On June 9, 2019, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the Gateway Project on a huge 58-acre piece of land in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Leaders from the Northern Asia-Pacific Division (NSD) and the Mongolia Mission (MM) participated in this event with about 80 local church members and other invitees.
Mongolia Mission is a new mission field compared to other fields in the NSD territories. The church has been growing since the remarkable baptism of Mongolian people in 1992, who are now serving as MM leaders. This year, the membership of the church has reached 3,000. MM also has Adventist institutions, including a youth training center, a dental clinic, a university student dormitory, Tusgal school, and a newly inaugurated FM radio station.
Recently, the MM initiated the building of the Gateway International Education Corporation for the purpose of mission. Several institutions will be established under the corporation, including an international academy, a vocational school, a wellness center, an agricultural center, and an incoming generating resort. In his remarks, MM president Kim YohHan emphasized that this is a project driven by faith. Their first step is to build an international academy. The MM will not wait until they have enough funding to start the project. They have begun this project with faith.
The church-building project in this area is also a move of faith. The location of the project is only a 15-minute drive from the new Ulaanbaatar International Airport. The capital city of Mongolia is expanding closer to the project’s location. More than half of Mongolia’s population of 3 million live in Ulaanbaatar. Having a center of influence in a strategic location in the city will hopefully have a strong impact on the mission.
Joanne Kim is the manager of this Gateway project. She was one of the pioneer missionaries who came to Mongolia in 1992, when there were no Adventists in the country. After 25 years, she has now returned to Mongolia with her family and serves as the education director of the mission. With great faith, she says, “We have a long way to go ahead of us, but we are confident that since the Lord has led us this far, He will continue to be with us in the future.”
NSD president Kim SiYoung reminded the ceremony attendees of the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. The people of God were united, and God helped them to miraculously complete the project. In the same context, Richard Sabuin, NSD education director, pointed to Zechariah 4:10, where the Lord encouraged His people not to despise the day of small things. Indeed, the Gateway Project begins small, but it aims for greatness, for God’s glory.
News Article by Richard Sabuin, NSD Education Director