Last weekend our church went on a retreat.
First, a little background. For those who don't know, Renee' and I are working with a small group of University students in Ulaanbaatar. Young people from all over the country come to the city to attend university. There are over 200 public and private colleges and universities in UB. It is truly a city of students. Our church is made up of a handful of these kids who have placed their faith in Christ. Some have been believers for five or six years. Some like this young lady (her name is Ulzie) have only recently placed their faith in Christ.
It's a privilege to work with these young people.
We went to a beautiful retreat center outside of the city for the weekend. Renee' and I had prepared a series of lessons and workshops on what it means to be the church. After a brief time of instruction, the students had a time of seeking God alone. Later we broke into small groups and had some time learning what it means to seek God together. Our final session was a time of learning what it means do the "one another's" for each other. It was a thrill to see these young people begin to catch a vision for reaching their city by living a different kind of life. "The call is to community, the impoverished power that set's the soul free..." I envision a group of students living a different kind of life together, resulting in the life and love of Jesus spreading to the student population of this city. This could have an impact on the entire country, as young people like Ulzie go back to their countryside homes and families (many of whom have never even met a Christian before) and share the reality of this new life they've found.
The day was capped with a time of worship together. They celebrated and danced and sang to the One who redeemed them.
Would you join us by praying for these young people? We want God to work the deep reality of the Gospel in their hearts. We want them to catch God's vision for the World. Pray that the realities of Divine Glory would penetrate their souls, and that they would be captured by His beauty.
Here are more photos of our weekend together:
Check here for more photos from camp.