This month in Tots On A Mission, we are traveling to exotic...
M O N G O L I A
Mongolia is a medium-sized country on the continent of Asia between China and Russia. The capital city of Mongolia is Ulaanbaatar (
län-bätär
) which was founded as a monastery town and an important trading center on trading routes between China and Russia. There are almost 3 million people living in Mongolia with about 29% of those being age 0-14. 
The country’s terrain is mostly desert (including the Gobi Desert in the south eastern part of the county) but does have some mountains as well. There are large temperature variations throughout the day and harsh winter conditions called “zud” can be quite dangerous.
Family Life
Many Mongolian families live in tents called “gers” and move around quite a bit.
Mongolian children do many things we like to do such as play games like checkers, eat cake (chikalabaya), schoolwork, ride horses and help parents and/or grandparents take care of their home. They celebrate holidays like Yule (similar to Christmas), Children’s Day and Tsagaan Sar (New Year’s Celebration).
There is the social issue of approximately 4000 children living or working on the streets of the cities of Mongolia – some without parents, homes or adequate resources.
Religion
The main religion in Mongolia is Buddhism. Buddhism is a complicated religion that is very different than Christianity.
“Since Buddhism in general does not believe in a personal God or divine being, it does not have worship, praying, or praising of a divine being. It offers no form of redemption, forgiveness, heavenly hope, or final judgment. Buddhism is, therefore, more of a moral philosophy, an ethical way of life.” –Patrick Zukeran, Probe Ministries
It is estimated that over 50% of the Mongolian people are Buddhists while less than 6% are Christian and 40% claim no religion at all. Clearly, much prayer is needed for the people of Mongolia.
Prayers for Mongolia
You can thank God for:
*Freedom of religion in Mongolia
*The establishing of Christian churches in Mongolia
*The translation of the New Testament into the Mongolian language
You can ask God for:
*Open hearts to receive the message about the gospel
*Spiritual understanding for those that read the newly translated New Testament
*Help for those working to translate the Old Testament into the Mongolian language
*Help for the poor and sick in Mongolia, especially the street children
Get Involved!
Check out how World Vision International is helping the people of Mongolia!
You can also find out more about:
Sponsoring a child in Mongolia
Learn more about Mongolia and view pictures of the people and country!
We’ve put together a printable about Mongolia for you all to use with your little ones as you pray for the country.
Color in the flag, see where the country is located, and spell out the name of the country too. Keep it handy because it also has the things to thank God for about the country as well as prayer reminders.
See the rest of the countries that we've prayed for and download printables on the Tots on a Mission page. There are so many ways to impact the world for the kingdom of God! Find out more in the book “Window on the World”.
