Greetings, all. I apologize that I have not posted an update in two months. This is mostly due to the fact that nothing huge or exciting has happened and we have simply continued with preparations. I am scheduled to leave on Saturday!! I can't believe it has come up so fast. I never imagined that eight months would pass so quickly. I am fully funded and my medical/dental work is complete.
The plan is for me to spend a few days in the city once I arrive in Mongolia before heading out to the countryside, specifically a province known as Dornogobi. Dornogobi is a province on the southeastern edge of Mongolia in the Gobi Desert. I thought I was going to the steppes.....apparently not. I hate the heat; God must have a sense of humor to send me to the desert in the summertime. Anyway, my specific jobs will be giving workshops to nomadic herders, teaching English, sharing the gospel when possible, sharing devotions and my testimony with my team, and possibly helping Mongolian veterinarians treat some sick animals. Any cases that I assist in treating, I will need to photograph and write up. This is called doing a case study and the studies will be used in the veterinary school this fall to show vet students how to write their own. I have been told that one of the most important parts of my ministry in Mongolia will be building up my Mongolian teammates and encouraging them in their faith. Please pray that I will be effective in doing this...and whatever else the Lord has planned for me. I am getting packed and feeling more excited. Thank you for your support; it is truly appreciated.
Matthew 28:19-20 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (NLT)
I think a lot of times we focus on the first verse of the Great Commission and forget about the second part. We go boldly proclaiming the word of God, making disciples (or at least converts) and baptizing them. But then we leave it there, figuring that they now have Christ, they are saved, good enough. Sadly, we forget that to truly make them disciples, we must teach new believers to obey all of the commands that Christ has given us. The teaching is an on-going process, one which cannot be completed in a specified period of time. As believers, we should all always be learning more and more to obey our Lord. It is this part of the commission that the team has assigned me. Yes, I will hopefully be making disciples as well but for this trip, teaching new Christians to obey what Christ has taught will be my focus. Please continue to pray for me and for the Mongolian people as a whole.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Saturday, March 31, 2012
March Update
Well, I had nearly an hour to complete this update for it to count as my monthly update but my computer decided to give me problems so now I have a matter of minutes. If this posts as an April 1 update, I apologize. I really did write it on March 31, 2012. Anyway, here goes. I wanted to say a very sincere thank-you to everyone who has supported me so far. I am now at 100% of my fundraising goal and my plane ticket has been purchased! I am to fly out of Denver on June 9 and arrive in Ulaanbaatar on June 11. Pray that I am coherent as I go through Chinese and Mongolian customs and meet up with whomever picks me up from the airport. I am scheduled to leave Mongolia on July 10 and arrive back in Denver on the same day! This is possible because I will be crossing the International Date Line. My last step of medical preparation will be to receive my final Hepatitis A vaccination at the end of May.
I am also making my way through a rather in-depth mission theology class that will be finished by the end of May. This class is a prerequisite to my trip and I am finding it to be much more difficult than I had expected. Pray that I would successfully complete the class and understand it!
I have had a little bit of communication with my contact over the past six weeks and feel that I need to reach out more. Pray that God would show me how to do this...and give me the courage to follow through. It is difficult trying to establish any kind of workable, teammate relationship with someone whom I have never met and who lives halfway around the world.
It is hard to remember people (and a people) who live so far away, whom I have never met when I am busy living my comfortable American life, much less to remember to pray for them. Pray that I would remember to lift up my will-be teammates as well as all Mongols who I will come into contact with. Also, please pray for the following:
#1. Open hearts for those whom I will be sharing my testimony with
#2. Discernment on my part as to how much I should share and with whom
#3. Cultural sensitivity, especially that I would learn how to avoid using my left hand to gesture or receive something with. (In case you have forgotten, I am left-handed!)
#4. For my heart to be open to receiving instruction, not just in cultural matters but spiritual and personal as well.
#5. For peace about flying through China (I'm ridiculously paranoid about that)
#6. For safety
Once again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. Please keep praying for me and for the Mongolian people.
Looks like this is now an April update but oh well :)
I am also making my way through a rather in-depth mission theology class that will be finished by the end of May. This class is a prerequisite to my trip and I am finding it to be much more difficult than I had expected. Pray that I would successfully complete the class and understand it!
I have had a little bit of communication with my contact over the past six weeks and feel that I need to reach out more. Pray that God would show me how to do this...and give me the courage to follow through. It is difficult trying to establish any kind of workable, teammate relationship with someone whom I have never met and who lives halfway around the world.
It is hard to remember people (and a people) who live so far away, whom I have never met when I am busy living my comfortable American life, much less to remember to pray for them. Pray that I would remember to lift up my will-be teammates as well as all Mongols who I will come into contact with. Also, please pray for the following:
#1. Open hearts for those whom I will be sharing my testimony with
#2. Discernment on my part as to how much I should share and with whom
#3. Cultural sensitivity, especially that I would learn how to avoid using my left hand to gesture or receive something with. (In case you have forgotten, I am left-handed!)
#4. For my heart to be open to receiving instruction, not just in cultural matters but spiritual and personal as well.
#5. For peace about flying through China (I'm ridiculously paranoid about that)
#6. For safety
Once again, thank you for all of your prayers and support. Please keep praying for me and for the Mongolian people.
Looks like this is now an April update but oh well :)
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
God Provides Through A Poker Chip
I recently attended an international veterinary conference in Las Vegas. I took some money for food and hopefully souvenirs. Even with careful spending, I was soon left with only enough to get a cab back to the airport and about 6 dollars in pocket cash, not enough to eat on in Vegas! I had brought some fruit and nutrition bars with me so while it would be boring, I would have plenty to eat. On Tuesday afternoon, I was wandering through the exhibit hall talking to vendors and learning about different products and services. I stopped by a booth for a moment and was invited to a very select lunch the following day. Out of over 13,000 people at the conference I was one of 18 people invited to this lunch. I was plenty excited about that alone (God had provided my lunch!). But at the luncheon, I was surprised again. We were served a three course lunch with our choice of entree and had a roundtable discussion related to the company who put it on for us. Just as it was drawing to a close, one of the reps thanked us for coming and handed each of us a $25 poker chip. She said we could use it to gamble or cash it in. A free lunch and twenty-five dollars?! I was thrilled! Keep in mind that I was virtually broke at this time and I also can't even bring myself to play the penny slots haha. Anyway, there was an Italian restaurant I had seen several times and had wanted to try but lack of funds had nixed that idea. So I cashed in my chip and looked forward to another meal. Others may not see it this way, but to me these are little miracles. I literally did not have money for my meals and God took care of that little detail. So can God use any method to provide for us? Yes! In my case, He even used a poker chip. You just have to look for His hand.
Monday, January 23, 2012
Hate
In the online missions class I am taking, one of our more recent lessons asked us if we could see parallels between the story of Jonah and the Ninevites and how the modern Church views Muslims. Jonah hated the Ninevites for their cruelty and oppression and he knew that if he shared God's message of the coming judgment with them that they would repent and God would forgive them. Not wanting this cruel, barbaric people to experience the Lord's mercy, Jonah angrily said that he would not go. And when eventually he did go, it was with a very bad attitude.
I had never thought about it being a parallel but I can see how the two could be similar. While it is not wrong to be angry over the sins of oppression and murder, I think that often the Church takes it too far and becomes angry and even hateful toward the Muslims themselves rather than the sin that has been committed. Perhaps we feel justified by thinking that if the Muslims hate us so much that they want to exterminate us, then it is alright to look on them with hostility. We view the person as the enemy rather than the sin in their hearts. We do not see them as individual people but we judge them by the extremists who hate us and murder and rape their own people.
Personally, I know a Muslim woman who died of cancer just last month. She was a very sweet, caring person and I would give anything to be able to share with her the love of Jesus now. I only saw her a few times but not once did I even attempt to share Christ with her. It breaks my heart that she died without knowing Christ as her Savior and that I did not even attempt to share the Lord's forgiveness and grace with her while she was alive. God, forgive me. Sumar, I think of you so often and I am so sorry that I let you down. My regret cannot bring her back nor can it save her soul.
I think that the church needs to look past the exterior and see the person for who they are. Not Muslim, black, white, Catholic, or Protestant but someone made in the image of God. Someone dreamed up by the Creator and created for a specific purpose. Someone with such incredible value that Jesus willingly died for that one person that they may not perish but experience eternal life and freedom. Instead of focusing so much on the crimes and sins of our Muslim neighbors, we need to pray for them and look for ways to reach out and show the love of Christ to them. If we 'repay evil with evil' we are not doing God's will and He cannot use us as He wishes. Have we forgotten the terribly misguided crusades of the middle ages? People back then committed terrible crimes in the name of Christianity and the Lord could not have been pleased by it. We are all made in His image, no matter what we look like or what background we come from but so often we judge based on what we see on the outside and forget that there is a real person with feelings and a soul underneath. May we all try daily to view others through the eyes of Jesus. He loves them and so should we. Let us not repay evil with evil but rather evil with good, as we have been commanded.
Personally, I know a Muslim woman who died of cancer just last month. She was a very sweet, caring person and I would give anything to be able to share with her the love of Jesus now. I only saw her a few times but not once did I even attempt to share Christ with her. It breaks my heart that she died without knowing Christ as her Savior and that I did not even attempt to share the Lord's forgiveness and grace with her while she was alive. God, forgive me. Sumar, I think of you so often and I am so sorry that I let you down. My regret cannot bring her back nor can it save her soul.
I think that the church needs to look past the exterior and see the person for who they are. Not Muslim, black, white, Catholic, or Protestant but someone made in the image of God. Someone dreamed up by the Creator and created for a specific purpose. Someone with such incredible value that Jesus willingly died for that one person that they may not perish but experience eternal life and freedom. Instead of focusing so much on the crimes and sins of our Muslim neighbors, we need to pray for them and look for ways to reach out and show the love of Christ to them. If we 'repay evil with evil' we are not doing God's will and He cannot use us as He wishes. Have we forgotten the terribly misguided crusades of the middle ages? People back then committed terrible crimes in the name of Christianity and the Lord could not have been pleased by it. We are all made in His image, no matter what we look like or what background we come from but so often we judge based on what we see on the outside and forget that there is a real person with feelings and a soul underneath. May we all try daily to view others through the eyes of Jesus. He loves them and so should we. Let us not repay evil with evil but rather evil with good, as we have been commanded.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
January Update
I suppose I should give you all a quick update as to where I am in my preparations to go to Mongolia. I received a financial statement from my coordinator at the end of last month and am currently at $3,900. I only need about 1,000 dollars more! It is exciting to see how quickly and generously people have responded to my request. It is my hope that each of you who supports me in some way realizes just how big a part of this ministry you are. This is not my mission, this is not our mission, this is God's mission. I must remind myself of that on a daily basis. My upper class at the school is doing a fundraiser for me this month and it means a lot to me to have my kids involved. I know that God will bless their efforts for they are His children.
There is also a possibility now that I may be going to Romania as well at the end of July for a couple of weeks. I am waiting to hear how much it would cost and whether my advisers would recommend I wait a year as I could still be in reverse culture shock at that time. Please pray for discernment as I consider adding on this trip. I would love to go if it is the Lord's will but if it is not, it would be better for all if I don't.
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| Mongolian camels |
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| Map of eastern Europe and Asia. Both Mongolia and Romania are in blue |
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| Romanian family with horse and cart |
Change of Heart or Mind?
Up until this point, my motto for this upcoming trip to Mongolia (and all previous mission trips) has been "Here am I, send me." from Isaiah 6. While there is nothing wrong with this per se, taking the Perspectives course has really started opening my eyes to a few things. Perhaps I should say "Here am I, send me so that the world may know." That the world may know what? That Jehovah God is the one true God, that we were all created in His image, that He loved us enough to send Jesus to die for our sins, and that we were made to bring glory to His name. We are to not only show people the way to Christ but we are to bring glory to His name. Our main purpose on this earth is to glorify God. If we are not using our gifts and creative abilities to do that, we are not being just stewards of all that He has given us. It has been said that missions exist because worship doesn't. How true that is! All nations on earth are to exalt and bring glory to God, our Creator and Savior.
If we go on a trip running on our own strength and thinking of all the good we can do for people or for God, then we will quickly become discouraged. We are to be partners with God, servants of the Most High, allowing Him to work through us and use us. We are not to be running ahead, even if our intentions and actions are good. We are to rely on God for our strength and the results of any mission. He has ordained good works for us to do but we need to be constantly in communication with Him so that His will is the one accomplished.
I pray that as the time draws near for me to go to Mongolia, that not only is my mind changed about how I am to view this trip but that my heart is too. I pray that I will rely on God and realize that this is His mission, not mine, and that I will be a willing servant for however He desires to use me.
If we go on a trip running on our own strength and thinking of all the good we can do for people or for God, then we will quickly become discouraged. We are to be partners with God, servants of the Most High, allowing Him to work through us and use us. We are not to be running ahead, even if our intentions and actions are good. We are to rely on God for our strength and the results of any mission. He has ordained good works for us to do but we need to be constantly in communication with Him so that His will is the one accomplished.
I pray that as the time draws near for me to go to Mongolia, that not only is my mind changed about how I am to view this trip but that my heart is too. I pray that I will rely on God and realize that this is His mission, not mine, and that I will be a willing servant for however He desires to use me.
Friday, December 23, 2011
Christmas Time
Dear Friends and Family,
Things have been going slowly but surely since the last time I posted. I have not only begun my medical preparations but have also gotten dental work started as I would hate to have a toothache miles from 'civilization'. It turns out it's a good thing I got my teeth checked as I have a cavity that will need filling. That will be another expense but I am trusting God to provide.
I have been required to take an online course on the world Christian movement which is about $250 more than I had planned on in my budget. This course will start next month and last for 15 weeks. Please pray for me as I study and attempt to learn what God has for me in this class.
Things have been pretty tight for me financially, just trying to keep my pickup full and pay the few bills I have. By the grace of God, I was presented with a large Christmas bonus from my main job. What a blessing that was! It does not erase the issues but it does lessen my financial strain for the time being. I had not even realized I was doubting God to take care of me; all I knew was that I was becoming more stressed and having to say 'no' to some things I had planned on and wanted to do. Then I was given four envelopes: my regular paycheck and three with cash. I started crying, overwhelmed by God's provision for me. I had never imagined receiving such a gift.
In the past few weeks, I have received support from an amazing number of people, some of whom I only know in passing. Just this morning I received an email from someone I hadn't seen in at least three years telling me that she was sending me the unexpected excess from her business. What a blessing to me and a gift from her heart! I plan to email my coordinator in the next few days and ask for a year-end statement so that I will know where I stand financially.
At work, I received something of a promotion in that I now teach history, reading, and spelling to the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade class three afternoons a week. This class does 'missions' every few months to share the love of Christ or support a local ministry and they have voted to do a fundraiser for me next month. This is something that will not only help me financially but really touches my heart to have my students involved in my trip. Praise God for their current interest in missions! I pray that it only continues to grow the older they get. There is something about the faith of a child and his/her love for the Savior that has unspeakable power.
On a more personal note, I am preparing to fly to Canada on the 27th to visit my family there. They are not believers so please pray for open doors and hearts. They have all received my prayer card and either a support letter or brochure, all of which have my website on them, so they know what my plans are for this coming year. Please please pray that their hearts will be open to the gospel. This will be our first Christmas since my grandmother passed (she was a quiet believer) and I hope that perhaps this will have created a tenderness of heart for the love of Christ.
Thanking you for your support and prayers and wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,
Emily Baughman, RVT, CVT
Things have been going slowly but surely since the last time I posted. I have not only begun my medical preparations but have also gotten dental work started as I would hate to have a toothache miles from 'civilization'. It turns out it's a good thing I got my teeth checked as I have a cavity that will need filling. That will be another expense but I am trusting God to provide.
I have been required to take an online course on the world Christian movement which is about $250 more than I had planned on in my budget. This course will start next month and last for 15 weeks. Please pray for me as I study and attempt to learn what God has for me in this class.
Things have been pretty tight for me financially, just trying to keep my pickup full and pay the few bills I have. By the grace of God, I was presented with a large Christmas bonus from my main job. What a blessing that was! It does not erase the issues but it does lessen my financial strain for the time being. I had not even realized I was doubting God to take care of me; all I knew was that I was becoming more stressed and having to say 'no' to some things I had planned on and wanted to do. Then I was given four envelopes: my regular paycheck and three with cash. I started crying, overwhelmed by God's provision for me. I had never imagined receiving such a gift.
In the past few weeks, I have received support from an amazing number of people, some of whom I only know in passing. Just this morning I received an email from someone I hadn't seen in at least three years telling me that she was sending me the unexpected excess from her business. What a blessing to me and a gift from her heart! I plan to email my coordinator in the next few days and ask for a year-end statement so that I will know where I stand financially.
At work, I received something of a promotion in that I now teach history, reading, and spelling to the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade class three afternoons a week. This class does 'missions' every few months to share the love of Christ or support a local ministry and they have voted to do a fundraiser for me next month. This is something that will not only help me financially but really touches my heart to have my students involved in my trip. Praise God for their current interest in missions! I pray that it only continues to grow the older they get. There is something about the faith of a child and his/her love for the Savior that has unspeakable power.
On a more personal note, I am preparing to fly to Canada on the 27th to visit my family there. They are not believers so please pray for open doors and hearts. They have all received my prayer card and either a support letter or brochure, all of which have my website on them, so they know what my plans are for this coming year. Please please pray that their hearts will be open to the gospel. This will be our first Christmas since my grandmother passed (she was a quiet believer) and I hope that perhaps this will have created a tenderness of heart for the love of Christ.
Thanking you for your support and prayers and wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year,
Emily Baughman, RVT, CVT
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