While our U.S. team was in India, we visited underground communities of believers from the state of Bihar, India. Bihar, considered “The graveyard of missions”, has the largest concentration of unreached people groups in the world. 

We had the privilege of meeting a woman from one of these people groups, a world changer named Rinku. Rinku is from the Bhuiya People, a nation consisting of 1,768,000 individuals who are viewed as “untouchables” and “rat eaters”, looked down upon by most of Indian society and considered to be at the very bottom of the caste hierarchy. Hinduism has dominated their culture, leaving a mere sixteenth of a percent of all Bhuiya that serve Jesus. 

A short time ago, Rinku had a powerful experience and came to know Jesus through listening to the Treasure. In less than a year’s time, she has led thirty men and seventy women to Jesus! Not only this, but she has been discipling them, answering their questions and teaching them to walk in His ways. 

Rinku is an inspiring model of dedicating everything she is and everything she has to sharing the gospel. She has physical limitations caused by polio and lives a very humble lifestyle. The only way that she can walk is by picking up each foot with her hand and placing it in front of the other. 

When one of our leaders knelt in front of her and asked, “If I could pray for anything for you, what would it be?” Without hesitation, she asked for more Holy Spirit boldness to share the gospel with others! After praying with our team, Rinku said that she would like to donate a piece of property that she had just inherited to build a church for her community. Even though she is handicapped and lives in poverty, her greatest desire? Jesus. 

All this faithful Treasure distributor asked for was more Holy Spirit power to share the gospel with her people.

Rinku has a motorized tricycle! Following our team’s trip, we were inspired to further mobilize this dedicated leader’s outreach ministry. She is now able to travel longer distances to distribute Treasures and share the gospel message!

The Burmese Nation is the largest people group in Myanmar, over thirty-one million individuals. Buddhism overshadows the Burmese society so strongly that only one third of one percent of this people group are estimated to be following Jesus. Anyone who decides to follow Him is doing so at the risk of their very own life. 

Even amidst the crisis of the ongoing coup in Myanmar, our leaders are continuing to diligently follow up with those who received Treasures during the 2022 Christmas outreach. During the outreach, the gospel was clearly shared and Treasures were strategically gifted to those who expressed an interest in knowing more. For many, it was their very first time hearing about Jesus. 

After eagerly listening to their audio Bibles for over six months, some not missing a single day, these dear Burmese individuals had a strong desire to know more about Jesus, and had many questions! As a part of the follow up, our team shared with them for two days, explaining everything in detail from creation to salvation. 

Among these first time hearers is U Hla, who decided to only follow Jesus after listening to the Treasure and meeting with the same culture missionaries who were following up with him so closely. Before becoming a believer, U Hla identified as a witch and had a strong influence in the community. When he made the decision to change the course of his life, his wife and son soon followed. 

Our leader shared, “We baptized the whole family. He shared his testimony of receiving Jesus by listening to the Treasure with tears of joy. In accordance with his proposal, we removed all materials of witchery and various idols of his former religions from his home. Now, he puts his Treasure in that same place! They continue to listen to it by inviting some of their neighbors to join.”

"The Lord is doing great things among our people by the Treasures, beyond our imagination, even though we confront the worst situation ever in our nation."

- Director of Ministry Southeast Asia

The Afar Nation, spanning across NE Ethiopia, is made up of 2,155,000 men, women, and children - over ninety-nine percent adhering strictly to the Islamic religion. Although a very beautiful people, they are known to be exceptionally resistant to the gospel. Mission initiatives through the decades have proven to be difficult, but God is stirring young hearts and preparing laborers for the harvest field. We believe that now is the time! 

While in the capital of the Afar region, our CEO shared of some exciting happenings just off campus at a popular university. Students from all over Ethiopia travel to study here, some of them followers of Jesus. These Christian students have been forbidden by the leadership to have any sort of a spiritual presence on the property: no gathering together, no prayer, no reading of Scripture. Instead, they were pointed to a desolate area hundreds of feet away covered with rocks. If they wanted to continue these practices, this was the designated space. 

The students have since strategically re-arranged the heavy rocks for seating and even created a pulpit of sorts. Each rock that you see represents one or more students who spend hours in this place. With no shade from the hot, 115 degree sun, these young people have been faithfully gathering at 2pm each day to pray and seek the face of God! They are praying for their precious country, and especially, for the lost Afar around them. This special place has been dubbed “Rock Chapel”. 

In this region, the very heart of the Afar territory, there is not a single evangelical church to be found. In its place are countless mosques stretching across the desert. This is about to change. 

We just heard word that several of these believing students have decided to fully dedicate their lives to reaching the Afar Nation. They came to this university as students, but they will be leaving as missionaries to those they have been fervently interceding for! These young people are eager to be raised up and will be trained in the ministry.

"Untold millions are still untold... We shall cooperate. We shall merge our strengths. We shall collaborate and work as one man to achieve heavenly vision."

- Indigenous Leader in Ethiopia

“God is doing mighty things through the Treasure Bibles. Churches have been started through the Treasure Bibles. God has blessed our partnership in the Gospel that many communities are beginning to hear the Gospel for the very first time.”

—Philippines Indigenous Leader

Audio Bibles and micro SD cards are powerful tools for crisis intervention. Through relationships with our indigenous network on the field, we are able to custom load micro SD cards with whatever content would be especially helpful for ministry. While the Bible and biblical stories are always key, at times we’ve been able to include valuable messaging on healing, sanitation, and even Christian music depending on what’s available in the local language.

Our team in the Philippines recently ministered among a community with high suicide rates. They distributed specially loaded micro SD cards along with audio Bibles. The team said that God’s presence was felt strongly in that place when they shared the Word of God with the people.

The people in the village were breaking down, weeping with conviction and a new found hope. They want the team to come back and share more. Because the audio Bible is making such an impact, our leaders have been reaching out and asking for us to send more.

This is a request we’re constantly receiving from the field. We can’t thank you enough for supporting our ministry and reaching the ends of the Earth with the gospel message. Please be praying for these communities as the love of Christ is breaking down walls and hearts are softened to the Good News.

Your support is making an impact in spreading the good news to ALL Nations!

Dear friend, 

There is a question that every follower of Jesus should be keenly aware of and prepared to answer. That question may seem simple but its answer affects all of us who call upon His mighty name as our Lord and Savior. It provides alignment for our life, purpose for our existence and vision for us to pour our one life into! 

Why did Jesus come to the Earth? 

The beautiful thing is that Jesus himself answers this question in the gospel of Luke. 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me; he has appointed me to preach Good News to the poor; he has sent me to heal the brokenhearted and to announce that captives shall be released and the blind shall see, that the downtrodden shall be freed from their oppressors, and that God is ready to give blessings to all who come to him. - Luke 4:18-19 

Your opportunity, my friend, is to carry out this assignment to a broken world. The Holy Spirit living in you has the power to break down strongholds and to set the captives free. You’ll notice that Jesus did not just care for the spiritual need but also the physical one. Acts of compassion open hearts to the gospel! Jesus fed the multitudes and then He preached the Good News. Showing compassion for physical needs is part of Christ’s character and vital for carrying out the Great Commission. 

At Unknown Nations, we have embraced 3 specific expressions of acts of compassion as a means to open hearts to the gospel. In fact, we never carry out one of these projects in the absence of a gospel witness! Our acts of compassion are clean water projects, emergency relief and medical outreaches. 

This summer we drilled a water well in a remote village in Cambodia. This is one of the least developed countries in all of Southeast Asia. The rural villagers live a difficult life and lack basic infrastructure like clean water. As this people group, the Khmer, suffer physically, they are tragically lacking a gospel witness as only 2% know Christ. 

These primarily Buddhist people appreciate being loved and care for so much that they welcomed our indigenous leader to the dedication. He shared the gospel message and of the 21 people who attended, 13 responded and received Jesus!

To ensure long term discipleship, they were also given solar powered audio Bibles in the Khmer language. Making converts is not enough. Neither is making people more comfortable on their way to eternity. We are called to make disciples and carry out Jesus’ assignment for coming to this Earth! 

We share clean water because that is why Jesus came. We share the salvation story because that is why He died. When we bring the two together, we can obediently walk in His instruction and watch hearts that were previously closed, become open to receive His Good News!

Making Jesus known,

Greg Kelley, CEO

The Hausa people live across 16 African countries, primarily in Central and Western Africa. The majority live in Nigeria and Niger. More than 99% of Hausa are devout Muslims who believe in Allah and in Muhammad as his prophet. 

Life for the Hausa remains very difficult and the regions where they live are prone to drought. Poverty is the cause of poor nutrition, illness, inadequate health care, and lack of educational opportunities. Following Islamic custom, each family lives in a village compound and men are allowed to have multiple wives. Each wife has her own hut where she and her young children sleep. All of the people share similar beliefs and customs. It is very difficult for Hausa to receive the gospel, as it leads to family persecution and rejection. 

"When we started to work among the Hausa we were badly rejected and warned to either leave the town or prepare to die. We persevered and kept our faith. One day, the chief listened to the Treasure and invited our missionary to explain more. That was the beginning of our success story among the Hausa people. They need to hear the gospel and need our love to show them who Jesus is."

- Unknown Nations Indigenous Leader in Nigeria

Please pray for new believers in the face of family pressure and persecution. (Dt. 31:6)

If our team had to choose a Bible verse to describe our 2023 fiscal year (July 1, 2022 - June 30, 2023), we would undoubtedly choose Psalm 126:3.

"Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!
What joy!"

The Lord put a calling on our hearts many years ago to be a witness among oral learners in unreached people groups. We believe that this "ends of the Earth" (Acts 1:8) calling was the last thing on Jesus’ mind before he ascended into heaven. His last words are our highest priority!

Is there any better way for us to be a witness than to share the Word of God? Being a witness is testifying to what Jesus has done. Praise God that the Bible is filled with inspiration, revelation and truth regarding the testimony of Jesus Christ.

Let me share what we have done together. Together, we have sent thousands of our solar powered audio Bibles into the hardest, darkest, most spiritually antagonistic, and destitute places on earth.

In 2010 we sent 5,600 audio Bibles, bringing the Gospel to those without access.

In 2014 we sent 13,600.

In 2019… 33,400 audio Bibles.

And this past year, we sent more than 80,000! Praise the Lord! He truly has done amazing things.

As we prioritize these spiritually dark places, there will be continual opposition and rejection to the truth. That is why our strategic humanitarian projects are so instrumental. Consider the country of Afghanistan that is .02% Christian and controlled by the brutal Taliban who hunt down anyone with a Bible.

Recent flash floods in Afghanistan have cost the lives of dozens of people, destroyed hundreds of homes, and displaced thousands. These Muslim communities are being decimated and are in urgent need of assistance. Our underground church leaders on the ground are prepared to serve these dear ones and bring physical hope as they also deliver the Bread of Life in the form of audio Bibles in the Dari and Pashto languages.

Thank you again for making last year historic in so many ways.

As we celebrate, let’s continue to keep our eyes on opportunities to be his witness to the ends of the earth!

Every 3 seconds someone is newly displaced because of war, violence or persecution. Sometimes, this displacement crosses a country line, triggering refugee status. Many times it does not, and they often remain inside their country as internally displaced people (IDP). In either case, many of these precious people, often women and children, have lost everything. They are in the most vulnerable state imaginable, thankful to flee a horrific situation with their lives. Many of the regions where these displacements occur are also without a gospel witness. They are unreached!

We believe that these humanitarian crises around the world provide a unique and unprecedented opportunity. According to the UN Refugee Agency there are more refugees and displaced people today than anytime in history. What an opportunity for the Body of Christ to mobilize for the Gospel! It will require us to go behind the chaos of barbed wire fences and prison-like conditions into a place with no organization, no political structure, and no defined village or other geographic boundary.

I was in northern Nigeria recently among the areas that Boko Haram has unleashed horrific terror on millions of people. There are literally hundreds of IDP camps. The eyes of these precious people told you everything. Most had lost an immediate family member, which made the majority of these dear ones widows and orphans.

The despair was almost palpable as we moved from family to family trying to encourage them and share the Good News. One of the buildings had fresh patches of concrete which I was told were repairs from a week prior when thugs from Boko Haram caused further terror within the camp and a suicide bomber blew himself up, killing several people and damaging the building. It is unimaginable evil. No amount of aid and financial support will heal the wounds of these people, only the incomprehensible love of Jesus!

How will we respond?

Today, a new opportunity presents itself. Another civil war in Africa – this time in Sudan – is causing unspeakable carnage and suffering. Sudan has been the most recent target of the devil. We believe the assault upon these lives is intended for complete destruction and annihilation. That is the playbook of our adversary, his agenda for the ages. 

Refugees from Sudan are fleeing across the border into Chad by the tens of thousands. Our indigenous missionaries on the ground are mobilizing to help. It is simply overwhelming. Children who have not eaten for days are clinging to their mother’s back while others are being dragged as they trek for safety. Most have nothing except the clothing on their backs. They desperately need food, as many have already succumbed to starvation. To complicate matters further, there are seasonal rains in the area so temporary shelters are vital in our response.

As our leaders share life saving supplies, they will also share solar powered audio Bibles in the Arabic language to give urgently needed food for their soul!

What a privilege to be able to stand with them in their time of need and point them to the only answer and source of eternal peace: Jesus!!

Your support is reaching the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh! Our team recently shared the story of S who explained how the Treasure changed her life.

S has been living in the refugee camps for the last 5 years. It was difficult to leave her home in Myanmar. She said, “We were very happy and well in my country but at the end of 2017 the Burmese government and their monks started torturing the Muslims in our village. They were killing innocent people in the village, setting fires, and looting our belongings. They were burning village after village. People started leaving the country and we followed. On the way to Bangladesh we had a hard time without food and drinking water. I saw many people die on the way but me and my family made it to Bangladesh after a 5 day journey through the jungle, swamp and finally we crossed the Naf river to Bangladesh. Now I am a refugee living in another country to which we don’t belong.”

S shared that they were living a hopeless life in the refugee camp until someone handed her a device called the Treasure. She said, “As soon as I listened to the Treasure, I found peace in my mind and I called my neighbors and soon we formed a friendship listening group. Since then I myself and many others decided to follow Jesus in secret but many came to know that we are not following our traditional religion. Now we have two groups of people listening to the gospel and teaching each other.”

Thank you for helping us bring the hope of the Gospel! This is such a beautiful story of how a single Treasure has brought many to know Christ. S asked that we pray for their safety and protection inside the camp. Please join us in lifting up these secret believers!

Your support is making an impact in spreading the good news to ALL Nations!

Matthew 28:18 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

God is in the refining business! Because of his love for us, he will reveal himself through adversity and trials. The most famous scripture that speaks of this process is found in Hebrews 12. If you've ever wondered what God’s perspective is on refining us through difficulties, consider verse 11. 

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."

Hebrews 12:11

Often that process takes time, but ultimately it represents God turning up the heat because he loves us! Other times, that heat manifests itself immediately through his supernatural power. All because of his love!

I witnessed this supernatural power first hand while I was visiting a brick kiln in Pakistan. I looked into the eyes of 100 slaves who were being abused, beaten, chained, and sexually assaulted, all because of one owner and his corrupted perspective of power. He treated these precious people worse than animals and shockingly walked through life with a clear conscience. He had never met God and had never heard the gospel message. When our team arrived at his kiln, the God who described the refining fire in Hebrews 12:11 made his presence known! 

As we shared the gospel, this brutal owner felt his entire body “catch on fire”. When we spoke with him after, he was panicked and confused as he described a physical heat that had come over his body. He ran away from us and sought counsel from local witch doctors, convinced we had placed some kind of curse on him! As you can imagine, the witch doctors provided no relief and he remained in this condition - feeling the refining fire of a loving God. 

He called and asked us to return several days later. We sat in his office and explained the fire he was feeling was not caused by our team, but by a loving God who had let him feel this fire to gain his attention. He listened intently while counting the cost. For this influential Muslim leader to receive Christ, it would mean a life of sacrifice and persecution, including separation from friends and family. The cost was great, too great for him to decide immediately. So, our team followed up with him for several weeks and the Holy Spirit softened his hard heart.

The man on fire, who recently had a cancer diagnosis, was healed and the fire relented………when he said YES to Jesus!

Now this owner is a new creation in Christ. He is on a path of discipleship, listening to the Treasure and meeting with Christian leaders. He now knows Jesus because our team was sent to a place where His name was still unknown. He knows Jesus because people were brave enough to go into a hostile environment and risk physical threats and acts of retaliation. He knows Jesus because of God’s infinite love!

In March, I returned from a visit working with our teams on the ground in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Friend, there is no way to quantify the carnage happening to the church in Afghanistan right now. Virtually every Afghan refugee has a story of an immediate family member being killed by the Taliban. Tales of utter brutality were the norm - not the exception - all for following Jesus! Imagine being grateful that your husband was killed by a bullet and not a “slow death”, as the Taliban is known to do, watching your daughter stoned to death for her faith, or being restrained while your wife and daughters are beheaded because they had identification on them showing they were a Christian when their bus was stopped by the Taliban. 

One day, a woman and her adult son walked more than 20 kilometers to see our team. They had heard we might be near them and wanted to meet. They, like so many others, had lost family members because of their faith. Yet they asked for more Treasures, in Dari, so they could share the Word of God with others in their community and their country. They begged me: 

“Please, our country is lost without Jesus. We don’t know Jesus. Please send us more Treasures so we can share with others about Jesus. Even if we die doing so, it will be worth it because we are all lost without him. They don’t know!” 

In that brief moment I asked myself, would I have that same response? I knew we could not turn our backs on them. See friends, in Afghanistan, there is no such thing as a lukewarm Christian. They are on fire for the Gospel of Jesus, and they have to be because the cost can literally be their lives. In Afghanistan, a country of 40 million people, only 0.02% are Christians. 

69 of 71 different people groups have never had access to Jesus. No Bible. No Missionary. No Pastor. Jesus is not known there. Jesus says in Matthew 16:24-25, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me… and whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it.” That is a real life and death situation in Afghanistan. We must stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ to make Jesus known there. 

At that moment, when that woman and adult son turned to me, imploring me to send more Treasures so that their countrymen could be saved, they pressed something into my hand. It was the equivalent of $10 of American money that had been collected over the course of a month from the underground church in Afghanistan. That was literally and figuratively the widow’s mite. 

In Afghanistan, the cost to follow Jesus can literally be your life. The next day, through our team, we learned the woman had been captured for sharing her faith. This precious woman was now in the hands of someone who had the ability to rape her, punish her, stone her, kill her. Yet, the story doesn’t end there. Using her words and her Treasure, the woman talked to her captor about Jesus. For more than six hours, as he imprisoned her, she testified about her God. 

After six hours, her captor came to know Jesus and released her. Praise Jesus! To God be the Glory! 

In the Harvest, 

Greg Kelley, CEO

Greetings from Ethiopia! Just last month we received an update from our Indigenous Leader following a Treasure distribution near the border of Kenya. This outreach happened among an Ethiopian people group that predominantly resides in the southern desert regions of the country. As semi-nomadic pastoralists, they often struggle with the adverse effects of drought, famine, and inter-tribal conflicts.

Despite the challenges they face, these people cherish a strong sense of belonging within their community. This includes religion, as the vast majority of these people identify as Muslims. They also hold tightly to their traditional beliefs which include witchcraft and the worship of creation.

Our leader excitedly shared, “175 people gave their lives to Christ from Muslim areas and are ready to be baptized. We provided all community members and their family leaders with audio Bibles through our missionaries in this region. The heart touching recordings on the Treasure are full of life changing messages!

I hope today or tomorrow we will receive the recent audio Bibles you sent. Give glory to Jesus. May God bless you for sending all these Treasures to Ethiopia.”

Shortly after this update was shared, we received a second mission activity report with these beautiful water baptism photos. Because these new brothers and sisters are making a public declaration of their faith in this sensitive Islamic area, our leaders asked that we blur all faces for their protection.

Please join us in praying for these believers as they bring their new faith back into their communities. Pray for soft hearts and open doors as the gospel message continues to spread powerfully among the least reached of Ethiopia!

Your support is making an impact in spreading the good news to ALL Nations!

Matthew 28:18 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”

So many countries in Africa have suffered tragic moments over the last 125 years. Despite such difficulties, the gospel has grown exponentially in Africa during that same time. In 1900, there were only 9 million Christians in all of Africa. Fast forward 100 years, now more than 380 million believers fill this beautiful continent that is three times the size of the United States! Praise the Lord for the spiritual growth.

But as tragedy continues, there is still more work to be done.

Our hearts break over the physical carnage that seems to shred this land like one tsunami after another. The most recent example is Sudan. New fighting erupted in April that has plunged the country to the brink of a civil war. In less than one month, more than 500 people have already been killed as two separate military factions battle for control of this North African land.

Sudan’s primarily Arab community is no stranger to civil war. From 1983-2005, more than 1.5 million people lost their lives in another unnecessary bloodbath within this poor African country. We pray this current conflict does not gain further traction, but international funding pouring into both sides of the battle suggests a long, drawn out campaign.

These are the kind of unexpected global humanitarian crises that occur with way too much frequency. Natural disasters can happen anywhere. Yet over the last fifty years, the unfortunate reality of war is that it often occurs in locations that are already difficult to reach with the gospel.

In Sudan, less than 1% of the 46 million residents are followers of Jesus!  

Here’s the good news. Our partners in neighboring Chad and South Sudan are ready to respond now!

We received a beautiful video from our partner showing a group of women circling around a Treasure with their arms stretched out over the audio Bible in passionate prayer. Here’s what our Indigenous Leader shared:

These women are praying and giving thanks that they have an audio Bible. They remember the day when they would take the Holy Bible in their hands and cry to the Lord because they wanted to read God’s Words. But today they received a Treasure and thanked God by prayer and song.

Here at Unknown Nations, we are laser focused on reaching places where the gospel has never been. Our team is working on the front lines and they are taking new ground for the Kingdom. With over 25 years of experience, we’ve learned that most individuals living in our area of focus are oral learners. This means that they are either illiterate or come from a storytelling culture, preferring to learn in a non-literate way.

Just this month, we’ve received countless testimonies from our indigenous leaders. They are witnessing the power of hearing God’s Word in one’s heart language and the opportunities this brings for exponential growth.

One testimony came from an elderly woman who was praying to God for many days for an audio Bible because she didn’t know how to read. She asked God, “How should I hear your Word every day?” Finally, her prayers were answered when she received a Treasure through our network. She shared, “The Word of God in this audio Bible refreshes me and gives me spiritual strength...I am so happy now!” Your support is making an impact in spreading the good news to ALL Nations!

The Yadav are one of the largest civilizations in history! More than 99% of this group follow the Hindu caste system and are idol worshipers. While they are considered a socially backward caste group, they have high political sway as most people vote for their caste rather than good governance. Many Yadav are laborers and their work consists of milking cows and raising cattle. Because of their herdsmen background, they claim to be connected to the god Krishna. 

The Yadav embrace India’s commitment to Hindu elitism. As such, other minority religions such as Christianity are heavily persecuted within their ranks. Impacting the Yadav is a key to reaching all of India due to their strong presence.

"The Yadav are open towards the gospel and many are coming to Christ. They have the ability to become a transforming agent in their communities because of their authority and sheer population numbers. May God lead them to make the environment Gospel friendly. We need more training and more evangelists from this people group... My biggest desire for the Yadav people is to have more leaders."

- Unknown Nations Indigenous Leader in India

Please pray for Yadav Christians to rise up and share Christ with their neighbors. (Matt. 9:37-38; Isa. 52:7)