Browsing the blog archives for January, 2005

A quick note

Adam's Updates

Tuesday, January 25th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar
, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

I was planning to send out one more update before leaving Mongolia, but I got swamped with a number of unexpected things that came up. I will try to send a little more of a report when I get back to America, but I thought it would be good to send a brief note so that you could be praying for a couple things.

I am scheduled to leave tomorrow morning (Wednesday, the 26th) at 6:30 AM for my return to America, and should be arriving in Oklahoma City at 10:00 PM on the same day. (Time seems to stand still when you are flying this direction.)

Everything seems to be coming together, and I am working on packing my bags this evening. I spent about five hours today working to get one of our computers back up and running after a major crash, but I am grateful that things seem to be working good now.

Also, please be praying for the family of one of our Mongolian staff. Ideree and his wife Khonda are expecting their first child, and that after a miscarriage last year. It sounds like Khonda may be in labor at full term right now. We are all very excited for them! Pray that they would have a smooth delivery with no complications.

Thank you so much for praying for us!!

God bless you!

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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Plumbing in Mongolia

Adam's Updates

Friday, January 21st, 2005
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

After spending a very full month visiting with family and friends in the States, Tim and Angie were scheduled to arrive back in Ulaanbaatar on January 12th. For the past few weeks we have been thinking about what we could do to welcome them back.

Thinking of the repairs and improvements that we had worked on in their apartment before their first arrival as a couple, I was reminded of the bathroom faucet. In Mongolia it is very common to use a shared faucet for the sink and bathtub, and the long spout swivels between them.

The one in their apartment had old, unmatched handle replacements, and the badly leaking spout hardly reached the sink. It still had some functionality, but was not what we wanted to leave for our newly married director and his wife.

We purchased a replacement faucet last summer, but with the many other projects, I ran out of time before I could install it. Now that Tim and Angie were away, I thought that this might be a perfect opportunity to replace it for them.

A little more research revealed that I could get a much higher quality faucet for just a few dollars more, so I exchanged the new Russian one for the better Czech model. Changing into some work clothes, I went over one evening to take out the old faucet.

Little did I imagine what I was getting in to! The water pipes, I discovered, came in at a strange angle instead of perpendicular to the wall. The old faucet had been installed by means of a custom wedge shaped rubber gasket, but the design of the new one did not allow for such a simple solution. The Russian faucets, I also discovered, use a different thread size for their three-quarter inch fittings.

I carefully set out to remove one of the brass fittings, only to have the aged part crumble under the wrench. Unfortunately, the threaded part broken off inside the cast iron elbow did not come out so easily. It took about an hour of sawing notches with the end of a hacksaw blade to remove the remaining pieces of the old fitting.

The second fitting only lasted slightly longer before it too tore off from the pipe elbow. (You might be interested in seeing the picture below.) Sensing that this was an opportunity to live out some of the character that we teach, I patiently worked to extract the threaded end from the pipe.

My efforts to move the sink also met with some unexpected challenges. I was drilling a hole through the cement for a new anchor when I hit something metal. It did not seem like rebar, and I could not imagine why they would put an electrical conduit or water pipe at this location inside the wall. I was not extremely anxious to drill through it without knowing what kind of surprise was waiting on the other side.  🙂

I remember praying and talking with my parents about the project. Was God trying to redirect my energies, or was this just an opportunity to work through some challenges? I sensed that the latter was the case, but I was wondering how to proceed on the project.

The next day it seemed like the Lord brought everything together. The last pieces of the old fitting came out, and I was able to have a new fitting custom welded to adapt to the angle. The metal behind the sink turned out to be just a metal plate embedded inside the wall for the original sink brackets.

It is a different experience working on these types of repairs in a foreign country! It is often difficult to get good tools, and extra creativity is required to work with a limited supply of materials. I do enjoy the challenge though, and enjoy being able to serve others in this way.

Living on a farm and always trying to find the most creative and resourceful way to repair things was great practice for mission work! It also lets a person see how important it is to have the Lord’s blessing in the work that you are doing. So many times the Lord can give a little creative idea that saves a great deal of time and money.

We have also seen the Lord’s blessing in other areas of the work. You might remember Gambaa, a homeless Mongolian boy that trusted Christ for Salvation a few weeks ago. It was with surprise and delight one Sunday morning that I found him coming to join us for the walk to church. Just the night before, Jedidiah had specifically prayed that Gambaa would be able to come to church with us.

Also joining us was Byambaa, a young lady from our Saturday Character-English class. She is a Christian and was looking for a good church to attend. Byambaa really seemed to enjoy the service at Holy Way, and has started attending regularly.

A couple weeks ago we stayed after the main service to talk with some of the Mongolian young people. It was a really neat time of sharing together with different ones. One young man only knew a few English words, and I only knew a few Mongolian ones, but as we pointed out the Bible passages that have been a blessing to us recently, I could sense a kindred spirit that needed no words to communicate.

Last Wednesday was a day with many challenges. In some ways it was one of the most difficult times that I had experienced with Tim and Angie away, but God’s grace was there to perfectly match my need. Little wonder that the very day that Tim and Angie returned would see the greatest opposition from the enemy of our souls. God’s grace triumphed and we joyfully welcomed our leaders back to Mongolia that evening.

The Lord continues to work in amazing ways. In my last update I mentioned that there were no seats available on the flight that I was planning to take on the 19th. Talking further with my parents and Tim, I explored some further options, and found a number of benefits that could come if I stayed a week later.

Then with the arrival of Tim and Angie, I learned that our International director George Mattix was coming for the first time to see the work in Mongolia, arriving on the 19th! As a result of rescheduling my departure, I will actually be here for his four day visit, and even get to see the start of the English Basic Seminar before I leave!

God’s ways are so amazing! It reminds me of the verse in Proverbs that explains how man plans his way, but God directs his steps. I had planned what seemed perfectly logical, but God directed to an even better plan, based on factors that I did not know at the time. The most interesting thing in this is that investigating things further, it still remains a mystery why we were told that the initial flight was full.

I also wanted to share a little update on the Mongolian Bible Software. After the meeting with Ewen, the Lord allowed us to work out the final details to begin testing the first Mongolian Bible software. Just last week I had the joy of installing it on our translator’s computer. Saraa was very excited about being able to do word searches, and said that she will be using the program a lot. We will probably take a couple months to test it out before doing a wide-scale release, but it is very exciting to see this project coming together.

The adventures of the last few days took a new turn last week as Tim’s laptop suddenly began to crash. The infamous “Blue Screen” seemed to indicate either overheating or a hard drive failure. I was very grateful to be able to copy the most needed information from the failing hard drive before it completely crashed a couple days later.

My heading back to the States will allow Tim and Angie to use the computer that I was using, and I should be able to take their laptop back to the States to be serviced under warranty. I am so glad that this happened before I left! It would have been much harder to work through remotely, and this way I can take the computer back to the States with me.

These last few days before I leave promise to be very full, but it is so exciting to see all that God is doing here! Just this afternoon we finished teaching a two-day, 8 hour training on the character quality of sincerity. There were a number of very special answers to prayer as God gave us the ability to teach, even with very little preparation time.

I am looking forward to seeing family and friends back in the States, and most of my remaining hours here will probably be used in wrapping up the final details for my return next week.


Praise Points:

– Praise the Lord for the safe return of Tim and Angie. It has been a real blessing to have them leading our team here, and all of us appreciate the personal investment that they have made in our lives.

– I am very grateful to see the Lord answer prayer in allowing the Bible Software project to be brought to reality in the past few weeks. I am looking forward to the day, possibly in a couple months, when it can be freely distributed throughout Mongolia.

– The Lord’s hand in orchestrating my return date has proved such a blessing! This “extra” week allowed me to be involved in teaching one more “Teacher Training” class before I leave.

Prayer Requests:

– Pray that the Lord would continue to extend His blessing on Mr. Mattix‘ visit. Tim, Angie and Mr. Mattix had good meetings with two government leaders yesterday, and Mr. Mattix will be preaching at Holy Way church this Sunday. This is his first time to visit Mongolia, and he has been very encouraged to see the work that is going on here.

– With my departure date on Wednesday the 26th, pray that the Lord would allow me to wrap up the most important details and projects before I go, but still be able to take time with the staff here.


Pictures:

Sometimes old fittings don’t just unscrew. Such was the case with the brass fittings in Tim and Angie’s apartments.

Although the smoke gets pretty thick in the winter, it sometimes affords some neat sunrises and sunsets.

Our taxi driver pulled up behind this truck so that I could get a good picture of a Mongolian meat truck. This one is carrying frozen sheep.

Here I am showing our translator Saraa how to use the new Mongolian Bible Software.

Staying an extra week allowed me to take part in one more teacher training class before I left. Most of these teachers are from one private school in the area.

Our friend Dorjbat is back to help us with removing the water damaged wallpaper in one of our apartments.

Taken just hours ago, this picture shows an interesting combination of old and new. The traditional Mongolian gers are round structures built with wood poles and covered in heavy felt and canvas.


Thank you so much for your prayers! We really appreciate it.

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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The Forward Advance

Adam's Updates

Saturday,January 8th, 2005
Ulaanbaatar
, Mongolia

Dear Family and Friends,

As we came to the close of 2004, our team had the opportunity to do something that I have often wanted to do. Jesus said “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” After much discussion and planning, Tim and I arranged for our staff to be able to take an entire week off from our normal work, and spend personal time in seeking the Lord as we move into this new year.

A collection of 23 video messages from our ATI Regional Training Conferences provided a scheduled focus for the week, while still allowing us to spend a good amount of time to “Come apart and rest a while.” It was such a blessing to be able to set aside all the projects and appointments and be refreshed in body and spirit.

Of the messages we saw, I was particularly blessed by the theme of Kingdom Authority. When Jesus humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of a cross, God highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name that is above every other name of things in heaven and earth. (Phil. 2) As Christians we have been raised up to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. (Eph. 2:6)

In the Great Commission, Jesus said “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations…” When we operate under His authority, we carry His authority. This gives us great boldness in prayer, knowing that every evil principality and power is subject to the name of Jesus. We don’t have to fear the attacks of the enemy, because we have the authority of Jesus Christ to resist the devil, and he will flee from us.

I was also tremendously encouraged by Dr. Karl Coke’s messages on going out and “Taking the land.” Using the nation of Israel and the conquest of Canaan as an example, he showed us how the word for inheritance means something a little different than our common English understanding. It means going in and taking the land, dispossessing the inhabitants. This has tremendous potential when you relate it to advancing the Kingdom of God.

We are not passively standing by and waiting for people to somehow come to Christ, but we are actively going out and teaching all nations. We were not raised in Christian homes and given such powerful truths from God’s Word just so we could keep it all to ourselves as we live our isolated lives! No! We are going out and engaging the enemy in a battle, not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

In the past few weeks it is becoming more and more evident that God is doing something great in this nation of Mongolia! The Russian Basic Seminar where we faced such unexpected problems with our VCR equipment is beginning to bear some exciting fruit! The life-changing power of applying the principles of the Word of God is being demonstrated by a number of the attendees.

In the past few days I have been doing some errands with Ideree, one of our staff. As the pastor of a new church here in the city, Ideree had shared with me his vision to teach these Biblical principles to the people in his church. Taking some further time to study and review, Ideree prepared to share with his church last week for two hours on Sunday afternoon as the first of several weeks of teaching.

Weaving through the streets in a taxi together, Ideree told me that his people had responded enthusiastically to the clear Biblical teaching on God’s purposes in how we were designed, and our need to accept and thank God for the unchangeables that He has given us. The two hours had turned into four hours, and the people are eagerly looking forward to hearing more next week.

One boy told Ideree that after the session he went home and destroyed all his computer games. -An area of particular struggle for him. Another had made a decision to get rid of wrong music. Another who was going to dye his hair realized his rejection of God’s design, and turned away from this idea.

On Thursday, Sodnom, Ideree, and I had a meeting in my office, and Sodnom shared some of the things that the Lord has been doing in their family after the seminar. The three of us were nearly in tears as we saw the great way that God has been working in their lives. I cannot help but feel that God is going to greatly bless this commitment to follow His ways!

I talked with a young man at the main Holy Way church last Sunday, and asked if he knew about the seminar. “Yes,” he told me, “The Basic Seminar is famous here.” A group of people from the main church have asked if Ideree or Sodnom can share this material with them, similar to what Ideree was doing for his church.

Not only was the Basic Seminar a great blessing to the ones that attended, but I believe that it was a major forward advancement for the Kingdom of God here in Ulaanbaatar. In a few weeks we will be hosting a second seminar in English for additional pastors and church leaders here in the City. This second seminar I believe is another key part in bringing the truths of the Bible to strengthen believers in this nation.

The potential is so great! We have before us a nation that has just had the freedom to share the gospel for the past 15 years, and have only had the whole Bible for four years. Thousands of new Christians are in need of being discipled and trained in the ways of God. I know of no better tool than to bring the message of the Basic Seminar to the people of Mongolia.

In addition to the work of the Basic Seminar, we are also continuing to teach principles of character. This year we launched another phase of ministry with our Character-English classes. On Thursday evening we had a great start to our first class this year with about 15 people. One young lady talked to us afterwards and said she wants to know more about character and Christian things.

This morning we started the Saturday Character-English class, but soon became swamped with registrations. The coats piled up to four deep on our coat rack as about 40 people crowded into our classroom for the Saturday morning class. Again, we had many opportunities to talk with people, and one young lady is planning to go to church with us tomorrow.

Just yesterday we got an unexpected call from the WindFM Radio station. We work with Khishgee on a weekly basis, explaining some character materials for her radio program, but this time she wanted to know if she could come over and do an interview with us. I must say that it was only with a confidence that God will give us the grace to carry out the opportunities He calls us to do that I cheerfully accepted the offer and we scheduled for her to come at 2:00 that afternoon.

For nearly two hours, Cindy, Khishgee and I discussed character, how we learn character, and how it benefits our lives. The actual interview will probably be about 10 or 15 minutes, but the recording seemed to go very well. It was neat to again see the Lord’s grace in action. I felt surprisingly calm and able to clearly share without feeling nervous.

Yesterday also marked a significant day with the Mongolian Bible Software project. The Lord allowed me to find the needed information to solve the main problem that we were facing, and yesterday morning I met with Ewen for a most encouraging meeting to discuss the project. His completed version of the text file, and my research on compiling it for the program have placed us very close to a first beta release of the software.

I am so excited to see how the Lord has been working in this all along. It is such a joy to be involved with the project, and yet I would not have had the time to do it on my own. Ewen’s diligent work on heading up the project puts us in the realistic potential of having the beta version finished before I leave!

As I have alluded to a few times in this e-mail, I am planning to head back to the States to spend some time with my family. In two weeks it will be 10 months since I left Oklahoma City, and it will be special to see my family again. I plan to spend some time at home, potentially returning to Mongolia if the Lord continues to so direct.

May God richly bless you for your part in this great work! It is not that we are doing anything special, but that God so loved Mongolia that He has sent us forth as His laborers into these fields. It takes time to write updates, but I want you to be encouraged so that he that sows and he that reaps may rejoice together!


Praise Points:

– Praise the Lord for a wonderful week with the Lord as we moved into the new year. God’s blessing on our work over the past days has richly rewarded our decision to seek first the Kingdom of God.

– I am so grateful for the grace that God continues to give each day! Leading the team with Tim and Angie away sometimes involves additional responsibilities and decisions, but the Lord’s grace is always sufficient!

Prayer Requests:

– Pray that the Lord would give me wisdom in how I use my time in these last days before leaving Mongolia. Pray that I would have a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit and work on the priorities that would be most important in the big picture.

– I am still working out the arrangements for my return to the States. I just learned today that the plane to Beijing is full on the date that I was initially planning to leave, so pray that the Lord would direct in having me fly back at exactly the right time in His plan.

– One of the primary projects I am trying to finish is a Mongolian brochure for the Basic Seminar. We have a first draft, but are still working to find exactly the right way to express the words and ideas in the Mongolian language.

– Pray that the Lord would work out the final details for finishing the Bible Software project. I would really like to have it finished and give it to our translators before I leave.

– Tim and Angie are scheduled to return next Wednesday. Pray that the Lord would give them safe travel, and that they would have a smooth adjustment back into life with CTI-Mongolia.


Pictures:

I don’t know if I have ever had pizza before for Christmas dinner, but it sure made sense to all of us this year. On Christmas Eve we had a nice home cooked dinner with Gambaa and his family, so something a little easier but still special was in order for Christmas day.

I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of our pastors and their wives in traditional Mongolian dress. Enkhee is on the right with his wife Sodnom. Enkhee is the main pastor of the Holy Way church that we attend, and his wife Sodnom works as one of our translators. (She and Cindy have been heavily involved in the Basic Seminar workbook.)

On the left is Dugermaa and his wife Oyunaa. Serving as the assistant pastor at Holy Way, Dugermaa is also very gifted in music and poetry. He is currently involved in translating the book of Proverbs into Mongolian poetic form.

Traditional Mongolian gers can even be found in the City, like this one that I can see from my apartment window. Covered with layers of heavy felt, the ger is heated by a coal or wood fueled stove in the center.

Although not very big, the kitchen in the main apartment has served us well. For big occasions like Thanksgiving, we set up some tables to add to the limited counter space.

This is the street in front of our building. In the winter, the roads slowly build up a layer of dirty snow and ice. The snow seems to mainly come in very small layers, so what is not swept off with large brooms is packed onto the road surface by the passing vehicles.


Thank you so much for praying for us!

In Christ,

– Adam

Adam Waller ~ MyAllForChrist@CadLinx.com

“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if
we faint not.” – Galatians 6:9

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