Emily Graves spoke with Rev John Green about his experiences in Mongolia

Emily: It's great to get the idea as to what brought you to the point of saying you're going to go out; but what is it about Mongolia?

Teens inside Mongolian Ger

John: Everybody kind of wonders that, but then I know for people who are listening and watching television that Mongolia's been in the news quite a lot recently because of what they have discovered, which is that it's a very mineral rich country. Anybody who even flies over the country looks down and can see the rich mineral content of the soil; it looks like copper or something; it's fascinating. What they have primarily discovered is that there's gold in Mongolia in the ground. These Mongolians who have had nothing forever, are now discovering that they actually live on top of a gold mine and of course they border China and Russia and there is this fear that maybe those two countries might be very interested in this gold; especially China. Everything's made in China. Can you imagine if China were to just walk in and take them over and suddenly have this resource? They've forged relationships with America and Canada for mining purposes and I imagine protection, to keep off anyone else.

It made me wonder is there anything there, not physically, but is there a spiritual sign; in that maybe this is an important country to God? I had one of my friends actually said, wouldn't it be just like God to take this country nobody cares about or knows about and it's outcast to the world; nobody even knows much about Mongolia; no missions go there; that he would pick that up and bring it right to the top? Wouldn't that be just like him?

Cleaning a goat for food & skins

It borders these countries that are very difficult for westerners to get into. The thought crossed my mind that if Mongolians were to come to a knowledge of Christianity, for them to spread that gospel news to these other countries that border them like China and Russia would be easy, because they have relationship. There are not really the physical borders like we have. You walk up and have to show your passport everywhere; they roam across the land and it is an opportunity.

One of the other countries as well, which doesn't exactly border Mongolia, but is not far away, is North Korea. Mongolians have had a history of just being able to walk into North Korea without a visa, because there is a relationship between North Korea and Mongolia that says they're no threat; there's work that they can do and they're valuable in that way. They have been able to pass the border with no issues at all; whereas even South Koreans can't do that. It occurs to me that in the same way as it is a physical gold mine, it's a spiritual gold mine. That if Mongolians came to a Christian knowledge the opportunity to spread that news elsewhere is endless.

The only Mongolian church on the countryside (to date)

There is a sweet story from when I was there. I was watching a Mongolian lady work when I was there and I could see her shoes were falling off her feet literally, because the straps had been broken. You could see that she was fighting and trying to keep it on. There's part of me thinking about those little emergency sewing kits that you sometimes throw in your luggage. I got one of those and I thought I could probably fix that to make it at least so as the straps would hold her shoe on. I talked to her about it and through translation she got the message. She takes her shoes off and hands them to me and I said no bring them back tomorrow; change and put something on and bring them back tomorrow and I'll fix it as best I can and give it back to you. That's her only pair of shoes; she can't come back tomorrow with another pair of shoes; this is her shoes. I hadn't thought about that. I'm thinking how many shoes I've got in the closet at home and I thought, wow. I took them and went back to my room, got out the emergency kit and tried to match the thread. I just tried and sewed these straps as best I could and re-enforced a few others, but then here's the heartbreaker; I go back to her pleased with my work; it doesn't look like it's going to rub her with any blisters and I handed them to her; you would have thought that I gave her a £50 note, she was so thankful. It broke me and I thought gosh they're just so thankful. I never mentioned Jesus; I never mentioned Christianity, but they can see that culturally men don't do this for women in that part of the world. Here was this lady who was so thankful for this little act that took nothing. What did I pay for that little sewing kit? Nothing. Those types of acts that you don't prepare for; you can't put them on your agenda or on your itinerary - fix lady's shoes; you go and when opportunity presents themselves you're willing and you just respond.

Emily: You're going back out to Mongolia in June aren't you?

John: Yes. I'm actually taking in another leg as well, which is to go up to this little known country in South Siberia called Tuva. It's part of the Soviet Union. It was a country in its own right, but it got absorbed into the Soviet Union and then when that broke up it remained as part of Russia, because it was economically dependent. They're Mongolian by heritage and virtually unreached by any mission opportunity because they're outcasts from Russia. They don't look like Russians; they don't speak Russian; but they're part of Russia. They're kind of north of Mongolia. I want to go and talk to them. At the moment nobody's going to go with me.

Emily: How do you explain that to people that you know?

Men inside Mongolian Ger (Yurt)

John: It's difficult because it is one of those things that I feel very strongly that I need to go and it would be very convenient and easy if I stayed in Mongolia with friends who know me and can translate, but there is part of me that says there is something that I'm supposed to do there. It may be a similar type of work as I've just described, but to get there, even the Russian embassy in London, I had four Russians gather around the computer looking at the map. I had to show them where Tuva was; it's just not common. The idea of getting down there is going to be complicated. There's a little bit of anxiety over how it's going to work, but I do strongly feel that as a Christian, people would recognise that where the Lord leads he will provide a way. Something will occur that will allow it to happen and I'm just trusting that. I don't have a sense of fear; I know I've got to go and as a Christian my comment would be the safest place to live is in the centre of God's will. If that looks like it's going to be a dangerous place, believe me it's safer than being outside of God's will.

Emily: If anyone wants to find out more about the trip that you are doing or even just wants to make contact with you, how can they do that?

John: The church has a Facebook page, which is called Rosedale Community church; we're in Cheshunt in Hertfordshire. If they want to get in touch with me by email it's a very simple email address, its revjohnrgreen@virginmedia.com.