“Help our people group. Help them to be safe. And help them to know you.” This is a typical breakfast prayer for 8-year-old William. He listens to the Unreached of the Day podcast or learns about the people group on the mobile app. After leading his family in prayer for them, he taps the “I am Praying” button and announces the count of people who have declared that they, too, are praying.

 

William is joining tens of thousands who use Unreached of the Day to intercede for the most gospel deprived peoples of the world. Each day, one group is featured through e-mails, mobile apps, podcasts and web widgets. Downloadable PDFs are available for printing bulletin inserts, booklets and prayer cards. Want to know which groups we are praying for currently? The last few pages of this magazine are dedicated to the Unreached of the Day each issue. The team of writers who formerly made Global Prayer Digest happen each month now writes the text for Unreached of the Day.

 

Some intercessors are lifting up the day’s group in prayer using languages other than English. Unreached of the Day is available in Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese. Volunteer translators in several teams are making the content available in their heart language.

 

The Unreached of the Day several year ago was the Dahalo, a small group near the coast of Kenya. The number of people praying that day actually exceeded the total Dahalo population! Less than a year later, a pastor from Nairobi was walking in Dahalo villages, sharing the Good News and seeing several come to faith in Christ. Months earlier, someone had shown him the Unreached of the Day app. He decided his church would be the answer to many prayers for the Dahalo. He traveled by plane, then by bus, then by boat and finally by motorcycle to encounter the group. At one point of the journey he had to dress as a policeman to avoid problems with a local extremist group. The effort was worth it. Today, the Dahalo have a body of believers and are reading Bibles in Swahili brought to them by the congregation in Nairobi.

One couple prints out the photos of the people groups each month to hang in their living room so they won’t forget to pray. A 15-year-old began using the app and her Christmas wish was that her parents would give a donation to help make it available for others. A believer from India and his American wife pray for the groups. Imagine their surprise one day when the featured group was the specific Brahmin community he is from! Several churches decorate a Christmas tree with people group “ornaments,” which they send home with members of the congregation. A church in Oregon highlights one group a month in their children’s ministry. A handout is sent home to more than 100 families so they can continue praying with the kids. A couple leaving to work among an Unreached People Group in China was excited to know that their group was featured for prayer. They were glad for the spiritual covering.

For William, tapping the button on the app was initially a fun exercise that rewarded him with a number count he had helped boost. Now he prays without needing that prompt. It has become an automatic part of his mealtime. If we get kids like William, as well as adults, in the habit of making prayer for the unreached a daily occurrence, we have cause to celebrate. What if a generation of kingdom kids grew up with the practice of thinking beyond themselves and their family? What if a family tradition became a powerful vision and determination to make a difference for peoples cut off from the gospel?

Are you ready to join William and this band of intercessors? Ready to blend your pleas for transformational change by the gospel where it hasn’t taken root yet? You can jump in right now by visiting http://www.unreachedoftheday.org or by downloading the app in the app stores. Simply search for “Joshua Project” or “unreached.”

What about diving in deeper? Here is a list of ways you can maximize your interaction with Unreached of the Day resources and get them into the hands of many more intercessors:

1. Help us reach record counts. Knowing that others are standing with you is a great encouragement, so tap the button every time you pray.
2. Tell your friends! Help others set up the app on their devices or sign up for the e-mails. And make sure you tell them to invite their friends.
3. Do you teach Sunday school, lead a small group or preach in church? Spread the word of the resource among the family of God.
4.  Add Unreached of the Day to your family prayer time. You can begin cultivating Christ’s love for the nations in young lives.
5.  Promote the resources on social media. Share with your wider network of online friends.
6.  Follow Joshua Project on social media. We're on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Additionally, we have a Facebook group where you can join in a conversation about the unreached.
7. Volunteer as profile writer, editor or proofreader.
8. Volunteer as a translator. Join an existing language team or assemble a translation team for a new language offering.
9. Promote the use of Unreached of the Day. We especially need promotion of the translated resources.
10.  Make suggestions. We can’t implement all the additions people have mentioned, but we have put several of them in place. Help us improve the presentation.