thomasterry.com

Hindsight and Foresight

2008-07-08T00:00:00+08:00

Now that I'm back into full swing in the office I want to provide some perspective about the effects of the Mongolian riots.

During the four day Sate of Emergency I read many comments from Mongolians, and even had a few discussions on the issue: Is Mongolia's Democracy Dead?

In short, not by a long shot.

You may have read blogs or comments online that the MPRP (that handily won last week's election) was intending to use the State of Emergency to take control of the country or reduce freedoms, democracy, the press, and so on. One person I talked with asked if this was a prelude to a declaration of martial law.

From where I sit, these kinds of verbal machinations are—and I want to be diplomatic when I say this—a great big fat load of fantasy crap. Mongolia's democracy is not dead. I don't see any telltale signs that the MPRP is going to seize power, restrict freedoms, or declare martial law. Nor do I think they want to. Claims such as this are just, just, just...crap. That's about as diplomatic as I can be.

The MPRP may not be the favorite party of a lot of people, but I don't think we can look at their activities of the last four years and credibly say they intend to return Mongolia to the days of communism or forced one-party rule. A smattering of my reasoning...

If the MPRP intended to restrict freedoms, then the State of Emergency would not have had a built-in four-day limit. It would have been open ended. As the days went by the government made clear that it fully intended to ensure the State of Emergency was lifted by the deadline. And of course, it was.
If martial law was really an option, it would have happened right away.

As it stands, one of the chief complaints many people have about the government is that it reacted too slowly to the riot threat. Oppressive regimes don't react slowly to threats, they usually react quickly and with overbearing demonstrations of force. That's not what happened last week. Yes, five people were killed, including four who were shot. But that's not an overbearing demonstration of force. Nor is tear gas. Nor are riot police. Nor are water cannons. The only overbearing demonstration of force that went on last week was that of the rioters who would not even allow emergency personnel to put out the fires!

As for seizing power, the MPRP doesn't need to seize power—they already have power through legitimate elections. Nor have they tried to wield excessive power that violates Mongolia's constitution.

There is some debate as to whether is was legal for President Enkhbayar to order all media shut down during the State of Emergency. Even Prime Minister Bayar admitted publicly on July 5th that there was no such legal requirement or allowance for such a move. But I'm not overly concerned with that issue. When buildings are burning and being ransacked and the government decides to take measures to protect life and property, I'm inclined to cooperate with their requests or orders. Cooperating with the order to stop broadcasting did not hurt democracy, or freedom of speech and press in the long term—not one bit. The propaganda that ran on State TV afterward was certainly bogus, but most people aren't fooled by that kind of garbage. Besides that, after four days everything was back to normal. So how was freedom or democracy hurt or impeded?

Now, these comments of mine should not be taken to mean that I don't think there wasn't some corruption going on during the elections. I'm not in a position to make such an accusation, but it would be ignorant to assume that there were no attempts in certain areas to skew election results. Heck, we've seen this in the U.S. Remember the efforts in Florida to validate invalid ballots during the 2000 election? In fact, one of the reasons given last week by protesters for their actions was that as poll results were coming in early in the day, their parties were winning. But as more results came later in the day they started losing ground. They therefore accused the MPRP of corrupting the results.

Did they corrupt the results? I have no clue. But I have heard this complaint before—in 2004. John Kerry's people said early in the day that exit polling gave them big leads. But by the end of the day Kerry had been crushed. Moral of the story? Early returns and incomplete exit polls are not a legitimate basis to protest an election!

I've already written about the direction that some MPs seem to want to take to legislate Eagle TV out of existence. There are some people of significance who hold us partly responsible for the riots simply because we provided live news coverage. But, let's be honest, even if the parliament found a way to legislate Eagle TV off the air, it doesn't automatically follow that freedom of speech or press in Mongolia would be completely dead. I don't want to give Eagle TV too much credit, but let's look at the facts.

Consider that Ulaanbaatar now has 12 terrestrial TV stations, plus many radio stations and numerous newspapers. While all of the stations except for Eagle TV are owned either by politicians or political interests, almost all of them have been influenced in one way or another by the work of Eagle TV. Live coverage of events, once an Eagle-only affair, is beginning to become normal. Live, uncensored viewer calls, once an Eagle-only affair, has been adopted by most stations in one form or another. In fact, once Eagle provides live coverage of a major event, the other stations usually feel compelled to contribute in some fashion. The influence of our values and practices is clearly felt across the industry, and in the halls of government.

Of course, it is my greatest hope that our work will continue unabated and unrestricted. There has been a great deal of growth in Mongolian journalism and freedom of press. But there is still a lot of work to be done and new ground to be broken. I want Eagle TV continue it's role of leadership in this area. But if we are legislated out of existence, I seriously doubt the powers that be, no matter what side of the isle they may be on, would be able to put the genie back in the bottle. Mongolian media has grown beyond that, and will continue to grow. I hope we will continue to be part of that growth, and help it reach maturity, faster.

In conclusion, a sober look at the political situation may reveal corruption on various sides at various levels. It may reveal serious problems in election practices and the execution of law. It may also reveal persistent problems in journalism and the practice of free press. But the existence of these problems, in my view, indicates growth—and it's growth for the better. Like it or not, the MPRP is part of that growth. The MPRP isn't perfect. But neither are the Dems, or the other parties. Step back and take a dispassionate look and you will see that the MPRP has contributed some very positive things to the development of Mongolia's democracy. To deny it is to dine on sour grapes.

Better Days

2008-07-07T11:09:50+08:00

It's good to leave behind the events of the last week and focus on better days—like today.

This morning during a 9am ceremony, Eagle TV Managing Director Bayarsaikhan Baljinnyam (Bayaraa) married Bayarmagnai Puntsag (Bayka) at Dawn of Love Christian Church. It was a wonderful ceremony.

Bayaraa has seen her life transform since recommitting herself wholeheartedly to Christ in January of this year. Her testimony and dedication have been an inspiration to many of our staff, and me!

Shortly after dedicating herself to Christ, Bayka came into her life. Bayka was in Denver for a number of years, pastoring a Mongolian church, and getting degrees in journalism, and ministry from Denver Theological Seminary. He returned to Mongolia last year with the intention to go back to the States and continue his ministry there. But the Lord had other plans.

Congrats to Bayka and Bayaraa. We wish them many happy years ahead.

Ground Under the Wheels of Propaganda?

2008-07-05T12:48:51+08:00

NOTE: I've re-enabled commenting for the site, but it requires users to sign up for an account. Almost two years ago I disabled it because of comment spam and a few abusers. With the events of the last week I thought it wise to turn commenting back on. But if comment spam or abusers get out of hand, well, off it goes. Commenting link is below the article.

I just completed a four-hour postmortem of the election/riot coverage with our senior staff. We spent a great deal of time going over details of election day coverage, and of course the riots that followed. As with all postmortems after a broadcast, we assessed our strengths and weakness, and how to make improvements. In the past, each time we've covered a major event like this, the nature of how the rest of the media covers them also changes. This is not meant as a boast. It's simply a statement of fact that the rest of the Mongolian media know—from the Gulf War coverage, to live viewer calls, to the presidential election, to the riots, virtually all other media here recognizes the leadership role of Eagle TV when it comes to setting new standards and taking risks.

In fact, this week I will be presenting awards and bonuses to the Eagle TV news and technical staff who, at the risk of their own lives, took extraordinary steps to provide live coverage of the riots.

We are keenly aware that the wheels of the propaganda machine are beginning to spin their long tale that Eagle TV was responsible for the riots. As I wrote in a previous blog entry, there is now significant discussion among members of parliament to force the shut down of Eagle by outlawing foreign ownership of media—even though other stations also carried live coverage of the riots. During the State of Emergency while only one TV station has been allowed to broadcast—under government control—the propaganda machine has begun churning.

Case in point, while we had our staff meeting today, State TV aired a live interview with a public relations officer of the police department in which he recounted how live media reports were irresponsibly urging on the protesters. We immediately broke from our meeting to watch the interview. While the officer didn't mention Eagle TV by name, the program only showed excerpts from Eagle TV's coverage (which, by the way, they acquired from our office). I stood with our senior staff and news team watching the interview. The implication was clear to everyone. Eagle TV is being held partially responsible for the riots. But it's not just implication! Last night a State TV program featured interviews with those claiming to be rioters who said they were encouraged by Eagle TV to join the protest. Honestly, I only have one word for that.

Bull.

A few people have mentioned to me that I should not refer to MNB as "State TV," since it was reorganized as a public entity. But when MNB carries programming like this, sanctioned or steered by the authorities, then has it not, in effect, become "State TV" all over again?

As I reported in yesterday's blog, Today Newspaper (an MPRP-leaning paper) has also begun their spin, with a little seedling of blame planted on Eagle.

"I am 18. I live in 1st district, Songinokhairkhan. I watched what's going on on TV and I came because Eagle TV was was airing a news that has a meaning of appealing to come to square and join in the protest."

Today I received a translation of another article by Today Newspaper, published on July 3rd, in which the writer squarely hits at Eagle TV as a foreign invested entity. The seeds are apparently spouting. Check this out...

"Eagle TV fully accomplished its goal to urge the public for violence...there is evidence that there are Black Powers (foreign investment) who are interfering in our country's political life. We, the Mongolian journalists, have to say no to Killer Journalists, who are serving the Black Powers."

"Black powers," and "Killer Journalists." That's almost as bad as the 2006 article Today published calling me a terrorist against the state (I'm sure I'll see that smear resurrected this time too). Perhaps the writer, O. Togoo, didn't see our anchor, Baska, on location during the riot coverage urging people on air to be calm and restrain themselves. So much for "Killer Journalists."

None of this is new. We've been through this many times. Anytime there is a protest and Eagle provides news coverage, we get slammed, or I get slammed as a foreign meddler. While the election coverage was going on I was in the States, but was not immune 8,000 miles away as my mobile phone received angry text messages demanding I, "Get out of Mongolia you imputent foreigner."

After today's long discussion our staff universally expressed the same sentiment. Eagle TV was doing nothing more than the job of journalism.

In light of these things, what is next for Eagle TV?

We return to air at 7am Sunday morning (7pm Saturday EST) with all-day live coverage of the post State of Emergency. We believe Sunday will be one of our most important broadcasts of the year. We'll be reporting live from the studio and from the field, talking to people about the riots and how the community can bring about the healing and unity necessary after such a tragic event. The Eagle Cares team will be collecting donations to help rebuild the Culture Center, destroyed by fire during the riots. We will be talking live with victims, rioters, and officials. And we will ask our viewers to critique our performance during the riots—pro and con.

Eagle TV's greatest strength is that it acts as an open, free conduit for the Mongolian people to express their views without censorship. We're going to continue that work tomorrow. Our job is community-driven journalism, not propaganda.

If we are to be damned for it, then so be it.

State of Emergency To End, But Eagle Still Up In The Air

2008-07-04T17:22:45+08:00

Just got into Seoul about an hour ago and updated with the station. The State of Emergency is due to be lifted tonight at midnight. There is no further word regarding discussions in parliament to outlaw foreign ownership of media. The APCs are off the streets and all is quiet. I was talking with someone just before I left San Francisco. Part of our discussion swirled around whether martial law might be declared and whether this was a first move by the MPRP to sezie control of the country. My response was that I seriously doubted it and didn't see the usual signs for that kind of action. Things may be different after today, but democracy is certainly not over. The situation on the street today would seem to vindicate that position. Besides, why would they MPRP feel a need to "take over" when their election victory has already been affirmed?

I'm meeting with the Foreign Minister this weekend to discuss the situation relative to Eagle TV.

It does seem, however, that some propaganda might be on the way to ramping up against us. We saw the same kind of thing following the mining protests almost two years ago. Today's edition of the Today Newspaper (a pro-MPRP paper) featured this little quip:

A few people have wondered how much of Elbegdorj's letter to U.S. supporters is true (see my previous post). That's not something I can attest too. I will leave that to others (see this post at Mongolia-Web). My concern is not with the right or wrong of the political parties involved. That's for them to work out. Our station remains nuetral, as it always has, and we do not have a Mongolian political agenda other than supporting Mongolia's freedom of speech and press through independent news.

Mongolia's political intriques are not my primary concern. My concern, as always, is with Eagle TV and any discussion relevant to our work and investment in Mongolia's freedom and democracy. Elbegdorj's letter does demonstrate something important for our purposes—multiple TV stations were carrying the events of the day. Thus, the talk of targeting Eagle TV for closure simply because of its 15-year foreign ownership seems less than reasonable. Especially considering the historic position Eagle TV occupies in Mongolia.

Eagle will resume broadcasting at 7am Saturday with live calls from viewers about the State of Emergency and live input from people on the street. The day's broadcast will focus on reflection of the last four days and the direction average Mongolian citizens think the nation should head. As always, Eagle TV shall act as an open conduit for the Mongolian people to express their own hearts and minds.

We are still asking friends to fast and pray for us as we prepare to meet with the relevant authorities.

Boarding the plane to UB in 90 minutes. Expect more updates tomorrow.

PARLIAMENT DISCUSSES CLOSING EAGLE TV!

2008-07-03T23:44:00+08:00

We received word today from a member of parliament that during the closed session the discussion regarding the media's role in the July 1st protests centered exclusively on Eagle TV. According to the member of parliament who contacted us, the parliament appears to be moving to outlaw all foreign ownership of media in Mongolia as a way to eliminate Eagle TV from the landscape.

Certain members of parliament hold Eagle TV responsible for the riots, even though there were multiple stations providing coverage of the events at different points throughout the day.

Though there has not been a vote in parliament as a result of this discussion, it bears ominous signs not only for Eagle TV, but for Mongolian journalism. Eagle TV has long been recognized as a significant leader where freedom of press and speech is concerned.

Therefore, we are asking for all of the friends of Eagle TV to pray and fast during the next two days (until the State of Emergency ends), that the Lord would intervene with parliament, and give our Board of Directors, me, and our Management team a greater measure of wisdom during the coming days.

I was stuck in San Francisco one more day than planned. I'm on way back to UB now to assess the situation for Eagle.

Aftermath: Counting the Cost of Journalism

2008-07-03T00:19:00+08:00

I'm between flights, sitting in a Mexican cafe in San Francisco with a little extra time to catch up on the aftermath of the riots back home in Mongolia. I long to get back home quickly.

Here's the latest, this time gathered from a variety of sites and minor info funneled back to me from our staff. Parliament is in a closed door session discussing the election and riots. Justice Minister Munhk-Orgil and Foreign Minister Oyun conducted a briefing for Ambassadors and made statements to the media. All is apparently quiet on the day after as tanks and large numbers of police made their rounds through the center portion of the city to guarantee calm. A small group of new protesters did gather downtown, but apparently in regret for what happened during the riots.

The MPRP HQ is all but destroyed. The Culture Palace, home to many Mongolian art treasures, was gutted by fire and many of its works looted.

5 people are dead. 108 police officers were injuried. Nineteen have serious injuries. 221 protesters were injured, with 19 hospitalized. Security around embassies has been beefed up and foreign citizens have been warned to either remain home during the State of Emergency or restrict their movements.

Staff from State TV and Eagle TV were assaulted and injured by the rioters. Equipment was broken or destroyed. And for the purposes of this blog, this is where I want to make a comment.

Protests after Mongolian elections or controversial political decisions is nothing new. Some protesters have been known to get violent, as well as the police, but certainly nothing to the extent seen on July 1st. While Mongolian protesters have never before gone to such lengths (destroying buildings, killing and severely injuring people), there is something else that makes this protest different.

Mongolian protesters don't attack journalists.

Both, foreign and domestic journalists were indiscriminately attacked by protesters. A Japanese and British journalist had to be hospitalized. The offices of two newspapers were destroyed. State TV's remote equipment was damaged by protesters early in the rioting. An Eagle TV cameraman was attacked and had to be taken to the hospital with leg injuries. Eagle TV journaists and cameramen were assulted when trying to leave the roof of the democratic party headquarters and had to flee back to the roof to save their lives. As midnight approached the staff were still unable to escape and greatly feared for their safety. Various other journalists were threatened, and the offices and key staff of Eagle TV received numerous threats that required a security contingent to be put in place to protect the premises. Staff leaving for home had to be escorted by security for their protection.

Mongolian protesters don't attack journalists.

There has been, until July 1st, a general understanding among people that Mongolian journalists, and especially those with Eagle TV, exist to tell the story of the people. Protesters have always tended to view journalists, especially Eagle TV journos, with some level of regard. When protests take place and clash with police as sometimes happens, journalists are usually left untouched (there are exceptions) so they can document and tell the story. In fact, up until July 1st the most significant offenses against journalists were usually by police attempting to prevent them from covering stories (which is illegal under Mongolian law).

But on July 1st journalists were indiscrimately targeted, even it appears, when it was clear that they were not political operatives or police officers. Charges of corruption against the Mongolian government and political parties aren't anything new. Neither are charges of fraud in elections. Sour grapes seem to be a regular course in Mongolia's political diet. Journalists have been viewed as an important part of maintaining Mongolia's freedom, all the way back to the days of Eagle TV's conception when a small group of political leaders asked AMONG Foundation to start the first independent TV station in Mongolia because "without an independent TV station we cannot maintain our freedom."

July 1st crossed a line for Mongolian media so that even journalists, traditionally regarded with a "hands-off" approach by protesters are now left to fend for themselves, or take the risk of being attacked even when they are trying to tell the protester's story. How significant is this? Police don't attack journalists who are trying to tell their story. Prior to 9/11, even Osama Bin Laden didn't attack journalists who came to interview him and tell his story.

Mongolian journalists have always complained bitterly about the government's lack of cooperation when it comes to freedom of information, political influence/ownership in media, and party control of content. Everyone is waiting to see if the status quo that existed before the riots will be restored or if there will be new restrictions on media, since it is clear that some on the political landscape want to hold media party responsible for the riots. But now there is a new factor in the equation.

Democracy protesters may indiscrimately target independent media.

To that I can only say to my collegues in the media: Congratulations. Welcome to democracy. You've just graduated to what many other media experience around the world. Now you will have to work even harder, and take even more risks, to get the story. From now on during tough and dangerous assignments you will have to decide what true journalistic independence and integrity is worth to you, and whether you will report fairly and objectively, even when you are being attacked from both sides.

Photos from left to right: Reuters, MIchael Kohn, Reuters

For continuing web updates on Mongolia's State of Emergency see:

news.mn
montsame.mn
eagle-tv.mn (Mongolian language only, but the only site with video of the protests
Yahoo Photos (80 images of the aftermath and the riots)

The Day After

2008-07-02T07:05:03+08:00

I'm waiting for an update from the staff before I provide any new details here. However, it's clear after the events of last night that Mongolians are going to wake up to a new dynamic in their political life. This is the first time Mongols have rioted so violently.

The situation is heartbreaking. We don't know what the long term effects will be, yet, on media freedom in Mongolia. Clearly, there are government officials that strongly desire to hold the media at least partially accountable for what took place—especially Eagle TV.

I'm going to write a commentary on the events later tonight. Suffice it to say, President Enkhbayar did the right thing by declaring the State of Emergency. I'm not a fan of the idea of shutting down all media (except State TV), in fact, I'm not sure it was 100% necessary. In the U.S. the model is to channel all emergency information through a single master media outlet, with all other outlets slaved to the master outlet to ensure everyone receives the proper information. But, all things considered, what else could the President do?

More later...

Mongolia Election Violence

2008-07-01T19:00:10+08:00

UPDATE (12:12AM ULAANBAATAR, MONGOLIA): PRESIDENT ENKHBAYAR HAS DECLARED A STATE OF EMERGENCY AND ORDERED THE SHUT DOWN OF ALL MEDIA EXCEPT STATE TV FOR FOUR DAYS.

EARLIER: I haven't gotten much sleep since the station began phoning me reports that protests over Mongolia's election results have turned violent. The MPRP HQ is under attack. Police have fired into the crowd. Protesters have become violent. There is bloodshed. Ambulances are on their way to address the injured. The MPRP building is on fire. Protesters are becoming more violent and blocking the access of emergency vehicles to the building and even pelting the fire engine with rocks. Army troops have been called to the scene. Eagle journalists estimate there could be as many as 20,000 protesters involved. If so, this would be the largest anti-government protest since Mongolia's peaceful democratic revolution.

While watching the events online through Skype, one our employees exclaimed, "I've never seen such a thing in Mongolia before! This is so scary!"

Eagle is broadcasting the events live, but apparently no other stations are reporting the events live. State TV did for a while, but for reasons unknown to me they have ceased. Though we did receive a report that their microwave equipment was damaged in the protest.

We are scrambling extra resources to cover the events. Associated Press is resourcing Eagle TV video for international coverage.

We have received some minor pressure to stop the broadcasts, but are continuing.

It amazes me that out of 12 terrestrial competitors, and additional cable only TV stations in the capital city, that no one is covering these breaking events. Thousands are people are involved in the protests. The HQ of the ruling party has come under violent attack. These are unprecedented events in Mongolia.

Finally, other stations have started giving coverage.

UPDATE: An informant in the government has let us know that officials are discussing the forced shut down of Eagle TV for our coverage—even though other stations are also now covering the event.

UPDATE: We've received a number of threats against Eagle for the coverage, including threats against the building (set it on fire). Security is moving to protect the property against potential overnight threats.

UPDATE: ~~Most of the protests have died out~~, but a few small fires are still burning. Party and government leaders called a joint press conference to call for calm, but also blamed one another's parties for the day's events. Holy cow, I just got word that protesters are regathering at the MPRP building again.

UPDATE: Our staff are trapped on the roof of the MPRP building. When they try to leave the premises, they are attacked and beaten. They have been unable to escape. We are trying to alert the crowds to allow our crew to leave.

COMMENT: It is alarming how many protests we received from government officials and the Mongolian CIA demanding the news coverage be shut down. There is clearly some discussion going on at high levels that part of this protest was fomented by Eagle TV.

Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Our policy on such coverage would be no different if it were MPRP protesters attacking the Democratic Party building. There is a great deal of pressure upon our management team to force our shut down. However, this would be a critical mistake for Mongolian democracy. Most stations did not provide coverage until long after Eagle TV began rolling live footage of the thousands in the street. Our competitor stations were calling our station manager to congratulate us on our coverage (including those who refused to do any coverage themselves). One competitor even provided dual coverage by running our video on their channel live. In addition, the world is now alerted to the situation in Mongolia. Video from AP, fed to CNN, BBC, and other outlets, was all Eagle TV video, with AP using Eagle TV as their base of operations for their coverage.

The attacks against Eagle TV are unjustified. Though today's events are tragic, trying to cojole or force the shut down of media coverage through Eagle would be a major step backwards for this democracy. The move by certain officials and party members to pressure the shut down of coverage is a clear sign that even though Mongolia has "freedom of press" it is still fragile and suffers under the influence of those who desire to control all media for their own benefit. We therefore believe that the need for a completely independent channel such as Eagle TV is more critical than ever.

Paradise and Smarty Pants

2008-06-27T04:17:19+08:00

My assistant back in Mongolia, Amgaa, sent me pictures of our Steppe-by-Steppe team posing next to the new land cruiser that was sponsored by Casas Church in Tucson. When I received the pics, the guys were not smiling but a little. So I sent Amgaa a message back saying, "Hey, we westerners like to see smiling people in our pictures." The whole Mongolian stoic pose doesn't really shake with us. So Amgaa sent a new set of pictures, including one with her in it.

Okay smarty pants.

Amgaa is a gem, and she knows me pretty well. This works for me.

(The REAL picture is on the right.) Casas Church in Tucson sponsored the Land Cruiser for our Steppe-by-Steppe ministry. We had two vans before this, but one was destroyed in a rollover accident in the countryside last fall. Thankfully the guys were not injuried, though the van was good for nothing except to part it out and sell it for scrap. That helped to pay for repairs to the other van that was also damaged from countryside trauma. Standard vans really just can't handle the deep countryside areas where our teams have to minister. The land cruiser will finally open up some areas that were previously closed off to us—minus camels, horses, and mountain climbing for the really rough spots.

I should mention, by the way, that our team returned last week from Altai Gobi where more than 1,500 attended SBS movie events, Bible studies, and training. In fact, there are very few believers in the area. Most of these attendees were from Buddhist or Animist backgrounds, and many received Christ after learning about the Bible and the history of Jesus.

While the ministry continues in Mongolia, so the ministry continues in the U.S. as I'm traveling here until July 2nd speaking to potential partners about Eagle TV. I landed this week in Gig Harbor, Washington, about an hour from Seattle. It's my first time in Washington State, much less this little haven in the mountains. All I can say is: Oh. My. Gosh. Can I live here? This little community is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been. Paradise. And having been to at least half of America and 12 countries, that's saying a lot. I started falling in love with this little town before I even hit the city limits.

Though I'm here to speak at an event tonight at Rock Church on behalf of AMONG and Eagle TV, I get an extra day here with my daughter, Rochele, who is staying with a local family until September. She's playing nanny (okay, not playing, she's working her skinny little tail off!) for the family that helped her during her RSD crisis last year. I haven't see her in 6 weeks, which in Tom years is at least a life time. But of course, just like Amgaa, she's another little smarty pants. I walked to the door of the house. She gave me a big hug and said, "You smell like airplane."

Okay. I don't know what airplane smells like. Jet fuel? Oh...how about the sweat of 300 passengers crammed into a hollow alluminum tube? Maybe both.

Cris Bayar, my host and the pastor of Rock Church here, took us around town yesterday to show us the sites, including a walk by the harbor. We had a great time. And with Chris, getting a tour of Gig Harbor is like getting a local geography lesson. Will there be a quiz at the end? I now know more about Gig Harbor than the Mayor.

BTW, for my friends in Arizona and New Mexico, forgive me, but the best Mexican food I've ever had in my life was today, for lunch, in Gig Harbor. Oh. My. Gosh.

Though I had a great time with Rochele seeing this absolutely georgous town, I could not help but think, every time I turned the corner, "Diane would love this. I need to bring Diane here on vacation. Why can't Diane come with me to places like this? Diane's not here. That's not fair. Where's my wife!?"

I've already pledged to bring my wife here on a vacation as soon as I can afford it. If you want to help us afford it, that would be a really nice thing. ;-)

In about 5 hours I'm off to Rock Church for tonight's speaking engagement. If you're in the neighborhood, come. We have free dessert: chocolate cake, cheesecake, apple pie, key lime pie. You may not want to actually listen to me speak, but the food will make it worth the trip.

UPDATE: Event is over. Things went well and I truly appreciate the hospitality and high interest that was shown by everyone who attended. Thanks also for the invitation to return later this year to speak to even more people about Eagle TV's impact in Mongolia.

Washington

2008-06-25T11:14:38+08:00

I've spent the last few days in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Minneapolis, Minnesota meeting with donors. While here I spoke at a Lutheran church about the impact Eagle TV and Steppe-by-Steppe is having on Mongolians. The response was tremendous! And I was happy to have parted with a few copies of City of Heaven as well.

WARNING! SHAMELESS PROMOTION TO FOLLOW: Have you seen the website for City of Heaven?

I'm flying out at 6:30am and looking forward to a lunch meeting with pastors in Gig Harbor, Washington and an evening event at Church on the Rock. If you are in the Gig Harbor area, swing by at 7:00pm on Thursday.

I'm short on things to say, which is a good thing for you. ;-). Back at'cha later.

In The Air Again

2008-06-18T07:10:00+08:00

I hit the tarmac again in a few hours for a two week jaunt to the States—fund raising for Eagle TV to keep our operations going.

I was planning on hitting Illinois this trip, but other circumstances required a change in schedule so I'll be in South Dakota longer, before zipping over to Washington State and New Mexico. I'll be back in the office July 7th, after the morning wedding of our station manager, Bairsaikhan. We are all very excited and happy for her.

BTW, I'll have about 50 copies of my new novel, City of Heaven, with me on this trip to give as gifts.

A few minor things of note: Scripting for the next season of Together Through The Bible began yesterday. We're also working on a new set design for the program. The new set for Supermom is nearly complete as well.

Mongolia's parliamentary elections are ten days away. There are an unusual number of independents and third party candidates running this go around. Unless one of the two major parties receives a simple majority, it looks like the next four years of governance will be another round of power-sharing alliances. A lot of people aren't very happy with the current party in charge (MPRP). Of all of the Mongols I've asked only one intends to vote for an MPRP candidate. Of course, my little sampling doesn't really tell us much, but watching the results should be interesting.

We're planning live all-day coverage of the election with live remote points through the day. I'm kinda bummed I won't be here for it. But our staff knows what they're doing and they certainly don't need me butting into the coverage. Besides, I've got some funds to raise so they can keep getting paid.

City of Heaven Available Now

2008-06-07T17:08:06+08:00

After nearly eight years of writing and editing, City of Heaven was released this week. City of Heaven is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, other retailers online. The Amazon Kindle ebook version is nearly $10 off the normal retail price.

City of Heaven is a reformation epic set in a post-millennial world.

"Death on the ground, death in the sky, the days of renewal are at hand…"

Fourteen hundred years after the millennial reign of the Great King has ended, the world still lives in relative peace and safety but has strayed from the principles that led to humankind's greatest era: the Great Generation. The principal system of faith, Royalism—once a global theocracy under the King—has degenerated into a politically oriented belief system. In response to the growing threat to their beliefs, factions of the Royalist Social Movement, from the violent to the reformist, seek to restore the principles and former glory of the Great Generation.

High above Terra, connected to the planet by a system of orbital tethers stretching from the surface to sixty-four thousand kilometers in space, the civilian space station City of Heaven is home to more than a million citizens. A futuristic Tower of Babel, City of Heaven is humankind's greatest achievement.

Enter the Ar'chay Order, a radical sect of Royalism determined to force the movement and the world to bend its knee, with Ar'chaists assuming the Regency. In a single act of terror, they sever the tethers connecting City of Heaven, killing nearly all of its inhabitants and sending the city on a collision course with Terra, where millions more will surely die.

On both Terra and the remains of City of Heaven, survivors battle for control and the polifaith movement reaches a crisis that threatens to unleash a new global era of faith-cleansing that will rid the world of Royalism once and for all.

Preview three chapters of City of Heaven on the new City of Heaven website at www.cityofheaven.com.

While there have been several books and scripting projects I've developed over the years, this is the one that has been closest to my heart.

Your purchase of City of Heaven will help support us with our work in Mongolia. Please purchase your copy online through this link to Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.

I look forward to hearing reader reaction to City of Heaven.

Last TTTB of the Season

2008-06-06T09:12:39+08:00

I just finished posting the last new episode of Together Through The Bible for this season. We originally planned 26 episodes, but because of time constraints with my travel and other responsibilities, we had to knock it down to 21 episodes. This episode concludes the series on humanity with a look at The Future of Man.

We've also settled on our episode plans for season two. Four major discipleship series are planned: What Does the Bible Teach About the Church, The Superiority of Jesus Christ, Stages of Spiritual Growth, and God's Will. Only 5 episodes remain unplanned, but we have plenty of time for those. We'll start shooting season two in July.

Today, Friday, is also my last day in the office until the 16th. I'm taking a brief vacation next week before I fly back to the States on the 18th for board meetings and fund raising events for Eagle TV. We thought about spending a week in Seoul or Beijing to chill out, but, we just can afford it right now. So we're going to hang out here. We'll probably go see a couple of sites, like the Chinggis monument, now complete, but other than that I'll just hang around UB, do some shopping with my family, and try to finish the second When Shadows Dream installment.

As for my U.S. trip, if I'm in your neck of the woods and you'd like to meet, give me a ring on my U.S. number at (520) 777-9251, or email me here. I'll be in the following cities:

Sioux Falls, South Dakota - June 19th through 22nd
Chicago and Bloomington, Illinois - June 22nd through 25th
Gig Harbor, Washington - June 25th through 28th, and
Albuquerque, New Mexico - June 28th through July 2nd

I'll be back in the office July 7th.

Blog'cha later, baby.

Inside Eagle TV

2008-05-30T08:39:43+08:00

Each quarter we send out a newsletter to our supporters and friends of Eagle TV in Mongolia. Would you like to receive our quarterly newsletter? Each issues takes an inside look at Eagle TV, our ministry projects, and family life.

We'll ship it out to you each quarter, from Mongolia.

Just fire off an email with your name and mailing address. We'll make sure you receive each letter and additional information we send out.

We're preparing to send out the summer letter next week. Be sure to send your information by Monday if you want to receive the latest update from inside Eagle TV.

Episode 20

2008-05-29T13:21:05+08:00

Episode 20 of Together Through The Bible is now online in English and Mongolian.

This episode explores "The Society of Man."

You can select episode 20 through the main TTTB page, or click here for English or here for Mongolian.

Being Direct Changes Lives

2008-05-27T13:07:07+08:00

I was privileged to host a few foreign guests at Eagle TV this morning. Friends from Minneapolis came to Mongolia late last week to be part of an event for another organization, then dropped by for a tour of Eagle.

During the tour one of the men asked a question that got me thinking about our role as Christians in our host societies. He asked, "Eagle TV is very overt and direct about sharing the Gospel. Is that a problem here legally or culturally?"

My answer, "Absolutely not." In fact, here's a great example taken from the office of our new Eagle Cares division. This is team leader Jarga standing under the English version of the department motto (the Mongolian version is in the works).

As I've already written in previous posts, Eagle Cares will address some of Mongolia's most pressing social problems like human trafficking, children's rights, men's education, and alcoholism. However, unlike organizations or TV news casts which only address these issues from a purely non-spiritual point of view, Eagle Cares will advocate Christ-centric solutions to many of these issues. And it will do it, NOT, in our Christian programming time, but in our prime time news programming. Unlike many so called "social Gospel" groups that try to address difficult issues using Christian principles, without ever publicly referring to the source of those principles, Eagle Cares will do both—without reservation. That's a radical shift in our secular news approach since it launched in 1995. Our hope is that Eagle Cares will, over time, become the new model for Eagle TV news.

The Eagle Cares office is an open workspace situated next to our news department. The team works openly with our news department (who are not Christians), and have their respect.

Answering the Question

Why be so overt and so direct with the Gospel and Christian principles? Because nothing else can offer a true, lasting change in people's lives, or society, than the person of Jesus Christ. Why should we therefore fear or be ashamed?

Last year our Steppe-by-Steppe team encountered a small community that had been held in spiritual bondage by a traveling Tibetan Buddhist monk. The community would pay money to the monk every three months to tell him their problems and receive from him some ritual to perform in order to, in their own words, "change our lives." There was only one problem.

Nobody's life was changing.

When the community watched Eagle TV's Bible movies and attended the Bible studies they said, "We don't need the monk for our lives to change. If we do what the Bible says we can change our own lives."

The Tibetan monk fell so quickly out of favor with the community that he fled the town and hasn't been back since.

Transformation. That's what it's all about. When a person, or even a community, takes hold of the Word of God and begins to truly understand it, the lights turn on. That's why we are about what we are about. It is our calling and mission.

I John 3:18 says, "Let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." Many people read that verse and emphasize the doing of good things and various mercies, over the things we say. But that is not what this passage, or any other Biblical passage teaches. The scripture emphasizes both. "Deed and truth." In fact, the scripture actually emphasizes truth first, and our deeds must spring naturally and organically from that truth. But no one learns the truth solely by being on the receiving end of good or silent deeds. If it is our truth that facilitates the good deeds that change lives, then why hide those words of truth through obscurity?

Jesus Christ is the truth. Therefore, "Because Christ cares, Eagle Cares" (and many other such approaches as we are involved in for making Christ known).

For us not to be open and direct about the Gospel would be nothing less than disobedience. It would be a deed half done, or less. And if that were the case, I'm not sure I could feel comfortable calling ourselves Christian.

Steppe-by-Steppe to Reaching Mongolia's Muslims for Christ

2008-05-26T08:51:00+08:00

UPDATE: We just concluded the all-day seminar on Islam and the Muslim Mind. The session went great. A few of our guys have had some prior experience sharing their faith with Muslims, but often ran into difficulty communicating biblical ideas. Hopefully today's seminar will help them with the principles they need to successfully reach this people group for Christ.

We still need financial sponsorship to translate the movie and Bible study materials into Khazak. Can you help? Email me here.

EARLIER: The bulk of my day today on Monday be spent with the new members of the Steppe-by-Steppe team training them about Islam and the Muslim mind.

While most of Mongolian culture stems from the worldviews associated with Animism and Buddhism (see this page), a significant portion of the population are Muslim—either Sunni or of the folk variety. Most are also Khazaks. In Bayan-Olgi Aimag there are an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 Muslims, with other Muslims scattered throughout the countryside. Most ministries in Mongolia have not seen much success reaching Muslims for Christ.

We're hoping our Bible movie strategy through Steppe-by-Steppe will change that.

Part of my former ministry with Campus Crusade included an outreach strategy to Muslims, and many years studying and interfacing with Muslims in various countries about Jesus. So it falls to me to provide the training for our new team members. Usually I prefer to leave our training efforts to other more educated and experienced people. However, we've not been able to locate anyone in Mongolia with a serious background in ministry to Muslims, or knowledgeable about Islam. That's not surprising since most people don't think of Mongolia as a place where Muslims have a stronghold. However, as already noted, the number of Muslims in certain parts of Mongolia is significant. These precious people are as equally lost under spiritual deception as the Animist- and Buddhist-background person.

A number of people outside Mongolia familiar with the Islamic mindset have remarked to me that our Steppe-by-Steppe strategy, which is obviously effective in reaching Animists and Buddhists for Christ (amazingly so), may be even more effective in reaching Muslims. This is because Muslims already have some background information about certain Old Testament characters and stories (though perverted). The great respect which Muslims have for "their prophets" of Abraham, Moses, Jacob, and Joseph provides a natural interest level for movies that tell the Bible's story. Our additional materials and Bible study discussions bring everything home so that the person taking part, whether Animist, Buddhist, or Muslim, can get an accurate picture of what the Bible really teaches—and who Jesus really is. However, understanding how Muslims process spiritual information is critical to rightly present the Gospel.

Of course none of this would have been possible without your support. So thank you again for your support of our Steppe-by-Steppe outreach, as well as all of our ministry efforts through Eagle TV.

Episodes 18 and 19 Online

2008-05-22T17:43:58+08:00

Episodes 18 and 19 of Together thru the Bible are now online in both English and Mongolian.

These two episodes continue the series, What Does the Bible Teach About Humanity? The topics are: The Nature of Man, and The Redemption of Man.

You can reach the programs by visiting the TTTB page here.

Because Christ Cares, Eagle Cares

2008-05-20T10:52:38+08:00

Our newest TV project launched operations this week, Eagle Cares. Eagle Cares is a specialized news team producing investigative, advocacy journalism about some of Mongolia's most important justice and mercy issues—human trafficking, men's education, alcoholism, and health. More than the usual approach to news programming, Eagle Cares will spend weeks, sometimes months, investigating issues and presenting solutions.

Eagle Cares will also mark a new approach to journalism in Mongolia since many of the solutions we will profile will be Christ-centric in nature. How is the Mongolian Christian community involving itself in these issues to become part of the solution? What are ministries and churches doing to rescue the victims of these injustices? How can Christians become involved as part of the solution to society's most pressing needs?

At first glance this may seem like a "Social Gospel" approach. In fact, nothing could be farther from the truth. "Social Gospel," as is traditionally engaged in, is usually void of something critical: declaration of the Gospel. Social Gospel agencies often engage in good humanitarian work, but rarely, if ever, say anything about the scriptures or Jesus Christ. Nor do they usually make it a point to pro-actively and intentionally make Christ a centerpiece of their outreach activity. This is not the philosophy of Eagle Cares. The philosophy of Eagle Cares can be summed up in the Eagle Cares motto: Because Christ Cares, Eagle Cares.

Our motivation for this new approach to journalism in Mongolia is nothing less than our commitment to the person of Jesus Christ.

A few generous donors provided the funding to get the project rolling. They were able to provide computers, work spaces, and the salary funding for the team for the year. However, there is still one critical item that is of yet unfunded: a camera.

Until a sponsor comes forward, the team will have to borrow resources already dedicated elsewhere, as they are available, to work on their projects. Meanwhile the Eagle Cares team is already hard at work researching their first set of issues: human trafficking, men's education, and a possible health care scandal of giant proportions.

For more about Eagle Cares, see this page on the website of AMONG Foundation.

A Household of Three

2008-05-18T11:31:00+08:00

Rochele took to the air this morning at 6:45 to spend the next four months in Gig Harbor, Washington.

My 17-year-old is a nanny for the summer. She took the summer job offer from the same family that hosted her last year while she was seeing a specialist about her RSD. She'll be putting away the money she earns (minus tithe) to prepare for her permanent departure from Mongolia next summer.

So until September 8th we are a household of three. It's a strange thing going from a household of five in a few months down to a household of just three. Next year we'll be at that level until Whitney leaves�but that won't be for at least four more years. I suppose this is good practice for us. It's certainly good practice for Rochele, who will also be doing a few things to prepare for life in the States next year.

As I write this, Rochele is between flights in Korea, waiting for her flight to San Francisco. She was quite a bit nervous this morning. This is her first time flying by herself internationally. The hard part will be making her connection in SanFran, where she only has a hour and forty-five minutes to get through customs, baggage, change terminals, and head to Seattle. That's barely enough time if the plane isn't late, and the SanFran United terminal isn't exactly a wonderful experience anyway.

We're having dinner with friends tonight, after a late church gathering, to say goodbye to another teen who is making her way stateside to college. It seems that spring and summer are the most difficult time for some of the foreigners in Mongolia, who are saying goodbye to their kids.

Thankfully I won't repeat last year's emotional roller-coaster until mid-2009.

Unplugging for a Day

2008-05-15T17:32:02+08:00

We received word that power to our district (home and Eagle) will be cut off Friday from 11am to 6pm. Perhaps longer. Since the office will have no power for a day I've decided to unplug as well.

I'm going to take my laptop to a local restaurant, munch on bad food (as in food that is bad for me), drink an ungodly amount of soda, and crank out a story or two for the next edition of When Shadows Dream.

Okay, so it's not totally unplugging, but for me it's a great way to relax. Let the brain spin some off the wall yarns. In fact, I've got a few stories slated for the second book that I'm struggling to finish.

Memory Effect is about a guy with a perfect memory who happens to be a major head case. Probably because he murdered his grandmother when he was eight and has had the same dream every night for 34 years—but it's not about grandma. The story has been "stuck" for over a year since I'm having trouble with his ex-wife. We're not getting along right now.

A Full Eight Hours is about a society that has taken dreaming about work to a whole new level.

Allah at 35,000 is about a group of Islamic terrorists who hijack a plane, only to be fooled into surrendering by a large number of ventriloquists en route to a dummy convention.

And of course there's my sequel to the first story in the first book (By Faith). In the next version, instead of our hero dislodging a mountain by faith, it's a double amputee who only has faith enough for a one-legged miracle.

The second book in the series will be titled, When Shadows Dream: Midnight. I'm actually developing five books for the series: Twilight (published in 2005), Midnight, REM, Dawn, and First Light.

Since I've gotten myself to blogging about my latest book projects I might as well go all the way and tell you about the remaining publishing ventures for me for this year.

As I reported previously, my novel, City of Heaven releases in June. That book was eight years in development. I started writing it when I lived in Istanbul, and in fact, I completed the story during my Istanbul vacation last June. It took so long for a creep reason. I began the work in the summer of 2000. About half the book was done a year later when 9/11 happened. Then I put it down 'cuz the first part of the book read so much like 9/11 that it was kinda freaky. I only worked on it sporadically, very sporadically, until completion. I don't want to give anything else away other than to say that when you read the first chapter, you'll understand.

I'll be carrying copies of City of Heaven with me in the States next month to have available at speaking engagements and as gifts for supporters of Eagle TV. I'll also have a limited number of copies of Faith & Freedom. And yeah, I'll sign one for you if you want, but I'll feel really silly doing it.

After several weeks of work I completed the first draft of a new nonfiction title: Right View, Right Living, Right Life. The book is now in the review stage by a few foreign missionaries and Mongolian believers before moving to rewrite, rounds of editing, and translation. This is my first book written specifically for a Mongolian audience. The cover art for the book is being handled by Batna, a great local artist and member of our Steppe-by-Steppe team.

I'm hoping to complete the project in time for a local release early next year. An English version, however, should available by the fall.

And that's pretty much it. But some other ideas are wading around in my shallow pool I call a brain.

I'll blog at'cha on the other side of my powerless three-day weekend.

Chow.

New TTTB Episodes Online

2008-05-10T11:31:38+08:00

The most recent episodes of Together Through The Bible are online.

The three-part series "What Does the Bible Teach About God," and the first of a new five-part series, "What Does The Bible Teach About Humanity" are now available.

Enjoy.

Little Bits and Pieces

2008-05-09T14:02:57+08:00

Just a few odds, ends, bits, and pieces to round out the week.

The first week of training for our new Steppe-by-Steppe team members is complete. Twenty-three more weeks to go!

The guys have been spending time in Bible study, doing their first evaluations of the movies, and learning about the history of operations of Eagle Broadcasting Company. The new teams members are also getting to know the original men who launched the SBS field ministry. There's a great deal for them to learn before they start heading out to the field later this year.

Today the guys will also have a party, of sorts, with the staff from VetNet. We've been partnering with VetNet on projects in the countryside since last summer and the teams seems to work well together.

Eagle Cares is preparing for its launch on May 19th. The team will begin meeting with me each day to pour through domestic justice and mercy issues that we will spend time addressing. Our goal is to bring Christ-centric solutions to the issues of the day through our normal news as well as specialty programming. Human trafficking and alcoholism are high on our priority list.

In preparation for the next season of Together thru the Bible we are surveying Mongolian pastors and foreign missionaries about the most important spiritual growth issues facing Mongolian believers. Based upon the responses we receive we will be crafting 26 episodes of the program to teach on those topics next year.

On the family side of things, we're less than two weeks away from Rochele leaving for the States. She'll be in Gig Harbor, Washington for the next four months to be a nanny for a family there. I'm dreading her departure, even though it's only for a short period. But, lucky me, I'll get to see her for a day this summer since...

I'll be traveling again in June, back to the States. This time I'll be heading to (in order): Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Chicago, Bloomington, and Decatur, Illinois; Gig Harbor, Washington; and Albuquerque, New Mexico. I'll be speaking about Eagle TV at events, and perhaps a church or two. As the dates are solidified for locations and events I'll post them here.

As for personal projects...my new novel, City of Heaven, should be available by the end of June. I've been talking with the publisher about a change to the back cover. Hopefully it won't put things back too far. I'm hoping to take a box or two with me to events in the States while there.

Not much else for public consumption today. Looking forward to relaxing this weekend, maybe doing a little writing. Blog at'cha next week.

Hackintosh Heaven

2008-05-06T16:42:27+08:00

I'm blogging this week from my new Hackintosh. It was time for a desperate upgrade of the computer. I've been using a PowerPC-based iMac for two years. Of course, Apple abandoned that platform some time ago in favor of Intel. That's provided enterprising young hackers with opportunity to find creative ways to get the MacOS running on normal Intel PCs.

I had a choice to make. I could make a run to Beijing (which costs $400 not including hotel) and pick up a new iMac decked out with my usual fare for about $2,000 (which I just can't afford right now), or I could take advantage of the work of those enterprising young hackers and install Leopard on a PC for a grand total of $574. I didn't need a monitor, keyboard, or mouse, so I splurged and got a kickin' fast gaming quality PC. Otherwise, it might have been even cheaper!

Holy Fake Steve Jobs, Hackman! Now I've got a "Macintosh" nearly as powerful as a full-blown Mac Pro that cost less than a Mac Mini! Hey Steve, what's up with that?

I already owned a copy of LEGAL Leopard, so what the heck. I ran the Kalyway hack, installed the system and now we're seeing spots. The good kind. The Leopard kind.

What's more, I'm running Parallels so I can keep a few PC games on Windows and the Leader's Library of my Logos Bible study software.

Now, my Hackintosh isn't a sleek iMac or Mac Pro that just begs to be caressed. But a guy caressing his computer is kinda creepy anyway. Yeah, it's an ugly PC box. But so what? The software is all glorious Mac—just without the crushing price of a Mac. In fact, if it weren't for the ugly box, I couldn't tell the difference. And by purchasing my PC in Mongolia I just employed someone for a whole month.

Irresistible

2008-05-02T07:04:48+08:00

How sad is it when the youngest girl attracted to you is your daughter's 8-week-old puppy?

My wife isn't sad at all.

This is Zero at 3 weeks. Well. Actually. Her name is Sage. But I call her Zero. We got her for my youngest daughter, Whitney. But it turns out she seems to like the chubby old man in the house the best. Maybe cuz I'm so irresistible.

Yeah. That's it. That's exactly it.

Irresistible.

Gettin' Bigger and Needin' Breaks

2008-04-30T07:01:36+08:00

Part of the recent expansion of our operations has included a new studio for HeirWorthy Productions (ministry programming), space for the Eagle Cares team, the addition of a live press and ministry center, and...

A break room.

Now, a break room may not seem all that important when it comes to allocating funds, but when you have 129 full time staff and no place to eat your lunch or relax in a place that isn't seen by a live camera or isn't the bathroom, well, a break room can be pretty important. The catch to our break room is that it's in an area where there are no outside windows. Bummer.

Our solution was to bring the outside to the inside. So Batna, one of our Steppe-by-Steppe team members, and a fabulous painter (OMIGOSH, did I just say, "fabulous?"), took a week to create an original work of art on one of the walls. Check. It. Out.

The whole painting is about three meters across. Look closely, it's even got a satellite dish and two TV antennas. I've only got two sentences to say about that.

Awe. Some.

It occurs to me that if we ever leave this building we will have to have this wall removed and taken with us. Thank goodness this is a drywall wall and not the usual brick wall.

Laggin'

2008-04-30T04:42:47+08:00

Oh man do I hate jet lag. I've got the worst case of jet lag I think I've ever had. Been home for almost five days now and it's still messin' with me. Can't stay up past 8pm, usually fallin' asleep before 7pm and trying to wake myself up. Then it's up at 2am.

It's weird waking up at 10:30pm to use the bathroom (as if it was 3am) and your family is still awake. What's wrong with these people? Don't they know it's the middle of the jet laggin' night?

You know how when you can't sleep and you go to the TV to see what's on during the late hours and the answer is, nuthin? Try that in Mongolia at 2am. Nuthin times ten.

A Word of Thanks

2008-04-17T23:27:41+08:00

Just a quick word of thanks to everyone at Casas Church for their generosity, warmth, hospitality, and graciousness to me during my week in Tucson. What a tremendous blessing to have been such an integral part of the Casas Missions Fair.

Thanks also for the gift to help us purchase a Land Rover for the Steppe-by-Steppe ministry. People who would not have heard the Gospel will now hear about the love of Jesus, because of you. And what better investment could anyone possibly make?

We could use your help to continue financing our work in Mongolia. Please consider making a contribution by clicking on this link.

I also took a few shots of some wonderful desert flowers in my daughter's backyard.

Of course, she's the prettiest flower of them all. See the images on my Flickr page here.

Fairly on Mission

2008-04-14T06:13:55+08:00

Just returned from the first full day of the Casas Missions Fair. Seven Casas missionaries (including yours truly), were presented to the church. Two were people I haven't seen in at least five to seven years. It was great touching base with them again, as well as additional people who have been praying for Eagle TV for many years. It was great to meet people who told me of their prayers for Eagle TV—and I had no idea they even knew about us in the first place.

Stefani helped run the Mongolia booth. I forgot to snap photos of it, I was so busy running back and forth between the booth and my stand-up time in the morning services. I'll try to get someone else's photos to post later.

Our booth featured an old jeep with a projector on top playing Mongolian TV programming. A large map the Steppe-by-Steppe team made for me before I left Mongolia pin-pointed the 84 communities they have touched for Christ (and the ten churches they have planted so far). The level of excitement about the ministry was so high it energized me. Thanks to the folks at Casas for inviting me back and putting together a great display for us.

Right next to our display was a sort of "Welcome to Asia" area where participants presented passports for entry and were greeted by Buddhist monks. Of course, they weren't real Buddhist monks, they were three white guys wearing orange wraps looking like they needed just a bit of a tan.

One of the guys got my attention when he turned around and I saw the Hebrew lettering on his back. Now, forget for a moment that the guys were wearing too few cloths for a monk. Just seeing someone in a fake monk's outfit with Hebrew writing on his back was a head turner. "Dude, not to many monks have Hebrew on the back. What's that mean?" I asked.

"It's a phrase that King David used to praise God as his Lord and King."

"That's not something you'd hear a monk say either," I noted. Buddhism is built entirely around "self." It doesn't subscribe to the idea of an all-powerful, loving Creator that demonstrated selflessness. I'm sure a Buddhist somewhere will disagree with that, saying that Buddhism is about denying self. But I don't buy it, and neither should you. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." Cultures dominated by Buddhism don't create selfless societies. Quite the contrary. A Buddhist blogger best summed up the selfishness of Buddhism, and what it does to societies, like this (pay attention, this is golden):

Buddhism is all about developing one's self so that he or she would be able to let go of the worldly desires and attain the eternal bliss.

Buddhism focuses on one's self, [it] teaches one how to become less and less attached.

As a result, we have become selfish to a greater extent as a nation. Our parent's generation does not think of the country; they only think of themselves and how to redeem themselves from the sins they have accumulated. They offer a great deal of money, resources and time to temples in their old age, and "wish" for eternal bliss for themselves (and peace for the family).

But how much of their good wishes actually turn in to good deeds? We all know the answer. Very little.

Buddhism today is breeding a bunch of selfish individuals who only think of their redemption.

Buddhism is a selfish script...I realized that the spirit of Christianity is focused on family, unity, and peace amongst us while Buddhism is talking about me, me, me and the eternal bliss.

The irony of Buddhism is that, the very "religion" that teaches us to escape from the "me, me, me concept" is teaching us to become more and more selfish with every single step we take further in to the "religion".

Buddhist blogger, Serendib_Isle
(Emphasis mine)

Finally. A Buddhist who speaks honestly about his own religion. Refreshing.

Minor accuracy errors aside, the whole demonstration with "Buddhist monks" greeting people at the gate to Asia was very effective. It set off a great tone with the attendees to help them see just how different things really are outside the United States.

The gifts generated by the Casas Missions Fair go to support a wide range of ministries around the globe, transforming thousands of lives. Our part is just a small part of the transformational work they are doing. I was very honored to be a part of the festivities this year.

Next Sunday morning I will be speaking with Roger Barrier and Scott Brenden for all three services. If you're around, come say hi after one of the services.

Flappin' My Wings So I Can Flap My Yapper

2008-04-09T08:58:13+08:00

I'm in the air again. I split for Tucson today to take part in a missions fair at Casas Church. Mongolia and Eagle TV will play a significant part in events during the fair dates of the 13th and 20th. Stop by the Mongolia display—its the one with the jeep and big screen. Look for me and Stefani sharing stories about Eagle TV and a whole lot of changed lives.

I'll be in Tucson until the 21st, then I fly to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for a Board Meeting. I'll be back in the office on the 28th.

Meanwhile, on the road, I still have to work on my Mongolian vocabulary, write a couple of Bible study scripts, and pull off a few meetings. And I actually have to go to the Apple store to have my MacBook repaired.

Egads, it's true.

I've NEVER had to have a repair of ANY Macintosh I've owned...EVUH. But my DVD player is giving me fits. Maybe I'll be one of those fortunate people who have taken their MacBook in for DVD repair only to have the whole computer replaced with a newer model.

Swap.

A guy can hope.

On my last trip to Arizona I didn't bring my camera. But I'm thinking about taking a day off to do some desert photography. I've not used my Nikon significantly since I returned from Istanbul last June. I think it's crying out for some attention.

Blog at'cha later.