The 10/40 Window: Sending Missionaries & Help

Jesus’s last words to His disciples were, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”[1] Of the 7 billion (and growing) people on the Earth, an estimated 5.32 billion live in what is called the 10/40 Window.[2] That is the majority of the world’s population living between the boundary lines of 10 and 40 degrees north latitude, which is what gives this “window” its name.

The 10/40 window nations include some of the most populous and diverse, with thousands of distinct people groups, languages and religions. The phrase ‘10/40 window’ was coined by missionary and researcher Luis Bush in 1990. His research on world populations and religions led him to draw two lines on a map of the world―one at 10 degrees north latitude and the other at 40 degrees north latitude.[3] This area holds the highest concentration of humanity on the globe. Close in the ends of those two lines, and you get a rectangle, not unlike a window.

The 10/40 Window is where some of the world’s worst poverty and societal issues exist. Deep cycles of generational poverty, low economic opportunity and lack of education are experienced by many of these people groups. In the 10/40 window, facts and statistics include:
  • More than 80 percent of the poorest of the poor live in this region.[4]
  • 16,000 different people groups have been identified.[5]
  • 5 out of every 6 unreached people groups are in the 10/40 Window.[6]
  • The largest percentage of those who have yet to hear the Gospel in this region are in South Asian countries[7]
GFA World believes in serving the “least of these” in this world, those who live in the deepest poverty with little to no chance of having a life defined by anything other than need. This commitment has led GFA to focus daily on this window.

GFA missionaries are born and raised in the countries where they serve. They understand the language, culture, etiquette and challenges faced by those they long to love and care for in some of the world’s worst conditions. GFA workers are humbly serving people every day in difficult situations with tenderness and care. They want to see those they serve experience changed lives, both inside and out.

Click here, to read more about this article.

Click here, to read more blogs in Gospel for Asia.Com

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Attitude Towards Suffering

Image
In 2 Timothy 2:3, the Apostle Paul writes to Timothy, “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Everyone, at some point or another, faces suffering, the soldier especially. However, it is not so much what we suffer, but how we suffer that matters. The way our heart responds to suffering is crucial, because by it we will either advance or become stagnant. To suffer like a good soldier is to willingly endure all for the sake of the call. To suffer like a bad soldier is to grumble when difficult situations and hardship arise. Instead of throwing our lives into what God has called us to, we can try to hold on to our lives, wanting to get away with as little suffering as possible, paying as little price as possible. We have forgotten that we are under the orders of our Master and that we willingly gave up our lives. Christ’s Example of Suffering Christ lived with the expectation of suffering. Throughout the Gospels, He repeatedly referred to ...
Read more

What Is the Poverty Cycle?

Image
The question, “What is the poverty cycle, or cycle of poverty?” is one that must be answered to address and end poverty across the globe. Put simply, the term refers to the trend where the vicious effects of poverty and deprivation pass from one generation to the next, with no seeming way out. [1] Someone born into poverty has fewer opportunities than their wealthier peers. They must focus on survival above all, leaving little room for anything else. One illness can wipe out a family’s savings, but the unclean water sources and lack of protection available to them invite sickness. Walking to retrieve water can be time-consuming yet must be a daily priority, and many children must work alongside their parents for the family to afford food. Thus, school is often a far-off dream. Having had few opportunities to acquire skills, the kids grow up to repeat the cycle of poverty with their own children. This story was all too familiar for Nalah. His father worked in the tea fields, trying to e...
Read more

Where Can I Learn How to Break the Cycle of Poverty?

Image
There are many methods for how to break the cycle of poverty which one can learn about. From education assistance to income-generating gifts like sewing machines or farm animals, there is hope for families who have been poor for generations. GFA World works in communities in all these ways through sponsorships and gift distributions, and one by one, we see lives changed as families escape poverty. Raina’s life had been dominated by poverty. She was part of a highly underprivileged people group that faced discrimination and deprivation from others in the region. Despite that, Raina had been able to attend school up until tenth grade, but she discontinued her education when it became too much for her parents to afford. Rather than receiving her certificates of completion, she had to join her parents in the field to earn money to put food on the table. After she married Ander, Raina continued to work in the fields to supplement his income with her own. In search of better job opportunitie...
Read more