Focus on the Unreached: The Mountain People

Learn

Isaiah 45:8 

"You heavens above, rain down my righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness flourish with it; I, the LORD, have created it.”

Several years ago, School to the Nations began prayer that the Lord would bring us an Unreached People Group in Asia.  Part of our campus prayer trail is dedicated to UPGs in Asia and the Lord brought this desire to fruition when we were able to make connections in Asia that would later help us reach these people far up in the mountains. Some of our staff took a vision tour to these beautiful Mountain People, who are shut off completely from the Gospel where they live in extremely remote jungles. Although we set off to find one group, we ended up spending only a short period there before moving on to another area and another people group also living in the extreme terrain of these mountains. God surely led us to each of these groups and the team was warmly accepted and brought into living daily life with these people, despite the language barrier.  Deeply invested in their religion of animism and folk Buddhism, these people are truly in need of the love of Christ. Several relationships were formed between the Mountain People and our team, but they were unable to share the Gospel in this area. Because of the political and religious barriers, we are in a long-term and very strategic partnership with another organization in Asia to bring the hope of Christ to these wonderful people. We call it The Bamboo Cross Project.

Pray.

 Isaiah 59:16 “And He saw that there was no man, And was astonished that there was no one to intercede; Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, And His righteousness upheld Him.”

Although God has no limitations, our movement in this area will be especially slow and cautious, and we need a lot of prayer! As God calls us to an intercessory prayer movement, we hope that you will join us. The darkness over the lives of the Mountain People cannot and will not be brightened by the Gospel without a fervent and continual prayer movement, and there is much planning yet needed to get us there.

•          Pray that the Lord will bring intercessors – strong people of prayer to begin the spiritual battle of getting the Gospel to the Mountain People! If you would like to get more information about our passion and need for intercessors, please contact us at stn.intercession@gmail.com so that we can connect with you. It is so important to us to equip those who want to be a part of this movement. Please know that intercessory prayer is powerful Kingdom work!
•         Pray for Houses of Peace to be prepared by the Holy Spirit, hearts that are being opened to the Gospel before our team even arrives.
•         Pray for the team that will be returning to the Mountain People in the next year. Specifically pray for their finances, health, spiritual wellness, and that they will be encouraged and passionate with a peace that passes all understanding.
•          Pray for government favor and good connections in this area.

Ministry Update: Sowers & Fields Festival

In April, School to the Nations gathered our board members, partners, and staff families to celebrate the adoption of three people groups - the Deaf of Botswana and two Mountain People groups in Asia. In a small room at Remington's, we took part in a time of worship,  talked about where we're headed, enjoyed a beautiful worship dance, and prayed together for our three new people groups. This celebration outlined the continued need to share the name of Jesus around the world and reignited the passions of the staff and our board and supporters alike! What follows in this post is a recap of the message that was shared; it is a challenge to us and we hope you will feel encouraged and passionate about spreading the name of Jesus throughout the nations after you read it!

Isaiah 12:2-5: “’Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord Himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation.’ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. In that day you will say: ‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what He has done, and proclaim that His name is exalted.’”



This scripture reveals a lot about His name (and thus His nature) and His desire for people. This winter on an outreach trip in a large city in Asia, our team met with college students for English as a second language training. While reading with one of our team members, a young student asked  "Is this a name?" pointing at the name of Jesus. How deeply this ought to effect us! In a culture full of constant fear, hopelessness, and meaningless religion, people do not know and have never even heard the name of Jesus.

What does His name mean in our lives?

•  His name is our salvation, which gives us peace with God.  The scripture from Isaiah also reminds us that our salvation is not only for ourselves, but to "make known among the nations what He has done". 
• His name is our strength and our song. Abiding in Christ means we are connected to God's peace and we are comforted by His people and His Living Word through all of the trials and pain we all experience throughout life. He changes the lives we had into a new song and strength to thrive through every storm!

What do we do with all of this? We share it! He calls us to share His name where it has never been heard, to plant churches so that believers can grow and support one another in the driest spiritual desert. There are more than 6,400 unreached people groups and 70 million deaf worldwide who have not heard the name of Jesus. Truly, His name - His love, grace, mercy, hope, and life - must be exalted among the nations! 

What does this mean for you? We invite each and every one of you to partner with us in this work of making the name of Jesus famous throughout the world. Know Jesus intimately. Get to know His name more deeply today. Surrender your talents, skills, gifts, prayers and ability to reach the nations so that His Name can be the salvation of 3 billion unreached people around the world! At the end of our celebration, we officially adopted 3 more people groups with signed certificates showing the commitment of our leaders and staff to this movement of God. It signifies our passion and commitment to serving the unreached and sharing Jesus with them. We'd love for each of you to join us in this calling by praying, supporting, and even going with us!

Psalms 8:1 "O Lord our Lord, how majestic is Your name throughout the earth!"

Focus on the Unreached: The Hidden People of West Africa

This month's Focus on the Unreached showcases one of the first people groups adopted by School to the Nations: the Hidden people of  West Africa.

Adoption of the Fulanke

Learn.

First off, let's review the definition of "people groups": it comes from the Biblical term "nations" and refers to a distinct people who are connected through a common tongue. The significance of reaching the nations is based in Revelation 5:9, which tells us that every tribe and every tongue will be represented in God's Kingdom.

The Hidden are spread throughout dozens of villages in a West African country but share a common tongue. These kind and gentle people face drought and famine daily, and are oppressed under the ideas of folk Islam and animism. The Hidden people are in great need of being loved in truth and in deed. We have begun compassion projects of medical aid and BioSand filters for well water in the past and hope to continue those works in the future.  Their part of West Africa is currently experiencing serious political turmoil and we haven’t been able to do an outreach since January  of 2012. We have not been able to take trips there and we anticipate moving back into these areas as we sense the Spirit and it is safe.

School to the Nations adopted the Hidden in 2006 and had many outreach trips to West Africa since then. When we first arrived, there were no known believers within the 50 or so Hidden people villages, but God drew several Hidden people to Himself on our first outreach. The first Hidden believers were baptized during the winter of 2010-2011.  Since then, the number of believers has grown and an indigenous pastor has been growing the church and making disciples. The church is small and based on land that was given to the pastor by his chief; he and his family serve and live there. School to the Nations is aiding this young pastor in finishing Bible school so that he is even better equipped to spread the Gospel among the villages. He is in need of a motorbike so that he can travel throughout the villages efficiently.

Pray.

-That the funds needed for a motorbike for the indigenous pastor will be provided. Contact Randy at schooltothenations@gmail.com if you’d like to learn more about this need.

- For the elections in July to produce new national leadership that will stabilize the nation.

- For the current believers to be strengthened and begin a church-planting movement among the villages.

- For a continued and strengthened Intercessory Prayer Movement. This movement is at the forefront of our efforts and the Hidden people are a key group in our prayers. If you’d like more information about this movement, please contact us at stn.intercession@gmail.com

Rain In The Desert

As Tom* entered the village deep in the Sub-Sahara desert the reality of his surroundings caused his heart to beat faster. The eyes of the Kagoro people watched as his team's bus arrived and the village children greeted them with, "Tubabu! Tubabu!" (which means white person in their native tongue).  According to tribal customs he led the team to greet the elders of the village who then led them to the Chief. After the normal exchange of greetings, he discovered the extreme hardship that this village currently faced. 

Drought. 

For months it had not rained, and now in the middle of March still three months away from their rainy season the people had little hope of a refreshing rain anytime soon.  The anguish relayed in the conversations he had with the Chief about the drought spoke of a life seeped in folk Islam and Animism. Here was a village full of people who had no hope. 

"How can we pray for you and your village?" he asked the Chief. 

The Chief replied, "We know that you are followers of Jesus. We would also choose to follow Him if He could make it rain."

Struggling not with the question of could God make it rain, Tom stepped back spent time in prayer and asked the question, "Will God make it rain?" Amazingly enough earlier that morning as he was reading Scripture a verse in Psalms jumped out of his page, "May He come down like rain upon mown grass, like showers that water the Earth." 

Notes in his Bible found at Psalms 72:6 

With little faith, he and his team were in agreement that they would pray together and leave the results to God. They were challenged in a new way, would God send rain among the Kagoro? 

"God make it rain, please." 

Continuing on their travel to another unreached people group, Tom and his team traveled eight more hours to a remote village deeper in the Sub-Sahara to set up camp and sleep for the night. As he laid down to sleep he mentioned to his team, "I smell rain in the air," and it was the truth! He immediately began to wonder if it was just him wanting to believe or if God truly was sending rain. 

As he fell asleep Tom was awaken to the drops of rain, and not just a few drops but a full-on downpour. For fifteen minutes it rained, then stopped, then continued on for another fifteen minutes. 

God sent rain! Had the Kagoro, who were eight hours away, witnessed this miracle?

A year would pass before he was able to return to that Kagoro village. He spent the entire year praying for that village Chief, wondering if he remembered the miracle of rain and his promise to follow Jesus as a result. During that year in his own Bible study Tom came across Jeremiah 14:22, "Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in you, for You are the One who has done all these things." It was this verse that he shared with the Chief when he returned a year later. 

"Do you remember what you said to us on that day a year ago?" he asked the Chief. 

"Yes, I do," the Chief replied. 

"Did you witness the rain that day?" he continued to ask. 

"Yes, we did," the Chief again replied. 

An open door was created and before the team left that day new believers came to Christ and the village now has Christ followers among them for the first time. 

Just like rain brings life to dry ground, God's rain brought eternal life to those without hope among the Kagoro people! 

**If you'd like to hear more stories from the field subscribe to our blog and to our monthly newsletter. 

Email theabicopeland(at)gmail(dot)com for more information.**

*Name changed to maintain security and protection of our School to the Nations team member

Focus on the Unreached: The Deaf of Botswana

This monthly blog feature focuses on one of the 12 major fields with which School to the Nations works. This month we’ll shed some light on what’s happening in Botswana, a nation in southern Africa.

“What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim upon the housetops.” Matthew 10:27

Learn

School to the Nations began work in Botswana last fall – our first outreach to touch a largely unreached group – the deaf. Although Botswana is one of the wealthiest and most democratic nations in Africa, the HIV/AIDS epidemic of past decades continues to impact young generations. The disease is believed to be one major cause of deafness among children and families in Botswana. Botswana strongly supports the deaf of their communities, giving free public education to all children including specialty deaf schools and students with other special needs. In fact, many teachers in these schools are Christians, but they become burned out and discouraged and are often not able to fully utilize their training due to time and other restraints. One of the discouragements with deaf children is that they are at a disadvantage compared to their peers because they are often not taught any ASL or other sign until they start school. Overall, 70% of Botswanans are Christians, yet these Christians are in desperate need of encouragement as well as training to reach the deaf and other unreached in their communities.

Connect

        

School to the Nations will send a team out to share the Gospel and train and encourage the church of Botswana sometime this fall. If you’d like to take part in this trip, either by going or supporting those on the team, contact our Cross-Cultural director and leader of this trip, Jenna Kilgallin at jenna.kilgallin@gmail.com. The team start out in the capital city, Gaborone,  to host a discipleship conference for the deaf and those who want to reach out to the deaf. They will also travel to the city of Maun to work in both primary and secondary schools building relationships with students and faculty alike.

You can read Jenna’s stories from the last trip to Botswana on her blog. 

Pray

• That the church in Maun will grow and the gap between the deaf and the hearing in Maun will be closed as the hearing of Maun are trained and encouraged to share Christ with their community.
• That similar ministries will be planted in and around Maun to support the deaf community.
• That the small deaf church in Gaborone will grow exponentially to create a Christian community for the deaf.
• That deaf children will begin to be taught ASL from a younger age so that they can keep up with their hearing peers.
• That the teachers of deaf schools will be encouraged, supported, and strengthened to continue their work among deaf children.
• For the team headed for Gaborone and Maun early this fall. 

Lifting the Fog: A New Field in Southeast Asia

A new adventure and a new day are beginning for School to the Nations as we live out our mission statement to “Penetrate the final frontiers for the glory of Jesus by mobilizing the next generation to the Nations.” Recently, we sent a group of twelve people to Asia for two purposes, one to work with University Students and two to explore a new mission field in L country. Three of our leadership staff, partnering with the IMB traveled into this country in order to find possible inroads for future efforts to penetrate the unengaged, unreached people in this region. They were told that they were the first Caucasians that these people had ever seen! We believe that these are God-ordained relationships with the people here and our team was captivated by the surreal environment they experienced:

“Nestled on the side of a mountain in the extreme upper highlands, is a long house, living in this house are precious people created in the image of God. Shut off completely to any knowledge of God and the access to even hearing of the mercy of their Creator found in Jesus. These people live in fear and seek to appease the spirits and because of some communist ideology, extreme mountainous terrain, animistic worldview, and Buddhism permeating every aspect of their lives a fog covers their eyes that must be lifted, much like the fog rises each morning from the valleys.”

Our team was successful in creating lasting relationships with key figures in this region and potential creative access inroads with the government. The future is hopeful, as this new field has opened up! During their visit they came in contact with two specific unengaged people groups that we will identify as "the mountain people." Both of these people groups are in desperate need of the Gospel, and School to the Nations along with a local church are fully engaged into a strategic long-term church planting movement among these precious people.

In the midst of the first contact they were able to clearly see the governing hand of God by giving them favor with key contacts and government approval to be in this region, something that cannot be handled carelessly. We must be as strategic and as creative as we have ever been to continue a healthy relationship with those in L country. So where do we go from here?

As with any unengaged, unreached people group the mountain people will not be reached unless the church marshals a strong prayer strategy. We, the body of Christ, the church must pray that the fog that blurs their spiritual eyes be lifted, and only by the power of the Cross. Missions among the unengaged and unreached are more about prayer than they are about strategy; prayer produces strategy, but prayer must supersede all efforts.

Will you join School to the Nations in praying Ephesians 1:18, as we begin a prayer movement for the mountain people in L country?

 “I pray that the eyes of you heart will be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his  glorious inheritance in his holy people and his incomparably great power for us who believe.” Ephesians 1:18-19 NIV

**For more on what an “unengaged & unreached” people group is, read this article from the latest issue of Mission Frontier: “The Most Abomidable “Word”.”