by Emily Smith

For a moment, imagine the least-reached areas of the world—the ones marked by a lack of gospel movement, where nothing is happening, no one cares, there is no response, and there are minimal, if any, Christians. The places overwhelmed by lack of life, where discouragement seems to be the only logical response. These are the hard places—the valleys filled with scattered dry bones.

In Scripture, God sits the prophet Ezekiel down in a lifeless valley—a place not unlike those where He is still calling Christians to share the gospel today. God positions Ezekiel, and many who go to these least-reached places, right in the middle of impossibility. It is in these hopeless valley-places where God still has a heart to bring life from death.

“. . . [The LORD] set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry.”

–Ezekiel 37:1–2

Ninety-five years ago, Robert Jaffray, a pioneer of Alliance missions, caught God’s vision for this Asia-Pacific country—to see the church established even in this place. While the response to the gospel among the non-majority indigenous people group has offered encouragement over the past near-century, people of the majority religion remain distant and uninvolved. When Jaffray originally settled into this area, he was met with a majority people group who was unresponsive to the gospel, doubting and suspicious of the motivation behind his presence.

Today, this country is home to five significant unreached people groups that The Alliance has been praying for and moving toward since Jaffray’s arrival. However, despite occupying many of the same spaces, these predominant populations and the Christians in this area are isolated from each other—a cultural norm of social and spiritual separation. This chasm between the groups is deepened by cultural and political divides—Christians there often feel persecuted while the majority religion feels threatened by the advance of the gospel.

But God is on the move in the midst of this disunity. In response to the rapid outgrowth of their current capital, this particular Asia-Pacific country is in the midst of breaking ground to build a new capital city, which will serve to establish common ground between all five of those people groups that have been on the heart of The Alliance since Jaffray’s ministry began 95 years ago. A mere 30 miles away from where Jaffray first landed—in the middle of the jungle—a new center for business, industry, trade, homemaking, gathering, learning, socializing, and culture-building is taking root.

A place chosen by the nation’s government that sits in the middle of five people groups that have been saturated by the prayers of Alliance people for decades—this move must be an opportunity for The Alliance—God’s fingerprints are everywhere. The original location that was so resistant to Jaffray and the gospel he preached now becoming the hub of activity for this nation. Jaffray had a lifelong burden but did not get to see much of the fruitfulness of his ministry—and The Alliance is committed to picking up and continuing the work he didn’t get to finish.

As The Alliance prepares and sends people to go to this new capital city, one international worker sent there describes feeling God’s emotions and understanding His waiting for these people—she is deeply moved by God having been in this place with a broken heart for these people groups all along—and now she gets to come alongside Him in pursuing them with the love of Christ. The canvas of this valley of dry bones is being painted with life. Both across the past 95 years and on into the future, broad strokes of supporting prayer turn into specific details in relationships, events, and open doors. Broad strokes of financial support for these international workers become specific meals and activities that communicate love, hospitality, and invitation into the family of God.

“It is in this exact place—the valley of dry bones—that God delights to work.”

In Jesus’ name, international workers will care for this place, establishing a meaningful impactful presence—they will use a holistic, contextual outreach custom to this new city, creating space for new believers and those curious about the gospel to come in contact with the church in new ways. Here, they will reach people who are willing to gather around the Word yet unwilling to enter a church building. Here, they will find ways to come alongside locals to support what they are doing in their home country, providing reason to be among them in ways that bless the nation and new capital, proclaiming Jesus all along the way.

Only God knows what will come of the dry bones that fill this place, and He desires our witness and our participation. The people that will be in this new capital city—these dry, scattered bones—do not yet know, because they do not yet have breath and life, that they are God’s people. But they will one day know, because God is in the business of making dry bones live again.

“. . . there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone . . . tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them . . . breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army.”

–Ezekiel 37:7–8, 10

It is in this exact place—the valley of dry bones—that God delights to work. It is into an overwhelming amount of death that God is most glorified in bringing abundant life.

Every nation, tribe, and tongue will be represented around the throne—and that will include these five people groups. And while we prayerfully and expectantly wait, we will remain obedient to His Great Commission in bringing what is required to make the dead live again—the good news to those who have yet to hear and receive it.