Gospel for Asia Brings Good News in a Winter Coat

December 18, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing national missionaries like Balaark who brave through the difficulties of poverty and winter to share God’s love, and the tangible demonstration of His love through a winter coat.

Shutting the front door behind him, Balaark hugged himself tightly and pressed his thin, worn jacket to his torso. The icy wind stung his ears, painting them bright red. He felt the muscles in his entire body contract in a fruitless effort to ward off the invisible assailant. Balaark walked into the wind and began his course through the cold.

Balaark (pictured) serves the Lord near the village where he grew up as a poor outcast.

A cold wave had descended on the village where Balaark, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported national worker, served. Each day, the bite of the wind and the falling temperature goaded the missionary to stay indoors, to postpone sharing God’s love for a warmer day.

Many picture Asia as hot and humid, with residents sweating rather than shivering. While that is true of some areas, particularly during summer, many other regions experience extreme winters with snow and ice. In the shadow of the Himalayas, where Balaark ministers, winter temperatures often drop below freezing. Kirpal, another Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported missionary serving in a cold place, explains the impact of winter temperatures.

“The winter is severe in my ministry place since it is surrounded by mountains,” shared Kirpal. “The cold wave affects our health. Visiting believers and doing [ministry is] difficult during winter without the proper warm clothes.”

In these bracing winter conditions, it is common to see national workers like Kirpal and Balaark sharing God’s love with people huddled around outdoor communal fires.

No Stranger to Difficulty

Balaark is not a stranger to the harsh winters experienced in the area where he serves the Lord; he grew up in a village nearby. Nor is he a stranger to difficulty; Balaark grew up poor and marginalized.

Neighbors looked down on young Balaark’s family because of their heritage. But when Balaark suffered from a mysterious illness, the neighbors were convinced evil spirits tormented the boy. Rumors spread and malicious talk drove the family further into isolation.

Poverty stalked the harassed family. It was not long before school was a forgotten childhood memory for Balaark. He worked day-labor jobs to help his family survive.

Trapped in a hopeless situation, Balaark’s parents reached out to a pastor with their troubles. The pastor shared from God’s Word, and the family found peace in the hope of Christ. Jesus became the anchor that secured them through the storms of life.

Balaark gradually felt the Lord calling him to serve in ministry full time. After equipping himself at seminary, Balaark began his ministry in a village near his home. The wounds of rejection Balaark received as a child were healed by the love of the Lord, who accepted him unconditionally. But one childhood difficulty continued to hound Balaark: poverty.

Despite Balaark’s adequate support, life continued to throw unexpected financial burdens across his path. Balaark’s mother suffered from several health complications and couldn’t work, and his father could not afford her treatments. Balaark paid for his mother’s medical expenses out of his own pocket, often neglecting his own needs. The stress of family concerns and their lack of resources frequently inhabited Balaark’s prayer.

“During the winter season, I was going through tension because my mother was also very sick,” Balaark shares. “Day by day, the cold wave was increasing. I had no sufficient amount to buy a new jacket.”

Unable to purchase warm clothes for the looming winter months, Balaark made do with what he had.

Winter becomes a threat to the poor who cannot afford heating or appropriate clothes. This homeless man faced sickness or death during cold snap in December 2014—which is why a Gospel for Asia-supported worker gave him protection from the cold. — Winter becomes a threat to the poor who cannot afford heating or appropriate clothes. This homeless man faced sickness or death during cold snap in December 2014—which is why a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker gave him protection from the cold.

Poverty, a Marker for Winter-related Suffering

Many people in the cold regions of Asia find themselves in a similar situation. To cope with the cold, people often stay in bed later and go to bed earlier, only venturing out when the weak rays of the winter sun are high in the sky. Groups gather around fire pits and layer all the clothes they own. Grappling with the cold becomes a daily occupation, often to the neglect of work—a huge sacrifice for those whose dinner is paid for by what they earned that day.

The Kathmandu Post reports that the lack of proper shelter, warm clothes and nutritious food are among the factors that cause poor and disadvantaged groups to suffer from cold-related conditions. In the article, Rameshwor Dangal, chief at the Disaster Management Division in Nepal, states the sobering truth, “The mortality is increasing every year.”

This pastor is overjoyed at the gift of a winter sweater. It will help him continue ministering on the coldest days to those who are eager to hear about the God who loves them.

Heaven-sent Winter Clothing Packets

Despite the obstacles, Gospel for Asia-supported workers regularly brave the inclement weather to share the hope found in Jesus.

“Ministry doesn’t stop—even if it is snowing like crazy,” shares Mark, a Gospel for Asia (GFA) photojournalist who frequently travels to chilly locations in Asia.

Gifts of winter coats, blankets, sweaters, hats and gloves have armored national workers all throughout Asia. They have also blessed countless homeless people who spend winter on the streets and victims of natural disasters who have lost everything. These practical gifts enable the love of God to be verbalized, demonstrated and felt.

One Bible college student who received a winter clothing packet said,

“From the depths of my heart, I am grateful to God, who blessed me and allowed me to enjoy the winter with a shawl, sweater, socks and woolen cap. For me, it was not possible to buy it. I even had nothing in my bag when I came to study here. But God is so good.”

Wrapped in a New Winter Coat

As winter deepened, Balaark faithfully ministered to the people around him. Each morning, he spent time with the Lord before heading out. He asked for God’s help in the ministry work ahead of him and laid his needs and his burdens at the Lord’s feet. Trusting the Lord to go before him in all things, Balaark wrapped himself in his old coat and forged ahead, full of faith. He had no idea the Lord had already prepared a winter coat for him.

Balaark poses gratefully in the new winter coat he could not afford himself.

Ministry leaders on the field, prompted by the Lord, arranged a winter clothing distribution in Balaark’s area. The day Balaark received his new coat, joy filled his heart. God answered his prayers in an unexpected way.

“I was thinking that I will adjust with my old jacket this winter season too,” Balaark shared. “But, [ministry leaders] provided a new jacket. I am so grateful to our leaders … for their kind help.”

Invigorated by experiencing God’s provision and care, Balaark eagerly engages in his ministry. He talks with people on frigid streets and holds prayer meeting in unheated homes. Each morning, before heading out, Balaark thanks God for His provision and protection. Warmed by God’s love during his prayer times and his new winter coat, Balaark braves the cold to spread the warmth with others.

Support the faithful men and women who risk their lives in cold climates and also help bring winter coat and blankets to needy families across Asia today.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Good News Travelling in a Winter Coat

Learn more about National Missionaries – the men and women the Lord God is raising up living in Asia to be His ambassadors.

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Gospel for Asia Provides Twice the Mobility, Twice the Blessing

December 16, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the struggles national missionaries face in the mission field. This is a story of the impact of a bicycle as a channel of God’s blessing to reach God’s flock and the lost who wouldn’t otherwise have been reached.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the struggles national missionaries face in the mission field. Even with a burning heart for the lost and for their flock, without proper transportation, it would only leave a burden unfulfilled. This is a story of the impact of a bicycle as a channel of God's blessing. — Pastor Jahansuz (pictured) with his wife and two sons.

Pastor Jahansuz was the pastor of six fellowships in six different villages. The Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor tried to visit every believer, but the villages were in some of the most remote regions. As such, there was no form of modern transportation. Pastor Jahansuz had to walk almost everywhere. The pastor felt burdened when believers asked him to visit their home for prayer and encouragement but couldn’t make the journey.

Although Pastor Jahansuz tried to encourage every believer, it was impossible at times. One particular village was located five and a half miles away from his home. The pastor began to pray for the Lord’s provision, and he even asked the believers to pray with him.

The Great Provider

The Lord listened, and He provided after six years of persevering prayer. Pastor Jahansuz was given a heavy-duty bicycle through the generosity of people like you! Finally, the pastor was able to do what he wanted: minister to his flocks.

“Since the pastor did not own a bicycle, he struggled a lot,” Abarja, one of the believers said.

“We live in far places, and due to that, he could not visit us. But now, by God’s grace, the pastor is able to visit us and is encouraging us to grow in the Lord.”

Pastor Jahansuz’s bicycle brought immediate blessing, both to his ministry and life. Before, the pastor was only able to visit those within a six-mile radius, but now that range has almost doubled!

Not only does he provide transportation for any in need, but Pastor Jahansuz has also been able to visit and minister in five additional villages with the bicycle’s help. Now, many more people are hearing of God’s love.

Through this bicycle, Pastor Jahansuz can more easily minister to the believers in his area and bring the love of God to so many more. Supporters like you made this story and countless others like it possible. Thank you!

Give a Bicycle Today!

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Twice the Mobility, Twice the Blessing

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Gifts like pigs, bicycles and sewing machines break the cycle of poverty and show Christ’s love to impoverished families in Asia. One gift can have a far-reaching impact, touching families and rippling out to transform entire communities.

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Gospel for Asia Helps Provide Medicine for Children’s Home

December 6, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the work of national missionaries in their communities, partnering with local hospitals to help provide for the need for medicines and supplements of those in need, children in particular.

Before coming to stay at a children’s home in Sri Lanka, many of the children were alone, with no one to properly care for them and give them the love they needed. But at this privately-run children’s home, the children found a place where they belonged, a place where they knew they were loved and cared for.

Then, through extenuating circumstances, the children’s home lost a lot of their funding. The staff worked diligently to raise the necessary resources, determined to still provide the children with shelter and an education.

Even with all the fundraising, money was still tight. They struggled to pay for maintenance costs and had to reduce the number of new children they took in their care.

Then one day, Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers heard about their financial struggles and were moved to do something to help them.

Partnering with the local hospital, they donated medicines and vitamin supplements to help care for the health needs of the children living at the home. A doctor also instructed the staff on the proper use of the medicines.

“It is a great blessing to receive this special gift of free medicines through [the church] on behalf of all the children in our home,” said the director of the children’s home.

Through the compassionate hearts of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers, God provided for the children’s home. Now, with this gift, the staff are better able to care for the health of the children without being burdened with the expense of medicine.

Discussing the work of national missionaries in their communities, partnering with local hospitals to help provide for the need for medicines and supplements of those in need, children in particular. — A Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor gives a box of medicines to the director of the children’s home.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, GFA Helps Provide Medicine for Children’s Home

Learn more about the National Missionaries and their passion to help the people in their nations understand Christ’s love through various ways.

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Equipped to Succeed

November 25, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing Pastor Roshan, from alcoholism, to being filled with the Spirit, through limitation and imprisonment, and the impact a bicycle can bring, maximizing the effectiveness of national missionaries to reach people for Christ.

Pastor Roshan slung his bag over his shoulder and helped his wife onto their bicycle. They had a lot of ground to cover. As they cycled out of their village, Roshan found a sustainable pace for the trip. His muscles might be tired by the time he reached his destination, but that didn’t matter. Teaching from God’s Word in the distant forest villages and seeing believers grow in their love for Christ made the trip seem like a small sacrifice.

Roshan didn’t always have a bicycle—or ministry in any of these villages. In fact, just a few years earlier, his relationship with Christ was anything but exemplary.

An Alcoholic Sunday School Teacher

Roshan grew up in a nominal Christian environment. He attended a church and was even assigned roles of prominence within the congregation, but in reality, everyone knew his heart’s affection was for alcohol, not Christ. He neglected his wife and children and often squandered all his earnings on drink. While intoxicated, he roamed his village and intimidated those he met, even threatening to kill them. Then on Sunday, he went to church and led Sunday school, teaching action songs and Bible stories.

“People knew I was of not-good character,” Roshan says. “Still, nobody minded, and I was given all these responsibilities in the church.”

However, Roshan’s brother, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker, counseled Roshan often and prayed he would leave his destructive ways and pursue Christ. Slowly, Roshan’s conscience began to awaken within him.

One day, Roshan jolted awake at 3 a.m. Conviction washed over him as he felt the Lord working within his heart. He realized he could no longer continue in his selfish life.

“I knew it was the Holy Spirit who told me that going out with friends and involving in drinking, gambling and quarreling and fighting with people is not going to give me life,” he says. “The Lord touched my heart that early morning. That was the turning point of my life.”

Strong Character, Limited Body

After years of letting alcohol rule his life, Roshan (pictured) realized his responsibility to his family, and God empowered his weak body to labor hard to provide for them. Later, Roshan’s heart became burdened for those in his community who didn’t know Christ, and he dedicated his life to ministering to them.

Roshan bravely turned toward a new life as a God-honoring husband and father. He recognized his duty of providing for his wife and children, but the only work he could find was manual labor. At that time, he weighed barely 80 pounds. Years of drinking and irresponsible behavior had left him ill and weak. Even so, he woke up early every day and walked around four-and-a-half miles to his jobsite, where he carried and hoisted sacks of coal weighing as much as he did. Then he walked all the way home.

Life was tremendously difficult, but Roshan’s determination held fast through the strength of God’s favor.

He labored this way for three-and-a-half years, until he felt God impressing ministry upon his heart. In obedience, Roshan equipped himself for ministry at a Bible college and then returned to his home village.

His passion to see his own family thrive grew to include every individual he met. The same energy and courage he applied to his manual labor job now found an outlet in his ministry. The needs within a cluster of villages tucked in a forest several miles from his hometown gripped his heart, and he began making the journey regularly. Years before, Roshan had walked nearly five miles to his job in order to care for his family, and he was prepared to do the same for other families so they could know the love that transformed his life. Thanks to the generosity of believers around the world, he didn’t need to spend hours walking anymore: He owned a sturdy bicycle that allowed him to travel much faster and easier. He could even bring his wife with him to minister to the ladies they met.

Thanks to the generosity of believers around the world, he didn’t need to spend hours walking anymore: He owned a bicycle that was sturdy and allowed him to travel much faster and easier.

Faithfulness Despite Imprisonment

During the next three years, God worked through Roshan in powerful ways. Several families in each village began gathering for prayer and Bible study, and soon it became clear they needed a permanent place where they could worship together. God provided yet again through His children in various places, and construction for a church building began.

But the construction activity disturbed some of the community members. They started believing Pastor Roshan received the funds for the building through an insurgent group that haunted their area. Under these false accusations, Pastor Roshan spent the next 18 months of his life behind bars.

Shock and discouragement cast a shadow over Roshan during the first few days of his imprisonment, but he quickly aligned his heart with the peace of Christ. He still carried a deep desire to see troubled lives transformed—and there were many troubled men in the prison around him.

“No one can come personally here and tell [the inmates] about Jesus, live with them and show them what a Christlike life is,” Roshan remembers thinking early in his imprisonment. “So, I thought maybe this is how the Lord is going to use me.”

Even while imprisoned under false accusations, Pastor Roshan (pictured) poured his life out for the sake of those around him. By the end of his imprisonment, dozens of inmates wanted to know Jesus, including these two men.

And the Lord did use him. When Roshan’s release occurred 18 months later, dozens of inmates had expressed a desire of living for Jesus.

Even during Pastor Roshan’s absence, his ministry continued. His wife, Saachi, assumed her husband’s mantle of ministry while he was absent, using his bicycle to continue visiting believers and answering questions about Christ in various villages. She even traveled several miles to the construction site regularly and oversaw the completion of their place of worship for her husband. Through their teamwork as a couple, even while separated, lives changed within prison and without.

Maximizing the Effectiveness of Willing Workers

A bicycle played a vital role in Pastor Roshan (pictured) and his wife’s ministry. Bicycles offer reliable transportation and help many other national workers, breadwinners and schoolchildren alike to accomplish their day’s goals. — *A bicycle played a vital role in* *Pastor Roshan (pictured) and his wife’s ministry.* *Bicycles offer reliable transportation and help many other national workers, breadwinners and schoolchildren alike to accomplish their day’s goals.*

Pastor Roshan’s bicycle served as a tool to increase his effectiveness in ministry. Without it, he would have had to spend more time walking and less time ministering, and his ministry in distant villages would have been severely hampered. It even enabled his wife to minister in a greater capacity.

Transportation impacts the productivity of national workers and breadwinners alike. What a different Pastor Roshan’s heavy-labor days would have been if he had owned a bicycle then! He had to walk around nine miles round trip every day for one year, which is the equivalent of walking from Augusta, Maine, to San Diego, California—this was in addition to his grueling heavy labor and ill health.

Similarly, schoolchildren who live in remote areas often lack transportation and struggle to attend school. Walking several miles alone to class each day is unsafe in many areas, especially for young girls, and the wear on their bodies hinders their studies—and their futures.

Your donation today to provide national workers, breadwinners or school children with a sturdy, Asian-made bicycle will dramatically impact their lives. They are pouring diligent effort into their different roles—you can enable them to maximize their effectiveness!

Give a Bicycle!

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Equipped to Succeed

Learn more how to demonstrate God’s love through the gift of Bicycles — to Missionaries, school children, farmers and daily laborers. Through these gifts, people experience Christ’s love.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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Discovering Stability Under Tin Sheets

November 15, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the widows’ lives, like Kata who, through abuse, instability, difficulty, discovers the God who cares for the poor and fatherless.

Kata labored alongside her father on the farm, her hard-earned knowledge going unused yet again. She had all the requirements she needed to run her own business and even had a piece of land to start a beauty salon, but she labored on the farm instead. The pain of her past and the shock of the present happenings in her life weighed on her. She had no peace and worried about her fatherless daughter.

Abused by Husband, Widowed Young

Kata married as a young woman, but life wasn’t happy. Kata’s husband got drunk every day and found fault with everything she did. He lived his life in pursuit of his own happiness and gave little financial help to his wife and daughter. Due to his alcohol addiction, he died a young man. Kata became one of the 75 million women living in Asia who bear the title many people see as a curse: widow. Kata and her 4-year-old daughter faced life alone.

Kata’s in-laws did not help provide for her and their granddaughter, so within one year, Kata moved back into her parents’ home. She was one of the blessed few widows in Asia to have the love of her family accept her back into their home—as most widows experience social discrimination, even from loved ones.

Kata (not pictured) became one of the 75 million widows in Asia after her husband died. She, like the woman pictured, suffered incredible grief when she became a widow.

Kata enrolled her daughter in a school, and they settled into their new home. Though she struggled through life before, Kata felt her existence become even more hopeless as she contemplated her future as a widowed woman.

Kata, even though she carried her concerns to her traditional deities through prayer, had no inner joy to counteract the worries of being a single mom. To add to the tumult inside, life took another devastating turn when her mother passed away unexpectedly. To ease her stress, Kata took special training classes to one day open her own beauty salon, all while helping her father work on the farm.

At the end of her training, Kata felt confident to start her own business, but one obstacle stood in her way: She had no way of providing for a building. Her family owned some land, but she didn’t have the money to build a proper place for her salon.

Kata lived in this place of helplessness and continual unrest until, one day, she found out there was someone who cared about her—and the future of her daughter—even more than she did.

Discovering the God Who Cares

Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Niket met Kata one day, and through their conversation, he shared about Jesus and the love He has for the whole world—especially the widows. Hearing this good news, Kata opened up to the pastor and shared her sorrows with him. She also told him about her need for a building to open her own business. Pastor Niket prayed for Kata and left her that day with the beauty of God’s unconditional love to think about.

But Pastor Niket not only prayed for Kata, he also held a gift distribution at his church and gave Kata a gift to help her start her business: tin sheets. When Kata received seven tin sheets, she was so happy and grateful.

Pastor Niket and his family minister to those in need in their community. Pastor Niket was able to speak life and joy into Kata's troubled life. — Pastor Niket and his family minister to those in need in their community. Pastor Niket was able to speak life and joy into Kata’s troubled life.

Seven Tin Sheets and a Blessed Business

With the help of her older brother and the tin sheets, Kata constructed a building for her salon and started her business. The Lord greatly blessed her business. She was able to send her daughter to a good school and even started another business for ladies’ accessories alongside her beauty salon.

Kata saw the work of the Lord in her life and started to faithfully attend church. As she understood the love of Jesus, she opened her heart to Him. Kata’s older brother also came to know Jesus after seeing the work of God in his sister’s life.

Today, Kata is walking with Jesus as she works in her salon. She is no longer burdened with bearing the name of widow or plagued with worries. Instead, she is able to face life with confidence through Jesus. As a single mom, she knows her daughter has the loving care of the Heavenly Father and can always carry her needs to the Lord.

By God's grace, like this woman pictured, Kata was given tin sheets to help provide for her needs through a GFA-supported gift distribution. — By God’s grace, like this woman pictured, Kata was given tin sheets to help provide for her needs through a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported gift distribution.

Look After the Widows

Gospel for Asia (GFA) is honored to help widowed women like Kata get up on their feet. It is the heart of God to look after the poor and fatherless, and we take the charge in James 1:27 seriously.

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and the widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” — James 1:27 NKJV

The sad reality remains true every day that many widows in Asia are frequently pushed away from their families and communities. They are often accused of being the very cause of their husband’s death.

You can be part of looking after the widows and telling them they are cherished through supporting our Widows Ministry. This fund enables pastors and national missionaries to care for widows’ needs, much like Pastor Niket was able to do for Kata.

You can help meet the needs of the widows in Asia through prayer and financial support today!

Would you be willing to partner with us in helping these precious women? God loves them so dearly, and their lives matter to the Lord. Give to Widow’s Ministry today and bless a woman who may have never realized before how deeply she is loved by God.

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, Discovering Stability Under Tin Sheets

Learn more on how to give the poor a better future and show them Christ’s Love through GFA Christmas Gift Catalog’s “Gifts for the Poor”. Each of the items in this category is truly a gift of compassion. Some gifts generate income for years to come, while others meet immediate needs and could save lives. In addition, recipients have a chance to experience the redemptive love of Jesus—the best gift they could ever receive.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

In Awe of Him and His Works

November 13, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the family of Miba, the difficulties they face emotionally and physically, as they struggle against poverty and their circumstances, and the God they meet who can heal everything no matter the severity.

I grew up with my parents serving in Gospel for Asia (GFA). I have heard countless stories of countless Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastors and workers. Tales of healing, transformed hearts, God’s provision, and other similar stories. Here, at Gospel for Asia (GFA), I am surrounded by ministry-minded brothers and sisters, whose sole goal is to help bring God’s love to those in need.

I’ll admit, it’s difficult to remain continuously awed at what God is doing in Asia. My biggest threat—the greatest danger I face as a writer and a Christian—is the pitfall of indifference.

It is my prayer, both for me and for us here in the West, that the Lord would refresh our mindsets into ones of joy when we are reminded of what He has done in the lives of millions. Miba’s testimony is one story of God’s love that has brought a refreshed and renewed my mentality.

A Family’s Plight

Poverty and illness had befallen Miba’s family, and they were at the end of their rope. Miba’s husband had left her, despite her being pregnant with their second child. Miba’s brother, Seon, was disabled, suffering from damaged kidneys as result of a motorcycle accident. Talya, their mother, struggled mentally and emotionally; especially seeing her children suffer.

Seon’s illness had drained any funds they had left, leaving the family almost penniless. Miba and Seon’s younger brother had to find work, trying to provide for the struggling family.

The family needed something, anything to help them. It was then that Miba came to the local church led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Ezra. As the pastor listened to them share their struggles, he felt compassion. Here was a family that truly needed God’s love. Pastor Ezra then followed Miba to her home, where he met the rest of the family. The pastor shared how God can heal everything no matter the severity.

A Family Transformed

Pastor Ezra continued to visit Miba and her family, praying for healing and encouraging them from the Word of God. Slowly, God’s love began to work in their hearts, transforming the family from the inside. Miba, Seon and Tayla started to pray along with the pastor, believing God would bring healing—and He did. Miba’s husband returned, Seon was completely healed, and the depression caging Tayla’s mind was shattered. A marriage repaired, a body healed and a mind restored because of God.

Rejoicing in their new faith, the entire family now attend services at the local church, worshiping the Lord and fellowshipping with the believers.

I thank God for workers like Pastor Ezra, who bring the love of God to those who so desperately need it. Their fire and passion for the Lord renews mine, and I hope it renews yours.

Learn more about the National Missionaries and their passion to help the people in their nations understand Christ’s love through various ways.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Sick Sorcerer Finds Healing, Becomes Ambassador for Healer

November 11, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing Ponnan and his family, who came from a long line of sorcerers, his inability to cure himself of sickness, and his pursuit for healing which can only truly be found in Jesus.

People were gathered in Ponnan’s home—the home that was formerly known as the dwelling of a respected and sought-after sorcerer. Instead of seeking a man who would perform magic to heal their ailments, they now gathered inside Ponnan’s opened doors to worship the Healer of souls.

Heritage of Sorcerers

Ponnan came from a long line of sorcerers. Respected by his fellow villagers not only because of his profession, Ponnan was also known for his genuine kindness to all. But life was far from perfect.

As Ponnan’s son, Jairaj, started to learn sorcery, something changed inside him and Jairaj became proud. Because of this, he frequently ended up in fights. Ponnan often had to pull his son out of trouble, risking his own reputation to help Jairaj. Ponnan sacrificially helped his son sort out his predicaments time and time again.

There was no peace within Ponnan’s home. Though Ponnan could heal others through his sorcery, his own family was always struggling with illnesses, and eventually Ponnan began to have health problems too.

Life gradually became more difficult as Ponnan suffered from severe neck pain that over time left his neck immobile. The sorcerer’s inability to cure himself embarrassed him greatly. Desperate for healing, Ponnan sought after other magicians and doctors.

Ponnan exhausted all his resources. Nothing cured his suffering, and he experienced near-death instances twice during his pursuit of healing.

But there was hope.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing Ponnan and his family, who came from a long line of sorcerers, his inability to cure himself of sickness, and his pursuit for healing which can only truly be found in Jesus. — Ponnan (not pictured) conducts prayer and worship meetings in his home much like this worship service pictured.

A Cure for the Sorcerer

One day, as Ponnan traveled to a hospital, he met a stranger and took some Christian literature from him. He listened intently as the stranger shared a message of hope with him. Ponnan learned about a man named Jesus who had the power to heal.

With faith budding in his heart, Ponnan carried this good news with him the rest of the day. That evening he shared with his family about his encounter with the stranger. He declared interest in finding out more about this powerful God named Jesus.

Days passed and Ponnan couldn’t get Jesus off his mind and heart. He wanted to believe in Him for healing. Instead of going to another hospital or sorcerer, Ponnan went to the local church, which was led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Maha, and asked for prayer. Pastor Maha prayer for him, and believed along with Ponnan for the Lord’s complete healing.

Ponnan’s faith became real that week, after he received complete healing from Jesus. The sorcerer who couldn’t heal himself experienced a miracle that would change the course of his life for the generations to come.

A New Path for Healing and Hope

Impacted by the transformation in his father’s life, Jairaj, Ponnan’s troublemaking son, began to attend church along with his father. Gradually, Jairaj’s heart and actions began to change. Instead of being led by a prideful spirit and hanging out with corrupt company, Jairaj asked Pastor Maha to pray for him to overcome his struggles. Soon, Jairaj trusted in Jesus too and dedicated his life to following Him.

After some time, Ponnan saw each of his family members decide to accept Christ’s love and hope. Ponnan’s daughter decided to serve the Lord, one of his sons is active in the church’s ministry, and Jairaj joined a Gospel for Asia-supported film team. Today, this family is bringing healing and hope to people in deeper ways than they ever had before.

Ponnan leads a prayer and worship service in his home for believers in his village, as Pastor Maha’s church is a far distance for the villagers to travel weekly. Every week, believers gather in Ponnan’s home to worship together. Ponnan’s home is now a place of worship instead of magic.

Find out how the Lord healed Seon from kidney failure.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Special Report, Sick Sorcerer Becomes Healed Ambassador

Learn more about National Missionaries – the men and women the Lord God is raising up living in Asia to be His ambassadors.

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Boycotted Family Finds Peace

September 20, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the isolation Panmoli and his family experienced, the comfort God’s Word provides, and the national missionaries who serve to bring unity and peace to local communities.

Panmoli tried to get the attention of a villager—Panmoli was struggling alone. A wall of isolation met him because envy and hatred kept anyone from talking to Panmoli and his family members. No one wanted anything to do with them. No matter how many pleas for help, silence was the only answer they received.

Rumors Changed Everything

Panmoli, his wife and five children lived in harmony with their neighbors before jealousy ruined the peace they once shared. They lived happily with their own little paddy field and worked hard each day to survive. They enjoyed their life, but one day life completely changed for Panmoli and his family.

The villagers grew envious of Panmoli due to some misunderstanding and began to spread rumors that his family was possessed by evil spirits. After word got around in the village, the once-accepted family was hated, and no one dared talk to the family. Panmoli, his wife, his daughters and his sons and their wives were ostracized. Now they faced struggles alone with no outside help. They were desperate for peace they now lacked.

Panmoli and his family [pictured] experienced the peace of Jesus in their lives, even when everyone in their village had turned against them. God used the prayers of Jaipirya and Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Madani to help make peace with the people in their village when the villagers boycotted Panmoli. — Panmoli and his family [pictured] experienced the peace of Jesus in their lives, even when everyone in their village had turned against them. God used the prayers of Jaipirya and Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Madani to help make peace with the people in their village when the villagers boycotted Panmoli.

Silence Broken

In Panmoli’s search for answers and help, he and his family reached out to a woman named Jaipriya. She was known as a woman of prayer and of great faith in Jesus. Panmoli and his family shared their problems with Jaipriya. As Jaipriya heard this family’s sad story, she encouraged their hearts from God’s Word and prayed for them. This touched the isolated family’s hearts so deeply that they, too, wanted to embrace Jesus and receive His acceptance.

After this meeting, Jaipriya shared about Panmoli’s situation with Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Madani. Together, with members of his congregation, Pastor Madani visited outcast Panmoli and his family to encourage and pray for them.

Seeking to make peace in Panmoli’s village, Pastor Madani and a few other church leaders met with the village headmen and authorities to speak on Panmoli’s behalf. After discussing the accusations against Panmoli, they resolved that it was just a misunderstanding and jealousy among the villagers. Slowly the villagers began to rebuild their relationship with Pamoli and his family, whom they had boycotted for four months.

Today, this village lives in unity.

International Day of Peace

September 21 is International Day of Peace, a day created by the UN to help strengthen the broken peace of mankind. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers, like Pastor Madani, try their best to bring peace to disgruntled villages and carry hope and unity wherever God calls them.

Read how Bindal found peace in the midst of his troubled heart.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Boycotted Family Finds Peace

Learn more about the National Missionaries and their passion to help the people in their nations understand Christ’s love through various ways.

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From Shouting Obscenities to Proclaiming God’s Love

September 19, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing how God can change an anger filled heart to one that burns for Him, desiring nothing more than to let the world hear of God’s Word and know God’s love.

Personal testimonies can include stories of lives transformed from the depths of sin, tragedy or persecution. My own personal testimony is nothing dramatic. I was born and raised in a Christian family and I received Christ when I was 7 or 8 years old (I really don’t remember the exact day or year). But the stories I have heard of God working in people’s lives instills within me awe of God’s love that never fails and how each person’s testimony is unique.

Pastor Myo’s Story

One testimony of such complete transformation is Pastor Myo Zaw’s. Before he was a Christian, Pastor Myo was known as the local drunkard in his village. Quick to anger, Myo often fought with his fellow villagers. Nobody was safe from the volatile man.

But then, something changed. One day the villagers noticed something odd about Myo. He wasn’t hurling obscenities or throwing out challenges, but instead yelling something about someone called Jesus.

Miraculously, Myo had come to know Christ. The anger that dwelt in him had been replaced with a burning love for God. The villagers were astounded by this sudden transformation and wondered if Myo had gone insane.

Contrary to the villagers’ misconceptions, Myo’s mind was clearer than ever. Even his family almost didn’t know what to think. They were simultaneously shocked and ecstatic at the change of heart Myo had undergone.

Least Kept Secret: God’s Love

“I just wanted to pour [God’s love] out and share it out,” Myo said. “I was not able to stop sharing the Word of God.”

However, Myo couldn’t keep his newfound faith to himself.

“I could not keep silent,” Myo remembered. “I used to shout and share the Word of God throughout my village. … So my village said, because he drank too much, he became mad.”

Myo began preaching to anyone and everyone he could. Whether it was on the street or in the market, Myo would talk to them about God.

“I just wanted to pour [the love of God] out and share it out,” Myo said. “I was not able to stop sharing the Word of God.”

Myo began sharing not only with those in his village but with other local villages as well. He simply could not keep the love of God to himself. He continued his one-man ministry for a few years.

One day, Myo heard about a nearby area where the love of God had never been experienced. Hearing this, Myo wanted to go. But he needed help. So, he approached a local Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported leader and asked if he could be sent to this area. The Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker agreed, and so, Myo and his family left the village and never looked back.

Enduring Faithfulness

Nearly three decades after Myo’s change of heart, Myo is a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor. He has seen thousands of people introduced to the same God who changed him. The pastor and his wife have remained steadfast throughout challenges that threatened to hinder their ministry. They endured sickness and violence, yet let the love of God guide them always.

“Let the people hurt me, let the people stone me. No problem,” says Myo. “I will still show my love. What I have found in my life is that love is the most powerful weapon we have from God.”

Learn more about National Missionaries – the men and women the Lord God is raising up living in Asia to be His ambassadors.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

What Does Ministry Mean to You?

September 17, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the definitions that encompass missions & ministry, the sacrifice and service, from those who are behind-the-scenes to the national missionaries who are in the field.

Let me ask you a quick question. When you hear the word “ministry,” what words come to mind? I posed this question to several Gospel for Asia (GFA) staff members and wrote their answers down.

“God” and “Jesus” were, obviously, chiefly among the answers, followed by “sacrifice” and “service.”

But why “sacrifice”? Why “service”?

Ministry; Defined

Do those words come to your mind when you hear the word, “ministry”? Or do other images come to mind? Do your thoughts wander to lands far off, of sprawling jungles or shifting sands? Do you think of the stories and testimonies of missionaries long gone?

Ministry can happen anywhere, whether it takes place through a local outreach program run by a church or through an international missions organization. According to Merriam-Webster, to “minister” is “to function as a minister of religion, or to give aid or service.” Gospel for Asia (GFA) as a missions organization fits both categories. Through the generous donations of our supporters, we are providing national workers in Asia with the tools and resources they need to minister to the hurting and needy.

As Christians, we are called to serve wherever the Lord sends us. But what does it truly mean to serve? For staff members of Gospel for Asia (GFA), one aspect of serving the Lord means we are working behind-the-scenes, aiding the work in Asia from behind desks in our own country.

Jesus says in Mark 10:45, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

To give one’s life as ransom for many—what does that even mean? For many, like our brothers and sisters on the missions field, it is literally laying down their lives so others may hear of Jesus. That is sacrifice. Paul in writing to the Romans says,

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).

But what else might ministry include?

1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”

The gifts of God, whether it be things like love, prayer or encouragement, should be given freely in service to those around us, whether they are Christian or not. Showering God’s great love on others is a vital aspect of ministry, for as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, we can accomplish great things in God’s name, but if we have not love we “are as clanging cymbals.”

What Does Ministry Mean to You?

Having grown up in Gospel for Asia (GFA), I can say with little doubt that I know what ministry requires. Firstly, a great deal of personal sacrifice, and secondly, a servant’s heart. They go hand-in-hand—rarely do you see one without the other, at least in my experience.

Ministry can occur wherever and whenever. Whether in your church, your community or in missions helping workers bring the love of God to the furthest corners of the world. So, take a minute to think: What does ministry mean to you?

Learn more about National Missionaries – the men and women the Lord God is raising up living in Asia to be His ambassadors.

Learn more about how for nearly 40 years, behind-the-scenes missionaries, the Missions Support Team have functioned as a crucial link between the mission field and the Western Church.

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.