Tom Lin

It became official. After 3 nights of celebrations last week, the Fellowship of Christian Students (IFES-Mongolia) appointed its first Mongolian national to become the General Secretary (head) of the student movement.  I just returned from my 4 days there, and here are brief reflections from my trip…

* BIRTH OF A NEW INDIGENOUS MOVEMENT!
Day #1 in Mongolia began with some training that I was asked to do for the Mongolian staff. But to my surprise, I was asked to do it in MONGOLIAN. Needless to say, I confronted my fear of language right away . Later that night, the first of the 3-night celebration, it was a privilege for me to give the on the theme of “Repentance and Mission”, encouraging both student leaders and Mongolian staff to begin with a humble posture of repentance before the Lord as this new era begins. I ended with an invitation to repent and confess faith in Jesus as Lord and Savior, and 3 Mongolian students responded for the first time in their lives!

Day #2 was spent mostly with former Mongolian staff that Nancy and I raised up. Even though they’ve left full-time FCS ministry, they continue to serve now as Board members of FCS. I was glad for the opportunity to encourage them in their Board service, but it was probably I who was encouraged the most . The highlight by far was evening #3, the official commissioning ceremony of General Secretary, Shagai. With special guests from Korea, Hong Kong, the IFES Oxford office, Mongolian pastors, heads of mission agencies in Mongolia, former missionaries, FCS alumni and students present, we witnessed a beautiful thing. Shagai was prayed over, to steward the future of the movement. He then proceeded to share his vision for the next 3 years. I couldn’t have been prouder of Shagai. The night ended with recognition of the missionaries and supporters who helped plant FCS. It truly is because of the support and investment of many of you, that the birth of this new movement was possible. So, THANK YOU, and join me in rejoicing in this new era of the Mongolian student movement!

* HOW WAS RE-CONNECTING TO LIFE IN MONGOLIA?
It’s still dusty, freezing cold, and the mutton tastes the same . But since we left in 2006, much has changed! I was amazed to see high speed wireless internet (vs. the slow dial-up access we had) and FCS alumni utilizing webcams in communicating with each other. While the country has gone through significant modernization, it has also faced significant inflation. In less than 3 years, the cost of typical meals and foods have tripled, and bus fares have gone from 10 cents to 40 cents! It has led to a larger divide between the poor and the rich, and led to FCS needing to increase the salaries of its staff (and its budget) in order to keep up with the inflation. Thankfully, there are now a number of FCS alumni working at high-salary jobs that can help support the ministry. I enjoyed re-connecting with these alumni, who are now impacting society through their jobs at Mongolian banks, universities, and NGOs such as World Vision and Food for the Hungry.

* WHAT’S ON DECK AND PRAYER REQUESTS
For the next 30 days, I’ll continue with a full travel schedule, with half of my work out-of-town. Please pray for Nancy and the kids during this busy season, for protection on them and me. Pray for my leadership in upcoming meetings, the Holy Spirit’s anointing for my speaking engagements, and greater effectiveness in ministry for my staff through my supervision. Here’s what’s immediately on deck:

Mar 7-27, IVCF CityLights St. Louis Urban Plunge. During spring break, InterVarsity will host 3 one-week urban “plunges” for hundreds of students and staff from within and outside the region. Students will learn, serve, and live out the gospel in the neighborhoods of urban St. Louis. Pray specifically by seeing http://www.citylightsstl.org/.

Mar 17, 24, Supervisory Visits to Cedar Rapids (IA) and Kansas. I will spend a day working with Lindsay Olesberg, my Associate Regional Director in Iowa, on the future of staff training and leadership development in our region. Then I fly the following week to Kansas to check-in with Tim Lin, my Area Director in KC.

Mar 27-31, IFES Global Planning Committee (Germany). Our global association of evangelical student movements, IFES hosts a “World Assembly” every 4-5 years. I’ve been asked to give leadership to it as the North American representative.

Mar 31-Apr 3, IVCF National Leadership Meetings (Madison). I fly straight from Frankfurt to Madison, for our annual meetings with Area Directors and Regional Directors from around the country. We’ll be focusing on the topic of “growth” and strategies related to growing InterVarsity’s work on campuses.