Tom Lin

Today, we just bought and signed a contract for our new Mongolia FCS OFFICE! Through the generosity of a Hong Kong investor, we now have a much needed 5-room office, located near several major universities. This purchase will enable FCS to students to meet for bible studies, overnight camps, prayer meetings, etc. Thank you for being on your knees.

We also praise Dad for the continued openness that Mongolians have to the good news. At our March 13th FCS “large group” meeting, over 70 NEW students showed up (130 total), more than DOUBLING the usual number of students. Two weeks later, the mother of one FCS student, Annie (featured in our December p.letter), experienced an amazing conversion from being one who hates Jesus to one who loves Him. Annie no longer needs to hide her Bible at home, nor does she need to lie about her faith anymore!

To see recent pictures of large group meetings, our first Mongolian wedding, FCS anniversary celebration, and many OTHER NEW PICTURES (from Feb-March), go to: http://www.tomandnancylin.com/photos/

Last month we also began TEACHING ENGLISH at National Teacher’s College, which trains teachers to be sent all over the country. We each teach one class of freshman, who have little or no English background. (Also, NONE have ever heard of “Jesus” or the Christian faith). This is part of our strategic plan to reach several universities in Ulaanbaatar where there is no Christian witness. We will also be planting a 2nd FCS group beginning this summer to accomplish this mission. More details about this pioneering effort will be included in our next hard copy p.letter.

Some of you have asked, “What does your regular week look like?” This semester, our focus continues to be on Mongolian language study, staff leadership development, strategic planning, and preparing for pioneering the 2nd FCS group. To see our detailed TYPICAL SCHEDULE, go to:
http://www.tomandnancylin.com/updates/weekly_schedule.pdf . Please PRINT it out and pray through it!

Finally, we’ve also had many a-typical things happening in the last few weeks (e.g. buying a new office). On March 19-24, the WCCC TEAM arrived and encouraged us tremendously. On March 26-28, we held an FCS DISCIPLESHIP CAMP for our 18 of our members who we are preparing for leadership next year. And on April 4-5, Tom and teammate Lee hosted a MEN’S NIGHT with the FCS guys, which included prayer together, Lee teaching a lecture on “Understanding Sexual Relationships”, and of course, playing soccer.

And just THIS WEEK, the IFES-East Asia Regional Secretary and Mission Secretary visited us and we enjoyed discussing many long-term issues relating to Mongolia FCS (staff sabbatical/development policy, plan for financial independence, staff recruitment, book translation and press ministry, setting up a graduate ministry, etc.). We continue to be in awe of the opportunity that Dad has given us to serve here and to influence/shape this new student movement.

- - - - - - - - OTHER APRIL-MAY REQUESTS - - - - - - - -

1. EXPLORATORY TRIP TO DARHAN CITY. On APRIL 12-15, we along with the 4 Mongolian staff will visit the 2nd largest city in Mongolia (est. 100,000 population). It is about a 6 hour train ride from Ulaanbaatar. Our goals are to (a) visit existing ministries and other like-minded people to learn from them, (b) visit a branch of National Technical University and Darhan College, the 2 largest universities in Darhan, and (c) build relationships within our own team. Please lift us up during these few days.

2. REGISTERING WITH THE GOVERNMENT. In addition to purchasing a new office, we’ve also had to meet often with lawyers to officially register FCS as an “NGO”. After filing many documents and being initially approved by the Mongolian Parliament, the final approval has been delayed due to additional scrutiny over the “Christian” nature of our group. Another committee will be meeting next Friday to decide whether or not to accept our registration. Please pray for a YES, and for a smooth completion of this process.

3. DOUBLE-DUTY for TOM. On APRIL 21-MAY 16, our teammate Lee will be heading back to Korea for much needed rest and medical vaccinations for his children. During that time, Tom will have to shoulder Lee’s responsibilities in addition to his usual work. Please pray for strength for Tom, and wisdom in leading efficiently and effectively.

4. (PERSONAL) ENCOURAGEMENT and PHYSICAL PROTECTION. In addition to our workload, last month was particularly discouraging because of two ILLNESSES that Nancy suffered, one of which forced her to be bedridden for 6 straight days. We’ve had to make several trips to the hospital, where the conditions are poor. There was stress from watching scenes from the war, yet being so far from America. Spring has also brought DUSTSTORMS to Ulaanbaatar, and our hot water has occasionally been shut off for several days at a time. To top it all off, we seem to have hit a mental block in our Mongolian LANGUAGE LEARNING. We’ve questioned Dad, “Are we supposed to be here? Why are we here? Why at this stage of our lives?” We’ve had moments of encouragement, but we hope that you can continue being on your knees for us.

5. THREE UPCOMING FCS CAMPS. We will be holding camps for FCS Cell Leaders (April 18-19), non-believers (April 25-26), and Cell Members (May 2-3). Mongolian students tend to learn best through these intensive weekend seminars and fellowship times. Please pray for these camps, esp. the 4 Mongolian staff who will assume most of the leadership for these times.

6. IFES EAST ASIA REGIONAL CONFERENCE (EARC). On MAY 7-13, we will head to Malaysia for EARC, a student conference every 3 years that gathers participants from all East Asian countries. We will be attending along with our teammate Lee and 2 Mongolian staff, Marta and Borgio. It will be Marta and Borgio’s first time outside Mongolia and first time on a plane! This will be a key time for them to learn about the broader international IFES movement and to receive some specialized staff training. On MAY 13-16, Tom will stay on for REGIONAL SUPPORT GROUP (RSG), meetings with General Secretaries from each country. Please lift up Marta and Borgio, Nancy who is preparing our team for EARC, as well as EARC itself which is facing challenges due to the SARS epidemic.

With Love and Thanks,
Tom and Nancy

**For more info about our work: www.tomandnancylin.com
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