Hope all of you are enjoying your summer. It was a really long and cold winter here but summer has begun and the land is green and the air is warm! Loving it!

Here’s what’s been happening in our project:

Oyuna, the first lady to respond to the Gospel and leave that life, is in the [...]]]> Dear Friends,

Hope all of you are enjoying your summer. It was a really long and cold winter here but summer has begun and the land is green and the air is warm! Loving it!

Here’s what’s been happening in our project:

Oyuna, the first lady to respond to the Gospel and leave that life, is in the hospital with TB. Her son also has it but a milder case and is at their home on medication. Oyuna is responding well to the regimen of meds she has to take but will be hospitalized a minimum of one month and up to 3-6 months. As many of you know she was just recently married and also had a new job, so this has come as quite the unexpected interruption. Please pray for her, her son Erka, and her husband during this time.

One month ago was Children’s Day here in Mongolia. We had about 15 Ladies of the night and their kids come to the café we rent for a day of celebration and fun. It was a fun time of relationship building and sharing. Pray as we continue the long process of building trusting relationships with the Ladies of the Night. We now have 4-5 Ladies coming every day for devotions, jewelry training and a weekly Celebrate Recovery meeting. All of these women have left their former way of life and now come regularly to our church. They are growing but also have their struggles, so please pray for us and them as we serve them and guide them in the ways of the Lord. The jewelry business is just starting to get going to the point that we can pay some of the women. Please pray that it will grow so that we can pay two or three women a living wage every month.

The alcohol men’s ministry has had some real ups and downs lately. Some men are doing well and others have been getting drunk and fighting. Please pray we can find a different location as being in an apartment building is not ideal. We need a separate place with a building where we can better regulate who comes and goes. We also need a single staff who can live with the guys.

My Mongolian tutor became a Christian this year and we took time to study many stories from the Bible. Unknown to me she decided to write a small study book for Mongolians and Foreigners learning Mongolian to study twenty stories from the Bible, ten from the Old Testament and ten from the New Testament. She just got the final editing done and came to share the good news about her small Bible study book with me. Wow, I was so encouraged to hear this news. When we studied Ruth I told her that I felt one day she would become a woman of influence so I am really excited to see what God is doing in and through her life!

Some personal notes: I got a clean bill of health from a US doctor about some medical things that I had checked out. I had had a previous test that had raised some concerns, but turns out all is well (physically anyways. )

And finally after a few years of searching I have found and purchased my own apartment in Ulaanbaatar!! Thank you, to all of you who have helped make this a reality. It is an amazing gift from God. I had given up looking for about three months, just tired and discouraged after looking at terribly constructed yet expensive apartments. But last Thursday I felt I should look again. I asked Boka, the young man who lives with me, to get an apartment newspaper and pray we could find one in the building where a friend of mine has an apartment (I have always liked the layout of their apartment and the size of the rooms) but have never seen one for sale in their building. Boka came home saying, “There is one in your friend’s building”. We called for two days with no answer. Then this past Sunday afternoon the owner answered. We met the owner, saw the place (which I knew as soon as I saw it, this is the place I want) and agreed on a price and this past Tuesday I bought it! Please pray God will use this apartment for His purposes and glory.

Thank you for all your prayers and support!

Continuing in His Radical Grace,

John

On the sidebar under “Reports”, you will find the latest Horizons newsletter put out by JCS (Joint Christian Service) who we partner with. There is a short article I wrote about our project (page 5) but the newsletter also provides a broad look at what is going on in Mongolia and the needs of [...]]]> Dear Friends,

On the sidebar under “Reports”, you will find the latest Horizons newsletter put out by JCS (Joint Christian Service) who we partner with. There is a short article I wrote about our project (page 5) but the newsletter also provides a broad look at what is going on in Mongolia and the needs of this country.

I had a great time at our YWAM staff retreat two weekends ago that celebrated the 50th year of YWAM and included Loren Cunningham and his wife being present. It was his first visit to Mongolia since 1988 when there were no churches and no known Christians! He was greatly encouraged as were the Mongolian staff to hear the founder share his heart and vision.

Last weekend we had an open house and jewelry/leather sale and the Lord blessed. But our greater need is to have some outlet places in the world to market our jewelry and leather products. One time sales, though encouraging and a boost in the arm, do not provide sustainable income for the Ladies or the men. Please pray that we can find some places to market our things (we would need about 6 or more locations that could sell around fifty pieces each per month to make sustainable incomes a reality).

I am presently in Bayanhongor teaching for a week at the YWAM base here. This school was really on my heart before I got here and though this teaching time has come at a very inconvenient time for me, as soon as I got here and walked into the class I knew I was suppose to be here. I decided to try something different, ah leave the notes at home and just try and listen to the students and the HS and the first day was an amazing time. I asked some questions and these students really opened up and shared some of their questions and doubts about God and it gave me some real direction as what to share. Please keep this week in your prayers as I believe the Lord wants to really give these students new revelation about who Jesus is.

Thank you!

Continuing in His radical grace,

John

Here is a picture we gave out to everyone who came to Nomin’s funeral. In Mongolian it says, “Let’s meet in Heaven”. For those of you who have prayed for her over the years I hope it reminds you of her and the certain hope we have in Christ. We will see her and [...]]]> Dear Friends,

Here is a picture we gave out to everyone who came to Nomin’s funeral. In Mongolian it says, “Let’s meet in Heaven”. For those of you who have prayed for her over the years I hope it reminds you of her and the certain hope we have in Christ. We will see her and we will dance with her!

Thanks for your many encouraging words and emails. I preached on Psalm 130 this past Sunday and verse 7 says: “Oh Israel put your hope in the Lord for with the Lord is unfailing love and full redemption.” I believe Nomin is experiencing God’s unfailing love and full redemption.

I closed with these words from the song “In Christ Alone” which also seemed appropriate:

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

Continuing in His radical grace,

John

This morning at 10:26 am Nomin went to be with Jesus. I was happy that I could be present with her when she went into the presence of the Lord. She was at peace.

We will have a funeral service for her on Monday at 7 am in Gatchuurt. Mongolians do funeral services in the [...]]]> Dear Friends,

This morning at 10:26 am Nomin went to be with Jesus. I was happy that I could be present with her when she went into the presence of the Lord. She was at peace.

We will have a funeral service for her on Monday at 7 am in Gatchuurt. Mongolians do funeral services in the early morning.

Thanks for all of your prayers and support.

John

Saw Nomin today. She needs prayer and I need God’s wisdom on how to proceed. The Hospice doctor does not want to do anything to prolong Nomin’s life but the visiting nurse from another country thinks there is hope. I need real wisdom as how to proceed. I had a previous run in with [...]]]> Dear Friends,

Saw Nomin today. She needs prayer and I need God’s wisdom on how to proceed. The Hospice doctor does not want to do anything to prolong Nomin’s life but the visiting nurse from another country thinks there is hope. I need real wisdom as how to proceed. I had a previous run in with this same doctor who had recommended we amputate Nomin’s legs two years ago.

Nomin told us today she wants to be well. As I prayed I felt this question came to mind, “What would I do if she was my daughter?” And I would do all I could to try and find a help. I have resolved that if this is God’s time to take Nomin, so be it, but I must do all I can to try and see if there is something yet that can be done.

Please pray!

John