The First Mongolian ...

THE FIRST MONGOLIAN CHURCH

The Christian authors, Bill and Amy Stearns, in their book entitled "20/20 Vision: Amazing Stories of What God Is Doing Around the World," describe how the Gospel of Jesus, the Christ, came to Mongolia.

"In the 1870’s Swedish missionaries arrived in Mongolia - what was then called Outer Mongolia. After four decades of several missionary teams’ blood, sweat, and tears, not a single indigenous church had been established. Then, in 1921, Mongolia earned the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world to voluntarily invite the Soviets to bring Communism to their country. In the ensuing purge, every vestige of Christianity - as well as any other religion - was erased; and, more than one million Lamaisric Buddhist priests were slaughtered. Religion was dead in Mongolia."

"In 1980, a young Mongolian named "Yi" - Mongolians traditionally have only one name - went to study at a university in Moscow." He was given an English-language Holy Bible by a fellow student from Tanzania. "You can study English with it," the Tanzanian student explained. Yi studied that Holy Bible for seven years, returning to Mongolia and rising to a top English interpreter position with the Mongolian government.

In 1987, Yi was assigned to an American big-game hunt tourist group which had come to Mongolia to hunt bear. Douglas Coe - Evangelical leader of "The Family" and political mentor for many politicians, including the 67th Secretary of State of the United States of America, Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (Born: 1947) - was one of the tourists.

During the hunting trip, Yi found the opportunity to secretly ask him, "Do you know God?" Douglas nodded. Three hours later, Yi was able to whisper, "What is His name?" "Jesus Christ." In bits and pieces of stolen conversations throughout the rest of the big-game hunt, Douglas was able to introduce Yi to Jesus. "Don’t worry," he told Yi. "I know it’s illegal to be a Christian, and it will be hard for you. But friends will come." Then, the tourist group left Mongolia.

Three years later, Yi was assigned to another foreign tour group - this time a group of Native American cowboys of Navajo, Winnebago, Cocapaw, and other Native American descent, who came to Mongolia to perform in the national nadim - a competition in horsemanship! Of course, the tourist group was composed of Christian Native American cowboys! Yi translated their testimonies on national television and interpreted their explanation of the Gospel to press groups and officials.

Several Mongolians responded to the tourist group’s challenge to receive Jesus the Christ, and Yi spent hours and hours drinking in everything the cowboys knew about the Word of Almighty God! Then, they too left Mongolia.

Yi began discipling those Mongolians who had come to Christ through the cowboys’ ministry - then, another tour group came - a few members of which just happened to be pastors! The ministers, after days of intense discipling, realized the depth of Yi’s Holy Bible knowledge and the unusual bursts of his spiritual insights. So, they all gathered together in a hotel room in the capital city of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, on a cold day in November 1990 and ordained Yi as an elder of thr first Mongolian church in the history of the world!

(Source: "20/20 Vision: Amazing Stories of What God Is Doing Around the World," by Bill and Amy Stearns, c2005: Bethany House, ISBN 13: 987-0764200168, PP. 73-74. From a sermon by George Dillahunty, "A Triumphant Church!" 2/12/2009)