Note: Names have been changed for security purposes.
Sharing the gospel is one of Thomas’s greatest joys. So when he was asked to be a translator for an East-West short-term mission team coming to his region, he was thrilled. He hiked with the Extreme Team from one remote mountain village to another, talking to people who had never heard about Jesus.
Thomas felt both inspired by the team’s boldness and convicted to take advantage of the opportunity he has to reach the unreached in his own area.
The team had planned to visit one village farther in the mountains, but it soon became apparent that traveling there would be too dangerous. The team would have had to trek through a much denser forest, which increased the risk of leeches and snakes. The team was not prepared for those hazards and decided to turn around.
But Thomas felt a tug in his heart. He knew the gospel was for everyone, including those in the hardest to reach places. He felt the weight of responsibility to go share the good news in that village, and he knew he had to go.
When Thomas returned home after the Extreme Team, he asked his friend, Luke, to go with him to the village. Thomas and Luke prepared bamboo sticks with salt at the end to ward off any leeches and snakes they might encounter. With their bamboo tools and some supplies the Extreme Team left for Thomas, the two men set off on their journey.
The forest was full of dangers as expected. Leeches were waiting at every turn, and Thomas and Luke had to use the salt to protect themselves. Fear began to overtake the men during the perilous journey. But Thomas kept his mind focused on his one motivation to keep going—people in that village needed to hear about Jesus.
Miraculously, neither man was harmed by the snakes or leeches. God was with them and protected them.
Upon arriving at the village, Thomas and Luke saw right away that the people were completely unreached with the gospel. No one had ever heard of Jesus, and the villagers worshiped their own tribal god and made sacrifices to it.
Thomas and Luke had overcome the physical barrier of reaching these villagers. Now, they had to overcome the cultural barrier. The villagers were generally resistant to the gospel message. Why would they follow this Jesus they had never heard of when they had their own god to follow?
But Thomas and Luke patiently shared the hope of the gospel, that Jesus had paid for their sins and offered them the gift of grace and redemption. Hearts began to soften as the people learned of God’s sacrificial love for them. Despite never encountering Jesus before, three villagers decided to put their faith in Him.
Because Thomas obeyed the Lord’s calling to go to an unreached place, one village now has a small group of believers, and plans are in the works to one day plant a church there. Reaching the unreached—even reaching just three people—requires overcoming fears and breaking down barriers.
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