Where in the World Is Carmen San Diego?

As witty as the title may seem, You could be asking yourself, "What has Blake done with this fantastic idea of a blog?!" Well folks, as business would have it, recording my escapade through Mongolia over a year ago has fallen through the cracks of time. If you would like more info about our trip watch our video!!! Mongolia Video

Onto life as it is now for those who care (cause I'm sure most of you have much better things to read about than some college super-senior barely squeezing by in a house of 8 guys). I never clearly stated why I chose the name for this blog that I did so I want to briefly take you down my path of thought as to why I would call this blog "Living 4 one Man." This surely does make a spiritual reference to Christ,  but some of you might wonder why I refer to him as a "man" and not as "God." When we look at the Christ of the Bible, we can distinguish that he was indeed man (Read John 1:1) and that he dwelt among us, yet at the same time, he was also God (the virgin birth, anointing, and the authority he spoke with). We see Jesus as both wholly man and wholly God, in the flesh and of the Spirit. But here's the power in this understanding. Since Jesus was God, he could have ultimately crushed Satan at the temptations, taken himself off the cross, and completely avoided the brutality and rejection man by embracing his deity. By Jesus withstanding the temptations while in the desert, it says a lot about his humaness. We all face temptation and we all fail and give in at some point, yet Jesus did not, Jesus rejected temptation as a man. Jesus ultimately stands in the gap that Adam created through giving into the temptation of eating the fruit in the garden. Jesus walked the earth and faced the very same temptations that you and I face, yet he overcame. So in saying that I am "living 4 one man" I don't say that in disregard to his Sonship and deity, but I say that in a sense of seeing he is the pure and spotless lamb who was slain, that though he was man, he faced the world and conquered it IN THE FLESH! So we now have this power because of the blood of Christ. That is the inspiration to the name. I may not have articulated this as clearly as I would hope, but I would encourage you to read the book "Following Jesus the Servant King" by Dr. Lunde (like $13 on Amazon and worth every penny!)

With that awesome knowledge I move into where I am in life as we know it. I am living in a house with seven other guys and beginning to understand what it is like to live in a house of seven guys with all sorts of different ideas and mannerisms. (I know I bring my plethora of imperfections into this equation as well.) I do realize some of my tendencies in that I like cleanliness and organization and most of my house all function on various levels of those principles, so I am slowly learning to put away "OCD" Blake, and bring out "Joe Cool" Blake and not try to clean and organize everything to my standards. But so far this has been a valuable experience. I am getting to know the guys at a great level and

Exploring Ulaanbatar
June 19, 2011
   

Group pic outside a Mongolian
Bible shop, which we put out of
business for the day by purchasing
their cache of Mongolian Bibles 

   "Today was nice and relaxed. We went to Mongolian church and explored the town. Church was fascinating, it wasn't the first Mongolian Church I had been to, but as one would figure, with my lack of language skills I quickly became bored and distracted, but I realized that I couldn't rely on familiarity only, to worship God, but I was going to have to stretch myself and learn to praise God in unfamiliar situations. That was lesson #1. Afterwards we went out to lunch and went shopping. We had tese deep fried cakes with meat in them called hosher (Hoe-sure; it was similar to an empanada). It was really good but super greasy. A lot of us are having problems creating bowl movements and I kno what definitely didn't' help, lesson #2, eat more fruits and veggies and less greasy delicious crap. We then explored the nicer part of the city and I was surprised at all the new buildings and remodeling, but even then everything seemed to be very disorganized. It definitely broadened my perspective on Mongolian culture. It just makes me laugh to see a project that looks good and is being worked on, yet all the bricks and supplies littered across the streets and sidewalks. I am curious why they seem to be content with this way of life, but tonight Stefan made an interesting point regarding their culture. They went from being a world power with Chenggis Kaahn to servants under Manchurian and Soviet Rule and now since 1990 they are on their own. They've gone generations without any sense of identity besides that of a servant. They are so lost and confused right now, and its obvious. 

Sükhbaatar Square

   We met a man named Sasha today who is a Bible teacher from Germany and he said there are more Mongolians living outside their country than in; Mongolians are seeking, trying to find who they are because they can't find the answer in their own country. It's sad, but I see the light that is coming. We visited the one of the biggest Mongolian churches in the world and it was awesome to see how Christ has already begun to move and reform the identities of some Mongols. It may be a while before they inner warrior of Mongolia comes back out, but new growth and optimism is a rising sun in this country. 
   It was a long day of shopping... I bought a sweet hat, Mongolian Phrase book, and a pair of "Raybans." We visited the capital and the statue of Chinggis Khaan in 
Sükhbaatar Square. It was a fun day, but we found out we have to check into immigration tomorrow and we don't know what that entails. Constipation seems to be our teams biggest issue so far..."

-Blake

Chill'n in Baska's car as he runs a random errand as we wait to do our shopping!

First Day in Ulaanbatar,

June 19, 2011

   "Wow... That’s all I am able to muster right now. Our flight was delayed three hours which diminished our layover in Beijing to a 5 minute sprint through one of the world’s largest airport terminals. Two hours after boarding our flight we officially landed in Ulaanbatar. We were picked up by Baska and Oyu who took us to an apartment to drop off our things. It wasn’t long after leaving the terminal that I realized what kind of shape Mongolia was in. After dropping off our things we went to the “Gher Villages” that surround the capital city. I was shocked by the poverty and shape these people in these people in these villages were. I didn’t expect Mongolia to be this “third-World” so-to-speak, and that blew me away. Piles ofrefuse and trash lay right where their owners decided to forget about them. We went with Baska to a children’s program that he started as a ministry for these impoverished kids. We had a great time hanging out with these kids even though the language barrier seemed to try and stop us from having fun. I met a kid named Khul (Kyul) and the moment I saw him the Holy Spirit began to stir in my heart. He seemed to be the oldest kid in the group and making him a male made him stand out all the more (since its mostly women that participate which was evident when trying to find a guide since we had a lot of girls volunteer to go with us, and never a guy.) Khul’s fiery eyes gave more to his look than any other kid, it showed the tough life and lessons he’s sadly had to learn by the age of 16. I battled if I should approach him and at the end I broke in and told him what the Spirit had laid on my heart. I have know idea if he took me seriously or if it was something that wasn’t even teh Spirit at all, I am just trusting the Lord that it is what He wanted me to do and I Hope that Khul will remember that and it will encrouage and strengthen him into the leader and man o fGod he is called to be. 

Praying over a woman who was fighting a lung disease that is caused by the pollution in Mongolia. Her husband had died three months earlier. She was Baska's assistant to the orphan ministry

   It was an exhausting day but one I will never forget. From the crazy Mongolian driving to the bull penis and horse meat we at, I can already sense God beginning to move my life and I know He will be glorified in this trip as long as my eyes are set upon Him."

-Blake

The Orphan Ministry outside Ulaanbatar in the Gher Villages. These kids are not all orphans but they all have uninvolved parents in their lives. This ministry is intended to give kids fresh water, food, and the Word of God. 

Journal Entry #1 (Over the Bering Strait)

As you have noticed my failed attempt in updating my blog this semester, I will begin recapping my trip into the depths of Mordor... I mean Mongolia.

Chinggis Khaan International Airport Ulaanbator, Mongolia

June 17, 2011
"Well, there's no turning back at this point, I'm guessing we'll be in Mongolia in less then 8 hours. I am really surprised I haven't felt any fear, anxiety, or nervousness, all I feel is peace and excitement. Sitting on a huge Boeing 747 Jumbo Jet filled with people from all around Asia is like a slow warm up to our integration into the culture we will be immersed in soon. I've never been somewhere outside the US or around any other native language for an extended amount of time. I am curious if Mongolian culture is at all like most of the Asian cultures I've experienced. One thing I don't know if I am prepared for is that we don't have a wilderness or survival guide. I feel like I am the only one with any extended outdoor/survival situation experience, even what I have had is pretty slim. If I would have known about his a month ago I probably would have had a real problem problem with not having a survival guide, but at this point there isn't any room for anything except for faith. We are in God's hands at this point, He is the great Provider and Protector. Having the confidence in knowing that God is gone before us has taken away a lot of my anxiety about this whole situation. I am just curious to see what mom's reaction will be when I she finds out. I do feel bad though because I feel like I am really behind on reading articles and memorizing scripture for our trip. At this point I've got a good 5-6 hours of flight time to practice and catch up on everything. I do wan tot write down a few things I expect from this trip:

1. Redefine in Christ, that doing this I can carry this over into my floor next year, and continue to chisel out the man I want to be.
2. Change my mindset to living by God's standards and not the world's
3. I'm hoping that all this time on the missino field builds a better understanding of the Holy Spirit and my awareness to what He is doing and saying.
4. Through dying to my flesh I hope to get a clearer vision for what God wants me to do with my life, because I am really questioning Physical Therapy at this point, and a good part of it is due to grades and lack of passion.
5. Most importantly to grow in my prayer life and intercession

I am so excited for this new adventure and what God is going to do in all our lives."

Blake

Mongolia... The full length feature film is here!

Hey Guys,

I'm so sorry for the lack of posts... Sadly, school has taken its toll along with a busy semester of other activities. I had planned on recapping the trip afterwards, and I still will try and do it, maybe during Christmas break though. Until then, here is the video that Frank made from the trip. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have any questions regarding the trip feel free to e-mail me and ask! God Bless!

Blake

PS For some reason the link isn't working, not sure why, so here's the physical URL. You can copy and paste it into the search bar or something like that: http://vimeo.com/32183371

Every Good Gift is from God

Well we're back in UB, a little hairier, scrawnier, hungrier, and encouraged by the work God has done in the lives of the Mongol people in the valley above Tairilin. This post is what the Lord has laid on my heart, but I hope to upload pictures and share more stories in the next day or two.


I can't remember the first time I sat in cushioned chair. The couch at Baska's in UB was lumber with a strip of fabric over it, definitely not one of those "plop down" style couches; your tail bone will remind you that it's still there. We've given up all comfort. It makes me laugh to be excited to jump into my tent to get out of the cold Mongolian wind, snow and rain when back home I could just walk into my house into immediate warmth. It's interesting how quickly we adapt to what we have and we even then continue to cut down on what we need, less calories, And less stuff in general. Having a bathroom with walls is a luxury here, so we've all gotten used to seeing each other popp'n a squat or running into an occasional herdsmen doing some business. I feel like I have caught on well to the whole 'no shower' thing, the closest thing to a good bath is the rivers created by the snow runoff from the mountains. Anyone could experience the outdoor part of this adventure in America, beyond the missions side of our trip, but it's the missions side of this trip that makes this sacrifice so worth it.


Now I have the privilege to sit in a bed back in my hostel in Ulaanbatar and talk about the adventure we all partook of. Nearly four weeks of trekking through monotonous terrain and perpendicular valleys and my mind is lost in a maze of thoughts and analyzing every detail from every person we met. I don't think I could even tell you at where I am at in this maze, yet the only direction I want to point my finger is up; past the deep blue skies of Mongolia, through the vacuum of space, into the very throne room of the one and only God, holy, just, and sovereign. God has never ceased to move within me to see people with the very love His son Jesus showed us upon the cross. I have been so humbled to be the very mouthpiece used by God to share the melody and harmony of the most beautiful story of Jesus and the choice he made to come to earth as God, be hated, persecuted, and murdered by the very men he aimed to love. He came as God yet did not hold onto His rights as God but chose to serve us (Phil. 2:5-6). The Message we brought received many responses. We shared the Gospel with 13 gers and over 70 people, we saw people laugh at the depiction of Jesus our Gospel pamphlet showed, other people told us they didn't want to hear another word. 17 of those people rejoiced in the news, of recognizing that we are sinners in need of a Savior, and only Jesus' blood could deliver them from an eternity of separation from God. Many people would look at the outcome and numbers of this trip and some would be dismayed, but I left with my head held high, confident that we did exactly what God wanted us to do and served every person that God wanted us to. 2 Tim. 2:25-26 gives us the hope that our Message will not fall on deaf ears as long was we delivered it with gentleness and God will take His message and soften the hearts of those so they can take part in repentance and be set free from the evil one. All the comforts that are so convenient in the United States were so worth giving up for this trip. Its always easier said than done to give up everything you know for something you think is worth the cause. Its a dilemma I have seen in many peoples lives, and a dilemma I know I have played games with. "Well God, I could give this up because it doesn't control me, but since it doesn't control me I don't need to give it up." I think many of us have had that conversation under our breath to justify our idolatrous behaviors. God has been so gracious to me through the lack of physical comforts and has brought me back to the basic necessity of realizing that He is the Great Comforter and Provider, two characteristics that seem to allude recognition in American culture since we are so independent and self-sufficient we are able to provide for ourselves and find comfort in the things we own and the people we know. God wants us to rely on Him as Provider, not ourselves, because we begin to funnel God's vision through a tunnel that we are familiar with and miss the other tunnel that may end somewhere different but was apart of God's will.


God as Provider has been the characteristic of God I have seen so blatantly from this trip and the characteristic I feel I have overlooked too often. He was providing long before I saw it. Kyle and Miles were breaking their backs trying to get in country contacts and a translator yet no leads came until our final weeks in the states. We were desperate as a team, praying fervently God would provide for us. By the time we were in Ulaanbatar we had an older Christian man yearning to go with us as our translator. Once we reached the country side, we were two horses away from starting our month long adventure into the mountains looming behind Tairilin. We spent the better half of the morning asking anyone that we spotted who had horses. By lunch time our search was being shot down, the harsh Mongolian winter had killed many horses and no local families were willing to sell horses to us. It was so easy to become dismayed and to lose heart as we had one horsemen show us his horse then tell us he would not sell him, while another horse was brought to us that was a young colt that was more wild than any roller coaster I had ever ridden. After I had tried to get near him and gauge how he felt I quickly realized that they wanted to sell us a horse that was useless to them. Yet God came through, after a discouraging lunch and mulling over plan B, our answer to prayer rode by us on the way out of town. An older man riding a black horse stopped to talk with us and within five minutes he said he would sell his horse to us. This was like stopping someone on the way home and asking them to buy the very car they were driving. As we waited for the man to get home with the horse, our excitement for things coming together grew but we needed one more horse. As we waited in a small quaint church tucked behind the local club in the dust and water-worn dirt roads of Tairilin I couldn't help but smile when I realized that this is all in God's hands, and anything we try and force will be in vain. Within 15 minutes of sitting in the church our second horse was brought to the church. One of the men in this small and quaint community heard we needed another horse and brought his 19 year old buckskin horse to us (and as things turn out it was the older mans son-in-law). I can't even articulate how I felt as we entered the valley by 5pm walking with 2 horses God had brought forth in less then 3 hours after lunch, and in less then one day of entering a town where we literally knew no one besides the Pastor of the church. God constantly throws little things in our lives that point to His Provision, yet we take them for granted and only give thanks for the big things that seem to matter, a car, a job, safety, health, etc. yet God is putting little things in your life right now like a bread crumb trail that leads to Him, yet more times than not we think we were able to do it by our own means. I read the book "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs. As the title gives it away, he lives according to the Bible for an entire year, every single Old and New Testament law. First Thessalonians 5:18 says to "give things in all circumstances" and the AJ tells of how relieving it was to notice all the small things in his life and give thanks for them. He alludes that it makes you appreciate the small and simple things in life, as cliche as that sounds. By giving thanks we begin to create a heart of contentment and appreciation of all things God has created and given us. Watching God provide so mightily for us on our trip was so humbling. God, the creator of the very ground we pounded with every step, takes enough interest in us to provide for us, and ultimately provided His own son as the final atoning sacrifice for our sin so that we may receive God's mercy and salvation. This went beyond me as we met with more and more people, I caught a glimpse of the global perspective (I have naively overlooked) God has for every person to come to the knowledge of the Truth. Every drunk horsemen to every hardworking family, God was providing for them, but they just couldn't see it because the selfishness sin causes that blocks their view. The time we have on earth has been provided to us to use wisely, so what are the things that God has provided for you in your life? Has it been that moment of frustration as someone decides to do things there way instead of yours where you realize that you need to work on patience and grace? Was it the person who you talked to in line at the store that you were able to encourage? We must learn to see God's provision outside of receiving things directly, but that God may be providing in ways we may not even perceive as provision, they may just be outlets to share His love with others. He may be providing you with tests to build up your strength, your memory, your own testimony to share. On those days where you feel alone or that no one cares look at what God has given you. Don't lose track of God's provision and you will continually be amazed by grace and love God continually shows us.

Nothing but Wilderness

I have ten minutes to tell you what I've been up to with team Mongolia.... Go!

We've been backpacking in some brutal terrain for the past 12 days in a valley next to Tairilin Mongolia. The country is beautiful. We got snow on the 4th of July which was a new thing for us as we sat huddled in our tents trying to stay warm for most of the day. We've met with 4 nomadic families and have had some of the greatest experiences of my life spending time and serving them. We've helped shear their sheep, milk their goats at the break of dawn (which comes around 5am here), castrated their sheep, ate their sheep inards, chased down runaway horses, crossed torrential rivers, been sick and sore from hiking and food, but all of this has been so worth it to share this experience with 6 other sold out guys for Christ. We've been able to share the Gospel with people that have never even heard the name of Jesus and experienced some of Mongolia's finest hospitality. Please pray for us as we head back into the valley tomorrow for another 9 days as we plan to visit the Hotung tribe a little closer to the mouth of the valley. Sorry this is short, but hopefully I can give you a better update. Until then God Bless!