Looks like an on-time departure

Our plane is here and it looks like an on-time departure. My next post should come from Mongolia.

International travel

International travel is never a sure thing. I would say that we are fairly certain to end up at our destination but am never sure when we will arrive or if all our baggage will arrive with us. So far in our trips to Mongolia and the trips of our family and friends to Mongolia events have been relatively uneventful (poor writing intended). However, one can never be sure what will happen "this time."

This time for us means a small frustration with baggage. The Korean Air folks at the counter in Seattle did an admirable job of checking in nearly 750 lbs. of luggage. To put that in context, that is about 130 lbs. of luggage for each family member. But much of that is school books and study books. Remember, we do not have much access to good English books in Mongolia. The luggage was checked all the way to Mongolia which meant that we did not have to touch it in Korea.

We also had a huge amount of carry-ons: one large roll-on bag plus a bag pack for each family member. We loaded all our carry-ons onto the plane in Seattle just fine. The boarding staff moved us to the front of the line because we had "small children."

However, today in Incheon, an official at the security desk told us that one of our carry-ons was oversized. When I went to check the bag, the baggage desk clerk here told me that he cannot take the bag until 3 PM because the plane has been "held." I asked him if that meant the flight was canceled. No. I asked if that meant the plane would take off on time. Maybe.

All that means we are sitting on the wrong side of security waiting to check a bag that we carried on yesterday. It also means that our flight may be delayed or canceled but that a decision will not be made for a few more hours. International travel: always an adventure.

Preparing to travel

I am writing to you on Tuesday. Much of our luggage is ready as we leave for Mongolia tomorrow. By the time that you rise in the morning on Saturday we should be arriving in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. Modern transportation is an amazing thing.

Our flight leaves from the Seattle-Tacoma airport. After about ten hours of flying, we will land in Seoul, South Korea where we will spend the night. The next evening, our plane will depart for a four hour flight to the capital of Mongolia and our home city.

Our time in the United States has been a wonderful time to spend time with family, reconnect with friends, and report to our supporting churches. We anticipate that God has even greater things ahead of us in the years to come. As always, we are grateful for your prayers and ask that you would pray for us and our baggage to make all our connections, for opportunities to be Jesus' witnesses as we travel, and for our visa paperwork to go smoothly after we arrive in the country.

A Vanished Friend

Around the corner I have a friend,

In this great city that has no end;

Yet days go by and weeks rush on,

And before I know it a year is gone,

And I never see my old friend’s face;

For life is a swift and terrible race.

He knows I like him just as well

As in days when I rang his bell

And he rang mine. We were younger then;

And now we are busy, tired men –

Tired with playing a foolish game;

Tired with trying to make a name.

“Tomorrow,” I say, “I will call on Jim,

Just to show that I’m thinking of him.”

But tomorrow comes – and tomorrow goes;

And the distance between us grows and grows.

Around the corner! Yet miles away …

“Here’s a telegram, sir … Jim died today!”

And that’s what we get, and deserve in the end –

Around the corner, a vanished friend.

Weekly update

I remain grateful that so many of you are praying faithfully for Mongolians. I was talking last night with several that had questions and was encouraged when I was reminded that more than a few pray regularly.

Saikhnaa had her baby on Monday. It seems that everything went well and that Bilgee and Saikhnaa's baby is healthy. Weighing in at almost 8 lbs. their first baby is a heavy one.

Ganpurev went to the countryside suddenly because a relative is dying of cancer. The name was not familiar to me, and I have few details. Please pray for Ganpurev as he is a witness to loved ones and especially this fellow.

I will be preaching at Westgate Baptist Church's family camp this week and would especially ask for you to pray that the preaching would honor our Savior.

Saikhnaa's baby

Saikhnaa's baby was born today—or yesterday, depending on how you see it. Almost eight pounds, the baby is healthy. Mom is doing well too, I've heard.

Quote of the week

"It will cost something to walk slow in the parade of the ages, while excited men of time rush about confusing motion with progress. But it will pay in the long run and the true Christian is not much interested in anything short of that." - A. W. Tozer

Weekly update

Lord willing, this will be my second to last update from the States. In less than three weeks we leave for Mongolia. Next week is jury duty and church family camp. The week after will be last minute, frantic packing and cleaning as we prepare to leave our home of the last eight months and return to Mongolia.

This week I am at a conference. I have been encouraged and challenged by the preaching. Just this afternoon, I listened to a Japanese pastor talk about his relationship with the missionary who trained him to take over the church. As a missionary who wants to see a Mongolian pastor for the church at which I currently minister, I considered how my relationship with my Mongolians can be better. Conferences such as this can be wonderful exposure to other people with more ministry experience.

Pray for God to raise up a Mongolian man to be the pastor of Faith Baptist Church and for His hand of blessing on the men.

Quote of the week

"To educate a man in mind, and not in morals, is to educate a menace to society." — Theodore Roosevelt

Weekly update

Greetings from Nampa, Idaho where we are greeting some of those who love us and pray for us. Only one more trip—this one to the Leadership Conference at Lancaster Baptist Church—before we leave for Mongolia.

Our time in the United States is coming to a close all too quickly; less than a month now before we return. Already the details of leaving are beginning to loom large in our eyes. Last week, we began the process of sorting through our items to decide what needs to go to Mongolia and what needs to stay. It never ceases to amaze me how much one accumulates in such a short period of time: pictures, magazines, books, CDs, etc. Not everything needs to go back to Mongolia.

Regarding our visas, I never feel as if I have a definitive answer when I am in Mongolia. Having said that, it seems that we cannot apply for our visas until we arrive in the country because for my visa my presence is required. Continue to pray that all would go smoothly with our visa approval process after we arrive in Mongolia.

Our latest monthly financial update shows that much of the money needed for the building project has already come in. We praise the Lord for His generous provision.

Where have I been?

Some of you may be wondering where I have been. I haven't posted here in weeks. I try to write two posts a week and have even given myself some projects to increase the number of posts. However, it just seems to me that there is not a lot of news to write about. Several times, I have sat down to write an update, thought that there was not much to say yet, and put off posting until next time.

Our current work is to arrange thing for our return to Mongolia and to prepare sermons for Westgate Baptist Church's Family Camp which is coming up just before we leave. In addition to that, we are spending some time with family this week, and I am traveling to a leadership conference at Lancaster Baptist Church next week. As always, there are many people who would like to get together with us before we leave. Unfortunately, it will be impossible to see them all. Charissa will be finishing up her braces and having them removed as well. Kristie has a final doctor's appointment to see about her condition also.

So now you are updated on our schedule these last three and a half weeks before we depart for Mongolia. Look for more frequent updates for the next few weeks.