Something is brewing in the spirit.
We want to be busy about the Father’s work, and He is doing incredible things around the nations. 2010 was a time of spiritual breakthroughs and countless salvations among the unreached people groups of the 10/40 Window. But we believe that this year will surpass the successes of the previous years, and see thousands more ushered into the kingdom of God.
Over the new year, we paused to reflect upon God’s goodness, and His overall plan of redemption for the unreached people groups of Southeast Asia. “That none should perish” has always been His cry, and that inspires us to step out in new directions with the power of God. We stopped to think about how God wants to raise up indigenous church planting movements across the globe, and at the end of the day, a missionary’s greatest calling is to work himself out of a job; to raise up local Christians to oversee the ministry among their own people groups and culture.
2010 was time of preparation for our local missionaries. We hosted our quarterly Local Missionary Conventions, challenging them to step out in new ministry opportunities that they never before thought possible. And the results were amazing.
We saw the sick healed, the forgotten saved, and unreached people groups come to the knowledge of Jesus Christ for the very first time in the history of the world. We ordained one of our most trusted local co-workers as the apostolic leader over Within Reach Global’s many ministries, and watched as he led the team to true pioneer works among tribal groups who had yet to hear the gospel.
Our local missionaries are now being empowered to reach their own people for Christ. Of course, we still have a huge part to play in overseeing the ministry of Within Reach Global, but our local missionaries are taking strides toward becoming independent full-time ministers. That excites us. We feel that this is a new season for Within Reach Global—a time where God is going to break forth into many new unreached people groups.
We already have short-term mission teams and trips set up throughout 2011. We have new target areas that have previously been untouched by the gospel. We see God on the move, and are excited to see how He will burst onto the scene of lives who have never heard of Him before.
New seasons call for new ideas and creative ways of doing ministry. We are seeking His face about how we can truly impact the forgotten people groups of Southeast Asia.
That’s what keeps us going. That’s our passion—to go into all the earth bearing the name of Jesus.
If you came and visited us here, you may not believe what you see. After hours and hours of driving to a village in the middle of nowhere, we will get out of the car, and sit down in the home of a tribal stranger. “Have you ever heard of Jesus?” we ask. “What’s that? A kind of medicine?” they reply. They have no concept of who Jesus is at all. Coca Cola is more popular than Jesus.
That’s what gets us. How, in the twenty-first century, can there still be people who have never heard of Jesus? Seriously. It seems impossible. We’re on Facebook and Twitter and Google, and we live in an extreme modern era. But it’s a fact: they have never heard of Jesus before. And that that spurs us on to travel to the far-off places of Southeast Asia.
So 2011 is here, and with it incredible opportunities to shine the light of God. We will be traveling around the world, speaking at churches, being the voice for the voiceless. We will continue to reach the tribal people groups of Southeast Asia, and be advocates for the unreached. The many ministries of Within Reach Global will continue through our trusted local missionaries and partners, and breakthroughs are inevitable.
2011 is here, and we are expectant for God to raise up a witness among unreached people groups.
Please continue to pray for us. Please continue to partner with us. Your prayers and giving will far outlast you, and bring in a harvest you may have never thought possible.