80% of the world’s evangelical Christians live in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over the last 50 years, God’s church has grown exponentially in these areas.

These regions have tremendous mission sending potential to help bring the gospel to unreached peoples, but they currently send only 20% of the world’s cross-cultural missionaries!

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Total Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges to UPGs

Regional Access to UPGs

Religious Freedom

Prosperity

Current Sending Abroad

Mobilization Potential

Custom Mobilization Potential

Number of Evangelicals

Cultural Bridges

Strategic Access

Religious Freedoms

Current Sending

This infographic provides a visual score for seven data points ranked on a 0 to 100 scale. Faded icons show scores for other countries on the mobilization index. See below for actual scores and country-specific insights.

ADDITION

FINANCIAL DEPENDENCY

INACCESSIBLE

LIMITED MISSION FORCE

DISTANT AND FOREIGN MISSION FIELD

THE WORLD IS THE MISSION FIELD

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A Desperate Prayer, A Miraculous Answer

Ricardo&rsquo;s journey to faith began eight years ago when his son fell gravely ill.
Nothing was working, and in a moment of clear desperation, Ricardo remembered the words of a missionary who had once passed through his village and had spoken of a God who hears prayers. With a breaking heart, he cried out for healing.
Not long after, his prayer was miraculously answered. Through his son&rsquo;s recovery, Ricardo came to know the healing power of God and praised him. That very day, he surrendered his life to Christ.
Moved by his transformation and longing for his village to know the God of healing, Ricardo gradually stepped into the role of pastor.

The Power of Equipping: A New Vision for Missions

However, Ricardo lacked theological and pastoral training.
His hunger for deeper understanding led him to Ronald Chunga, a team member with Via in Lima, Peru, who was on an exploratory trip to the city of Iquitos, Peru, near Ricardo&rsquo;s village.
When Ronald introduced him to Via&rsquo;s holistic training, including the <a href="https://www.vianations.org/resources/explore-the-world-christian-lifestyle" rel="follow">Explore the World Christian Lifestyle</a> study and <a href="https://www.vianations.org/resources/mobilizing-the-body-of-christ" rel="follow">Mobilizing the Body of Christ</a>, Ricardo became deeply interested in equipping himself and others in his village.
Encouraged by Ricardo&rsquo;s eagerness, Ronald returned months later with translated training materials, bringing together Ricardo and ten other pastors from surrounding communities.
Ricardo immersed himself wholeheartedly into the training, discovering what it meant to live as a Christian and how to strategically mobilize his people for the glory of God.
The impact of this training was immediate.

Breaking Barriers: From an Unreached People to Missionaries

For centuries, the Yagua people had remained isolated, and it remained so after Pastor Ricardo&rsquo;s revival. However, through Via&rsquo;s training, Pastor Ricardo realized that God&rsquo;s mission extended beyond his village. His vision expanded to reach the ten remaining unreached people groups in Peru.
&ldquo;Until recently, we were considered an unreached people group,&rdquo; Ricardo shared. &ldquo;Now, we have the opportunity to be the ones reaching others.&rdquo; His church began fostering relationships with neighboring tribes, breaking barriers that had separated them for generations. The transformation was profound: communities that once remained isolated were now engaging in discipleship and missions together.

Multiplication for the Glory of God

This movement was not just about theological training; it was about shifting an entire mindset.
Churches in the region had not felt the urgency to reach beyond their immediate surroundings. Pastor Ricardo&rsquo;s newfound conviction&mdash;his realization that the gospel was not just about salvation but about spreading God&rsquo;s glory&mdash;changed everything.
Pastor Ricardo&rsquo;s leadership and passion have inspired his people to take ownership of the Great Commission. Through ongoing partnerships with Via, Pastor Ricardo is confidently leading his church to understand they are part of the greater, global mission of God.
What began with a single act of desperate prayer has become a movement reaching the nations, one village at a time.

<ul>
<li>Pray for Pastor Ricardo&rsquo;s continued strength and wisdom within his village and beyond</li>
<li>Pray for the Yagua People and surrounding communities to be open to the gospel</li>
<li>Pray for the 10 remaining Unreached People Groups in Peru to receive the gospel before 2050</li>
</ul>

From Desperation to Determination

How God is using Pastor Ricardo and the Yagua people to reach the unreached in Peru

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