De vågade sig ut : en studie av Svenska Mongolmissionens missionärer och verksamhet 1910–1938

Sammanfattning: The Swedish Mongol Mission (SMM) was an ecumenical union active mostly among Mongols in Outer and Inner Mongolia between 1897 and 1945. SMM were to establish five stations at the borders of the Gobi Desert from 1908 to 1944. The stations were Hallong Osso, Goltjaggan, Dojen, Hatt in Sum, situated in Inner Mongolia and Urga (in present Ulan Bator) situated in Outer Mongolia. In 1950 the activities were transferred Japan and were then renamed to the Swedish Mission in China and Japan (SMK) founded by Erik Folke. It was amalgamated with the Swedish Mongol and Japanese Missions under the name Evangelical East Asia Mission (EÖM). The purpose of this thesis has been to carry out an historical study of the activities of the Swedish Mongol Mission during the period 1910–1939. The Swedish Mongol Mission was a Mission of Faith, bearing the stamp of the Alliance of three Church. It was influenced by the Mission paradigm by Hudson Taylor. In this study I have tried to find the answers to which factors influenced the development. During the years the Swedish Mongol Mission was active about 40 Swedish members were to be recruited and the majority of the missionaries were women. The first women on the board of the Swedish Mongol Mission were also active in several women movements, young women's Christian association (YWCA), female Mission workers The White Ribbon and the Fredrika Bremer Association. The missionaries had a vision to reach further beyond the in field work activity during a part of the year for which the board had no greater understanding. Such proposals were dismissed with various motivations among them the argument that the stations were not to be abandoned or understaffed. My study has shown that vision and reality were difficult to make compatible from both the board’s and the missionaries’ point of view. The personnel situation in combination with economic problems was the two main obstacles. The final conclusion is that it is the missionaries’ strong faith in believing they were in the location God had placed them which made them able to continue their service. It is obvious that what was from the beginning a visionary activity with an evangelizing aim to win converts among the Mongols turned out to be a rational method meeting daily human needs. The Swedish Mongol Mission came in the end to be a medical mission.