A View from Mongolia

The Lamb for every family

chinzorig — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 11:38:17 +0600

The White Moon Celebration

The White Moon which is the Lunar New Year is one the main two big public annual events, next to the Naadam. It usually celebrated in February or March depending on the lunar calendar. It marks the end of Winter and the beginning of spring and the new yeaґs cycle. Prior to the holiday people clean and tidy their gers or houses to enter the New Year in order and cleanness. The White Moon Eve is celebrated in families eating a lot of food mainly buuz, meat, rice, salads, etc... symbolizing the prosperity of the coming year.

It is a custom to have a sheep (or the tail representing the whole sheep) in every family on the tables as the main feature of the White Moon Celebration along with special shaped cookies traditionally called "khavsai", rice etc. During the first days of the new year, all the relatives come even from remote provinces to greet each other, starting with the eldest person. People come with gifts and blessings for the new year.

There is a great similarity with the Passover.

The first thing God ordered through Moses to the young nation of Israel was to set the month Abib to be the first month of a year. Setting a new calendar to follow. Israel launched into new destiny towards the promised land on a new year holiday! Every family had to have a lamb to redeem its firstborn and leave the land of slavery.

Exodus 12

12:2 "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of the year"
12:3 "… Each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household."
12:12b "… I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord."
12:15 "For seven days you are to eat bread made without east. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses…"

The nation of Mongolia will be prophetically celebrating the White Moon on Feb 25 this year, declaring the Lamb of God to be the Savior of every family and household without realizing that!

I wonder what God has given in your culture that point to Christ.

Maranatha!

A View of Ulaanbaatar (and me)

chinzorig — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:11:10 +0700

Here's a brief video clip of me with a good view of Ulaanbaatar, the capital city.

Please continue praying for the Church in Mongolia.

Radical lifestyle

chinzorig — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:57:31 +0700

I never particularly liked gers (yurts) since my childhood, being born and raised in the city, thinking it is not modern, messy, primitive, complicated etc. After Jesus accepted me, I started to realize many negative principles behind the city lifestyle, and started valuing old way of Mongolians living in gers. I probably can not live in a ger, but serious about applying the principles of community living and fighting the spirit of self-seeking and materialism.

When a family lives in a ger there is no room for individualism, because every body in the family has to be sensitive to each other due to the small living space. It is hard to keep doing your own stuff when someone is cooking, cleaning, washing in the “house”, or working with animals near by or chopping wood. It would be very inappropriate not to help each other. You can’t just go to your room and shut the door. So, family is a higher priority over personals’. In Mongolian culture the children are expected to serve parents: cooking, serving tea, washing dishes, caring for animals, washing, while parents are in charge of making for the living. So, personal concerns go to second place. Isn’t it an excellent school of servanthood?

Because you spend most of the time in the ger next to each other, you have to deal with each others feelings, emotions, struggles and shortcomings all the time. You can’t just ignore it. You are “forced” to care for each other. It developed the culture of honoring parents and elderly. Didn’t Jesus live for 3 years with his Twelve? Isn’t it a perfect school of discipleship in a Christian family?

You can’t have too much of any stuff, simply cause you don’t have much of closets, room, shelves, drawers to keep them. You are forced to have the most basic important things for living. Just think you can’t afford having huge and fancy furniture, lots of clothing, all kinds of utensils etc. That is why most of the gold, silver and precious stones go on the (traditional) costumes. Even your meet, milk and leathers walk in the form of flocks and herds, because we had no storages or a year around refrigeration. You are “encouraged” to make the most of everything you have: water, food, manures (for fire), clothing, even animal bones. You have no rights to waste things. Anti-materialism lifestyle!

People in Gers live in community.

For Mongols “Us” is more important than “Me.” What a down-to-earth lifestyle! Simple, effective, ethical and I guess biblical. This is the culture Mongols developed for many centuries.

“All believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” Acts 2:44-45

Well, I guess I am just a nomad in this World, and my ultimate home is Heaven.

Thoughts around Naadam

chinzorig — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 13:28:45 +0700

Naadam is the Mongolian National Holiday, commemorating the People's Revolution of 1921. Every TV channel would broadcast the man's three games: mongolian wrestling, archery and horse racing.

It is interesting that in old times these were the main sports/skills needed for the families to survive. Every male was expected...

to be a fighter to protect himself and his family, and the main means of transportation would be horses. I think that was one of the factors why the army of Chingghis Khan was so successful is the lifestyle. Just think every male, boy and adult alike was a skillful fighter! That wasn't like some exotic kind of sports, but simply the lifestyle! It was a true joy and excitement for them to get together and try themselves in the so called the man's three games.

In my thinking, because we didn't depend on a comfortable life, we were able to conquer half of the world and establish the biggest Empire ever! (just think how much modern people including Christians, love safety and comfort: some can't function without coffee, showers, soft beds, computers, cars etc.).

The Naadam is held in various administrative units: from the Capital Ulaanbaatar down to small villages (in our case our Church does wrestling match and we have our own champions). Nowadays, most of the people don't play those sports, but became mere spectators. More and more young people are not interested in those sports any more. Why? Because, too many of other flashy sports and other forms of entertainment draw them away from the basic sports.

More and more new sports are watched and played all over the World. But think, if you and your family would live somewhere in the middle of Mongolian steppe, who would care about basketball? hokey? golf? You would have very different priorities for sure.

I think similar thing is happening with the world now. People have too many options, so they spend their lives for some sophisticated things, but neglect the basics of life. Our Church does our own mini Naadam for ourselves. There is nothing wrong with doing other sports, but as Mongolian Christian men, we want at least to be able to wrestle. There is no need for all kinds of expensive equipment to do Mongolian wrestling, just having some friends is enough.

I want to see our men being the same way as old time mongols! Every man is a fighter/soldier! We want to have a lifestyle of a (spiritual) fighter! If half of mongolian men become a sin-fighter, we will be a strong Nation.

^“If I told you earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” John 3:12

By the way, the man's three games are a beautiful illustration of spiritual walk. Wrestling is wrestling with your flesh, the archery is spiritual warfare by the Word and the horse racing is "riding" the power of the Holy Spirit.

Chinzorig

Satan's panic

chinzorig — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 10:43:14 +0700

Recently, we had a disturbing news that in Bayankhongor province (where the Church is growing significantly) one of Mongolian top monks paid a visit with several dozens of monks and a parliament member to discourage the local people coming to Christ. They challenged the local government to take the Church land back from the Churches and arrest the leaders of Church. This is a direct violation of human rights. But, Church attendance doubled the following Sunday!

There is a high chance for Bayankhongor province to become a Christian province in Mongolia. Let the Kingdom come!

Here I go...

chinzorig — Fri, 04 May 2007 02:13:51 +0700

Hello Friends!

I am excited to start my very own blog... in English! Thanks for your patience as I figure out this blogging thing.

I've chosen this photo because it's me overlooking the beautiful capital city of Ulaanbaatar -- a great View from Mongolia.

I should also point out that the nice photo in the masthead was taken by an Asian Access friend, Joshua Clayton.

If you have a question about Mongolia or any blogging advice for me, feel free to leave a comment.

Talk to you soon!

Chinzorig

New: "A View from Mongolia" launched!

chinzorig — Thu, 03 May 2007 21:30:49 +0700

Congratulations!

Chinzorig, if you can read this post, it means that the registration process was successful and that you can start blogging. Let me know if you have any questions about the process. - jj