Editorial Opening Windows of Opportunity by David H. Snyder In recent years we have often been reminded about the many windows of opportu- nity that exist in unevangelized areas around the globe. The unreached people groups are being emphasized because of the millions who have never heard the true message of salvation. Also, BIMI's 100+ Nations Ministry has been highlighting numerous places in the world where the need is especially great. This is something that defi- nitely needs to be discussed since our Lord commanded us to go into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15 – emphasis added). The need of getting the Gospel into every part of God's harvest field should be obvious—in spite of how difficult it may be to “open the window.” I had the privilege of growing up out in the country, surrounded by many acres of farmland. With that privilege came the respon- sibilities associated with raising many different kinds of animals. My family lived in an old farmhouse that had a history dating back approximately 200 years. As one can imagine, we did not have air conditioning. This called for open windows and fans during the summer months. The old, wood-framed windows in our house were often difficult to open due to high humidity or adverse weather conditions. As a young person, I would push up on one of those hard-to-open windows with all my might, and once it began to open, I would stop to rest. After a few moments, I would try to open the window further so that we could get more airflow. In doing so, I found I had lost momentum and it was almost like starting over. Through trial and error I discovered that once the window started opening, I needed to keep the momentum going in order to push it open as far as possible. After open- ing one window, I would continue to open as many other windows as possible in order to increase the flow of air throughout the house. Although there are many windows of opportunity in missions, a lot of those win- dows are difficult to open. A tremendous number of nations have religious beliefs dating back hundreds if not thousands of years. Nevertheless, after many years of diligent work, missionaries have seen many hard-to-open windows opened to the Gospel. Additionally, the renewed interest in Gospel-deprived regions has caused many Christians to surrender to serve in “pioneer” areas of the world. Realizing this, we must remember that now is not the time to stop and rest. Rather, we should take advantage of the momentum that has been created. We must endeavor to open as many windows as possible and to open them as far as possible. Since this is the case, I would like to suggest some things that can be done to keep the momentum going. First and foremost, we must pray. Pray that God would send forth labourers into his harvest (Matthew 9:38). The size and population of the world demands a tremen- 2 BIMI WORLD Number 3, 2011