Mongolian Christians have passion for God

Only three or four Christian believers in all of Mongolia—that was the reality less than 20 years ago. Today there are nearly 40,000 Christians in hundreds of congregations; yet the church in Mongolia could still be said to be in its infancy. Nevertheless, it’s a church with a heart for mission. A young woman from Mongolia moved to Seoul, Korea, to study law. Amidst her studies, she teamed up with a Mongolian friend to plant a church for Mongolians living in Seoul. Recently, five new believers were baptized in that young church. Back in Erdenet, Mongolia, the pastor of a large church said, “We are not only for Mongolians. We want to be a center from which the Gospel will go out to all the lands conquered by Genghis Khan.”

SIM’s Belinda Ng saw that vision firsthand on a train as she was leading a mission team in Mongolia. She discovered that her three compartment mates were Mongolian missionaries—all from Buddhist backgrounds, all converted in the past five years. They were returning from a mission trip across the border to Inner Mongolia. Their church in Mongolia had sent them to give the Good News to unreached people there, and they were excited about the opportunities they had encountered.

Mission vision is vibrant in China as well. Believers there want to share the Gospel all the way back to its historic roots, as well as within their own borders. This dream was born nearly a century ago, as small groups of Christians in different areas received a call from God to go outside their country to tell people about Jesus. The vision has been broadly renewed in the past 20 years. In April the Associated French Press reported that the China portion of the old Silk Road will be finished in November 2007. China is encouraging other countries to finish their sections of the Silk Road as well. It is expected to be a major tourist attraction, and it will also be a highway God’s people can use.

• that Asians will continue to hear and obey God’s call to the nations.
• that the millions of visitors expected in China during the 2008 Olympics will encounter the dynamic witness of believers.