Deans' weekly update

Our family is finally past the illnesses that have limited our ministry the past few weeks. Now it is the cold. We have not had temperatures above zero degrees Fahrenheit for some weeks. The first few weeks, we soldier through. But after a while it becomes tiresome to dress for the weather and yet still be constantly cold when one is outside. The cold weather should break soon and temperatures should be in the low teens once again.

One of my joys of working in Mongolia is small group ministry: home Bible studies and small groups. The study can be more informal allowing questions and even disagreement to be expressed. As a pastor/missionary, I can confront people with personal weaknesses in a small group setting that could not be done in a church setting. Finally, the challenge of dealing in Mongolian with the real life situations that people bring up is interesting.

So this past week, I found great joy in restarting two home Bible studies and in a third small group meeting that took place at the church building one morning with two men that were there. One home Bible study has been on hiatus during the holidays and general busyness of my parents leaving. The second home Bible study stopped sometime during my last furlough and then never was re-started. I have been pushing that couple to pick up in their discipleship books where they left off when Ganpurev was teaching them. For over a year now, they have had various excuses as to the reason that they could not continue their studies. But recently they agreed to meet with me on Saturday afternoons.

Then last week, I planned to discuss a Women's Day holiday event with Ganpurev. Baysaa came unexpectedly into our meeting, and we spent over an hour discussing the ways that husbands should love their wives and in general how men can honor women. The courtesy and respect that women deserve is sadly lacking in Mongolia and is also decreasing in the United States.

These opportunities to study the Bible bring me great joy. Please pray for God to use these studies for His honor and pray for these Mongolians to internalize and apply the truths of Scripture that they are studying.