Sain baina uu!
Greetings from Asia (a reminder for Rose 🙂 ). It has been an exceptionally exciting first week in Mongolia for my team and I! We’ve slept in gers (the Russian alternative to this word is yurt), knocked on every door in town, ate an abundance of authentic Mongolia food, and most importantly worked with our ministry partners to execute a tent revival service to share the unconditional love of Jesus with the people of Karakorum. It has been incredible to witness the depth of faith and power of prayer our Mongolian partners have demonstrated over the past week. I am awe struck on how powerfully God is moving in Mongolia.
When we arrived in Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, we quickly made our way to the bus station to begin our journey to Karakoram. Population: 4,000 gers, 16,000 people, and 100 believers. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by friendly faces and a delicious dinner. After meeting a few of our ministry parters we were taken to our guest gers for the night. Waking up bright and early for community breakfast at the local church before worship and evangelism, my team and I found ourselves swept up into the energetic Mongolian lifestyle.
We were separated into teams to storm the streets, spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ and inviting the entire town to the tent set up on the outskirts of town. I was placed on a team with three Mongolian women and I was the only one who spoke English. To put it lightly, I was a bit nervous. One of the women must have sensed I was uneasy and grab my hand immediately. We walked arm and arm the entire day. She would speak to me while we walked and I’d smile back. Communicating only through body language, yet, I feel as though I know this woman. She is a care taker, devoted sister in Christ, and my friend. I am thankful God placed her in my group, enabling me to feel comfortable in the midst of so much unknown.
Walking around the dirt roads we would “knock” (more closely resembles a continuous bang and yell) on gates and wait for someone to walk out. We often were greeted at the gate and a conversation about who we are and the purpose of our visit would begin. We were welcomed into a handful of homes and we were treated as expected guests. We were always offered candy and beverages (fermented horse milk was the most common). We prayed with each person who’s home we were invited into. I was not able to understand the words spoken, yet, I saw the tear filled eyes and faces of hope when the women of my group began talking about Jesus. I feel incredibly privileged to have assisted with the evangelism in Karakorum.
After walking around the town for two days, it was time for the first tent ministry service! I’m still learning to expect the unexpected, so when we showed up to a huge circus tent I was blown away. But man did that tent fill up! Over the two days of the tent ministry over 4,000 people of Karakorum showed up! We helped in the kids tent the first day, playing games with children before the festivities began, sitting with the kiddos during, and passing out candy after. Let me tell you something, Mongolian kids are adorable and full of pure joy. It’s hard to gage how well the kids message was received. Our Mongolian partners shared the statistic that around 90% of Christians start their walk with Christ before the age of 15, this definitely put into perspective how important it is to show children Jesus’ unconditional love. The next day we were moved to the main tent to assist with passing out bibles. The energy in the tent was incredible, I could feel the Holy Spirit’s very powerful presence. I am still in awe of how many people came forward to receive prayer. In my eyes the sacrifices made by our ministry partners were repaid ten times over. I am so thankful for the opportunity to serve the people of Karakorum.
Verses of the week:
Romans 5:1-8 “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through who we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance, perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirt, whom he has given us. You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
