Looking Back and Ahead

January was named for the two-faced Roman character Janus. With one face Janus looked back and with the other he looked forward. January is a good time for us to look back at 2016 and forward to 2017.

For 2016 we rejoice at God’s goodness! Global Gates doubled in size in 2016! We now have missionaries among the world’s least-reached peoples in 16 global gateway cities including the gateway cities of Bangkok and Toronto.

More importantly, 2016 saw first-fruit breakthroughs with in each major non-Christian people group: Hindu, Buddhist, Orthodox Jew, and Muslim. We celebrate these breakthroughs knowing it is tougher to get from zero to one than from one to a thousand.

Looking to 2017, we are excited at the challenge before us. God has orchestrated a global fruit basket turnover unparalleled in human history. The UN reports that the number of persons who have left their country of origin reached nearly a quarter billion in 2016, an increase of more than 41% since 2000. With 54 million immigrants, the US remains the world’s premier migrant destination.

Many of these immigrants come from lands with little or no gospel witness. Imagine! God loves these people so much, that He brought them to us so we can reach them with the gospel of Jesus Christ!

This is the challenge and opportunity facing Global Gates in 2017. We will deploy, train, and coach more missionaries, distribute more Bibles and Jesus Films, mobilize more churches for prayer and partnership, and – by the grace of God – see more new believers added to Christ’s kingdom.

By God’s grace, this is possible through your prayers, your sacrificial gifts, and your ministry partnership. Thank you for charging with us into 2017!

David Garrison
Director, Global Gates