Tales from the Open Mic: Peaceful

Every week at the Grain of Wheat Center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia the microphone is open. In conjunction with UBean Coffee House, our Grain of Wheat staff seeks to connect with the 250,000+ Mongolian students and young people living in the city. From this event, we've seen a small group of young men take steps toward walking with Jesus. These are their stories.

"Peaceful" started coming to the Grain of Wheat Center about two years ago, as a junior in High School. He began to take guitar lessons and he, along with three other friends, formed a band and began to perform every week at "Open Mic Night".  After several months of coming to "The Grain of Wheat Center" nearly every day, "Peaceful" was introduced to Jesus, while learning the Fmaj7 chord. Some time after that, he began to follow.   

"Peaceful" began coming to the wednesday night student fellowship, and he and his friends began to study the book of Mark together and learn about Jesus for the first time. His personality fits his name. But it turns out that he has not always been this way.   

One Wednesday evening, "Peaceful" gave a testimony about his home life. His parents left Mongolia when he was two years old, and as an eighteen year old, he's not seen them since. He lives with his grandmother and his older sister. "But," he shared with us, "My grandmother is very angry all the time." Then he paused. "My sister is also kind of angry." Another one of "Peaceful"'s awkward pauses. "We have a dog that's also really angry, too." Then he smiled. "I used to be angry, too. But I'm not any more."  Jesus has made "Peaceful" ... well, peaceful.  

Peaceful is another great example of the work the Jesus has been doing through the Grain of Wheat Center, and specifically through Open Mic Night. Please pray for "Peaceful" as he enters his first year of University this year. Pray that his faith will increase and grow, and that he will stand. Pray that "Peaceful" will grow this year in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.   

Tales From the Open Mic: "Pasture"

Every week at the Grain of Wheat Center in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia the microphone is open. In conjunction with UBean Coffee House, our Grain of Wheat staff seeks to connect with the 250,000+ Mongolian students and young people living in the city. From this event, we've seen a small group of young men take steps toward walking with Jesus. These are their stories. 

  

A young man named "Pasture" has been coming to Open Mic Night for over a year now. He sings a smooth tenor and loves to sing American and Korean pop music. After coming to Open Mic Night for several weeks, he and his friends began coming to the Grain of Wheat Center during the week, getting to know our staff and working with the two young men we have hired as music teachers.   

  

"Pasture" soon began attending a youth fellowship and Bible study that is held on Wednesday evenings. He comes from a family with a completely non-Christian background, thus his first night at youth fellowship, he confessed his ignorance of things that have to do with the Bible and the Christian faith. "I don't know much about Christianity," he confessed, "But I love coming to this Center and I love being with all of you."    

  

So "Pasture" continued to come every week and relationships deepened. His mother has told me several times how much she appreciates him coming to the Grain of Wheat, and is thankful for the positive influence she sees our center and center staff are having on his life.     

   

Last week, while at a youth camp, "Pasture" came to one of our staff music teachers and said, "I now believe in Jesus." It's a first, but important step in learning to live by faith. We rejoiced together about that last night at our Grain of Wheat Center all-staff meeting.     

  

We ask that you'd pray for "Pasture" as he begins being discipled and learning more about God and His Word. Also pray for "Pasture's" family, particularly his parents. We don't know what kind of familial repercussions there may be, but we are praying that because of the work of Jesus in "Pasture's" life, complete transformation will take place in his family.

Rickshaws, Russian Vans and Why I'm a Lame Missionary

I’m the lamest missionary.

Ever.

That’s pretty much how I see it this morning.

Hudson Taylor left England on a boat for China. When he said goodbye to his family (Father, Mother and beloved sister), he left with the understanding that he may very well never see them again. The proceeding suffering he experienced so that the undreached (NOT underreached … truly unreached) peoples in China could hear the Gospel is actually quite astounding. His persistance in language learning and stubborn refusal to quit is impressive at many levels. He traveled by rickshaw in heat and cold to villages and townships in the interior of China so that

At last week’s worship service at Cornerstone Church of All Nations, we were reminded of the Moravian missionaries who left Hernhutt, Germany and sold themselves into slavery in order to reach the African slaves of the Caribbean Islands of St. Tomas and St. Croix. While there is some possible “Christan Urban Legend” around the details of this event … the fact that these guys were willing to do such a thing, and more than likely died in the process, is convicting, as well as inspiring.

Missions history is strewn with such tales of hardship, bravery and sacrifice … and I like hearing about such stories. I’ve always liked hearing about such stories. The problem is that I’m not sure how crazy I am about being such a story.

Don’t get me wrong, Mongolia is not an easy place to live. Even my Mongolian friends say that Mongolia is not an easy place to live. It’s a place of harshness, from the climate to the culture. However, I’m not too worried about dying here. It’s true, I might die here. But that could be said of anywhere one might live. I miss my kids a lot … and hate that they live so far away from us. However, modern technology has equalized distances in many ways. While I don’t have the option of road tripping it over to Greenville, SC to see them, FaceTime makes it a lot easier. We have a nice apartment. We have food. We have clothing. Because of driving regulations we had to ride to church in a Russian Purgon yesterday. It really wasn’t that big of a deal, and we have been provided with a Range Rover to drive around in on normal traffic days.

I don’t suffer so much. My “missionary life” will not make for interesting missionary biography in the annuls of mission history. And there’s a real part of me that is very okay with that. The little bit of pain that I have suffered in my life is enough for me. If God does indeed only give us what we can handle … well, I’m a fairly lame missionary in those regards.

Paul was not lame. He suffered deeply for advance of the Gospel (like Hudson Taylor, the Moravian Brethren, and many others who followed him). For me it comes back to embracing Christ, and whatever comes our way because we follow Christ. Being content with little or much. Loving Jesus more than anything else is the important issue. To live - Christ. To die - gain … because that means more Christ.

I need this reminder today, as I enter into another week of work and service and following Jesus.

And I am unashamedly happy I don’t often have to drive a Russian van around for great distances and even happier that I don’t ever have to travel by rickshaw.

Unglamorous

When I tell people in America that I live in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia it sounds exotic. Like living in Shambala, where everyone is happy and everyone is fine. It’s not true.

When people think of living life as an “expat”, I think there is automatic stereotype of exoticism that begins to grip people’s imagination. I know this from the questions I get when I visit churches. Do you eat weird things? What’s the strangest experience you’ve ever had? What’s your favorite color? (well … not so much the last one. Although, I did get that from a smart aleck kid in church once. I refused to answer.)

Amy Carmichael, who spent most of her life in “exotic” India rescuing children from temple prostitution, spent a great deal of her time changing diapers, and playing with babies. Hudson Taylor (whose extended biography I am in the middle of at the moment, writing for my Masters dissertation), founded the China Inland Mission in “exotic” China, and spent an enormous amount of time administrating and communicating, i.e., writing letters to the homeland. It’s not all spicy adventures and pith helmets. In fact, I don’t even own a pith helmet.

My days are often spent preparing lessons to teach my Leadership Training Class, or filling out the paperwork that’s required for that class. Grades, Reports. The Grain of Wheat Center is currently without a cleaner, so I am working with two students who are serving as “part-time” cleaners. There are rental calendars, maintenance forms, and team communications that need to be dealt with today. So ... that's pretty much what my day is looking like today. Not really all that exciting. 

Yet, here’s the thing.

Jesus said “As you go about doing what you do, make disciples.” (That’s my translation of the Matthew 28:19, commonly referred to as “The Great Commission”.) I spend time every day with a special group of people who work at the Grain of Wheat Center. I spend time every week with a bunch of students who enter into the Center for various events and activities that we run. The greatest priority of my life is to be walking with Jesus every day in an authentic and passionate manner, so that these students and staff can SEE Him. Christ in me. That’s my real work.

Unglamorous.

Critical.

Eternal.

…and something you can do where ever you may live.

(and kudos to any of you get the "Three Dog Night" reference in this post...)

Snow, Smoke and Sun (Friday Photos)

This week winter has come back to UB. After a brief "warm-up" (it got above 0F in January, people!), we're back to the typical winter pattern. Cold, Smoke and Sun. 

"Spring" starts here a week from Monday, as the new Lunar year traditionally marks the start of Spring. 

My guess, however, is that we will have more of this for several more weeks.  

Here's the Friday Photo Gallery for your viewing pleasure: