​Mongolian Girl Prays to Reunite With Best Friend in Brazil

Urna prayed for four years — and then God answered!

By Andrew McChesney, adventistmission.org

Urangerel “Urna” Uuganbayar grew up in a Seventh-day Adventist home in Mongolia.

Urna’s father died when she was 4, and she lived at home with her mother.

The first few grades of school were tough. The other children made fun of her for not having a father. They chanted, “You don’t have a father! You don’t have a father!” This made Urna feel sad.

On Sabbath, Urna went to church with her mother. She didn’t know why they went to church. She didn’t think Sabbath School was interesting because she already knew all the Bible stories taught by the teacher.

“It was kind of boring,” she said.

Everything changed when Urna was 9. She and her mother moved to the Philippines so her mother could study at an Adventist university there.

Urna loved her new school. All the children were nice, and no one made fun of her for not having a father. She became best friends with a girl named Dani from Brazil. Urna and Dani did everything together.

But then Urna’s mother finished her classes and had to move back to Mongolia. Dani’s parents also finished their work in the Philippines and had to move back to Brazil.

Story continues below

Sad Goodbye

Urna and Dani felt terribly sad about being so far from each other. Urna didn’t want to say goodbye to Dani. Dani didn’t want to say goodbye to Urna.

So, Urna and Dani began to pray that they could remain together. They planned a future together in Brazil. Urna prayed, “Dear God, let me go to Brazil to live with Dani.”

But the day came when the girls had to say goodbye. It was horrible. Urna cried about saying goodbye, but she also cried because she wanted to move to Brazil.

Dani spoke bravely. She told Urna, “Goodbyes are not meant to be sad. Goodbyes only mean I’ll miss you until we meet again.”

Urna and her mother got on an airplane and flew back to Mongolia. But Urna didn’t stop praying. She prayed every day, “Dear God, let me go to Brazil to live with Dani.” 

One year passed. Two years passed. Then three and four years. Urna kept praying.

This year, Urna found her mother waiting at the front door when she came home from Tusgal School, the Adventist school where she studies in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Big Surprise

“You are going to Brazil!” her mother exclaimed.

Urna screamed with joy.

She learned that friends from Brazil had called her mother and invited her to go to high school in Brazil. The friends said she could live with them.

Urna can’t wait to be reunited with Dani! She can’t believe how God answered her prayer!

“When I really prayed for it, it didn’t come right away,” she said. “it came in God’s time. I think God answers prayer when it’s the right time.”

Today, Urna is 15 and likes to go to church on Sabbath. She doesn’t think it’s boring. She goes to praise the God who loves her so much that He answered her biggest prayer.

Urna’s Tusgal School, which expanded with help from a 2015 Thirteenth Sabbath Offering, is growing so quickly that it still doesn’t have room for all the students who wish to study there. Part of the Thirteenth Sabbath Offering in third quarter 2018 will help build a separate high school for the students. Thank you for your mission offering.