Per my dear friend Megan Briscoe's request, yesterday afternoon I sat down with my laptop and bottomless cup of coffee to come up with specific prayer requests for every country I'll be in so my friends and loved ones can know how to pray for Z-Squad each month. Simple enough, right? Well, needless to say, I did not anticipate how the Lord was going to wreck me in that hour and a half.
My primary reason for signing up for the Race and my primary reason for signing over my life to long term missions is because God has destroyed blessed my heart with brokenness over the overwhelming number of Unreached People Groups in the world. After a covert evangelism and prayer walking trip in a closed country in Southeast Asia last year, I knew that the trajectory of my life was set. God wrecked my heart over the lostness of the world, sharing just a small taste of the brokenness He feels everyday for the billions of people who have literally never heard the name of Jesus Christ.
So my first priority when it came to these prayer requests was to have people pray for the Unreached People Groups in each country. An Unreached People Group or UPG is a people group in which there is no indigenous community of believing Christians that possess adequate numbers or resources to evangelize this people group. Joshua Project identifies a UPG as any group that has less than 2% evangelical Christians.
Using Joshua Project's resources, I began researching each country to determine the major UPG's and how many total were in each country. Here's what I discovered:
Kenya – 31
Uganda – 4
Rwanda – 3
Estonia – 6
Latvia – 6
Lithuania – 8
China – 455
Thailand – 83
Cambodia – 31
India – 2,365
Nepal – 332
Total: 3,324
I've (for some odd reason) always prided myself on my ability to keep my emotions in check, especially when I'm around others. I've never been a very weepy person. But there, sitting at my desk at work, surrounded by people, tears were pouring down my face. The realization that there are 3,324 people groups in these 11 countries alone that are utterly, blatantly, and totally LOST shook me to my very core. Images like this crowded my screen and burdened my soul:
The red dots indicate Unreached People Groups. The Yellow dots represent formative/nominally-reached groups. Green dots, if there were any, would represent a significant or established church presence.
Lostness covers this country like a disease.
Looking at this picture made me feel sick. But I couldn't stop there. I crunched some numbers.
India contains nearly 1/6th of the world's population with 1.237 billion people residing there.
91% of the country is classified Unreached.
Therefore, 1,125,670,000 people in India are Unreached.
One billion, one hundred and twenty five million, six hundred and seventy thousand souls in India alone are bound for an eternal Hell apart from Jesus Christ.
Folks, if this doesn't wreck you, you need to check your heart.
Through tears, through heartache, through anger, and through disbelief, God reminded me of the urgency of my mission. This is why I go. This is why I teach. This is why I evangelize. Because not only do I believe what the Word of God says is true, that all that have never heard of Christ and those who don't turn from their sins and follow Him will be eternally separated from Him, but I do it because I have beheld the glory of my Savior and I know this King deserves their worship.
My Savior, My Shepherd, My Lord, My King, My Loving, Merciful, Holy and Powerful God deserves the glory, praise, reverence, and bowed knee of every single one of the Ajuran, Dahalo, Gujarati, Nubian, Swahili, Arab, Uzbek, Tatar, Yiddish-speaking Jewish, Azerbaijani, Karaite, Tajik, Amdo, Bouyei, Tujia, Thai, Hui, Lao Krang, Cham, Han Chinese, Kui, Adi Karnataka, Darzi, Koli, Halwai, Brahman, the Yadav, and the thousands of other peoples I may encounter on my journey.
We see pictures like this one and we hear statistics such as these and it's easy to think that the enemy is winning. There is a false god of this world, Satan, that is blinding the minds of unbelievers but there is a true God of the universe that is shining light in the darkness and He is using His church to do it. Get on board with this!
Do I sometimes question what in the world I am doing on this journey? Absolutely. Do I sometimes second guess leaving everyone and everything I know and love to travel the world on mission? Yes. But God reminded me yesterday of His plans for me and for His Body. God awakens peoples' hearts through His followers telling people about Him. This is the purpose for which I was created – the reason I have breath.
"And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come." – Matthew 24:14
I am in debt to the nations, to those who God has set aside in every tribe and tongue.
I will no longer live for myself. I urge you, followers of Jesus, to join me. Commit to pray for me on my journey and help fund me financially. I will take this Gospel to the ends of the earth, whatever the cost. Your help is much appreciated! Begin living for those who will come behind you. Don't keep the Treasure you've found to yourself.
In His Victory,
Bre
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