How to reach the world from your Association (or church)

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I am writing this on November 17, 2010. As I write this in my comfortable chair, Derrell Monday, DOM for the Bi-Fork Area of Texas is meeting for the first time with an unreached people group in Peru. Five years from now, he hopes a thriving church will be there.

Monday of this week Derrell spent all day flying to Peru. Yesterday he got in a boat from with a local missionary and a boat driver to travel five hours upriver toward this unreached people group. They stayed last night in San Francisco, Peru.

Courtesy: Google maps.

This morning they woke up early to travel another hour up river to make first contact with a people who have never heard the name Jesus.

Picture this. Derrell and the local missionary will get off the boat and walk into this village. The missionary will act as an interpreter. Derrell will introduce himself and explain that he is a Christian from America and would like to get to know their people. He would like to come back and bring a number of people with him to serve them, get to know them, and tell them about Jesus.

Derrell will spend all day with the people, praying and assessing the situation. If all goes well, in three months he will come back with a group from his association. They will get to know folks. They will ask if they can tell them Bible stories. They will serve them. In three months, another group will come and another and another.

If all goes well, some people will come to faith. Bible studies will form. Leaders will be selected and trained. In five years there will be a church.

Derrell has confidence that God can do this, but God has done it before. Derrell and the Bi-Fork Association are wrapping up five years of a similar work in Africa.

Five years ago, Derrell flew to Africa, met a missionary, drove a few hours to meet a people who had never heard of Christ. Today, there is a church there. Derrell wants to spend the rest of his life reaching unreached people groups like this. Except for the introduction, no missionary required.

Is this the coolest story you have ever heard? I could hardly keep from crying as I told my church the other day.

Want to know something even cooler? God may put on the heart of someone reading this the vision to want to do a similar ministry. If that is you, here is what I recommend. Contact Derrell and ask to go with him on the next trip. See what God does from there. Derrell's email is derrell@bifork.org

Pray for Derrell this week as he takes the first step to reach an unreached people group.