MONGOLIA Mongolia today is changing rapidly with a mining boom and a fast growing economy. Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s national capital has traffic jams and gleaming new hotels. In the countryside, nomads send text messages on their cell phones on horseback and watch TV powered by solar panels in their yurts (portable round felt tents called ger).

In 2010 Mongolia celebrated 20 Years of the Democratic Revolution; in 2011 Christians celebrated 20 Years of the Mongolian church. Foreign Christians are welcome to come and help this dynamic country develop and to work alongside Mongolian Christian brothers and sisters.

Population History Soviet-style communism dramatically • Capital: Ulaanbaatar In 1206, gifted chieftain Temujin from a changed Mongolian life, bringing nearly • Population: 2.7 million small tribe called “Mongol” conquered 100 percent literacy, education, hospitals • Density: 1.7 per square km and united warring tribes and was and agriculture. However, Stalinist purges • 90.9% Mongolian proclaimed “Genghis Khan,” meaning “king also occurred and people were fearful of • 6.6% Turkic (mostly Kazakh) of vastness.” He saw himself as appointed neighbor spying against neighbor. • 2.5% Other (Chinese, Russian) by heaven to subdue the nations. He Influenced by sweeping changes in and his descendants created the world’s Eastern Europe, young Mongolians began Religions largest continuous land empire in history, demonstrating in Ulaanbaatar in December from the Pacific Ocean to Central Europe. 1989, and thousands demonstrated for • Buddhism 35.3% Ruling over , his grandson Kublai political change in 1990. Communist one- • Shamanism/ animism-nature Khan established the Yuan Dynasty and party rule was renounced later that year worship 32.4% moved China’s capital from Xi’an to . and a multi-party democracy was instituted • Non-religious/other 26.5% Trade and the exchange of ideas was with a new constitution in January 1992. • Muslim 4.1% increased between Asia and Europe, and Today there are elections in which the • Christian 1.7% historians now view the Pax Mongolica as democratic coalitions compete with the a forerunner to Christopher Columbus and Mongolian People’s Party (formerly the Language globalization. Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Party, The official Mongolian language is In 1368 the Ming Dynasty was established, or, Communist Party). Power shifts back Khalkh Mongolian, a Ural-Altaic language with Han Chinese chasing their former and forth between the different parties. unrelated to Chinese but related to Korean, Mongolian rulers back to the north. To Hungarian, Finnish and Turkish. English has prevent the Mongolians from rising up been declared the official second language again, the Ming Dynasty encouraged Contemporary Mongolia Mongolia is traditionally home to nomadic of Mongolia, and foreign English teachers Tibetan Buddhist monks to convert herding peoples, but due to desertification are continually requested. In addition, Mongolia to Tibetan Buddhism to pacify and harsh winters (and the resulting in Korean, Russian, Chinese and Japanese are the once great warrior people. During the widespread livestock deaths), many have widely taught. Manchurian Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) migrated to Ulaanbaatar. With 1.2 million, Mongolia became absorbed into Chinese about a third of Mongolia’s population, territory. The southern Mongolians, Geography Ulaanbaatar is reeling with change. Some closer to Beijing, were more loyal to the Mongolia is almost the size of Western nomadic herders are better off than their Qing rulers and their land became known Europe. It is completely landlocked, with town cousins, who migrate to Ulaanbaatar as “Inner Mongolia,” while rebellious Russia in the north and China in the south. and other towns in search of work in the Mongolian leaders to the north ruled There are mountains in the north and hope of a better life. Those who cannot over what came to be known as “Outer west, larch and taiga forests in the north, find adequate work in Ulaanbaatar seek to Mongolia.” the Gobi Desert in the south and steppes work in South Korea and other countries. (grassy plains with rolling hills) in the “Outer Mongolia” declared independence central part of the country. from China at the deposing of China’s last emperor in 1911. But de facto independence came in 1921 with Climate the leadership of a young Mongolian The climate is extremely harsh. Temperatures nationalist D. Sukhbaatar, with great help of range from -40°F (-40°C) to 104°F (40°C). the Soviet Union. The Mongolian People’s Winters are very long, lasting from October Republic was announced in 1924. The city to April. of Urga was renamed “Ulaan Baatar” or “Red Hero,” and became the capital city.

OMF INTERNATIONAL • 10 W. Dry Creek Circle • Littleton, CO 80120-4413 303.730.4160 • 800.422.5330 • (f) 303.730.4165 • [email protected] With a mining boom and a nascent IT health drink, and its oil is sought after, in Western media, most sector, some Mongolians are doing quite not only for health, but also for its use by that have entered Mongolia are not well. There is a construction boom, with foreign cosmetic companies. American, but Korean. Half of missionaries many of the laborers imported from China Three worldviews live side-by-side in to Mongolia have come from South Mongolia: pre-modernism of sacred cairns Korea, with others having come from on mountain tops, with shamans beating approximately 30 nations. drums in esoteric rituals and Tibetan After seven decades of sterile atheism with chanting Buddhist lamas; modernism with the State being god-like, many Mongolians square Soviet-era buildings, atheists and have returned to Buddhism, which jaded ex-communists who used to look has been re-established as Mongolia’s forward to a workers’ paradise; and post- national religion. There are now about 200 modernism, including visiting Indian gurus monasteries and more than 3,000 lamas. and new age spiritualities, in which many Since the early 1990s, Chrisitianity has seek to get rich. spread rapidly. Union Bible Training Center (now Union Bible Theological College) was established in 1995, bringing together a and even North Korea. Religion and few training schools, emerging Mongolian Foreign mining companies compete for The most famous Mongolian in history, Christian leaders and missionaries Mongolia’s vast deposits of copper, gold, Genghis Khan, worshiped the Eternal Blue from different countries in 1995. The coal and other mineral deposits. Foreign Sky and consulted shamans, but also had Mongolian Evangelical Alliance (MEA), businessmen dine with Mongolian Buddhists, Christians and Muslims in his which represents most churches, was businessmen and officials in classy court. Christianity had entered Mongolian founded in 1999. The first complete Bible restaurants and cafes. Many Mongolians lands as early possibly as the 7th century th was published in 2000, and Mongolian fear that Mongolia will have the “resource and certainly in the 10 century with churches and mission agencies began to curse” as with some African nations, with the Kherait tribe converting to Syriac send out missionaries to countries near foreign companies taking most of the (Nestorian) Christianity. and far. wealth and increasing the wealth divide Kublai Khan, whose mother was a Christian, In 2012 the Christian population is more between rich and poor. Others welcome was visited by Catholics (probably by Marco than 50,000, with approximately 400 Mongolia’s new wealth. Mongolia’s rapid Polo) and was attracted to Christianity. He churches. Many church members are changes are welcomed as well as loathed, wrote a letter to the Roman Pope to send young people, first-generation Christians. sparking anti-foreign sentiment in some 100 teachers of the Christian faith, but Yet there are also young Christian families quarters. only two were sent, and they turned back. and grandparents who bring wholeness to Agriculture has been developing in Kublai Khan later converted to Tibetan the churches. Mongolia, and the traditional Mongolian Buddhism, although he continued Genghis Christianity has become more acceptable, diet of meat and milk has been changing. Khan’s tolerance of different religious but there are still pockets of social Mongolians are learning that vegetables faiths. discrimination. Recently in the resurgence are good for health. Sea buckhorn, a berry th By the turn of the 20 Century, most of Mongolian nationalism, shamanism has extremely high in vitamin C, makes a good Mongolians were committed to Tibetan been growing by leaps and bounds, even Buddhism. Very few Mongolians were to the alarm of some officials. There is an Christians. The Communist Revolution of urgent need for trained church leaders, HOW TO PRAY 1921 resulted in purges in the 1930s and pastors and teachers. The church needs to 1940s. While Stalin purged the Orthodox mature on a solid biblical foundation. • Ask God to grant continued Church of Russia, Mongolian Marshall religious freedom in Mongolia. Choibalsan ordered the killing of 150,000 OMF International works under the auspices of an intra-agency called Joint • Pray that families would be healthy Buddhist lamas. Almost all monasteries were destroyed. Christian Services (JCS International) in and free from addiction to vodka. development, agriculture, education, In 1990 Mongolia began to open up to • Pray for workers who can reach out alcohol abuse reduction, medical training the world beyond the Soviet bloc. There to the less reached in Mongolia, and in small business development. JCS’ were less than 10 known Christians, with including Kazakhs and nomadic vision is “to see Mongolians building some having heard the gospel as students herders. and restoring families, churches and in underground meetings in East Germany communities.” • Ask God to bless local Christians and other countries. In 1990 a Mongolian and Christian workers from many New Testament based on the Good News nations with continued unity Bible was published. Many came to faith in Christ. through this book, as well as watching the • Intercede for Mongolian Jesus film, which was shown in Mongolian missionaries as they go out to cinemas. other Asian nations. Contrary to what has been portrayed