Imagine looking out a plane window and seeing nothing but brown desert and mountains below you. No trees, no roads, no houses. That’s what I saw when the flight attendants announced that we were beginning our decent into Ulaanbaatar. Five minutes before we touched the ground, I finally saw the city, surrounded by mountains. The view took my breath away.
Ulaanbaatar is the capital of Mongolia, and I’ve heard that nearly half the population of the entire country lives here in this city. Mongolia is considered an unreached country, meaning less than 2 percent of the population are Christians.
How did I get here? My dream has been to work with unreached people groups in the 10-40 window, and now I’m here. I have to keep reminding myself that I really am in Mongolia, that this is real life. Who gets to travel the world like this? I am overwhelmed by the way God has provided and brought me here!
Living in Mongolia has been so different than how I ever imagined it.
I imagined living in a small church on the outskirts of town, sleeping on the floor, always being cold, and possibly not even having electricity or indoor plumbing.
But God had a different plan….
It turns out our ministry partners have a house church on the 16th floor of an apartment building in the middle of the city – and that’s where we’re staying. We are literally living in a penthouse with a full balcony and 360 view of the city!
I’m not used to city life – so many people, constant traffic and honking horns, coffee shops on nearly every corner, tall apartment buildings and offices, people dressed very stylishly. I don’t feel like I fit in. This is not what I imagined Mongolia to be like.
Ministry also is different than what I expected. We pretty much have free reign of the city to go wherever we want. Our goal is to meet people, build friendships and relationships, and help grow the house church we’re working with. Intimidating, especially for quiet me.
So I’m learning to trust God in new ways. I’m learning to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His leading when I don’t have a plan of my own. So far that has brought me to prayer walk through the city, to have lunch with a 17 year old boy, to meet a young boy and spend over an hour laughing, taking pictures, and sharing God’s joy with him, and to visit a house church in the slum area on the outskirts of the city.
God is moving here in Ulaanbaatar, and my prayer is that we continue to partner with what He’s already doing. Please pray for divine appointments, that our ears will be open to hear and follow the Holy Spirit, and for boldness and the right words to share God’s love with these people who so desperately need it.
