Why am I in Mongolia?

By Lisa Fieguth

Three years ago, I didn’t know where Outer Mongolia was. It sounded like the most remote place on earth. Never could I have envisioned living there. Yet, at fifty-three years old, I find myself living in this unknown and distant land. Why Mongolia?

For almost twenty years, my husband and I had served in a local church, he as pastor, and me in the role of a pastor’s wife. About three years ago, we felt that God was moving us on. The church was healthy and growing, our children were grown and out on their own, and we wanted our remaining years to make a difference for the Kingdom. When we asked God what we should do next, we never expected that He would have us sell our home and move to a foreign country half way around the world in order to teach Mongolian English teachers how to improve their English and teaching skills.

Mongolia is an emerging third world country with very poor health care, limited products, corruption in government, and high unemployment and poverty. As a result, there is alcoholism, marital abuse, and most places look like a war zone because of dirt and disrepair. I am not like my husband who is an ex-Marine officer and thrives on challenges. I like my clean, secure and comfortable home, with my children close by, and the support of family and friends. Living in Mongolia has been very difficult for me, and I am often homesick. As a result, I find myself asking, “Why has God brought me here?”

If I were to ask our friends and family, they would say we have come here for a “great adventure.” To be sure, there have been times of adventure as we have seen and experienced many amazing things: Buddhist ceremonies held in a temple (most foreigners never see these), Nadaam (the Mongolian version of the Olympics with the three manly sports, wrestling, horse racing, and archery), visiting the South Gobi, riding camels, holding a hawk, and helping to prepare and eat horhog (Mongolian barbecue). We have seen them cut a slit in a sheep's chest, reach in and hold the aorta until it dies, then skin it, clean the intestines, save the blood and hang the meat in the sun with a cow dung fire under it to keep the flies away. Over the next three days, the whole animal is consumed after cooking it with hot rocks. But these are not every day occurrences.

For the most part, life is routine and very hard. Many products are unavailable, there is no hot water for dishes or showers for most of the year, the power go out regularly, and sometimes there is no running water for days. Winter lasts for eight months and often we step out into -35 degree weather only to have our eyelashes instantly freeze together. The Mongolian language is one of the hardest to learn in the world and we often feel like a toddler when we try to communicate. Travel is difficult. We have been stuffed into a small car with seven other adults and five children. Once while traveling on a train we were in a compartment intended to accommodate four adults and it was jammed with ten. We had to sleep all night sitting up. In the middle of the Gobi, we were stranded overnight and slept in a van with eleven other Mongolians. Then there are the times I was sick; throwing up violently from being fed some bad food when I was a guest at a ger (yurt). Those are the times when living in Mongolia doesn’t feel like a “wonderful adventure." So why did God bring me here?

Many are in darkness that is like a subterranean cave void of light. Shamanism is prevalent as well as Buddhism. Tuesday is a bad luck day and many people avoid travel on that day. There are ovoo’s on top of many hills by the road sides, a place where travelers stop to leave offerings, say prayers, and then walk around it three times so their travels will be safe. Our neighbor sprinkles milk every morning to the four compass points for good fortune and the local school director visits the "Mother Tree" every time he makes a big decision or travels so the tree can speak to him.

I want to bring hope and freedom in the midst of the darkness. But we have also found that Mongolians are a strong and hearty people striving to make Mongolia and their personal lives better. They have learned to live with illnesses, hunger, death, poverty, and still be happy. They live in gers with no water or electricity, wear the same clothes every day, and many are missing most of their teeth. Yet they will show great hospitable and kindness to strangers. We came here to help them, but often we are the ones who need help in this foreign environment. So I wonder: is this really the reason God has brought me here?

Part of the reason may be for adventure and to bring a message of hope to the people, but I have come to see it is mostly for my good that I have been brought here. I have been stripped like a baby at birth of home, children, family and friends. My successes and talents are useless here. Suddenly I am “a nobody” and can’t do anything. I can’t even talk to people or understand them! All the comforts of life are gone as well. There are no automatic washers and dryers or dishwashers. I don't have a car to drive. There are no Costco’s, Safeway’s, or Sears. I can't drive through Burger King or get a Star Bucks. They don’t even celebrate the same holidays as we do. All that is familiar, all that is convenient, is gone.

So, all that is left is God. He has my full attention and I see him more clearly than I have in years. I see His providence, his comfort, and his supplying all my needs. Prayer has become more important, and He answers in amazing ways. My trust in Him has grown. I have seen the depths of his love in new ways and it has caused me, after 30 years of knowing Him, to fall in love with Jesus all over again. In the midst of the loneliness, sickness, and hardships, I have received a precious gift that I couldn’t get anywhere else. I can truly say that I am glad that God has brought me to Mongolia because He has used it to change my heart forever.