It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 1 Mission Mongolia Program No. 1375 SPEAKER: JOHN BRADSHAW JB: But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8 KJV The uttermost part of the earth seems like an appropriate way to describe Mongolia, sandwiched between China and Siberia. The capital of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar. In the 13th century Mongolia ruled a fifth of the world s land area and a quarter of the world s population. Bold Batsukh was one of the first Mongolians to become a Christian minister after the fall of communism, and today he s passionate about sharing Jesus with the people of Mongolia. BB: Mongolia is well known for Genghis Khan. The Mongols were constantly fighting with one another, and there were many small tribes and tribe lords. Genghis unified all those Mongolian tribes together with one purpose, that is, to go out and subdue other countries. The Mongolian Empire during Genghis rule became so large. In fact, the Mongolian Empire was as big as the British Empire at its best. JB: Mongolians are proud of their heritage and of the fact that at one time they pretty well ruled the world. But Mongolia has broken with its past in many ways. So what kind of future is Mongolia looking toward? You could answer that from a variety of angles. You could talk about education and economics and politics and a hundred other things. But in terms of the Bible, what sort of future is Mongolia looking toward, in terms of what matters most? How is Mongolia doing in terms of faith in God? BB: Christianity is not very strong in Mongolia, and only 2.5% are Christian. We experience a lot of rapid changes, and then one of the ideas the locals have is Christians are going to destroy our identity. JB: Elbert Kuhn is a South American missionary who spent 10 years living in Mongolia. EK: Christianity is not very well known in Mongolia. I would say like if you asked a Christian, you know, in a western country what they do know about the Buddhist religion, this will help you to understand what they here know about Christianity.
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 2 JB: About 40% of Mongolia s three million inhabitants are non-religious, secular. A little more than half are Buddhist, Tibetan Buddhist. Of the remaining 9%, a third are Muslim, about the same amount practice shamanism, which is a Mongolian folk religion, and a smaller amount are Christian. About two and a half percent of Mongolians are Christians. Or to put it another way, Mongolia is 97.5 percent non-christian. EK: If we are really faithful to God s commission to go to the ends of the earth to share the good news with every single person on this earth, we need to come to Mongolia. Why Mongolia? Because Jesus died for Mongolians. He wants Mongolians to know him. He wants Mongolians to be saved. JB: Do you think God is satisfied with any country being two and a half percent Christian? Is that really God s plan? Now, for some perspective, per capita there are less Christians in Mongolia today than there are in Saudi Arabia. Official statistics say there are more Christians in North Korea than there are in Mongolia. Again, there are more than likely more Christians per capita in Iraq than there are here in Mongolia. Now, Saudi Arabia and North Korea are extremely challenging places to share the Gospel. But not Mongolia. Now, while Christianity in Mongolia doesn t enjoy the same privileges or the same operating structure as, say, the United States or the Caribbean or the South Pacific, Christianity does operate here. Churches do exist here. Churches do grow here in Mongolia. And they are growing--at least for now. In 1989 there were four Christians in all of Mongolia. Today there are around 50,000 in Mongolia who call themselves Christian. That s impressive growth in one sense. But that means there are still 2,950,000 non-christians in Mongolia, a large amount of whom are entirely non-religious. No religious faith whatsoever. There s simply very little knowledge of Christianity in Mongolia. EK: Two and a half percent of Mongolians are Christians. That leaves 97.5% non- Christians. We have spent almost twenty-some years to reach out, and that s what we get. JB: I ll show you what I mean. I wanted to find out just what people here believe. Who were David and Goliath? Boy: Who is David and Goliath? I don t know. JB: What was Noah s ark? Girl: I think it is kind of secret ark. [laughs] JB: Who were Cain and Abel?
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 3 Boy: I don t know who they are. JB: What can you tell me about the Bible? Girl: I think the Bible is about Jesus Christ and ethics. JB: You will see church buildings here in Ulaanbaatar. But this isn t Mississippi. You won t see a cross or a steeple on every street corner. However, there are churches. But the church hasn t made real inroads here. And according to the Bible, somehow or other Mongolians will all be given an opportunity to know Jesus. In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, And this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come KJV. Now, if we re to take Jesus at his Word, what that means is that he s not going to come back to this world until everybody in the world, including Mongolia, has heard the Good News. Now, we know Jesus is going to come back. Which means people all across this great nation, Mongolia, are going to hear the Good News. And you can be part of making that happen. I ll tell you more in just a moment. EVERY WORD Do you believe today that God can transform a life? Listen to what the Apostle Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:15. He says, This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief KJV. Now, this is the converted Paul writing, but he writes with a deep sense of his unworthiness. He knows where he s been and what he s capable of, and how he s persecuted the church and opposed the God of heaven. He recognizes that he is chief of sinners. But this is the same Paul who raised Eutychus from the dead, who survived a shipwreck and a poisonous snake bite and being stoned. This chief of sinners became a great leader among God s people. That s what God can do in a life. That s what God can do in your life. I m John Bradshaw for It Is Written. Let s live today by Every Word. RETURN TO PROGRAM Mongolia is not only remote, but it s cold. The average mean temperature is zero degrees Celsius, 32 Fahrenheit. That s right. The annual mean temperature in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia is freezing. The summers are warm but they re short. This river, the Tuul River, which flows through Ulaanbaatar, is frozen for five months out of the year. When the weather turns cold here, it does so with a vengeance. Noyon Taiwanbat is a farmer in rural Mongolia. The day we met, it was minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. Almost 24 degrees below zero Celsius. JB: How do you keep warm out here? What do you wear to keep warm in the cold?
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 4 NT: I wear this dell and this coat and it keeps me warm. JB: How cold does it get out here? NT: It wasn t a cold winter this year. The coldest it went down to was -28 degrees Celsius. JB: Eight hundred years ago, Genghis Khan would have lived in something much like this. One-room gers are still common in Mongolia. And even in the capitol city, Ulaanbaatar. Why is it that you live out here in the country while your family lives in town? NT: I ve lived here for three years. I stay here with my livestock and my children live in the city so they can go to school. I have no electricity, but I have a car battery which I charge once a week. JB: Ulaanbaatar has grown dramatically over the last decade. The city was designed for half a million people. But today there s a million and a half people here. Traffic is a nightmare, pollution is absolutely terrible. And there s grinding poverty in Ulaanbaatar. According to a report in the UB Post newspaper, the average Mongolian was earning in the year 2013 less than $350 a month. Now, that s the average, so you know there are a lot of people earning a whole lot less than that. People living in urban ger communities are eight times more likely to live in poverty than those living in apartment buildings. Ger dwellers work more often in construction and manufacturing, while the apartment dwellers are more likely to work in white-collar jobs. During winter, it takes a lot of money simply for people to be able to heat their homes. So how much does a person in this community earn in a month, and how much of that would they spend on heating their home? NK: Our family income is about $400 a month and we spend about $80 for fuel and coal in winter. We collect water from the well for our family use. It is 800 meters away and takes about 30 minutes to collect. JB: Mongolia is a country steeped in rich and often violent history. Even in recent history political upheaval dominates. Following the Mongolian democratic revolution in 1990, and the collapse of the communist regime, religious and personal freedoms increased, but the standard of living for ordinary Mongolians decreased significantly. Dash Dechinravdan: As an ordinary citizen, I believe more than 80% of people are living a very poor life. Around 10% are living a life of luxury. That is the difference between rich and poor.
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 5 I am 66 years old. I have seen both government systems. Even though we believe this system brought us freedom, the government is not meeting the needs of the people or developing the country. Josue Orellana: Mongolians were nomads. Then they underwent 70 years of communism. They are still trying to build their own democracy. Mongolians try to find a meaning for their life. JB: I met Josue Orellana, the director of an NGO dedicated to improving the health and welfare of the Mongolian people. And the task he s facing is no easy battle. JO: Poverty is an issue here. The gap between rich and poor is becoming greater. You know how a communist system works. The government takes care of the people s needs. But democracy works in a different way. People in need in Mongolia are not able to receive the support they used to receive. JB: While Mongolia is leaving its past behind, it s surging toward an undefined future. The question is, will that future include God? Now, let s remember, Jesus said that we re to go to the uttermost parts of the earth. And before he returns to this earth, the Gospel will go to every corner of the planet. The people of this country must hear the Gospel. And in order for that to happen, it s going to take resources and personnel. And you can help make that happen. As you support Mission Mongolia, you ll make it possible for the Word of God to reach people here in Mongolia who otherwise would not be reached. To support Mission Mongolia, I want to encourage you to call 1-800-253-3000. That s 1-800-253-3000. Call now, and whatever you give will be used to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 1-800-253-3000. Or you can write to It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401. Or you can support online at itiswritten.com. Things in Mongolia are changing dramatically especially in Ulaanbaatar. Historically, Mongolians have been a nomadic people. But western-style prosperity and western culture has recently flooded into Ulaanbaatar. Here you ll find fashion stores, billboards with glamorous European models gazing down on Mongolians. And American fast food has also arrived. It s this westernization, coupled with everincreasing urbanization, that s driving the change. BB: We have so many nomad shepherds living around the country. But little by little their children are moving into the urban areas, and they would never go back to their parents. So while they re in the city, that s where their minds are shaped. Many young people are aspiring to have some western culture, which contradicts with their parents and with the local Mongolians sometimes.
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 6 Od Altankhuyag is a Mongolian television personality. He spent time living abroad and recently returned to his home in Ulaanbaatar. He s seen firsthand the negative impact that western culture is having on the Mongolian people. OA: We were a communist country for 70 years. So we followed the Soviet Union. So we tried to copy everything from them: movies, music, lifestyle. But now our young generations, they want to follow western countries, western style, rather than Mongolian style. Every day some details of Mongolian customs and Mongolian traditions are missing. The world is telling us the most important thing is money. There s no love. The love is disappearing. JB: And it s not just the culture that s suffering as a result of this Western shift. Now, when it comes to health, the average Mongolian can expect to live around 69 years. Now, that s longer than in Papua, New Guinea, or in Uzbekistan. But only just. Bangladeshis live longer than Mongolians. So do Solomon Islanders. The leading cause of death in Mongolia is stroke. The second leading cause is liver cancer. In fact, Mongolia has the highest incidence of liver cancer in the world. It also has the world s second highest incidence of stomach cancer, and the third highest rate of esophageal cancer. Enkhbayar Mishigdorj: Mongolia is a country with a rich nomadic culture. Now when they moved to the city, their lifestyle totally changed. It became more sedentary. Obesity is getting more visible. Nowadays people are drinking alcohol and beer too much, especially young people. This is one of the biggest issues here we have. Orgilzul Batsukh: When we moved to the market system we changed our food system. Before we never used any sweets or chocolate. We face non-infectious disease in Mongolia, for example, sugar diabetes and cancer and hypertension and heart attack. The air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is too much. They use fire. They are using raw coal. In the morning in the ger district, you see the sky is dark. It s a big reason children are affected with lung diseases like bronchitis. JB: So with all these immense changes Mongolia is experiencing, where does that leave God? The mining industry is bringing a lot of wealth into Mongolia. Mining is so big the country is being referred to as Mine-golia. So where does that leave Mongolia s future? Well, typically, a measure of prosperity sees people turn further from God rather than closer to him. Which means the door may well be closing for the Gospel in Mongolia. Now, let s remember. Jesus said we are to go to the uttermost parts of the earth. And before he returns to this earth, the Gospel will go to every corner of the planet. Everyone is going to hear the Good News, even here in Mongolia.
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 7 As time goes by we are losing the foothold. And that s why we need to invest and we need to do as much as possible in order to reach the people here. Otherwise, I think the influences are coming much stronger that would drift them away from being Christians. As time goes by, their hearts are closing to the Gospel, and that s why I would say there s an urgency. So that s why I think as Jesus ministry consists mostly of humanitarian work, reaching out to people, building up their friendship. As Christians, that s what sort of a face we will need to show to Mongolians. They should see that we are well-meaning people, we want to help them. We need to be heavily involved in humanitarian work, health work, and educational work. EK: It is a little bit different for them to embrace it. But once you start creating the connection, once they start feeling comfortable with you, and when they start trusting in you as someone with a genuine intention, not someone who is there just to convert one more soul, but someone who is there sharing hope, sharing salvation, when they fully understand that, really they are open to hear more. JB: It Is Written s Mission Mongolia is bringing the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of Mongolia. People here must be reached, and they are being reached with Mission Mongolia. People are having their health needs met. Those who need clothing to protect themselves against the brutally cold winter are being helped also. And your support makes this happen. Your support of Mission Mongolia will bring the Gospel to more Mongolians than ever before. When it comes to really approach them with the Gospel, and to witness to them, I strongly believe Jesus simple approach is the best one, by meeting their needs. And then approaching them with a deeper spirituality and truth for them. EK: There is need for someone to come here and share the Gospel. Why Mongolians? Because Mongolians have a good heart, a pure heart. And I believe once they fully understand the love of God, and the hope of salvation and eternal life, they accept it. JB: Your support of Mission Mongolia will make it possible for It Is Written to send teams of missionaries to Mongolia, to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Doctors, nurses and other medical workers will minister to those needing medical attention. Bibles are needed in the Mongolian language. And your help will make it possible for people to own their very own Bible for the first time, and learn of Jesus. Other humanitarian needs will also be met, as Mission Mongolia provides for many people who are being left behind by a society relentlessly rushing forward. Don t leave Mongolians in the dark. Your help will make it possible for Mission Mongolia to introduce people to Jesus. Call now, 1-800-253-3000. That s 1-800-253-3000, to support Mission Mongolia. Or visit us online at www.itiswritten.com. Or you can support this work or learn more about it by writing to It Is Written, P O Box 6, Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
It Is Written Script: 1375 Mission Mongolia Page 8 PRAYER Our Father in heaven, what an enormous mission field is still before us; 97 and a half percent of the people in this nation, Mongolia, don t know Jesus. There is a work to do, and thank you for calling us to be part of this work. I pray, Lord, that you ll allow us to be mission-minded and to care about those who don t know you, whether they re in Mongolia or across the street or in our home. Bless us, Lord, bless Mission Mongolia, we pray. We thank you in Jesus name, Amen. It Is Written PO Box 6, Chattanooga, TN 37401 USA Tel: 423-362-5800 Fax: 1-877-507-3239 www.itiswritten.com