T-minus one day and counting.

I leave tomorrow, October 14, 2005 for Mongolia.  This is my second trip to the capital, Ulan Bator (UB), and I'll also be spending some time in Darkhan with my friends Pastor Hetee and Melanie.  I'm excited to see everyone I met on the last trip and to bless them with gifts from the Proctor's and others.

Please pray that this trip is everything God intends for it to be.  Pray for the full manifestation of God's Spirit.  Pray that God will allow me to meet the key people I need to meet.  Pray for souls, healings, deliverance and power.  Pray for health and safe passage.

Many thanks to all who have generously given towards the work in Mongolia.  Your reward is carefully noted in heaven.

You may donate to our work in Mongolia by clicking here.  Thank you!

I'm writing this from Seoul, Korea where I arrived after a normal 11 1/2 hour flight. I'm waiting to see if our flight will make it to UB tonight.  (There is a severe weather delay in UB. )

The highlight so far is the 1stClassSleeper I purchased.  (Check it out at www.1stclasssleeper.com.)  What a wonderful thing this is.  I arrived in Seoul more rested than ever.  It really works.

I'll write more when I know more.

Blessings,

Pastor Chris

I arrived in UB with no problems.  (Not sure what the concern was;  the weather is great.)

I'm staying with my friends Sheika and Haka in their apartment.  They just had a baby son eight days ago.  They were in Darkhan (2 1/2 hours drive from home)  for a conference when she went into labor.  She had a four hour labor and had a 7 1/2 pound boy at the home of a friend.  They waited two days and then went home to UB to stay in their apartment.  While Haka was checking fingers and toes Sheika was checking to see if it was a boy or girl.  They are so excited.  Sandy packed a bunch of new baby clothes and they were so blessed.  It was like Christmas.

We have three services today.  The first is for those over 30. The second is for those under 30.  The third is an English speaking service for missionaries and English speaking Mongolians.

Just had lunch at a cafe.  Had something like shepherd's pie.  Large portion for a little over a dollar. 

Blessings to all!

Pastor Chris

What a great day we had yesterday!  Three services.  At the second service, John Duclos, a friend from Washington, was ministering and called me up to help pray.  I was so tired but as always, when I begin to pray for people I can pray for hours and not feel it.  We prayed for 1 1/2 hours for hundreds of people.  Many blessings from God were poured out.  One drunk man came in off the street and came forward to have prayer for his hearing.  I don't even think he was saved or even understood what was going on.  He was sure happy, though, when God restored his hearing.  Praise be to God, who loves all without partiality.

The Sunday evening service is an English service of just Praise & Worship music.  It went for about an hour with Pastor Bat leading.  Great time.  Very refreshing to worship in English.

We returned home to Sheika's apartment for soup and eggs.  Because of the bird flu situation it is very hard to find eggs.  Chicken is forbidden now.  As I laid down to sleep I found out the TV works in my room.  It is so strange to watch English speaking channels (Fox News, CNN, ESPN, etc.) here.  It was fun watching the baseball championship games.  Earlier today I even watched part of Appollo 13, in English.  Very strange.

Before coming to the internet cafe we went to exchange money and visit a new market.  UB is stuffed with goods from China, Korea and Japan.  Amazing.  Quality is suspect at times, but amount of goods is still amazing.

From here I go to buy some phone cards so I can call my family.  It will be good to hear their voices, especially my incredible wife.  How she puts up with me I'll never know.  It must be love.

I will have film of their new baby to show everyone.  Cute.

Bye for now.

Pastor Chris

Sorry for not being able to update sooner but I was not able to get to the internet cafe.

Tuesday:

Today was a busy day.  At 9:30 AM we had a staff meeting at the church office.  After that I had a meeting at JCS until 1:30 PM.  (Read more about JCS at http://www.jcsintl.org/.)  I met with Bill Mills, Director of Partnering, and talked about their work in Mongolia and the emerging church.  It was a very informative and fruitful meeting.  If you're looking for a place to make a difference, give him a call.  There is a place for you in Mongolia.

I left JCS and was going to walk straight to the studio but Eagle Broadcasting Company was on the way.  I felt encouraged by the Holy Spirit to go in and say hi to the owner on behalf of a friend.  This was a little awkward, but I felt strongly I should do it.  The Managing Director, Tom Terry came out and was quite confused because his assistant told him that I knew him and wanted to speak to him.  Obviously, this was not the case, but he invited me to his office anyway.  He spent the next two hours explaining so many things I needed to know.  Later, via email, he invited me to his home for dinner but I had to decline because I was going to Darkhan.  This was indeed a divine appointment that I will better understand as time goes by.

Tom gave me a ride to the studio where Skeika had just installed the drum heads that Mike Proctor purchased for them.  I hand carried these drum heads all the way to Mongolia and never had a single problem.  (They were in an oversized box and should have cost me an extra $135US to get on the plane but God gave us favor.)  Sheika was so excited to hear the great sound of these heads.  (Mike:  Skeika wants to know where the black bass head goes.)

From the studio Sheika and I went to the 6:30 PM Leadership Meeting.  I was asked to speak and then pray for people.  It was another great time in the presence of God and these treasured servants.

After this we went home and crashed.  What a glorious day.

Wednesday:

At 10:30 AM I had a meeting with Pastor Gongbold.  We went to lunch at a wonderful new cafe and then went back to the office.  I was feeling very tired so I went back to Sheika's for a nap before the G12 meeting where I would be speaking and ministering to people that night.

It's so hard to describe these meetings because the Holy Spirit does so many wonderful things.  I will tell you one powerful story:

I had been teaching and the Holy Spirit kept impressing me to pray for this one woman so I stopped and asked her if I could pray for her.  (At this time I learned she was an unbeliever and this was her first meeting.)  I told her that God wanted to touch her.  She was amazed because earlier that day, a friend, who was with her, told her about the power of God and how God touches people.  After their conversation the unbelieving woman prayed to the "unknown God" and asked Him if this could happen to her.  She got up and I prayed for her and God overpowered her.  As she was going down she said, "Oh my God!" (she spoke English).  When she got up I asked her which God she was referring too.  She laughed, seeing the irony of her expression.  It was quite scary for her but she did not run.  I asked if I could pray for her again and she said yes.  Again the Lord overpowered her and then she sat down, quite stunned but very blessed.  There is more to this story but it will have to wait for another day.

The rest of the prayer time was simply wonderful as God blessed them, one by one, with words and ministry.  One particular leader came in at the end after another meeting and was out for about 30 minutes.  God did a very deep work in her.  (I later found out she is Chinzo's girl friend.  Chinzo is a wonderful man and a great translator.)

Sheika and I left, and again, crashed at the apartment.  Two of Haka's G12 girls had made homemade lasagna for us and what a treat, even if it was 11:00 PM.

I slept like a rock.

Please continue to pray for me for rest and strength.

(I will enter today's events tomorrow.  I leave for Darkhan tomorrow so I'll try to get to the internet cafe and post an update before I go.  Please pray for a safe journey there and back to UB.)

Everyone here sends their blessings.