Tom Lin

Last weekend, April 8-10, we led the first-ever Mongolian National Staff Conference. Thanks for your prayers, as the conference turned out to be a watershed event for our staff. Several of our staff who were considering leaving the ministry decided to re-commit for a term, in large part due to the retreat and teaching by our speaker, Annette Arulrajah (General Secretary of Malaysia-FES). The 3 goals of the retreat were “Revival of our Spirit”, “Revival of our Bodies”, and “Revival of our Relationships”. Together we explored our calling as God’s people, reflected on God’s work in our lives, and spent time building our staff relationships. We also rode Mongolian horses and played a bit in the snow!

The theme of revival was deeply impacting for our 8 Mongolian staff and 8 foreign staff. Tom also led a Bible study on Moses’ Calling in Exodus. Borgio, one of our senior staff, shared, “I am just like Moses. I’m afraid to answer God’s call to more responsibility and senior leadership because (a) I think no one will follow me, (b) I think I have no leadership gifts or abilities, and (c) I’m looking for a stress-free, “easy” place to work. But after this retreat, everything has changed. Although I’m still scared, I want to answer God’s call to leadership.”

The journey to the campground was also an adventure, as our bus broken down along the way. We had challenges cooking our own food and washing the dishes (in the bathroom sinks). It was also freezing. But all of these only helped our staff team come together and relate more deeply during the retreat. We praise God for His wonderful work in our staff and hope to make this an annual tradition for this young Mongolian movement.

*NEW PICTURES from the staff conference in the countryside have been posted! Click on http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomandnancylin/.

In other news from Mongolia:

* Look Who’s Talking. .Abby is talking non-stop these days, incl. 3-word phrases such as “Up mommy please!”
* Look Who’s Praying. Every few hours, Abby will randomly say “Mommy, daddy, Abby, Jesus name, Amen!”
* Easter Celebrations. On April 11, all 3 FCS chapters in Ulaanbaatar gathered to worship and celebrate Easter. On April 17, the FCS2 fellowship helped organize the first-ever Easter outreach program/party at their key target school, Ulaanbaatar University.
* Anti-Government Demonstrations. Recently, there have been large daily protests against the government’s position on Mongolia’s natural resources, corruption, and education. No major violence has erupted yet, but police have been called to guard the Parliament building 24 hours a day.
* FCS Admin/Headquarters Office Purchased! Through your generosity, FCS was able to purchase an office (3-room apartment) which will be used for FCS finances and admin, book translation projects, staff meetings and staff training, and graduate ministry.
* Staff Housing Soon-to-be Purchased! A generous supporter will soon buy an apartment to be used for FCS staff housing. This will be given to our staff rent-free, which would also make it possible for them to live together in community. Without this, our Mongolian staff could never afford to live independently from home (they currently still live with their families), where they face heavy persecution.

- - - - - - PRAYER REQUESTS [FEEL FREE TO PRINT & POST] - - - - - -

1. STAFF PERFORMANCE REVIEWS, APRIL 19-21. All three of our 4th year staff (Chuka, Marta, and Borgio) will go through an intensive review with Tom and Lee, our Korean partner. We will focus on whether it is best for these staff to commit to another 2-year term, as their current term ends this June. Please pray for God to speak into this process, as our staff desperately seek to hear from Him. Also pray for what role they will play in the future of FCS, as we seek to give over more leadership to the Mongolian nationals.

2. INTERVARSITY TEAMMATE, CHRIS LOOSE. Chris has been serving here since August 2005, and has made tremendous strides in learning the Mongolian language. While still studying full-time, Chris has recently begun serving more regularly with our FCS1 chapter, doing everything from periodic speaking to teaching English Bible Study. Tom meets with Chris weekly to supervise and support him in his ministry. Please pray that the Lord would continue to make Chris’ language lessons effective and bring fruit from his service with FCS1. Also pray for Chris’ development as a staff worker and his meetings with Tom.

3. 2006 SUMMER SHORT-TERM TEAMS. Yes, the short-term mission teams are about to come already! In June, we will be hosting 3 teams from America, Canada/Hong Kong, and Singapore. They will help FCS reach new students through organizing an “English friendship camp.” However, this month is critical for finalizing the number of people on each team, preparing for travel, and planning for the camps. Pray esp. for the recruitment of short-termers, as 2 of these 3 teams are short of their recruitment goals at this time. Also pray for Chris, Chun, and Naraa, who will be coordinating the FCS1, 2, 3 camps respectively.

4. PHYSICAL HEALTH FOR OUR FAMILY. Please ask the Lord to protect our bodies. Spring is the harshest season of the year because the weather varies each day - from the cold Mongolian winter temperatures to sunny, dry summer weather. One thing that’s common is that most days it’s windy with duststorms. Abby recently caught a cold. Nancy’s been feeling tired and weak for the past few weeks. And Tom has been experiencing uncommon headaches recently.

With Much Love,
Tom and Nancy
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