Bibleless Nations
Hidden deep in the mountains of southwest China, the Bunu people are like a treasure waiting to be found. Many of the small Bunu villages are inaccessible by any type of vehicle. The Bunu went into hiding when they were forced to flee the Hunan valley due to violent persecution from the Han and Zhuang peoples.
The kinship system of the Bunu is matrilineal, meaning they trace their descent through their mother’s line, not their father’s. Bunu women are the leaders of their homes; when marital problems arise, the man may go back to his family and the woman may find another husband. If this occurs, the man has no rights to any property.
Bunu legends passed down for generations have a worldview based on a chaotic world before their god, Pan Hu, built the heavens and created the earth and hint at a worldwide flood.
Since the Bunu have little contact with the outside world, it is understandable that they are the largest people group in China without a single known church. A significant hindrance in reaching the Bunu is the language diversity. Currently, there are no Scriptures in any of the Bunu language groups, leaving over 450,000 people without the Word of God in their heart language! What will it take to reach these people? Someone must penetrate geographical, cultural, and language barriers with the powerful Word of God! Will it be you?
Summer 2019
The Malinké are moral people and are dedicated to their people, to obedience, and to honesty. They possess a driving sense of human dignity; selfishness and lack of hospitality are the two deadly sins that defile their dignity. Yet morality is nothing apart from Christ. There are no known believers and there are no Scriptures in Malinké. These are a friendly and open people, just waiting for someone to bring them the truth.
Malinké influence permeates the country’s economics, politics, and religion. If they had the truth, imagine how influential they could be in reaching others. Will you help get the Gospel to them?
Fall 2018
“Avilakoa!” a man cries out to you from beside the dirt path. His long white robe brushes the ground as he stands watching over his cattle. In the distance, you see a village of mud houses and hear the sound of women calling out to each other as they get water and prepare food. This is a village of Fur people and you have just been greeted with a “good morning!”
The Fur people live in the Darfur region of Sudan. They are also located in Egypt and Chad, but the word Darfur means “the homeland of the Fur.” There are 1,164,000 Fur people in Sudan and a total of 1.2 million globally. They are primarily Sunni Muslim. Many men cannot hope to be married unless they have memorized several pages of the Quran, and they are promoted to authority depending on how well they know the Quran.
In recent times, these people have been embroiled in bitter conflicts. Because of drought and desertification, war over resources has arisen between the Arab and indigenous people. In 2003, the Fur people banded together with two other indigenous groups to demand reparation for the oppression they suffered. In response, the government sent a guerilla force to attack the civilian population of these tribes. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed and over a million refugees have fled their homeland and sought refuge in Chad and other areas.
Pray for peace in the Fur’s homeland. Also pray they would know the peace that comes from knowing Christ as their Savior.
Summer 2018
Tucked away, high in the northeastern mountains of Pakistan, live the Hunza people. They are also known as the Burusha. These people lived for hundreds of years in complete isolation until a highway was built that brings many tourists to see the beauty of the Himalayan mountains contrasted with the lush, terraced gardens of the Hunza farmers. The Hunza people are renown not only for their beautiful valley but also for their long life span. The average lifespan in Pakistan is sixty-seven years, but in Hunza it is not uncommon to live well over one hundred years! Some people speculate that this amazing life span is influenced by their healthy and active lifestyle as well as the annual two-to-four month juice fast. During these months, they eat nothing and drink only the juice from dried apricots.
The people of Hunza claim to be descendants of three soldiers in Alexander the Great’s army who were left behind because of sickness. They say that each of these soldiers founded a village and all Hunza people are descendants of one of these three villages. Most Hunzas follow Islam and know nothing of God or the Bible. What use is long life if they do not know of eternal life? Many tourists go to see the beauty of the Hunza valley, but who will take them God’s Word? They smile, but they do not know true joy. They live without hope, knowing nothing of God’s love. Who will go? Someone must reach them before it is too late.
Spring 2018
The Larestani people group of Southwestern Iran has a population of 115,000 Sunni Muslims. The Larestani are surrounded by Shi’ite Muslims, so religious tensions are often very high. The Larestani are farmers and shepherds; but as they are completely dependent on the little rainfall the region receives, are very poor. As a direct result of the difficulty in farming and shepherding, many Larestani have left their homeland and moved to other countries around the world for work.
The Larestani speak Lari, which is closely related to Farsi. However, the languages are different enough that any materials written in Farsi do not adequately relay the gospel message to the hearts of the Larestani. A heart language is an essential part of culture and the language best understood.
There are no scriptural resources in Lari. There are no missionaries working with the Larestani. There is no Christian witness of any kind. Iran is utterly intolerant of and hostile towards all forms of Christian influence, and the Larestani are in complete spiritual darkness. Many believe that the Larestani are of Jewish decent, but the light from the truth of the one true religion has been stamped out by Islam. They are in desperate need of the gospel message.
Please pray that the Lord will send someone to the Larestani with the light of the gospel and break the satanic stronghold.
Winter 2017-18
The Lembak, or Cul (population 231,000), live primarily on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They are farmers whose main crop is rice, though some do farm and sell coffee and rubber. Families are close-knit; two family members accompany anyone leaving Sumatra to receive further training or work experience. When they finish their training, all three family members return.
They call themselves “Sindang Kelingi” or “Lembak Sindang Merdeka” which means “free.” This is ironic as the Lembak people are largely Muslim, a religion very different from their traditional animistic ethnic religion. They are still in bondage to sin and are plagued with demonic activity. The Lembak people call on shamans to heal sickness and cast out demons. Sadly, these people have embraced a false religion that offers no real freedom from spiritual darkness.
These hard-working people need the freedom that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. However, there is no Bible translation of any kind. There are no missionaries to teach what the Bible says about the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the only One who can truly deliver them from their sin and end the demonic possession and oppression that plagues them. Please pray for the Lord of Harvest to send missionaries to the Lembak people and to break the bonds of Islam and animism, allowing them to hear the gospel. Ask God to prepare the Lembaks’ hearts to receive the truth.
Fall 2017
The Moor (world-wide population 4,235,100) are originally from North Africa. They are proud of their Arabic ancestry and retain its Islamic influence which varies between the terrorist Quidari and the more peaceful Jajani. Their language is Hassaniya Arabic. They have no Scripture or known missionaries.
In 711 AD, the Moor invaded and conquered Spain. They contributed so much knowledge during their several hundred year reign that Europe made great strides in education and the sciences. The Moor were driven from Spain during the Inquisition and scattered throughout North Africa and Europe. Today, they have no land of their own but live in eleven different countries.
There are four class divisions within a Moor community: upper class black, upper class white, lower class black, and lower class white. These classes have nothing to do with color or race. The lower classes are simply poor and under slavery to the upper classes. However, if a lower class marries into an upper class, the lower class is raised to the higher status.
Traditionally, Moors are nomadic and live in rectangular tents made of woven wool. Depending on where they live, Moors are also farmers, tradesmen, or traders.
Please pray for someone to preach Christ to the Moor. Pray that they will be receptive. Also pray that those receiving Christ will have the boldness to share Him with others.
Winter 2016-17
An estimated four to five million Luri people live in the Zagros Mountains in the southwestern provinces of Iran. Making up about 7% of Iran’s population, these ancient nomads are believed to be indigenous to the area, descended from ancient Persians. History reports that Luri ancestors were the Elamites and Kassites, dating back to 3000 B.C. It was the Kassite dynasty that defeated ancient Babylonia and dominated Mesopotamia for 576 years. Could this be the fall of the Babylonian empire under Nebuchadnezzar?
The Luri are divided into Northern and Southern provinces with southern tribes speaking “Laki,” a form of Kurdish, and northern tribes speaking “Luri,” the closest living language to Old Persian. Neither language has the Bible. Men are often bilingual; while the women, restricted to their tribal lands, often speak only their tribal language. The literacy rate is very low with only 48% of the Luri reading and writing.
The Luri profess Shia Muslim, but practice very individualistic and diverse forms of Islam, including the mystic Iranian religion of Yaresan. It teaches that man, aware of the outer world but ruled by the inner world, goes through as many as 1,001 reincarnations while his soul seeks perfection. A famous Yarsani saying is “Men! Do not fear the punishment of death! The death of man is like the dive which the duck makes.” They need to know that an unsaved man or woman dives into hell. And they need to know the One who can take them to heaven.
Fall 2016
The Amazon Basin contains the largest tropical rainforest in the world, covering an area almost the size of the continental United States. Most of the basin lies within Brazil, but it also encompasses parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela. It is home to an estimated twenty-six million people, including isolated and even uncontacted tribes. Some have denied the existence of as yet uncontacted tribes, but it has been documented by eye witness reports and by aerial video footage.
These uncontacted tribes are resistant and hostile to anyone approaching them. They and their land are currently threatened by mining companies, oil companies, and armed illegal loggers. Any contact with outsiders poses a threat of introducing a disease that can easily wipe out half the tribe; even the common cold is a real danger. For these reasons, the Brazilian government protects indigenous people and their land from intrusion.
How can these people for whom Christ died be reached with God’s message? And if a way to get to them is found, how can the spread of disease be prevented? Will we give it up as impossible? Or will we ask the God with whom all things are possible to make a way?
Summer 2016
The 4,127,124 Banjar, Indonesia’s tenth largest ethnic group, makes up 1.7% of the nation’s total population. They live mainly in Southern Kalimantan. There are also over a million Banjar in Malaysia.
The Banjarese language reflects the influence of the Dayaks, the Javanese, and the Malay peoples from whom the Banjar descended. This is a very active language; many of its speakers lack fluency in Indonesian. The script is Arabic.
This people has been dominated by Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic kingdoms in turn. They have retained Islam which dominates their lives; 99.9% are Muslim. However, some Buddhist and Hindu beliefs and customs still exist.
Though friendly, the Banjar withdraw from others, preferring isolation to anything modern. They live in stilt houses along the rivers and coast. The rice grown in the tidal swamp is a staple. The fish, fruit, and vegetables sold by women from their small boats are also important to their diet. Rubber and pepper are export crops.
There are no Banjar scriptures, and no known missionary activity among them. Pray for God to raise up laborers.
Spring 2016
The official languages of the Republic of Cameroon are French and English. There are also 286 indigenous languages, one of which is Eton with an estimated 127,000 speakers. The Eton people live in the tropical rain forest of the Centre Region. They are subsistence farmers, using the slash and burn method to plant root crops (such as cassava, yam, and macabo), plantain, and groundnuts. Fishing and hunting supplement their diet. Cacao is a cash crop.
Although 74% of the Eton population is considered Christian, only 4% of that number is evangelical. The other 26% practice ethnic religions which are strongly tied to their cultural traditions. There are some local Cameroon tribes who claim a Jewish background. Serge Etele, the Eton man pictured on the right, recalls from his childhood that circumcision was practiced and that they did not eat the animals which are forbidden in the Bible.
Children are growing up speaking Eton, but no scripture has been translated for them. Will you ask God to raise up laborers for that endeavor? A grammar of Eton, published by linguist Mark L. O. Van de Velde in 2008, would be of enormous value to anyone willing to undertake this critical task.
Winter 2015-16
Every country in the world has a Deaf population, and they are largely unreached. Many of them have their own culture and a sign language distinct for that country. Some deaf people live in isolation and loneliness, while others move to cities and form deaf communities.
There are actually two Englands— two English languages and two English cultures that co-exist side by side—the hearing and the Deaf. Similarly, there are two Germanies, two Frances, two Spains, two Chinas, two Indias, and two Russias. We are somewhat mindful to go and reach the first language and culture. But do we ever think about reaching the other, the Deaf? The fact is that they NEVER even cross our minds.
Missionaries to the Deaf must be sent to reach this hidden world that most of us have forgotten. Otherwise, we can only claim to reach the nationals of a country. It is impossible for the Deaf to come to us, to become bilingual and bicultural. It is we who are commanded to go to them.
Summer 2015