Sunday update

We almost doubled our attendance from last week's low. We also had our first visitor ever come from seeing out sign. It was quite a Sunday for us!

Halfway through our service a lady came in and seated herself. People were polite but subdued because it was an unusual time for a visitor to come in. As soon as the service was over, I introduced myself, and the Mongolians began to talk with her. I was excited about the way that our regular folks just began to chat with her. In the past I have often felt that the regulars were unsure about the way to treat newcomers. I understood from the conversation that she was walking past our church's meeting place on her way home from her regular church's service when she saw our sign and decided to check us out. I was glad that she came in.

Our number's were so down last week that our attendance could only go up. Still, it was gratifying to see so many come.

Ganpurev was scheduled to preach in my place. We have been working together the last few weeks to make sure that he was prepared. He did just fine and just needs to continue to prepare and deliver sermons. He does a good job of explaining the text; his weakness seems to be in making application. We will be working on that.

Ganaa did not come today. Kristie talked with her some this past week and believes her to be struggling with discouragement. She started a private kindergarten so that she could stay with her two-year-old son all day. But the private kindergarten has not been very successful and is a lot of work. Now she mainly works with young elementary students as a tutor which is not very profitable. Her husband Bob continues to be antagonistic towards Jesus Christ and works to discourage her. She needs our prayers.

Why is this whole aisle of items blocked off?

Why is this whole aisle of items blocked off in a local store? We've had times when a store would not sell us a particular item. Most memorably, Kristie and I were shopping once and picked out some shampoo; the item and price were clearly marked on the shelf. When we arrived at the counter, the item would not scan. A manager was called who said that the item was not in the computer yet and told us that we could not buy the shampoo. I even argued that we were willing to pay the price listed on the shelf. But the manager confiscated the contraband item and, probably, returned it to the shelf where it belonged.

But this is different: whole shelves blocked off but filled with items behind the sheet. The other side of this aisle also had an entire section blocked off. Store after store that I visited on Thursday showed a similar sight. Entire aisles with paper, sheets, or other coverings blocking one's view of the items behind it.

What could be the reason? What products are covered behind those shelves?

It turns out that the Mongolian government has prohibited the sale of alcohol: liquor, wine, beer, etc. A distillery in Baganuur obtained some pure alcohol from China. Unfortunately for the consumers, it was not pure grain alcohol but pure wood alcohol. It was mixed into a batch of vodka in Baganuur. Unsuspecting Mongolians drank the poisoned brew on New Year's Eve; and by New Year's morning, eleven people were dead and thirteen others were in the hospital including the president of the distillery. Since then, another person has died and now over sixty people have been poisoned by the methanol.

The Ministry of Health acted immediately to prohibit the sale of alcohol and to warn people about the possibility of other contaminated alcoholic products. The sale of all liquor, wine, and beer has been temporarily suspended which is the reason for shelves of items to be covered in every store.

Saddest to me is the fact that the government moves to warn people about alcohol after people die quickly. Thousands of Mongolians die every year from the effects of alcohol. Some drink, pass out on the way home, and die from exposure to the cold. Some destroy their livers after years of drinking and die of various liver diseases. Some die from poor judgment caused by the consumption of alcohol. All of these deaths the government ignores. But when eleven people die suddenly, the government steps in.

But this story also illustrates man's perverse fascination with sin. Sins with immediate and overwhelming effects, of course, are seen for their evil and generally condemned by society. Few Americans would try to countenance murder, for example; and everyone thought that Enron's dishonesty was deplorable. But most Americans refuse to admit that deception is always wrong. Sins whose effects are obvious and tragic grab our attention. But all of us make excuses for allowing the "little" sins whose effects may not be as immediate or deadly.

The recent debacle with alcohol in Mongolia was a good reminder to me to guard my own life from the "little" sins which threaten to destroy gradually and to be on guard against the rationalizing, "Oh, this little bit won't hurt."

A happy new year to you all!

Let me take the first day of the year 2008 to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who are praying for us. I know that God has great things in store for us all in 2008. As William Carey said, "Attempt great things for God, expect great things from God."

I know that your prayers are what keep us encouraged and excited about what God will accomplish in 2008 through our ministry to Mongolians. So keep praying and come back once a week or so to see what God is doing here in the land of Genghis Khan.

Sunday update

Attendance was down Sunday, way down, since about half of regular attenders did not come. I am not discouraged because I know there will be Sundays like this, and there were six Mongolian adults who were there.

Because tonight is New Year's Eve, we will be hosting a party at our house. Unlike most other New Year's Eve parties that will be held in Ulan Bator tonight, our party will have no alcohol. The Gospel will be presented tonight for those who come. I am hoping that Bob, Buren, Tungaa, and Mandaa will come so please pray for their salvation.

Choosing a word for 'God'

The story highlighted at the end of this article gives some hint of the trouble of working in a foreign language. Imagine that you are in Malaysia and the majority of Malaysians tell you that the Arabic word "allah" is a generic term for "god." What would you do?

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Malaysian row over word for 'God'

a James Fraser quote on prayer

"I believe it will only be known on the last day how much has been accomplished in missionary work by the prayers of earnest believers at home" - James Fraser

Weekend before Christmas update

It's beginning to seem more like Christmas around here. That is, if you see Christmas as a big commercial push. Yes, there are holiday decorations here in Mongolia. This year for the first time the government put a large Christmas tree in the main square downtown. I understand it cost the government tens of thousands of dollars to bring in the tree and trim it. Unfortunately, the stores, shops, government, and most Mongolians just see this time of year as a gift-giving time.

I had the opportunity to preach that Jesus' birth is the reason that we celebrate at this time of year and that He is the one who makes it possible to find forgiveness. Ankhaa and his wife visited on Sunday for the first time.

In the evening, we joined with another church across town for a time of singing, preaching, and fellowship. It was exciting to be with the Mongolians singing in praise to our Savior! I taught a short lesson on Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Jesus Christ, and then after some more singing Jason Muller preached on our response to God's gift.

After the preaching we had a time of fellowship. I believe it was encouraging to the Mongolians and know that I was encouraged to meet other believers.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Outer Mongolia!

It's Christmas Day here already more than 12 hours before the rest of you in North America arrive on December 25.

We will be enjoying time together today as a family and getting some rest after the busyness of being witnesses for Jesus Christ during the holidays so I will keep this short. Look later this week for an update from the weekend.

Remember God's blessings during this time of year when we celebrate the birth of our Savior.

General update

A sincere prayer warrior recently asked me for an update about some people, and I decided to expand it into a general update. The original plan was to post some pictures with this update. But my current internet connection has not allowed me to do that. Rather than delay posting this while I wait for some pictures to upload, I am going to post this and add pictures and perhaps some more content later. If I update the post, I will move it to the top of the list so that you won't have to go back through previous posts to see if there are finally some pictures.

Also, let me say that I don't expect that a good prayer warrior ought to pray for all these individuals by name although you are perfectly welcome to do that. Instead, I am trying to put a "human face" on what otherwise can become a rather impersonal duty. Perhaps God would lay one or two of these persons on your heart and you would be burdened to pray for them regularly. Then as you read my updates you will notice the prayer requests of those for whom you are burdened to pray and come to identify more closely with your brothers and sisters in Christ or your prospective spiritual siblings.

Buren and Sonin: Buren has been coming faithfully on Sundays although it may be for ulterior reasons. Sonin has responsibilities on Sunday that keep her from coming. Two of Buren's three daughters also come regularly. Buren is in the hospital now. The doctors say that problems with his liver is causing his nose to bleed. Both Buren and Sonin need salvation. His two daughter's were baptized recently based on their public profession of salvation through Jesus Christ alone.

Ganpurev and Ulzee (Bilgoon): Ganpurev and Ulzee continue to grow. Sadly, one 0f Ganpurev's brothers has reduced his contact with Ganpurev (because, I believe, Ganpurev's testimony puts his brother to shame). But another relative recently moved closer to Ganpurev because his father recommended it. Bilgoon's eye situation is the same as far as I know. Unfortunately, the Mongolians doctors all claim that it's not his eye that's the problem. Ganpurev seems satisfied with the Mongolian way of handling things.

Ganaa: Her husband Bob still needs salvation. Ganaa herself seems to continuing the struggle. But she has been very busy and therefore tired. Also, her husband sometimes discourages her from coming to church. It seems to me that the ideal resolution is for her husband to be saved and be eager to grow spiritually. But we know that God also brings Himself glory through our tribulations. It is just difficult to watch someone else - especially a young Christian - struggle on with such opposition.

Bilgee: I'm just not sure where our relationship is right now. Several months ago I had to confront him on a matter, and ever since then it seems to me that he has gone out of his way to keep his distance. Since I've not had as much contact with him recently, I cannot say exactly how he is doing. However, the fact that he seems to keep his distance is troubling.

Enkhee: I've seen Enkhee once seen my return. He works a lot and does not go out of his way to meet with me. His family is struggling, and he is not cognizant of their needs and situation. For example, in my meeting with him I asked about when his daughter would graduate from school. He was unable to give me a definite answer. Instead he had to ask his son when she would graduate.

Mandaa and Bayambaa: I've been focusing some attention on Mandaa since he is another spouse of a church member that needs salvation. He has agreed to come to our special Christmas service on December 23. Please pray earnestly for his salvation. His personality is so quiet that it has been hard for me to get to know him. For example, I asked him once, "What is your hobby?" And he responded, "Don't have one." Where do you go from there? Actually, I asked that question and got that response last week when I visited their home. Before then he would just give the "uh-huh" type answer. Bayambaa on the other hand has been experiencing some ridicule for being a Christian. The ridicule is coming from her in-laws and another family that has been living with them. Again, we know that "all who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution." Still, it is difficult to watch it happen to someone else. We do know and trust that God knows best.

Dashgaa and Tunga: Dashgaa seems to be doing well. He is currently looking for work, not an enviable thing in this country. His wife is expecting their fourth child. She needs to recognize the Jesus Christ is her Savior and in repentance and humility turn to Him. Recently, Dashgaa has begun to bring his children some Sundays. In the past, his wife has been opposed to this. So we are seeing some evidence that she may be softening. Her extended family is Buddhist and pressures them to resist the "foreign religion."

Ganbold: I have not seen him since I returned. In the past his busy schedule made it difficult for us to get together.

Enkhamgalan: I have not seen him in some months. I have tried calling, but he does not answer. As far as I know, he still is not a Christian.

Ayaa: her health seems to have stabilized since her stay in the hospital. But she still is not improving. She is frail and does not have a good appetite. I am concerned too about her spiritual condition.

Tamiraa and Khongoroo: They were married in September and Khongoroo is expecting her first child. In an effort to be a help, I gave her some translation work to do and paid her up-front for the work. I have not heard from her since. I am not sure what to think. They both claim to be Christians but show no evidence of saving faith.

Prayer update

I've noticed that my language ability seems to come and go. That is, some weeks I feel as if my Mongolian just comes out and some weeks it feels as if I am pushing my language through cheesecloth. I don't know how else to describe it. But starting yesterday my Mongolian language attempts began to feel forced and unnatural. It's a difficult time for my language progress to take a step back because we have been invited folks to come this weekend for special Christmas services. So for those of you who are reading this before December 23 please pray for my language ability to come back.