News

Aya's surgery went well yesterday. I did not understand this at the time but it was exploratory surgery. The surgeon removed one of her lymph nodes to analyze the tumor in it. If necessary, the surgeon will do more surgery to remove other lymph nodes. Aya is already home and recovering. She still is experiencing some pain.

Basca, Bilgee, Jagaa, and I met for a Bible study last night. I was glad to see all of them there.

Ganpurev's trip

Ganpurev returned yesterday from a trip to the countryside to attend his grandmother's funeral. His grandmother lived to see her great-great grandchildren. Ganpurev said that he had the chance to witness to several family members and that some are showing an interest. I would very much like to travel out to the countryside with Ganpurev this summer to continue to be a witness to these people.

Aya has abdominal surgery today to remove some tumors. Please pray for her. I went to visit her last night and prayed with her and told her that we are praying for her. She seems peaceful about it although she admitted sometimes worrying about it. Still, surgery for the elderly is a dangerous prospect anywhere - here ... well, I think we should all be praying.

You want to speak about Jesus Christ? ... oops, I'm busy

I have discovered that there are some folks in Mongolia who see me as an English translator who is available to help them whenever they need some help. They only come over when they need something translated and never want to talk about the Bible, sin, or our Savior.

Here's a transcript of the SMS messages (without editing) that I recently exchanged with one of these folks.

Mongolian: "Can I visit to house today around 7:00 pm. I have a special quest for you."

Me: "Yep, please come. We'll talk about Jesus. Will you come?"

Mongolian: "I am so sorry! May be I can't talk with you about Jesus. I have another job that must be solved immediately. Are you sure?"

Me: "I must talk about Jesus tonight. Will you come?"

The Mongolian then called me to talk in Mongolian. "Why do you have to talk about Jesus?" he asked.

I explained to him that my desire is to talk about Jesus and that I am very busy. If he just wants help with translation then I am too busy for that. If he wants to talk about Jesus, I will make time to meet him.

In the end, he declined to come.

It is a reminder that we all have priorities. For some, maybe a job or some English translation or a friend is the most important thing. For me, meeting spiritual needs is most important. I really must work to be certain that I do not make other people's priorities my priorities. Instead I must stay focused on what is eternally important. It is always a struggle as a missionary. We need your prayers as we prioritize our time and choose the best things over the good things.

Quote of the day

The way to do a great deal is to keep on doing a little. The way to do nothing at all is to be continually resolving that you will do everything. - C. H. Spurgeon

Update

It has been a busy week, though I don't have as much to show for it as I would like. The number of people attending Faith Baptist Church's meeting yesterday was down. There were only nine adults. Still a year ago, I would have been happy to see nine adults. It seems like the big days get a little bigger and the down days are not quite so low. The entire service seemed to be lacking in vitality to me . The singing seemed anemic, the preaching seemed strained (and I was preaching), and the people seemed tired. Some weeks just do not seem as exciting as others.

After the service, I had a chance to share a meal with Bilgee and Basca, two young men who I believe could be the core of the church. Both are young men who claim to be serious about serving the Lord. However, the Christian life is a daily struggle. Some of conversation yesterday revealed that they think that following Christ is a decision made one day that lasts for the rest of one's life. But Jesus Himself said, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." It is not simply a matter of saying once, "I consecrate all to Jesus Christ." Rather, it is a matter of daily offering myself afresh.

In other news, Gustavo's wife Bayarmaa had her baby - a little boy. My wife and I already went to visit. They are both doing fine although there are some little complications that are worrying Gustavo. I think that mother and baby are both normal; Gustavo's worry though makes it harder for his own family. I told him so. Please pray for Gustavo to give his worries to God and accept the peace that passes all understanding that God offers us.

Aya will be having surgery on Wednesday to remove some abdominal tumors. She is scared Ulzee says. Please pray that she too would find peace.

Breaking news

I received a message from Gustavo at 1:30 last night that read, "I father gracias a DIOS." I'll try to post pictures next week (after all, who doesn't like to look at baby pictures?)

Breaking news

Gustavo's wife is at the maternity hospital and should have her baby soon.

some updates

Ganpurev arrived safely which is no little feat considering that he disembarked from the bus he was riding along an empty stretch of road and was picked up from that same lonely stretch of road by a brother who has no phone and lives in an area with no cell phone service. (That seems well-nigh amazing to those of us who grew up with scheduled stops and cell phones. It probably seems commonplace to those of my grandparents' generation.) He will be in with his family for about ten days. In the countryside especially everything about a funeral is determined by the Buddhist lama: where the body will be buried, which direction the body will face, which rituals need to be performed, etc. Please pray that Ganpurev will have the fortitude and wisdom to not participate in the Buddhist rituals while still showing the appropriate respect to a family matriarch. It can be a difficult thing.

Gustavo, the Cuban man, called me today to tell me that his wife may be having her baby soon. Bayarmaa is due in a week or two; but, you know, one can rarely plan these things.

I saw Bob on Sunday at a family gathering (Bilgee & Ganaa's family's gathering; I guess I am part of the clan). He was friendly enough, but we did not discuss anything "religious." I told him that I would try to visit this week. However, on Monday night Batzorig came over with Bilgee; and I was able to witness to him. Tuesday night, a recent attender of our church's services Narantuya came over for dinner. After dinner we had a good conversation. Wednesday night after a time of prayer, Bilgee and Jagaa and I studied the Bible together. So I have not yet had a free night to visit Bob. I plan to call tonight and see if he is available.

Someone predicted that there will be an earthquake in Mongolia this month that rivals the earthquake that shattered Chinese cities last month. Some said that the earthquake was going to occur last night (Wednesday night). I even had an acquaintance send me an SMS saying to be careful because there might be an earthquake. Mongolians seem to be taking this rather seriously. There is a genuine spirit of fear and superstition here that motivates people's actions.

Sunday update

We had a decent group of Mongolians out this past Sunday. There were also several Americans in town who know me and wanted to come to the service. So we had quite a few people come.

Bill Patterson preached in English, and Bilgee translated for him. I was impressed with how well Bilgee did. At one point during the translated sermon I was amazed when I realized that I could understand both the preacher and the translator clearly.

This coming Sunday with Ganpurev away for a funeral I will probably preach all the sermons on Sunday. Please pray for my preparation time. I seem to be spending much of my time helping other missionaries ... not that helping is a bad thing.

News about Ganpurev's family

Ganpurev's grandmother passed away yesterday. She had been in poor health for some time. Ganpurev plans to leave Wednesday to attend her funeral. Pray for him. Of all the people who will be at the funeral it is very likely that he will be the sole Christian. The opportunities for witnessing will be great so please pray.