Dear Friends,

For over 17 years, I served as a missionary in Mongolia. The first four years were what I like to call my preparation years—challenging but essential. During that time, I immersed myself in the culture, learned some of the language, and built relationships with the people. After returning home, I changed my mission affiliation to Youth With A Mission (YWAM) and completed a TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) course, which enabled me to obtain a visa to return to Mongolia.

My second tour in Mongolia was where the real adventure began. By the time that assignment ended ten years later, I knew I had to write a book—not just to share what we had accomplished, but to document an important piece of the early modern Christian church’s history in Mongolia.

I am currently working on that book, determined to finish it by the end of this year. One of the main challenges has been that much of my documentation is in Mongolian. Baagii, who became like a daughter to me, has been instrumental in helping with translations, but she is halfway around the world. While we have tried working remotely, this is a project that truly requires in-person collaboration.

This summer, I am planning to return to Mongolia to work on the book with Baagii. Of course, I’m also eager to reunite with many dear Mongolian friends—the first generation of modern Christian believers in the country, many of whom are now pastors and even grandparents. It’s hard to believe how much time has passed! At 80 years old, long trips like this are not as easy as they once were, making this a journey of a lifetime for me.

I would love to revisit all the places we traveled across Mongolia, though that may not be realistic. Over the years, we covered over 25,000 miles, visited 25 border entry points, and traveled through most of the provinces. I still don’t know how I managed it all, but those experiences inspired the title of my book: If I Can, You Can, with the subtitle: What’s an Old Lady Like Me Doing in the Middle of the Gobi Desert?

With that in mind, I ask for your prayers and encouragement as I embark on this important mission. I truly believe this book is an assignment from God, meant to inspire and document His work in Mongolia. If you feel led to support this endeavor, you can do so on my GiveSendGo account.