God is using Gospel for Asia-supported national workers and the prayers of people all over the world to transform communities through His love.
Pastor Tamang has been serving the Lord since 2003. Throughout those years he’s experienced heartache in losing his wife, the devastation of a natural disaster and opposition from the ones he longs to serve. Yet through all this, he remains steadfast, depending on the power of prayer to help him overcome.
A Widower in the Wake
The earth rumbled. The ground shook. The walls rattled. Pastor Tamang and his houseguests rushed out of his home as the earthquake grew in strength. But before everyone could make it out, the walls crumbled under the intensity, crushing Tamang’s wife, Nirmala, beneath the wreckage of their home.
After the earthquake’s final tremor, Pastor Tamang found his wife lying lifeless in the rubble.
Many others perished in the 6.8-magnitude quake that shook parts of South Asia on September 18, 2011. Houses and churches also fell that night, leaving survivors without shelter to guard from monsoon rains or the coming winter.
Pastor Tamang lost his wife, home and church all in one night.
“I can never forget such a great incident, which changed my life completely,” Pastor Tamang says.
Tamang was left to carry on the ministry alone. The days were difficult—especially when he’d return home, half-expecting to see his wife’s encouraging smile. Nirmala actively worked alongside him, ministering to the women and children in their community.
Deep down, Tamang had a feeling the Lord had a purpose in taking Nirmala, and he knew he couldn’t give in to his loneliness. He knew he had to persevere, for there were still people living their days without knowing the One who sustains. He had been called here, and he would remain.
“It was the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the prayer support of my believers that helped me to stand firm after the death of my wife,” he says. “God comforted me so I can continue my ministry.”
In the years that followed, Tamang pressed onward. His congregation, made up of 66 believers, helped him whenever he’d go out for ministry. They’d talk to people and build relationships, hoping to introduce them to the love of the Savior. It wasn’t easy. Most people in the remote, mountainous region where Pastor Tamang serves aren’t open to hearing about Jesus.
“Because of the resistance we face from the people here, ministry here does not grow fast,” he says. “Because of this problem, we feel that by flesh and blood, we cannot conquer this. … I urge you to pray for our ministry here.”
Why Pastors and Missionaries Need Prayer
Pastor Tamang’s plea for people to pray for his ministry is a plea many pastors and missionaries in Asia can echo. They’re serving in territories long held captive by the spiritual powers of darkness.
- They face resistance. As Pastor Tamang experienced, hearts harden at the mention of Jesus’ name. They believe that to embrace Christ would be to lower their social standing. It would also mean turning their backs on their ancestral faith.
- They face persecution. Angry neighbors accuse them of disrupting the peace. Some missionaries end up beaten or thrown in prison for years.
- They also face personal struggles. Many Gospel for Asia-supported workers have been disowned by their families that are staunchly against their decision to love and follow Jesus. There are others who have lost loved ones, like Pastor Tamang. Then there are others going through significant health problems.
Yet these brothers and sisters in the Lord willingly enter into the sufferings of Christ. And through the power of prayer and fasting, GFA-supported national missionaries and pastors are seeing tremendous breakthroughs in their ministries!
We Stand Beside National Missionaries
Gospel for Asia links believers from all over the world through prayer and its support program. For nearly 40 years, people have stood beside GFA-supported workers as they seek to share the love of God through word and deed with their fellow countrymen.
These national workers overflow with deep compassion for the people around them. They bring comfort, hope and peace to those who are searching for these very things. They provide income-producing gifts to poor and destitute families. They pray for healings, breakthroughs, deliverance—and they see God answer those prayers!
Like Pastor Tamang, GFA-supported workers know that their ministries are not founded in “flesh and blood.” They are founded in the power of Christ and prayer in His name. As men, women and children across the globe join them in prayer, they see breakthroughs in their ministries.
The Apostle Paul knew the truth of this mystery. He asked the body of believers in Colossae to pray for him: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains…” (Colossian 4:24).
He also asked the believers in Thessalonica to pray for him: “Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may run swiftly and be glorified, just as it is with you…” (2 Thessalonians 3:1)
Will You Join Us in Fervent Prayer?
We at GFA pray constantly and fervently for our brothers and sisters in Asia, never faltering to drop to our knees so that the word of God may run swiftly and be glorified. Will you join us in praying fervently for our brothers and sisters in Asia?
We would love to know how you are praying for God’s work in Asia and around the world. Share your prayers in the comments below so others can join with you as we partner together to see the Lord’s name glorified.
* “A Widower in the Wake” first published in GFA’s magazine GFA World, March 2016.
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