Well if you have never been a part of an angry mob then you probably will not relate very closely with parts of this blog. This month we are in Mongolia, and the plan was to spend the first week in Ulaanbaatar applying for Chinese visas and preparing for the final month of the Race. The teams were to spend this time writing proposals for where they felt led to go throughout the final month. There were so many options: visit Mongolian nomads, trek into the wilderness, go west and see the eagle hunters and glaciers, maybe the Gobi desert to see the Yak festival, visit the many national parks and seemingly endless open land, or…head into China early.
A wrench was thrown into all of these plans when a few people went to apply for Chinese visas and were turned away. They were told that in order to obtain the visas they would need to leave their passport and all information at the embassy, have it sent off to China, and return in 30 days to see if they had been approved or not. So we began adjusting our plans. Questions arose as to whether we would be able to go to China at all or if we would just finish out here in Mongolia. Information was coming in from different directions and plans changed seemingly once a day. Needless to say, it was a crazy few weeks. But in the midst of the chaos, God still showed up in tremendous ways!
One team did decide to go to China early, so the quest for Chinese visas continued. Another team decided to head west and spend time with the nomadic people in that region. The third team had been working on a plan to head to the northern region of Mongolia to meet the Tsaatan people, a nomadic tribe of reindeer herders that live in the Taiga Forest. This is the team that we are joining with for the next few weeks.
As you may have assumed, traveling to such remote places requires a considerable amount of time, money, and experience. We would need guides, a translator, and of course, extra cash.
Finding guides to take us to remote places was not too difficult. Finding affordable guides was. Luckily, Shea Hendry grabbed the reins and began researching and calling people. She was able to find a person who was willing to negotiate prices to a more affordable rate, and arrange guides to take us into the region we felt called to.
When pitching the idea to leadership, we were afraid that they would scoff at the cost, however we were immediately met with an offer from the church that our coaches pastor that would cover half of the cost of the trip. They were excited to partner with us in trying to bring the Gospel to one of the most unreached people groups in the world. This would also allow us financially to help our other teams reach the places they were preparing to go. So, after a little worry, some number crunching, and a lot of prayer, finances were covered.
A few ways that we were able to make the trip more affordable were to bring our own food, and to find our own translator. Step one was covered by Emily Spencer, who has experience trekking through the Patagonia region of South America, and took charge of meal planning. Step two would be a bit more interesting.
We began praying that we would meet a translator as soon as we arrived in Mongolia. The first day that we were here, everyone was told to extend their Mongolia visas by 20 days in case we were unable to enter China. The whole squad went to immigration first thing in the morning…except for the 3 squad leaders. We went in the afternoon. Immigration is a few miles from town, so after receiving our extension we began walking down the road in search of a taxi. Instead we would be flagged down by a Mongolian couple that was headed in the same direction. They asked if we needed a ride into town and we gladly accepted. We began talking and they asked questions about our plans while in country. We told them of our plans to get out into the countryside and meet with nomadic people groups. The woman quickly told us that her daughter, 17, had graduated early and was taking a gap year from school. She said, “She speaks very good English, maybe she can go with you and translate?” Coincidence or answered prayer?
I am finding it more and more difficult to believe in coincidences.
Philippians 4:19 “and my God will meet all of your needs, according to His glory in Christ Jesus.”
Isaiah 45:2 “I will go before you and make the rough places smooth; I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.”
God was not done. The first Saturday night in Mongolia people were deciding whether they were going to visit churches in the morning. My first thought was, “nope.” However, one of the guys on our squad had busted his head open ten days prior and it was time to take the stitches out (that’s another story altogether, you can read about it at http://prestonbates.theworldrace.org/post/threading-the-needle). Anyway, Sunday morning I went to remove the stitches, and the team that he was with asked if I wanted to go to church with them. So I did. After the service, there was a presentation about Mongolian Bibles. Mongolia has only had a full translation of the Bible since 2013, and there are not very many in production. This sparked a great opportunity in my head. We have two teams traveling into the vast reaches of Mongolia, and what better way to present the Word of God than bringing it to people in their own language!
Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
I approached the speaker after words and exchanged information. We arranged to purchase 30 Mongolian New Testament Bibles that will now be spread across the country.
So all preparation for our time in Mongolia is set. Now back to the Chinese visas. Word reached us that the 30 day wait was a scam, and that with the correct paperwork, Chinese visas could be obtained. Unfortunately to get a Chinese visa you need entry and exit plans, and we were a little late getting our flights our arranged. But they did eventually get booked and so we went in for another attempt with all of the required information.
The embassy was a mad-house. There were people crowded outside trying to push their way in. Most of these people were Mongolians applying for passports. The guards at the door saw that we were American tourists trying to apply for visas, and so they let us come in first is a separate line. This did not go over well with the crowd outside. Those of us who were there were able to apply for visas right away, but we would need the rest of the squad to come down quickly to apply for their own. We spoke with the guard and I went out to get more of our people into the embassy. The crowd was not having it. There was screaming and pushing. The guards motioned for them to let us in, while they were still bracing the doors. I had to pull people out of the way and fight our way through to get our other people inside. In the midst of the crown I was being pulled by one person while I was trying to pull others out of the way. I felt a sharp pain in my bicep while pulling one man to the side. As I pulled a couple of our people squeezed through the gap and got inside. Once inside I removed my jacket to reveal teeth marks on my arm!
All this to say, no matter how wild and crazy things seem, God has provided a way, and we will be finishing our year in Beijing.
There is a lot to look forward to this final month. We are currently in the northern part of Mongolia, preparing to spend several days riding on horseback into the wilderness. This will be the last day that we have any connection for the next two weeks, but we look forward to updating everyone on the work that God does as soon as we return to the city!
Keep our teams and the nomadic people of Mongolia in your prayers! Big things are coming!
