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.