About a year ago now was my first time going overseas to do missions. I arrived at our destination with nine other teammates not knowing what was to come. Although we prepared as much as we could before we left, I did not and could not grasp what the Lord would show me on this trip. Unreached people made sense in theory. As they are not reached by the gospel. I understood that to an extent.
Before we arrived for training I was secretly very happy that our team was a good enough size that I would possibly fly under the radar. I could potentially get away with saying as little as possible and enjoying other’s stories and testimonies unravel. I struggled with wondering if I was equipped or not, to be honest. In training we learned much about the 10/40 window. According to the Joshua Project, the 10/40 Window is the rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia approximately between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. Approximately 4.83 billion individuals residing in approximately 8,144 distinct people groups are in the revised 10/40 Window. 5,568 (68.4%) of these people groups are considered unreached and have a population of 2.98 billion.The “unevangelized” or unreached are people who have a minimal knowledge of the gospel, but have no valid opportunity to respond to it.
But even still, it all didn’t hit me until our very first day.To my surprise and slight disappointment I learned that we would be traveling in teams of two, three, or at most four people to the villages. There was really no room for me to hide here. I was teamed up with one other teammate and our one translator. One of the very first villages we visited was when unreached became a whole new reality to me. And where the Lord showed me that I was in fact equipped.
We walked into the village being welcomed in by the intrigued families, asked to come sit in their homes, and this is where my eyes were opened. As I sat watching as the whole village gathered to sit down in front of us. A literal crowd waiting to hear why we were there, where were we from, and eager ears to hear whatever we were about to share. I felt my stomach drop as I see my translator give me the go to share the gospel, this great hope and amazing love that these ears have never had the chance to hear before.
Those moments waiting between my words to be translated and for the reactions of the listening ears were so surreal. Even in those moments the gospel of hope sunk in deeper for even myself and tears started to swell. I saw the faces looking in confusion as my translator communicated back telling me that they do not know who Jesus is and they had never heard that name before. And in that moment looking at the 30 or 40 something people, grandmothers, mothers, fathers, teenagers and toddlers staring back at me, I was shaken even though we had been prepped for this.
I continue on to share the hope of Christ through a story that changed my life when I was 15 years old. I notice there is a woman that is peering over the gate that divides us and the crowd from her as she stands in the village temple. I catch her eye and my heart breaks. It breaks for all of the people who don’t ever have the chance to hear this great hope. It breaks for the ones who don’t get the opportunity to live by this great hope and have chains and strongholds be broken. And it breaks my heart to realize that I almost didn’t go out of fear of not being equipped for this. For if we have the hope of the Living God in us then we are more than equipped. We are vessels and ambassadors. We hope to be the hands and feet of Jesus and become advocates for those who don’t have the chance to ask, ” tell me more about who Jesus is. Tell me more about this Living Hope.”
