For the past 2 weeks I have been in a country in Northern Africa. It is a predominantly Muslim country with Islam being their state religion. My eyes have been opened up to the difficulty of ministering in the 10/40 window.
Upon arriving, we got oriented on what it was like for a full timer to be here. They shared how they have been here for over 3 years and have only seen 3 people come to God in that time. Other people here have been here for 8 years and seen 5 people come to God. And these people aren’t just sitting around doing nothing. They are some of the hardest working people I have met. They spend much time in prayer and worship, learning the local language, and make/continue relationships with locals each day. They put their whole life and being into seeing the Kingdom of God come to earth. But despite all their efforts, their fruit is so little.
One from North America cannot help but think, “Surely they are doing something wrong. There must be a better way of doing things that these people are unaware of”. And although that may be the case, I don’t believe it is. These people are very lead by the Spirit and follow God where He leads. They follow the model we are given in Luke 9 and 10 and do this often.
When I was doing my World Race, I saw many people come to God and it seemed so easy. At times we would go up to someone who had never heard the good news, share it and then they would just accept it on the spot. At other times, others had planted seeds for years and years, and we got to come along and reap the harvest.
But it’s not that simple in the 10/40 window. Most of these countries are mostly Muslim believers. They have been rooted and grounded in this religion for centuries. Generation after generation have believed in Allah, Mohamed and the Koran. And then us short-termers come in and expect to see a bunch of people give their lives to God in a moment. And not that we shouldn’t have that thought, it’s just that we need to recognize what we are up against.
I personally came in thinking it was going to be as easy as it was in every other country I’ve been in, but I quickly learned that that’s not the case. If a Muslim converts, it is an extremely big decision for them. It’s their whole lively hood. Their friends, family, holidays, everything gets changed! But it’s powerful when even just one comes to the Truth.
I’ve learned that the 10/40 window is a difficult place to minister to. Please pray for my squad and I as we continue through more countries like this one. Pray for an openness of hearts to the people we encounter. Also pray for the long term workers here. Pray for more fruit and more laborers to work the largely unreached people groups here. Remember, your prayers can move mountains and change nations. Don’t take this task lightly. It is affecting the souls of many.
