As of February 2024, the P3k initiative has evolved and shaped itself to best fit its context in the Sub-Saharan world. As of August 2023, P3k was predominately a concept. The supervisor of the Sub-Saharan Affinity for the project held a week-long training for the fieldworker and his national partner in preparation for reaching the UUPGs in West Africa. By September, the fieldworker was already gathering stories, interviews, and information for visiting 2 UUPGs in early October. 

In the matter of 2 weeks the worker and his national partner found a UUPG that had one church among the entire population. This church was founded by a local in the 60s that had been a chef for a traveling missionary during the 1930s and 40s. Since then, the church has been largely secluded and separate from any other Christian witness. Although now the research gained from P3k has allowed the church to be known by external organizations and churches for future partnership. Shortly thereafter, the P3k team visited another UUPG in which they saw one man come to Christ. With only 192 “seekers,” among a group of 119,000. 

Missionary Explorers serve two-year terms with the IMB finding the world's remaining unengaged, unreached people groups. IMB Photo

In West Africa, perpetual change characterizes the status quo; from political upheaval to mass movements of people. One of the reasons there are so many UUPGs in West Africa derives from the difficulty to reach these groups when there are impassable roads, unrealistic bureaucracy, or missionary conflict. So, the fieldworker and his national partner embarked on a month-long trip, encountering 3 different people groups before being halted near the 4th group in the mud for 3 nights ultimately compelling them to return to their home base. Thankfully, in one month, they updated and spread light on the status of the 3 groups that now are on the radar of churches and organizations for future interaction. On the return trip, the team stopped at a mechanic’s shop and ended up having one of the mechanics give their life to Christ and be baptized in a local lake. He is now in contact with a Baptist church that was found nearby. 

During a tumultuous season of the P3k’s country shutting down the internet, having a gas explosion, and the government dissolved, they went to their next 2 groups in the country to the South. There, they found with difficulty that the 2 UUPGs had been so absorbed into the larger culture, that they no longer held their languages or culture. Nevertheless, both groups reside among the most difficult to reach terrain in the swamplands and undeveloped country, only traversable by boat. Fortunately, after 11-hour boat rides and surviving off of coconuts, the team and a national pastor encountered at least 4 churches in each UUPG. Now, the national pastor has prioritized outreach for these people groups and is seeking national and international workers to come and preach the good news to those without the access to it. Are you willing to answer West Africa’s call for the gospel?