Kansas minister makes pilgrimage to central Asian nation of Mongolia
A Kansas minister traveled more than 11,000 miles recently to teach English — and talk about Jesus — in the heart of an ancient empire that once stretched from Asia to Europe.
William Crossman of the Church of Christ Prison Ministry in Leavenworth, Kan., taught at the College of English Language in Zuunmod, Mongolia.
The trip followed years of research, planning and prayer, said Crossman, whose ministry is sponsored by the Heartland church in Kansas City, Mo.
The central Asian country, sandwiched between Russia and China, is the homeland of Genghis Khan, who, in the early 1200s, controlled the largest contiguous empire in the world. Now a landlocked nation of 2.7 million souls, Mongolia abandoned its Soviet-style, one-party government in 1990 and embraced political and economic reforms.
Though some Mongolians study church-supported Bible correspondence materials, the nation has no known Churches of Christ.
Teachers and students at the small Zuunmod college treated Crossman like a member of the faculty, he said.
The school’s founder, Shagdar Battsetseg, helped the minister visit a maximum-security prison in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator. She also introduced him to nomadic families who herd livestock in the Mongolian countryside.
Members of Truth Church, a small congregation that meets near the college, invited Crossman to preach during his visit. Several members, including the church’s pastor and associate pastor, asked Crossman about his faith.
“The first request they had was, ‘Teacher, teach us how to study the Bible,’” Crossman said. “What a statement! What music to the ear!”
Crossman said he accomplished the three goals he set for the trip — to explore the country, establish a working location for return visits and learn about opportunities to spread the gospel.
Crossman seeks support to return to Mongolia in August. He plans to continue teaching English and sharing his faith, and he wants to make contact with any Mongolians studying World Bible School or other Bible correspondence literature. A group of English teachers from Zuunmod plans to visit Crossman in Leavenworth this summer.
“Mongolia is an interesting country and I look upon it as virgin territory for the gospel of Christ,” Crossman said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Church of Christ Prison Ministry, 115 Kickapoo St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 or call (913) 651-8258.
William Crossman of the Church of Christ Prison Ministry in Leavenworth, Kan., taught at the College of English Language in Zuunmod, Mongolia.
The trip followed years of research, planning and prayer, said Crossman, whose ministry is sponsored by the Heartland church in Kansas City, Mo.
The central Asian country, sandwiched between Russia and China, is the homeland of Genghis Khan, who, in the early 1200s, controlled the largest contiguous empire in the world. Now a landlocked nation of 2.7 million souls, Mongolia abandoned its Soviet-style, one-party government in 1990 and embraced political and economic reforms.
Though some Mongolians study church-supported Bible correspondence materials, the nation has no known Churches of Christ.
Teachers and students at the small Zuunmod college treated Crossman like a member of the faculty, he said.
The school’s founder, Shagdar Battsetseg, helped the minister visit a maximum-security prison in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator. She also introduced him to nomadic families who herd livestock in the Mongolian countryside.
Members of Truth Church, a small congregation that meets near the college, invited Crossman to preach during his visit. Several members, including the church’s pastor and associate pastor, asked Crossman about his faith.
“The first request they had was, ‘Teacher, teach us how to study the Bible,’” Crossman said. “What a statement! What music to the ear!”
Crossman said he accomplished the three goals he set for the trip — to explore the country, establish a working location for return visits and learn about opportunities to spread the gospel.
Crossman seeks support to return to Mongolia in August. He plans to continue teaching English and sharing his faith, and he wants to make contact with any Mongolians studying World Bible School or other Bible correspondence literature. A group of English teachers from Zuunmod plans to visit Crossman in Leavenworth this summer.
“Mongolia is an interesting country and I look upon it as virgin territory for the gospel of Christ,” Crossman said.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact Church of Christ Prison Ministry, 115 Kickapoo St., Leavenworth, KS 66048 or call (913) 651-8258.
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FeedbackThat is a beautiful story. The Spirit of God still moves in the heart of men today through a yearning for His Word.,May, 9 2008
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