Or should we call it 3,000 miles for unreached people groups who have yet to hear of Jesus? Or maybe all those miles were for the special needs children of Within Reach Global, for the orphans, for the hundreds of college students being reached by the gospel.
Maybe it was simply 3,000 miles for sake of the call of God, His love compelling us to be the voice for the voiceless.
Anytime you are preparing for a long road trip across America, there is a sense of excitement. Then you’re on the road, and a few hours in you look at your GPS and it says 1,000 miles to destination, and your back hurts. You think: “What have I gotten myself into?”
But when you have a purpose for your trip—a cause, a motivation, a God-given reason—you ease into the driver’s seat and smile as the white lines speed past your vehicle.
Last week we drove from Prescott, AZ to Carlsbad, NM, then on to Dallas and other cities in Texas. We spoke at a supporting church who has been faithfully sowing into the children’s ministry of Within Reach Global for over five years. We challenged the interns at Teen Mania Ministries’ Honor Academy to blaze new trails and support reaching unreached people groups. We reconnected with old friends from around the country who have showed their care and support over and over throughout the years.
We were truly blessed to step back and see the bigger body of Christ across America. We were again encouraged by the generosity of Christians who truly want to see Jesus lifted up and all men and women drawn unto Him.
The long hours on Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas roads brought back to us the faces of the persecuted Church in China.
Brother Yang who was recently beaten by the police after simply sharing the love of Jesus at The Edge near the Myanmar border.
Brother Hu who is crippled and cannot walk without a cane, yet regularly treks up steep mountains at 26 Tribes near the border of Laos, sleeping under the open heavens on his way to reach unreached people groups.
Sister Li who has passionately helped raise up over 150 children who are now being taught Bible stories and Christian worship songs at The Edge.
Brother Li who was a drunk and illiterate farmer only a few years ago, now saved and graduated from underground Bible school, reaching his own people group at Pilot center.
We drove and thought of little Li Yan who we recently helped with the heart surgery she needed; of Tiger, a professing atheist who just had a radical encounter with God at The Hub; of Auntie Zhang who just died after leading many older women to the Lord at Bamboo church.
We thought of the many unreached people groups who have yet to hear the name of Jesus. We could almost see the faces that God looks down upon, reminded of Robert Moffat’s words: “In the vast plain to the north I have sometimes seen, in the morning sun, the smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary has ever been––villages whose people are without Christ, without God, and without hope in the world.”
It was a fifteen hour drive back to Prescott. We arrived around midnight on May 27, worn out and satisfied. We had connected with over 1,500 people and are praying that many would be inspired to jump on board with Within Reach Global.
We need more partners. We need more people to catch the vision for planting churches among unreached people groups. The ministry is growing and expanding in amazing ways, and we are so thankful for those who have sown financially into this ministry. May God bless you more to be a blessing.
Please pray that more supporters would rise up to the challenge of fulfilling the Great Commission.
We are praying about another trip around America in July, traveling from Arizona to Texas, then on to Louisiana, Florida, and New York. Long hours on the road and in planes, but if we are able to connect with people who share our burden to minister to the forgotten people groups of Southeast Asia, we are always willing.
Check out the short clip from the Teen Mania Ministries Honor Academy here.
Want to see the full video of us speaking at Teen Mania Ministries? Check out the video below. We start at 25:00 minutes.