Pray For…Mongolia

Stats
•Population – 3,086,918
•Percentage of Evangelicals – 0.5%
•Total Number of People Groups – 3
•Number of Unreached People Groups – 3
•Language Spoken – Khalkha Mongol (90%), Turkic, Russian
•Major Religion – Buddhist Lamaist (50%), Shamanist, Christian, Muslim
•Human Development Rank – 115
•Persecution Index – N/A

Once the largest land empire known on earth in the 13th century stretching from the Korean peninsula to eastern Europe, Mongolia shrunk back to its origins and fell under Chinese occupation in the late 17th century. With the help of the Soviet Union, Mongolia gained its independence in 1921 and instated a Communist regime that persisted until democratic elections were held in 1990. The land that Mongolia currently has authority over does not represent the historic Mongolian land. In fact, there are more Mongols that live in the Inner Mongolian Autonomous Region than live in Mongolia itself. Nevertheless, the nomadic culture of the Mongols lives on in Mongolia. Much of the population live in rural areas raising livestock. The capital, Ulaanbaatar is the only large city in all the country. Even in the capital, most people live in small tent structures called yurts which may or may not have electricity and do not have indoor plumbing. The economic situation in Mongolia has been poor for years. Harsh winters and summers combined with inflation have made it difficult for many Mongolians. Mongolia relies heavily on their neighbors for many things like energy and foreign trade. Prior to Communist rule, almost all Mongolians were Buddhist. Buddhism declined during the Communist regime but has been on the rise since the fall of Communism. All three of people groups in Mongolia are considered unreached. The church in Mongolia is growing slowly, but it is in need of strong native leadership.

•Pray for God to show himself mighty during this hard economic situation.
•Pray for the work of the Gospel among the people groups of Mongolia.
•Pray for believers in Mongolia to stand strong and share the faith.
•Ask the Lord to raise up members of His body in the Word and faith