Day Nine: The Mongol People

Who are the Mongols?
Roughly 6 million Mongols live in Inner Mongolia and China's northern provinces. For centuries they have been raising their livestock, racing their horses, and enduring bleak winters in their yurts-round tent-houses made out of a thick felt. The round shape keeps the tent from blowing away in the fierce winter winds.

The Mongolian people are traditionally Shaamanist, although the younger generations adhere to atheism. An encounter between Marco Polo and the then-Mongolian ruler Kublai Khan in the 13 th century gives startling insight into the demonic powers that still hold Mongolia in their clutches today. Kublai boasted to the explorer of his powerful sorcerers who were able to make objects move on their own and whose idols spoke to them and gave them predictions. He followed his boasts with a challenge for Polo to send a hundred Christians to his kingdom. If they were able to prove the supreme power of Christ, he promised, he would become a Christian, and would be baptized along with his entire kingdom. The western world failed to respond to this incredible opportunity to bring Christianity to Asia. Today less than 0.01% of Mongols are Christians, and more than 90% have never heard about Jesus. The New Testament has been translated into a Mongolian script which is now obsolete, and work on preparing a Scripture translation that can be understood by the Mongols of today is still in progress.

Points of Prayer:
1. Against the demonic forces which are still extremely prevalent in Mongolian society today.

2. That every Mongolian will have the chance to hear about Jesus and surrender his or her life to Him.

3. For the strengthening and discipleship of Mongolian Christians and their protection from spiritual attack.