The «VICTORY» Church, Mongolia

If you look at the map, Mongolia, squashed in between the two giants, Russia and China, looks pathetically small. In reality it is a spacious country with the territory equal to the whole of Western Europe. However its vast lands are rather thinly populated, since the entire population of the country is less than three million people. It is the land of picturesque landscapes and bad roads, curious traditions and unique customs, with the weather just as unreliable as the communications system. It is the country of general unpredictability. The Korobov family live and serve God in the town of Erdenet, located in a beautiful valley. The town was built in the early 1970-s with the only prupose: to provide housing for Russian-speaking workers from the mining and concentrating factory, constructed with the help of the USSR. Here typical Soviet apartment high-rises peacefully co-exist with traditional yurts and ancient-looking houses where the majority of the town's 60.000 population reside. The majority of Erdenet population adheres (at least nominally) to the local religion, which is a curious hybrid of Buddhism and Shamanism; the Buddhist datsan is just as important for a Mongol as a place of heathen worship. The Russian-speaking community of Erdenet is still significant, even though it steadily decreases, as many Russians go back home. At first it was this community that became the main focus of Roman and Sveta's evangelistic outreach; and they still lead a Russian-speaking Bible study group. However with time the focus of evangelism shifted onto the indigenous population of Erdenet, many of whom are extremely poor and lack even the bare necessities, such as food, clothes and housing. Roman and his family decided to provide daily lunches for the children from needy families. Every Saturday Roman and Sveta also hold an evangelistic tea for adults, where they share the love of God with their guests, read from the Word of God and serve tea and cookies. On Sunday in a small room, full of hungry people — hungry both spiritually and physically — Roman and Sveta hold Sunday worship services. And every time newly-saved souls enter God's Kingdom and begin to experience the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The ministry of the Korobov family in Mongolia provides an opportunity for both Russians and Mongols living in Erdenet to come to know Christ, to see God's hand in action, to receive His blessings and to become one.