Friday, January 07, 2011
Quote of the week
"Habit both shows and makes the man, for it is at once historic and prophetic, the mirror of the man as he is and the mould of the man as he is to be." — A. T. Pierson in reference to George Muller (italics in the original)
Wednesday, January 05, 2011
Tuesday, January 04, 2011
New births for the new year
Every person is different. God’s grace is sufficient for all, but man’s response to God’s grace—and I believe that God calls for a response from man—is distinct for each individual.
The first time that I met Burnee (pronounced Bur·nay´) was at our church’s summer camp. She came along with her two children as a guest of Gantuya (pronounced Gone´·toy·aa). We encourage visitors to come to our summer camp where the preaching is directed both to the saved and the unsaved. It is a friendly opportunity for new people to meet us; and it gives us an opportunity to spend some extended time with our new acquaintances.
But visitors who come to the camp do not always return to Sunday services. Visitors are not uncommon at our Sunday services—October 10, 2010 was a big day for visitors; but visitors that come back several times are unusual. The reasons for this are many.
So I was excited to see Burnee continuing to come to Sunday services after attending camp. Because our goal is always to see the entire family saved and growing, after the service one Sunday I told Burnay that I would like to meet her husband. It was not more than a Sunday or two before she came with her husband whose name is Battulga (pronounced Bat´·toll·luck). When she introduced her husband, I told him how happy I was to meet him. He was very quiet and seemed almost eager to avoid talking to me.
After that service, I told them that I would like to visit their home. Visiting people in their homes provides me an opportunity to talk privately with them about their faith. They are more open to asking questions and expressing disagreement which gives me an opportunity to overcome obstacles with Scripture. Also, they are more frank about their spiritual attitudes. I have observed that such open conversation enables the Holy Spirit to pull back the veil so to speak through the use of Scripture to answer their questions and overcome their objections.
They said that they would call me when they had free time and promptly disappeared for several months. It would not be the first time that an offer to visit someone in their home scared them from coming back to the service. But I was disappointed: here was a visitor who had almost become a regular attender who suddenly quits coming after I meet her husband and suggest visiting their home.
After many weeks, Burnee showed up again one Sunday with her husband. She explained that her husband and she had been working all these past Sundays and that they still wanted me to come to their home. By now, it was early December which is always a busy month in any church ministry. We made an appointment for a Monday night (one of the few open nights in the month of December for me, it turned out).
They had specifically requested that my wife come, and my wife and I decided that we would take our entire family on this visit. Battulga & Burnee lived across town. I have visited that side of town but do not know its landmarks as well as I know the landmarks on my side of town. Because Mongolians do not talk in street names but landmarks, that meant that I was at a disadvantage in finding the proposed meeting place. I will not bore you with a call-by-call account of my vain efforts to locate the place where Battulga was waiting for me. We both struggled for about an hour: he to describe over the phone the place where he was waiting for me and how to get there, I was struggling to understand where he was.
He would say, “Do you know this place?”
I would respond, “No, but I know where this place is.”
To which he would respond, “Yes, but that is not where you want to go.”
It took about an hour for Battulga and I to find each other. I finally asked him to meet me at the biggest and most well-known landmark in the area which he did walking through the cold without complaint holding the hands of two pre-school children in order to come to the landmark that I knew.
He then got into our vehicle and directed me to his ger. It was in a place I never would have located without his help.
We had a very pleasant visit at their home. They fed us large amounts of delicious Mongolian food, and their ger, like most gers, was warm and cozy despite the freezing temperatures outside. After the meal I brought out a Bible that I intended to give to them.
They very eagerly listened to a presentation of the Gospel. I have rarely had Mongolians listen so eagerly to a Bible teaching on the first visit to their home.
We agreed that I would come back to teach another Bible lesson on the Sunday after Christmas. They would come to church service on Sunday; afterward I would take them home and teach another Bible lesson in their home.
I was not surprised when they did not show up on Sunday. So many times just as I feel as if I am beginning to get traction with a couple, I get stuck in the mud. Relatives had come from out of town and prevented them from attending the church service.
The first time that I met Burnee (pronounced Bur·nay´) was at our church’s summer camp. She came along with her two children as a guest of Gantuya (pronounced Gone´·toy·aa). We encourage visitors to come to our summer camp where the preaching is directed both to the saved and the unsaved. It is a friendly opportunity for new people to meet us; and it gives us an opportunity to spend some extended time with our new acquaintances.But visitors who come to the camp do not always return to Sunday services. Visitors are not uncommon at our Sunday services—October 10, 2010 was a big day for visitors; but visitors that come back several times are unusual. The reasons for this are many.
So I was excited to see Burnee continuing to come to Sunday services after attending camp. Because our goal is always to see the entire family saved and growing, after the service one Sunday I told Burnay that I would like to meet her husband. It was not more than a Sunday or two before she came with her husband whose name is Battulga (pronounced Bat´·toll·luck). When she introduced her husband, I told him how happy I was to meet him. He was very quiet and seemed almost eager to avoid talking to me.
After that service, I told them that I would like to visit their home. Visiting people in their homes provides me an opportunity to talk privately with them about their faith. They are more open to asking questions and expressing disagreement which gives me an opportunity to overcome obstacles with Scripture. Also, they are more frank about their spiritual attitudes. I have observed that such open conversation enables the Holy Spirit to pull back the veil so to speak through the use of Scripture to answer their questions and overcome their objections.
They said that they would call me when they had free time and promptly disappeared for several months. It would not be the first time that an offer to visit someone in their home scared them from coming back to the service. But I was disappointed: here was a visitor who had almost become a regular attender who suddenly quits coming after I meet her husband and suggest visiting their home.
After many weeks, Burnee showed up again one Sunday with her husband. She explained that her husband and she had been working all these past Sundays and that they still wanted me to come to their home. By now, it was early December which is always a busy month in any church ministry. We made an appointment for a Monday night (one of the few open nights in the month of December for me, it turned out).
They had specifically requested that my wife come, and my wife and I decided that we would take our entire family on this visit. Battulga & Burnee lived across town. I have visited that side of town but do not know its landmarks as well as I know the landmarks on my side of town. Because Mongolians do not talk in street names but landmarks, that meant that I was at a disadvantage in finding the proposed meeting place. I will not bore you with a call-by-call account of my vain efforts to locate the place where Battulga was waiting for me. We both struggled for about an hour: he to describe over the phone the place where he was waiting for me and how to get there, I was struggling to understand where he was.
He would say, “Do you know this place?”
I would respond, “No, but I know where this place is.”
To which he would respond, “Yes, but that is not where you want to go.”
It took about an hour for Battulga and I to find each other. I finally asked him to meet me at the biggest and most well-known landmark in the area which he did walking through the cold without complaint holding the hands of two pre-school children in order to come to the landmark that I knew.
He then got into our vehicle and directed me to his ger. It was in a place I never would have located without his help.
We had a very pleasant visit at their home. They fed us large amounts of delicious Mongolian food, and their ger, like most gers, was warm and cozy despite the freezing temperatures outside. After the meal I brought out a Bible that I intended to give to them.
They very eagerly listened to a presentation of the Gospel. I have rarely had Mongolians listen so eagerly to a Bible teaching on the first visit to their home.
We agreed that I would come back to teach another Bible lesson on the Sunday after Christmas. They would come to church service on Sunday; afterward I would take them home and teach another Bible lesson in their home.
I was not surprised when they did not show up on Sunday. So many times just as I feel as if I am beginning to get traction with a couple, I get stuck in the mud. Relatives had come from out of town and prevented them from attending the church service.
But I saw them on Friday night at the New Year’s Eve service when they made an effort to comeout even though they live so far away. They seemed very happy to attend the New Year’s Eveservice and said that they would be at Sunday’s service. We arranged for me to come over after the service on Sunday.
So this past Sunday found me at Battulga’s ger eating buuz & salad and talking more about our great Savior. I try to be thorough in my presentation of the Gospel. We had started in Genesis and worked our way to Ephesians 2:8-9. I was using the Scriptures to show that we are saved by faith when Burnee interrupted with a question, “But what do we have to have faith in?” It is so exciting when the Mongolians are asking the right questions!
Such an excellent question leads back to Jesus Christ. I taught them that as many as believe Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God. I showed them John 3:16 and explained that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish (the wages of sin) but have everlasting life. I explained it about three times and different ways how faith is the key ingredient to our salvation. God has already provided His Son Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. Now He calls us to believe in our hearts that He raised His Son from the dead.
In the end they both professed to put their faith in Jesus Christ. I visited them again today (Tuesday) with Ganpurev. As far as we can tell they are sincere in their faith. What a fantastic way to start the new year. Please pray for these two to grow in their faith.
So this past Sunday found me at Battulga’s ger eating buuz & salad and talking more about our great Savior. I try to be thorough in my presentation of the Gospel. We had started in Genesis and worked our way to Ephesians 2:8-9. I was using the Scriptures to show that we are saved by faith when Burnee interrupted with a question, “But what do we have to have faith in?” It is so exciting when the Mongolians are asking the right questions!
Such an excellent question leads back to Jesus Christ. I taught them that as many as believe Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God. I showed them John 3:16 and explained that whosoever believes in Jesus will not perish (the wages of sin) but have everlasting life. I explained it about three times and different ways how faith is the key ingredient to our salvation. God has already provided His Son Jesus Christ to be the propitiation for our sins. Now He calls us to believe in our hearts that He raised His Son from the dead.
In the end they both professed to put their faith in Jesus Christ. I visited them again today (Tuesday) with Ganpurev. As far as we can tell they are sincere in their faith. What a fantastic way to start the new year. Please pray for these two to grow in their faith.
Monday, January 03, 2011
Dashka's dilemmas
I can say without reservation that Dashka is in the crucible of affliction.
In the spring of 2009, Dashka’s wife Tonga began to experience some abdominal pain. She put off going to the doctor for several months. Evidently, although she is a doctor she does not like going to hospitals. Perhaps she thought that her symptoms would go away with time.
When her symptoms became worse she finally went to see the doctor in the summer of 2009. The doctors diagnosed her with stomach cancer. The cancer had already advanced to the stage that treatment would require the removal of her entire stomach followed by several rounds of chemotherapy. Surgery to remove her stomach and replace it with a pouch made of intestinal material occurred in July 2009.
Surgery went well, and the doctors told Dashka and Tonga that with chemotherapy she might make a full recovery. Her successive stages of chemotherapy went well. By August of 2010, doctors gave her an examination and said that her cancer was in remission. She was even able to attend our church’s summer camp in August. She was thin but seemed healthy and hopeful.
About the same time, Dashka’s older brother Dawaa (pronounced Dow·waa´) was diagnosed with late stage cancer. He has not actively sought medical treatment for it and had progressively become worse. His brother’s cancer, his lack of faith in Jesus Christ, and his lack of interest in seeking aggressive treatment have all been a temptation to discouragement for Dashka. I am not saying that Dashka has been discouraged; on the contrary, in spite of it all Dashka has remained steadfast in his faith in God.
Not long after his brother’s cancer diagnosis, his wife began to experience abdominal pain again. He took her back to the National Cancer Hospital where doctors gave her a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. They recommended more chemotherapy. At the beginning, Tonga was upbeat about her prognosis. With time and increasing difficulties, she has become more and more discouraged.
As if that is not enough, Dashka has been dealing with unsympathetic relatives who blame him, in part, for his wife’s cancer and lack of health.
In addition to his brother’s cancer and his wife’s cancer, his older sister recently became a shaman. Mongolians know that shamans deal with evil spirits. However, they prize the power that such evil spirits can bestow on the person. Shamans are their gateways to accessing the power of these evil spirits. His sister’s recent decision to interact with these evil spirits has been another temptation to lose the peace that God offers to Dashka.
Then over this past weekend as we all celebrated the new year, Dashka’s younger brother who was living and working in Korea died suddenly of a heart attack. He was younger than I am. Dashka heard the news after the service Sunday morning when he went to a family get-together.
Also over the weekend, Tonga gave up all hope of beating this cancer. She quit taking her medication which I believe was intended to prepare her for her next round of chemotherapy. Sunday night into Monday morning, she refused to sleep, instead sitting up in bed almost all night. She says that she is going to die. Some of the time she is incoherent when she talks.
Amazingly, as we were sharing prayer requests this morning, Dashka through his tears expressed his continuing faith in God. In spite of tragedy, Dashka refuses to deny his God. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
As Dashka’s pastor, I do not know how to comfort him. He knows that we are praying for him, he knows that we are ready to assist him, he knows that we want to see his wife saved. Please pray for peace, comfort, perseverance, and grace for Dashka. I will update you as I know more about his older brother and wife. Outside of Jesus Christ, there is no hope. Dashka said today that he still has hope that in the end his wife’s will accept God’s offer of eternal life and that he will see his wife again in eternity.
In the spring of 2009, Dashka’s wife Tonga began to experience some abdominal pain. She put off going to the doctor for several months. Evidently, although she is a doctor she does not like going to hospitals. Perhaps she thought that her symptoms would go away with time.
When her symptoms became worse she finally went to see the doctor in the summer of 2009. The doctors diagnosed her with stomach cancer. The cancer had already advanced to the stage that treatment would require the removal of her entire stomach followed by several rounds of chemotherapy. Surgery to remove her stomach and replace it with a pouch made of intestinal material occurred in July 2009.
Surgery went well, and the doctors told Dashka and Tonga that with chemotherapy she might make a full recovery. Her successive stages of chemotherapy went well. By August of 2010, doctors gave her an examination and said that her cancer was in remission. She was even able to attend our church’s summer camp in August. She was thin but seemed healthy and hopeful.
About the same time, Dashka’s older brother Dawaa (pronounced Dow·waa´) was diagnosed with late stage cancer. He has not actively sought medical treatment for it and had progressively become worse. His brother’s cancer, his lack of faith in Jesus Christ, and his lack of interest in seeking aggressive treatment have all been a temptation to discouragement for Dashka. I am not saying that Dashka has been discouraged; on the contrary, in spite of it all Dashka has remained steadfast in his faith in God.
Not long after his brother’s cancer diagnosis, his wife began to experience abdominal pain again. He took her back to the National Cancer Hospital where doctors gave her a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. They recommended more chemotherapy. At the beginning, Tonga was upbeat about her prognosis. With time and increasing difficulties, she has become more and more discouraged.
As if that is not enough, Dashka has been dealing with unsympathetic relatives who blame him, in part, for his wife’s cancer and lack of health.
In addition to his brother’s cancer and his wife’s cancer, his older sister recently became a shaman. Mongolians know that shamans deal with evil spirits. However, they prize the power that such evil spirits can bestow on the person. Shamans are their gateways to accessing the power of these evil spirits. His sister’s recent decision to interact with these evil spirits has been another temptation to lose the peace that God offers to Dashka.
Then over this past weekend as we all celebrated the new year, Dashka’s younger brother who was living and working in Korea died suddenly of a heart attack. He was younger than I am. Dashka heard the news after the service Sunday morning when he went to a family get-together.
Also over the weekend, Tonga gave up all hope of beating this cancer. She quit taking her medication which I believe was intended to prepare her for her next round of chemotherapy. Sunday night into Monday morning, she refused to sleep, instead sitting up in bed almost all night. She says that she is going to die. Some of the time she is incoherent when she talks.
Amazingly, as we were sharing prayer requests this morning, Dashka through his tears expressed his continuing faith in God. In spite of tragedy, Dashka refuses to deny his God. “Though he slay me, yet will I trust him.”
As Dashka’s pastor, I do not know how to comfort him. He knows that we are praying for him, he knows that we are ready to assist him, he knows that we want to see his wife saved. Please pray for peace, comfort, perseverance, and grace for Dashka. I will update you as I know more about his older brother and wife. Outside of Jesus Christ, there is no hope. Dashka said today that he still has hope that in the end his wife’s will accept God’s offer of eternal life and that he will see his wife again in eternity.
Sunday, January 02, 2011
Some night pictures from Ulan Bator
Recently, the newly renovated children's park re-opened here in Ulan Bator. Here are some pictures that I took from outside the park.
Saturday, January 01, 2011
Happy New Year!
Just a post to wish all my readers: "Happy New Year!"
I've not been writing much. It's been a slower week for me this past week. But look for more post this coming week. I have some pictures from the church's New Year's Eve celebration to post, thoughts on the Christianity and technology to mention, and some other ideas I'd like you to read.
Dashka and Tonga are still hanging in there. She's been through two rounds of chemotherapy so far. I've not heard that she's scheduled for a third round yet. She still is resistant to hearing about Jesus. I pray for her often during the day as I contemplate what seems to me to be a very hard heart. Dashka mentions that he needs our prayers for patience and love. He knows that his family is watching his responses to these difficult circumstances.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Do you believe that good people go to heaven?
This recent article caught my attention.
The problem is that the Bible clearly teaches that eternal life comes by faith in Jesus Christ, not through good works. More amazingly is the belief in universalism mentioned in the article. If universalism is true than missions is a scam. Frankly, if God loves everyone and has no requirement for righteousness and all are going to heaven, why send missionaries around the world to preach Jesus Christ as the way, the truth and the life?
The truth is that without Jesus Christ, there is no hope of eternal life for any man, woman, or child. That is why we are in Mongolia; and that is why you pray for us.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
At Christmas
We went to the United States Embassy in Mongolia the other day to renew our children's passports. We had a very pleasant experience (thank you to the United States Embassy staff!). As we were leaving one of the consular office staff said, "Merry Christmas." Don't tell the ACLU!
It is easy to say “Merry Christmas” and forget what should make Christmas the joy that it is. Perhaps for many Christmas time is a season of receiving gifts, a time when we put out a wish list and see how much of it comes in. I know that people talk of deprivation in the United States because of the difficult economy and all, and I have no doubt that some are truly suffering at the Christmas time. But for most Americans it is too easy to notice all the sales and discounts, the lights and songs, the seasonal TV specials and sports. We miss the Person of Christmas because the season of Christmas has distracted us. We say "Merry Christmas" and are sincere, but the Person Who is the reason for Christmas is crowded out by the hustle of the season that is Christmas.
For others Christmas is a time with family. It is the one time of year when the entire family comes together. Reminisces, laughter, old memories, new ones—these all make Christmas a joyful season. During the years that I was in college and later my brothers, we often had summer ministry that kept us from coming home to family. But we never missed coming home at Christmas. But for those of us separated from family by oceans of distance, focusing on family at Christmas only brings feelings of disappointment. After all, of course we want to be with our family during this time. We truly thank God that Christmas is not really about families, unless one means God’s family.
A few perhaps think of food first when they think of Christmas. I was reading recently about the history of the Christmas meal. Unique foods have always been a part of the Christmas meal, and those Christmas foods are something to which we look forward to, as well. But Christmas is not the food.
But at Christmas we can focus on the joy of our salvation, promised at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:11) and fulfilled at the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is a chance to marvel at the fulfillment of the great prophesies of the Old Testament—some made thousands of years before Christ’s birth. If we give ourselves time, we might wonder anew at the love displayed when God sent His son to be born.
We might be astonished once again that the wise men from the East knew when Christ would be born and the religious scholars in Jerusalem knew where he would be born. But only the foreigners came to the young child to present gifts. Perhaps the religious scholars were too busy with their studies or too fearful of Herod’s wrath to make the journey of a few miles to the village of Bethlehem to see the Messiah for which they had been waiting for so long.
We might kneel again to the King of kings and say, “I love you. You are worthy of praise. You are the Ruler of righteousness. I commit myself afresh to your service.” Or we can enjoy the food and the family, and we can just relax after all the time spent preparing and “get to Bethlehem” later when it is more convenient.
Merry Christmas, and may Christ be glorified on this the day we celebrate His amazing love.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
It is easy to say “Merry Christmas” and forget what should make Christmas the joy that it is. Perhaps for many Christmas time is a season of receiving gifts, a time when we put out a wish list and see how much of it comes in. I know that people talk of deprivation in the United States because of the difficult economy and all, and I have no doubt that some are truly suffering at the Christmas time. But for most Americans it is too easy to notice all the sales and discounts, the lights and songs, the seasonal TV specials and sports. We miss the Person of Christmas because the season of Christmas has distracted us. We say "Merry Christmas" and are sincere, but the Person Who is the reason for Christmas is crowded out by the hustle of the season that is Christmas.
For others Christmas is a time with family. It is the one time of year when the entire family comes together. Reminisces, laughter, old memories, new ones—these all make Christmas a joyful season. During the years that I was in college and later my brothers, we often had summer ministry that kept us from coming home to family. But we never missed coming home at Christmas. But for those of us separated from family by oceans of distance, focusing on family at Christmas only brings feelings of disappointment. After all, of course we want to be with our family during this time. We truly thank God that Christmas is not really about families, unless one means God’s family.
A few perhaps think of food first when they think of Christmas. I was reading recently about the history of the Christmas meal. Unique foods have always been a part of the Christmas meal, and those Christmas foods are something to which we look forward to, as well. But Christmas is not the food.
But at Christmas we can focus on the joy of our salvation, promised at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:11) and fulfilled at the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It is a chance to marvel at the fulfillment of the great prophesies of the Old Testament—some made thousands of years before Christ’s birth. If we give ourselves time, we might wonder anew at the love displayed when God sent His son to be born.
We might be astonished once again that the wise men from the East knew when Christ would be born and the religious scholars in Jerusalem knew where he would be born. But only the foreigners came to the young child to present gifts. Perhaps the religious scholars were too busy with their studies or too fearful of Herod’s wrath to make the journey of a few miles to the village of Bethlehem to see the Messiah for which they had been waiting for so long.
We might kneel again to the King of kings and say, “I love you. You are worthy of praise. You are the Ruler of righteousness. I commit myself afresh to your service.” Or we can enjoy the food and the family, and we can just relax after all the time spent preparing and “get to Bethlehem” later when it is more convenient.
Merry Christmas, and may Christ be glorified on this the day we celebrate His amazing love.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
Friday, December 24, 2010
Quote of the week
Christians do "not superstitiously observe days, merely as days, but as memorials of important facts. Christmas might be kept as well upon one day of the year as another; but there should be a stated day for commemorating the birth of our Saviour, because there is danger that what may be done on any day, will be neglected." – Samuel Johnson
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Deans' weekly update
This is the week leading up to our celebration of the Savior's birth. Here in Mongolia, they do not celebrate Christmas. You may see pictures of Santa Claus, colored lights, and even Christmas trees. There are sales at the stores, and employees work overtime to keep up with the demand. But if you ask a Mongolian, he'll tell you that they are celebrating New Year. Mongolians have adopted all the commercialism of Christmas with none of the meaning: a sad commentary on the influence of America in Asia.
So while churches in North America will be extra busy trying to get people to come out to special services, cantatas, and candlelight services during this time of year, churches in Mongolia are trying to preach the birth of a Savior! The good Lord has blessed me with two prime opportunities to clearly present the Gospel in people's homes. The best ending would have been for the sinner to bow in repentance and humility before our holy God and request forgiveness of sins and eternal life. That did not happen. But the second best result was that both men (and one wife) agreed to meet with me again to hear more. Please pray for Tengis and Battulag to be saved. I am scheduled to meet with both of them within the next week. Please pray that they will keep their appointments and that God would be pleased to grant them the gift of eternal life during this time of year when we celebrate the One who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life."
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