On July 9, 2021, dozens of armed police officers burst into the meeting room where our Within Reach Global missionaries conducted an underground leadership training.

Over 20 believers gathered to learn strategies for reaching their communities with the gospel and ushering God’s kingdom into the earthly setting. In a hostile environment, where China’s anti-Christian government seeks to halt the spread of the gospel, only those truly committed to Christ and his commands would attend a meeting like this.

The police confiscated everyone’s computers, tablets, and phones. Within Reach Global’s indigenous Chinese missionaries scrambled to delete incriminating information as the officers made their way to them.

Brother Lee and his pregnant wife, Liu Zhenmei, and their two young boys, ages 4 and 8, were apprehended by the police. The stressful situation caused Liu Zhenmei, who is in her second month of pregnancy, to vomit incessantly. The police took her to a nearby hotel room, where they guarded her and the children. They separated her husband, Brother Lee, and four other disciples. They took them to the police station for questioning and interrogation.

We sent out an urgent prayer request, and the global body of Christ began beseeching God for the Chinese Christians’ safety.

Twenty-four hours passed, and Brother Lee was released. Police officers escorted him to his wife and children, but the reunion was short-lived. The authorities merely wanted him to retrieve his wife’s phone and additional incriminating information. Brother Lee whispered to his wife to delete the contents from her devices. He was taken back to the police station for two more days, where the police questioned him relentlessly about his Christian activities and outreach.

Meanwhile, we had not heard an update about the whereabouts of the four other jailed Chinese Christians.

After years of ministry to unreached peoples and communities, our indigenous missionaries are committed to Christ’s mission to make disciples of all nations. They believe wholeheartedly in Jesus’ inevitable triumph at the end of the age. They know his kingdom will have the final victory. Jail time and persecution cannot halt their passion for extending the good news of the kingdom.

Chapter one of Foxe’s Book of Martyrs begins: “The history of the church may almost be said to be a history of the trials and sufferings of its members, as experienced at the hands of wicked men.” However, Foxe’s tone quickly changes from tragic to triumphant. He portrays Jesus’ followers as men and women endowed with a Spirit-initiated passion for proclaiming Jesus Christ as King:

“The history of his resurrection gave a new direction to all their hearts, and, after the mission of the Holy Spirit, imparted new confidence to their minds. The powers with which they were endued emboldened them to proclaim his name, to the confusion of the Jewish rulers and the astonishment of Gentile proselytes.”

Our missionaries share experiences similar to historically persecuted Christians, and their faith strengthened because of adversity.

The day after Brother Lee, Liu Zhenmei, and their two boys were released from police custody, they traveled 4 hours from the city to a village they had been reaching. For months, they had been preparing to host a three-day youth camp for an unreached ethnic tribe.

The recent opposition would not deter them from taking the gospel to places it had never been before!

Many hearts opened to God’s grace and glory and experienced healing and freedom from past hurts. 58 young people attended the underground camp where they learned about the gospel, Jesus’ teachings, and principles of Christian living. Brother Lee and Liu Zhenmei taught them how to love their family and friends and grow in their relationships with one another and God. They challenged the young people to share the love they had received by expressing their love to their parents verbally and directly. It was a subversive message in a culture where kids grew up never hearing their parents say the words “I love you.”

On the fourth day, after the training camp ended, they invited the children’s parents to join them for a night of evangelism. 200 people attended the meeting, which lasted from 10:pm to midnight, ensuring safety from probing police. The indigenous missionary couple did not need another hindrance to their evangelistic outreach!

The kids wrote notes and letters to their parents, expressing their love and thankfulness to them. It was an incredibly touching moment. The gospel was preached, and tears of gratitude fell from everyone’s eyes. Entire families witnessed God’s love for the very first time.

The following day, Brother Lee and his wife and kids drove to a different village where they had planted a church for another evangelistic night beginning at 11:pm. Over 100 people showed up, and many heard the gospel and received Jesus as Lord!

Belief in Jesus breaks you free from worldly ambitions, alters your outlook, changes your aspirations, and sets you apart from the world in a way they find difficult to comprehend. The privilege of knowing your identity in Christ and the destiny to which he calls you form deep-seated faith in the face of difficulty. Even with the looming threat of doom and disaster, his kingship makes you a conqueror, and his victory ensures your triumph.

Undeterred by difficulty and danger, our compassion-filled, Spirit-led indigenous missionaries recognize this truth and make it their ambition to extend God’s kingdom to people and places where the name of Jesus is unknown. Despite persecution and physical limitations, they are committed to the cause of Christ.

I pray their example of radical devotion inspires you to join God on mission to the world, too.

Want to give to Within Reach Global missionaries? Visit our Donate Page or use the form below.

Photo by tommao wang on Unsplash

The post Jailed Chinese Missionaries Preach Boldly After Their Interrogation appeared first on Within Reach Global.

In October, we will celebrate ten years of God’s faithfulness through the ministry of Within Reach Global.

We have shared the Gospel with thousands of unreached peoples, seen hundreds of salvations and baptisms, discipled new believers, planted over 25 churches, and established eight outreach centers.

All this, God accomplished through weak and unassuming vessels—the founders and missionaries serving in foreign fields.

But when we look out at the ripe fields encompassing the homes of unreached and unengaged people groups, our hearts burn for more to come to salvation.

Why has the global Church so overlooked nearly three billion people, unwilling to share God’s grace and glory with those on the fringes of our evangelistic efforts?

The answers are, of course, nebulous. But we confidently contest that the unfinished task is merely a matter of priorities.

Did you know…

• Christians gave $677 billion (96.8% of total Christian giving) to pastoral ministries (mostly in Christian nations);

• $20.3 billion (2.9%) went to “home missions” in the same Christian nations;

• $2.1 billion (.3%) went to the unevangelized non-Christian world (this is different than “unreached”);

• An estimated $450 million was designated toward unreached peoples.

What do these statistics mean in real time? The $450 million given to missions among unreached peoples—only 1% of total Christian giving—went to ministry among unreached people groups. That is only .001% of the $42 trillion income of Christians. Better stated:

For every $100,000 that Christians make, they give $1 to the unreached.

(To see more statistics regarding the missions and the unreached, Check out The Traveling Team here.)

These staggering numbers are overwhelming. Our heart in sharing this reality with you is to inform you that the Church’s misplaced priorities are evident in these statistics. If we genuinely desire to see the return of Christ, we will turn our eyes toward the ripe harvest fields of the earth, publicize the name of Jesus, and play our part in finishing the Great Commission task.

What does that mean for us at Within Reach Global?

We need more harvest hands! We need more missions giving directed toward those waiting for a witness of the Gospel. We need prayer warriors to stand in the gap and implore the Spirit of God to open eyes to the Gospel.

Jacob and Betsy Smith, along with their four children just arrived in Thailand after many years of ministry in South Africa. They served at Impact Africa, helping grow the amazing ministry taking place on the African Continent. Less than a year ago, they felt the Holy Spirit rekindling their zeal for the unreached world. These long-time American friends have now joined us as our new operations directors.

We believe that God’s timing is perfect, and expect to see many new breakthroughs and open doors as we dream together.

Jacob will be helping us create a better structure to host the move of God in and through the ministry of Within Reach Global. We believe we must get better before we get bigger. This new structure will enhance short-term teams, empower long-term missionaries, and open new doors to serve among the unreached people groups we are targeting at Within Reach Global.

Please pray that God will continue to bless our relationship with unity and vision. At the end of the day, we desire to honor God and reach unreached people groups. We want to see many more names written in the Lamb’s book of life! Join us in prayer and giving on this matter.

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As someone who grew up on the mission field, one of the things I’ve observed is this: There are many single people on the mission field. Most of them are women.

I could almost hear fellow missionaries laughing.

“Tell us something we don’t know!” they say.

I’m smiling as I type. I am one of those women. In my late twenties. Single and available. My hobbies are… My ideal date is… *laughs* I’m not that desperate. I think.

This post was triggered by a friend from back home, who messaged me out-of-the-blue, to tell me about her love life—or lack of it. She told me how much she was longing.

My first thought was, “Well, welcome to the club.” Then I began to get into an introspective mood. I wasn’t aware that I was longing until she began telling me that she was longing. Desires are easier to deal with when we’re not so keenly aware of them.

For the next five minutes, I dwelled on the reality that I am alone in the great wide unknown. So freaking single. Then I realized that five minutes is way too long to wallow in self-pity, so I squared my shoulders, mustered up a smile, and made a list in order to let you all know how I’m surviving singlehood on the mission field.

Here’s a list of how I’m surviving singlehood on the mission field.
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Without further exposition, here’s how to survive being single on the mission field:

1. Talk about being single. All. The. Time. To as many people as possible.

The more people who hear you, the more people might be able to set you up with someone they know.

2. Watch a romantic movie at least once a week.

Nothing like a Nicholas Sparks movie to cure all your romantic needs.

3. Read a romance novel (Christian fiction, of course) at least twice a month.

Don’t forget to read non-fiction too! But do avoid Elisabeth Elliot and Joshua Harris books. They might ruin all the fun.

4. Make sure to check the international fellowship every Sunday if someone new from another far-flung country arrived. Is he single? How old is he? Does he have a heart for missions?

It might also help to start singing songs like, “Open the eyes of my crush, Lord.”

5. Read as many blogs and books about singlehood and preparing for marriage as you possibly can.

Even better, write about it! (Like I’m doing now.) Which leads us to number 6…

6. Write love letters to your future partner.

Don’t forget to ask him what’s taking him so long. Why isn’t he on the mission field yet?!

7. Every time you come to God in prayer, make sure to remind Him that you are not called for single-blessedness.

Just in case He might forget.

OK. So I’m just kidding.

The list above is sarcastic, but if you’re doing all those things and it’s helping you, then by all means… No judgment. I’ve done some of these at one point or another in my life. No. I won’t tell you which ones.

Seriously though…

For me? What I really do in order to “survive” being single while on the mission field is the same thing I would do if I weren’t on the mission field.

You see, I don’t want to “survive” singlehood. I want to thrive. I want to make the best out of it, and be the best version of myself in this season.

You see, I don’t want to “survive” singlehood. I want to thrive.
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The only way I can do that is to set my eyes on Him, on what He has called me to do. To seek Him, and listen to His voice, and obey.

Yes. There are days when the desires of my heart resurface, but what else can a Christian do with these desires other than to lay it all at His feet, and trust? Trust that He knows what He’s doing.

And if I have to be single for most or all of my life, then that’s okay. He knows what’s best. I won’t let the desire consume me.

I want to focus on the Author and Perfecter of my faith. To delight in Him, not so that He would grant me the desires of my heart, which He has promised to do, but so that I can find my satisfaction and fulfillment in Him.

I want to focus on the Author and Perfecter of my faith. To delight in Him.
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That’s what I’m doing. That’s how I’m surviving. No. Scratch that. That’s how I’m thriving.

How about you? Any survival tips?

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Does it not stir up our hearts, to go forth and help them, does it not make us long to leave our luxury, our exceeding abundant light, and go to them that sit in darkness? – Amy Carmichael, 1867-1951, missionary to India 

Chinese New Year, 2014 is a big time for us. One of our Within Reach Global local missionary families will move into North Eastern Myanmar, to a small budding city on the China border.

It is a dark place. It is perhaps one of the most challenging areas we have ever been. But our local missionaries are so passionate about reaching out to those who never had a chance to hear the gospel, even though it means leaving their comfort and safety. They are a young couple named Brother Yang & Sister Yu, and their cute one year old daughter.

Would you take your infant into a poverty stricken region in Myanmar? No doubt, our missionaries are crazy!—crazy passionate about carrying the love of Jesus into every place where the gospel is yet unknown. What a testimony!

In order to plant the Gospel, we must take risk. – K.P. Yohannan, Revolution In World Missions

Please pray for them. Prior to moving in, they will have to build a house for their family that doubles as an outreach center. They have already been blessed to be given the land to build a house. Now all we need is $5,000 to build the house and center for them. 

Would you consider helping out? Your giving will be a huge help to start this ministry in a place where the ground is dry and parched, and longing for a touch from the Spirit of God.

Feel led to make a donation to Within Reach Global? These buttons are a good start, or find out more on our donate page.

The post It Only Takes $5,000 To Build Outreach Center Among Burmese Poverty, Drugs And Human Trafficking appeared first on Within Reach Global.

But the thought of impacting young people with the gospel has grown to include families and whole communities.

But the thought of impacting young people with the gospel has grown to include families and whole communities.

Maybe it is the sudden growth of our ministry family.

In the last couple years our team has grown exponentially, not only through large conferences, underground trainings and targeted evangelistic efforts among unengaged people groups, but because many of our local missionaries are finding their spouses, marrying, having children, and extending the reach of gospel love to their loved ones as well.

To be sure, we will continue to host underground trainings for Christian leaders. We have helped inspire hundreds of Chinese leaders over the years to reach the least evangelized areas of the globe. And we continue our focus upon the unengaged, unreached people groups in Southeast Asia. They are truly the final frontier of missions efforts, and we are passionate about seeing the name of Jesus reach the most remote regions of the planet. 

But there is a certain intimate dynamic that we are experiencing right now as our ministry family grows.

There is a certain intimate dynamic that we are experiencing right now as our ministry family grows.

Brother Yang, an apostolic leader, recently married at a double wedding in rural China. He is now the proud father of a beautiful baby girl.

Brother Hu, a crippled missionary hero, who was married the same day, is a soon to be a father with his beautiful wife.

We married Sister Li and Brother Shi, and she is now expecting as well.

Another Sister Li, who grew up in a staunch Buddhist household, recently led her mother to the Lord after she smashed all the life-sized idols in their home.

David and Lorna, presidents of Within Reach Global, recently became father and mother to their miracle MK baby.

It is exciting for us! It brings joy to our hearts. It feels like true missions as we are creating Christ-centered families.

It is exciting for us! It brings joy to our hearts. It feels like true missions as we are creating Christ-centered families.

The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:1-3 NLT)

That’s the Abrahamic Covenant, blessed to be a blessing. And to who? All the families of the earth.

So how about your family? Want to get involved in reaching the unengaged people groups of the 1040 Window with us? Want your kids to grow up with a missionary focus as they adopt unreached people groups in prayer? It’s a powerful thing to partner with us—family to family—to bring the truth of God’s love to every nation, tribe, people and language.

Contact us today to learn how you can join us in this epic journey of family life transformation.

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Brother Yang’s father gripped my hand tight and grabbed my left love handle. He squeezed harder than I would have liked. I squirmed. His mustache curled around his wide smile as he gritted his teeth with pleasure. “It’s a miracle! This is a miracle!”

He told me that the night before, he prayed under his leaky roof from 11:pm until 3:am. “God, I have waited for this day for thirty years.” The continual dripping soaked his forehead and chest. “Please stop the rain for my son’s wedding tomorrow.”

I have never been to a double wedding. Actually, I’ve never really even heard of one. But when Brother Yang and Brother Hu asked me to officiate their weddings on the same day in their Chinese tribal village, I couldn’t say no. It was the first wedding I had ever done, and twice the work/fun/experience.

Brother Yang and Brother Hu are two of our most faithful underground Within Reach Global local missionaries. For many years they have traveled all over the province, preaching the name of Jesus where it has not been heard before, raising up new disciples, planting churches in places there had never been, and blazing new trails among unreached people groups.

The two men grew together in the ministry, but God knew they needed even better helpmates than each other.

It was a beautiful sunny day in the mountainous village—a sharp contrast from the muddy, rain-soaked day before. The high church ceiling made my voice echo as I spoke.

“Do you, Brother Yang, take Sister Wu to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “I do.” “Good! Now hold that thought! Do you, Brother Hu, take Sister Tao to be your lawfully wedded wife?” “I do.”

It was comical to make each couple wait for each others’ vows, but it was also a pleasure to watch both couples enjoy the ceremonies.

Check out the Facebook photos here.

Oh, did I mention that there were over 400 tribal people attending the village wedding as well? They were dressed in their cultural gowns and outfits, strange headpieces and jewelry. But they didn’t last through the whole ceremony as they rushed away to gobble down the groom and bride and groom and bride’s banquet. At least they showed their support for as long as they could manage.

Brother Yang is a fourth generation Christian. Danish missionaries who arrived in his village in the early 1900’s are still buried there to this day. He was our first Within Reach Global local missionary.

Brother Hu is from a village one hour’s walk from Brother Yang’s village, and joined our team after he was delivered from demon possession. (Yea, not quite the same stringent application process as most Christian mission organizations in the West! We simply accept people who are called of God). He is crippled, and cannot walk without a cane, but hikes up mountains in China’s interior, bringing the gospel message to thousands of people.

“Brother Yang and Brother Hu, I have very good news for you!” I paused for moment, and looked at these two men whom Lorna and I had raised up in Christian ministry for many years. They looked at me and smiled, as if to say, “Quit reminiscing and get on with it!” I conceded. “You may now kiss your brides!” The confetti poppers exploded and the remaining villages cheered. I stood back, looked over at Lorna, and took it all in.

After a thousand photos with bride and groom and bride and groom, we trudged through the muddy village, up the hill behind the church, to a dirt road that stretched off into the mountain. Fifty wobbly tables and metal seats were lined up along the mountain ridge, and people were stuffing their faces with meat and veggies. This was a treat for them.

“They butchered three pigs, a cow, and lots of chickens,” Brother Hu told me. I looked down at the dishes on my table. I couldn’t really make out what much of it was beside mystery meat. But what the heck, I’m a hardcore missionary right? Lorna and I, and our Filipino missionaries, put a serious dent into the banquet meal.

It was a five hour drive over winding highway back to the city to catch our flight to Manila the next day. We will be back to China in February, May, and September 2012, and will travel to many more tribal villages and unreached people groups at that time. I will actually be doing another wedding for more of our underground local missionaries getting married at that time!

We believe that God has much more in store for these two couples. They are committed to speeding the return of Jesus as they reach out to unreached people groups as Matthew 24:14 foretells. They are excited about raising up more Timothy’s, and planting new churches in areas that are still waiting for the love of God to arrive. They are missionaries to their own nation and to the 10/40 Window. But for now, I think we’ll give them a little bit of time to enjoy their new marriages.

The post Double Wedding In Chinese Village appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Check out Facebook photos of Pilot region here.

After the miraculous healing from cancer of a young tribal woman at Pilot region, Brother Li fell in love with her. He began to regularly disciple her and her family, reconciling their emotions of what truly happened with her healing. Their hearts were open and excited to learn about this Jesus they had never heard of before. God’s power was in the discipleship class that Brother Li held on the banana and pineapple mountain plantations overlooking Vietnam.

The two grew in the Lord together, and Brother Li traveled to many other villages sharing the good news with his own people. “When we get married,” he told us, “I want my wife and I to reach our own people group with the gospel.”

January 1, 2011. A momentous day for Brother Li and his wife. Their wedding was held in a small church overlooking the Mekong River on the China/Vietnam border. The sunset over the lush mountains on the Vietnam side of the border were particularly beautiful that day. It was a new year, a new season, and a new beginning for the happily married couple.

“For the last few months before we got married, we have been traveling across the border to Vietnam to a poor Hmong tribal family that we met,” Brother Li told us. “They were so poor I could not believe it.”

When Brother Li, who was born in poor Pilot region, and abandoned as a young child, tells you that a village is poor, you believe him.

“We would bring steamed bread and rice, hike up the mountains, and give it to the poor Hmong family. They were so open to hearing the gospel, and touched by our generosity.”

This kind of local missionary giving was how Brother Li and his wife began their relationship, and today they are both excited to continue sharing the message of salvation with the unreached people groups in Pilot region.

“Please pray for us,” Brother Li told us recently. “We need to trust God for more money so we can bless the tribal people in our area.”

The Frog Prince found his princess, and now the two are on a mission for Jesus: trekking up mountains in search of poor people groups who have yet to hear the gospel. God has great things in store for this couple, and we believe that at the end of their lives it will be said of them, “And they lived happily ever after.”

The post Getting Hitched And On A Mission Near Vietnam appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Brother Li is one of our most uneducated co-workers, graduating from the second grade, and he is also one of our shortest. But he can preach the gospel with amazing results. He got saved after drunk punching a local evangelist in the face while preaching to Brother Li’s village.

Growing up, Brother Li was despised by his neighbors when his mother and father left him to fend for himself. He turned to alcohol and fighting, and was always in trouble. They called him the Frog Prince because of his height and appearance.

But after our local missionary who was punched in the face returned to Brother Li’s village, God got a hold of his heart, and he had a radical encounter with Jesus. We sent him to Bible school, training him as a missionary to his own unreached people group at Pilot center.

Brother Li traveled to his own tribal villages, hiking through mountains and valleys, preaching the name of Jesus to everyone he came in contact with. During one of our evangelistic outreaches to Pilot region, he and other local missionaries met a young lady who was diagnosed with cancer, and given one week to live. She was pale and sickly, and there was no life in her eyes. Brother Li and our co-workers prayed for the young woman, telling her that Jesus Christ was the only one who could save her soul.

When Brother Li returned to the young tribal woman’s village the next week, he was amazed to see her transformation. Her skin color returned, life filled her eyes, and she was walking around joyfully healed. As Brother Li witnessed her life transformation, something sparked in his heart.

The young woman accepted Jesus, and began to learn about the promises for her in the Bible. Brother Li discipled her and her family, and they were filled with joy because salvation had come to their home.

As Brother Li taught her about the Christian life, they began to fall in love with each other. “I want to invite you to our wedding!” Brother Li recently told us. “I can’t believe this is how my love story would occur! But I am so thankful for God’s touch on our lives.”

A drunk, orphaned, uneducated, missionary-beating tribal man called the Frog Prince transformed into a God-fearing, passionate, faithful son of a King, and his princess is now standing there at his side.

Brother Li’s wife will attend Bible school after their wedding, reaching their own people group together at Pilot center.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end.

The post The Frog Prince Finds His Princess appeared first on Within Reach Global.

Within Reach Global has been partnering with churches, pastors and teachers for years, helping train leaders and empower the underground Church to plant churches in their region. Thousands of people have been impacted by these trainings. Small sparks have turned to flames, and the flames are turning into wildfires among unreached people groups who are now within reach.

All flames are contagious.

On the first week on September, 2010, over 12 different churches were represented at the three major trainings that we hosted. Because the police were scheduled for regular checks on the state Church, we had to do all our meetings secretly in an undisclosed location, while the pastor entertained the government.

The Hub: 70 underground Church leaders attended.
26 Tribes: 20 state Church leaders attended.
26 Tribes: 20 underground Church leaders attended.

Our visiting pastor taught on the Holy Spirit and Walking In The Supernatural. This type of training is rarely seen in the underground Church, and almost never taught in the state Church. We believe that the leaders who attended these training will return to the own churches with a passion for God and expectancy of the Holy Spirit to bring about supernatural ministry. We believe that many more will be ushered into the kingdom here in the 10/40 Window.

“Thank you for coming to share with all of our Christian leaders,” the pastor of the state Church said to us. “Although I wasn’t able to attend, we really appreciate you teaching on the empowering of the Holy Spirit.”

There is a blazing fire on the horizon of the 26 Tribes region. Home to millions of unreached peoples, we are believing for a revival among the Christian missionaries and leaders in the area as they rise up to take the message of the cross to the ends of the earth.

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