[theme music] It has
stood the test of time.
00:00:01.06\00:00:12.34
God's book, the Bible;
still relevant in today's
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complex world. It Is Written,
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sharing hope around the globe.
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[music]
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The uttermost part
of the earth seems like
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an appropriate way
to describe Mongolia,
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sandwiched
between China and Siberia.
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The capital of
Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar.
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In the 13th century Mongolia
ruled a fifth of the world's
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land area and a quarter
of the world's population.
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Bold Batsukh was one
of the first Mongolians
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to become a Christian
minister after the fall
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of communism, and
today he's passionate
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about sharing Jesus
with the people of Mongolia.
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[John Bradshaw]
Mongolians are proud of
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their heritage and of
the fact that at one time
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they pretty
well ruled the world.
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But Mongolia has broken
with its past in many ways.
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So what kind of future
is Mongolia looking toward?
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You could answer that
from a variety of angles.
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You could talk about
education and economics
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and politics and a
hundred other things.
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But in terms of the
Bible, what sort of future
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is Mongolia looking
toward, in terms of what
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matters most?
How is Mongolia doing
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in terms of faith in God?
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[John Bradshaw] Elbert Kuhn is a
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South American
missionary who spent 10 years
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living in Mongolia.
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[John Bradshaw]
About 40% of Mongolia's
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three million inhabitants
are non-religious, secular.
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A little more
than half are Buddhist,
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Tibetan Buddhist.
Of the remaining 9%,
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a third are Muslim,
about the same amount
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practice shamanism, which
is a Mongolian folk religion,
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and a smaller
amount are Christian.
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[music] About two
and a half percent
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of Mongolians are Christians.
Or to put it another way,
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Mongolia is 97.5
percent non-Christian.
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[music]
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[John Bradshaw] Do you think God
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is satisfied with
any country being two
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and a half percent Christian?
Is that really God's plan?
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Now, for some perspective,
per capita there are less
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Christians in
Mongolia today than there are
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in Saudi Arabia.
Official statistics say
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there are more Christians
in North Korea than there are
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in Mongolia.
Again, there are more than
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likely more Christians
per capita in Iraq than
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there are here in
Mongolia. Now, Saudi Arabia and
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North Korea are
extremely challenging places to
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share the
Gospel. But not Mongolia.
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Now, while Christianity
in Mongolia doesn't enjoy
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the same privileges or
the same operating structure
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as, say, the United
States or the Caribbean or
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the South
Pacific, Christianity does
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operate here.
Churches do exist here.
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Churches do grow here
in Mongolia. And they are
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growing--at
least for now. [music]
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In 1989 there were
four Christians in all
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of Mongolia.
Today there are around
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50,000 in Mongolia who
call themselves Christian.
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That's impressive
growth in one sense.
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But that means there are
still 2,950,000 non-Christians
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in Mongolia, a large
amount of whom are entirely
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non-religious.
No religious faith
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whatsoever.
There's simply very little
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knowledge of
Christianity in Mongolia.
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[John Bradshaw] I'll show you
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what I mean. I
wanted to find out just
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what people here believe.
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Who were David and Goliath?
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What was Noah's ark?
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Who were Cain and Abel?
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What can you tell
me about the Bible?
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You will see church
buildings here in Ulaanbaatar.
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But this isn't Mississippi.
You won't see a cross
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or a steeple on
every street corner.
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However, there are
churches. But the church hasn't
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made real inroads here.
And according to the Bible,
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somehow or other
Mongolians will all be
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given an
opportunity to know Jesus.
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In Matthew 24:14 Jesus said,
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"And this Gospel of
the kingdom shall be
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preached in all the
world, for a witness unto all
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nations, and then
shall the end come."
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Now, if we're to
take Jesus at his word,
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what that means is that
He's not going to come back
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to this world until
everybody in the world,
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including Mongolia,
has heard the good news.
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Now, we know Jesus
is going to come back.
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Which means people all
across this great nation,
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Mongolia, are going
to hear the Good News.
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And you can be part
of making that happen.
00:09:05.84\00:09:08.88
I'll tell you
more in just a moment.
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Announcer: "Every
Word" is a one-minute,
00:09:11.38\00:09:13.82
Bible-based, daily
devotional presented
00:09:13.82\00:09:15.98
by Pastor John
Bradshaw and designed especially
00:09:15.98\00:09:18.69
for busy people like
you. Look for "Every Word"
00:09:18.69\00:09:21.89
on selected
networks, or watch it online
00:09:21.89\00:09:24.29
every day on our
website, itiswritten.com.
00:09:24.29\00:09:29.80
[Rythmic Melody]
00:09:29.80\00:09:32.97
JB: Do you believe today
that God can transform a life?
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Listen to what the Apostle
Paul wrote in I Timothy 1:15.
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He says, "This is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all
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acceptation, that Christ Jesus
came into the world to save
00:09:45.68\00:09:48.62
sinners; of whom I am chief."
Now, this is the converted Paul
00:09:48.62\00:09:53.12
writing, but he writes with a
deep sense of his unworthiness.
00:09:53.12\00:09:56.69
He knows where he's been and
what he's capable of, and how
00:09:56.69\00:09:59.06
he's persecuted the church
and opposed the God of heaven.
00:09:59.06\00:10:02.76
He recognizes that
he is chief of sinners.
00:10:02.76\00:10:05.70
But this is the same Paul who
raised Eutychus from the dead,
00:10:05.70\00:10:08.34
who survived a shipwreck
and a poisonous snake bite
00:10:08.34\00:10:10.94
and being stoned. This
chief of sinners became a
00:10:10.94\00:10:13.78
great leader among God's
people. That's what God can do
00:10:13.78\00:10:17.48
in a life.
That's what God can do
00:10:17.48\00:10:19.38
in your life.
I'm John Bradshaw for
00:10:19.38\00:10:22.02
It Is Written. Let's
live today by every word.
00:10:22.02\00:10:25.19
[Rythmic music]
00:10:25.19\00:10:27.79
[Serious Musical Strain]
Mongolia is not only remote,
00:10:29.39\00:10:32.86
but it's cold. The average mean
00:10:32.86\00:10:35.86
temperature is
zero degrees Celsius,
00:10:35.86\00:10:40.14
- 32 Fahrenheit. That's right.
00:10:40.14\00:10:42.90
The annual mean temperature
in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
00:10:42.90\00:10:47.01
is freezing.
The summers are warm
00:10:47.01\00:10:51.38
but they're short. This river,
00:10:51.38\00:10:54.15
the Tuul River,
which flows through
00:10:54.15\00:10:56.32
Ulaanbaatar, is frozen for
five months out of the year.
00:10:56.32\00:10:59.95
When the
weather turns cold here,
00:10:59.95\00:11:02.06
it does so with a vengeance.
00:11:02.06\00:11:05.36
[music] Noyon Taiwanbat
00:11:05.36\00:11:10.30
is a farmer in rural Mongolia.
00:11:10.30\00:11:13.10
The day we met, it
was minus 10 degrees
00:11:13.10\00:11:15.94
Fahrenheit. Almost 24 degrees
00:11:15.94\00:11:19.01
below zero
Celsius. How do you keep
00:11:19.01\00:11:23.04
warm out here? What do you wear
00:11:23.04\00:11:25.91
to keep warm in the cold?
00:11:25.91\00:11:27.45
How cold does it get out here?
00:11:33.76\00:11:37.53
Eight hundred years
ago, Genghis Khan would have
00:11:46.94\00:11:49.34
lived in
something much like this.
00:11:49.34\00:11:51.87
One-room gers are
still common in Mongolia.
00:11:51.87\00:11:55.81
And even in the
capitol city, Ulaanbaatar.
00:11:55.81\00:11:58.28
Why is it that
you live out here in
00:11:58.28\00:12:02.08
the country while
your family lives in town?
00:12:02.08\00:12:06.15
[music] Ulaanbaatar has grown
00:12:19.27\00:12:22.70
dramatically
over the last decade.
00:12:22.70\00:12:25.61
The city was designed
for half a million people.
00:12:25.61\00:12:29.04
But today there's
a million and a half
00:12:29.04\00:12:31.78
people here.
Traffic is a nightmare,
00:12:31.78\00:12:35.25
pollution is
absolutely terrible.
00:12:35.25\00:12:39.25
And there's grinding
poverty in Ulaanbaatar.
00:12:39.25\00:12:43.76
According to a report
in the UB Post newspaper,
00:12:47.23\00:12:50.40
the average
Mongolian was earning in
00:12:50.40\00:12:52.77
the year 2013
less than $350 a month.
00:12:52.77\00:12:57.71
Now, that's the
average, so you know there are
00:12:57.71\00:13:00.34
a lot of people
earning a whole lot less
00:13:00.34\00:13:02.81
than that.
People living in urban
00:13:02.81\00:13:05.41
ger communities
are eight times more
00:13:05.41\00:13:07.78
likely to live in
poverty than those living
00:13:07.78\00:13:10.25
in apartment
buildings. Ger dwellers work
00:13:10.25\00:13:12.95
more often in
construction and manufacturing,
00:13:12.95\00:13:15.99
while the apartment
dwellers are more likely to work
00:13:15.99\00:13:18.29
in white-collar jobs.
During winter, it takes
00:13:18.29\00:13:22.56
a lot of money
simply for people to be able
00:13:22.56\00:13:24.60
to heat their
homes. So how much does
00:13:24.60\00:13:27.10
a person in this
community earn in a month,
00:13:27.10\00:13:30.34
and how much of
that would they spend on
00:13:30.34\00:13:32.34
heating their home?
00:13:32.34\00:13:33.81
[music] Mongolia is a country
00:14:03.37\00:14:06.88
steeped in rich and
often violent history.
00:14:06.88\00:14:11.18
Even in recent history
political upheaval dominates.
00:14:11.18\00:14:15.28
Following the
Mongolian democratic revolution
00:14:15.28\00:14:18.32
in 1990, and the collapse
of the communist regime,
00:14:18.32\00:14:22.12
religious and
personal freedoms increased,
00:14:22.12\00:14:25.59
but the standard of
living for ordinary Mongolians
00:14:25.59\00:14:28.76
decreased significantly.
00:14:28.76\00:14:31.67
I met Josue Orellana,
the director of an NGO
00:15:35.83\00:15:39.63
dedicated to
improving the health and welfare
00:15:39.63\00:15:42.40
of the Mongolian
people. And the task he's facing
00:15:42.40\00:15:46.17
is no easy battle.
00:15:46.17\00:15:49.14
While Mongolia is
leaving its past behind,
00:16:14.04\00:16:17.11
it's surging toward
an undefined future.
00:16:17.11\00:16:21.04
The question is, will
that future include God?
00:16:21.04\00:16:26.51
Now, let's remember,
Jesus said that we're
00:16:26.51\00:16:29.05
to go to the
uttermost parts of the earth.
00:16:29.05\00:16:31.82
And before he
returns to this earth,
00:16:31.82\00:16:33.96
the Gospel will go to
every corner of the planet.
00:16:33.96\00:16:37.16
The people of this
country must hear the Gospel.
00:16:37.16\00:16:40.66
And in order for
that to happen, it's going
00:16:40.66\00:16:43.20
to take resources and personnel.
00:16:43.20\00:16:46.43
And you can help
make that happen.
00:16:46.43\00:16:48.67
As you support Mission Mongolia,
00:16:48.67\00:16:51.07
you'll make it
possible for the Word of God
00:16:51.07\00:16:52.97
to reach people here
in Mongolia who otherwise
00:16:52.97\00:16:55.61
would not be reached. To
support Mission Mongolia,
00:16:55.61\00:17:00.28
I want to encourage
you to call 1-800-253-3000.
00:17:00.28\00:17:05.79
That's 1-800-253-3000.
Call now, and whatever
00:17:05.79\00:17:11.39
you give will be
used to share the Gospel
00:17:11.39\00:17:14.20
of Jesus Christ. 1-800-253-3000.
00:17:14.20\00:17:18.37
Or you can write to
It Is Written, P O Box 6,
00:17:18.37\00:17:21.57
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
00:17:21.57\00:17:25.61
Or you can support
online at itiswritten.com.
00:17:25.61\00:17:31.31
[music] Things in Mongolia
00:17:31.31\00:17:41.66
are changing dramatically.
Especially in Ulaanbaatar.
00:17:41.66\00:17:47.30
Historically, Mongolians
have been a nomadic people.
00:17:47.30\00:17:50.77
But Western-style
prosperity and Western culture
00:17:50.77\00:17:54.37
has recently
flooded into Ulaanbaatar.
00:17:54.37\00:17:57.17
Here you'll find
fashion stores, billboards with
00:17:57.17\00:18:00.44
glamorous
European models gazing down
00:18:00.44\00:18:03.41
on Mongolians.
And American fast food
00:18:03.41\00:18:07.02
has also arrived.
It's this Westernization,
00:18:07.02\00:18:13.42
coupled with ever
increasing urbanization,
00:18:13.42\00:18:16.49
that's driving the change.
00:18:16.49\00:18:19.46
Od Altankhuyag is a Mongolian
00:18:51.39\00:18:53.53
television personality.
He spent time living abroad
00:18:53.53\00:18:56.67
and recently
returned to his home
00:18:56.67\00:18:58.60
in Ulaanbaatar.
He's seen firsthand
00:18:58.60\00:19:01.10
the negative impact
that Western culture
00:19:01.10\00:19:03.24
is having on the
Mongolian people.
00:19:03.24\00:19:07.01
And it's not just the
culture that's suffering
00:19:47.22\00:19:49.75
as a result of
this Western shift.
00:19:49.75\00:19:52.35
Now, when it comes to health,
the average Mongolian can
00:19:52.35\00:19:55.86
expect to live around 69 years.
00:19:55.86\00:19:58.96
Now, that's longer than
in Papua, New Guinea, or in
00:19:58.96\00:20:01.73
Uzbekistan. But only just.
00:20:01.73\00:20:05.10
Bangladeshis live
longer than Mongolians.
00:20:05.10\00:20:08.64
So do Solomon Islanders.
The leading cause of death
00:20:08.64\00:20:12.01
in Mongolia is
stroke. The second leading
00:20:12.01\00:20:15.28
cause is liver
cancer. In fact, Mongolia has
00:20:15.28\00:20:19.65
the highest
incidence of liver cancer in
00:20:19.65\00:20:22.18
the world. It
also has the world's
00:20:22.18\00:20:24.19
second highest
incidence of stomach cancer,
00:20:24.19\00:20:26.79
and the third highest
rate of esophageal cancer.
00:20:26.79\00:20:31.13
So with all
these immense changes
00:21:44.13\00:21:46.63
Mongolia is experiencing,
where does that leave God?
00:21:46.63\00:21:52.97
The mining
industry is bringing a lot
00:21:52.97\00:21:54.71
of wealth into
Mongolia. Mining is so big
00:21:54.71\00:21:57.35
the country is being
referred to as Mine-golia.
00:21:57.35\00:22:01.55
So where does that
leave Mongolia's future?
00:22:01.55\00:22:05.02
Well, typically, a measure
of prosperity sees people
00:22:05.02\00:22:07.49
turn further from God
rather than closer to him.
00:22:07.49\00:22:12.03
Which means the door
may well be closing for
00:22:12.03\00:22:14.56
the Gospel in
Mongolia. Now, let's remember.
00:22:14.56\00:22:20.77
Jesus said we are
to go to the uttermost
00:22:20.77\00:22:23.14
parts of the earth.
And before he returns
00:22:23.14\00:22:26.11
to this earth, the
Gospel will go to every corner
00:22:26.11\00:22:29.34
of the planet. Everyone is going
00:22:29.34\00:22:32.05
to hear the Good
News, even here in Mongolia.
00:22:32.05\00:22:37.35
It Is Written's Mission Mongolia
00:24:12.61\00:24:14.75
is bringing the Good News
of Jesus Christ to the people
00:24:14.75\00:24:17.69
of Mongolia. People here must be
00:24:17.69\00:24:20.59
reached, and
they are being reached
00:24:20.59\00:24:23.02
with Mission Mongolia.
People are having their
00:24:23.02\00:24:27.96
health needs met.
Those who need clothing
00:24:27.96\00:24:30.73
to protect
themselves against the brutally
00:24:30.73\00:24:32.80
cold winter are
being helped also.
00:24:32.80\00:24:36.30
And your support
makes this happen.
00:24:36.30\00:24:40.14
Your support of Mission Mongolia
00:24:40.14\00:24:42.18
will bring the
Gospel to more Mongolians
00:24:42.18\00:24:44.75
than ever before.
00:24:44.75\00:24:48.22
[music]
00:25:10.14\00:25:12.11
Your support of Mission Mongolia
00:25:39.97\00:25:41.87
will make it
possible for It Is Written
00:25:41.87\00:25:44.07
to send teams of missionaries
to Mongolia, to share
00:25:44.07\00:25:46.44
the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Doctors, nurses
00:25:46.44\00:25:49.88
and other medical
workers will minister to those
00:25:49.88\00:25:52.61
needing medical
attention. Bibles are needed
00:25:52.61\00:25:56.05
in the Mongolian language.
And your help will make
00:25:56.05\00:25:58.95
it possible for people
to own their very own Bible
00:25:58.95\00:26:01.42
for the first
time, and learn of Jesus.
00:26:01.42\00:26:05.63
Other humanitarian
needs will also be met,
00:26:05.63\00:26:08.63
as Mission Mongolia
provides for many people
00:26:08.63\00:26:11.33
who are being left
behind by a society relentlessly
00:26:11.33\00:26:15.24
rushing forward.
Don't leave Mongolians
00:26:15.24\00:26:18.41
in the dark. Your help will make
00:26:18.41\00:26:21.24
it possible for Mission Mongolia
00:26:21.24\00:26:23.35
to introduce people to Jesus.
00:26:23.35\00:26:27.22
Call now, 1-800-253-3000.
00:26:27.22\00:26:31.19
That's
1-800-253-3000, to support
00:26:31.19\00:26:35.69
Mission Mongolia.
Or visit us online at
00:26:35.69\00:26:39.43
www.itiswritten.com.
Or you can support
00:26:39.43\00:26:44.07
this work or learn
more about it by writing to
00:26:44.07\00:26:46.63
It Is Written, P O Box 6,
00:26:46.63\00:26:49.47
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37401.
00:26:49.47\00:26:55.18
I'm grateful
you've joined me today.
00:26:55.18\00:26:57.15
Let's take a
moment to pray together.
00:26:57.15\00:26:59.38
Our Father in heaven,
what an enormous mission
00:26:59.38\00:27:02.38
field is still before
us; 97 and a half percent
00:27:02.38\00:27:06.45
of the people in this nation,
Mongolia, don't know Jesus.
00:27:06.45\00:27:10.39
There is a work to do,
and thank you for calling
00:27:10.39\00:27:13.23
us to be part of this
work. I pray, Lord, that you'll
00:27:13.23\00:27:16.97
allow us to be mission-minded
and to care about those
00:27:16.97\00:27:20.77
who don't know you,
whether they're in Mongolia
00:27:20.77\00:27:22.84
or across the
street or in our home.
00:27:22.84\00:27:26.04
Bless us, Lord,
bless Mission Mongolia,
00:27:26.04\00:27:28.44
we pray. We thank
you in Jesus' name,
00:27:28.44\00:27:32.25
Amen. [music]
00:27:32.25\00:27:49.33
I look forward to
seeing you again next time.
00:27:49.33\00:27:51.70
Until then,
remember, it is written,
00:27:51.70\00:27:54.97
man shall not
live by bread alone,
00:27:54.97\00:27:57.64
but by every word
that proceeds from
00:27:57.64\00:28:00.68
the mouth of God.
00:28:00.68\00:28:03.18
[theme music]
00:28:04.98\00:28:20.00