Mongolia

Mongolia

The Journey of a Nomad

Oyuna with daughters, Anna, Jemimah and Esther

Oyuna grew up as a typical nomad in her homeland of Mongolia – a remarkably sunny country with chilling winters, most famous for Genghis Khan and its vast grasslands. Oyuna’s smiling rose-pink face reflects the warmth, friendliness and hospitality of the people of Mongolia.

As a child, Oyuna lived in the desert and worshipped in Buddhist temples. When she was 19 years old, she got saved through American missionaries sharing the Gospel in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar where she was studying. When a missionary asked who needed prayer, she found herself weeping with hands raised. She had been sick with a serious congenital heart disease since birth and she recalls, “At that time, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I fell on the floor and when I awoke I felt healed.”  When she went to see a doctor a month after, she was told that her heart was normal and healthy.

The Acid Test of Faith

Oyuna was among the first known Christians in Mongolia and now she leads our Every Nation Abba Father’s Love Church there. She planted the church in 2003 with her husband, Joshua – who died three days after returning from a short term mission trip to a nearby communist state.

Flashback to 2003: Since they got saved, Oyuna and Joshua have been passionately sharing the Gospel to the people in Mongolia. Because their dream of sharing the Gospel stretches far beyond the boundaries of their homeland, they consider being a part of the Every Nation family of churches as a blessing in perfect time.

Their heart is to share the Gospel to the neighboring countries of Mongolia. In Sept 2005, an opportunity for a mission trip in a nearby communist nation knocked on their door, so, without wasting time, they led a group of 8 missionaries for a two day mission trip. They spent most of the time in prayer walks. But homebound, Pastor Joshua got seriously ill. It was a Sunday and he shared to the team a message that was about Jesus’ last prayer. None of them knew that it was to be his last preaching. Oyuna recalls, “He closed in prayer confessing that he was willing to give his life for the Gospel.”

Pastor Joshua died of suspected poisoning three days after they returned to Mongolia. Oyuna recalls, "I went home to our daughters with an unbearable pain. My only comfort was when one of our three daughters told me she had a dream the day her dad died that she saw angels descending from heaven bringing her daddy back up with them. God prepared their hearts. When I got home from the hospital, the kids welcomed me with a smile. They said daddy is in heaven. I hugged them and we all cried.”

Oyuna's graduation in April '08

Growing Church

Today, Oyuna says, “I depend on God now more than ever. He is my source of strength.” In April, 2008, Oyuna graduated from the School of World Missions in Manila and soon went back to Mongolia to continue leading the church there. She says now is a pivotal time for the church in Mongolia as more people are becoming more open to the Gospel. “I believe God will do something great in Mongolia. He will use this resilient and nomadic race to carry in all their journeys the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”  Oyuna’s plan is to bring more discipleship materials to Mongolia and to translate the “One2One” booklet in their native language to equip the more than 50 regular attendees of our church in Mongolia.

Seeing Dreams Come True

Oyuna’s first favorite Bible verse, Luke 9:23, says, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”  It set her on fire to serve the Lord before and that is why, now, she has even greater dreams for the church. She says, “I am looking forward to see a church and a people with changed lives. We have a witness up there and an inspiration to keep the passion in us burning to share the truth of salvation.”

Life has not always been easy for Oyuna; but she’s also not one to easily give up. She is confident about her great God. She knows that one day, God, who puts the dreams in her heart, will carry them to completion: a harvest of believers in Mongolia and an open door for the truth about Jesus to be told in the neighboring countries of Mongolia and even in the world’s most restricted nations.