Imagine choosing between God and work

Imagine if you lived in a country where unemployment was high and even those who had employment often went unpaid because their bosses "had no money." In the most recent case of this, my friend's boss took the money that he had been paid for a job and spent it all on alcohol. Then when payday came, he was unable to pay his employees. So they received no paycheck. Other friends of mine have worked for months only receiving half their salary and an excuse about how little money the company has.

And imagine that you live in a country where there are almost no protections for employees, and no method for mediating a dispute with one's boss. Sure, you could leave your job and be unemployed. But the hope of a paycheck (even if you only receive one occasionally) is better than absolutely no hope of a paycheck.

Now imagine that your boss began to ask you to work most Sundays. Would you have the faith to tell your boss that you had something more important to do on Sundays? Even if you knew that your boss might fire you and you would have no recourse? For many Christians here in Mongolia, these are the choices that they face. I had yet to see a Christian with enough faith to tell his boss that he would not work on Sundays ... until this month.

Ganpurev's job used to be strictly Monday through Fridays, a rarity here in Mongolia. Then his boss asked him to work one Sunday and then another and another. Soon she was asking him to work more Sundays than he had off. Recently, he told her that he would no longer be working on Sundays. That is easy to say ...

So his boss called him this past Sunday morning, said something urgent had come up, and that she needed him to work. He politely declined and reminded her that he would not be available for work on Sundays. When I saw him Sunday, he told me, "I might not have a job tomorrow." He was not joking.

It shows a great amount of faith for a Mongolian to decide that setting aside his Sundays for God is more important than working. I can see how God has used these difficult months at work to build faith in Ganpurev's life. Please pray that his faith would continue to grow and that his decision would be a testimony to other Mongolians.

Balmy weather, good attendance

This blog post will be a little more chatty than most for those of you who enjoy chatty posts. We've had beautiful weather here for the last week. Temperatures have been in the high 60's and 70's. We actually hit 84 on Saturday. That about 25 degrees above normal for us here. So the children have been enjoying playing outside without coats. And it's been nice to get ready to go without spending 5-10 minutes with hats, gloves, and other cold weather clothes items. The weather is forecast to be cooler the next few days before it warms again at the end of the week.

You might remember Dashgaa from a previous post. His father passed away last week. Please pray for him and his family. I believe that he is the only one saved in his entire family. I know that his wife needs salvation still.

Also, Sunday we had a good turnout. Bilgee has brought a visitor on Sunday every week for the past four weeks. None of them have come back a second time yet, but he keeps bringing them.

Some of you may be wondering, "So how many were there this last Sunday?" Well, we had ten Mongolian adults, five Mongolian children, and nine foreigners (including my family) for a total of twenty-four. I noticed this morning in my blog that I was happy to have six Mongolian adults back in February, so we are making progress. Don't forget that we have some special meetings coming up in the middle of the month. Please be praying for those meetings.

It seems as if every family in our church is struggling with work-related issues right now. One is losing his job this week. Another may be losing his job for refusing to work on Sundays. A third recently missed receiving his salary because his boss took the money that he received for a job and spent it all on alcohol. I think this is a good opportunity for our church family to grow through trials. Please pray that they would accept the grace that God is offering them to deal with difficult circumstances.

I was scheduled to teach a Bible lesson at Ganbold's Sunday night. However, he called Sunday afternoon and said that whole family was not at home because they had taken a mini-vacation outside the city. He said to come next week. Keep praying for the salvation of his sons.

I haven't heard from some of you in a little while. Don't hesitate to e-mail me when you have a chance. I'd love to hear from you.

Missions quote

If after my removal any one should think it worth his while to write my Life, I will give you a criterion by which you may judge its correctness. If he give me credit for being a plodder he will describe me justly. Anything beyond this will be too much. I can plod. I can persevere in any definite pursuit. To this I owe everything. – William Carey in a letter to his nephew Eustace

Many prayer requests

Personally, I feel a little overwhelmed now with some specific prayer requests. However, I know that many of you are reading this blog so that you can know specific ways to pray. So let me just dive right in ...

The Bible study at Ganbold's (blogs about Ganbold) ger went profitably for a little while. Then, the last two weeks they have been unable to find time when I can teach them although I did visit Ganbold last week. When I visited none of his sons were home; most of them were still at work when I visited about 9:30 Saturday night. Please pray that Ganbold and his sons would make time to study the Bible and would be blessed by their efforts to seek God (Jer. 29:13, Heb. 11:6). Thank you for praying about that Bible study. The good news is that I believe Ganbold is now saved.

I have a man with whom I meet occasionally. I do not think that he is a Christian yet, but he is searching for something and is slowly growing in his understanding of the Gospel. His name is Enkhamgalan (blog entries about Enkhamgalan). Though his name means "peace," he certainly lacks that fruit of the Spirit. He now has two prayer requests. First, his father is dying of cancer and is not a Christian. Secondly, he just found out this week that he is losing his job. Even more than in the U.S. losing one's job can be extremely discouraging in Mongolia. Please pray that the circumstances of Enkhamgalan's life would drive him to Jesus Christ and that he would learn that in the midst of difficult situations Christians are "more than conquerors."

Many of you remember Enkhee who made a profession of faith in Christ (his salvation testimony). For several reasons, he feels that he cannot leave his job. However, his job requires him to work seven days a week. That means that he cannot attend our Sunday services to be fed God's word and be encouraged by fellowship with other believers. Recently, he works as an electrician and recently was electrocuted burning his arm and knocking him unconscious. His co-workers brought and dropped him off unconscious. The next day he returned to work! As an American, I cannot understand it. Please pray that he too would make time to fellowship with believers and to study God's word.

Then Ganpurev would appreciate your prayers too. He has a good job as a driver and manager and fix-it man. His boss really likes him because he is a faithful and trustworthy worker. Unfortunately, in the last few months his boss has been asking him to work 70-80 hours a week including Sundays. He missed two Sundays in a row for the first time ever back in April. He recently talked to his boss about it, requesting Sundays off. His boss responded that he was the only driver she had (which is the boss's problem if you ask me). So he is wondering what he should do. He would rather spend the time with his family and with the church; however, like all the other Mongolians, he is very hesitant to leave his job. I told him that I think God has led him into this trial to teach him something (James 1:2-5). Please pray that God would give him wisdom to respond to his boss correctly and to be a shining testimony for Jesus Christ. We know that God wants Ganpurev to work and to provide for his family; perhaps God has another job for Ganpurev. If so, pray that Ganpurev would recognize God's direction and walk by faith.

Another young Christian man who regularly attends church also found out this week that he will be laid off from his work. (He's the one who introduced me to Enkhamgalan.) He too is searching for work. But I see these work-related problems as an opportunity for these saved ones to exercise their faith. But it takes a lot of faith for a new Christian in Mongolia to see God's hand at work in (what to them) are desperate circumstances.

On top of this, there are three people in our church who are praying for the salvation of their spouse. The spouses names are Bob, Mandaa, and Tongaa. Please pray that the saved spouses would have God's grace to show the love of God to their husbands/wife and pray for the salvation of the unsaved spouse.

I trust that all of you who read this will pick at least one or two of these prayers requests and ask God to give you a burden for them so that you pray for them fervently, earnestly, and regularly.

April prayer letter

This is our prayer letter from April. I meant to post it earlier and forgot. Some of you may not get our prayer letter by mail or e-mail and may want to read it. However, if you follow this blog closely, this information is all old news.

The exciting news for this month comes from Resurrection Sunday when I visited Ganbold’s ger to teach him and his family another Bible lesson. A surprise was waiting for me as I looked around Ganbold’s ger that night: all his idols were gone. When I asked him where his idols were, he told me he had disposed of them. I followed up my initial question by asking him why he had done that. He told me that he now believed in Jesus and no longer needed his idols. At the end of our lesson, Ganbold also prayed to ask the Lord God for forgiveness of his sins. Since many of you have been praying for his salvation, I am glad to report that I believe he has shown fruit appropriate for repentance.

Resurrection Sunday night I also asked his sons if they wanted to pray to ask God to forgive their sins. They said they were not ready. Frankly, even before I asked I expected that they still were not ready. However, I am not discouraged because they are still listening to the preaching of God’s Word. I told Ganbold that he needs to pray for the salvation of his sons. Please join with us in praying for their salvation: Gantulag, Gerel-od, Gerelsaikhan, and Darkhanbold. Certainly do not neglect to pray for his wife, Khorloo. She seemed genuinely interested in the Bible teaching on Resurrection Sunday.

The potential impact we can have through Ganbold’s family is truly amazing. First, there is still significant respect for age here in Mongolia. Since Ganbold is the oldest in his family, his testimony and his beliefs will carry considerable weight. He has two younger siblings who are Christians, but they are the youngest in the family. Five other siblings could be substantially influenced by his decision. Second, the idols that Ganbold had were not just any idols. He had received them from his father who was a famous shaman in his local area. That Ganbold rid his home of these idols was a decision that surprised several of his relatives. To me, his willingness to give up his gods is just another evidence of the Holy Spirit regenerating a wicked heart. Please pray that Ganbold will grow in grace and be a bright testimony for our Savior to his family. Third, Ganbold has four grown sons, two daughters, and three daughters-in-law. Almost all of them have come to at least one Bible lesson that I have taught in Ganbold’s ger. Please continue praying for their salvation.

The greatest obstacle, again, is time. Ganbold and his sons all work as bus drivers, often spending 12-14 hours a day preparing their buses, driving, and repairing them. They all work six days a week and many times work seven days to cover for other drivers. When I teach a lesson, it is rare that all of them can be there. Pray that time will be given them to study God’s Word.

Prayer update

A very unusual thing happened this last Sunday: two of the main east-west roads through Ulan Bator were completely closed and much public transportation was not running. Perhaps that was the reason why half of our regularly attending families did not come on Sunday. Still, we had a first-time visitor on Sunday.

We are planning three weeknight meetings from Monday, May 21, to Wednesday, May 23. The plan is to have the opportunity to gather the Christians together and preach some sermons intended to stir our hearts. It will be a challenge to prepare the extra sermons and even a greater challenge for the Mongolians to get off work and be there each night. Pray for the preparation and planning for these meetings.

The weather here has been simply wonderful. Temperatures have been in the mid 70's with sunny skies. (Too bad the heat is still on in our apartment.) These temperatures are significantly higher than normal for late April and early May. The children have enjoyed playing outside, and Kristie and I have enjoyed moving some of the children's louder play outside.

Quote about our great country

"The foundations of our society and government rest so much on the teachings of the Bible that it would be difficult to support them if faith in these teachings should cease to be practically universal in our country." – Calvin Coolidge

Sunday's services

Today, about half the people who normally come were not their. Yet we still had a first-time visitor and seven adults in attendance. Praise the Lord for progress. Now if we can only get everyone out at the same time.

I was at Ganbold's last night. He is very busy with work right now but asked me to come next Sunday. Let's all pray this week that all four of his sons, his two daughters, and his wife will be there. We also need to pray that the Holy Spirit would work mightily in their lives!

A Week of Ministry

Some weeks seem more productive than others. I wish that I could say that every week I am seeing people saved, and that every week is exciting as I watch people grow in Christ. There are weeks though when I seem to plant a lot and reap a little. A quote by one of Adoniram's sons was given to me some years ago and continues to be an encouragement to me. "The sacrifices of my father’s life were more fruitful than his labors. If you succeed without sacrifice, someone has sacrificed before you. If you sacrifice without success, someone will succeed after you." Paul said it with a little different emphasis: "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase ... For we are laborers together with God." Wow! Working together with God, not because He needs us but rather because He chooses to use us. I never cease to be amazed at God's condescension in working through us.

But perhaps you wonder what I do with my weeks. One of the most asked questions that I have was asked when I was in the U.S. went something like this, "What constitutes your week?" Here's a brief summary of this week.

Every morning, I try to spend some time studying and preparing Bible lessons. Even though I have another missionary who works with me here in Mongolia, I usually need to prepare three or four lessons a week in Mongolian. Often my afternoons are taken up with errands or special jobs. This week it was a visit to the bank to transfer money from a bank account in the city to another town in Mongolia to help a missionary there. What should have taken fifteen minutes ended up taking over an hour. When I first arrived, the network was down. They said it would only be five minutes so I waited. Then the power went out. The power was out for some time. After the lights returned, the network was up so I conducted my banking. Then the power went out again and the computers were off. So it goes in Mongolia.

Another afternoon, I worked on having an oven repaired for a fellow missionary who is still learning Mongolia. One afternoon, I spent working with a Mongolian language teacher and fellow brother in Christ on translation work. Free afternoons can be used as more preparation time.

The evenings are often spent in people's home. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday night, I scheduled visits to people's houses and gers. Although Thursday's meeting was canceled at the last minute, I often visit four or more homes a week, often teaching the Bible one on one. On Tuesday night's visit I had an opportunity to witness for Christ (see this recent post) and Wednesday I taught a Bible lesson in Ganpurev and Ulzee's home.

Thursday night, I ended up spending with family because Friday night, Kristie and I are scheduled to fellowship with some fellow missionaries. We try to get together once a month for fellowship and recreation.

Saturday's activities vary. Every Saturday morning I meet with other missionaries to pray specifically about the Bible translation work (which is progressing slowly: more details should follow in another post). The rest of the morning is often spent communicating with family in the States through Internet chat and e-mail. Often I spend the afternoons and evenings visiting with Mongolian. Some of them have come to my home; sometimes I have gone to theirs. Also, on Saturday evenings I try to go over my sermon for the next day.

So that's a typical week in Mongolia for me. I hope that helps you understand more about what I do as a missionary. Much of it can be mundane. Sometimes it is very exciting. The most important thing to me is always to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within me.

Prayer update

On Tuesday night, I visited Bayambaa's house and had a good chance to talk with Bayambaa's father about salvation in Jesus Christ. His name is Tsendee, and he has been coming on Sunday mornings fairly regularly the last few months. He pays close attention to the lessons and seems to be soaking it all in. However, Tuesday's conversation was another reminder that he is not yet saved. He still is thinking about salvation in terms of doing good works and certain rituals. Tuesday night was another opportunity to emphasize that Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. Jesus Christ alone makes it possible for us to receive forgiveness for sin. I also said repeatedly that we are born sinners in need of reconciliation with God.

To me, it was also exciting because sitting right there for most of the conversation was Bayambaa's husband, Mandaa. Mandaa is not a Christian and says that he is not interested in hearing about it. Perhaps overhearing our conversation will spark an interest. Interestingly enough to me, Mandaa is an artist who primarily makes idols for a living. Would it not be a great blessing to see him saved and to see him give up his current line of work for one that pleases our Creator?

Please pray for Tsendee's salvation in the coming weeks. He seems so sincere and earnest. Pray specifically that the Holy Spirit would guide Tsendee to understand what he heard on Tuesday night. Also pray for Mandaa that he would be interested in learning more about our Savior. Pray that I would have wisdom for ways that I could awake an interest in him.
Tsendee & Bayambaa with Bayambaa's son between them