Today is the first day in I can’t remember when that there’s time to sit and think, write and even blog. It’s been something of a holiday whirlwind for us, even here where the holiday isn’t necessarily the highest of priority for the people around us.

It was fun watching the staff at the Grain of Wheat begin to anticipate Christmas this year. They asked a lot of questions about how and why Christians celebrate, and there was a sincere desire on their part to share the story of Christmas with students who came into our Center. Here is a video that we put together for that purpose. The music (with the exception of Silent Night, of course) is all original music. Zolo, a staff member wrote it, taking the words directly from the Mongolian Scriptures. The singer is a young lady who works at our office and guest apartment as a cleaner while she is going to school. You can tell by the sound of her voice that she will not be cleaning apartments for the rest of her life. She sings like an angel. All editing mistakes in this video are mine. Zolo was in a car accident just before it finished and had to go to the hospital. He’s fine now, and we thank God for that. But we had to do a quick editing job on his concept. There will be a final “fixed” version that will come out later.

This is the updated and fixed version! Check it out on Vimeo, as well.

We had 30-40 students come to the Center party on the 23rd. Most were regulars and members. Many (if not most) were not believers. We sang Christmas Carols and shared this video. After the video, we made a clear appeal to follow Jesus. It was a good night with great opportunities.

Christmas Eve found us back at the Grain of Wheat for a Midnight Christmas Eve candle light service. We had a multi-national bunch of folks who came to pause, worship and remember the coming of our Savior. Readings were in English and Mongolian. The presence of the Lord was evident to all who were there.

We had a quiet Christmas morning with our family, Skyping in both sets of Grandparents when the time was right. Gifts were somewhat minimal this year, since we will be taking vacation in Thailand at the end of January. But all seemed pleased in their giving and receiving. Even the dogs…

On Christmas Day in the evening, we gathered with our UB staff, both Mongolian and foreign and enjoyed a multinational celebration of food, song and story telling. We ate from various American, Philippine and Korean traditions … with the underlying Mongolian tradition of a lot of meat. Three different kinds, to be exact. We sang carols in Mongolian and English, as well as had a bi-lingual reading of our favorite Anderson Christmas tradition of “The Tale of Three Trees”.

On Saturday night our home was opened up to 30 teenagers. We had our Annual Anderson Christmas Smorgasbord with the kids and their friends. Much food and much fun. We have a great group of MK’s here in Ulaanbaatar. As you can see from this photo, they had a good time (no one looked at the camera for the group shot, but that actually made it more interesting…)

Finally on Sunday afternoon the Cornerstone Church of All Nations, UB’s only International Church, had a Christmas celebration. As part of our worship time we exalted the coming of Jesus as the “Desire of Nations” by having everyone in the congregation (every continent, 25+ nations) write ascriptions of praise to Jesus in their heart language.

It was a fitting end to a busy, yet satisfyingly celebrative season of Christmas. We hope and pray that you and your family also have a blessed New Year.

My people perish for lack of a khan…

In a land of democracy and hardship, competition is fierce and oppression is rampant. All of our “freedoms” are killing my people – a humble family paying 560% per month for a $5 loan, a young man harassed by the police and afraid of taking it to court, children learning English from rap music, unemployed men who turn to drinking, employed men who drink as soon as they are paid, foreign companies who mine our country’s resources or delay on paying salaries, families who have not saved a single cent for the long winter, a prime minister who resigns suspiciously, neighbors who build higher and thicker fences, a handicapped boy who stays home and plays video games instead of going to school, crumbling roads and a faltering river system, officials who are convinced their people are poor and helpless, families who never turn off their TVs, two neighbors who have had their electricity cut off, other neighbors who can’t pay $1.50 to paint their own fence, people who pay back loans in order to get bigger loans, the gradual loss of cultural skills and pride, young people having children before marriage, plastic bags like tumbleweed across the steppe, increasing thieves who take whatever is not locked up, coal sellers who cheat their customers with rocks, drunk men fighting or laying in the street, couples threatening separation, toddlers with rotting teeth, citizens with no hope, no ideas, and no unity whatsoever…

If only the Father of Heaven would send us another khan – one who would rule with a rod of iron and whose empire would never crumble, one who would bring justice to the afflicted and light to the stumbling, one who would cause the righteous to flourish and the land to abound with good things, one who would restore glory and respect for his people among the nations, one who would have mercy on the weak and rescue them from enemies, one whose name would endure and all would call him blessed by God… full of wisdom and authority and power… forever.

Oh, if such a khan existed my people could hope once more. We wait, in desperation and tears, for Your anointed O God! We cry out for Your chosen to teach us fear and obedience, that we might be free from the plagues of our own freedom! How long must we suffer for lack of order and community?! There is no one to help, there is no one endowed with holiness and authority to lead us. Answer our prayer and send us Your khan, with signs and wonders, that all the nations might see and be glad this Christmas…

Psalm 72 (plus 100s of years of history, both from ancient Israel as well as Mongolia here and now).

(This was written by my friend and team member Jeremy Fields. Be sure to check out the “Fields of the Harvest” website and blogspot.)