7,244

This is the number that is before us every day: the number of people groups in the world who remain unreached (no churches, no Christians, no access to the gospel, no Scripture in their language…)

While the number 7,244 is approximate, it remains a daunting figure and motivates us daily. And to reach those people, we need to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send laborers–missionaries–to reach those groups.

The Lord is doing just that, and we’re excited that many of these laborers are being raised up from countries that used to be mission fields. Those churches now want to send their people to other unreached groups.

The reasons those groups are unreached are:

• their language is unknown
• their worldview is a barrier to understanding or accepting the gospel
• they are remote and hard to access
• they belong to other major world religions
• they are in countries ruled by regimes that are hostile to the gospel

M.A.P.

Bill and his team are focusing on the first two: helping missionaries learn unknown languages and worldviews. To communicate God’s truth clearly requires a high level of fluency in the language, and deep insight into a people’s worldview.

Part of the online course we created for missionaries being trained remotely in closed countries include the “principles of communication” under the acronym M.A.P. “Know your Message, Know your Audience, and Know your Plan.” We’re including this in the materials we are working on how for a wide audience of missionary trainers and trainees.

KNOW YOUR MESSAGE: this one is obvious. A missionary needs to have a good understanding of the Bible! And they need to be able to explain how the plan of God’s redemption is one story from Eternity past to Eternity future.

KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE: (this is where Bill and his team come in!) Missionaries need to gain a high level of fluency in the people’s language, a deep insight into their worldview and the implications that has for presenting Biblical truth, and they need good relationships with people–a level of trust where they have earned the right to be heard.

KNOW YOUR PLAN: (this is where our church planting consultants take over.) A missionary needs to prayerfully compare Biblical truth (a Biblical worldview) with the people’s worldview. Then they can be very strategic in dealing with all the areas where the people are likely to misunderstand. Teaching without this kind of plan results in syncretism, where the people mix Biblical concepts with their worldview.

Engage and Stages

Bill’s team is gradually rolling out a new Culture and Language learning guide (called Engage), and an amazing app called Stages) that is integrated with Engage and makes planning, elicitation, and review easier, and helps the learner reflect on the worldview.

Recently we handed some of these materials to our translation teams in Latin America. They are translating all of Engage and Stages into Spanish and Portuguese so they can be used by missionaries from those countries. We’re just about ready to give them another bunch of documents to be translated.

Our training programs in Canada, the US, and other countries are using some of these materials already. They will soon be able to use the whole program and the app. A few months ago Canada actually used the Stages app in their language learning practicum as a good beta test for us.

Our training program in Germany plans to start using some of these materials in their next semester. Many other training programs will gradually start implementing Engage and Stages soon. And not only that, we’re excited that a number of other evangelical mission agencies and training programs are anxious to use our materials to help their missionaries become better communicators of God’s truth!

Most Recent Work

Most recently, Bill has been testing the more advanced features of the Stages app, and overseeing some other people who also doing testing. He’s letting our programmers know about any bugs or issues. As he tests the app, Bill is writing the user manual, including screen shots for each step.

In testing the Stages app, some great ideas have come to light to improve the way it works. So the programmers are making those minor changes, and Bill is updating all the how-to documents and the Stages User manual to be up-to-date.

Update on the Palawanos

Bill continues to be in touch with many of the Palawanos through Facebook. He gets to answer their questions and give counsel to the men who are leading the Palawano church. Recently he learned that a Korean pastor has moved into our area. He is with another denomination that many consider to be a cult. He has used financial incentives to lure some unbelievers and even some weak believers to get baptized and join his church.

The good news is that Bill heard from Arnel, one of his translation helpers, who is helping to lead the church. He said that many of the believers are standing firm and are refusing to join the other church. They won’t even let the other pastor into their homes. Not only this, but the Palawano church is conducting new outreaches and there are many new Palawanos who have come to Christ! These new ones have gotten baptized and attend the church.

Please pray with us for the Palawano church. Pray for Arnel and Joseph, another church leader, as they do outreach and shepherd the flock. As for that other church, please pray with us that people will not be deceived. Pray that that Korean pastor will pack up and leave like many before him have done in the past.

Health Update

We’re thankful for those who have been praying for us!

The good news is that Bill’s heart has been staying in rhythm for almost a year and a half. His knee replacement a year ago was a huge success and he can easily do things he hasn’t been able to do for over ten years! One weekend he was up and down ladders all day installing screens on our rain gutters and the next day the only thing that DIDN’T hurt was his knee!

Bill’s sinus issue continues to be an issue. Write us if you want more details, but in a nutshell, for 28 months and counting, he has had excessive sinus issues. Two surgeries and lots of treatment options have not resolved this. It’s exhausting and very annoying! It affects how much we can do out in public (ever since COVID, if you cough or clear your throat in public, people can get concerned). We’ve heard people in a restaurant ask their server to move them to another table.

We try to keep our focus on the fact that it is a trial allowed by the Lord. We’re asking him to teach us through this. Bill has a video conference with his doctor on May 5.

We have some potential upcoming ministry travel to Brazil and elsewhere, but it’s hard to see how international travel or all-day teaching sessions would work. We’d appreciate your continued prayers for grace under trial, and for God to provide healing and to give the doctors wisdom in dealing with this.