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However, have you ever considered coming to this exotic country to share the Gospel with unreached peoples? Have you ever wondered if maybe God is calling you to move to Thailand?

Here are 7 reasons why you should purchase a plane ticket and make the adventurous move to the amazing Southeast Asian country of Thailand.

1. THAILAND IS BEAUTIFUL

The first thing everyone notices upon arriving in Thailand is the country’s incredible beauty. Flowers pour over parks, islands, gardens, trees, and can be spotted growing and blooming year-round. Waterfalls cascade down luscious mountains, crashing over ginormous rocks in the forests and jungles, and rush along the rivers into cool ponds. Elaborate, architectural temples stand on nearly every street. Night markets are filled with lights, handicrafts, and vibrant colors. Thailand is a beautiful country! There are elephant tours to take through the jungle, mountains to hike, rivers to raft, sunsets to watch, and islands to discover. If you love exploring God’s beautiful creation, listen for Thailand calling your name!

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 1. Thailand is beautiful! If you love exploring God’s creation, listen for Thailand calling your name!
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2. THE THAI PEOPLE ARE KIND

Thai people are some of the kindest and most hospitable people in the world. Being rude, loud, and visibly angry is a no-no in this culture. They greet people with a smile and a bow with their palms pressed together called the “wai.” They open doors for people and are quick to offer a helping hand. Honor and respect are deeply rooted in their culture, and they openly give honor where it is due—sometimes even when it is not deserved. The Thai language is soft and gentle and makes anyone who learns it sound the same! If you enjoy cross-cultural interactions with people, the Thai welcome you with arms wide open and broad smiles!

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 2. The Thai people are kind, welcoming you with open arms and broad smiles.
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3. THAI FOOD IS DELICIOUS

Whether it be a plate of mango sticky rice, spicy Thai curry, fried noodles, or fried chicken with Thai herbs, your tastebuds will rejoice when landing in Thailand! There is a perfect combination of spicy, sour, sweet, and salty in nearly every dish. The products they use are generally fresh and organic, not processed like those typically found in Western countries. Cities offer plentiful vegan and gluten-free restaurants as well as incredible international cuisine. If you love to eat pizza, you’ll find an Italian or American pizzeria just around the corner! Ocean and island resorts offer freshly cooked seafood at good prices. Fruit is literally falling off the trees everywhere in Thailand and there are some fruits only found in Thailand! The options for dining are vast and tasty in the country. There is no need to have the food phobia that some foreign countries (like China) can give to its international visitors. In fact, you may find that Thai food is better than anything you have ever eaten!

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 3. People often find that their tastebuds rejoice when landing in Thailand.
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4. THAILAND IS ONLY 0.75% REACHED

According to the eSTAR Foundation, the percentage of Christians in Thailand is only 0.75%. Just check out this article from Christianity Today. 0.75%  is a tragic number, meaning most Thai people spend their entire lives and their eternities separated from God. 95% of Thailand is Buddhist and filled with an abundance of temples, idols, and spirit houses. Monks walk the streets in the mornings collecting alms from people trying to earn merit. Most Thai have never had a chance to hear the Gospel or to choose Jesus. Maybe God is calling you to Thailand for such a time is this to sow Gospel seeds into the hearts of these lovely people. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are so few. There are grandmas, orphans, students, businessmen, monks, and people from all walks of life here who are looking for a friend to show them what real Hope is. Maybe YOU are that friend.

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 4. Most Thai have never had the chance to hear the Gospel or to choose Jesus.
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Thai people are looking for a friend to show them real Hope. Maybe YOU are that friend.
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5. THAI PEOPLE NEED RESCUE AND HOPE

Thailand is a hub for human trafficking, has an abundance of orphans, is filled with AIDS-ridden, homeless drug addicts, refugees, and a terribly high suicide rate. If you feel called to social justice causes and Christian missions, Thailand is the place to come! There are villages in need of good medical treatment, orphans needing arms and hearts to love them, women needing rescue from human trafficking, and homeless people needing someone to show them they have value and purpose. Universities are also filled with students who are under immense pressure—so much pressure, in fact, that the stress often leads to suicide. They need someone to show them hope and help them find their purpose in life. There are millions of disadvantaged people needing someone to teach them a trade and hire them for work. Refugees flood into Thailand, displaced and needing a new beginning. Maybe God is calling you to Thailand to help heal the sick, care for the dying, bind up the brokenhearted, see captives set free, bring hope to the hopeless, love the unloveable, and meet practical needs. In the midst of doing this, He will work miracles, the Gospel will be taught, and many people will enter His eternal kingdom. Are you willing to be His vessel of rescue and hope?

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 4. Thai people need rescue and hope. Are you willing to be God’s vessel of rescue and hope to those living at-risk?
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6. THAI CHRISTIANS NEED BIBLICAL TRAINING

Maybe you are reading this blog thinking, “I am not really an evangelist. I am more of a Bible teacher.” Well, that’s perfect! The nearly 1% of Christians in Thailand desperately need good Bible training and discipleship. They need people to come and live amongst them and train them in Biblical literacy, prayer, the work of the Holy Spirit, and methods and techniques in leadership, evangelism, and discipleship. A major dilemma in Thailand is that the Bible is translated using the Thai Royal Language, which is harder for a Thai to read than for English speakers to read the King James Version. They need trustworthy and solid Bible teachers to train them, give them resources,  and encourage them to be spiritual leaders in Thailand. It is a lot easier for a Thai to reach other Thai than for a Westerner to reach Thai. Maybe God is calling YOU here to help raise up Christian Thais to reach their own nation for Christ.

7 Reasons to Come to Thailand on Missions: 4. Thai Christians need Biblical training. Maybe God is calling you to Thailand to train up Thais to reach their own nation for Christ.
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7. THAILAND IS AN EASY ACCESS POINT TO OTHER NATIONS

Thailand is strategically located right in the middle of South Asia and is within a 4-hour flight to China, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and Burma. All of these countries are also filled with Gospel-deprived people. Thailand is a place of religious freedom offering an excellent base for many missions organizations and ministries that not only can reach out to Thailand but also the surrounding nations. Another wonderful fact about Thailand is that it is often a tourist destination for people from these nations to come, which gives the opportunity to reach them without even having to leave the country. Maybe you feel God has called you to China or to Burma, but you cannot live there right now. Come to Thailand and reach the Burmese refugees or Chinese exchange students, and then fly in and out of those countries on short but strategic mission trips. The options of reaching the 10/40 Window and unreached peoples in and around Thailand are limitless. All you have to do is obey God’s call and buy the plane ticket.

After reading these 7 reasons why you should move to Thailand for missions, you may be wondering how to get involved. Within Reach Global has many opportunities for you to get connected. You can take part in our mission trip opportunities or move here as a staff member. We pray that after reading this blog, God will speak to your heart about getting involved missionally in this amazing country!

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#Orphan kids and Chinese college students join us in a journey to #unreached peoples!
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The words of Robert Moffat aptly describe this dire reality:

“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.”

But God in His sovereignty ever sees the ones that He loves. And because of His ardent passion for the people He created, He beckons His sons and daughters to join Him in reaching these lost ones. We have heard His call to bring good news to the poor, to comfort the brokenhearted, to give a crown of beauty for ashes and a joyous blessing instead of mourning.

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Last week, Within Reach Global missionaries drove a caravan of vehicles five hours over rugged roads and winding country trails to an unreached village. 20 orphan children from Father’s Heart children’s home joined them, giggly and excited to bestow the love of Jesus upon the kids who awaited them.

Within Reach Global and Love For The Poor have partnered together for years. Chinese college students from our English corner outreach regularly join our missionaries in teaching English to the marginalized kids of Father’s House.

These children have grown in their love for the Lord, and we thought it the perfect time for them to shine like little lights in the darkness.

We watched these #orphans shine like little lights in the darkness. #Gospel
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And so Within Reach Global missionaries and Love For The Poor kids bumped over the pitted, bone-shaking roads until at long last they arrived at a sleepy unreached village.

We, of course, came bearing gifts. For what are the cultural keys to unlocking salvation among unreached people groups if not long balloons shaped into adorable animals and spectacular swords?

We also brought school supplies, backpacks, and new clothing—tokens of love for the precious children in the village.

These small gifts accompanied by a warm human touch express the love of a Heavenly Father.

And who were these that showed, through a gentle touch and a caring smile, such a glorious witness of the Gospel? They were orphans and underprivileged children, the “least of these” who have come to know the heart of their Heavenly Father.

Dressed in their traditional minority outfits, the children of Father’s House have been so transformed over the years that they have now become resplendent lights in dark parts.

Their little voices express the eternal compassion of the Divine; their eyes shine with radiant refulgence to declare the goodness of God.

The children were also joined by volunteer college students who attend our weekly English corner outreach.

Our team set up four play stations in the open courtyard of the village. Each play table filled with fun activities: bracelet making, balloon blowing, crayon coloring, and language learning.

The whole village came to witness the rare form of entertainment.

Reaching unreached people groups is not an easy task. It requires an intentional focus and strong commitment.

We desire to see every people, tongue, tribe, and language standing before the throne of God, and we know that this will not occur by happenstance.

That’s why we go. That’s why we leave our Jerusalem, depart from our Judea, and abandon our Samaria for the ends of the earth.

For “this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:14)

Will you take a moment to pray about how God might use you to shine the light of the Gospel to the ends of the earth? People are waiting at the other end of our obedience.

Every Christian is called to take part in the Great Commission—to go, send, or disobey. We pray that you respond to the heart of God in a worthy manner.

Every #Christian is called to take part in the #GreatCommission—to go, send, or disobey.
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Are you interested in more stories about the unreached and God’s mission heart? Buy The Space Between Memories: Recollections from a 21st Century Missionary by David Joannes.

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Power-packed Christmas party in China, side-splitting laughter, intense importance.
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No, pause for a moment to remember that this party happened in China, home to the “nones”, to the “unaffiliated”, to those who don’t adhere to any kind of spiritual creed. China, where ancient Confucianist, Daoist, and Buddhist beliefs once gripped the hearts of its inhabitants; where communism tore apart the fabric of society during the Cultural Revolution; where today’s youth are strangely unaware of a “Higher Presence” or relational Father God.

This is where our Christmas party took place. And when a Chinese college student hears that God is real, that He loves him/her, that He is passionate about them and cares for them—that’s when things change.

Every week we host multiple English corners throughout the city where Chinese college students come to practice their foreign language skills, meet new friends, and join a community of Christ-centered individuals. This is true discipleship, messy and raw, gritty and life-changing.

There were songs and games, gift-giving and glory. We shared the true meaning of Christmas, and for many, it was their very first time to hear about Jesus Christ.

We pray that as you read these stories and see these photos, you would be inspired to join us in taking the Gospel message where it has never been known. This is fertile soil! This is where the future leaders of China are being raised! This is where the Kingdom of God is falling! Be a part of this divine story.

This is fertile soil! This is where the future leaders of China are being raised!
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Take part with us by join our Monthly Prayer and Financial Support Team, giving a special donation, praying for our Chinese college campus outreach, and bringing your team on a short-term trip.

God is ever speaking, penning the details of this epic redemption narrative. You are a part. Always remember that: you are a part of this glorious end-time revival!

Always remember that: you are a part of this glorious end-time revival!
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Life With God Versus Life Without God: A Chinese College Student perspective
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We call it our “big net”. It’s a place where we cast our nets into the massive student population of Southwest China, searching for students who are hungry for spiritual things.

And we’ve caught a bunch of fish!

Every week, we see over 100 college students attend our English Corner outreach. But we have a strategic plan. From our “big net” we find students who show a sincere interest in learning more about God. These students are ushered into our discipleship process.

That’s what we call our “small net”. It’s a focused gathering of Chinese college students who are getting saved, being discipled, and introduced into our house church setting.

We’re seeing many hearts open to the Christian Gospel!

Check out photos on Facebook from our college outreach!

Chinese college students move from “big net” to “small net” #evangelism to #discipleship
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Just last week, we asked them to write down a bunch of reasons why should or should not become Christians. Their answers were intriguing, giving us a glimpse into the heart of China’s shifting cultural values.

Some of the pros of following God were:

• Peaceful
• Stronger
• Younger
• Miracle experience
• Learn to forgive

Here’s some of the cons for following God:

• Less friends
• No parties
• Guilt/conviction
• Mysterious

The pros of life without God included “safety from cults”, “easier to find a job” and “normal life”. The cons of life without God included “uncertainty”, “emptiness”, and “boring life”.

Pretty incredible glimpses into the thought process of Chinese college students, right?

Honestly, they are facing similar struggles as college students worldwide. They’re not as different as you might think. For more on the issues that Chinese [Christians] are dealing with, check out the recent Missions Blab with guest Brent Fulton, president of China Source, entitled: China’s Urban Christians: A Light That Cannot Be Hidden.

Will you commit to pray with us for the Chinese college students at The Hub and The Bridge? We need your prayers and support. Join us in this holy endeavor to bring the Gospel message to hungry hearts.

The post Life With God Versus Life Without God: A Chinese College Student Perspective appeared first on Within Reach Global.

• 3 countries
• 6 outreach centers
• 13 local missionaries from 7 different people groups
• 10 foreign missionaries
• 9 church plants
• 10 tons of clothing given to the poor
• 150 led through our discipleship course
• 3-5 English Corners per week
• 120 students reached through Camps
• 135 college students / young professionals reached weekly
• 650 children reached, discipled, fed, and given school supplies
• 60 Burmese (scattered by war) reached and being followed up upon

Persecution. Revival. Police beatings. Underground trainings. Baptisms. Discipleship. Local missionary homes demolished by the government. Hope. Joy. Glory. You’ll be amazed at all that God has done through the ministry of Within Reach Global!

See the full scope of God at work in Southeast Asia. Get the Within Reach Global 2015 Year In Review here!

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4 times a week, we host English Corners as a platform for reaching college students and young professionals. We also have a Sunday morning underground house church where new believers learn how to live a Christian life in an atheist society.

For many of these young people, it is the first time for them to be in a Christian environment, and many of them have never even heard the gospel before.

We are passionate about reaching unreached people groups in urban settings. They’re right here on our doorstep, and the opportunities to see salvation are superfluous.

It was *Jenny’s first time joining our Sunday morning house church. A friend who had been joining our English Corners invited her to attend.

Little did she know what an impact that Sunday morning would have on her entire life!

Little did she know what an impact that Sunday morning would have on her entire life!
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After hearing the preaching of the word, her heart was stirred. The Holy Spirit was moving her.

I want to become a Christian! Jenny told us. I want Jesus to change my life.

Right then and there, she broke down in tears and gave her life to Jesus.

It was a precious atmosphere of hope and grace. Our missionaries laid hands on her, hugged her, and welcomed her into the family of God.

Thank you so much for your prayers and faithful financial giving. We want you to realize that your generosity is actually impacting real lives for the gospel. Thank you so much!

The post That Beautiful Day When Jenny Asked Jesus To Be The Lord Of Her Life appeared first on Within Reach Global.

There’s a bunch of people who have never heard the gospel. Chances are, you don’t care.
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THE 10/40 WINDOW

• The 10/40 Window is home to 6,921 unreached people groups. (Joshua Project)
• 2.82 billion people live in the 10/40 Window.
• 82% of the world’s poorest of the poor live in the 10/40 Window. (SGWM)
• Nearly 40% of the world’s population live on less than $1.40 per day in the 10/40 Window.
• Although 2.8 billion of these people live within the 10/40 Window, only 2.4% of all missionaries work among them.

MONEY AND MISSIONS

• Annual Income of All Church Members: $30.5 trillion.
• Given to any Christian causes: $545 billion (1.8% of our income) That’s also how much we spend in America on Christmas.
• Given to Missions: $31 billion, (0.1%). That’s only 5.7% of the money given to Christian causes of any kind. That’s also how much we spend in America on dieting programs.
• Money that goes toward the reached world: $26,970,000,000 (that means 87% of the money given to “missions” goes to areas with “reached” status or access to the gospel already).
• Money that goes toward unreached peoples: $310 million (that’s only 1% of what is given to “missions”). That’s also how much Americans in 2011 spent on Halloween costumes (for their pets).
• The $310 million (going toward unreached people groups) is only .001% of the $30.5 trillion Income of Christians. For every $100,000 that Christians make, they give $1 to the unreached. (The Traveling Team, Money and Missions)

Excitement and empathy are not enough. Compassion must be put into motion.
It’s empathy with wheels. It’s care with commitment.

It’s true. Unreached people are the forgotten population of the world. But you DO care, don’t you?

One of my Facebook friends just commented on my status the other day. “I love to see all the neat stuff you’re doing over there on the weird side of the planet!”

I Liked that comment.

It struck me.
I got it.
It was a little more clear to me.

“Your experiences determine what you see,” Craig Groeschel says, and so I write about my weird side of the planet.

*Names changed for security purposes.

The first time met *John was at The Hub outreach center, the Within Reach Global student center where we are reaching out to college kids in the Southwest part of the country.

“There’s no way I will ever become a Christian,” he told me. “I am a communist party member. I can’t believe in God.”

“That’s totally up to you,” I replied.

I’ve found that the best way to share the gospel is to let people make their own decisions instead of force feeding them Jesus on a spoon, or in John’s case, chopsticks. I knew God had his radar on him anyway, and it was only a matter of time before he embraced the life of Christ. “Poor guy! He can’t escape the power of the gospel even if he tried!” I thought to myself.

But John kept coming to The Hub, engaging in relevant conversations about life, God and culture. He was there every Thursday, tricking himself into thinking that he could run from reality of a powerfully good God.

3 weeks after I met him, I asked, “So John, do you believe in God yet?”

“I don’t believe in God, but I trust him.” he told me. “I don’t think he exists, but I feel him,” he continued in self defeating rhetoric. “I am not a Christian, but sometimes I pray to God.”

“I think you’re closer to becoming a Christian than you realize,” I told him with a roguish smile.

A few more weeks passed. John began to realize God’s radar was zoning in on him. We began to see him transforming. “Yep, only a matter of time,” I thought.

After 10 months of sharing life with him, John told us he wanted to become a Christian.

After The Hub English Corner, we found a quiet place in the back room, and prayed together. The atheist’s journey would end that night. A new young man was formed on the 22nd floor of our student center.

Soon after, he began telling his friends about God. He would lead discussions about how Jesus transformed his life. Chinese students listened amazed and confused at his life change.

A few weeks later, we baptized him in a lake at the foot of a thousand year old city.

An atheist turned evangelist. You’ve read stories of that before in Acts, and the 29th chapter is still being penned.

The stories of life transformation are still being penned! Acts 29 continues!
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*Barry, from the Yi tribe, had a similar story.

Lorna was talking to a group of 11 girls under the shadow of an ancient pagoda as the sunset turned pink and orange on the far horizon of a town 3 hours west of The Hub outreach center. The girls listened intently, but Barry kept interrupting her.

“I don’t believe in God! Let’s change the subject.” After 20 minutes of his constant interruptions, Lorna finally got fed up. “Why don’t you just shut up and listen!” she said boldly.

The lights clicked on.
A spiritual moment.
Something broke.

Barry gave his life to Christ that night, and couldn’t explain what happened, except that “I feel God’s presence right now,” he said.

Within a month he had led 21 of his friends to the Lord!

Within a month after getting saved, former Chinese atheist Barry led 21 friends to Jesus!
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These are the stories of the 10/40 Window, where religion is suppressed, or worse, illegal.

But the forward progression of God’s life transforming movement can’t be bottled.

Brother Fu, who got saved after being set free from writhing on his dusty village floor in demon possession, agrees.

And Brother Li, who drunk punched our Within Reach Global local missionary after he shared the gospel in his village. He got saved 10 months later, attended Bible school and literacy training, and is now a missionary to his own people group.

• All missionaries in the world (Catholic, Protestant, etc.)    419,500 foreign missionaries
• All missionaries in the reached world    316,500 foreign missionaries (75.4%)
• All missionaries in the unevangelized world    103,000 foreign missionaries (24.6%)
• All missionaries in the unreached world    10,200 foreign missionaries (2.4%)
• Full time Christian workers in the world    5.5 million workers
• All Christian workers in the reached world    4.19 million local workers (75.9%)
• All Christian workers in the unevangelized world    1.3 million local workers (23.7%)
• All Christian workers in the unreached world    20,500 local workers (0.37%)
• The ratio of unreached people group workers to total unreached world is: 1 missionary for every 278,431 people
• There are 95,000 Evangelical Christians for every one unreached people group. (The Traveling Team, Missionaries and Workers)

Sharing the gospel to an unreached people groups, Photo by Jacob Smith

I have circuited most of Southwest China. I have eaten dog and cat and other, shall we say, “unique” delicacies. Not necessarily because I love the pungent taste of puppy and kitten so much. Not because a bowlfull of live grub worms is particularly delectable either. It’s because when you spend the night in the poorest of the poor tribal village, and they serve you the best they’ve got, it’s hard to turn down a meal and make your impoverished host lose face.

“Eat whatever is set before you.” I remember Jesus’s command, pull up my sleeves, and dig in.

They have never heard the name of Jesus. I know because when I ask, they question if “Jesus” is a brand of soap, or a medicine they’ve never heard of.

They have never heard of Jesus. Is he a soap brand? A medicine? No concept at all.
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The reality of their status as an unreached people group gets under my skin. Or should I say, it really pisses me off. It makes me jealous.

Why should anyone hear the gospel twice, before everyone has heard it once? – C.T. studd

I have traveled to too many unreached people groups to number. And after all these experiences, it is clear to me that God is still jealous for them to have a witness of the gospel.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world, as a testimony to every nation, and then the end will come. – Matthew 24:14

Hasn’t God put a stipulation upon himself, that until every tribe, people, and linguistic ethnic group has had the opportunity to hear the message of salvation, he cannot return?

I think YES.

And so, I pray that the things that break the heart of God would in the very least, prick mine as well.

I am a statistic just like you. But I pray that the things revolving around our personal experience will not distract us from God’s overall plan of redemption, namely, that every people group on earth has the chance to hear about him.

I mean, seriously, in the 21st century, and 2 billion people have never heard of Jesus? That’s just not fair.

2 billion people have never heard of Jesus?! That’s just not fair.
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In 1976, there were an estimated 17,000 unreached people groups. As of 2012, there were only estimated 6,921 unreached peoples. The statistics are changing because Christians are beginning to see the bigger picture. (Joshua Project)

I know of only one way of changing the mathematical chance that I don’t care: it’s simply to care.

One way of to change the mathematical chance that I don’t care: simply CARE.
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Care with commitment. For some that means with your wallet. For others it means with your hands and feet.

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. – Robert Moffat, 1795-1883, missionary to Africa, father in law of David Livingstone

Put wheels on your empathy.
Be a voice for the voiceless.

The 10/40 Window will not be home to unreached people groups forever, because we’re going to get up and do something about it.

People are waiting at the other end of our obedience, Photo by Jacob Smith

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More than five years ago, a mysterious Chinese guy joined one of our English Corners. He was different from the other students. He had a lot of secrets up his sleeve. He wouldn’t tell us anything about himself—not his hometown, his family, his age or his birthday. The only thing he told us about himself was his English name.

For the sake of this post, let’s call him Harry.

I’ll be honest. It was really difficult to deal with Harry. He was obnoxious, arrogant, mean, impolite, and so many other things that I would rather not mention. There were multiple times when I found myself complaining to my wife about him, telling her that I wanted to give up on him—mainly because other students were being affected by his behavior.

Truth be told, life was a lot more peaceful with him out of the picture.

Truth be told, life was a lot more peaceful with him out of the picture.

But then God reminded me that I was just like Harry before. My pastor back home used to tell me that there were only two people in his entire life who made him cry. One of them was me. A lot of the people at church didn’t like me, because I was hard to handle. But God never gave up on me. And so I really had to pray to God for strength and patience, so that I would not give up on Harry. I prayed that God would give me the grace to show kindness and that His love would flow through me to this person.

Five years later, Harry has become one of the most active and loyal members of the various activities that we do here on a daily basis. In all that time, we still had no clue about anything regarding his personal life, but in a weird way, our friendship became deeper. A mutual trust was established. Both foreigners and locals began to get closer to him. Changes have occurred in his character, and he has become quite popular in our ministry.

To this day, Harry is still not a Christian, but so much has changed in him that I began to ask God why. He gave me this answer: “Love is contagious.” Little by little, love was changing Harry, affecting him in ways even he wasn’t fully aware of.

Love was changing Harry, affecting him in ways even he wasn’t fully aware of.
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I was glad to see the changes, but something was bothering me. I realized that because of how secretive he was—to everyone—over the five years that we’ve known him, we never once celebrated his birthday. How could we?! He wouldn’t tell us when it was!

I proposed to the team that we throw him a birthday party. Everyone was eager to help to make the event happen. We picked a Saturday and decided that as long as he keeps his real birthday secret, that day was going to be his official birthday.

It was a week-long preparation trying to get things organized, but it was easy, because a lot of us were excited to contribute. When the day for the party came, people had prepared different types of food that they knew was his favorite. Others brought decorations. Others baked. Harry loves cake, so he ended up with four birthday cakes to munch on!

We got in touch with his best friend, who—just like us—knew next to nothing about Harry, except he knew where two of Harry’s cousins who lived in the city. He invited them to the party, and sure enough, they were able to come.

You should’ve seen the look on Harry’s face when he realized that the Saturday dinner’s birthday party was meant for him. He had no clue! By the time we swung the front door open and escorted his cousins in, he was in shock. His face grew as white as a sheet. He was so nervous. Shaking, he joked around asking if someone had a pill he could swallow to slow down his heartbeat.

Words of appreciation for all the times he became a willing helping hand to our team, and we did what we are all called to do—even to people we don’t fully understand. We loved on him.

By the end of the night, Harry posted pictures on local social media. The following is what he wrote. (It might be a little hard for you to understand some part of it because it is translated from Chinese directly, but I want to share his exact words.)

I was so flattered and so nervous tonight, my old friends prepared a quite special theme party for me. BIRTHDAY PARTY! I always thought it was uncalled for, apparently I was wrong, despite I was just petrified in that breath taking moment since the range of nervousness had over run the surprise.

Frankly to say, there was flaw to be out of my expectation, however, it definitely didn’t affect the big picture. That being said, I really appreciate for being fate or someone whose name is JESUS like you said had arranged the meeting four years ago.

If I didn’t have these friends, life would be dreary. Especially I want to tell B.L., ever since I met you, you turned my world around, you’re my truly important friend in my life.

Now, I could not have imagined how gorgeous my life would change from the moment that I met all of you.

I could not have imagined how gorgeous my life would change from the moment that I met you.
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I read what he wrote, not really aware of the impact I had on him or that he considered me his “truly important friend”. I wasn’t really doing anything out of the ordinary to reach out to him. I was just there. Loving him like I try to do to every person I meet here.

I wasn’t really doing anything out of the ordinary to reach out to him. I was just there.
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To me, Harry is proof that our lives are like an open book. People around us read and see every move we make, whether good or bad, encouraging or discouraging. They look at the choices we make. Do we choose to love? Or do we choose to reject? Harry, despite giving me a lot of headaches, taught me not to give up on people, no matter how difficult they are, because God loves them the same way He loves me.

Harry still hasn’t accepted Christ as his Savior, but it doesn’t really matter how many birthday parties we have to throw him, we’re not giving up on him. We will love Him as Christ loved us.

Harry still hasn’t accepted Christ as his Savior, but it doesn’t really matter how many birthday parties we have to throw him, we’re not giving up on him. We will love Him as Christ loved us.

“And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.” – 2 Corinthians 5:15

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