Introducing FirstBible International of Mongolia

The Lord has opened three great doors of ministry for FirstBible in Mongolia.

1. Printing Ministry -- Through partnership with Mickey Cofer in 2006, we shipped two 40-foot containers of printing equipment to the capital city of UlaanBataar. There is now a fully operational print shop where Jeff Kruchkow has spent several months hiring and training a team of Mongolian printers.
   
   
2. Bible Institute -- Through partnership with Martin White (now in Heaven after his death in February 2009), there is now a Bible Institute where Mongolian men who are called to ministry are being trained. We are praying God will burden their hearts to reach not only their own nation, but surrounding nations with a church-planting effort.
   
   
3. Bible Translation -- Through partnership with several good missionaries and nationals listed below, a translation/revision of Scriptures is underway with the goal of giving the Mongolians a pure Word of God.

Mongolian Based Team

Mickey Cofer - General Director

I was saved in 1972 and served as a youth leader in my late teens. I graduated from Bob Jones University in 1985 with a degree in Christian Lay Leadership. I served for seven years at the Fellowship Baptist Church in Lebanon, Ohio as a deacon and Sunday school teacher while operating a 3-color web press for the Fellowship Tract League. I started a small business producing handcrafted pottery for galleries throughout the United States. God called me to Mongolia in 2000 out of the Winchester Baptist Church, Ohio. My wife Trina and I have four lovely children serving with us who have all made professions of faith.

Bill Patterson - Translation Coordinator

I was raised in a missionary home in Mexico. At the age of eight, I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. In 1992, the Lord called me back to Mexico to work with my parents. Two years later, the Lord gave me a precious wife, Marcy. Since then, we have been blessed with Heather, Ryan, and Tricia.
We have served as missionaries in Mexico and India before going to Mongolia. Having been trained early in the Greek language and then having opportunity to spend 13 months in Israel studying Hebrew, God has uniquely prepared us for the work of Bible translation. We have been led of the Lord to direct the translation project for Mongolia.

Roland Gay - Translator

I received Christ as my personal Saviour in January of 1996. Soon after, while enrolled in the four-year program of the Bible Institute at my home church, I served the Lord in nursing homes and jail ministries. Our ministry in Mongolia began in May, 2000 when my wife and I went on a survey trip to Ulaanbaatar, the capitol city. After gaining assurance of the Lord's calling, we raised support and came to Mongolia as full time language students with the long-term vision of church planting. I started preaching and teaching in Mongolian in a home bible study in January, 2005. In July of that year, we saw our first converts baptized and founded Faith Baptist Church.
During this time, the desperate need for an accurate translation of God's Word has become very apparent to us. We began training for translation, and have translated the Gospel of John. By the grace and leadership of God, we are now serving from our home church in Bangor, Maine as we endeavor to make the translation of the Bible the primary focus of our ministry. We will be assisting Project Coordinator Bill Patterson in this translation project.

Matthew Patenaude - Translator

Matthew Patenaude was born in Florida in 1977, and raised in a Christian family. His father has served in the ministry as a pastor and is now a missionary to China (where Matthew spent his teen years). He was saved at the age of 17 and surrendered for the ministry shortly afterward. He earned his B.A. in Linguistics at Baptist Bible Translators Institute in Bowie, Texas, and has continued his linguistic studies. He is married with three children and now serves in Mongolia. He speaks Mongolian and Chinese. His sending church is Winchester Baptist Church, Winchester, Ohio, Rev. Steve Bankhead, pastor.

United States Based Team

Tom Murray - Board Member

Tom Murray was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota in 1954. He was saved in 1973. He married his childhood sweetheart, Denise, in 1974. After 27 wonderful years of marriage, Denise passed away in 2000 due to cancer. They have four grown children. Tom currently lives in North Pole, Alaska, and has remarried a wonderful Christian lady. Tom founded Alaska Aerofuel Inc. (www.alaskaaerofuel.com) in 1981. He is currently semi-retired but continues to serve as Chairman of the Board. Tom attends Bible Baptist Church in Fairbanks, Alaska, Rev. Doug Duffett, Pastor. Tom spends half of the year in Alaska doing lay ministry and half of the year traveling to visit and support missionaries in foreign lands.

Robert Painter - FBI Mongolia Attorney

Robert Painter is an attorney in Houston. In 2005, in his seventh year of practicing at the mega-firm Fulbright & Jaworski, he left to start his own practice, The Painter Law Firm, where he represents individuals, businesses, and non-profit organizations. He has held various political positions from the international and national to state and local levels, through which he has known leaders such as Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Mongolian Prime Minister Elbegdorj Tsakhia. Robert is married to Taunya Painter, who is Director of International Trade for Wal-Mart. They have an infant daughter, Katherine. The Painters attend Christchurch Baptist Fellowship, where they teach a Sunday School class, and where Robert serves as a deacon.