Pray for Mongolia

Bilgee sent me this poster. I thought it would be a good reminder to all of us.

Quote of the week

"One of the strangest disparities of history lies between the sense of abundance felt by older and simpler societies and the sense of scarcity felt by the ostensibly richer societies of today. Charles Peguy has referred to modern man's feeling of 'slow economic strangulation,' his sense of never having enough to meet the requirements which his pattern of life imposes on him. Standards of consumption which he cannot meet, and which he does not need to meet, come virtually in the guise of duties. As the abundance for simple living is replaced by the scarcity for complex living, it seems that in some way not yet explained we have formalized prosperity until for most people it is only a figment of the imagination. [It cannot be] proved that the substitution of covetousness for wantlessness, of an ascending spiral of desires for a stable requirement of necessities, leads to the happier condition." - Richard Weaver

Weekly update

I am still on the road visiting churches and supporters. After this trip I have a short break before it gets really busy. Kristie and the children have stayed in the Portland area, the children attending school as I have traveled by myself on this trip. We will be reunited on Thursday.

I talked to Ganpurev; the church in Mongolia continues to do well. I am grateful to hear it. When I asked if the weather was still cold in Mongolia, he told me that today it had begun to warm up. I went to the weather site to see what "warm" meant: it meant +3〫F or about -15〫C.

Keep praying for the Mongolians while we are away. Every time I talk to someone there, I want to board the next flight back; I don't care if it's cold!

Quote of the week

"It is no matter for surprise that, when we ask people even to consider the possibility of decadence, we meet with incredulity and resentment. We must consider that we are in effect asking for a confession of guilt and an acceptance of sterner obligation; we are making demands in the name of the ideal or the suprapersonal, and we cannot expect a more cordial welcome than disturbers of complacency have received in any other age. On the contrary, our welcome will rather be less today, for a century and a half of bourgeois ascendancy has produced a type of mind highly unreceptive to unsettling thoughts. Added to this is the egotism of modern man, fed by many springs, which will scarcely permit the humility needed for self-criticism." - Richard Weaver (1948)

Is it cold where you are?

Here in Oregon we have been enjoying some amazing weather: sunshine and warm. It seems especially warm when you consider that Mongolia is going through a cold spell. The last two days have seen cold temperatures of nearly -40 (C or F) and highs of -10 (F). Wow! That's cold!

Weekly update

Last week I asked you to pray for a clear, uninterrupted phone call. Sunday evening before the church meeting, Bill called me from Mongolia and we were able to get caught up on the church in Ulan Bator. The church is doing well, and attendance both at the Mongolian service and the English service are staying strong.

This Sunday is the first day of the Mongolian New Year (Tsagaan Sar). During this holiday there is unusually strong pressure for men to drink alcohol. Please pray especially for the men of the church to be faithful to their Lord and strong in their commitment to avoid all alcohol during this time.

Another car

It is amazing how God provides over and above what we need. About a month ago, another family in our church gave us a car to use while we are in the States. That means that we now have two vehicles available to us while we are in North America.

Of course, both these cars will need to be transferred back to their original owners when we leave. We are very grateful to these folks for their generosity and grateful to God for His wonderful provision!

Quote of the week

There is no corruption that threatens a country so surely as the sentimentalizing of its religion; and there is no corruption of the Christian religion so swift as that which sets in when [churches] lose their strict Biblical discipline. - E.C. Hoskyns

Weekly update

We have been traveling for a month now. The entire family has not been traveling every time—I have been traveling. There have been meetings from Tucson to Tacoma.

Those of you who know me well know that I do not particularly like to travel. But God is good and gives grace for every call. While traveling, I have seen dear friends, re-made old acquaintances, met new prayer folks, and been blessed to hear over and over, "We're praying for you!"

This month is not quite as busy traveling although responsibilities at Westgate Baptist Church will give me plenty to do. I have been frustrated in my attempts to communicate with people in Mongolia over the past week. Please pray for some clear, uninterrupted internet phone calls this week.

Finding encouragement in all the prayers

God calls us to pray. From the time that I was a little boy, I remember my parents encouraging me to pray. But it something different when it is other people praying for you.

Kristie and I have found such encouragement in the diverse and numerous people who have told us that they are praying. Many of them have freely admitted that they cannot pronounce the Mongolians names for whom they pray. "That's okay," I insist, "God knows for whom you are praying."

We have thoroughly enjoyed meeting old friends, making new ones, and sharing all that God is doing in Mongolia. Thank you for your prayers.