Mongolia was so beautiful. The people, the land, the culture, all beautiful. Even in the biggest city, Ulaanbaatar, we were surrounded by mountains. Many people live in yurts (or gers), raise livestock, and eat traditional foods which consist of meat fat, lamb, salty milk tea, and fermented horse milk. The people find quality time and community more valuable than many other cultures I have experienced. While we were there, they were having their national festival called Nadaam, celebrated by traditional dress, horse racing, wrestling, and archery, and it was really special to be a part of it!
In Mongolia we partnered with the Church of All Nations, and the body of Christ is thriving there! We were able to help with an open mic event, where we performed different musical acts. At the end, we performed a drama about God’s love, and shared the Gospel. People from all over the neighborhood came to get free water from the well that the church offered, and then stayed to hear about God. We also went to a youth camp out in the countryside, helped build a church and some “squatty potties”, helped out at a home for women who had come out of prostitution and their children, and helped with worship at the church.
Worshipping with this church was so refreshing. These people genuinely desired and expected to encounter God, and they did. My sweetest memory from Mongolia was leading worship for the church with their worship team. The main worship leader was incredibly anointed and lead worship wonderfully in both Mongolian and English. Sunday morning practice wasn’t practice at all, it was genuine worship unto God. That heart of worship overflowed into the service, and it was such a free time to worship Papa God! (You see, an actual worship service in English is a rarity, and a huge blessing. I never realized before this trip how special it is to worship the Father in your native language.) It was amazing to look out and see people passionately worshipping the One and Only Creator in different languages. I was reminded how awesome our God is, how real He is, and how loving He is.
Philippians 2:10-11 “…at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
One Sunday during worship, God taught me an important lesson. This particular Sunday, I wasn’t helping with worship. There was a cute little boy sitting in front of me, eating a vanilla ice cream cone. He was so excited about the music, but he was also so excited about his ice cream. He stood up and tried to participate in worship, but was distracted by his sweet treat and sat back down. Then he raised a hand to the Lord, and looked back down at his other hand like he wanted to raise it, but it was full. So, he switched hands! As I watched this little boy, God spoke to me and reminded me how important it is to Him that I’m not holding on to anything, because even the sweetest things can hinder my intimacy with the Father.
What are you holding on to?
