Beyond the Lens

A team of storytellers reflects on a long-awaited trip to Mongolia

Recently, I caught up with three members of our video team—Olivia, Rosie, and Andy—shortly after their return from Mongolia, where they had been capturing footage and photos for an upcoming story.

Typically, they remain behind the camera, gathering, producing, and curating stories to help our Alliance family and others engage with God’s work around the world. But this time, the spotlight is turned toward the team—their experiences, their reflections, and how the trip changed them.

Members of the video team during their recent trip to Mongolia

When I asked what first drew the video team to Mongolia, Olivia described it as an “ends‑of‑the‑Earth” kind of place. With severely cold winters, forbidding mountains, and sparsely inhabited deserts and grasslands, Mongolia may seem harsh and uninviting to some.

For the video team, however, visiting the country was a long-awaited opportunity. The three of them had never been there, and they had heard about some of the exciting work happening among people who are spiritually ripe for the gospel.

In Mongolia, gospel presence is scarce and most of the population remains unreached and isolated from communities of believers. Yet, as the team discovered, a vibrant, dedicated, and relatively new national church has sprung up from the sacrificial investment of Alliance international workers, local believers, and many others who have given and prayed for the gospel’s advance in Mongolia.

Believers gather for worship at a church in Darkhan, Mongolia.

A Young Church and a New Generation Leading the Way

Although the team traveled to gather stories for a future project, what they found went far beyond footage. They were introduced to youth and other local believers whose generosity, hospitality, and dedication to collaboration in ministry were refreshing and inspiring.

What struck the team most about the trip was spending extended time with teenagers who are among the first generation to grow up in Christian homes in Mongolia.

“They’re really just leading the charge, leading the way,” Olivia reflected, marveling at the commitment of these young believers to serving their churches and communities.

The team enjoyed meaningful moments of connection with local youth—sharing their testimonies, praying together, and forming bonds that left a lasting imprint. Their testimonies seemed to resonate deeply with the youth. One girl, for example, told them she had always wanted to be in photography but didn’t know how to use it to serve God. The team helped her see how this could be possible.

These teenage worship leaders are two of the young believers “leading the charge” for the gospel in their communities.

One of the most inspiring moments came during a weekly music ministry. Every week after church, a man named Baatar* loads his car with instruments and gathers a van full of teens. Together, they travel to other towns—sometimes hours away—to train other musicians using worship music.

“They’re literally sacrificing an entire day,” Olivia said, describing the selflessness demonstrated by Baatar and the young believers who accompany him. The video team saw small pockets of students—groups of two or three—working meticulously on guitar, drums, vocals, or keyboard, each one investing what little they had so others could grow.

When larger churches said they didn’t have time to help, Baatar’s small congregation stepped in despite their inexperience and limited resources. Their willingness to serve deeply moved our team.

During a weekly service event with teenage worship leaders, Baatar (center) trains young musicians to play worship music using acoustic guitars.

Hospitality in Small Things

Rosie described the trip as “one of my favorite trips I’ve been on with The Alliance,” noting how the people were consistently kind and hospitable. The team experienced Mongolian hospitality in the most unexpected ways.

During a dinner hosted by a local family, the team was taught traditional games played with preserved sheep ankle bones—games passed down through generations. When the team left, the host family gifted each of them four ankle bones, a gesture rich with cultural significance.

“It was really meaningful,” said Andy. It was another moment when the deep generosity and warmth of Mongolian believers humbled him and his teammates.

Andy (center) captures footage of Mongolian youth playing a traditional game using preserved sheep bones.

A Beautiful Land with Hidden Burdens

For Rosie, visiting Mongolia confirmed something she had learned about the country prior to traveling there—it is breathtakingly beautiful. Reflecting on the trip, however, she also noted the contrast between the picturesque landscapes and the hidden pains many Mongolians carry: high alcohol abuse, elevated suicide rates, and deep emotional struggles that often remain masked behind friendly expressions and gestures of hospitality.

The harsh climate forces residents to burn significant coal, creating thick pollution. For Rosie, the smog became a metaphor: just as Mongolian children grow up breathing unhealthy air without realizing its harm, many grow up spiritually without understanding the oppression of false religion or the hope of the gospel. For the light of Jesus to break through, Mongolian believers, international workers, and Alliance family members everywhere must press ahead together—firmly committed to our shared All of Jesus for All the World vision.

Smokestacks release thick clouds over Darkhan.

More Than Storytelling

As our video team reflected on their journey, they each conveyed they had carried home much more than footage and interview notes. Their time in Mongolia reshaped their understanding of the people they met and drew their hearts closer to a country that had once seemed far-off. Their experiences made the needs of this country personal—its beauty, its brokenness, its promise, and its spiritual hunger.

And those needs remain. The young Mongolian church is growing, but it is still tender.

“We need people willing to go and serve alongside this fledgling church network as it matures,” Andy shared.

Because of people like you, gospel doors are beginning to open in Mongolia. But so much more needs to be done. The same faithfulness that brought the gospel to Mongolia is the faithfulness required for its continued flourishing. As the video team witnessed firsthand, God is moving in Mongolia—and He invites us to move with Him.

Every gift to The Alliance’s Great Commission Fund sends desperately needed workers and mobilizes gospel resources to reach more people in Mongolia and other dark places of the world with the transformational power of the gospel. Please pray and give to the Great Commission Fund as God leads so the unreached people of Mongolia and beyond can know that Jesus sees them, loves them, and is calling them into His Kingdom.

*Name changed

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About the Author

John Bils is a fundraising and campaign writer at the National Office of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. He holds a BA in English from The Ohio State University and lives in Blacklick, Ohio.