Introduction / History

In the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries the Mongols brutally established the largest empire the world has seen, stretching from Southeast Asia to Europe. They instituted the Yuan Dynasty and ruled China from 1271 to 1368. The terrified Europeans called the Mongols Tatars, meaning "people from hell" (Tartarus).
There are as many as 60 Mongol tribes, but Mongols are divided into two major categories: Those in Mongolia who speak Khalka Mongolian and those from China's "Inner Mongolia" province. This province may have at one time been a buffer to keep out Mongol raiders. A small number of these "inner" Mongols now live in the United States and Kazakhstan.

What Are Their Lives Like?

In Kazakhstan, Mongols often live in yurts, and they raise livestock. Their lifestyles are like the Kazakhs, who share a similar culture. Both ethnic groups enjoy horse racing, archery and wrestling.

What Are Their Beliefs?

At the mercy of their vast and windswept landscape, the ancient Mongols based their religion on the forces of nature. The moon, stars, and sun were all revered, as were rivers. In the past many Mongols were Christians, converted by Nestorian missionaries between the seventh and fourteenth centuries. Even a chapel outside the Great Khan's royal tent "resounded with the sound of public chants and the beating of tablets loudly announcing the appointed hours of Christian worship." Hulagu Khan's wife was described as "the believing and true Christian queen." The Keirats, a Mongol tribe, numbered 200,000 believers in AD 1007, while there were about 30,000 Mongol Catholics recorded in China by 1368.
Today's Mongols in Kazakhstan are Buddhist, though there is a liberal amount of shamanism blended in. Their beliefs are like those of Tibetan Buddhists.

What Are Their Needs?

The Mongolians need better medical facilities.

Prayer Points

Pray for workers to go to the Mongolian people in Kazakhstan, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.
Pray for families of believers loving and serving others to grow reproducing churches.
Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that results in thousands of new believers who share their faith with others.
Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.

Scripture Prayers for the Mongolian in Kazakhstan.

References

Operation China, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission