God sustained our brothers and sisters in the Ulan-Bator Church of Christ, Mongolia through a very difficult year. Relatives died, one brother died in a car accident, another brother is dying from liver cancer. Yet God gave them the strength to grow and bring several others to the Lord also in 2009.
The story from Bayantur and Saina - the leaders of the Church in Ulan-Bator:
This year of 2009 was not smooth for us. God was leading us through many struggles and strengthened us through it all with His Word. He gave us wisdom and faith, cemented our friendship in Christ. Many people got faith and were saved this last year, and we are very happy about it.
"Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of {the} divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in {your} moral excellence, knowledge, and in {your} knowledge, self-control, and in {your} self-control, perseverance, and in {your} perseverance, godliness, and in {your} godliness, brotherly kindness, and in {your} brotherly kindness, love. For if these {qualities} are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ ". (2nd Peter1:3-8)
We entitled 2009 - “Faith that moves the rocks". During this year God strengthened our faith. Last year a brother and his wife were baptized. This year was a hard time for their family. They lost four relatives. But they got through the difficulties with faith and did not stop thanking God for the gift of salvation. They shared their faith at the funerals and were dedicated to the fellowship. Their example helped many disciples to restore their faith. Some time ago they all together have helped a woman to find God and she was baptized. And this woman brought many people who study the Bible now and her son was baptized not long ago.
In August we together with some brothers and sisters decided to visit our relatives. During the trip we’ve got into a terrible accident. Our brother got killed in it and left a family with four children. This brother’s relatives blamed us and his wife for the accident. But his wife was patient and supported the other brothers and sisters though she was not in a good health. In this situation God unified the church. Many disciples got mature taking care of each other. College-Students and teens sacrificed their time to help the sister and her kids. Many brothers and sisters supported them financially, and not long ago we helped them to make a comfortable house. Her relatives have seen the true love of the Christians and because of it their attitude to the church has changed.
10 years ago our brother from Korea moved to Mongolia, sacrificed his comfortable life to help the church in Ulan-Bator. He found a job here and got married to a Mongolian sister, and now they have two wonderful sons. During 5 years they shared their faith with their parents but they did not change though started to attend the church. Recently our brother got very sick – he was diagnosed with liver cancer and now he can die any day. The doctors said he may have about six month to live. Please pray for him. Even in his condition he and his wife keep serving and thanking God. A month ago his parents were baptized and now they are disciples of Jesus.
We praise our Lord! In 2009 He showed His grace – eleven people got saved and became a part of the Church.
With love, Bayantur and Saina
Ulan-Bator Church of Christ
Taken from http://www.icocnews.ru
Translated into English by Anastasia Tsymbaluk from Vladivostok Church of Christ