The capital of Mongolia I just visited is not the capital I’ve visited before. The people are just as gracious as ever, but they are in shock, embarrassed, and concerned about the future. Mostly they are embarrassed.

Despite their history as a conquering people Mongolians are not violent people. Watching the riots following their national elections, live on television, was like being in a bad dream. Except this wasn’t a dream. This was very, very real.

The day before the team left, Tom Terry, president of Eagle TV in Ulan Batar, emailed me and told me to check his blog. Tom had just spent a few days with us and had flown out the day before for New Mexico. He had been up all night being updated on the post-election events taking place and helping the news department cover these unprecedented events. I asked him if it was safe for the team to proceed and he encouraged us by saying the violence should blow over in a couple of days. He was correct. The president of Mongolia declared a state of emergency and reduced press coverage to one station. Things calmed down and have remained calm.

Telling the Team
Ron and I discussed telling the team that evening or in the morning at the airport. Ron chose the airport. It was the right choice. The team took it exceptionally well, including Dieter, a fifteen year old young man who had just flown in from Washington, DC to join us. None of us knew what to expect when we landed but we were able to follow the news via the internet. We arrived to a quiet, but nervous, capital. The only difficulty we encountered were road blocks that kept us from getting to our apartment for the evening. Eventually our host, Sodo, found a way and we arrived around 2:00 AM.

We arrived to something rare: rain. It was pouring. In the morning we saw the benefits: “clean” air and everything was green! This was the first time I’d seen the countryside green. It was literally greener than Scotland.

Could the conference continue?
Before we left I had asked Tom and my Mongolian friends if the conference had any chance of continuing. They said no. Ron’s friends in Mongolia agreed. We knew that God knew this ahead of time so we expected something even better would happen. It did. Tom, Alan and I attended a meeting with leading pastors and had a long discussion about what to do. After a second meeting it was decided to join forces with a local ministry preparing a conference in September for about 4000 kids. (More on this in a later update.)

What was I going to do?
My situation became interesting. I had come to help behind the scenes and leave right after the conference, but since the conference wasn’t going to happen Ron suggested I go immediately to Darkhan to visit Hetee and Melanie. They were thrilled and so I left. It was awkward leaving the team but it was the right decision. Sodo arranged a private taxi for 40,000 T (about $35.00) and off I went on the 220 km drive. I didn’t really want to know but at one point I peaked at the speedometer and we were doing 93 mph. Cows, horses and sheep all roam freely and cross the road wherever they like so it made for an interesting ride but the driver was excellent. The good news is that we arrived much earlier than normal. (Smile Sandy.)

Great time in Darkhan
I had a great time with Hetee and Melanie and their kids, Nate, Abi and Kenny. Before I left Melanie told me that her Dad told the kids about whoopee cushions. Would it be possible to bring one? Sandy and I looked everywhere and finally found some. Nate and Abi thought they were the funniest things they’ve ever played with. After about an hour, though, Melanie was wishing she hadn’t mentioned it. But, like the great Mom she is she smiled and let the kids keep going and going and going.

Hetee asked me if I would preach at both services on Sunday and I did, of course. What a wonderful group of people! I remembered many of them from my previous trips. We had a blessed time of prayer and ministry after the second service and then it was off to see friends.

Tugsuu, whom our church supported for two years on the mission ship Doulos, was there and invited us to a late lunch after the second service. She and her two daughters put on quite a spread and finished with wonderful gifts, including a heavy cashmere sweater for winter. I regretted not having an appropriate gift for her but she said that my visiting them was gift enough. What gracious people! Her daughter, Trerenjargal Victor (Jaga) will be departing on the sister ship Logos Hope in September. If you’d like to support her please email me.

Back to UB
On Monday evening, Tom (who had just arrived the night before) invited Hetee, Melanie, Ron, Sodo and me to dinner at BD’s Mongolian Grill. For reasons I won’t get into here, I asked Tom a lengthy series of questions about Eagle’s live coverage of the riots and how he felt their broadcast team did. He was very gracious and took time to answer each question thoroughly. It was a great education for all of us and was very helpful in a number of ways. And, of course, the food was great. (For those who don’t know, “Mongolian grill” is not traditional Mongolian food. The Mongolians love it , though.)

After dinner Tom gave us an extensive tour of Eagle TV. Then Hetee, Melanie and I went to Tom’s apartment to relax until it was time for to leave for the airport. It was great seeing his wife Diane and his youngest daughter Whitney again.

What about the team?
The team will be going to Darkhan (and maybe a couple other places) to minister and then leave for Inner Mongolia. From there they will go to Beijing and fly back to Seattle. If you haven’t been reading the team blog you can view it here. It’s worth the read.

Tears
As many of you know, it’s so hard to leave. Hetee, Mel and I held back tears as we said goodbye and I went to the ticket counter. They miss the Proctor’s, the previous women’s conference team members and we have a very close relationship. They (we) are family.

The trip home was uneventful except for meeting a man whom I think will be instrumental in some way in the future. His name is Sam, born in Egypt, now an American citizen and living on Vancouver Island, BC. He had just spent the last three years helping with a seven star hotel about 80 KM northeast of UB. We were seated next to each other and talked all the way to Seoul (from 1:15 AM to 4:15 AM). We both got rooms at the InTourist hotel in the airport and then, on the next leg to Seattle, we were seated next to each other again for the eleven hour trip home. But, beyond that, his housekeeper is the same Mongolian girl he and our church are supporting on the missions ship Doulos! We both recognized the odds of this happening and so we exchanged cards. I’ll let you know how this develops.

Thanks to everyone who contributed, prayed and helped out while I was gone. And, a special thanks to Dr. Greg for speaking on Sunday. (I’m praying about joining you in Manila in September.)

One quick note: Never underestimate the importance of the people you meet. Life is very short and God arranges “chance” meetings all the time. Be open to being a part of someone else’s life and allowing others into your life as well. You never know what will happen when you do.

Blessings in Jesus’ name,

Pastor Chris

P.S. Click here for more photos.