Teaching & preaching

Because I really enjoy teaching I occasionally take an offer to teach an English class at a Mongolian public school. I always try to help teachers that I know. Yesterday I had an opportunity to help a English language teacher who regularly attends on Sunday night.

Teaching religion at a Mongolian public school is illegal which is just as well since the most likely religion to be taught at a Mongolian public school is a false one. However, during my hour long class with these students, I was able to tell them in a five minute monologue about my Father. After all, I was not teaching religion, just providing a testimony. Below our the students who heard it.

What a picture taught me

I received this picture from a friend many, many years ago. It had some part in changing the course of my life—thank you Jacqui Simonet! I began to realize that I was making decisions each day that would affect my life ... some permanently. May it be a blessing to some of you.

Weekly update

Good things are going on right now. We have two couples who are meeting with Ganpurev and me regularly to study the Bible. Another young Christian lady is also being taught God's word in our home.

Bilgee recently left on a two week journey to his home aimag (like a state or province) to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the countryside. Ganpurev and one of his few Christian relatives are in the countryside this week to attend a wedding. However, both of them are sure to be witnessing for Jesus Christ to the folks in their home aimag. Pray that the witness of these three men will be powerful and effective. It has always been a vision of mine to see these Mongolian people go back to the places from which they came to be a witness for Jesus Christ.

It is interesting to me that the Christian relative traveling with Ganpurev to the countryside is the same Sambil that the two of us once witnessed to with seemingly little effect. God used another friend to follow up with what we said and since that time Sambil has become a Christian. Now he gives added weight to the testimony that Ganpurev has showed his relatives.

The (dis)advantages of living in Ulan Bator

Some places have sun, surf, and sand. Ulan Bator has snow, smoke, and sand ... and the sand is usually blowing sand.

There are few places in Mongolia that do not experience strong winds. We are sparred the cyclones that come from the Pacific Ocean, and I'm not aware of tornadoes. However, high winds are not uncommon. In forested areas and steppes where the grasses provide ground cover, the wind is an annoyance. However, in the Gobi the wind whips the sand and dust into huge storms that travel as far as Korea and Japan. Housewives in Korea have complained to me about the "yellow clouds" of dust that we send from Mongolia and leave a fine film of dust on everything.

The winters in Mongolia can be brutal and living in the city has both positives and negatives. Sure, there is heat in most apartment buildings. But the heat is produced by two huge, coal-fired co-generation plants in the edge of town. Because most of the ger districts do not have connections to the city heating system, they burn large amounts of coal to heat their gers and shacks. The city of Ulan Bator also sits in a river valley surrounded by mountains. The result is that all that coal smoke is trapped in the valley. Coming into the city from a distance in the winter, one can see the grayish brown smog that wraps about the city like a blanket. Many people experience respiratory problems from this cloud, and the incidence of thyroid problems most likely caused by some of the chemicals in the coal is high in Ulan Bator.

These are not complaints on my part. Just observations about the place that we call home.

On the other hand, Ulan Bator is where the people are. Mongolia is the world's least densely populated country. If you want to get away from people, Mongolia is the place to come. Yet there are almost a million Mongolians packed into this valley. Yes, it may be dusty and smoky, but it is also filled with people. That's the reason that we are here.

Sunday update

I know from looking at my previous posts that it has been a while since I posted. Maybe this week will be different. I had set aside last week to focus on some Bible translation that I had committed to finish before my furlough begins in November. Instead a plethora of unimportant but urgent items demanded my attention. One fellow had trouble at work and needed advice and help. Our bathtub developed cracks that were leaking. And another fellow kept calling to ask for money. I never did get to spend the time that I wanted on translation. Maybe another week; it won't be this week.

There have been some minor victories to report from this previous week. The young couples that have been meeting to study the Bible continue to meet. They continue to be eager to look into God's word and to apply it to their lives.

Ganpurev was headed to the countryside to attend a wedding. I know that many of his relatives wanted to leave on Friday night or Saturday morning. However, Ganpurev told them that he could not leave until Sunday after the Mongolian service. I was proud of Ganpurev for taking such a stand. Many other Mongolians would have just bowed to their relatives' wishes.

Ganaa was back to church on Sunday. She told Kristie that her husband is "acting like a human being" now. He needs to be acting like a Christian. Continue to pray for peace in that family.

Baptisms

There were three baptized today. Togsoo joins his wife as a baptized Christian. She was baptized last spring. Both of them are currently working with Ganpurev and me through a Bible study course for new believers that we have used before.

Togsoo is a big fellow, even taller than I am. Because we were baptizing in the main current of the river, it was quite a challenge to get him under the water and back up again.

Bysaa and his wife Ganchimeg were also baptized. They also were saved recently and have been studying the Bible weekly with Ganpurev and me.

We had an unusual thing happen to us. We have baptized in this portion of the river that passes through the city several times before. Today for the first time we had a soldier approach us. Ganpurev talked with him and for a minute I thought that he might tell us that we were not allowed to be at this portion of the river and must move on. But he did not. When Ganpurev explained to him that we were Christians and wanted to baptize people in the river he gave his approval.

There is also a definite praise that I should mention. In the week leading up to the baptism we had some rather cold days. Many of us had been praying for good weather on Sunday, and God granted our request. The weather was perfect: warm, not too windy, and bright sun. The water was still frigid though.

For the first time that I can remember, we combined both the Mongolian-speaking service and the English-speaking service. Bill preached to one group while I preached to the other group. Without planning, both Bill and I picked similar passages from which to preach.

It is always exciting to baptize new believers. These three new believers represent two more families united in Christ for which I am thankful!

September prayer letter

It is exciting whenever a Mongolian becomes a Christian. Recently, however there have been three professions of faith that are perhaps for me, a little more exciting. The reason is these three new Christians double the number of families we have at the church in which both the husband and wife are saved.

In one of the cases, just recently the husband made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. His wife was saved and baptized last year. We have been praying for her husband’s salvation since that time. It is thrilling to see him become a Christian, grow in his love for God’s word, and be eager to serve in the church.
The other two are a husband and wife couple. They have been attending off and on since last fall. More off than on. The husband works strange hours that keep him from coming to church as often as he would like. I have been praying that God would give him a job that allows him to provide for his family, be at every church service, and to study God’s word daily.

There are three reasons why I particularly rejoice in the salvation of these three and the addition of two saved families. Punctuality is not something that Mongolians value. It is not uncommon for half the folks to come after we have begun. On a recent Sunday morning, I looked out on the folks that were on time. Seven of the eight Mongolians that were on time were members of those four families.

Not only that, but three of the four families are actively involved in our home Bible study program. I have known for some time that when both the husband and wife are saved there is a higher level of involvement in the church’s activities and a greater willingness and ability to serve.

Finally, these saved couples have an opportunity to work together to raise their children in Christian homes where the husband loves his wife as Christ loves the church and raises his children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Their children will have a unique opportunity to grow up in a Christian home.

Kristie and I were discussing the other day how differently Mongolians approach life’s challenges. Where our parents taught us the most important and joyful choice that we could make was to serve God, most Mongolians want to advance their careers or the education of their children. If we are going to impact Mongolian culture for our Savior’s glory, it will be through entire families that put our Lord and Savior first. These families have a chance to do just that.

These three who have recently made professions of faith are to be baptized soon. Please pray for their continued growth in Jesus Christ. It would be wonderful to see these families be shining testimonies to our Savior’s miraculous grace!

Manlai's wedding

About two months ago, Ganpurev told me that he would need some time off to travel to the countryside in October because his nephew was having a wedding. I thought little of it; his nephew is in his early 20's and has already served his time in the military. It was about time that he got married.

Last week, Ganpurev told me that Manlai was still looking for a bride. I was surprised and told Ganpurev so. "I though Manlai was having a wedding. How can he be having a wedding if he isn't getting married."

Ganpurev explained it to me this way. To countryside Mongolians there are usually two things that happen at a wedding which is called хурим in Mongolian. The first is that two people get married. However, at the same time the groom's family gives him a ger for him to live in with his new wife.

It seems that Manlai doesn't have a girlfriend, but his father has a ger prepared for him. Another relative was getting married nearby at the same time. So Manlai's father thought it would be handy to have both weddings at the same time. After all, the ger is ready and wasting away in storage.

So whether there is a bride or not, there will be a wedding for Manlai in October. Manlai seems convinced that he'll find someone to marry him in the next few weeks. I hope he does.

First snow

It snowed here yesterday just as forecast. I wanted to spend some time outside with a friend and man to whom I've been witnessing but the weather was too nasty yesterday: snow and wind. I've posted pictures of it out my window on a clear day and yesterday. It went from 84° on Friday afternoon to 32° on Saturday afternoon.

Cold weather is coming!

The weather here has been great recently. September is often like that; not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, mostly sunshine. But it looks as if cold weather is headed our way. Here is the weather forecast for the weekend:

Forecasters are predicting high winds over the weekend too.