The cold is back

After the Lunar New Year it is supposed to get warmer. We had a warming spell before cold weather moved in overnight. How cold you ask? How about -29 F at 11 in the morning.

Deans' weekly update

It's late, almost midnight. It is crazy that I am still awake because it has been such a long day. But some Sunday nights I cannot sleep. You might pray that I would sleep well.

We had a great meal at the church today after the service. The ladies came over to our house to make buuz (pronounced "bow" as in bow and arrows with a "dz" at the end: "bowdz") and khuushuur (pronounced hoe•sure) on Saturday night. On Sunday each family brought a salad or dessert. It was a delicious shared meal and a reminder that Mongolians really enjoy fellowship with each other.

However, it was not all fellowship. After the meal I taught a class on living according to Bible principles. My plan is to have a fellowship meal on the last Sunday of each month and combine those meals with the extra teaching. The lesson today was well-received it seemed to me.

But the highlight of my day came in the evening. Earlier in the week I had arranged to pick up Bolormaa and her daughters for the service but did not expect her husband Tengis would come. I really wanted Tengis to come because I have had several opportunities to preach Christ to him: Jesus saves. Both times he seemed to miss the meaning of what I was saying. It is as if a veil is over his eyes (II Cor. 3:14).

However, when I arrived at their apartment this evening to pick them up, Tengis was there with his wife. Praise the Lord! Bill was led to preach a very straightforward message about the self-righteous Pharisee and the humble publican.

After the service, Tengis approached Bill and told him that he felt as if God were pulling him towards Himself. That comment led to a nearly hour long conversation. As we were driving home after that, Tengis and I talked about having a home Bible study so that he could learn more about God's word. His wife, who has told me in the past that she is Buddhist, also expressed an interest in joining us. I am very excited about this opportunity to lead another home Bible study.

Now if I can get some sleep.

Quote of the week

"One thing to be borne in mind is that since the days of Pentecost there is no record of the sudden and direct work of the Spirit of God upon the souls of men that has not been accompanied by events more or less abnormal. It is, indeed, on consideration, only natural that it should be so. We cannot expect an abnormal inrush of the Divine light and power, so profoundly affecting the emotions and changing the lives of men, without remarkable results. As well expect a hurricane, an earthquake, a flood, to leave nothing abnormal in its course, as to expect a true Revival that is not accompanied by events quite out of our ordinary experience." A. T. Schofield in By My Spirit

Deans' weekly update

Great news! We moved to a new location and are enjoying the increased opportunities to minister. By God's grace this will be the last time that the church has to change locations for a while. Since we began meeting on Sundays seven years ago, the group that later became a church has met in five different locations including in homes. Sometimes it was financial pressures that caused the move; once we moved because we outgrew the space in which we were meeting. In moving to this new location we have taken measures to avoid both possibilities.

To prevent financial pressures from moving the church from this location, the building was constructed using funds that some of you provided. The church is bearing financial responsibility for the building; however, there should be no pressures that would force the church from the building: no sudden increases in rent, no selling of the property to a different owner that necessitates a move, or anything like that.

To guard against future growth forcing a move, the building was constructed in such a way as allows the addition of another floor in the future. The church could increase in attendance a significant amount before they would outgrow the current facility.

This meeting place is also much nicer than previous meeting places. It has more space, and the rooms were organized with the church in mind. There is a kitchen area which is the first time that the church here has been blessed with dedicated space for fellowships. There is also a room that was designed as a nursery. We have several families with babies and toddlers and two more families who are expecting to add to their families soon. Many churches in Mongolia have no nursery facilities which discourages families with young children from attending.

Now we just need to fill this space up. February we are focusing on the people whom we already have, encouraging them to be faithful in coming out. March is the month to focus on friends. In April, we plan to have a special emphasis for families. Additionally, Easter Sunday is in April this year, and we will encourage people to bring out unsaved family and friends on that day. In May, we plan to focus on attention in neighbors, both the neighbors of our church members and the new neighbors that we have because we are meeting in a new location.

Please pray for our church to grow both in the number of members, the number of people who attend our services, and in spiritual maturity. May we all work diligently and pray that God's grace and power would be upon us.

I Have Decided to Follow Jesus

How many times have you sung the song, “I have decided to follow Jesus”? It has a calming tune that seems to pull us along. Many of us have probably heard the story of the Indian prince who gave up all to become a Christian and penned the song. Whether that story is true or not I cannot say. However, all too often we sing it without the heart-felt appreciation that the songs demands.

Take me for example, I have sung that song in English & Mongolian multiple times. There is one verse, “Though none go with me, still I will follow.” The Mongolian translation is literally, “Though all alone, I will follow Him.” We sing it, but few of us Americans will ever face a situation where we are literally without human companionship because we follow Jesus. In my case, my wife is a Christian and my dearest friend in the world. The God-given differences in personality that we have merely emphasize God’s wisdom in bringing us together. My parents and my parents-in-law are both supportive of us not only as Christians but also as missionaries. Our siblings support what we are doing. We have a church in Tigard, Oregon that has shown again and again that they will do whatever is in their power to assist us in our ministry.

Now consider some of these Mongolians. While we were singing on Sunday I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of Dashka singing fervently, “Though all alone, I will follow Him.” Here is a Christian who besides his Christian brothers and sisters is seemingly all alone in this world.

His mother is most sympathetic but really does not understand why he has become a Christian. His older sister recently became a shaman (more commonly known as a witchdoctor to those who live in the United States). His wife died last month. His parents-in-law have been openly hostile to the Gospel. His four children are not yet Christians. Yet, despite this spiritual isolation, he is singing heartily, “Though all alone, I will follow Him.” It gave me fresh insight into the meaning of the words and caused me to ask myself, “Would I still continue to follow the Savior if all earthly supports were removed?” Faced with such a reality, Job said, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” Can we say the same?

This is pioneer missions work: penetrating a culture with little or no Christian influence and introducing people to the Savior of the world. But when people turn from idols to the true God, they often become isolated from their families, network of friends, and even their culture because their society has chosen to forsake their Creator. The pressures and temptations that they face are compounded because their do not have the Christian sub-culture that many of us in the United States take for granted.

Early in our ministry in Mongolia, we were encouraging a new believer to read God's word. Usually, we encourage them to read the New Testament first, and then go back and read the entire Bible through. This believer, however, started in Genesis. There were at some point in the Pentateuch when they came to us with a question.

The Mongolian asked, "It keeps talking about the children of Israel did this and the children of Israel did that, what happened to all the adults?"

Quote of the week

"Many times have I been ready to shrink back, and to say, Lord, I pray thee, have me excused; but if God should honor us by permission to lay foundations, foundations of his church in Siam, ... we shall have reason to praise Him through all eternity, for having employed us in such a service. Over and over again have I been obliged to say to myself, that the only way of doing any thing to promote a great object is to try and try again, and when one plan fails, to resort to another; and if God spares my life, I am resolved to keep on trying till my work is done." — Eliza Jones

Misleading statistics

This week's update is going to be a more light-hearted entry than some. It is not that we do not have much to do. We are very busy: reaching out to save a marriage, teaching young believers to walk in the Spirit, dealing with planning for the spring, and surviving a long winter. Temperatures at night are still -20 (-30 C) or so. And we are still waiting for our first day of 2011 when the high temperature breaks the freezing point. It may not be until March. Please bring those things to the Father as you petition Him this week.

Now for a little light-heartedness. WE TRIPLED OUR ATTENDANCE THIS PAST SUNDAY! TRIPLE! But don't get too excited; the week before we only had eight Mongolians come out. That Sunday the Patterson family and my family outnumbered the Mongolians. This past Sunday the Mongolian Christians who should be out every Sunday came out. We had no first-time visitors, and yet we still tripled the previous week's attendance.

Ganpurev preached on Christian endurance, and I preached on true peace. Both sermons were well-received; now pray that the Mongolians would integrate the sermons into their lives.

Happy Valentine's Day

I was telling a church member yesterday that I was planning to take my wife out for Valentine's Day today. His response? "Is something wrong between you and Kristie?" I guess he figured I would only take my wife out to dinner if something needed to be patched up between us.

Quote of the week

"Quiet and sincere sympathy is often the most welcome and efficient consolation to the afflicted. Said a wise man to one in deep sorrow, 'I did not come to comfort you; God only can do that; but I did come to say how deeply and tenderly I feel for you in your affliction.'"