Doug Hesse, a resident of Reynolds Plantation and a Certified Financial Planner for more than 33 years, spoke at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties. He has a passion for helping people and has been working with Campus Crusade for Christ as a roving missionary. He started as a volunteer with Campus Crusade in 1979 and while he has many experiences to share, he spoke to the Rotary Club on his trip to Mongolia.

he stated “the purpose of the mission trip was the International School Project — one of 80 ministries of the Campus Crusade. Approximately 40 individuals from the United States went to Erdenet, Mongolia to teach teachers and administrators ethics and morality from the Bible.

Typically the women are often the only workers in the family and are often mistreated by the men. Since 1989, when the Communist wall fell, American missionaries have been traveling to Mongolia to teach the women a ‘world view of thinking,’ through lessons from the Bible and application of these lessons to life. In turn the women teach the children a new way of life through the workbooks provided by Campus Crusades missionaries. The missionaries have begun to see a ‘break in the cycle’ — from a dictatorial society to one who is more tolerant and respectful of a family structure.”

He stated: “The trip to Erdenet started with a flight to Beijing, China, a three-hour flight to the capital of Mongolia (Ulaanbaatar), and then an eight-hour bus ride through the semi desert countryside. Often you would see children in fields in the bitter cold, picking up fuel (frozen dung) for their homes. Typically Mongolian families live in tents called Gers and move every six to seven weeks for better grazing land. Regardless of the travel hardships, it is rewarding that ‘we can all unite and make a difference in this world — whatever mission we are involved in by helping one another. We simply need to show up and make a difference. The government of Mongolia is very supportive of our work and has invited us to return to continue to ‘make a difference’.”