| Charles
Sorry it's taken so long, but I needed these past few weeks to process everything that we experienced in Mongolia. Thanks to every one who supported us financially and especially through prayer. Your prayers were heard and are continuing to make a great impact in Mongolia. Thanks also to every one who has taken the time to listen to us share about our experience. I pray that what we have shared will leave a lasting impression for the sake of God's kingdom.
Here are my final thoughts on our trip...enjoy!
Why Mongolia?
When I decided to go on missions to Mongolia this summer, many people asked me, "Why Mongolia?" I had 2 easy answers. First, I was a youth leader in my previous church's youth group for five years. I have a passion for working with young people, so when I found out that we'd be working with university students in Mongolia through an English camp, that was an instant draw for me. Second, I found out that we'd be working with FCS (Fellowship of Christian Students...the Mongolian chapter of InterVaristy) to put on the camp, and it was headed up by Tom and Nancy Lin. I used to be a member of Wellspring Covenant Community Church which is the church that commissioned Tom and Nancy to go to Mongolia, so that was another interesting connection.
Honestly, though, other than those 2 reasons, I had no idea why I was going to Mongolia. I literally had no expectations for the trip, and I didn't know what to expect. I knew something was really wrong when a week or so before we were supposed to leave, I realized that I didn't want to go. There were so many things going on in my life at the time that I felt it would be such a burden to put my life on hold for 2 weeks and go to Mongolia. The way I rationalized the situation was if my heart wasn't in it, what was the use of going? I'd be doing more harm than good. And so I really considered not going at one point. But the 2 thoughts that counter-acted these feelings were 1) I didn't want to disappoint the team and 2) I felt deep down in my soul that there was something God wanted me to see and experience in Mongolia though I had no idea what it could be. And so...I went.
The Simple Life
The first thing that struck me on the trip was our living situation. Suddenly, we had no access to cell phones, email, the Internet, cars, air conditioning, and so many other "luxuries" that we took for granted back in the States. We slept on hardwood floors with only a thin mat to provide cushioning. We had to take freezing cold showers every day because the hot water never worked. We ate granola bars every single morning for breakfast. At any given point, we were probably sweating, tired, or hungry...but we were happy. It's hard for me to explain, but it felt really good to just simplify life. I remember one morning, I had the lyrics of a praise song, but I just couldn't remember the melody. I kept racking my brain trying to recall how it went, but nothing would come. Finally, I figured it out, and I just remember feeling this surge of joy inside of me. That's when I realized that it's the little things in life that make it all worthwhile. It also made me ask this question -- What do we really need to survive in life? It's probably a whole lot less than what most of us think we need. I think the more distractions and burdens we can eliminate in our life, the happier we will naturally be.
A Change of Heart
So I was starting to realize a simpler life equals a happier life, but I knew that wasn't the only thing God brought me all the way to Mongolia to find out. There was definitely something more. I still felt like God needed to give me a change of heart on this trip. And dude...did He ever.
I had been told 2 things about the Mongolian culture before I actually came to Mongolia. First, love and relationships, family and friends are of utmost importance in their culture. Knowing a little bit about their economy, it was easy for me to draw the conclusion that since they have so little material wealth, they have to put their hope into something. At the very least, love seems like a noble cause to hold onto. Second, I had been told that the students would seem naive as compared to American students. I was told they would seem more like high school students than university students. To be honest, when I first met the students, I did get this impression as they seemed more playful and carefree. However, these 2 impressions would be challenged as I spent more time in Mongolia.
My first realization was that it is true that love and relationships are the most important thing to the Mongolian people. But it isn't just because they lack material wealth and need something to hold onto. It's much, much deeper than that. The Mongolians somehow inherently understand that love is truth, and embracing truth can never fail you. Because of that understanding, there is a genuineness and gentleness to their love that is hard to come by in the American culture. I've experienced that kind of love here in the States before, but it's very infrequent, and I've only found it in pockets of people. In Mongolia, however, I felt a continuous stream of this kind of love that permeates the entire population and is the foundation of their culture. It is something very, very powerful and special.
My second realization was that the students were not naive -- they were innocent. They haven't been hardened and tainted by much of the corruption that we're used to in our society. An easy example is in Mongolia, petty crimes such as petty theft are very common, but heinous crimes like murder and rape are virtually non-existent. Because we're so used to the corruption, we feel like we always have to keep our guard up and protect ourselves and loved ones. We have become a very suspicious society where we're always questioning the motives of others, wondering how they're trying to take advantage of us. However, in the Mongolian culture, they are all about trust. They are willing to give you the benefit of the doubt and look for the good in you before they look for the bad. Because of this natural trust, they also hold commitment very highly. In Mongolia, if you are a friend, then you are also family. If they say they will do something, it will be done. They are committed to helping, supporting, and encouraging each other for the long haul, not just for the short term and not only when it is convenient. As a result, they are also very dependent on one another. Americans are a very independent people. We will try to do as much as we can on our own, and only as a last resort will we ask others for help. For us, dependence is often times considered a sign of weakness. Mongolians, however, believe that there is strength in numbers, and they are always willing to band together to come to the aid of another. Dependence on each other isn't just hoped for, it's expected. Finally, Mongolians are a very sensitive people. What I mean is that they are sensitive to the love of others. The students recognized very early on that our team had come all the way from the United States, we had spent a great deal of time preparing activities for them, and we had sacrificed 2 weeks of our lives to be with them. Their natural response to our love was to serve us. They didn't serve us in any big way, but they served us in so many little ways continuously from the start of our trip to the very end. And they didn't serve us out of obligation or because they felt they had to repay us in some way -- they served because they took great pleasure from our joy in them.
God's Presence
The thought that kept running through my mind over and over again during my time in Mongolia was this -- without ever reading a single word from the Bible and without having anybody speak to them about Christian values, their views of love, trust, commitment, and serving were already so Biblical. How could this possibly be? And how could it permeate their entire culture? Sadly, I felt that they lived out Christ's mandate for our lives better than we as Christians did here in the States. And so as I struggled with this one day as I was journaling, God blessed me with the beginning of an answer. Here is what I wrote that day:
"God is everywhere. That seems like such a simple, obvious truth, but it's becoming clearer and clearer to me on this trip. We didn't bring God to Mongolia; He is already here. All we do is point to His presence. He's been here all along, but they just haven't seen Him. Or they've seen Him, but they've never realized or acknowledged that it is Him. I think this is the beginning of the big revelation for me on this trip. Evangelism is not explaining God into existence in people's lives; it's showing them that He's in everything we all already do. Yesterday's visit to the orphanage had a profound effect on me. There was this one 4 year old boy in particular who stuck very close to me. He always wanted me to carry him around, and whenever I walked away, he would come find me. We just had a certain connection that's hard for me to explain. And so here was this little boy who had received so little love in his entire life. But he had so much love to offer me, I was confused and amazed where it could possibly come from. His love for me was so great that it overflowed into me. It caused me to think of and consider options I could have never thought of before...thoughts of possibly adopting him, or of moving to Mongolia to help out in the orphanage. And I think that's the connection God revealed to me. When you totally and completely open up your heart to God's love, that's when He gives you ideas and visions that are grander than yourself. And when you totally give your heart to God, He will break it; not to destroy it, but to make it stronger and bigger and capable of accepting, enduring, and giving more."
Because God is everywhere, He was there in Mongolia. He was the one who put this love, trust, and commitment into the hearts of each and every one of the Mongolian people. And as a result, the students were very receptive to hearing the Gospel. Though initially, some students questioned why we used Bible verses in our lessons, as time went on, they began to develop interest in what the verses had to say. Many even expressed interest in learning more about Christianity. We shared some simple Bible studies with them, studies that would seem boring to most of us, but to them, it was like water to their souls. They soaked it up with such conviction, and they had so many questions for us. Many students expressed interest in continuing to attend FCS activities. I'm sure some just want to keep in touch with their new friends, but I believe some geniunely want to learn more about this Jesus Christ they heard about. A good number of students went to church with us for the first time in their entire lives, and they shared that it was a very special experience.
But the one thing that made the strongest impression on me was our last day of the camp. We gave the students an opportunity to share what they learned in their 2 weeks with us. A number of the students shared that these past 2 weeks were the best times of their entire lives. If we had been in the States, I probably would have questioned the authenticity of such a comment. But given what I had experienced with them in those 2 weeks, I knew that each of their statements was completely genuine and heartfelt. It was an incredibly humbling experience. If I were to think of the best time of my life, my thoughts would wander to a vacation I took with some friends to New Zealand a few years ago. But to the students, experiencing our love for them, developing relationships with 30 new friends, and discovering a hope for something more in life...that was worth more than any other time in their entire life. Truly, love is their greatest treasure.
Convictions
Very soon after returning from Mongolia, one of my friends told me "Convictions are what's left over after the emotion fades". When I first got back, my emotions were on overdrive. I was on a spiritual high, comparable to the high that people often talk about when they come back from a retreat or Christian conference. However, as one day turned into one week and one week turned into nearly one month, those emotions did slowly fade. But there are definitely some convictions that are still very strong, and I can't let them fade like the emotions. In fact, I feel that I must integrate them into my life somehow and make them a part of me, and I must share them with as many as are willing to hear. If I don't, then truly I have done a great disservice to God and all of you in going to Mongolia.
My first conviction is that right now in Mongolia, timing is critical. Because of their love and innocence, they are very receptive to the Gospel and Christianity, but they are also very vulnerable to other influences. The way I see it, Mongolia is currently at a crossroads. They are on the verge, the edge of taking the next big step in the life of their culture, but there are 2 possibilities. On one side is the world. Every so slowly and insidiously, the influences of the world are creeping in and taking hold of Mongolia. Materialism, greed, power, obsession with physical appearance, and so many other worldly influences are becoming evident in the Mongolian culture. However, on the other side is God. I believe that God is calling the Mongolian people to Himself, and if they answer that call and go to Him, there will be a revival and an awakening in Mongolia that will change the country, maybe all of Asia, from the inside out. More specifically, timing is critical for the young generation in Mongolia. They are the ones who are the most instrumental in moving their country forward, but they are also the ones who are most easily influenced. The influences of the world are so attractive to the young people because they are quick fixes to many of the problems they deal with every day. The rest of the world shows them that money and power can solve all of their problems and bring them true happiness, and they are believing the lies. However, for those young people who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ, their lives have been forever transformed. It was so encouraging to see these students on fire for God. There is an unspeakable joy in their heart because now they understand the source of the love that they already cherish. They are unashamed of their faith and understand that the only option they have in life is to live out that faith in every way possible. We had the privilege of attending Hope Church in Mongolia. There have been few times in my life when I have experienced the tangible presence of the Holy Spirit, but I experienced Him there. Especially during the time of worship, their songs of praise were filled with the Spirit. As one of our students so beautifully said, "Music is the voice of the heart". I could hear the beat and feel the pulse of God's heart in that place. Lives are being transformed and miracles are occurring every day in Mongolia.
So what can we do to help move Mongolia away from the world and towards God? The obvious answer is to support those organizations and people in Mongolia who are leading this God-sized movement. The easiest thing to do is give financially to support organizations like FCS or local missionaries or local churches (An FCS staff member can be supported with as little as $100 a month. Most of us spend that much on gas in a week. Please contact me at c_may@yahoo.com if you would like to give a one-time or ongoing contribution to this effort. Every little bit helps.). You can also help the cause by giving of your time. To the Mongolians, the greatest gift you can give a person is your time. I can say from personal experience that the gifts you receive in return will far outweigh any gift that you give. They can always use short, mid, and long-term missionaries to come and help in whatever capacity. There is especially a need for English teachers. But the greatest way you can help is to pray for Mongolia. This may sound too simplistic, but I truly believe that appealing to God's heart and His will is always the best course of action. If we really take prayer seriously and realize that we're asking the God of the universe for help in this effort, how can we expect anything less than miraculous works beyond our comprehension? Prayer works, but only if we do it and are committed to it.
My second conviction is that the love I felt in Mongolia must be brought back home and shared. It would be very easy for me to say that the kind of love I experienced is only possible in the context of the Mongolian culture. Because of the corruption and suspiciousness in the American culture, that kind of love is just not possible here. But I have to remind myself of the fact that before I'm an American, I'm a Christian. Our Christian culture dictates that we should do everything in love (1 Corinthians 16:14). The 2 greatest commandments are all about love (Matthew 22:37-40). When I read about the first century church in Acts, I realize that love was the driving force behind everything they did -- from living together to reaching out to others. I can't help but wonder what it would look like if we could live like that again. What if our small groups and churches could adopt the same kind of love in our relationships as brothers and sisters in Christ? What if we could have genuine relationships built on trust and not suspicion? What if we could hold each other accountable and be transparent to each other in all situations? What if we committed to supporting and growing with each other in all aspects of our lives? What if we served out of joy and not obligation? What if we lived the lives God intended for us to live?
And I believe that was God's challenge to me and to all of you. Instead of asking "What if?", let's do our best to live out our faith to the next level in our small groups, in our ministries, in our church, and even in our workplaces. Let's break out of our comfort zone and get real with each other. In Mongolia, I saw a culture and society that could fully embrace the Christian faith and live it out every day. Sadly, I almost felt homesick when I came back home. But I believe there is still hope for us. I believe we can still see miracles if we have a deep enough faith. I believe we can still experience the Holy Spirit in a real, tangible way. I believe we will be blessed in amazing ways when we learn to put others' needs ahead of our own. I believe in a God that is so much bigger than anything we could imagine. I just believe.
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