Well, the adventuring toward Mongolia has come to a close for now. We made it!
We were able to meet up with Timothy easily in the airport at Ullanbattaar, the capital of Mongolia.We stayed in Ullanbattaar for another day, visiting the local markets and seeing what was avalible for future reference. After a long day of begining to get acclimated to the food and culture, we set out for Darkhan by bus today.
Darkhan is a medium sized town, mostly built up during the Soviet control. We have an apartment in one of the many Soviet-style buildings. The opportunites here are very exciting.
Please pray that God now reveals to us the purpose for our being in Mongolia. At dinner we all looked at each other and said, "We made it! ...now what?" There is so much need here, but there is no clear leading at this point about which project or relationship to follow in Darkhan. Pray that God now makes it clear why we came and how we can serve best.
That is all I have for now. There are lots of great stories to tell, but I am writing them all down to do them justice when I get back. 'Till next time, then.
David
Friday, May 27, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Seoul
In the process of buying tickets for is trip, God lead us to stay in Seoul for a day before heading to Mongolia. The time here in Seoul has been a great way to connect with pastors and leaders in faith, as well as let our bodies adjust to the 13 hour time zone difference.
The idea of "adventuring towards" was put to the test last night, when, after two crazy days in Seoul, our plane was delayed for 22 hours. So here we are, in Korea for another day. God has been coordinating so many meetings with various people.
These days in Seoul have been wonderful, and I now love the Korean culture, but I look forward to setting eyes on Mongolia soon.
The idea of "adventuring towards" was put to the test last night, when, after two crazy days in Seoul, our plane was delayed for 22 hours. So here we are, in Korea for another day. God has been coordinating so many meetings with various people.
These days in Seoul have been wonderful, and I now love the Korean culture, but I look forward to setting eyes on Mongolia soon.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
A Little About Mongolia
The primary religions of Mongolia have been Shamanism and Buddhism. Shamanism is the practice of worship of ancestors, often including sacrifices to appease spirits who live in different regions.
The spiritual climate of Mongolia has been greatly shaped by the Soviet Union's influence. Mongolia aligned itself with the Soviet Union in 1924. Through the following years, all religious influences were destroyed, including the killing of thousands of Shaman priests and monks and the destruction of hundreds of temples. The cultural suppression of religion began to subside in the early '90s, when Mongolia adopted a capitalist economy.
Because of its history of Buddhism and Shamanism, followed by over 50 years of atheism, Mongolian culture is searching for truth. The void of religion from which Mongolia is emerging provides for many opportunities to present truth to the Mongolian people. However, darkness has reigned for many years and still maintains a strong grip on the culture.
So, that is a little about the spiritual state of the country. Add any other info you have in comments!
The spiritual climate of Mongolia has been greatly shaped by the Soviet Union's influence. Mongolia aligned itself with the Soviet Union in 1924. Through the following years, all religious influences were destroyed, including the killing of thousands of Shaman priests and monks and the destruction of hundreds of temples. The cultural suppression of religion began to subside in the early '90s, when Mongolia adopted a capitalist economy.
Because of its history of Buddhism and Shamanism, followed by over 50 years of atheism, Mongolian culture is searching for truth. The void of religion from which Mongolia is emerging provides for many opportunities to present truth to the Mongolian people. However, darkness has reigned for many years and still maintains a strong grip on the culture.
So, that is a little about the spiritual state of the country. Add any other info you have in comments!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Why Mongolia?
Well, that takes a very long time to explain. Fortunately, that is exactly what blogs are for!
It all started with Dr. French. Dr. French taught my first Intro to Engineering course at LeTourneau University. Early in the class, he invited anyone who was interested to come to the Senior Design project he lead, in order to see what real engineering was like. I found that intriguing and volunteered with the senior design team through much of the Fall and Spring semesters. Through this extra-curricular interaction with Dr. French, I was given several opportunities for extra projects to work on.
In October of 2010, God called Timothy to move himself and his family from a mission site elsewhere in Asia to Darkhan, Mongolia. For many years, Timothy has had a burden for orphan work. His vision is to bring a few orphans into a family environment in order to raise them in Christian values as well as equip them with agriculture skills which would allow them to operate independent farms. When old enough, these young men and women would be able to move onto an independent farm and train up orphans of their own.
This is the vision of Timothy in Darkhan. He is currently attending language school and working to develop the connections necessary to solidify this vision.
Timothy and Dr. French have worked together in several mission ventures, often bringing in teams of students to help the project site. It was in early December, 2010, that Dr. French began to pray about taking a team to visit Timothy. Colton, a graduate student at LeTourneau, and I were asked to pray about our potential involvement in this trip. In early January, I felt lead to pursue this trip. Upon return to school in mid January, a small team of Colton, Dr. French, and I met weekly to discuss trip details.
So, why are we going? I currently see two primary goals in this trip. The goal upon which the trip was initially based was to scout out a new Engineering Senior Design project. Scouting in this manner includes observing the needs and resources of the local culture, in order to return to America and design something which would be feasible and useful in that country. The second goal of this trip, which has grown in priority as the planning has proceeded, is to support Timothy in his ministry in Darkhan. Our team will be doing anything that would help Timothy move toward his desired ministry. We hope to be able to help mentor several of the boys who Timothy has already developed relationships with.
Because this is an exploratory trip, the specific activities our team will be engaged in will be highly dynamic and unpredictable. I am highly excited about the opportunities this sort of trip will afford.
The team currently consists of Dr. French, Austin, a recent graduate of LeTourneau, Colton, a LeTourneau graduate student, and myself. We are flying to Seoul, South Korea, on the 21st of May, staying one day in Seoul with missionaries there, after which we will proceed to Mongolia. We will be staying in the city of Darkhan, which is north of the capital, Ullanbataar. We plan to return on the 16th of June, affording 3 full weeks to work in Mongolia.
Gods provision and guidance has been very evident through the planning of this trip. God as arraigned the members of the team, provided for easy flights, and has set up connections in South Korea and Mongolia which we could not have imagined. I know that he will continue to show himself faithful through this trip just as he has in the planning of it.
Well, I told you it was a long story. The sum is, God has been good, and we are simply trying to follow in His will. That is the real answer to the question, "Why Mongolia?". Simply that it is Gods will.
'Till next time.
It all started with Dr. French. Dr. French taught my first Intro to Engineering course at LeTourneau University. Early in the class, he invited anyone who was interested to come to the Senior Design project he lead, in order to see what real engineering was like. I found that intriguing and volunteered with the senior design team through much of the Fall and Spring semesters. Through this extra-curricular interaction with Dr. French, I was given several opportunities for extra projects to work on.
In October of 2010, God called Timothy to move himself and his family from a mission site elsewhere in Asia to Darkhan, Mongolia. For many years, Timothy has had a burden for orphan work. His vision is to bring a few orphans into a family environment in order to raise them in Christian values as well as equip them with agriculture skills which would allow them to operate independent farms. When old enough, these young men and women would be able to move onto an independent farm and train up orphans of their own.
This is the vision of Timothy in Darkhan. He is currently attending language school and working to develop the connections necessary to solidify this vision.
Timothy and Dr. French have worked together in several mission ventures, often bringing in teams of students to help the project site. It was in early December, 2010, that Dr. French began to pray about taking a team to visit Timothy. Colton, a graduate student at LeTourneau, and I were asked to pray about our potential involvement in this trip. In early January, I felt lead to pursue this trip. Upon return to school in mid January, a small team of Colton, Dr. French, and I met weekly to discuss trip details.
So, why are we going? I currently see two primary goals in this trip. The goal upon which the trip was initially based was to scout out a new Engineering Senior Design project. Scouting in this manner includes observing the needs and resources of the local culture, in order to return to America and design something which would be feasible and useful in that country. The second goal of this trip, which has grown in priority as the planning has proceeded, is to support Timothy in his ministry in Darkhan. Our team will be doing anything that would help Timothy move toward his desired ministry. We hope to be able to help mentor several of the boys who Timothy has already developed relationships with.
Because this is an exploratory trip, the specific activities our team will be engaged in will be highly dynamic and unpredictable. I am highly excited about the opportunities this sort of trip will afford.
The team currently consists of Dr. French, Austin, a recent graduate of LeTourneau, Colton, a LeTourneau graduate student, and myself. We are flying to Seoul, South Korea, on the 21st of May, staying one day in Seoul with missionaries there, after which we will proceed to Mongolia. We will be staying in the city of Darkhan, which is north of the capital, Ullanbataar. We plan to return on the 16th of June, affording 3 full weeks to work in Mongolia.
Gods provision and guidance has been very evident through the planning of this trip. God as arraigned the members of the team, provided for easy flights, and has set up connections in South Korea and Mongolia which we could not have imagined. I know that he will continue to show himself faithful through this trip just as he has in the planning of it.
Well, I told you it was a long story. The sum is, God has been good, and we are simply trying to follow in His will. That is the real answer to the question, "Why Mongolia?". Simply that it is Gods will.
'Till next time.
Welcome to the Blog!
Well, I have started blogging.
This blog has been started first to be able to publish reports from an upcoming trip to Mongolia. I have not had a strong publishing presence on Facebook or Twitter, so the frequency of subsequent publications is questionable.
I hope to be able to update this rather frequently while overseas. We shall see what the internet connectivity status is like.
Well, I suggest you do something valuable with your time until I actually write something meaningful. Having a blog could be very interesting...
This blog has been started first to be able to publish reports from an upcoming trip to Mongolia. I have not had a strong publishing presence on Facebook or Twitter, so the frequency of subsequent publications is questionable.
I hope to be able to update this rather frequently while overseas. We shall see what the internet connectivity status is like.
Well, I suggest you do something valuable with your time until I actually write something meaningful. Having a blog could be very interesting...
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