One of the most challenging locations in Mongolia to work in is the Gobi Desert. SIM’s Acting Director, “Joseph,” and his wife “Ester” work in the middle of the Gobi Desert…
We have been in many challenging ministry settings around the world, but this location must rank among the most difficult. There is no vegetation; no green, no flowers – only sand. The living conditions are very poor and basic, what you can get to eat is very limited, and a sense of depression overwhelms you as people seek to go about their lives in this harsh environment. We got caught in a sandstorm where the visibility was reduced to about six meters – the darkness was quite overwhelming.
Yet in this little town, a community of God’s people is being established and built up. In an environment of hopelessness, the Gospel of faith, hope, and love is making an impact. It was a very special privilege to see this and to meet people whose lives have been transformed by the Good News.
Sixteen years ago there were four Christians in Mongolia. The Mongolia Evangelical Alliance estimates that there are now around 40,000. The church has grown 10,000 times in the past 16 years – this rate of growth is equivalent to 1,000,000% over this period. These are staggering statistics that we need to praise God for.
It is interesting to note that two key factors seem to have contributed to the growth of the Mongolian Church: 1) radical expressions of cross-denominational and cross-agency partnership 2) a robust commitment to whole gospel ministry.