All nations, praise the Lord! All peoples, exalt Him! For His loving mercy towards us is great, and His truth lasts forever. Praise the Lord!

The joyous words of Psalm 117 ring out across the early morning stillness. Today is Sunday, and dozens of Mongolian worshipers have assembled inside the dome-shaped ger to unite their voices in praise to God.

There is a sweet simplicity about the gathering. These are herdsmen’s families who wear the look of people accustomed to toil and hardship. They are practically-minded and, as nomads, their possessions are few.

The same mindset holds true in the tent-like sanctuary. Furnishings are sparse with colorful tapestries adorning the walls and wooden benches arranged in rows for seating. Comfort is not a priority, even though services typically last two to three hours. No one seems to mind. After all, here is the place where they find refuge from their struggles, where they welcome the opportunity to celebrate God’s blessings.


The church in Durguun.

The small congregation of some 60 adults and children has much to celebrate. Five years ago, no church existed in the village of Durguun. There weren’t even any known Christians. But here on the fringes of the Gobi Desert, God has used Samaritan’s Purse to spark a remarkable spiritual awakening.

Transformed Hearts
Among those crowded inside the ger for worship are Buyannemekh Chuluun, his wife Udval, and their four children. Their youngest son, Bilguun, is a rosy-cheeked 6 year old with a beaming smile.

This was not always the case. Bilguun was born with a heart defect. His oxygen saturation was about half of the normal level, making his fingernails and lips noticeably blue. He was so weak as a toddler that he could not walk, and he leaned on large rocks and other objects to pull himself upright.

His family affectionately nicknamed him “Peanut” because of his small frame. Neighbors just referred to him as “the sick boy.”

In September 2005, Children’s Heart Project staff traveled to Durguun to visit then 18-month-old Bilguun and his family. Through arrangements with the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Bilguun’s surgery was scheduled for February of the following year.

“We came to Mongolia to tell the family the good news that their son had been accepted for surgery,” said Cindy Bonsall, the Children’s Heart Project director. “They were very excited.”

Learn more about the ministry of the Children's Heart Project.

God was at work in some surprising ways, however, and His plan was just beginning to unfold.

Most of the villagers had never seen foreigners in their isolated desert community before. One girl about 5 years of age seemed particularly curious. Amartuvshin’s bright red sweater made her plainly visible, and she followed the American group everywhere.

“A woman in the village finally told me that the little girl had a heart problem too,” Bonsall said. “I didn’t have a stethoscope, but I bent down to listen to her heart and could hear a loud murmur. We weren’t expecting to have two children in the village needing cardiac surgery!”

When the full extent of Amartuvshin’s medical needs was realized, our staff sought immediate help. It was agreed that the typical process of testing, consultations, and finding a hospital and host family in the United States would take too long.

There was another option. Children’s Heart Project had sent its first surgical team to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia’s capital, that very week to perform a limited number of cardiac procedures. Although Amartuvshin’s condition appeared serious, it was believed her defect could be repaired there.

When the Samaritan’s Purse group traveled back through Ulaanbaatar, Amartuvshin and her mother flew with them to meet with the visiting medical team. A cardiac screening confirmed the defect. They also received encouraging news—the little girl’s surgery could be handled in Mongolia.

Days later, Amartuvshin’s procedure was a complete success. Doctors said the timing was perfect. In another two or three months, she would have been inoperable.


Amartuvshin with her mother.

“It was very providential,” Bonsall said. “We thought we were going to Durguun for Bilguun, but God had additional plans.”

Amartuvshin’s mother had a heart change of her own. After hearing about God’s love and seeing it in action, she returned to Durguun as a new believer in Jesus Christ—and one of the village’s first Christians.

“She told the villagers that the Christians were true to their word and took action to help, that their God healed her daughter,” Bonsall said. “After that she accepted the Lord, and she came home testifying. She became a bold witness for Christ.”

Miracles Multiply
Five months later, Bilguun, his mother Udval, and a Mongolian translator were on their way to Minnesota for his surgery.

“He was so blue and weak that I wondered if he would survive the plane flight,” Bonsall recalled.

Bilguun survived the flight, and made it through the complex heart surgery. Tears streamed down Udval’s face as she kissed Bilguun on the cheek after the operation.

After his release from the hospital, Bilguun returned to the host family’s home for a month of recuperation. He started walking, playing, and laughing. Udval remarked that her son was “different now.”

So was Udval. The Great Physician who healed Bilguun’s heart was prompting a regeneration of hers.

Seeds of faith had already been planted through Amartuvshin’s mother in Mongolia. Now Udval’s understanding of the Gospel was becoming clearer as she participated in Bible studies and attended church with the Christian host family in Rochester.

Her family was raised Buddhist, but stopped going to the temple because they could not afford to pay alms to the priestess. Udval was struck by the realization that salvation through Jesus Christ is free, because He paid the penalty for her sins.

Like Amartuvshin’s mother, she prayed to receive Jesus as Savior and became a witness for Him upon her return to Mongolia.

A Church is Born
The two moms were serious about growing in their faith, and their husbands took notice. They also became believers, and the two families began studying the Bible and praying together in early 2007.

What they lacked, however, was a mature Christian to teach and disciple them in their new faith.

Unknown to this small flock, God was already preparing the hearts of a young Mongolian couple. Puujee and Badmaa, who lived in the nearby city of Khovd, felt led to serve in a rural area. The pastor of their church knew the two Children’s Heart Project families and told the couple about the band of new believers. After traveling to visit the families, Puujee and Badmaa knew their prayers had been answered.

A small church was started in a ger built behind Bilguun’s home. These faithful few quickly began increasing in numbers, and services were moved to a bigger ger.

Seven of Bilguun’s uncles committed their lives to Christ. Bilguun’s father and Amartuvshin’s mother became leaders in the church.

This past winter brought great challenges to Mongolian farmers when millions of their livestock died in the dzud. Durguun was not spared the suffering, but believers there joined in prayer and support of one another. They also found new opportunities for outreach in the community.

Samaritan's Purse is helping Mongolian herders devastated by the winter dzud.

As the congregation ministered to other herder families, they recognized the tremendous need to initiate a program for children. Most churches in the rural provinces of Mongolia lack both the resources and the instructors to provide child-focused training.

Samaritan’s Purse pitched in by providing ministry materials and curriculum. Through our partnership with Kids Around the World, we hosted a two-day training session last fall for children’s workers and invited children’s leaders from over 60 churches to attend. Badmaa represented the Durguun church at the workshop.

“She went back to Durguun with training and materials to start Kids’ Clubs in the village and to teach alcohol prevention to teens,” said Ada Robinson, children programs coordinator for our office in Mongolia. “This small church with two Children’s Heart Project families and a young missionary couple is now equipped to reach out to children of all ages in their village and throughout their western province.”

Other outreaches to children in Durguun have included distribution of backpacks with a year’s worth of school supplies and the delivery of 150 Operation Christmas Child shoe box gifts in March. Volunteers from the church went to the poorest neighborhoods, ensuring every child received a gift.

Bilguun was among them. A big smile broke across his face when he saw the toy cars inside his box.

It’s hard to believe five years ago he was known as “the sick boy.” He is taller now and full of energy. His very presence is a reminder of the miracles, both large and small, that God has brought about in this remote community.

The children’s ministry continues to expand, with 40 boys and girls attending Kids’ Club regularly. They learn Bible stories, sing worship songs, and play games during the Saturday meetings. Amartuvshin is active in the group and loves to sing and dance with the worship team. Bilguun’s mother is one of the teachers.

“The church leaders and Bilguun’s family call me monthly to give me updates on how they are doing, and how their church is doing,” Ada said. “They are so thankful for the continued support Samaritan’s Purse has given to their ministry.”

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Samaritan's Purse , Mongolia , Children's Heart Project , Village of Miracles