by Sonata Wilson, CAMA’s marketing and communications specialist

The Needs of the Mongolian Church

A CAMA international worker (IW) in Southeast Asia once said, “The best community development or relief project in the world will come to a grinding halt if we don’t pour our energies into people.”

In Mongolia, most believers live in poverty. As local churches have taken root and grown, many of them have struggled to support themselves.

If the members of a body are exhausting themselves every day—hunting for supportable jobs, laboring for low wages that barely make ends meet—how can the church continue to sustainably grow?

Storyline Learning Center

CAMA workers learned of these situations and found a way to help rewrite the trajectory of the church by pouring into the Mongolian body. Inspired by Ecclesiastes 4:9–12, the Mongolia Storyline Learning Center has enabled local Christ followers to come alongside local church members and others stuck in poverty through job training and educational opportunities.

Peter, a CAMA IW who helped established the center, said, “Imagine if we put five people’s stories together. . . . Individually, they’re small stories, but if we put their stories together—there’s this bigger power that can change the community. . . . We want Storyline’s story to be one of individual stories put together.”

Storyline Learning Center’s goal is to enable anyone in the community to come and learn about God’s Kingdom while holistically growing together with others.

Peter said, “We care about people. We care about their situations. But the main thing is that we love them by sharing the gospel.”

Empowering Others Through People Development

Thanks to people like you who support CAMA, local believers have been empowered to serve together at the center and come alongside those in need—helping people develop not only tangible skills that will help them find jobs, but also soft skills and a better understanding of who they are. Local experts have also been given a platform by the center to come in and share their knowledge by training their fellow Mongolians in a variety of skills for self-sustainability.

“If I help you, if I encourage you today, you can go outside, you smile to other people . . . and you can help other people. . . . If you know your value, you can [make a difference for] other people,” said Bayarmaa,* a local believer on Storyline’s staff who helps run the center. “Of course, we will teach them English—the knowledge things—but another thing I want to make you know is your value.”

The center has provided local believers, orphans, students, teenagers, widows, and those seeking employment with programming such as summer camps, English classes, nail technician courses, barista trainings, art therapy, life-skills courses, enneagram teachings, and other types of people development programs—all with the help and presence of Christ followers.

Because of the communist influence in Mongolia’s history, people struggle with originality and innovation. Storyline Learning Center is giving people the chance to be creative—to explore their likes, dislikes, and whys as they navigate the world around them.

“I just see these kids come here at Storyline and then playing. They feel more comfortable to be here, which is really good,” said Eyeldeg,* another local believer who serves on the center’s team, “because in public school, there’s a lot of noise and crazy—it’s so chaotic—and then most students can’t express themselves. They are not able to speak.”

“The students [here] are growing,” said Soyolmaa,* local believer and Storyline staff member. “And their creativity is growing. . . . [I want] to help them have a creative mind,” she said, ”even in small things and big things. And then have a unique mindset with the way they are doing [things].”

The center has provided students with a space for teachers to come alongside and care for each individual beyond the lessons. One of the center’s English teachers was able to help a student who opened up about struggling in her relationship with food and self-esteem. After partnering with her parent, the teacher was able to see the student eat healthily and without guilt—leading to a healthier self-image.

“I’m glad I’m listening [to the students],” Eyeldeg said. “I don’t want to be just the teacher. I want to also be the coach to them.”

“[Our] students—they know our vision, our love, that God loves,” said Uranchimeg,* another local believer and center staff member. “They know [with us they] can share, and maybe there are students, in the future, they can share our love to other people.”

Helping Local Believers Grow

Through serving and taking ownership of responsibilities at the center, the local believers who have been staffing Storyline have also been developed—not only professionally but spiritually.

“For our staff, we are all learning and walking together,” said Eyeldeg. “We are all learning, and we accept we are all sinners, but we’re learning with each other.”

Uranchimeg said, “I think it’s a good choice to work here because in some Mongolian work positions, you cannot learn new things. Just only one position . . . but at Storyline, just skies! We learn everyday new things.”

Bayarmaa said, “Before [me from two years ago versus] today me, I learned a lot. I changed a lot.”

“I’m learning, I’m searching, I’m studying—how to work with my teachers and boss and other people. . . . How to be a good example to others. How to manage today’s work,” she said. “Little, little more, I’m studying, learning, and I try!”

Eyeldeg said that a previous job, “I wasn’t really free to share my ideas and thoughts . . . when I got here, I felt more free and more flexible because I was surrounded by more Christian people. If something happens in my heart, I am able to share because [the staff] want to understand what we are going through . . . I am growing and increasing in my spiritual way.”

Will You Pray for Storyline?

Thank you for making places for people to be developed like Storyline Learning Center possible. Because of your partnership, transformation and restoration are being experienced. People development can be messy and time-consuming, but it’s so worth it to pour ourselves into the lives of others so that the Kingdom of God can be known.

Will you pray for the center, its staff, and those it serves? Praise God for how He’s made a way for a local believer to take over the coffee machine repair service offered at the center. Pray that this outreach of Storyline’s would continue to empower local people to support themselves as they begin their own businesses in coffee. Please also pray that the center’s staff would have wisdom, discernment, and the Lord’s favor in deciding whether or not to purchase the property the center is located on or if they should continue to rent. Above all, please pray that the Lord would continue to build up His people and His Church in Mongolia.

*Name changed