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.