Are There Many Countries in the 10/40 Window?
There are about 70 countries in the 10/40 window, and the list has recently been revised to include nations that are close to—rather than inside—the 10- and 40-degree latitude lines and have high populations that have never heard the Gospel. About 5.3 billion people living in 8,883 distinct groups are inside the revised window. Over 6,000 of those groups—3.29 million people—are considered in this category who have yet to hear about Jesus; that is about 62% of the individuals living in the 10/40 window. A few of the new countries that now appear on the revised list are Albania, Azerbaijan, Brunei, Guinea, Indonesia, Mongolia and Sri Lanka.[1]
One country on both the original and the revised list is Cambodia. Cambodia is among the over 20 countries where GFA World is currently ministering. In the latter quarter of the 1900s, the nation went through a bloody, 29-year civil war, which killed 3 million Cambodians. They reached peace in 1999. Today, the population is just under 14 million people. About 95 percent of them practice a traditional Asian religion. The Khmers, the original inhabitants of Cambodia, are the largest people group, but there are also small Malay, Vietnamese and Chinese populations in the country. With lush forests, mountains, the Mekong River and the Gulf of Thailand, Cambodia is a beautiful country, but tragically, much of its tourism is connected to sex. Almost 75 percent of Cambodian workers earn a living through subsistence farming, but the nation is still greatly impoverished.[2]
GFA works in Cambodia in much the same way we work anywhere else: by meeting tangible needs and showing God’s love to those who have yet to encounter it. GFA national missionaries serve the various people groups, gauging their needs and organizing the distribution of income-generating gifts, Jesus wells, sanitary toilets, blankets or whatever may be most necessary to their communities. The Child Sponsorship Program helps kids get an education to direct their paths out of the cycle of poverty. In both cases, community development is the goal.[3] As physical needs are met, people see God’s love in action and learn how much He loves and cares for them, forever changing their fates when they choose to follow Him.[4]
Consider partnering with GFA as we continue to work inside what is the 10/40 window. It takes many resources to support national missionaries and meet the abundant needs of those living in poverty. Any amount can provide a lifeline to the lost. Through an income-generating animal or sewing machine or through sponsorship, Christ’s love is displayed, and people see that He truly cares for them.
Learn more about what is the 10/40 window[1] “What Is the 10/40 Window?” Joshua Project. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/10_40_window.
[2] “Other Countries We Serve.” GFA World. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/regions/other/.
[3] “Why Sponsor a Child with GFA World?” GFA World. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/sponsorachild/why-sponsor/.
[4] “National Missionaries.” GFA World. Accessed July 15, 2023. https://www.gfa.org/sponsor/.