Fall 1999

Week five

Asia and the Big Picture, God’s Heart Devotions, Job opportunities

Before I left on my last international missions trip, I was asked, “Why don’t you stay here and do your mission work? There are plenty of needs here in Virginia.” Unfortunately this attitude is indicative of many people that I have encountered both inside and out of the church. Yes, there are needs here, but few people have a worldview that escapes the borders of the United States. North America, in its entirety, comprises only 5.2 percent of the world population. It has a disproportionate wealth of material things as well as opportunity to hear and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing has opened my eyes to this fact more than going on international missions ... seeing is believing.

Asia makes up about 58.4 percent of the world's population. It boasts more than 89 megacities and 2,000 languages. There are 1,691 unreached people groups (UPG) in Asia alone. The number lost is 3.295 billion. Total world population just topped 6 billion. That means that 54.9 percent of the world’s population is lost in Asia. (Hence, 94 percent of the Asian population is lost.) To put this into perspective, the entire North American population is 312 million while the population lost in Asia is 3.295 billion. Consequently, the population lost in Asia is 10 times greater than the total population of North America.

So why don’t you stay here?

This month we will visit China in East Asia. I will give you more information about the country, a UPG and how to pray during the next three weeks. Here are some opportunities to serve in Asia.

Classifieds: 

YouthLink 2000
Changing Hearts, 
Changing History 

Southern Baptist youth, to the tune of 50,000+, will gather to celebrate, worship and experience hands-on missions. The program boasts a rich, ethnic blend of Christian music including names like: Audio Adrenaline, Jaci Velasquez, Anointed, Rebecca St. James, Third Day and Zambian Acapella, as well as athletes, comedians, missionaries, other students and much more. In addition, the seven YouthLink cities (listed below), they will be linked with the Holy Land via satellite. Some of these sites include collegiate tracks.

Cities with collegiate tracks:

Philadelphia, Houston, St. Louis, Anaheim and Atlanta

Other YouthLink cities:

Tampa

Contact information:

Phone 1-888-968-8455 
Web site www.youthlink.org

Bible Study:

GOD’S HEART FOR THE NATIONS