Mongolia was a first for the World Race, as no other teams had served there yet. We knew going into it that it would be a month of figuring things out as we went along and pioneering new relationships with our contacts. That being said, the month had it’s ups and downs.
As for lodging, we were divided into pairs and placed in the homes of church members. It was very considerate and gracious of them- however many did not speak English and we had no translators. While we got to form great bonds with our hosts and get to know them through dictionary and charades conversation, it did create difficulties with knowing cultural norms as well as being able to communicate where and when we needed to be places, and how we should get there. Experience wise it was a dream, but logistically it was a nightmare.
The month was really spent playing a balancing game of spending time split up with our hosts and trying to make time for our team sessions and growing with each other.
One of my favorite things though (aside from Mongolian children- who are some of the most adorable I have ever seen) was the ministry opportunities we had while we were there. We worked with a local church, Church of All Nations, and we got to help them with cleaning their grounds, as well as helping out a fellow pastor to build squatties and add an addition on to his church. We also got to help plan and be a part of a well ministry in which the church made the water at the nearest well free during a period of a few hours or so, all the while we were there sharing testimonies, songs, and a skit about the love of Jesus. It was a really great experience! We also got to participate in the church’s annual youth camp and got to see a lot of the young people learning more about God’s word. The ministry that touched me the most was when we got to share with women who had come out of prostitution and were working with an organization called Streams in the desert, in which they made jewelery and handmade purses and trinkets to sell as a way to earn money. We got to share with them some stories of God’s love and provision and about how precious they all are. After our first devotion with them, they all invited us back to their office to see where they work and what they make; we got to go back and volunteer there on several occasions.
Even though this month was a hard one, it was also really good. I think it taught us all a lot about how important it is to know and understand the culture of others, and was a great reminder for us to be mindful of the fact that we are basically short term missionaries, doing 11 back-to-back trips. This is not just one journey where every month things will follow the same pattern. And ultimately it’s not about us- it’s about the Kingdom.
