‘My New Life Has Begun’: Unreached Asians Find Faith in Christ

Closed borders lead to unexpected open doors for ABWE missionaries to reach people from the hardest, most restricted places on earth.

The world is closing in. Borders are shutting. Governments are tightening their grip.

Across the globe, closed borders, persecution, and growing religious oppression are making it harder than ever for missionaries to gain access to those who need the gospel most.

But God is not hindered by man’s resistance.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “A wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Corinthians 16:9). To Paul, adversity wasn’t a sign to retreat—it was a sign that God was at work.

ABWE missionaries David and Susan discovered the same truth when they were forced to leave East Asia after 11 years of faithful ministry. Their hearts were broken. Their life’s work appeared lost. But in God’s providence, their story wasn’t ending—it was just beginning.

They relocated to Thailand, a democratic country with open spiritual curiosity—and a large East Asian population hungry for hope. So, they launched a “Reading the Bible in English” class to reach their neighbors.

The first week, no one came.

Disappointed but not defeated, they sat down and prayed: “God, please bring people to our door.”

The second week, a single neighbor arrived. The third week brought a woman named Dawn. She had grown up under the atheism of her homeland and had never read the Bible. But something stirred in her heart. She returned—then brought a friend. Then another.

Soon, Dawn placed her faith in Christ and began attending church with David and Susan. The neighbor she invited followed her example and believed as well.

At her baptism, Dawn emerged from the water rejoicing. Then she tossed her wet clothes in the trash.

“My old life is gone,” she said. “My new life has begun.”

Today, Dawn is being discipled to carry the gospel back to the very region where missionaries like David and Susan can no longer go.

Carrying the Gospel Where Others Cannot Go

That’s the power of the gospel—and the purpose of the Global Gospel Fund.

Every dollar given helps send and sustain missionaries like David and Susan, who make disciples even when borders close. And it equips believers like Dawn to bring Christ into the hardest, most restricted places on earth.

This summer, we’re asking God to raise up new workers for this global harvest. And those workers need to be trained, equipped, and sent.

Would you take the next step and help us meet a $40,000 goal this summer—not just to support missionaries, but to send new workers into the unreached places still waiting to hear? 

Together, we can help bring the gospel where others cannot go—because while the world closes doors, God keeps opening them.