirely sober when he told them about Jesus Christ. He remarked that although there is a lot of interest in Jesus Christ and the Christian faith among the people that he met no one wants to be the first to forsake their idols and turn to Jesus Christ. We need a powerful movement of the Holy Spirit to convict people of sin, righteousness, and judgment.

Tonga update

First, a BIG thank you to those who have been praying for Tonga. She's not out of the woods yet, so keep praying.

She finished a round of chemotherapy last week. When I visited her the day that she exited the hospital, she was in good spirits. But she has grown very thin. She told me that she's down to 88 pounds. She has had several rough days since the day that I saw her. However, she has not been re-admitted to the hospital.

Her husband Dashka also had a chance to witness to her on the way home from the hospital. He told me that she seems more open to hearing about Jesus Christ. Continue to pray for her salvation.

Teaching & preaching

Because I really enjoy teaching I occasionally take an offer to teach an English class at a Mongolian public school. I always try to help teachers that I know. Yesterday I had an opportunity to help a English language teacher who regularly attends on Sunday night.

Teaching religion at a Mongolian public school is illegal which is just as well since the most likely religion to be taught at a Mongolian public school is a false one. However, during my hour long class with these students, I was able to tell them in a five minute monologue about my Father. After all, I was not teaching religion, just providing a testimony. Below our the students who heard it.

What a picture taught me

I received this picture from a friend many, many years ago. It had some part in changing the course of my life—thank you Jacqui Simonet! I began to realize that I was making decisions each day that would affect my life ... some permanently. May it be a blessing to some of you.

Weekly update

Good things are going on right now. We have two couples who are meeting with Ganpurev and me regularly to study the Bible. Another young Christian lady is also being taught God's word in our home.

Bilgee recently left on a two week journey to his home aimag (like a state or province) to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the countryside. Ganpurev and one of his few Christian relatives are in the countryside this week to attend a wedding. However, both of them are sure to be witnessing for Jesus Christ to the folks in their home aimag. Pray that the witness of these three men will be powerful and effective. It has always been a vision of mine to see these Mongolian people go back to the places from which they came to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to me that the Christian relative traveling with Ganpurev to the countryside is the same Sambil that the two of us once witnessed to with seemingly little effect. God used another friend to follow up with what we said and since that time Sambil has become a Christian. Now he gives added weight to the testimony that Ganpurev has showed his relatives.

The (dis)advantages of living in Ulan Bator

Some places have sun, surf, and sand. Ulan Bator has snow, smoke, and sand ... and the sand is usually blowing sand.

There are few places in Mongolia that do not experience strong winds. We are sparred the cyclones that come from the Pacific Ocean, and I'm not aware of tornadoes. However, high winds are not uncommon. In forested areas and steppes where the grasses provide ground cover, the wind is an annoyance. However, in the Gobi the wind whips the sand and dust into huge storms that travel as far as Korea and Japan. Housewives in Korea have complained to me about the "yellow clouds" of dust that we send from Mongolia and leave a fine film of dust on everything.

The winters in Mongolia can be brutal and living in the city has both positives and negatives. Sure, there is heat in most apartment buildings. But the heat is produced by two huge, coal-fired co-generation plants in the edge of town. Because most of the ger districts do not have connections to the city heating system, they burn large amounts of coal to heat their gers and shacks. The city of Ulan Bator also sits in a river valley surrounded by mountains. The result is that all that coal smoke is trapped in the valley. Coming into the city from a distance in the winter, one can see the grayish brown smog that wraps about the city like a blanket. Many people experience respiratory problems from this cloud, and the incidence of thyroid problems most likely caused by some of the chemicals in the coal is high in Ulan Bator.

These are not complaints on my part. Just observations about the place that we call home.

On the other hand, Ulan Bator is where the people are. Mongolia is the world's least densely populated country. If you want to get away from people, Mongolia is the place to come. Yet there are almost a million Mongolians packed into this valley. Yes, it may be dusty and smoky, but it is also filled with people. That's the reason that we are here.

Sunday update

I know from looking at my previous posts that it has been a while since I posted. Maybe this week will be different. I had set aside last week to focus on some Bible translation that I had committed to finish before my furlough begins in November. Instead a plethora of unimportant but urgent items demanded my attention. One fellow had trouble at work and needed advice and help. Our bathtub developed cracks that were leaking. And another fellow kept calling to ask for money. I never did get to spend the time that I wanted on translation. Maybe another week; it won't be this week.

There have been some minor victories to report from this previous week. The young couples that have been meeting to study the Bible continue to meet. They continue to be eager to look into God's word and to apply it to their lives.

Ganpurev was headed to the countryside to attend a wedding. I know that many of his relatives wanted to leave on Friday night or Saturday morning. However, Ganpurev told them that he could not leave until Sunday after the Mongolian service. I was proud of Ganpurev for taking such a stand. Many other Mongolians would have just bowed to their relatives' wishes.

Ganaa was back to church on Sunday. She told Kristie that her husband is "acting like a human being" now. He needs to be acting like a Christian. Continue to pray for peace in that family.

Baptisms

There were three baptized today. Togsoo joins his wife as a baptized Christian. She was baptized last spring. Both of them are currently working with Ganpurev and me through a Bible study course for new believers that we have used before.

Togsoo is a big fellow, even taller than I am. Because we were baptizing in the main current of the river, it was quite a challenge to get him under the water and back up again.

Bysaa and his wife Ganchimeg were also baptized. They also were saved recently and have been studying the Bible weekly with Ganpurev and me.

We had an unusual thing happen to us. We have baptized in this portion of the river that passes through the city several times before. Today for the first time we had a soldier approach us. Ganpurev talked with him and for a minute I thought that he might tell us that we were not allowed to be at this portion of the river and must move on. But he did not. When Ganpurev explained to him that we were Christians and wanted to baptize people in the river he gave his approval.

There is also a definite praise that I should mention. In the week leading up to the baptism we had some rather cold days. Many of us had been praying for good weather on Sunday, and God granted our request. The weather was perfect: warm, not too windy, and bright sun. The water was still frigid though.

For the first time that I can remember, we combined both the Mongolian-speaking service and the English-speaking service. Bill preached to one group while I preached to the other group. Without planning, both Bill and I picked similar passages from which to preach.

It is always exciting to baptize new believers. These three new believers represent two more families united in Christ for which I am thankful!

September prayer letter

It is exciting whenever a Mongolian becomes a Christian. Recently, however there have been three professions of faith that are perhaps for me, a little more exciting. The reason is these three new Christians double the number of families we have at the church in which both the husband and wife are saved.

In one of the cases, just recently the husband made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. His wife was saved and baptized last year. We have been praying for her husband’s salvation since that time. It is thrilling to see him become a Christian, grow in his love for God’s word, and be eager to serve in the church.
The other two are a husband and wife couple. They have been attending off and on since last fall. More off than on. The husband works strange hours that keep him from coming to church as often as he would like. I have been praying that God would give him a job that allows him to provide for his family, be at every church service, and to study God’s word daily.

There are three reasons why I particularly rejoice in the salvation of these three and the addition of two saved families. Punctuality is not something that Mongolians value. It is not uncommon for half the folks to come after we have begun. On a recent Sunday morning, I looked out on the folks that were on time. Seven of the eight Mongolians that were on time were members of those four families.

Not only that, but three of the four families are actively involved in our home Bible study program. I have known for some time that when both the husband and wife are saved there is a higher level of involvement in the church’s activities and a greater willingness and ability to serve.

Finally, these saved couples have an opportunity to work together to raise their children in Christian homes where the husband loves his wife as Christ loves the church and raises his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Their children will have a unique opportunity to grow up in a Christian home.

Kristie and I were discussing the other day how differently Mongolians approach life’s challenges. Where our parents taught us the most important and joyful choice that we could make was to serve God, most Mongolians want to advance their careers or the education of their children. If we are going to impact Mongolian culture for our Savior’s glory, it will be through entire families that put our Lord and Savior first. These families have a chance to do just that.

These three who have recently made professions of faith are to be baptized soon. Please pray for their continued growth in Jesus Christ. It would be wonderful to see these families be shining testimonies to our Savior’s miraculous grace!

Manlai's wedding

About two months ago, Ganpurev told me that he would need some time off to travel to the countryside in October because his nephew was having a wedding. I thought little of it; his nephew is in his early 20's and has already served his time in the military. It was about time that he got married.

Last week, Ganpurev told me that Manlai was still looking for a bride. I was surprised and told Ganpurev so. "I though Manlai was having a wedding. How can he be having a wedding if he isn't getting married."

Ganpurev explained it to me this way. To countryside Mongolians there are usually two things that happen at a wedding which is called хурим in Mongolian. The first is that two people get married. However, at the same time the groom's family gives him a ger for him to live in with his new wife.

It seems that Manlai doesn't have a girlfriend, but his father has a ger prepared for him. Another relative was getting married nearby at the same time. So Manlai's father thought it would be handy to have both weddings at the same time. After all, the ger is ready and wasting away in storage.

So whether there is a bride or not, there will be a wedding for Manlai in October. Manlai seems convinced that he'll find someone to marry him in the next few weeks. I hope he does.

First snow

It snowed here yesterday just as forecast. I wanted to spend some time outside with a friend and man to whom I've been witnessing but the weather was too nasty yesterday: snow and wind. I've posted pictures of it out my window on a clear day and yesterday. It went from 84° on Friday afternoon to 32° on Saturday afternoon.

Cold weather is coming!

The weather here has been great recently. September is often like that; not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, mostly sunshine. But it looks as if cold weather is headed our way. Here is the weather forecast for the weekend:

Forecasters are predicting high winds over the weekend too.

Weekly update

I have been encouraged recently to have two husband-wife couples who are eager to study God's word. Bysaa & Ganchimeg and Togsoo & Gantuya have been eager to meet to study the Bible. Because Bysaa's job and Togsoo's job do not allow them to study at the same time, I recently split them into two groups. There has been some interest on the part of another young lady in our church to join us. However, she has moved out of town a ways recently. Still, these two families that are studying are an encouragement to me. Pray that they would continue to be diligent in preparation before our lessons as they have some homework to do and diligent after the lessons to apply the things that they are learning to their lives.

Both these men need our prayers because they have jobs that keep them very busy. Togsoo works about 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. Bysaa works 24 hours on the job and then has 24 hours off before he must report back to work. Because he cannot sleep on the job, he usually spends a large portion of the 24 hours away from work sleeping. It has been hard for him to come to church on Sunday because he is either at work or asleep. I have been asking God to provide them with jobs that will provide for their families and allow them to be active at church and to spend time studying God's word.

The building continues to move forward. My foreman who is overseeing the construction tells me that this week they will finish the second floor ceiling. After that they will need to stucco the outside of the building and finish the roof before winter. Inside, the first floor still needs to be poured and some electrical work remains to be done. But it is looking like the work will be completed before I leave for the States in November.

Thank you for praying.

Sunday update

Let's be frank: not every Sunday is spectacular. Today had its share of foibles. First, I have been struggling with allergies. Today, my eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing on the page in front of me. Because the print in our Mongolian hymn books is rather small, I was having trouble reading the print. More than once, I sang the wrong words when I was trying to read the songs.

But I was not the only one; Ganpurev was reading a verse, accidentally turned an extra page, and kept reading as if he were on the right page. The verse became rather silly when he did that. He paused, looked back at the previous page where he had been reading and realized what he had done. "Let's start reading again from the beginning," he said and was re-read the verse, correctly that time.

But we also had a new thing happen. Togsoo came early and asked if he could lead the congregation in singing one of the songs. I was stunned. I had never had someone approach me and ask if they could lead the congregational singing, even for one song. I happily said yes, and it turned out rather well. Perhaps Togsoo will lead congregational singing while I am gone on furlough.

Good Bible studies

Ganpurev and I have been leading basic Bible studies with two families: Bysaa and his wife Ganchimeg, and Togsoo and his wife Gantuya. (For those of you trying to keep track of family relationships Ganchimeg and Gantuya are sisters.)

All of them have been diligently doing their assignments. Gantuya made a profession of faith last spring and was baptized. The other three recently made professions of faith and will be baptized this month, if the Lord enables.

It is encouraging to me to see young couples united in our Savior and studying the Bible together. Please pray for their spiritual growth.

From the steppes of Central Asia

I guess I should no longer be surprised at the depth of man's depravity or the abundance of God's provision. But I still am! Though I cannot share with you the details of the most recent example of man's depravity, I can share with you the abundance of God's provision.

As I was pouring over the details from August's financial statement, I discovered that someone from a town in Canada that I have never visited sent us $2,850 (Canadian). I looked at the name and could not recall ever meeting someone with that name even though the name was a memorable one. I had not solicited anyone for funds. God just sent it in. I have determined to use the money in the building project.

The building project continues to be blessed with protection from injury and good speed. I believe that by the end of this week they will be prepared to lay the pre-formed slabs on the second floor. After that it will be a matter of finish work in order to seal the building against the coming winter. To completely finish the building this year is beyond my current financial resources. However, I believe that God in His time will provide the money that will be needed for interior walls, floor coverings, a permanent heating system, plumbing, and electrical.

Pray that God would give each Christian involved in Faith Baptist Church a hatred of sin and a hunger & thirst after righteousness.

Losing my dinner

I had taken Kristie out to dinner. It was one of those "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants that you would never go into unless someone took you there. (It was the Enjoy Cafe for those of you who have visited us in Mongolia).

It is an inexpensive place with good steaks. You can buy a thin steak at that cafe for about three dollars. Add a drink & salad and the price will still be less than $5. It is within walking distance of where we live on a nice fall evening. We took a walk there while a babysitter watched the kids. Kristie ordered a bowl of soup; I asked for a steak. (If you ever come to Mongolia and go to Enjoy Cafe, get the steak not the soup).

I had eaten a salad and about half of the steak and found myself pleasantly full. I thought I would take the rest of the steak home because Caleb really enjoys the steaks at Enjoy Cafe. Kristie and I were conversing and enjoying the evening out. Suddenly a drunk man staggered into the cafe. Public drunkenness is not an unusual spectacle in Mongolia; we did not think much of it.

The waitresses quickly confronted him. But it turned out that he just wanted the two liter coke bottle that he was carrying filled up with water. They waitress was kind enough to put water in his bottle as he swayed at the counter. He was on his way out the door when he came by our table. I try to avoid eye contact with drunks as they sometimes get violent with foreigners. Since we were the only foreigners in the restaurant, I thought it would be best to just ignore him.

So I really was not paying attention as he traveled by our table and napped the half of a steak that was sitting on my plate. The waitresses were aghast. One of them hurried over to our table and offered me another new steak. I declined because I was already full. Kristie and I both laughed over the incident. We were shocked that the drunk man purloined my sirloin.

Pray for Bob

Some of you know some of Bob's background. We really need to pray for him and the family. He has told his family again that they cannot attend church. He has also been drinking a lot again. I have not seen him for about a month. I will make a point to see the family this week.

Quote of the week

"The foundations of our society and government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings should cease to be practically universal in our country." – Calvin Coolidge

Family seminar

Faith Baptist Church had a family seminar today. I was a little surprised at the light attendance, but this is only the second time that we've tried a seminar on a Saturday. Also, many Mongolians work six and seven days a week. One man could not get Saturday and Sunday off, so he took Sunday off and sent his wife to the Saturday seminar.

Weather in Mongolia

I was recently reading an update from a pastor who mentioned that it was 106〫F where he was. Here in Mongolia, in late August we reached a low of 32〫F one night. Thursday (Sept. 3) the high temperature was 77〫but Friday's high was 45〫

I don't even want to think about what the low will be tonight—and it's only the first week of September.

Weekly update

First, let me say a big "thank you" to those of you who pray for us. We need it! Just because there is not a crisis going on at this time does not mean that we don't need your prayers. We do need them … all the time.

When you pray, keep in mind Tonga. She is out of the hospital having completed her first round of chemotherapy treatments. She still has at least four more rounds of chemotherapy treatments. Pray that God would strengthen her body before her next round of treatments to enable her to endure them. But mainly, continue to pray for her salvation!

Ganpurev and I have started another home Bible study. However, this one combines nearly three families. I have been excited about their earnest study. Each of them has been diligent in doing their lessons and faithful to memorize the verses. They even agreed to meet at 8:00 in the morning to enable one of the students to attend the home Bible study before work. He gets off too late at night to do the lessons then. Pray for their spiritual growth.

Most of you know that we have a furlough coming up in November. That means that there are many loose ends to tie up before we leave. Pray for wisdom to prioritize our time correctly and pray for servants to serve in our place while we are away.

Sunday update

We had a decent turnout yesterday in the despite the fact that about half a dozen people were missing because of illness that they reported to me. Allergies, colds, etc. - a veritable litany of illnesses. We had two people come for the first time though neither was new to me. I had met them before. They both said they would be back; one is a step-father of one member and the other is a friend of another member. Pray that they will return.

Dashka's wife is out of hospital still. She goes back in about two weeks for another round of chemotherapy. Pray that these next two weeks will see her body strengthened in preparation for the next round of chemotherapy. Also, continue to pray for her salvation. Kristie and I intend to see her at her home soon.

Tomorrow morning (Tuesday) I have an early Bible study. One of the men has work at 11 AM. So he suggested that we meet at 8 in the morning. I was glad to see his eagerness to be at the Bible studies and the other people's willingness to be up early to study God's word! Pray for their growth.

Serving his own generation

Outer Mongolia is littered with the hopes and dreams of missionaries. That is not to say that starting a church in Mongolia is hard. Literally, thousands of churches have been planted ... and perhaps almost as many have disappeared since Mongolia opened up to the Gospel 18 years ago. Every so often a new church will pop up, grow to include huge numbers of Mongolians, and as almost as quickly vanish.

When Kristie and first came in July 1997, the traveler we were with had already visited Mongolia in 1995. Before we arrived in Mongolia he told us he knew of a church where hundreds of Mongolian believers met every Sunday. As soon as we arrived in Ulan Bator, he began to call around trying to find out where the church was currently meeting. In the two years since he visited the church had dissolved completely and no longer met anywhere.

A journalist who first visited Mongolia in 1989 wrote about his second visit: "When I came back to Mongolia in May 1991, I rented out a flat, as the hotel was full of evangelists, religious and economic." I have talked to a lady who came in that first wave and her statement was that she is one of the very few left in Mongolia.

Others will tell you that most of what passes for church growth is just Mongolians leaving one dying church to attend the newest and greatest church. The result has been a few huge mega-churches that meet in public auditoriums, dance halls, and theaters. There is a reason that those churches meet in entertainment venues: it is the best way for them to showcase their style of "worship service."

For independent Baptist missionaries in Mongolia, service has been short. I did an informal survey of all the independent, Baptist missionaries that I have met in Mongolia. The average length of time that they stay in Mongolia is less than six years. Almost half of all the independent Baptist missionaries who have come to Mongolia have already left permanently. I personally have worked with four different families since my church planting work started five years ago.

There are various reasons that missionaries leave Mongolia. Sometimes it is health. Several missionaries came to Mongolia with a five or six year plan and stuck to it. More than one missionary just went back to the States. The number of churches that they left behind can be counted on one hand.

I certainly do not want to imply that every missionary who left Mongolia permanently did so outside of God's will. I have no doubt that some of us missionaries God has moved on to other harvest fields. But I think it is significant to realize that many missionaries who come to Mongolia do not stay for a length of time that would allow them to learn the language, plant a church, and see it reach a point of spiritual stability.

Some of the missionaries I knew well enough to know why they left; in many cases I can only guess at what motivated them to leave. However, I can tell you what I think: as missionaries we can look at our circumstances, we can look at our abilities, we can look at our frailties, and we can be disheartened. There are many times that I have wondered why God called me to work in Mongolia. Certainly, there must be people with better leadership abilities, people with better linguistic abilities, people with better organizational abilities, people with more energy than I have who could do a "better" work for God in Mongolia … and then I remember: God did not call that other person to Mongolia. God called me.

If one believes in God's sovereignty - and I do! - than wherever God's will takes one, he can agree with Mordecai's sentiments when he asked Esther rhetorically, "Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such as time as this?" God places people where He needs them in His timing.

To question whether God called the right person to Mongolia or not is to question the wisdom of God. Frankly, many times I ask that question with a good conscience while wishing for God's sake that He had a better servant through whom to work. But there are other times when I have asked whether God called the right person to Mongolia because I wanted to quit, I wanted the pain to stop, I wanted the frustration to go away, I wanted to be somewhere else, I wanted to be part of a thriving ministry rather than a ministry that seemed to only be surviving. Such an attitude is wrong. It is a reminder that I am wandering away from God. A truly Spirit-filled Christian will not experience the lack of peace and joy that causes one to question his Master's will.

There are two attitudes that I have come to recognize whenever I question God's choice of me as a missionary. The first is the wrong-hearted questioning. It goes something like this:

"God, I'm tired of all this; You have obviously called the wrong type of person; therefore, with or without your permission, I'm going to move on to another ministry in which I feel more comfortable."

The other attitude that I have come to recognize may come from the right heart but is certainly wrong-headed. It sounds something like this:

"God, You could have found someone better than me and accomplished a lot more work through him."

I have recognized a few key Biblical truths that I remind myself of whenever I question God's wisdom in calling me to Mongolia.

1. God in His infinite wisdom called me to Mongolia. I should not think that I was a "bottom of the barrel" pick—so to speak. It was not that God really wanted to call someone more qualified but could not find anyone else; therefore, in His desperation (is God ever desperate?) He called me.
2. God was uniquely preparing me for this ministry in Mongolia since before I was born (Jeremiah 1:5).
   
3. If I am discouraged, disheartened, or disabled by some obstacle, I can identify the source and ask God for help. But there is no room in the Christian life for discouragement (dismay), disheartened attitudes, or refusing to go forward because the obstacles to God's will seem insurmountable. We often read "dismay" in Joshua 1:9 and say, "I'm not dismayed merely discouraged," when frankly, those two words are synonymous. As one wise Christian once said, "Those who take responsibility surrender the luxury of being discouraged or depressed."

So where does this leave us? "David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God …" God appoints each of us a time and place for service. Then He expects that each one of us will use that opportunity that He has granted us for His honor and His glory.

Tonight's visit

It was good to be back in a ger again teaching the Bible and preaching Christ to the unsaved.

I was at Gantsetseg's house tonight. Ganpurev and I were teaching a Bible lesson to Gantuya, Ganchimeg, Bysaa, and Gantsetseg. Togsoo tried to make it from work but came late.

Later Gantsetseg's neighbor came over. She has heard about the one true God and God's Son Jesus. But she is confused, as most Mongolians are, about why we worship the one true God and Jesus Christ. She is looking for "her prayers to be answered" as she put it.

Both Ganpurev and I preached to her sin, repentance, and faith in Christ at separate times. She said that she will come to the service this Sunday morning with Gantsetseg. Pray that she does.

Weekly update

One never knows what is going to happen. This past week after returning from our trip to Hatgal, a young Mongolian man named Togsoo called me to invite me over to his house on Thursday. Thursday afternoon, another family came to our house to visit. When they heard that I was going to Togsoo's house, they asked if they could come along. I agreed and four of us - Togsoo, his wife Gantuya, her sister Ganchimeg, and her husband Bysaa - studied I John 5:13. Gantuya was saved and baptized last spring. However, the others were still not Christians; so I thought. At the Bible study, however, all of them made professions of faith and expressed a desire to be baptized! I was thrilled. However, when Ganpurev heard my story, he expressed some reserves about their professions of faith. So this Friday, all of us and another saved & baptized sister Gantsetseg will be gathering for another Bible lesson. Please pray that Ganpurev and I will have wisdom to determine whether they are truly saved and eligible for baptism.

I so want to see these young couples saved. Their families also include six children who by God's grace may have the unique opportunity in Mongolia to grow up in a Christian home. This past Sunday we had fourteen children in attendance with their parents! This was an encouragement to me as it has always been my goal to see entire families united in Christ and serving our Savior together.

Speaking of serving the Savior, I suggested to some of the teenage children that they should consider teaching the younger children a Bible story using puppets during the Sunday school hour. They were so excited and have been talking about it at home with their parents. Pray that God will bless and empower our efforts to spread His Gospel and love people as Jesus loved them.

Let me append here a few other notes …

For those of you interested in seeing what the text of a Mongolian Bible looks like, try this link.

Tunga is out of the hospital and resting at home. She does not go back for more chemotherapy treatments for a few weeks. Please continue to pray for her salvation.

Sunday update

We had a good turnout on Sunday; I think it was the best turnout that we've had all summer. Maybe we're just getting nearer to school starting. We had about 10 children in the nursery. That room is simply getting too small. But that's a good problem to have. We simply have several families each with a toddler or baby or two.

Dashka was out yesterday with all his children. It was the first time that I think I've ever seen him bring all four children to a Sunday service. He said that Tunga may be discharged from the hospital on Monday. However, I don't think she's out of the woods yet; she has several more rounds of chemotherapy and must watch her diet carefully while also regaining her strength and vigor.

We also had a good turnout in the evening too. Because Bill Patterson was away, I was scheduled to do both the song-leading and the preaching. Although that can be a tough assignment, it seemed to work well yesterday.

Quote of the week

We tend to become impatient with people because they do not become Christians immediately. We do not see that they are so much under the dominion of sin and Satan, they are so much the dupes of the devil, they are so twisted, and perverted, and polluted ... inwardly by sin, that they really are in a spiritual sense in this condition of the dog and swine. - D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (commenting on Matthew 7:6)

Report from my absence

My preaching trip to Hatgal was an opportunity to see how the arrangements for church ministry would work in my absence. Based on my assessment of the effectiveness of various Mongolians during my absence, I planned to make some final decisions who does what during my furlough.

I am pleased to report that things ran quite smoothly in my absence.

There are several ministries that need to be covered whenever I am gone. One is the preaching on Sunday mornings, another is the singing, and a third is the day-to-day help and counseling that I give.

Because Ganpurev already preaches every Sunday, I was searching for a second person to cover my preaching opportunities in my absence. One Sunday was covered by Bilgay, the other Sunday was Bill preaching in English with Bilgay translating. Both did just fine, although Bilgay was peppered with aggressive questions after the end of his message. Ganpurev did quite well in addressing the questions. While the questions themselves were good questions, the manner and timing of the questions was unbiblical. I dealt with the member who asked the questions at an inappropriate time and in an inappropriate manner. However, it is a reminder that in my absence there could be interesting interruptions unless strong leadership and a biblical approach to Biblical study obviates them. I think Ganpurev is ready in this regard though I am not sure about Bilgay.

In my absence Dashka led the singing. Although his wife's spiritual and physical condition is dangerous (or perhaps because of it), spiritually Dashka has been growing rapidly during the past few months. It is exciting to see it. However, his wife's poor health limits his involvement at the present time and will limit it until his wife's health situation is resolved.

As for visiting, day-to-day help and counseling, and direction of the church's ministries, Bill and Ganpurev working together did an excellent job while I was away. I feel very confident that they are prepared to guide Faith Baptist Church in my absence.

Continue to pray for spiritual growth especially in the men of the church and for laborers. We know that our goal is to leave behind a Mongolian church completely self-sustaining and led by Mongolian men. Our furlough will be an opportunity for these men to stretch their wings, so to speak, and reach new heights in service and struggles.

Weekly update

We had a good trip to Hatgal where I had the opportunity to preach two times and also had a productive question & answer session. Have you ever tried to "think on your feet" in a language other than English? It is most embarrassing when you misunderstand the question and give a wrong answer. However, that did not happen to me on this occasion.

The children enjoyed being away from the city and participating in some unique activities. They went on a boat ride, played in the freezing waters of Lake Khovsgol, rode on a four-wheeler, saw some reindeer, and enjoyed playing with friends.

We have some serious requests to bring before you this week. Tonga, Dashka's unsaved wife, is not doing well. Chemotherapy treatment caused her health to worsen, and she was admitted to ICU for almost a week. On Monday she left ICU but was unable to restart chemotherapy. We commit her to the hands of the Great Physician and ask for you to earnestly pray for her salvation. Also, her husband has been responding to God's grace in a remarkable way. Pray that he would remain encouraged and grow in grace during this time.

Another member, Bymbaa, has a husband who is not saved. We have been praying for his salvation and witnessing to him for years. He seems to be on a downward spiral into drink. It has been a true burden on his wife. Please pray for his salvation also.

Thank you for your prayers.

Back from Hatgal

The family is back from Hatgal where I preached 2 times and held a short question and answer time. Pray for my allergies; they are really hampering my work this year.


That a picture of me with a reindeer if you're wondering.

Out of town

The entire family is traveling tomorrow to Hatgal in northern Mongolia. I will be speaking to the church that is there and the family will be relaxing for a few days. Because of this, the posts will be sparse for the next two weeks.

Church camp

We had a great time at church camp this past weekend. Mongolians who live in the city love to get out into the countryside and enjoy the fresh air.

This year's church camp was marked by difficulties.

We were trying something different this year. Last year's camp cook spent most of her time cooking and very little time participating in the camp's activities. So this year we decided to have a different cook for each meal which meant that no one person would be burdened by all the cooking. What I didn't consider was that instead of one person dealing with food, etc, we had five people dealing with food. (Each family was asked to bring a picnic to kick off the camp dinner on Friday night.)

One Friday morning, we found out the folks responsible for Saturday's lunch were not coming and not able to take responsibility for their meal. That left us about five hours to decide on a meal for 43 people, get all the supplies together, and prepare whatever parts of the meal would need to be prepared ahead of time. That is not so easy to do in a place without supermarkets.

Added to that, Ganpurev and I understood that we had a truck at our disposal and were intending to use the truck to haul much of the luggage that was headed for camp. The owner suddenly needed his truck and withdrew his invitation to use it. So here we were only hours from leaving without a truck and without a meal. But God put both those things together for us.

All week long I have been battling with allergies. The medicines that I have tried here are not proving very effective in reducing my symptoms. But Friday afternoon before we left was particularly bad. Compounding the problem, I suddenly had some serious intestinal problems that I thought was going to keep me close to a restroom for a day or two.

Sitting in a small room, I prayed, "Lord, I can't be effective at camp if I have allergies and these other problems. I need your help." Not long after that I felt better. The allergies were a problem on and off at camp; but the intestinal problems did not come back until Monday morning after I returned home.

Then Friday night and Saturday morning the Mongolian group next to us serenaded us with Mongolian long songs all night. I mean all night. From just after midnight until around 7 a.m. they drank and sang Mongolian traditional song after Mongolian traditional song. Frankly, had they been singing rock and roll, it would have been much worse. But still, seven hours of Mongolian traditional music when you really want to sleep is not as pleasant as it may sound. No one got much sleep that night.

And still we had a great time! God is good. All the food was good, no one was sick or injured, people were attentive to the preaching, and everyone who spoke to me about it said that they had a great time! One fellow remarked to me that he felt as if he was getting rid of two or three years of built-up stress.

We also had a Bible question and answer time with some excellent questions and some great answers. Most everyone enjoyed it, and many expressed to me that we should do it again.

Thank you for your prayers. Pray that God will cause the seed planted to grow.

Quick health update

I have had some terrible allergies this summer: stuffed sinuses, watery eyes, and lots of sneezing. Kristie, on the other hand, just caught a cold. Although we are looking forward to our church camp tomorrow, it will be hard to enjoy it in the condition that we are now in. So please pray that we'll be feeling better by the time that church camp comes tomorrow.

Weekly update

Some of you may have heard about the flooding that hit us recently. Over twenty people were killed and many had gers or houses washed away by flooding. God protected us and our church members during that time. One church member's mother's ger was flooded. As a result nearly everything needed to be dried out. But no one that I know was threatened with bodily harm.

Kristie and I went to visit Tonga last week. You may remember her as the lady who had her entire stomach removed due to cancer. She looked good and seemed in good spirits. Kristie and I both noticed that she was very talkative. Continue to pray for her salvation. That is her greatest need.

Also, the church will be having our church camp this weekend. Some of those who attend will be unsaved; please pray for their salvation. Pray that those who are saved will be strengthened and blessed by the preaching. We also would like to see a unique spirit of harmony and fellowship among the Christians who attend the camp.

Hospitality

One of the requirements for a man who desires the office of a bishop is that he be given to hospitality. For this reason alone we seek to have Mongolians come to our home and share our meals with us.

But also many missionaries have found valuable opportunities to minister by inviting people over to their homes. In the book Goforth of China it is recorded that when the Goforths hosted an open house for their Chinese neighbors over 2,000 men and women passed through in one day. Of course, they did not feed them all; but think of 2,000 veritable strangers passing through your home in one day!

We have never had that kind of interest in our home, but yesterday we had nine Mongolians visit our home starting in the morning and finishing up after dinner which we shared with five of them. Most of those who visited were uninvited though not unwelcome guests. It allows Mongolians to see how Christians live. We welcome these opportunities to minister in a casual and impromptu way.

"God's best gifts are not in things but in opportunities."

Update on Tonga and Ganbold

Tonga is home now having been discharged from the hospital on Saturday. Obviously, she will have a special diet the rest of her life since her stomach has been removed. I'm not certain whether she faces additional cancer treatment such as chemotherapy or radiation. Continue to pray for the family and especially Dashka. He will need to be dad, "mom," and primary care giver to Tonga for a while as she recovers.

Ganbold came out of his coma last night and seems to be doing better. The first person he called was his mother to tell her that he was doing better. We are all glad to hear that Ganbold is out of his coma. The doctors say that his heart and arteries look good. Let's pray for a complete recovery and a renewed interest on Ganbold's part in the things of God.

A family in pain

There is a Mongolian family with whom I have become close since coming to Mongolia. One member of the family was Kristie's language tutor Ganaa (also known as Bolroo). Another attends our church (Bilgee). Their mother has come to church a few times. Various other family members have made professions of faith or attended the church services for a few weeks.

Recently, they've experienced several hard things. I witnessed to another sister of the family once years ago when she came to visit her mother. She lives in another town, and I've not seen her since that time. Last year she left her first husband and remarried a physically abusive husband. Everyone was expecting her to come to town and spend some time with the family. However, she came, stayed overnight, and left the next day. The rumor is that her husband threatened her with physical violence if she didn't come right back.

Then on Wednesday, the oldest brother Ganbold who made a profession of faith a few years ago suffered a stroke. He has been in a coma since then. Doctors are telling the family that they should expect him to be in a coma for a long time. Kristie and I went to visit the mother yesterday. She was distraught over her son. He is about 50 years old.

An uncle was admitted to the cancer hospital this week too. He has been diagnosed with lung cancer and tuberculosis.

What the family needs to see is the Christians in the family responding to each tragedy and trial with God's grace and equanimity. I also have a desire to be a blessing to the family during this time. Please pray for Kristie and me and for the saved family members to exhibit the love of Christ and the peace that passes all understanding during this time of turmoil.

Tonga update

Tonga has been moved out of intensive care. She was actually up and walking around yesterday. She is still being fed through an IV but drank 60 ml of water yesterday. She will still be in the hospital for some time.

Dashka seems to still be encouraged. I was glad to see him at prayer last night.

Picture of the week

This is Buren standing in one of the trenches that was dug to lay the foundation footers for the building to be build.

Tonga's surgery

Tonga came out of surgery on Monday afternoon. The doctors said that her surgery was successful. They did remove her entire stomach, however, which will change the rest of her life. She will be in an intensive care unit for a few days and then perhaps spend a few more weeks in the hospital.

The special offering that we took on Sunday was an enormous success. A significant amount of money was raised for Tonga's treatment. Dashka and Tonga's father particularly expressed their gratitude for the church's generosity.

Bill was able to be with the family during Tonga's surgery. Some of the family was very unsociable because they do not approve of Christians. Others spend some time talking with Bill. Our desire is to see the entire family saved.

I'll post again as I know more.

Weekly update

It has been quite a week. We had a couple of unexpected Mongolian guests over the weekend, started clearing the land for a building project, and have a member's unsaved spouse who is expecting to have her entire stomach removed because of stomach cancer tomorrow. All this means that there has been extra stress on the family the last few days. But God's grace is always sufficient for every need.

I taught on the origin of denominations at prayer meeting tonight. There were a couple of young men there who had questions. Pray that they would be humble and teachable. We had a very good turnout. Besides Kristie, there were three other ladies there which is a first.

A visit with Tonga

My wife and I went by to see Tonga at the hospital today. She is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Although we do not have a lot of Mongolian language material, we took her a couple of things to look at including some Bible-based material.

She seemed pleased to see us. And we had a friendly chat. She knows that tomorrow's surgery will not be easy but seems only mildly nervous. At the end of our short conversation I asked if I could pray. We were surrounded by Mongolians in a small waiting area, and I fully expected her to decline the offer. But instead you said I could if I wanted to. I did want to so I prayed to God on her behalf.

Let's pray that she will have a successful surgery tomorrow and that God will continue to soften her heart.

Tonga update

Tonga remains in the hospital waiting for surgery. The doctors say that they can perform surgery on Tuesday of this coming week if Dashka can find 2.7 million togrogs to pay for some items needed for the surgery. That is equivalent to just over $1900. When you consider that the gross domestic product per capita for Mongolia is about $700 a year, that becomes a lot of money!

The church will be taking a special offering today and adding to it from the church's general fund to give Dashka some of the money that he needs for surgery. He has already raised a few hundred dollars and believes that his wife's side of the family can find several hundred more.

I can tell that Dashka is under a lot of stress. Let's pray that God provides the money that is needed for this surgery and that Dashka's faith will be strengthened as he watches God provide. Also, pray for Tonga's salvation.

The 500th post

This marks 500 posts for this blog since it began over three years ago. Here are some highlight posts.

Sowing

Uganaa's salvation testimony

By God's grace, I intend to be ministering in Mongolia for at least another 500 posts.

Guests

One thing about Mongolia is that you can never be sure what to expect. Friday morning began as normal with the exception that I received a message informing me that Ganchimeg, a lady who attends the church, was in labor. I took time to pray for her but did not think much about it.

A few hours later, Ganchimeg's husband came by with their son. Ulzeekaa is a little guy about 4 years old. He asked if we would watch him for a few hours while he took some food to his wife. Remember, most hospitals in Mongolia do not provide meals for their patients, rather they rely on family members to bring in food and drink. We agreed to watch Ulzeekaa for a while.

About 6 that evening, the father came back and asked if Ulzeekaa wanted to go to the hospital with him when he went to take an evening meal to his wife. Ulzeekaa politely refused; he was having too much fun playing with Caleb! So dad said he would be back in a few hours to pick up his son.

He never came back.

About 8 o'clock Friday evening Uganaa came by. Uganaa is a young lady who spends most of her time during the summer in the countryside as a guide. If you ever come to Mongolia to see the sights you should have Uganaa take you around. Anyway, she came by our house because she had no place to stay.

So this last Friday night we had Uganaa and Ulzeekaa join our family. As of this morning (Sunday) they are still with us. But it has been a good opportunity to be a blessing to others. Pray that Ulzeekaa's time here would lead to the salvation of his family and that Uganaa's time here would encourage her in the Lord.

Interesting quote

While listening to a secular broadcast recently, I heard this quote, "The church is the ultimate social network." I do not believe the man who made the quote is saved; perhaps he attends a church, I do not know. What was clear is that he perceives churches more for their social implications than for their spiritual importance.

Tegshee was at church Sunday; Tonga was in the hospital

Tegshee was at church this Sunday with his mom, dad, and sister. The doctors say that he has made an excellent recovery, and his fellow hospital patients were amazed at his progress. We believe that God is answering our prayers. Keep praying for his father Togsoo's salvation.

Dashka's wife Tonga was in the hospital for a few days but recently went home. She was re-admitted Sunday night according to Dashka. One issue is that because there are many people waiting for this particular surgery it may be several weeks before she has surgery. She will have to wait until after surgery to begin any other cancer treatment. You can imagine the stress that the both of them are experiencing at this point. Dashka was at church on Sunday and even brought his two boys which is something I cannot remember him doing before. It seems to me that Dashka is trying to respond to God's work in his life correctly and is spending more time in prayer. He certainly is looking to God for comfort, strength, and healing. Let's keep praying.

Quote of the week

"We can never know an Eastern people -- it is fallacious to imagine we do -- while we find our chief recreation to be an escape from their companionship into the society of our fellow-Europeans." - Amy Carmichael

Although this was said by an Englishman. I think it still applies to Americans today. Insert "Asian" instead of "Eastern" and "fellow-Americans" for "fellow_Europeans" and her statement would read: "We can never know an Asian people -- it is fallacious to imagine we do -- while we find our chief recreation to be an escape from their companionship into the society of our fellow-Americans."

I see it here in Mongolia. There are two types of missionaries: those who know all the other missionaries and those who know Mongolians. While it is not always easy to spend our lives among people who are so different culturally, we remain convinced that God called us primarily to minister to Mongolians and not expatriates.

Updates

Some medical updates on those for whom you have been praying.

Tegshee may be released from the hospital as soon as Monday. His arm seems to be healing very nicely.

Tonga has been admitted to the National Cancer Hospital. The doctors are scheduled to have a consultation today. We are praying that she would be able to have surgery next week and then begin whatever other treatment is necessary.

Keep praying. Whenever I ask Dashka how we can be a help, he says, "Pray!"

Picture of the week

This week's picture shows Byambaa writing Old Script Mongolian using traditional Mongolian writing tools. See this webpage if you are interested in the Old Script.

Weekly update

It is during these times of special distress that we are especially glad to know that you are praying for us; and by saying "us" I do not mean merely my family but also the Mongolians that I mention by name.

This previous weekend brought much bad news from our Mongolian church members as seen through human eyes. First, I received a call on Saturday evening informing me that Togsoo and Gantuya's eight month old son Tegshee (pronounced Texshay) had stuck his arm in a pot of just boiled water. (I am not sure how the accident happened). His left hand and three quarters of his arm were severely burned. As they tried to remove his shirt, portions of his skin came off with the fabric. The doctors say that he has second degree burns. Please pray for complete healing for Tegshee and for the salvation of his father Togsoo. Gantuya was recently saved and baptized. This incident, though our adversary might intend it for evil, could be greatly used to bring glory to our Father, the Great Physician.

On Sunday, Dashka informed us that his wife Tonga has stomach cancer. On Monday, she had a CT scan to see how far the cancer has spread. The doctors said that looking at the scan results it appears that her cancer has not spread which is something for which we can praise the Lord! She has experienced stomach trouble for some months now but was reticent to see a doctor despite her husband's encouragement. Dashka is a Christian; Tonga is not. Please pray for her salvation and check back this week for more news.

I have already found one interesting source of encouragement in the first situation. I have been praying recently for servants, Christians who will be willing to just serve the church. I talked to Gantuya on Saturday. First, Ganpurev and his wife Ulzee went to visit Gantuya as soon as they could without being asked. Second, Gantuya was worried because it was her turn to be in the nursery watching the little children the next day and she was not going to make it. I had to smile when I heard about her concern about missing her responsibility. Of course, we were easily able to cover her post, but I was encouraged to see Ganpurev and Ulzee so willing to give up an evening to visit and to hear about Gantuya's interest in fulfilling her tasks.

Details of our fishing trip

My dad, Charissa, Caleb, and I headed out to the countryside to do some fishing. Above is a picture of the Yoroo River from Google Earth. It was at the Yoroo River where we decided to try our hand at fishing. The last time my dad and I went out to fish, we had transmission problems and had to drive all the way back to Ulan Bator in first gear. This time, I made certain that the vehicle was ready to go.

We drove north towards the border with Russia, finally arriving at a little town called Yoroo. The road so far had been either blacktop or an improved gravel road. In that little town, we providentially met another American who gave us some further directions to ideal fishing spots. We headed upriver on dirt roads. To use the word "roads" might be misleading for at times we only had two ruts in the grass to guide us as we tried to follow the river. My dad would see a spot that looked promising according to his experience and the fellow Americans advice and we would get out and throw our lines in. The wind gusted all day which was annoying, and we didn't have much success fishing. Our lack of success fishing was particularly strange as my dad is a very good fisherman as the picture below of a fish he caught in the States shows.

Finally, about six in the evening, my dad suggested we get some dinner and prepare for bed. Because the wind had been blowing all day, we wondered if the tent - an old one with a strange design - would stay up. We put the tent up before dinner, placing the vehicle strategically and setting the tent up beside it to protect the tent from the prevailing winds. My dad expressed several times his concern that the tent might collapse if the wind continued to blow. However, as we fixed and ate dinner the tent remained standing, thereby convincing my dad that it wasn't about to collapse.

After a game of UNO, we finally laid down in the tent to sleep for the night. As we laid down, I began planning for the next day: we would get up early in the morning and move north to another river to try fishing there. I fell asleep contemplating the drive to the next location, the wind gently blowing against the tent.

I woke up suddenly and noticed that it was not quite dark. The wind had changed directions and was not blowing gently but whipping against the tent from a different direction. I looked at my watch and noticed that only about 30 minutes had passed since I had laid down. I heard thunder in the distance and could see flashes of lightning through the tent walls. Before I had been confident that the tent would stay up in the wind; now I wondered. I wasn't planning on a gale. As I sat up to contemplate the situation, my dad woke up. We discussed the sudden change in weather and whether the tent would stand up in the growing gale.

About that time, I grabbed the metal tent pole because the tent began to collapse. My dad pointed out that it was not probably the safest thing to be holding a metal tent pole in the middle of a field during an electrical storm. Letting go of the tent pole would mean that the rear wall of the tent would collapse completely. As we pondered whether to sleep in a collapsed tent and to risk being struck by lightning, we decided that it was time to "abandon tent." As we made our decision, it began to rain ... very hard.

We quickly woke up Caleb and evacuated the tent with all speed. Caleb and Charissa (who had been sleeping in the car) waited in the car as my dad and I threw everything in the back of the jeep. My dad and I discussed that the dirt roads that brought us to our fishing spot were quickly turning to mud and decided that it would be wise to retreat to the gravel road with all speed.

As we began to drive away from the river, it began to hail. Hailstones the size of large peas began to strike the car. My dad asked if rocks were hitting the car, but they weren't rocks; they were hailstones.

We safely made it back to the gravel road. However, the gravel road led to a large coal mine where trucks were hauling coal out of the mine and returning to it. These monstrous dump trucks would splash through the deep puddles on the road and throw muddy water completely over the jeep. Combined with the wind, hail, and lightning it seemed as if all things were working against us to prevent us from leaving.

At first we discussed traveling only as far as Yoroo or perhaps another town further down the road. But we realized that with all the wind, rain, and hail that the rivers in the vicinity would be muddy for days which would decrease our chance of fishing success. In the end, we drove all the way back to Ulan Bator arriving at four the next morning.

Pray for Dashka's wife

Along with news about Tegshee's injury, we heard today from Dashka that his wife has stomach cancer. We have known for some months that Tonga (Dashka's wife) was having stomach trouble. However, she did not want to see a doctor. Several weeks ago she saw a doctor and began tests. Doctors diagnosed cancer this past week though they have not yet told Tonga; they did tell Dashka. The plan is to have a scan done tomorrow (computer aided tomography) to see how much the cancer has spread before suggesting a course of treatment. Dashka says that Tonga is already only drinking liquids. She can no longer ingest solid food.

The saddest part of this dire situation is that Tonga is not saved although she has heard the Gospel several times. Please pray with us for her salvation!

Urgent prayer request

Togsoo called me tonight to tell me that his son Tegshee (pronounced Texˑshay)had been seriously burned. His wife Gantuya talked to me too and was very upset. Please pray for this tiny child. He is less 9 months old. Tegshee is the baby with Kristie in the picture above.

News about registering with the government

I have heard news from another missionary that the government of Mongolia is attempting to register all the churches in Ulan Bator. From another missionary I received a sheet of items that the government is requiring of all churches. Faith Baptist Church has remained unregistered. But it could be in the coming months that we face a government requiring us to register. Please pray for wisdom as we face this decision whether to register or not.

The largest equestrian statue in the world

My parents and my family visited the largest equestrian statue in the world today. I had heard about it but had never visited. The statue along with the base stands 40 meters tall, and 250 tons of stainless steel went into the creation of the statue. A stairwell or elevator will take visitors up to the horses mane where another set of steps takes one up to the top of the horse's head.