After years of missional labor, the hearts of a few locals opened to spiritual things; but without any form of Christian background, the Truth of the Gospel remained challenging to comprehend.

The Lahu people are animistic. Fearful of the spirit world, they worship animate objects, seeking to appease the wrath of the “hungry ghosts” who torment their families.

Because of their fear of the spirit world, they gravitate toward every kind of “god” out there, hoping that one might protect them. This causes difficulty for our local missionaries. When explaining Gospel truth, they readily “accept Jesus,” but merely as one more of their many gods. The cultural hurdles the must be overcome are superfluous and extreme.

In July, we traveled to 26 Tribes with a visiting American team. We joined Within Reach Global local missionaries on a day trip to the Lahu village.

A remarkable breakthrough occurred! Eyes opened. Hearts warmed to Jesus. Salvation arrived.

A young woman in her mid-thirties told us that her daughter had never stood or walked since birth. Doctors could not find a solution. She did not have the money to pursue other medical avenues. This pressure caused her husband to leave her after months of physically beating her. She was at her wit’s end. Seated on small, wooden stools, we gathered around her as the smoke of the fire pit billowed around the room, creating an inky atmosphere that perfectly portrayed her mental, emotional, and spiritual state. She began to cry. We hugged her and told her of a Father’s love—an unconditional affection she had never noticed before.

Suddenly, it seemed as if the shackles on her heart cracked in two and fell to the bamboo floor in her stilted home.

Her eyes closed and heart wide open, she asked Jesus to save her, to be the Lord of her life!

Her friend also gave her life to the Lord. The advent of salvation permeated the Lahu home, replacing sadness with joy, hurt with healing, powerlessness with potential. After reiterating the Gospel in detail, we baptized her and her friend, singing and praising God for the incredible breakthrough among an unreached people group.

As we write, our local missionaries continue to follow up on her, disciple her, and walk with her in her newfound Christian faith.

The Gospel is only good news if it gets there in time, they say.

God arranged a providential sequence of events that led to the salvation of a family in the forgotten hills of Southwest China, and we rejoice that her name was penned in the Lamb’s book of life.

To support the ongoing ministry efforts of our local missionaries at 26 Tribes outreach center, please give here. Pray that the Holy Spirit continues to soften hearts and open doors.

The post Salvation in an Unreached Lahu Village After Six Years of Outreach appeared first on Within Reach Global.

He has been working with us at Within Reach Global for over 13 years, planting churches in hard-to-reach regions. Zhang Rong and his family serve at The Edge outreach center, rescuing abandoned children whose parents have been jailed for drug abuse. They also hold weekly Sunday school classes and Bible studies and are shining the light of Jesus to families who know nothing of God’s love.

This week, Zhang Rong sent us an update about their ministry in Myanmar. This is what he says:

What an honor it is to share our story with our brothers and sisters around the world!

We have four children, two of our own, one who we have legally adopted after rescuing her from a child trafficking gang (read the story here), and another who we have recently taken into our home. This is the story of the latter, Ye Mei, a 14-year-old girl whose parents abandoned her after they were jailed for drug abuse.

Ye Mei is actually the first daughter that we adopted in Myanmar. The eastern part of Myanmar is the epicenter of narcotic production and abuse, a dangerous place to live under the ongoing Burma Conflict. Because this issue runs so rampant in our region, Ye Mei’s parents quickly became two of the many victims of this abusive lifestyle.

See The Edge outreach center in a danger zone of the Burma Conflict, child rescue, drug rehabilitation.
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In fact, her parents lost their land and their home when it was seized by narco traffickers. Homeless and dejected they began sleeping on the streets, rummaging through garbage with hope to find discarded bottles that they could recycle for a few coins.

Their drug addiction grew so severe that they began stealing from nearby homes, plundering the place like pirates. Ye Mei’s father and mother were seized by the police and jailed for their crimes. The little girl now had no one to fend for her life.

Ye Mei had nothing to eat. Her clothing was worn and tattered and she near froze every year because of the extreme cold.

When we learned about Ye Mei’s family situation, our hearts were touched and saddened. How could we simply stand idly by while such horrific abuse was happening right outside our doorstep?

If you have children, you understand the feeling that panged our hearts. We desire that our own children are fed and clothed, that they are able to go to school, grow up with hopes and dreams, and experience the love of a family.

We rescued this precious little girl, took her into our home, and she began to experience not only the tender care of a loving family but the deep love of her Heavenly Father as well.

We are so thrilled that Ye Mei just gave her life to Jesus Christ, accepting Him as her personal Savior! We baptized her and are witnessing her grow in her love for God and people.

14-year-old Burmese girl rescued, baptized, growing in her faith in Jesus!
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Every day she listens to worship and teaching on the Gospel mp3 player that we use to share the Jesus with our community.

I recently asked her what she wants to be when she grows up. Her answer brought such joy to our hearts.

“I want to be a teacher, or maybe a doctor so that I can help a lot of people know God.”

Abandoned Burmese child rescued, now wants to be a teacher/doctor to tell people about God!
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We are homeschooling her now, and will soon begin the Good New Series and School of Workers, our discipleship curriculum. She is excited about that! She has the heart to learn and grow as a child of God.

Ye Mei has become a blessing to many people around her. They have seen the transformation of a young life. She is a little lamp in a dark region of Myanmar, shining the love of Jesus to those who have never heard of Him before.

She is one of many more children to come as we continue to cast the light of the Gospel to the community we serve.

Do you want to bless Ye Mei? You can sponsor Zhang Rong and his family’s ministry in Myanmar here.

We also encourage you to sow into The Edge outreach center where they continue to rescue abandoned children in drug-infected areas of Southeast Asia.

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Sure, you might be missing the bowls of spicy fish, the explosive chaos of fireworks, the family gatherings and overall festivity that marks the lunar calendar. But you can still play a part by making a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global.

Make a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global! @within_reach
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Red packets (also known as red envelopes or 红包 in Chinese) are monetary gifts which are given during holidays and particularly during Chinese New Year.

It’s the perfect time to make a special donation to our missionaries at Within Reach Global. And we’ve decided to make it easy for you by embedding the form below for you to give right now! Please, no pressure… although this is a cultural norm you don’t want to miss!

Giving a red packet 红包 is a cultural norm you don’t want to miss!
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Here’s why we invite you to give: our missionaries are taking the Gospel to regions where it has never gone before. They are seeing salvations, baptisms and revival among unreached ethnic tribes. There is fruit in this ministry, and we invite you to sow where the Kingdom is at hand!

There is fruit in this ministry, and we invite you to sow where the Kingdom is at hand!
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Millions of Chinese have returned home to their provinces or villages to spend time with family and friends. This year, the year of the rooster, the number of travelers have increased dramatically. Check out this incredible post by CNN.

Post highlights include the following: 

• Chinese authorities expect 2.5 billion trips by land during the “chunyun” mass migration; 
• Total distance traveled is 1.2 billion kilometers—equivalent of traveling from Earth to Saturn!

Happy Chinese New Year from all our missionaries at Within Reach Global!

The post Give Your Red Packet (红包) For Chinese New Year appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Hundreds Attend Massive Public Baptism In Hidden Forested Landscape #unreached
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The baptism took place deep in a hidden forest near one of our 6 outreach centers.

Our local missionary tells us, “On August 13, more than 40 people got saved in one day!”

This happened among the Miao (Hmong) tribe. Although the Miao have a Christian history of missionary work among them, many of the churches have died after having gone through difficult persecution.

“The Miao we have been targeting are nominal Christians,” our local missionary continues. “They do not actively preach the Gospel, but the Holy Spirit is doing another work among them. Recently over 200 people were baptized at the same time after coming to Christ in miraculous ways!”

Recently over 200 people were baptized at the same time after coming to Christ in miraculous ways!
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This is the Holy Spirit’s work. No one can boast of this spiritual fruit. But we are delighted to be a part of the harvest at Within Reach Global!

We give thanks to God for allowing us to join Him in His redemptive salvation plan.

Are you and your church looking for a ministry or outreach to partner with? We encourage you to sow into unreached regions that are experiencing breakthrough. Join us in bringing the Gospel to forgotten parts of the earth.

The post Hundreds Attend Massive Public Baptism In Hidden Forested Landscape 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!

The post 2015 Year In Review 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

The post There’s A Bunch Of People Who Have Never Heard Of Jesus, And Chances Are, You Don’t Care appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Overview

The year 2014 was a year of vision brought about by the experience gained from years past and the hope elicited by years to come. It saw darkness in the form of rebellions, explosions, stabbings and earthquakes. It witnessed adventure in the form of many voyages and it sparked our imaginations with various ruminations. It saw pig-brain diets, flying paint and a Buddhist monk pedicure. It saw 15 unreached villages visited, 200+ English corner attendees, 165 student camp attendees, 162 Christian leaders trained, 20 baptisms, and 41 salvations. It saw light in the eyes of the many who were touched by the Hand that holds the world. Yes. 2014 was quite an interesting year, and Within Reach Global was right in the thick of it all.

January

We began 2014 with a brilliant reminder of why we should set new trails ablaze among unreached people groups. (No. It had nothing to do with arson.) We then went on a week-long, 15,000+ mile journey across the (urban) jungles of America, connecting with churches for fundraising and advocacy. We presume that hearts were set afire, because 7 teams were scheduled to spread the flame to China. A city of 100,000 college students waited with bated breath for the fire of the gospel to touch them. As we waited, we paused and reflected, and we discovered that the world really does look like a 28-year-old Chinese man. Selah. Can’t pause and reflect all month long, so construction continued on our new Burma outreach center. Then they all started coming in droves! Tribes from all over the province on a mass exodus to the big city. Caught in a flood of Chinese youth, we were faced with the wondrous possibilities of reaching unreached people groups in urban settings. Rubbing our palms together, we knew in our hearts that great things were yet to come for Within Reach Global in 2014. We celebrated by feasting on some disgusting things on a missionary’s diet. Yum! 

February

February meant more fire! With Chinese New Year festivities in full throttle, the firecrackers kept going off, as if to remind us of the madness of previous years: the pig and the tiger. Meanwhile, over by the edge of China and far from all the celebratory ruckus, one of our local missionary families moved into our new outreach center in Myanmar. This was by no means a comfort zone for them, especially with a baby in tow, but missions comes with risk. And risk is all the more exciting when it comes with a suspension bridge! Steady your wobbly knees with a wobbly bridge! Conquer your fears and say no to comfort zones. Be like all these people who have expressed interest in getting involved with Within Reach Global on the mission field. Send out the exodus, because really… who would want to get Left Behind? (No pun intended.) 

March

When paint starts flying everywhere, you know something fun and interesting is going on. Such goings on were all about as we beautified our brand new outreach center: The Hub Outreach and Hospitality Center. NOW OPEN. But wait! There’s more! March also saw the opening of our Amazon Smile – all for your shopping and donating conveniences. But as it is on the mission field, great light can also come with great darkness. Knees were bent in prayer and tears were shed when news of a deadly knife attack and mass stabbing at the train station made the news. Still, amidst the turmoil, the light shines – sparks of love and a servant spirit kindled the fire in an unreached village, with our local missionary giving a Buddhist monk a pedicure while sharing the gospel with him. And just because light is good at piercing through even the darkest of nights, 300 college students attended our English corner outreach every week, and we began working with orphans in the countryside. 

April

This busy month, the dead came to life in bathtubs as we dunked Chinese college students during bathtub baptisms. An underground training, which didn’t necessarily happen under the ground, was also held for 30 Christian leaders. And because we continue to pray and hope for more dunkings and trainings, we created a shiny new donation page to make giving easier. We then sat down and documented every day of April’s missions history, because why not? It’s good to look back and see the hand of God moving through the sands of time. It’s also good to find inspiration in the gratefulness seen on the faces of Chinese Christians receiving Bibles for the very first time. What wasn’t good was finding out that China got accused of promulgating an anti-Christian campaign as they demolished churches. Ah, yes. This is the mission field. Every day, the war rages on.

May

The fact that he is crippled didn’t stop one of our local missionaries from reaching the unreached, so getting stuck in the mud could do little to keep him from going to an unreached village. What’s our excuse again? Selah. While he was trying to get out of the mud, hundreds of kilometers away, 9 new believers were baptized. No bathtubs this time! Just a gushing waterfall. All 9 were from the unreached Yao tribe. If by reading all this, you still don’t realize how fun it is to be a missionary, we gave you 10 reasons why you should be a missionary. We also created silly memes of how to ruin a short term missions trip. Just for fun. (The creating memes part. Not the ruining mission trips part.) What was also really fun was seeing 120 of China’s future leaders at our student camp, where their lives got rocked for Jesus. The police missed the heavenly memo on Christians being not only fun, but also unstoppable, so they warned our local missionary not to go and preach the gospel. She went anyway, but not without company. She had a group of orphans she was discipling in tow, and the orphans gave food to the homeless! Unbelievable gospel love! 

June

On a more serious note, this we have to understand: persecution is real. It’s not all fun and games. June saw panic and boldness warring against each other across the nation as China continued its anti-Christian cross removal. It was the perfect time to remember the Tiananmen Square massacre as China got amnesia and ponder over where the zeros are: zero churches, zero disciples, zero missionaries. It was a time to look back at all those years spent traveling to rural villages, and reflect on 4 ridiculous things Jesus never said about missions. June came to a close with preparations for two visiting teams, but it couldn’t end without us realizing that China is China in all its strange and (sometimes) disturbing ways when we found out about how they dealt with internet addicted teens. 

July

We made a list of all the much needed supplies we should pack, then headed to the jungles of Southwest China. With us were two teams from America who had balloon sword fights with unreached village kids, and shared the gospel to people waiting at the other end of our obedience. We hiked up to a 20 story Buddhist statue and prayed for the city (not to the statue, of course). We raised our hearts and voices in intercession for the prevalent poverty. We prayed for connections – friendships – with unreached peoples. We also prayed for the food, especially after we somehow managed to eat pig brains on the way. They’re really not that bad. *gag* Try it! We shared the gospel to hundreds of students at our student outreach, and a few days after our two teams left, more dunking happened! Six new believers got baptized by our local missionaries. A month of wonderful breakthrough and transformation ended with sudden tragedy, when our 5-month pregnant local missionary dealt with life-threatening health issues. (She has since then almost fully recovered, and her baby has been delivered and is healthy. Praise God!) Still, even with the ongoing tug-of-war between light and darkness, we give Him our praise! 

August

Adversity plagued our team during the first weeks of August. Tuberculosis, stomach issues, flu symptoms, and persecution. No fun at all. But health issues birthed a new encouraging website, There Is Yet Hope. And hope was indeed needed after a massive earthquake shook the province, killing 367 people. Shakings and trials like these just may be some of the 10 things that missionaries won’t tell you, which we talked about as we compiled the most epic monster list of missionary quotes on the internet! Three of our local Chinese missionaries went to the Philippines for an intensive Bible school training and ate Filipino food using their hands for the very first time. We began to see an influx of China Church giving to the ministry, as a wealthy Chinese woman donated clothing for underprivileged children in Burma. We then ended August on a much more positive note when we played with children living with HIV/AIDS, making them smile with the small gifts we gave them. 

September

Our weekly English corner outreach among Chinese college students continued, and we saw a hunger growing in the hearts of many new students. You see, God is in the business of revealing himself to lost people. In fact, more students told us they want to be baptized! So we filled up the bathtub again, and dunked some new Chinese Christians who got saved at our outreach center. Miraculous healings took place during a discipleship class, and we were inspired to share our vision with local Chinese Christian businessmen and women who would support the ministry. But instead of simply soliciting funds, something far greater happened! We began regularly meeting with wealthy Chinese, pouring into their lives. Everyone was on the same page: extending the Church to where the Church is not. Meanwhile, as God’s kingdom continued to expand in China, the world’s empires were being shaken: chaos erupted in Hong Kong, and the Umbrella Revolution shook the world, and even the CNN team was gassed during Hong Kong protests. 

October

We were so thankful for your donations to our foreign missionaries, and they were so happy to enjoy a missionary getaway in Thailand! That’s where we rolled out our swanky new organizational structure (nine months in the making), and clarified our vision, mission and values. Meanwhile, back in the motherland (China), our ministry had grown so indigenous that the locals had no problem leading the weekly English corner outreach. You donated the funds we needed for our orphan and underprivileged children birthday bash extravaganza. The kids at the Father’s House had an awesome time, and were so blessed by gospel love. A Chinese atheist met Jesus after trying to debunk Christianity, and then 3 of our local missionaries blessed a Buddhist monk in an unengaged people group by building a kitchen for him. We love these kind of tangible and holistic ways of sharing the gospel! 

November

During our second missionary convention of the year, we ate steamed dumplings and tofu soup, as the convention was led completely by our local missionaries. We have been passionate about raising up a capable group of Chinese missionaries who can reach their nation without foreign support, and we were thrilled to see this begin. Each one of our missionaries took the Gallup Strengthsfinder test and memorized our vision, mission and values. It was a powerful time of prayer and strategizing. It was perfect timing too, because 92 Christian leaders attended our underground training, and our partner pastor shared about how God is going to move through China powerfully. We were excited about how God would continue to use Within Reach Global to impact China and the neighboring Asian nations. The pioneer spirit within us jumped for joy, and our eyes were again turned to the wilderness pathway. 

December

The festive holiday spirit is tough to find throughout China’s cities, so we decided to create our own! 51 college students and missionaries crammed into our small outreach center for an unforgettable Christmas party. Many people heard the gospel for the very first time, and new believers undergoing discipleship training shared their new faith. Many decided to follow Jesus that night! Then a mass exodus occurred as most of our foreign missionaries went home for Christmas. We rested and enjoyed the holidays, thanking God for all that he had done throughout the year. We pray that as you read what God has done in 2014, you would be inspired and encouraged to join us in praying, giving and going to the least reached areas of Southeast Asia with us. We’d like to encourage you to sign up for our monthly newsletters to find out what God has in store for 2015. We are thankful for your support, and for all the prayers you spoke over us! Blessings from Within Reach Global! 

Looking Ahead To 2015

2014 was a great year that transitioned us into new beginnings and continued blessing. This coming 2015, we embark on another adventure, expectant that God will continue to expand our territory as well as usher in more souls to His kingdom through this ministry. We envision more unreached villages hearing the name of Jesus. We see more local missionaries rising up and taking up the banner to proclaim God’s kingdom reign over Southeast Asia. We are expecting missionaries from all over the globe to join with us in honoring God and reaching the unreached. More churches will grow in hope, faith and love even amidst persecution. 

We have no doubt that 2015 will bring in greater things! We are excited! And we are thankful to you for continuing to join hands with us as we gather in the great harvest of 2015. 

“Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us.” – Isaiah 26:12

All photos by the incredibly talented and beautiful Jumay Designs.

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That’s what our local missionary, Brother Yang, told me many years ago. We are now seeing fruit spring up in an area where the gospel has been largely unheard of before.

Our local missionaries have been discipling a small group of young people at 26 Tribes outreach center for months. We believe in discipleship even before conversion. They have been meeting Jesus along their journeys of hearing the story of God through the lives of our missionaries.

What Alan Hirsch encourages truly resonates in our hearts, that “if you look at what Jesus is doing, he’s got a whole lot of pre-conversion disciples.” Meaning, people are on a journey toward meeting the Savior—a journey toward redemption—and if our focus is primarily on discipleship first, evangelism occurs automatically.

One day after our short term teams from America left 26 Tribes outreach center, 6 young people decided to be baptized in the Langcang River!

It was a miraculous sight, as God’s light fell over them.

New creations.
The old has passed.
Newness has arrived.

Thank you for your prayers and support over the years. This is the fruit of your financial sacrifice and prayers for Within Reach Global.

God’s story continues to be written, and it is a thrill to be a part of this epic narrative!

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We traveled 9 hours by bus to 26 Tribes outreach center, a region known for its high number of unreached and unengaged people groups.

We took buses to the Kemei, Lahu and Ake tribes, where there are no known Christians. It was unbelievable to speak to people who had literally never once heard of Jesus Christ before. Again we questioned, how is this happening? Why is the Christian Church worldwide not targeting these precious people groups?

Want to be amazed? Check out There’s A Bunch Of People Who Have Never Heard Of Jesus, And Chances Are, You Don’t Care.

“How was your time in the village?” I asked one of the team leaders. “It was both frustrating and exciting,” he said. “It was hard to communicate with them both linguistically as well as sharing the message of the gospel.” 

Our local Within Reach Global missionaries have been traveling to these people groups for years and have seen little breakthrough. But we believe the day is coming soon when the light of the gospel will break forth upon them, and the truth of salvation will awaken hearts.

Salvation is coming! It is inevitable!

Matthew 24:14 says “this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to every nation [every ethnolinguistic people group] and then the end will come.” At Within Reach Global, we believe the fulfillment of the Great Commission hinges upon our response to the call of Jesus to “go”. He can easily do it himself, but God loves to include us in his redemptive salvation plan.

We passed out long balloons twisted into the shapes of swords and cute doggies to the children. We sat in smoky homes as the fire pit bellowed soot into our lungs. We laid hands on young people, praying for blessing and God’s kingdom to come to their lives. We washed the feet of monks.

Whether or not they understood our prayers still seems a mystery. But the fact is, wherever our feet went, we brought the kingdom of God.

Something our short term teams may not even realize: the day they left, our local missionaries baptized 6 new Christians who recently got saved through our ministry at 26 Tribes outreach center! Though we may not realize it, God is always at work.

May the kingdom of God be established in these areas!
May many people get saved!
May new believers be discipled!
May churches be planted!
May salvation come to places where there has never before been a Christian witness!

Please partner with us to reach these people. Your prayers and giving combined create true impact.

The post American Teams Bring The Message Of Jesus To Unreached Villages In China appeared first on Within Reach Global.

9. They happened during threats of persecution.

You can’t just go out to a public lake and start baptizing people in China. Even with the promise of “religious freedom”, the government won’t like that. Many times, baptisms are done privately in bathtubs. The men baptizing these people have all been threatened by local police for sharing the gospel. These baptisms took place at a waterfall on the border of China and Vietnam. They get baptized in private, but the radical new Christian life they live is completely public!

8. They are all from an unreached people group.

The people getting baptized and the men baptizing them are all from the same unreached people group. According to Joshua Project, Christian progress among this unreached people group is deep in the red—meaning there is little to no Christian presence among their tribe. Sad! Can you believe there are still people like this in the 21st century?

7. One of the men baptizing them drunk punched our local missionary!

It’s true. As Within Reach Global local missionary, Brother Yang, was sharing the gospel in a village, he was punched in the face by an irate (and very drunk) local man. But Brother Yang would retuned to the man’s village every week to share about Jesus. 10 months later, the man broke down in tears, touched by Christian love, and gave his life to Jesus. Now he is a missionary to his own people group, and leads baptisms like this!

6. Doctors gave one woman only 5 days to live!

Over the last decade of reaching out to this ethnic tribe, there have been powerful signs and wonders. One of the women was white as a ghost, and the doctors only gave her 5 days to live. But God heard our local missionaries’ prayers. She recovered, got saved, discipled, and ended up marrying one the men baptizing these people. That’s one way for faith to grow! Healing power! So why not make a public declaration that Jesus Christ is Lord?

5. The man in the red shirt is the son of a witch doctor.

Sounds a little crude, I know! But this is not a derogative expression. His father actually was the witch doctor of his village. In fact, when he got saved, his father was irate, and tried to kill him with a butcher knife! His father has recently passed away, and now this young man is leaving a different legacy in his community—a strong Christian witness!

4. None of them have made it past the 3rd grade.

Not only do the men baptizing these people not have Doctor of Divinity degrees, they only have a 3rd grade education! One of them was illiterate until we provided literacy training through Bible school classes. Today they are able to read and preach the word of God. The people getting baptized have less than a 3rd grade education, but they are passionate about their new faith. God truly uses the weak and foolish things of the world to shame the wise and strong!

3. It’s a 3 hour trek to this village.

Unreached people groups are unreached for a reason. They are extremely hard to get to. The roads into this village is a dirt path overlooking banana plantations along the Honghe River. But that doesn’t stop our local missionaries! They are passionate about reaching their own tribe with the gospel. A 2 hour bus, 1 hour handheld tractor ride, and 3 hour trek up the mountain is a normal day in the life of a pioneer missionary on his way to a baptism!

2. These people represent one of the poorest tribes in China.

This tribe is one of the poorest tribes in China. Most of them are banana and pineapple farmers, a lucrative business, if not for the exploitation of rural peasants. They are steeped in poverty, both physical and spiritual. But at long last, God’s riches of salvation are pouring over this precious people group!

1. Despite all odds, these new believers are transforming the unreached communities all around them!

Threats from police? Physical persecution? Health issues? Poverty and illiteracy? Remote villages? Yes, these new Christians have a lot stacked against them. But God is on their side, standing with them, raising up a new generation among this historically unreached people group! Despite all odds, these new believers will be the ones to reach their own communities, and shine the love of Jesus into areas that have never heard the gospel before.

See more baptisms here:
English Corners, Salvations, And Public Baptisms 
New Chinese Christians Transform After Being Submerged Beneath 15 Inches Of Water 

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