to her landlocked country of Mongolia

Location: Arvaikheer, Mongolia

(Perlimaa Gavaadandov, Catholic devotee)

"Definitely, I am so excited that Pope Francis is coming and I'll get the chance to meet him in person, especially since he is the leader of the Catholic religion of this world. I can't wait to see him."

71-year-old Perlimaa Gavaadandov converted to Catholicism around 18 years ago

She practices a unique blend of traditions, merging ancient Mongol rituals with her Catholic faith

"One of our Mongolian traditions is that we offer the first cup of milk tea to the sky every morning. For me, I offer this to our god and pray, without losing our culture. I also teach my children to preserve this valuable heritage."

About 60% of Mongolians identify as religious, including Buddhists, Muslims, Christians and Shamanists

Source: U.S. State Department

The nation of about 3.3 million is strategically significant for the Roman Catholic Church

because of its proximity to China, where the Vatican aims to improve the situation of Catholics

"I went alone to church for three or four years. Later, my children and grandchildren started going, and later my husband joined us. It's been four years since he was baptized. Things were difficult before when I was alone, but now they're much better."