Three minute overview of our ministry in Mongolia

I recently wrote this update at the request of a church and thought that I would share it with the readers of this blog.

Mongolia: the name evokes the unknown, the

exotic, the hostile. But for us, Mongolia is not unknown, exotic, and certainly not hostile. For the last nine years Mongolia has been our home.

When we arrived in Mongolia in 2001, we only knew a handful of Mongolians and almost none of their language. We feel now as if we have lived in Mongolia long enough to just begin to know the people and culture.

Kristie and I primarily minister in people’s homes. Kristie has a Bible study for ladies, and I have several Bible studies for couples that I conduct. We have found that people are most responsive and eager to learn in the familiarity of a home.

On Sundays I preach to Mongolians. We have had as many as forty plus Mongolians come on special Sundays. Often we have 20-25 Mongolians in attendance.

Last spring, the church established a Bible institute for the training of Mongolians. The Bible institute has grown from three students last year to ten students this year. In the coming years I see more and more of my ministry being devoted to the Bible institute and the training of Mongolian men.

Speaking of training Mongolian men, I have been working with Ganpurev (pronounced gone-per-of) for several years. Last year, he began to preach once a week to the church. It has been my dream to see more Mongolian men like Ganpurev. Mongolian men will be the ones to evangelize the nation, establish Baptist churches, and see Mongolia transformed for God’s glory.

I also have been assisting with a Bible translation project. FirstBibles International arranged for Bill Patterson to come to Mongolia to establish a Bible translation team and oversee the training of Mongolians as translators. Although I have done some translation, my primary contribution has been to serve on a consulting group that discusses terminology and grammatical issues that face the translation. Today, the Gospel of John is nearly ready for printing, and the books of Mark, Romans, I Corinthians, I Timothy, and James are in the draft stage.

In addition to these projects, I have also begun the construction of a building that allows me to maintain a visa and residency permission. The building will also provide a larger facility than the space we currently rent where the church can meet. The exterior of the building is completely finished. The plan is for the interior of the building to be completed by fall of 2011.

We would ask you to pray for Mongolian men to be leaders in their homes, in the church, and in our community. My desire is to see Mongolian men saved, baptized, and discipled, then to go out and reproduce themselves spiritually.

Also pray for the unsaved spouses of church members to become children of God. Our hope is to see entire families, not just the wife or the husband or the teenager, but whole families saved, baptized, and serving God together.

We thank you for your faithful prayers and support over the years. Your prayers and support have made our ministry in Mongolia possible. May God bless you for your generosity to His servants.