OTOÑO RAPIDO / FAST FALL

Hello everyone! In this newsletter, we want to share what has happened over the months of August, September, and October.

Following the summer school program and the return to America of Aemilii’s parents, things in the city have mostly returned to normal. Although Azka’s situation became complicated for a while, it has taken a positive turn over the last few months; it is now doing better than ever. We are essentially waiting for God’s final miracle—for Azka to be with us permanently, if it is His will. For now, we must wait, but things have calmed down significantly, and Azka has begun attending kindergarten a few days a week. This has allowed Aemilii to return to the office and teach English classes.

In August, I participated in the VETNet men’s retreat, and Aemilii attended the women’s retreat in September. These are always very special, yet completely different, experiences. The men go camping—we bring some food along, and on the way, we pick up two sheep! The women, meanwhile, stay at a hotel and enjoy some spa time.

At the end of August, we hosted a summer camp for the children of our office staff. There were about 60 children, ranging in age from 2 to 16. We organized it alongside other missionaries and members of the organization’s staff. We held it on a property where the organization sees livestock. The girls slept inside the house, while the boys and those of us serving as staff stayed in tents. Everything went very well, thank God—despite a storm that blew in overnight; those of us in the tents nearly got carried away by the wind!

Aemilii was in charge of some of the activities, while my role was to look after Azka and help with the food. Keeping an eye on Azka turned out to be quite easy, as he had a group of "followers"—girls between the ages of 10 and 13—who took it upon themselves to keep him entertained and well-fed. 

Then autumn arrived—and has already passed… During those months, we had the opportunity to attend two weddings. One was for the daughter of a woman who works here at our office; she married the grandson of a woman we had met out in the countryside. In the summer of 2024, that woman accepted Christ and became part of the church that started in her community at that time. In the autumn of 2025, I visited that community and saw her at the church. At the wedding this year, I went over to greet her, and she mentioned that the last time we had seen each other, we had prayed for her hand—which was having some issues—and God healed it. I hadn’t expected the conversation to take that turn; I don’t even recall praying for her, but glory to God that He healed her!

The other wedding was for one of our summer teachers, who also occasionally attends our Bible study. He, wants to be a missionary and is currently working with a Christian organization alongside his wife. Also, in August, we said goodbye to Myanga, Dogii, and their son, Itgel-Uils (“Acts of Faith”). They are a couple we support, and they have left to serve as missionaries in Kazakhstan. Interestingly, Dogii is the granddaughter of the woman whose hand God healed. We met this couple back in 2024, out in the countryside. Mongolia is huge in terms of territory, yet it feels small—much like Costa Rica—in that everyone seems to know everyone else.

We have begun our summer Bible study for teachers again on Tuesdays. Like many things in ministry, it has its ups and downs. Sometimes very few people attend, while at other times, many show up. Yet, we know that God is at work in each of them.

We also started an English club for students on Wednesdays. There are new faces, and sometimes the turnout is quite large. At other times, the usual regulars attend—a group we care for deeply—including Chuduro, who gave her life to Christ last year.

Now the story of this newsletter… I have just returned from a trip to the countryside. The plan was for the three of us—Aemilii, Azka, and me—to go along with another person from the office. The trip was originally scheduled for September but was postponed until October. Furthermore, the fuel situation here in Mongolia has become complicated once again. Given the cold weather and the fuel issues, we decided it would be best for Aemilii and Azka to stay behind. Besides, kindergarten had just started, and we didn’t want to pull our child out for two weeks. So, I ended up going with two younger men from the office.

The trip involved traveling to three provinces to provide sheep to families in need, share the Gospel, and visit churches. These provinces are located in eastern Mongolia—an area we had never visited before. I drove our vehicle, and we encountered no problems along the way; this part of Mongolia is quite flat, so even if you get lost, it’s not too difficult to cross the open terrain and find your way back to the right path.Overall, the trip went very well. Another part of my mission was to disciple these two young men; each day, we held devotions together and studied the Book of Galatians. Since it was just the three of us, the trip was enjoyable but exhausting. I took on the roles of driver, cook, Bible teacher, and more—I barely had any time to take photos.

Because we visited so many locations, I won’t go into detail about each one as I usually do. Instead, I will highlight a few specific places. In Khentii Province, we arrived at night in the county of Bayan-Adrag—the first county we visited. Driving at night where there are no lights or established roads is extremely difficult. The following day was Sunday, and I was asked to lead a lesson at the church. I taught a class on how to study the Bible—a lesson I always keep prepared, one I have delivered many times, and which is fundamental here in Mongolia. In that same town, after the church service, we gave sheep, shared the Gospel, and visited two families before moving on.

In Sukhbaatar Province, we visited many towns. We had hoped to visit some of the churches, but for various reasons, the church leaders were not in town—some were attending conferences in the capital, while others were at the hospital following the birth of a child. Nevertheless, we were able to share the Gospel in every location, and in the town of Uul-Bayan, we had the opportunity to meet with some fellow Christians. In Mongolia, a child’s first haircut is an important milestone, typically celebrated between the ages of three and four. As it happened, our visit coincided with several of these celebrations; on a number of occasions, we found ourselves in homes packed with people and plenty of food. Even so, we still managed to share the Gospel.

In the province of Dornod, we visited two counties. In both, we gave away sheep and shared the Gospel. We also visited the local churches and spoke with their leaders. In both instances, we were able to leave behind some materials we had brought with us—Bibles, audio Bibles, books, tracts, and Sunday school resources.

During this trip, we visited many families and shared the Gospel with many people, yet no one committed their life to Christ at that moment. On other trips, we have seen varying numbers of people—sometimes a few, sometimes many—come to Christ. I know that for many, this may have simply been the planting of a seed; perhaps someone else will reap the harvest, while others may never make that decision. Still, it is somewhat sad to invest so much effort and so many resources without seeing immediate results.

This week, it was my turn to lead the Tuesday Bible study. The lesson focused on Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, one week before His crucifixion. In this account, some people ask what is happening and express a desire to see Christ. Jesus pauses and shares the Gospel with the crowd, telling them that now is the time to repent and believe in the Light (John 12:12–50). His message to the people is very clear; nevertheless, the Bible notes that the Jews continued in their unbelief—a development that was part of the fulfillment of prophecy.

37-40Even after Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him.This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:“Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn—and I would heal them.”

Even so, Jesus was more direct and more bold:

44-50Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.  I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.“If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.  There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day. For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken.  I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”

This makes me reflect on the fact that people did not believe Jesus Himself; they witnessed signs and miracles, yet they did not believe. They saw prophecies fulfilled before their very eyes, and still, they did not believe. Yet, Jesus chose to keep sharing—to remain clear and firm in His message. And that is all we can do: be clear and obedient in sharing the message of salvation, leaving the rest of the work to God, who, in His mercy, opens and softens hearts. I am very proud of my team, who were obedient, diligent, and courageous in sharing the Gospel time and again.