This blog is appropriately named fanfare because our team has arrived in Mongolia and I feel pretty celebrated. Our friends here are treating us super well. I can’t tell if they’re feeding us larger portions because they know we come from the states or because they love us. Either way, I’m grateful. I’m sure I won’t be grateful 11 months from now. But I need to try it all. Sorry, mom.
Let me tell y’all about something that has changed my life: Mongolian. Music. Videos. We took a 10 hour bus ride to the city we’re staying in (called Baruun-Urt) and they played these videos the whole way. I have never felt so… inspired. I’m convinced many of them are shot with a Huawei phone camera. I’m also convinced that many of the people wake up and say “let’s make a music video today.” There are so many things I want to say about these videos… However, we don’t have the time. In order for everyone to get a taste, I plan to recreate these music videos to a song I’m working on called “Twisted in My Sleeping Bag” so be on the lookout for that.
Now on to more important subject matters. (Not to discount the makers of Mongolian music videos… please continue your beautiful work.)
I don’t know what I expected Mongolia to be like. But I didn’t really expect it to be like this, if that makes sense. The town we’re in has about 10,000 people but it is the provincial center of the region. So that means it’s the largest city for the area it’s in. It’s quite crazy cause you step over to China and it seems like every city has a million plus people. But Mongolia is wildly different from China. For example, I was expecting the pit stops on our bus ride to have at least a bathroom stall. Then I saw a little girl hop off the bus and use the toilet. Just right off the side of the road in broad daylight. In front of our entire bus. They did have a tiny hut for a squatty potty but this little girl said no thanks, I prefer the ground.
We do have a western toilet at our accommodation, not to fear. I doubt I will be able to get through this entire race without using a squatty potty, however.
It is only my first week, so I can’t give you the low down on Mongolian culture quite yet. Instead I’ll just talk about the things the Lord has been showing me over the past week.
We met a woman in Ulaanbataar who spoke so sweetly of the Lord. She has one son who lives in Ireland who she doesn’t get to see very often, and she’s not married. But she wakes up every morning and says “God, you are my husband.” She says she’s sometimes sad because she doesn’t have a husband, but she says that God fills that role for her. He is her listener, her caretaker, her laughter. Her heart is filled with happiness because of who the Lord has been to her.
I thought that was so beautiful. I do desire a husband someday, but right now, God is my husband. So I need to let him fill that role for me.
As I mentioned before, I am working on being completely present here. It’s not too hard to do since I am 13 hours ahead of home, but I still want to do that even when I’m 6 hours ahead.
The year stretches out quite ominously before me. I have moments where I think to myself “can I do this? Can I last a full year?” And then I talk to God and He makes me feel better. I just pray that I would continually turn to Him rather than turn inward.
Something they mentioned at launch was that we can’t make this year about ourselves. That’ll get us nowhere. I want to choose Him, then choose others, then choose myself. I want to choose Him even when I don’t feel like it. I want to choose others even when I’m lazy and just need to be alone.
I also need to remember that this is FUN. It will go by so incredibly fast. So I need to make the most of every moment He’s given me!
I mean sheesh Hailey what other time in life will you get to make a music video called “Twisted in My Sleeping Bag” inspired by the people of Mongolia.
One of their music videos just celebrates the immigration officers. Another one celebrates bus drivers. I’m telling you. What an incredible place.
To tell you a bit about this months ministry:
We are working with a church called Transformation Mongolia that owns the best little coffee shop in town. We are praying for a license to evangelize because it is currently illegal. Yesterday, we went around the city and prayed for specific places along the way. At the first stop we prayed for those who struggled with alcoholism, crime and poverty. At the second stop we prayed for those influenced by Buddhism and Shamanism. At the third stop we prayed for the government and those who will soon come into power.
It’s been so amazing to see the faith of the church here. They are so willing to serve and to give up everything for their people.
Please pray that peoples hearts would soften and that they would be open to hearing the gospel. Just today we had 15 newcomers to church! Pray that we wouldn’t have enough seats next week to accommodate all the new people. Pray also that we would serve faithfully and joyfully this week as we teach English and work in the coffee shop. Pray that we would continually trade our fleshly desires for His desires.
Love y’all.
