From the Sedores in Mongolia - 2008 October 12
Four+ Months in
Mongolia
Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith."
It's easier to keep going when everyone is cheering (and praying) for us. "Everyone" includes You, our Teachers and the Heavenly Cloud of Witnesses plus One.
You: Thanks for your prayers and support:
- This month one church asked us to send a description of our work here and a little autobiography of our call to mission work in Mongolia. They are going to publish a Missionary prayer booklet for their members with two pages for each ministry. That should significantly increase our prayer support.
- Another church reported that they read one of our blog entries entitled, "Daily Flexibility" at tone of their worship services (http://www.LJMonGO.blogspot.com)
- Some supporters send us emails. One supporter, on Sunday School class and a Women's Bible Study sent us encouraging cards last month.
- Several churches project our photo on the screen on Sunday mornings (if you want our photo, reply & we'll send it to you). Most churches post this monthly letter on a bulletin board and include our blog comments in their.
Our Teachers:
This week we invited two new Mongolian language teachers and our two
Mongolian tutors to join us for a couple hours at our apartment.
We played a game Liz invented that I call "Mongolian Password."
Two teams have cards with a Mongolian word written on each card.
One team member tries to get the other team members to say the word,
but we can only speak Mongolian.
As we played, all the Mongolians, even the members of the other team, rooted for Liz and me as we struggled with our Mongolian vocabulary. Everyone was cheering us in. (Jim's team won by 2 points!)
Cloud of Witnesses:
Hebrews 12:1-2 (above) reminds me that there is a cloud of heavenly
witnesses cheering for us. These men and women of faith have
finished their race and know the joy of eternal life with God.
Plus One: And most important, God is for us. Romans 8:31 "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Thank you for your prayers this month:
-
Language learning and relationships with our teacher:
We had a break through this month when our new language knocked on our apartment door one evening and tearfully asked for our help. She knew she was not doing a good job and she didn't know what to do. Liz spent an hour comforting and counseling her and that made a big difference in the quality of her teaching and our relationship. Please pray that we can continue to work together on language learning methods and that our relationship continues to improve. -
Family Health
On September 30th, Liz's mother, Delores, fell and broke 3 bones in her face and one in her wrist. She spent 3 days in the hospital and the doctors decided that she was too frail for surgery. Liz's sister is caring for Delores but we are discussing home care options. Please pray for our wisdom as we discuss options for Delores' care. -
Our Health:
Both of us have had colds in September and the lasting snow arrived on October 7th. Maybe the cold will kill some of the germs? Jim had an infection in his foot that required some antibiotics but is now gone. In October, Liz will go to a clinic for her biannual white blood count. Please continue to pray for our health. -
Our Support:
Several churches have written confirming their 2009 budget plans to support us. We know the economic news can be frightening and we thank you for your continued support. We all trust in God for each dollar, each day and each heart beat. Matthew 6:31-33 says, "So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be given to you as well."
Look at our blog for new photos and updates. http://www.LJMonGO.blogspot.com. You can print off any of the photos and stories on our blog and post them on your church bulletin board!
Thank you for your prayers and support,
Jim & Liz Sedore, Covenant Missionaries in MongoliaW