Sunday update

What a good Sunday we had!

You may remember that we have been planning a special Women's Day service. In all, 39 Mongolians came out. The men and women split up during the first hour with me teaching a lesson to the men and Ganaa teaching a lesson to the women. After that, Ganpurev preached the Good News of Jesus Christ to all the adults. (The children had their own class).

It probably is not true to say that most of the women had never heard the name "Jesus Christ" before; but it is probably accurate to say that it was the first clear presentation of the Gospel that most have ever heard from a Mongolian.

To give one example, Saikhnaa's sister came. She had been involved for some time with the Unification "Church" also known as the Moonies. So she heard the name "Jesus" there. Unfortunately, what she heard was very different than what the Bible teaches.

Although we did not have any professions of salvation on Sunday, I have encouraged all those who invited guests to be sure to follow up with them. Our prayer is that these seeds will grow into saving faith.

Sunday update

Sunday's attendance was down because of illness. There were two families were felled by illness yesterday. On top of that, the schools all had classes yesterday to make up for a day that we taken off during the lunar new year celebration. I hope that this does not become a habit for schools to have lessons on Sunday.

Ganpurev was away in the countryside which left me with all the responsibilities: the song-leading, the announcing, and the preaching. Kristie and I have been praying that God would raise up a song-leader. This alone would be tremendous help to me. Unfortunately, Ganpurev cannot carry a tune nor has he had any music background. Perhaps it is time to start training him to lead singing.

This Sunday is International Women's Day. It is not an American holiday but seems to have some connection to other countries' celebrations. Since there is no Mother's Day here, we use this Mongolian holiday as an opportunity to honor women. In past years, we have had a meal hosted by the men or a party for husbands and wives.

This year since Women's Day is on a Sunday, we are planning a special service. We have been encouraging the church to invite out mothers, sisters, and other women who do not normally attend church; and there will be a small gift for each lady that comes. Additionally, we are planning to split the first part of the service into separate men's and women's services. Ganaa has agreed to teach the women's class and is preparing a lesson. I will prepare a lesson about honoring women for the men. During the latter part of the service Ganpurev will preach an evangelistic sermon to all these adults. Please pray that God will bless our efforts.

I am realizing more and more that we need the power of the Holy Spirit. I know that God expects us to water and plant, but I also know that it is God that gives the increase. Let's pray together for the Holy Spirit to convict of sin, righteousness, and judgment so that people come to repentence.

Sunday update

It has been a hard week. (Mongolians consider Sunday to be the last day of the week and Monday to be the first day of the week.) I came to Sunday morning after a long Saturday - two trips to the airport and an emotional, multi-hour meeting - wondering how I was going to make it through a Sunday.

But God blessed with grace and energy. We had 27 Mongolians, and with the return of the Pattersons there were another 13 Americans for a total of 40 people at the morning service. Both Ganpurev's preaching and and mine went very well. It seemed evident to me that the Holy Spirit was helping us.

In the evening we had 36 which is almost double the recent attendance numbers. There were quite a few visitors, including several people who had flown to Mongolia to celebrate Tsagaan Sar with their families. Bill Patterson's preaching was a blessing to me personally.

Thank you for your prayers. Despite my lack of human energy, God provided the strength and language ability needed. There are still many pressures in this coming week, and the missionaries in Mongolia continue to need your prayers.

Tsagaan Sar starts Wednesday which means lots and lots of visits to Mongolians' homes. There should be more posts than normal in this coming week as I blog about our Tsagaan Sar experiences.

I met him on the way to church

It seems that sometimes God allows the strangest occurrences to happen to us. Today I was on my way to my car when a man met me and asked, "Are you going to church?" Of course, I was and said so.

"Where is your church?" the man asked. He was dirty, and had a smudge of blood on left jaw. I tried to describe to him where the church was, but it quickly became clear that we were not communicating.

"Can I just go with you?" was his next request. I quickly agreed to take him but told him that first I needed to pick up some people. Each Sunday either Ganpurev or I pick up two families that have children not yet old enough to walk. So Bagii, as his name turned out to be, hopped into my vehicle and went with me to pick up others. There was a strong smell of unwashed body in the car as we drove to pick up the others. I introduced him to each family as we picked them up. The other families were pleasant to him and did not remark on his filthy appearance or smell.

I think more than anything Bagii was looking for a warm place to stay for a few hours. But he heard the Gospel during those fews hours that he spent with me picking people up and attending church. Almost every Sunday for the past few months, God has brought new people to our church. We are working to bring out people, but these new people to which I am referring are people that have no previous connection to us our any of the church members.

With Bagii we had almost fifty people at church on Sunday for the Mongolian services with another thirty-six for our services in English. It was encouraging to see so many come out.

But as is usual for ministry, extra opportunities for service has meant new problems. I did not feel as if I spoke Mongolian particularly well on Sunday; however, I took encouragement from one of my usually harshest critics who said that the sermon was a good one. Without going into details, several of us missionaries in Mongolia are facing difficulties. Satan is always quick to fight us. Your prayers as always are much appreciated.

Sunday update

Kristie has been sick for almost a month now. First she had a cold and fever. The fever went away after a few days but the cough remained. Then she had a really nasty stomach virus that kept her in bed or near the toilet for a few days. After that went away the cough returned. Last week, she would feel decent during the day but in the evenings she would feel sick at her stomach and dizzy in her head, especially if she stood or sat. Lying down, she might feel only slightly sick although one night even lying down did not help.

I have been trying to help with the homeschooling but do not think that I make a very good substitute teacher. I have also been making dinner and feel better with that job. It would be nice if Kristie would feel completely better. Then we could get our family back to normal.

The turnout was good again on Sunday with 17 Mongolian adults. That is about double the adult attendance of last year. We have one new family that has been faithful the last few weeks: Byasaa and his wife Ganchimeg. They both say that they are saved; however, I am not sure what to think. Ganpurev started this week teaching them a Bible study. He and I will be working with them closely to make certain of their salvation, to see them baptized, and to make them disciples of Jesus Christ. Please pray for these and many other young Christians with whom we are working.

Sunday update

Wow! What a Sunday! We were overjoyed this week to have 32 Mongolians join us for a service this morning! They just kept coming in; one fellow even joined us about the time of the invitation. I think (without looking at my records) that it was the best turnout we have ever had on a Sunday morning.

Jagaa and Sanaa came for the first time in a long time, Dawaajab was back, even Enkhamgalan came. He has not come for about a year. Dashka job took him to the countryside for most of the summer; he had only been able to come a handful of times since summer started. He came today. We also had a first time visitor: the husband of one lady who has been visiting with us.

I was greatly encouraged by the good turnout. Please pray with us as we follow up this week with some who came.

Lots of people, lots of trouble

We were blessed with a good attendance yesterday, one of the best turnouts in recent history. Five of the folks were visitors. Also, Buren's wife Sonin came on a Sunday morning for the first time in a very long time. So I was particularly bothered by the fact that I misplaced my sermon notes. It was the first time ever that I tried to preach in Mongolian without notes. Later, Kristie asked me how it went. I am really not sure. I still have not found my notes.

On Sunday evenings there is a service in English. This week's Sunday evening attendance was almost double last week's attendance. Praise the Lord for His goodness.

At the same time, the people are also experiencing a variety of troubles, sorrows, and sickness. The health of Ulzee's mother continues to decline. Ulzee is concerned that is will not be long before her mother is an invalid. The doctors have suggested combining her chemotherapy treatment with radiation treatment. The combined treatments will also be very hard on Aya's body. Some nights Ulzee has trouble sleeping as she thinks about her mother's condition.

Bayambaa who comes very faithfully was unable to come yesterday. She is sick, and her daughter has had a rash for the past three days. It seems that the doctors told Bayambaa that her daughter needs to stay home. I am not sure why. I talked to her on the phone but often on the phone I misunderstand what people say.

Several people are also without work. There is a spirit of discouragement that I am sensing among the people. Providentially, my last two sermons have been on God's work in our lives through trials and tribulations. I sincerely believe that the trials and tribulations that we all are facing will make His church stronger. But going through them may be difficult and painful.

Pray that the people would keep their eyes on God and not be defeated or discouraged by their circumstances. Pray that God would give all of us wisdom and especially bless Kristie and me with wisdom and strength as we try to exhort, encourage, and love the people that God has given to us.

Sunday update

We had a lower attendance than normal this week which was unfortunate because Ganpurev did a good job preaching from Psalm 100. He worked the news of the week about the Mongolian judoka who won Mongolia's first ever gold medal. So he got everyone's attention right from the beginning.

I was even more impressed with Ganpurev's preaching because he did all his preparation by himself this week. Usually we spend several hours each week preparing his sermon together. But I was traveling this last week and when I asked him if he was ready to preach, he said he was.

Please continue to pray for Ganpurev as he prepares sermons each week. So far he has not shown an interest in taking the role as pastor of this church. Pray that he would be open to God's leading. I don't know what God has planned for him, but I have been praying for Mongolian men to lead this church.

Things are heating up ... but not the weather

Yesterday we had 15 Mongolian adults come to the service and 9 Mongolian children. I think that is the best attendance on a Sunday morning ever. People just kept coming in (the last person arrived about ten minutes before the sermon was over, but we are glad that he came). There were three first time visitors, two of whom were invited by Mongolians. I am excited about the possibilities. Pray for us as we follow up with these new folks.

I was greatly encouraged by the turnout Sunday since some of those who were regular attenders during the winter were still not there (see last Sunday's update). In the past, during the summer our numbers start to fall off as people leave the city for the countryside. So it was encouraging to me to see new visitors and have so many people come. We are just about to outgrow the place where we are meeting - and that is a good thing!

Wow! the weather here has been extreme. Yesterday, the high was 86°; today, it started off snowing in the morning. By 3 PM this afternoon, it was still snowing and the temperature was 41°. That is cold for this time of year.

Sunday update

This past Sunday, Dashgaa, Ganaa, Uchgaa, and Buren who had been attending fairly regularly were all absent from the services, yet we still had a dozen Mongolian adults along with some children. The Billy Patterson family, newly arrived in Mongolia - also joined us for the service today. That was a great blessing to Gustavo (who speaks Spanish but little English or Mongolian) since Billy and his wife also speak Spanish. We also had a first time visitor who was saved in Hatgal and came to Ulan Bator recently. Also, Basca was back. He came a few times a year or so ago and then went to another church where the missionary promised to make him a preacher. I guess things did not work out over there. I am glad to see him back.

Ganpurev preached from Psalm 42 & 43. I can definitely see continued improvement. My sermon was "Walking in Christ" from Colossians 2:6-7. I thought the sermon went well and was well-received.

I proposed to Basca, Bilgee, and Jagaa who are all single young men that we meet together weekly to study the Bible and pray. I think it would be good for these three young men to have some accountability and doctrinal teaching. They have all expressed their desire to be followers of Jesus and could grow to be stalwarts of Faith Baptist Church. We agreed to meet this Wednesday to begin. Pray that God would bless my efforts to disciple them.

Sunday update

It has been busy around the Dean household with an extra baby about. Sunday morning was no exception. I usually try to make Mother's Day a more relaxing day for Kristie. But today that was difficult. First, Uyungaa's (paternal) grandparents decided to come visit Uyungaa in the morning. It was a little disconcerting since Uyungaa has been at our house since Monday and they have not made an effort to visit her before now. We told them that we had a church service to attend, and they were gracious enough to cut their visit short.

Almost immediately after we returned home from the church service, Mandaa came over to visit his daughter. Then the baby did not sleep much this afternoon which cut Kristie's rest short. Maybe I will try to get Kristie some quiet time tomorrow.

Numbers were down at the church service today. The number of adults was about right but there were only a handful of children. Because of the hand, foot, and mouth disease kindergartens and elementary schools are closed this week. I think many parents have taken that to mean that their children should be kept at home.

Sunday update

This past Sunday was an interesting one for me personally. Ganpurev preached from Psalm 23. Now I have heard many sermons from Psalm 23, but I have never heard a sermon from Psalm 23 preached by a true shepherd. Ganpurev has not read books about shepherds and sheep; he has been a shepherd. It was very interesting for me to hear a shepherd preach on Psalm 23.

Mongolians are easily offended when they are compared to sheep because they know how stupid and defenseless sheep are. You can say, "All we like sheep have gone astray," and emphasize "like sheep." But the unregenerate Mongolian hears, "All we like stupid and defenseless animals have gone astray." The end of that statement just reinforces in the Mongolian's mind the first part of that statement. He thinks, "Of course they've [he does not want to admit this about himself so ...] of course they've gone astray - they're stupid animals." You see a Mongolian knows that a good part of a shepherd's time is spent trying to find lost animals. It is a frustrating task because the animals have become lost through their own stupidity.

So I followed Ganpurev's lesson eagerly as he explained the roles of a shepherd and how they matched the roles of our Great Shepherd, Jesus Christ. His explanation of sheep and our resemblance to sheep was also fascinating. He did an good job of using the sheep illustration to work in man's need for a Savior.

For those of your wondering about attendance we had nine Mongolian adults this past Sunday which is a down day for us. One member was in the hospital with her son, another told me that family matters would keep him from attending.

Please keep praying for Ganpurev as he grows in his ability to preach.

Sunday update

We missed the Gays again this past Sunday although Ganpurev's lesson this past Sunday was even better than the previous Sunday's lesson. He will just keep getting better and better at preaching God's Word. He just needs to do it. And it really is exciting to hear a Mongolian preach God's Word in his own language.

There were nine adult Mongolians when we started but halfway through another three came in to make it an even dozen again. (We seem to be stuck on a dozen adults.)

The Mongolians' singing seems to me to be growing ever stronger and stronger. My sermon was about Christians and music. It seemed a new idea to some of them that Christians ought to Biblically consider a song's music and not just its words in light of Biblical principles. I think a foundation has been laid for a Biblical examination of music. Personally, I felt very comfortable as I attempted to use the Mongolian language to talk about a very sensitive topic. Let me say a sincere "thank you" to each of you who prayed for the message last week.

Go to a seminar! Become a Christian!

This blog's title is intended to be ironic. I do not believe that simply attending a seminar makes one a Christian. The reason for the title will become clear as you read on.

Through a voluntary English teaching opportunity, I met Naranchimeg who spent three years studying in Australia for a Master's Degree in Health Administration. Upon returning to Mongolia, Nara (nickname) could not find a job in health administration so she took a job as an English teacher at the local school where I met her.

Several weeks ago when talking about Christianity, she said that her son attends a church led by a Korean. While in Australia, she said that she and her son attended church regularly. Since returning to Mongolia she has not been attending church.

She came at my invitation to our church service on Resurrection Sunday and heard the Gospel. Last week she told me that she had become a Christian.

"Really," I responded, "How did you become a Christian?"

"I attended a seminar on Saturday at my son's church. At the end of the seminar they said that if we wanted to become Christians we should sign a form. I signed the form and am now a Christian. Is that how one becomes a Christian?" she asked me.

To which I responded, "A Christian has a relationship with God."

"I pray," she interrupted after which a class ended our conversation. I invited her to my home on Thursday to meet my family and join us for dinner. Although she said that she would come, she ended up canceling.

However, she came to our service for a second time on Sunday and brought a fellow teacher, Bysaa. After the service she asked a question about the nature of sin that indicated to me that she does not understand the Biblical seriousness of sin. She said that people have a black part and a white part. Taking everyone to Isaiah 64, I pointed out that everyone righteousnesses are as filthy rags. She left rather quickly after the service, but God willing we will meet again later this week when I teach English again.

She seems to be interested in what the Bible teaches. Please pray for her salvation.

Sunday update

This last Sunday we tried something for the first time. I asked the people the Sunday before to be prepared to pick the songs that we would sing. I was not sure how it would turn out and so picked a couple of songs ahead of time - just in case. But I should not have been concerned. We sang about twice as long as normal before I stopped taking requests. The church really sang out and it blessed my heart to hear them sing.

Even though the weather is warming up, the heat is still on. To let in some cool air we had opened the windows of our rooms. With the windows open and the people singing out, I am sure that many passing by heard us.

It has taken some time for us to get to the point where the people sing out. Remember, every person who has come to our church has been a new Christian; all these songs are new to them. The words of the songs are even new to my family though we may know the tunes. So I am grateful to hear such enthusiastic singing. We will have to set aside a Sunday every month to let the church pick the songs.

We continue to have a good turn out. We have had ten or more Mongolian adults in attendance now for over a month. It used to be that we would have a good Sunday and then a bad one (attendance-wise). It has been encouraging to see the attendance stabilize.

Roland and Joann Gay's last Sunday is coming up. They leave next month to return permanently to the United States where Roland will continue to work on Mongolian Bible translation work. We will miss their help. Ganpurev will take over some of the preaching responsibilities. I really want to see the Mongolians help out with the preaching, the singing, the children's ministries, etc. and really make this their church.

Sunday update

We had a good Sunday yesterday: a dozen Mongolian adults and three of those were first time visitors. I thought the sermons went well.

For those of you who do not know, our co-laborers for the past two years Roland and Joann Gay will be moving back to the United States permanently next month. Their help will be missed. Please pray that God would cause Mongolians to step up and serve each other.

Sunday update

The icebox is thawing out. We have had temperatures in the low 50's recently and enjoyed the balmy weather. But the forecast calls for a cold snap that will take us below freezing for awhile again.

We had a good Sunday - not just the attendance but also good preaching. Roland preached a good sermon from the first chapter of Ruth. My sermon focused on Jesus cursing the fig tree in Mark 11. There is an element of Mongolian "Christianity" that would use that passage to teach that we will receive anything that we ask for in faith. I dealt with that misunderstanding of Scripture and the true teaching of the passage.

At the end of the passage, Jesus also instructs His disciples that they should forgive others before they pray. The sermon also talked about the need to forgive others even if they do not ask us for forgiveness. After the sermon, Bayambaa came to me and told me how reading a similar passage about forgiving others was used by the Holy Spirit to show her the need to forgive someone who had offended her. She talked about the great peace that she had after the Holy Spirit had enabled her to forgive this person. It is especially exciting to preach and have people drink in the message.

For those of you who are wondering, we had twelve Mongolian adults out on Sunday - not a bad number for us.

Sunday update with picture

Sunday was a good day. Gustavo was there again with his wife, and Billy Patterson was back with pictures from Israel. Now, many Americans if they have spent much time in church have seen pictures of Israel like the Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, etc. But for many Mongolians, the land of Israel can seem as foreign as Mongolia is to Americans.

Some time ago Billy Patterson spent some time in Jerusalem and took all of the pictures himself. He did an excellent job in today's presentation of showing us the Mount of Olives, Old Jerusalem's narrow streets (which were probably narrow in Jesus' time), Calvary, a tomb cut out of the rock, etc. Afterwards, he preached from I Corinthians 15 about the Gospel: the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ prophesied in the Old Testament.

Gustavo also gave a testimony about his salvation that occurred last week. It was exciting to hear him tell it. He spoke in Spanish, Bro. Patterson translated into English, and then Roland translated into Mongolian.

We had a good turnout. I think it was the best turnout since October. There were 27 of us including Billy Patterson, Roland Gay's family, and my family. We are starting to get crowded in that little room of ours. Bro. Patterson took a picture of all those who were there today (including a little boy who came in at the last minute). Just think, a little over a year ago when we came back from furlough, only Ganpurev and his family were attending regularly. God has been good to bless us with people to whom we can minister.

Bilgee was sharing with me before the service that a friend of his Bascaa who has attended our services a couple of times was thinking about moving out of the city to a new town to join a very extreme sounding church. This church believes that it is the only true church and that all other groups are false churches. The Mongolians take on Biblical names. For example, the pastor a Mongolian has taken the Biblical name David. (Every time I hear of a religious leader who changes his name to David and claims that he is leading the only true church, I think of David Koresh of Waco fame.) Bilgee was asking for counsel and prayer to help his friend. Perhaps the three of us will meet this week, but it seems from what Bilgee said that his friend is not open to much counsel.

It is truly sad that amount of false doctrine that thrives in Mongolia. When I asked one wise person whom I respect why it was that false doctrine seems to take hold and grow faster than truth he responded, "Weeds grow faster than wheat." Please pray for these Mongolians (and Cuban) to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Exciting news!

Exciting things are happening here in Mongolia! To understand all of what is happening, you must remember that in last week's prayer update I mentioned that Gustavo a Cuban man had come with his wife to our services last week.

This past Sunday, Roland asked Billy Patterson to speak at our church with Roland as translator. Billy Patterson grew up in Mexico and speaks fluent Spanish. So when Gustavo came in the door to attend our church service Sunday morning, Brother Patterson realizing his opportunity preached in English, allowed Roland time to translate into Mongolian, and then restated whatever he said in clear Spanish. That meant that in one service we had preaching in English and Mongolian and Spanish.

After the service, Brother Patterson spent some time talking with Gustavo in Spanish. Gustavo told him that he had reasons not to come to the church service and almost decided not to come but in the end came to hear the preaching anyway even though his wife could not come. He also mentioned that he had an aunt who used to read him the Bible in Cuba. In the end Gustavo and Brother Patterson got down on their knees to pray. Later, they told me that Gustavo had become a Christian. A couple of hours later, Gustavo sent me an SMS message that said, "Very good day today thank."

I plan to follow up with him and his wife this week. I probably can communicate better with his wife Bayarmaa in Mongolian that I can communicate with Gustavo in English. Please pray for this couple. Also, Gustavo's brother Daniel lives here in Ulan Bator. Pray for his salvation too.

To me, it was just amazing the way that God worked it out for Billy Patterson a fluent Spanish speaker to be here at the same time as Gustavo. Praise the Lord for His omnipotent sovereignty.

Prayer update

One never knows what to expect in Mongolia. It seems the Lord has put a Cuban in my way to whom he wants me to minister. My partner Roland and I have been using a Cuban expatriate named Gustavo to work on our vehicles.

This last Sunday Gustavo and his wife (a Mongolian) came to visit our church service. Gustavo only speaks a little English and almost no Mongolian (his wife helps him deal with people when he is finding parts to fix vehicles). I gave him a Spanish tract, and we talked in broken English after the service. He claims to be a Christian, but his actions do not seem to show it. I invited him and his wife to visit my house after the Mongolian lunar new year. It is amazing to me that God uses us in Outer Mongolia to reach a Cuban for His glory. We certainly would have trouble going to Cuba to minister to Cubans there.

Besides praying for Gustavo and his wife, you could also pray for us. Circumstances have been difficult for us with the cold weather and several discouraging obstacles. Of course, God gives us the grace to overcome; after all, we are more than conquerors despite tribulation or distress. We have been saddened to learn too that Roland Gay and his family who have been working together with us for more than a year will be leaving Mongolia permanently in April. God has a purpose in all this, we know; we just wish that we knew more about what His plan is. To God be the glory because in our weakness, His strength is made perfect!