Sometimes we think of soulwinning as something that occurs on a specific day of the week. My goal in Mongolia has been to leave behind Christians who take any opportunity to preach Christ the Savior to people whenever they can and wherever they are.
We also know that God allows difficulties such as sickness to grow our faith and show His strength in our weakness. Many people in Mongolia who profess to be Christians seem to be content "to be Christians" until trials come. More than a few times, a Mongolian will tell me about a friend who "used to be a Christian" or who "lost his faith." One goal of my teaching is to encourage Christians to see trials as an opportunity to let God's power to shine through their lives. "Be not dismayed" is a common command in Joshua that means "do not be discouraged." Discouragement is allowing our flesh to use our circumstances to prevent us from doing God's will.
So I was encouraged recently to hear of several members response to trials. Despite serious illness during the past month several church members have had multiple opportunities to be a witness while in the hospital of all places.
The first instance took place about a month ago. I received a call from Gantsetseg who was very concerned about her daughter Ulaakaa. Her daughter was very lethargic, had not been eating or drinking, and had a fever. She took her daughter to the doctor who then admitted her daughter to the hospital. The hospitals in Mongolia all have public rooms, and parents are required to stay with their children 24 hours a day until their children are discharged. So Gantsetseg and her daughter were in a room with five other Mongolian mothers and their sick children. The next morning, Ganpurev and I went to the hospital to visit Gantsetseg and Ulaakaa. To my surprise Ulaakaa was literally squirming to get out of her mother's arms and once set down began to run through the ward. I asked Gantsetseg if her description of her daughter's condition the previous evening had been accurate. She said it had been true and that when Ulaakaa was admitted to the hospital the previous evening she just laid on her bed unmoving. But by the next morning, she was completely different. The other mothers remarked on how quickly Ulaakaa had recovered. Gantsetseg told all the mothers that she and her church had been praying for Ulaakaa and that God had healed her daughter.
This past week, Ganpurev and Byambaa both went in for surgery though under a completely different set of circumstances. Byambaa has been having thyroid trouble for over a year. The doctors kept encouraging her to have her thyroid (or at least most of it) removed. However, Byambaa tried a variety of treatments including putting wolf's tongue on her throat. Finally, she scheduled her surgery and went into the hospital. She also shared a room with other hospital patients. The others were nervous, frightened, and worried. They noticed Byambaa's calm and pleasant demeanor and asked her about it. She spoke to them of that peace which passes all understanding which is given to us when we put aside our anxious thoughts and give our requests to God. Later, after surgery she had fewer complications. She gave all the glory to God for her successful surgery and quick recovery. One lady remarked to her, "You sure serve a powerful God." (Remember that this is a polytheistic country.)
Ganpurev, unlike Byambaa, had not scheduled a surgery for this past week. Instead, he began complaining of severe stomach pain on Monday and went to see the doctor for the first time that I can remember. The doctor said that he had appendicitis and that he needed immediate, emergency surgery. They do not perform laparoscopic surgery for appendectomies in Mongolia, nor do they give patients general anesthesia. Instead they give a local anesthetic that eases pain in the abdomen. This means that the patient is conscious and alert for the entire operation although doctors will use a drape so that the patient cannot observe the procedure. In Ganpurev's case, there was a male doctor and a female nurse performing his appendectomy.
The doctor told Ganpurev, "Talk to me during the operation." When Ganpurev asked what he was to talk about the doctor said, "Talk about whatever you want, yell, cry, just keep talking." So Ganpurev started to tell the doctor and the nurse about our Savior Jesus Christ. At the end of the operation, the nurse said, "You have caused us to believe in Jesus," to which the doctor replied, "I don't believe. I'm an athiest!"
Each of these true stories are examples of Mongolian Christians taking the opportunities that they had to be a witness for Jesus Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you the unusual opportunities that you have to be a witness. It could be at an unusual time that you do not expect.
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