Wrap-up of 2019 Mongolia trip

What a blessed trip! Thank you all for praying. I was unable to accomplish all that I had hoped with this trip, but God blessed in unexpected ways also.

My first goal was to get Caleb settled into his new home, registered for school, and assist with obtaining his residency permission for living temporarily in Mongolia. All of those were accomplished. When you pray express gratitude to God for His help. When I left Caleb last night he seemed calm and eager to begin his adventure in Mongolia. He is planning to make his first visit to a Mongolian family on his own Saturday night. He did make a visit with his grandma once when I was busy moving our luggage from one place to another. Ulzee said he talked in Mongolian (other than his grandma, no other English speakers were present). But this evening he will not even have his grandma. Having struggled for years to speak the language, I am impressed with how well he does with it. Foreigners have commented to me that he does well because he grew up in Mongolia. But I know many American children who grew up in Mongolia and cannot speak the language today.

My second goal was to strengthen Khan Uul Baptist Church. I had the opportunity to preach three times in Mongolia and once in English. Many people—Mongolians & missionaries—told me how much of a blessing the preaching was. God was good to grant me the freedom and power to preach in Mongolian. After the morning service, Ulemj brought his friend Yesugei to me. Yesugei had many questions about salvation. In the end, I think that he was a Christian but had been confused by some false teaching at another church that taught that Christians must attend church regularly in order to get to heaven. I stressed to him the sufficiency of faith in Christ and encouraged him to make a public profession of faith in Christ alone at the next church service.

My third goal was to encourage the Mongolian Christians. In the past I have often stayed 12 days in the country with which travel makes a 14 day trip. This time I chose to make it a 12 day trip which meant 10 days in Mongolia. I was not able to visit as many Mongolian families as I wished to visit. One Mongolian family in particular that I wished to move forward seems stuck despite your prayers, my prayers, and my best efforts. God gave several opportunities for clear and open communication in Mongolian. But talk does not change people; the Holy Spirit changes people. Please pray for a new openness to the Holy Spirit’s work in this family’s life.

My fourth goal was to assist with the Old Testament translation project and get to the place where I can continue to help going forward. I have committed to one morning a week. Jason will send me materials that they are passing on to the translation team’s reading committee. I will look for obvious errors and doctrinal implications.

My fifth goal was to encourage the missionaries. Missionary life can be lonely, discouraging, and unrewarding. I was glad to be able to meet with three different missionary families as well as additional meetings with the missionary pastor of Khan Uul Baptist Church.

Some of you that are receiving this email are not a part of Elmira Baptist Church. You will be pleased to hear that the church rallied around and solved a difficult problem during my absence. The speaker that I had scheduled for the Sunday morning that I was gone was unable to come. I found out just days before Sunday. But my deacons and father stepped up to meet the needs, and I only heard good reports from last Sunday’s service. I had better not be gone any more than I must; otherwise, my church will realize that they don’t need me as much as they think. Praise the Lord for His grace that enables us to meet every need.

Last day in Mongolia

We are just a few hours away from leaving for the airport. I hid away a few precious hours before we left to update you and get some sleep. Our flight leaves just before midnight Mongolia time and lands in Korea about 4 AM. I do not sleep on the plane very well anymore, so red-eye flights mean no sleep. When I was in college, I often took red-eye flights because they were cheaper and I could sleep the whole time. No more. Getting old may not be fun, but it beats the alternative.

Thank you for your prayers for my preaching. Many people have commented on God blessing them through the preaching. I am so grateful for God's help! And it has been a blessed time for me to listen to missionaries, their concerns and troubles. I cannot solve every problem, but I know the One Who has grace for every trial. My visits to Mongolia always lead me to pray more fervently and specifically.

I sat with the Old Testament translation team for about six hours yesterday and remembered why God has not called me to translate. Bible translation is quite an undertaking. Pray for the team as they hope to finish up the Old Testament in the next four years. Then the important work of printing will begin.

I should be "back in the saddle” on Sunday at Elmira Baptist Church. Some of you I will see there. The others I will see as I have opportunity. I may write again from Korea. Thank you again for your prayers. 

Thursday update from Mongolia

We are getting closer to the end of our time here in Mongolia. I was ill yesterday evening and canceled a visit that I had scheduled. But I have learned to trust God in these things and not to get too anxious when something I wanted to do, does not work out.

Tonight I speak one last time to Khan Uul Baptist Church where Bradly Kubik serves. It is their midweek prayer service so I will speak on prayer. Tomorrow, I will speak to the translators of the Old Testament translation project and join them in their weekly translation meeting. Pray for wisdom in all these opportunities.

After the translation meeting, I will visit two Mongolian families as a sort of end-cap to our visits in Mongolia.

Friday, we pack up, take Caleb to his Mongolian residence, and then leave for the airport. So, as always, it will be a busy finish. Pray for strength for us and safety as we fly back to the U.S.

Where we have been

I have not written as many updates as I intended to because my mornings have been full which is unusual for my Mongolia trips. Usually, my mornings are free as people work, and I visit families in the afternoons and evenings. The exception, of course, is Sunday when I attend a church meeting in the morning. On this trip, however, my mornings have also been full.

I spent several mornings helping Caleb get settled. We visited his language school, met his teachers, etc. one morning. We spent another morning headed to immigration to obtain his residency permission—he already had his visa before he arrived. The immigration office is across town, and what took so long was traffic, not bureaucracy. Yesterday morning, we did some shopping together to find some items that he would need.

On Saturday morning, I attended the first chapel of Faith Baptist Bible College. I intended to attend one of the classes. However, the head of the Bible college caught me and wished to talk to me for a while. This morning, I met with a missionary and spent over 2 hours discussing Mongolian churches, the Old Testament translation, and some Mongolians that we both know. It’s all valuable work, but it has taken away my prime opportunity to write updates.

The preaching on Sunday went well. Several people told me that both the English message and Mongolian message were a blessing to them. The Holy Spirit is required in all preaching; however, He seemed especially present in the preaching on Sunday.

I will speak again in Wednesday night at the prayer meeting. The following morning, I will speak to the translators at their weekly meeting. So please pray for my continued opportunities to speak in Mongolian.

Caleb has impressed me on this trip. When we lived in Mongolia, Caleb did not speak much English or Mongolian. When he did speak to me, he almost always spoke English. Despite being away from the country for more than seven years, he speaks Mongolian incredibly well. On Saturday, I left him at Ganpurev’s house with his grandmother (my mom). I expected to be gone less than an hour. Because of traffic, it took me more than two hours to accomplish my simple errand. That entire time Caleb carried on a conversation with the Mongolians in the house.

Later, we visited another Mongolian family where he impressed them with his Mongolian language ability and his ability to write Old Script Mongolian which I never learned. So he is off to a good start. His classes start next Monday after we leave. During our time in Mongolia so far, he has been visiting Mongolians with my mom and me. He has grown up so much in the last few years. It is a joy to watch him become a young man. Please pray that God will protect Caleb from evil during his time in Mongolia.

Crazy traffic

Crazy, it’s simply crazy. I thought traffic was bad when I left Ulaanbaatar. It’s worse now. Last night, what should have been a 15 minute ride home turned into an hour long trek that included two taxis, a walk in the rain, and a splash of muddy water from the street. By the time that we arrived home we were all soaked. But we did arrive home safely.

But first, a little bit about what we did during the day. Caleb and I joined one of Charissa’s old friends, now grown up and studying to be a doctor, on a trip to the immigration office. The bureaucracy itself was quick, and Caleb received his residency permission to stay in Mongolia. It was the traffic that was achingly slow. I was glad that I did not have to drive. Caleb starts language classes on Monday, Sep. 16 and is studying not far from where we live. I have also encouraged him to take part in the Bible classes that are offered on Saturdays at Faith Baptist Bible College.

In the evening, we joined the 2019-2020 opening ceremony of Faith Baptist Bible College of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. I was pleased that so many Mongolians came, especially so many young people. Bradly Kubik whom Elmira Baptist Church supports was there. I had the honor of giving the opening address and spoke from I Tim. 2:1-3 about being a good soldier of Jesus Christ and relying on the grace that we find in Christ Jesus.

I must mention that Caleb is off to a good start. He is speaking Mongolian with the young men that he meets and must have carried on a conversation in Mongolian for most of an hour last night. It took me over a year of study to come close to doing that. I could greet people and ask a few questions but long conversations were difficult for me. Some of you might think, of course, Caleb is speaking Mongolian well; he grew up there. And you would be correct that he grew up here. However, when he lived here he never carried on long conversations like that. It’s mentally tiring so I commend him for his efforts. If he continues to yield himself to God for service, he will be a good asset at Khan Uul Baptist Church.

Tomorrow, I will be speaking at Khan Uul Baptist Church in English and in Mongolian. I appreciate your prayers for me.

Haven't left the United States yet

I am excited about this trip to Mongolia. However, for the first time ever my excitement is more for someone else than for myself. Since 1997, I have made this trip many times. My trip in 1997 when Kristie and I visited the country and in 2001 when I took my family to Mongolia are my most memorable trips. This one will rank right up there.

This time I will be delivering my son Caleb to Mongolia and leaving him there for seven months. It is an ambitious undertaking for an 18 year old man. Caleb in close consultation with me made this decision some years ago and has been laser focused on returning to Mongolia since then. He has been saving money and teaching himself Mongolian in anticipation for his trip.

Last Tuesday, we went to the Mongolian Consulate in San Francisco to pick up his visa. Now I find myself writing to you from the San Francisco International airport. So our trip begins. I’ll be posting this email and future updates at mongolia-ministry.blogspot.com. I will also be posting pictures to my Instagram account at @mongoldean and my Twitter is also @MongolDean.

Caleb

Next summer after he graduates from high school, Caleb desires to travel to Mongolia to spend 6-9 months there furthering his study of Mongolian and experiencing missionary life as an adult. In addition to living in Mongolia for the first 11 years of his life, Caleb has also taken three short-term trips to Nicaragua and learned much Spanish.

Kristie and I are excited about what God is doing in each of our children's lives. We support Caleb in this endeavor because he believes that God has called him to do Bible translation work. He worked at a farm and has saved the past two summers to make it possible for this trip. He has more work to do this year to reach his goal.

His time in Mongolia will increase his effectiveness studying at Bible college. We know that God has great things ahead for him. Please pray with us that God will direct our son and provide for his needs. God is good … all the time.

Mongolian in California

I have been searching for Mongolians in the United States for some time now. I know that there are pockets of them. Until today, however, the only Mongolian I had met in America was in Utah. He had comverted to Mormonism in Mongolia and was doing his “mission” in Utah. But that was before I knew much Mongolian.

Yesterday at church some of the members told me about two Mongolians who run a Japanese food restaurant in Fairfield. So today, Caleb, Elsie, and I took a quick trip over to Fairfield. There we met Bat, a common Mongolian name. He did not want to talk about religion and could not comprehend why we would want to live in Mongolia. But we told him that we were Christians and left him with the Gospel of John.

Another prayer request for Mongolia

Please pray for the Mongolians to be a witness. The key to the evangelization of Mongolia is not missionaries but Mongolians.

Pray for Ganpurev to have work

I am grateful for those of you who are praying for our Mongolian brothers & sisters. Please pray for Ganpurev to have work. The last few months have been very slow.

Pray for the Mongolians to grow in faith and grace

Mongolias often seem like children when it comes to spiritual matters. Perhaps it is that most Mongolian believers are so young in the Lord. If a Mongolian has been a Christian – and living like one for 10 years – then he is among a handful of Christians who are. I recently met a woman at a church where I was speaking. Her first service in the church building where I was speaking was Easter 1946. She has been attending there ever since. In 1946 most Mongolians still could not read and write. So it is a major difference.

Please pray with me that God would cause the Mongolians to grow in their faith. So many times Mongolians fail to act on the Bible because they do not comprehend how biblical principle works. Take tithing as an example: humanly speaking, if a family is having trouble making both ends meet on their current salary, how is reducing their income by 10% going to make it possible for them to meet their financial obligations. In such circumstances, the Mongolians, lacking faith, just do not tithe.

In an American church if most families did not tithe, the church would find it hard to meet its financial obligations. But in Mongolia most churches obtain primary support from outside the country. It is very possible, even normal, for most Mongolian Christian families to be tippers not tithers giving when they think they can rather than giving by faith. So pray with me that in this area and many others, God would develop in the Mongolians the faith that they need.

Second, pray with me that the Mongolians would grow in grace. Grace is the desire and the ability to accomplish God’s will. Many Mongolians do not ever recognize that they must be seeking God’s will. Rather, they want to know the reason God is not more interested in their will. It is a maddening conundrum at times.

Another prayer request

As you pray for Mongolia, pray for wisdom for Jason, Chuck, and Bradley as they work to start a genuine Bible college with the government's permission. Starting a Bible institute in Mongolia is no problem. But obtaining permission to start a college or university, much less one that is overtly Christian, is another thing altogether. As Jason and I talked, I could tell that he was burdened to start not merely a Bible institute to train young people but a Bible college with the government's express permission so that he could grant degrees.

There are four things that he desperately needs. First, he will need unusual favor with the government as he pushes forward. The current president of Mongolia is intensely Buddhist. He is also a nationalist. Getting permission for a foreign run college much less a Christian one is going to be difficult. But I believe that God can do the impossible if we will pray.

Second, he will need a building where the college can meet. Perhaps in Africa, you can start out underneath a tree or in a grass hut. But in Mongolia where winter temperature are below zero (below -15 for those of you who deal in Centigrade), you need a warm building and a supply of heat.

Third, he will need a curriculum. It is possible to take English Bible textbooks and give them to students for whom English is a second (and not well understood) language. It is another thing to give them textbooks in their own language. Initially, someone will be doing much translation.

Fourth, he will need teachers, ideally again, teachers who can speak Mongolian.

So those are some prayer requests for the Bible college project.

Prayer requests

Over the next few weeks, I plan to post some specific ways that you can pray for Mongolia. Bradley Kubik and his family just arrived in Mongolia. Please pray that they would settle in nicely. Also pray for them as they begin to learn the language. Pray too for Chuck Webber and his family as they learn Mongolian.

I remember that learning Mongolian was one of the hardest mental challenges that I ever faced. Certainly, some people learn Mongolian more easily than I did (shout out to Bill Patterson); but for most of us, learning Mongolian is a daily struggle that lasts for the rest of one's life.

Sunday update

Sunday is coming to a close, my final full day in Mongolia. I had the privilege and joy of preaching in English and Mongolian again today. I must say that my Mongolian was much improved this week over last. And I certainly felt as if the Mongolians were tracking closely both in my Mongolian preaching this morning and in the adult Bible study lesson.

Something unusual happened in my Mongolian preaching this morning. As the singing was coming to a close, I was contemplating the best way to open the message when a Mongolian saying came to my mind. I realized that years ago, I had been pondering that with a few small adjustments a well-known Mongolian proverb could be made to say, and I paraphrase, "If you will attempt great things for God, He will do great things for you." This was in line with the quote from William Carey that I used when preaching a similar message in English in Oregon, "Expect great things from God, attempt great things for God." The major difference was that Mongolians would easily identify the origin of the saying and, with God's help, remember the main point of the lesson more thoroughly.

I then proceeded to preach the message, weaving the modified Mongolian maxim throughout. The Mongolians responded with interest and much nodding of heads. I must say that it was one of the most well-followed sermons I have ever preached in Mongolian.

The reason that I say this was unusual is that I cannot remember another time when I have added a piece to the message minute before I was to preach in Mongolian and woven it throughout in which it was effective. I know that many of you are praying for me. God in His grace and goodness gave me a proverb on which to hang the message and leave the Mongolians with a memorable quote. To God be the glory!

The church service ended with an adult Bible study. Again, the Mongolians showed much interest. One Mongolian even blurted out an answer after I had called on another Mongolian by name. She was so excited to share the answer that she did not give her Christian brother a chance to answer. That rarely happens in a Mongolian setting. Again, I attribute the deep interest in the topic of spiritual maturity to your prayers and God's goodness.

During my entire time here, I have let Mongolians and Americans alike know that Caleb is planning to return to Mongolia next summer after he completes high school to study the Mongolian language and re-acquaint himself with Mongolia culture. He plans to stay for as much as a year. Considering what he believes God has called him to do, I think this is an excellent idea. I mention it here because Jason Ritchie told the people of Khan-Uul Baptist Church that when I come back next summer with Caleb, he wants me to preach at nightly meetings for a week!

I look forward to beginning the long trip home tomorrow. I have much of Monday in Mongolia and will use it to encourage Ganpurev and meet with the missionaries here. Please pray for more of God's grace and assistance for my final day in Mongolia and for the trip home.
God is certainly at work in Mongolia! Thank you for your prayers.

My fickle heart

Today is one of those days when I wonder why I ever left Mongolia. I open my mouth, and words – Mongolian words – come tumbling out. Mongolians remark on how well I am speaking the language. One says to me that you must have a Mongolian to speak with in the United States because otherwise how do you remember the language so well when you only come once a year. Traffic flows, and I can get from one place to another quickly and without fuss. I walk into Millie's Café and order a coffee. The barista whom I have known for years hands a coffee to me and as I reach to get out my Mongolian togrogs to pay for it says, "Don't worry about it. This one is free."

I visit Ganaa; and she says, "Now that you are back, I will attend church." Later in the conversation as we are discussing my job change, she says, "Why don't you come back to Mongolia and pastor a church?" Keep in mind that Mongolians often are wary of foreigners in positions of leadership. And now one of them says to me, "Come and be a pastor here." Bright days, indeed.

It is hard to say no. But I did. I have no doubt that the Mongolians are sincere when they say such things to me. But I also know that the Mongolians do need to lead! The Mongolians do need to serve! And, as I told Ganaa, there is a church in the United States that needs me to shepherd them.

And then there are days like yesterday when it took me an hour to get across town. Selfish drivers block streets, horns blare, taxis run up on the sidewalk in a vain attempt to create a new street, pedestrians risk their lives to cross the road. Or my taxi driver this afternoon who asked me if I ever visited Dari Ekh before where Ganaa lives. I had no idea what he was saying, and told him so. Later, when he tried to take a wrong turn, I said, "Keep going straight," in at least passible Mongolian because he swerved back into traffic and headed straight. He said to me, "I thought you didn't know where you were going!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't understand you," I replied sheepishly.

These are the times when I am glad that I do not live here. When my friends remind me that it is -40 in the winter. Is that Celsius or Fahrenheit, you ask. It does not matter. At 40 below Fahrenheit and Celsius are the same.

Our hearts are so fickle. It is important to follow God's lead and not one's feelings. As Martin Luther said,
    Feelings come and feelings go,
    And feelings are deceiving;
    My warrant is the Word of God–
    Naught else is worth believing.

    Though all my heart should feel condemned
    For want of some sweet token,
    There is One greater than my heart
    Whose Word cannot be broken.

    I’ll trust in God’s unchanging Word
    Till soul and body sever,
    For, though all things shall pass away,
    HIS WORD SHALL STAND FOREVER!

But for today, I will thank the Lord for blessed visits with grateful Mongolians.

Wednesday update

I have thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Mongolia. My goals for this trip included encouraging Mongolian Christians. I have eaten meals with six families and have several more scheduled. Additionally, I have several families yet to schedule. Many Mongolians have confided problems to me, and we have been able to look into God's word to find answers, comfort, and hope.

One of these was entirely unexpected. Tuesday I went to visit Chuck Webber and his family. They arrived in Mongolia in October and are still learning the language. To learn the language they often have Mongolian guests to their house. Tammy Webber fixed us a delicious meal which we shared with five Mongolians! One of those Mongolians was Monkhuu (pronounced monk•oo). At the age of two his hip was damaged in an accident. He later had a series of surgeries performed to increase his mobility. But instead of increasing his mobility, the surgeries left his hip locked into socket. His hip no longer moves at all. He admitted that although he is a Christian he sometimes becomes depressed by his physical condition. Along with other encouraging words, I shared with him Romans 8:35-37. I was not even planning that visit with Monkhuu but merely met him incidentally in the course of my day.

I also came to assist with the Mongolian Old Testament translation work. The past two mornings, I have met with the translators. They have done the work, but I have had the opportunity to hear what they have done and give advice in solving some of the riddles the translation team has encountered when they bring the Bible from Hebrew to Mongolian.

I had the opportunity to preach on Sunday, once in English and once in Mongolian. After that I led a Mongolian adult Bible study. We looked at what it means for every man to be swift to hear (James 1:19) and how we can be better listeners. Already this week in my visits people have shared with me how they are implementing that lesson. Tonight I am preaching in Mongolian again-this time I will preach that God is worthy of our praise. Often our prayers are filled with requests; we certainly have much for which to pray. But we must take time in our prayers to worship God for His incredible, awe-inspiring attributes and thank Him for His innumerable good gifts.

Continue to pray for me as I finish my visit to Mongolia next Monday. Tomorrow, I will have a chance to see Dashka whom I have not seen in several years. In previous visits he has been busy or in the countryside. I suspect that he is not going to church anywhere. I want to exhort and admonish him as a Christian brother. Pray for me.

Scott Dean

Sunday update

Sunday is coming to a close in Mongolia. Thank you for praying for my trip.

I preached in English and Mongolian this morning. After a Mongolian meal, I led an adult Bible study in Mongolian. Speaking in Mongolian for prolonged periods of time as when one preaches is a chore. But God gave me grace. After the message a Mongolian lady who has been saved since our departure remarked that my messages were interesting.

I have already begun to work on the book of Ruth in Mongolian. It has already been translated into Mongolian; I am checking the translation for accuracy.

Please pray for Ganpurev and his family. I need to have a heart to heart talk with Ganpurev. Sometimes people just need to be prodded in the right direction, encouraged to know that their work matters, and given a fresh vision for what God has for them.

Jason Ritchie and his family have been sick, and then the church meeting place flooded. There has been a significant amount of rain here but not so much that the building would flood. It is probably a good thing that he did not need to preach today. This week I will lead two more Bible studies, meet with the translation team, visit and encourage Mongolian Christians, and converse with some new missionaries. Keep praying for me.

Purpose of my trip to Mongolia

I made it safely to Mongolia on Wednesday night, the first day of the Mongolian summer celebration called Naadam. The route from the airport to the room where I am staying led past the stadium. Despite the fact that it was 10:30 some of the roads were packed with cars filled people making their way home from the Naadam events. We were not delayed long, however; and I arrived to my room about 11.

I am staying near the heart of the city, south of downtown. I am about the same distance from downtown as I was when we lived here. Being in the center of the city is nice for transportation. Last time when Kristie, Caleb, and I visited we were some distance from downtown and had occasional delays getting a taxi. I am also across the street from the location where the church meets on Sundays. I will be speaking to the church in English and Mongolian on Sunday. I will be able to walk across the street to attend services.

I have three purposes in my trip. First, to exhort and encourage the church through preaching. I will be preaching both Sundays that I am here as well as speaking at some Bible studies during the week. Second, I will assist the Old Testament translation team next week with some of their work. The comfortable room in which I am staying is attached to the office where the Old Testament translation team meets. They are on holiday this week because of Naadam but will be back in the office next week. I have set aside a few days to help them. I will be checking a draft of the book of Ruth, giving my opinion on the transliteration of names, and discussing questions of Mongolian vocabulary and grammar.

Additionally, I want to encourage Christians by visiting their homes. Already I have been in Ganpurev's home and will be visiting Baysaa this evening. The people of Westgate Baptist Church were so gracious to provide gifts which along with items my family prepared I will be giving to each family that I visit. I not only want to encourage my Mongolian brothers and sisters, I also want to encourage the missionary families that are here. Ulaanbaatar can be a lonely place. I hope to bring some companionship. Unfortunately, Jason Ritchie whom I hoped to meet last night has come down with illness. He hopes to be better tomorrow.

Pray for these purposes and check back often to see how my trip is progressing.

We went to Mongolia to participate in the dedication of the Mongolian New Testament. I was thrilled to see years of prayer and effort become reality. We all praise God for enabling us to have a small part in putting God's word into people's hands. The Mongolians were impressed with the quality of the printing. Several of them remarked positively to me about the readability of the text. All of which encouraged me and other members of the translation team. I was also able to participate in several meetings to chart the course for the translation of the Old Testament into Mongolian.

In order to enable more missionaries to use the company as a pathway into Mongolia, I needed to take some legal steps that required my presence in Mongolia. In a nutshell, I signed over my company to Jason Ritchie. That action opens up the possibility of another missionary taking his spot in the company. Pray that God will continue to use the company I founded to enable his work in the country.

We also wanted to encourage Mongolians. Before our trip, Jason mentioned that Ganpurev seemed very discouraged. A combination of church apathy, lack of work, health issues, and family stresses have been avenues for Satan's attacks on Ganpurev and his ministry. by the end of our visit, we noticed a new spirit of joy and peace. Jason remarked that Ganpurev seemed to be ready to continue the work both in the shop and in the church. Pray for God's power to be evident in his life.

Finally, Caleb returned to Mongolia for the first time since 2012. Before the trip he was excited about the chance to use his language skills and reacquaint himself with Mongolian food which he claimed to really enjoy.  I knew that after five years of pizza, hamburgers, tater chips, and soda pop – those staples of the American diet – his tastebuds would have changed. I anticipated that a few Mongolian meals would satisfy his desire for buuz, khuushuur, and aaruul.

But I was wrong! Caleb ate every Mongolia meal put before him with gusto. A meal was provided at the Mongolian New Testament dedication ceremony. However, there was no Mongolian food. Caleb was annoyed. "If we are in Mongolia, we should be eating Mongolian food," he said as if eating Mongolian food were as appetizing to the foreigners in attendance as it was to him.

Because of the intricate  nature of the Mongolian language, I expected that Caleb would find it hard to communicate. Again, I was pleasantly surprised. Caleb understood much of the conversations between me and other Mongolians. He also used his own language ability to good effect. By the end of the trip, Caleb and I were conspiring about ways that he could visit Mongolia and stay for months instead of weeks.

In short, God was good to bless us and fulfill the desires of our heart on this trip. Continue to pray for the Christians in Mongolia, the ongoing translation work in the Old Testament, and direction for Caleb as he considers what God has for his life.

Pictures from Mongolia