Earlier this week, we headed to the countryside for an adventure day with our entire squad. We thought our ministry host was taking us to Turtle Rock, the same place we went last week, so no one was really excited. But the day turned our differently than we expected….
First we went to the statue of Ganghus Khan, the ruler of the ancient Mongolian empire. I can now officially say I’ve seen the largest horse statue in the world!
From there we were taken to a little community of yurts in the middle of the mountains, the home of some members of the church we’re working with. They welcomed us into their yurts and served us the most amazing lunch!! Eating a home-cooked Mongolian meal in a yurt has been my favorite experience here so far. I love being away from the city and experiencing traditional Mongolian life, and I felt so welcomed and loved by them!!
After lunch we headed out to ride horses – and camels! The horses were much different than the ones we rode on our first adventure day at Turtle Rock. They were wild horses, not tamed. It was actually a huge step of trust for me to get on my horse – I was praying that they would be calm. One of the guys got bumped off his horse twice, and some of the other horses were galloping…. I don’t have experience with horses, so I was a little nervous about controlling my horse. Turns out my horse was so stubborn that I had to be led by one of the workers there, which was fine with me because I felt safer that way!
While we were riding, one of the girl’s horses went out of control, she started screaming, and fell off the horse. I watched from afar, and I immediately started praying that she was okay. She was very shook up, but able to stand and walk.
We continued our horse ride, and when we got back we rode the camels!! I have to say I never imagined I would be riding a camel in Mongolia……
On the bus ride back to the yurts for dinner, we found out that there were several shamans (witch doctors) in the area, and they had been having ceremonies and possibly casting spells while we had been horseback riding. Our ministry contact was very shaken up by this.
We prayed together as a squad, that the darkness would flee in Jesus name, and that whatever curses they may have said towards us would be destroyed.
Back at the yurt community, my team and I came in from the cold and sat down around the table. Bogie, our ministry contact, followed us into the yurt, and said she wanted to talk with us about what had happened while horseback riding. She believed that whatever the shamans had been doing affected the horses and caused them to be more wild, because nothing like this had ever happened before. She also felt that it was her fault for taking us there, and that she should not have brought us on this adventure day.
We got to encourage her that it was not her fault, and that this had been one of our best days since coming to Mongolia. We also prayed with her, and it was one of the most powerful prayers I’ve been a part of. We prayed again for the darkness to flee, and for complete healing for our teammate who had fallen off her horse. We prayed that Bogie would not feel any condemnation for what happened. She cried, and told us that she saw God in us and through our prayers.
The church here seems very burdened and heavy-hearted. There is a lot of spiritual darkness here. They don’t see a lot of fruit from their ministry, and they need encouragement to see that what they’re doing really does matter. I think that’s one of the reasons God brought us to Mongolia: to encourage the local church.
After we ate our delicious dinner, we sang worship songs together as a team. God’s presence was so strong in that little yurt! I’m so thankful for a team who understands how to fight the darkness though prayer and worship. At one point someone heard the shaman drums start up in the distance, but as we continued praying, they stopped.
I’m so thankful for everything that happened on this adventure day. I’m thankful for the fun we had riding horses and camels, for seeing the countryside, for the time spent together as a squad. I’m thankful for the delicious meals we had and for the church families who were so hospitable! I’m thankful for being inside a warm yurt on such a cold day, and for experiencing traditional Mongolian life away from the city.
Most of all I’m thankful for the ministry that happened, even on our adventure day. I’m thankful for the chance to feel the darkness these people live with every day, because it made us more aware of what’s happening in the spiritual realm. I’m thankful for the power of prayer, for having the Holy Spirit inside of us, and that we don’t have to fear the darkness of the enemy. I’m so thankful for Bogie and the chance we had to encourage her, speak truth to her, and pray with her. And I’m thankful for my team, and our chance to worship and pray together and push back the darkness.
This was my favorite day since coming to Mongolia, and I can’t wait to see what God does with the rest of our time here!
