Meeting with Faith Baptist Church on Sunday

Kristie and I enjoyed our time with Faith Baptist Church yesterday. Emily was unable to come with us because she had been sick the night before.

Being with Faith Baptist Church felt comfortable and familiar. The church has taken very good care of the facilities. The rooms were clean and well-maintained.

When Kristie took her place at the piano and we began to sing, I felt a surge of joy; I was so grateful to be again with these people that I love. The time of prayer was sweet. Pastor Ganpurev is doing a fine job of leading the church.

I preached in English & then preached again an hour later in Mongolian. Following my sermon in Mongolian, Pastor Ganpurev preached from I John 3:4-10. It was a good expository sermon.

What Kristie and I noticed most about the service was that everything was just done. There was a nursery for the littlest children and a Sunday school class for the other children. Two men counted the offering. The church was functioning without us. This is a missionary's goal: to work himself out of a job in one location so that he can serve somewhere else. I think of James Fraser's quote: "On the human side, evangelistic work on the mission field is like a man going about in the dark, damp valley with a lighted match in his hand, seeking to ignite anything ignitable … here a shrub, there a tree, here a few sticks, there a heap of leaves take fire and give light and warmth long after the kindling match and its bearer have passed on. And this is what God wants to see … little patches of fire burning all over the world." There is a little patch of fire in Mongolia today that was not there ten years ago and that is still burning without our aid.

Keep praying for Faith Baptist Church.