A True Friend Found at Gospel for Asia Vacation Bible School

June 24, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the ministry of Gospel for Asia (GFA) Vacation Bible School, teaching children and giving them a sense of joy, and learning to be a better friend, and some to become friends with Jesus, the truest Friend of all.

School was out. Children gathered. More than 200 youngsters filled the hall. Smiling adults in bright orange shirts wove their way through the crowds. Vacation Bible School was about to begin.

For one week, these joyful ones sang songs, made crafts and watched skits, puppet shows and videos, all to help them learn about what it means to be a “true friend.” The theme verse of the year’s VBS program was John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” Teachers prayed and hoped the children would be blessed by their time–a prayer God answered.

Learning About Friendship

Every day, after spending time together learning songs, stories and history, the children, ages 4-12, broke into small groups to make crafts and learn more important lessons from the Bible. Different days focused on different aspects of friendship, including helpfulness, joyfulness and faithfulness. In all this, the children learned how Jesus is the truest friend of all.

“From this VBS, I learned that God is watching over me,” shared one boy named Anik. “So I don’t have to be afraid.”

Since that day, Anik has started living with the awareness that Jesus is with him always.

Be a True Friend

On the last day, parents gathered. Tables displayed the children’s crafts. Through songs and skits, the children shared what they had learned about friendship.

A local ministry leader addressed the crowd. He encouraged the parents and spoke to them about being good examples for their children to follow.

The children, some from Christian backgrounds and others from non-Christian backgrounds, walked away from the week with a greater sense of joy in their hearts. Many of them decided they wanted to be a better friend, and some became friends with Jesus, the truest Friend of all.

Learn more about how you can give toward our Vacation Bible School scholarships, where the gift of VBS materials for one of these precious children will guarantee that he or she will hear about Jesus’ love again and again through skits, Bible songs and teaching and will have colorful Gospel literature to take home.

*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 Featured Article, A True Friend at VBS

Learn more about the Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope program and how you can make an incredible difference in the lives of children, bringing hope to their lives and their families, transforming communities.

Learn more about the Discarded, Abandoned and Abused Children, and how, through partnership with Gospel for Asia you can help them and be a part of changing their lives forever.

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report on Child Labor: Not Gone, but Forgotten – Millions of Children Trapped between Extreme Poverty and the Profits of Others

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The Stranger at the Bazaar: How an Abused Woman Finds Hope

June 17, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Maliha, alone and abandoned, the unfolding of her history, and the Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor who helps this abused woman find hope.

he clamor of bargaining could be heard above the bustling crowds. Stalls displayed beautiful fabrics of bright colors and patterns, while the aroma of food wafted in the air. In the midst of all this excitement, a mysterious woman strolled aimlessly down the street of the bazaar.

The woman was a stranger to the village. Her pitiful condition quickly became the dialogue of the bazaar. “Who is she, and where did she come from?” the villagers and venders alike whispered among themselves. No one knew. Some said she was mentally insane and did their best to avoid her. Others had compassion and tossed a few coins her way. She tried to tell them her story, but only a few listened, and no one tried to help her.

GFA founded by Dr. K. P. Yohannan: Discussing Maliha, alone and abandoned, the unfolding of her history, and the Gospel for Asia pastor's help this abused woman find hope. — Maliha (not pictured) wandered around the bazaar. She didn’t know where she was, and some people whispered about her. She was a stranger, lost, disheartened and alone.

She Needed a Hand to Hold

The woman established a spot near the roadside and under a tree. There, she silently wept and slept. She had with her all her belongings: a small bundle of clothes. During the day she begged, and when the night sky descended, she was alone. But the Lord knew her story and sent His servants to help rescue this precious woman He created.

Our pastor Chhiring and his wife, Gunita, had caught word about the stranger at the bazaar, and they wanted to see how they could help her. They found the woman with dirty clothing and a troubled face begging in front of a tea shop.

Pastor Chhiring gently talked to her and asked if she needed anything. She looked at him but said nothing. Then Gunita placed her hand in the woman’s, a small expression of love, and the woman allowed them to lead the way to their home.

Stranger Reveals Her Story

Pastor Chhiring told the woman she could stay with them as one of their own family members. He encouraged his wife and other believers not to pressure the woman to talk, but only help her feel comfortable. She would talk when she was ready. In the safety of Pastor Chhiring and Gunita’s home, trust grew in the woman’s heart. The next day she confided in Gunita and told her story.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Maliha eloped with a man she thought loved her and would give her a happy life. But one day all this changed, and he would beat her for no apparent reason. — Maliha (pictured) eloped with a man she thought loved her and would give her a happy life. But one day all this changed, and he would beat her for no apparent reason.

Her name was Maliha, and she came from a distant village. As she matured, many people in her village noticed her beauty and tried to tempt her to run away with them. For a year, she resisted, but a young man eventually lured Maliha after he declared his love for her and promised he would give her a happy life and never leave her. Maliha eloped with this man and moved away from her widowed mother.

After Maliha had two young children, she noticed her husband started to change. He became violent, physically and verbally abusing Maliha. Maliha’s mother, siblings and even her neighbors asked her to make a stand against her husband’s violence, but they never dared face him themselves.

Exposing Her Husband’s Secret

These sudden changes left Maliha with many questions. She didn’t know why her husband seemed to suddenly hate her when he had promised to love her before.

Then she discovered the secret he was hiding: Maliha’s husband had been unfaithful to her.

When Maliha gathered the courage to ask him about it, he beat her and yelled at her and the children. He announced his intention of bringing another woman into the house. Shocked and hurt, Maliha and the children cried loudly. The neighbors heard the awful commotion and ran to their house. They saw poor Maliha’s swollen face and blood streaming down her head from her husband’s beating. When her husband saw a crowd forming, he declared with a booming voice that his wife had gone mad.

A week later, Maliha’s husband said he would take her to the doctor, but instead he dumped her in a village she didn’t know, in a place where she could never find her way back. Deserted, lost and wounded in body and heart, Maliha found herself alone in the bazaar—until she met Gunita and Pastor Chhiring.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Maliha found love and rescue when Pastor Chhiring and his wife, Gunita, welcomed her into their home as one of the family. Now, Maliha has hope in Jesus, and He is healing her past. — Maliha found love and rescue when Pastor Chhiring and his wife, Gunita (pictured), welcomed her into their home as one of the family. Now, Maliha has hope in Jesus, and He is healing her past.

Church Welcomes Abused Woman

Gunita’s heart welled with deep love and compassion for Maliha as she listened to the broken woman share her story. She relayed the story to her husband, and he prayed and shared with his congregation. The entire church listened when he asked them to welcome Maliha into their hearts as one of their own sisters. Together as a church, they all prayed fervently for her and received her with love. Maliha grew under the care of her church family as they displayed Christ’s kindness toward her.

Although she was unable to return to her family, Maliha now has learned to pour out her heart to Jesus. She knows He loves her and desires her to call upon Him. She has a new life in Christ and a heavenly Husband who cares deeply for her and heals her wounded past.

Whenever her heart aches for her children and husband, she is reminded by Pastor Chhiring that her life is secure in Jesus’ hands. The woman who was once beaten, abused and abandoned now has a family and has been found and held by Jesus!

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Women in Asia are often abused and forgotten. You can tell her she is loved and precious in the sight of Jesus! — Women in Asia are often abused and forgotten. You can tell her she is loved and precious in the sight of Jesus!

Be a Voice of Hope

Many women in Asia suffer from being abused, overlooked and forgotten by the men in their lives. Maliha opened up to Gunita and was able to share her heart. We at Gospel for Asia (GFA) desire to show these precious women that they are valued and loved by God. You can be part of this, too, by donating to a Gospel for Asia Women’s Ministry today.

Learn more about the GFA national workers who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, The Stranger at the Bazaar

Learn more about the Women Missionaries and their heroic efforts, dedicating their lives to bringing hope and God’s love to the women of Asia.

Learn more about Gospel for Asia’s programs to combat the 100 million missing women reality by helping women through Vocational Training, Sewing Machines and Literacy Training.

Read Gospel for Asia’s Special Report on An Imaginative Exercise in Empathetic Fear — Think about Living in a Community with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Read another Special Report from Gospel for Asia on 100 Million Missing Women.

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

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Giving Love and Relief to Leprosy Patients

May 26, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the difficulties of people afflicted with leprosy, the rejection and isolation, and the GFA leprosy ministry and the GFA Compassion Services that helps leprosy patients understand how much God loves them and values their lives.

Serving others in Jesus’ Name takes on many different forms. For many of our workers, their ministry is focused on bringing God’s love to people afflicted with leprosy.

One national missionary, Sakshi, experienced firsthand the difficulties of leprosy. She contracted the disease as a teenager, and although she eventually was cured of leprosy, Sakshi didn’t forget the rejection she experienced from her community.

Later serving as among leprosy patients, Sakshi noticed, “Nobody is there to comfort the leprosy patients and to give any kind of encouragement. Nobody wants to love them, hug them, or to come near to them to dress them.”

“I will become their daughter,” Sakshi decided. “I will become their grandchildren, and I will help them and encourage them, and I will love them.”^[1]

Leprosy imposes an extremely heavy burden on its victims. News sources share story after story of the struggles people face after contracting leprosy.

Here are just a few stories of what some have had to go through as a result of their disease:

“Basha is 65 years old and told me he was thrown out of his family home when at 20 he started to develop small patches of numbness on his skin. This can be a symptom of leprosy and is what brought Basha to the colony, where he’s lived ever since, and although he told me he has several brothers and sisters, he said he’s never seen them again.”^[2]

“Anjana is 45 years old, but easily looks a decade older with deformed hands, feet, and eyes, due to late diagnosis and treatment. She was abandoned by her own family, and now counts the community as her family. ‘I need bandages for my hands and eyes, but the government clinic keeps running out of them, so I have to buy them. Where will I get money to buy them?’ she asks.”^[3] Adding insult to injury (which, in itself, is the story of what it is like to live with leprosy), Anjana has difficulty withdrawing her monthly pension ($4.21US) because her government requires a fingerprint verification—and her fingers are too marred to provide a fingerprint.

Ashok contracted leprosy when he was 10 years old. Cured of the disease but permanently deformed by it, Ashok, now 52, was forced into more than 40 years of begging to sustain himself.^[4]

“Nagama is in her 20s. She does not have leprosy, but her mother and grandmother do. Because they are blind and incapacitated, Nagama could not care for them in her own home without raising the rejection of family and friends. So, she moved to the leper colony to look after them.”^[5]

Nagama’s story is significant because she has demonstrated compassion toward her mother and grandmother—something too few leprosy patients receive.

Leprosy can be a devastating disease. Left untreated, it often renders patients physically disfigured and dependent upon help from others. The life-altering effects of leprosy cause others to fear catching the disease, even though it is not easily transmitted. That leads to the worst part of leprosy: the rejection leprosy patients typically receive from other people.

Because of the breadth and intensity of the ostracism they face, people with leprosy are often forced into isolated communities of leprosy patients, or they move to one voluntarily. The settlements are typically the only places where people with leprosy can obtain a feeling of peer acceptance.

Dr. K.P. Yohannan, the founder of Gospel for Asia (GFA), began our leprosy ministry over a decade ago. What he started as Reaching Friends Ministry is now a significant part of GFA’s Compassion Services initiative.

God does not reject people afflicted by leprosy. Instead, He loves them and offers them adoption as His sons and daughters. National workers demonstrate His love to leprosy patients and help them learn about the eternal life found in Christ.

Our workers, such as Sisters of Compassion, care for leprosy patients in many ways, such as by distributing food, providing medical aid, teaching health and hygiene programs, facilitating adult education, and tutoring children who live in the colonies. Each worker also provides encouragement, comfort and prayer, helping people afflicted with leprosy understand how much God loves them and values their lives.

When leprosy patients learn Jesus cares about them personally, many want to put their trust in Him and be defined by what Jesus says they are: treasured.

Ask the Lord to burden your heart for people living with leprosy. Pray for GFA’s Compassion Services and for the workers who minister within leprosy colonies, and ask God to bring relief and eternal hope to people affected by leprosy.

Learn more about the leprosy ministry, or the Reaching Friends Ministry, helping remind people affected by leprosy that, despite the stigma of leprosy, they have dignity and are valued by God.

[1] “I Will Be Their Daughter”. Gospel for Asia. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/i-will-be-their-daughter January 2017.

[2] Gap Year, India’s Forgotten People: Visiting a Modern Day Leprosy Colony

[3] The Hindu, A dying disease, but leprosy colonies still face stigma, shortage of funds

[4] https://www.livemint.com/news/india/life-after-leprosy-india-s-untamed-disease-1553164760394.html

[5] Gap Year, India’s Forgotten People: Visiting a Modern Day Leprosy Colony

Sources:

Live Mint, Life after leprosy, India’s untamed disease
com.au, Islands of death: life in a leper colony
The Hindu, A dying disease, but leprosy colonies still face stigma, shortage of funds
Gap Year, India’s Forgotten People: Visiting a Modern Day Leprosy Colony
Gospel for Asia, I Will Be Their Daughter

Image Source: Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day

Learn more about how to bring practical help in Jesus’ name to the suffering and needy, relieving the burdened, rescuing the endangered and revealing God’s compassion to the people of Asia through Gospel for Asia Compassion Services.

Learn more about the GFA-supported national workers who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.

Read the GFA special report update on the leprosy problem where global leprosy-elimination leaders are making exciting advances both medically and socially that are worth noting: Progress in the Fight Against Leprosy: Leprosy Prevention is Key to Elimination

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

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Gospel for Asia Provides Someone Who Cares

April 2, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Ranjini, a widow afflicted with leprosy, impoverished and alone, and the Gospel for Asia-supported workers who show God’s love and care even for the shunned and rejected.

“What shall I do?” Ranjini wondered aloud. Ranjini powerlessly watched her hands and feet deteriorating before her eyes. As a widow and a person afflicted with leprosy, Ranjini needed help. But so many people in her society turned a blind eye to widows and leprosy patients, and she was both; who would trouble themselves about her?

Happy Life Gives Way to Grief

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Ranjini, a widow afflicted with leprosy, impoverished and alone, and the Gospel for Asia supported workers who show God's love and care even for the shunned and rejected. — Ranjini (pictured) had no one to call on for help. She was lost in the masses, just another widow and leprosy patient in need of help, which few people in her society offered.

Ranjini had known happy days years earlier when family surrounded her, when she had money to buy sweets and flowers to give to her deities in worship, when her life felt normal. She had smiled at her daughter’s wedding, an event she had anticipated since her girl’s birth. Ranjini felt pleased with the new life her daughter held as a wife, even though it meant the new bride now lived with her in-laws in a distant place.

But despite the once happy life, tragedy crept in when she contracted leprosy and, later, when her husband died. With her daughter married and gone, Ranjini lived alone and impoverished.

For centuries, leprosy patients have suffered extreme ostracism in addition to the devastating physical effects of their disease. Annually, around 200,000 people, young and old, discover they’ve contracted leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) , and many are subsequently abandoned by their families and by society.

For many, the diagnosis steals their identity. Instead of being seen as valuable human beings in need of help and support, they are seen as a threat to public health, as cursed. Even today, abandonment of people with leprosy is socially acceptable in many cultures, and in some nations, it is even allowable through legislation.

Annually, around 200,000 people, young and old, discover they’ve contracted leprosy

Ranjini spent her days humbly asking for alms from passersby, hoping to receive enough to get by each day. At the same time, leprosy slowly crept throughout her body and caused irreparable damage to her hands and feet. How much longer could she survive on her own? Ranjini couldn’t ask her daughter to leave her in-laws and husband to care for her, but she knew no one else to turn to—until she talked with a neighbor friend and voiced her desperate question once more.

Learning Someone Cares

Ranjini bemoaned her situation to her neighbor, Joti, one day.

“I have no one to look after me. I cannot call my daughter to live here with me,” Ranjini said. “My wound is also growing every day. What shall I do?”

The answer she received changed the course of Ranjini’s life.

Joti loved Jesus and worshiped Him at a church led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Daha. She knew Pastor Daha had a special place in his heart for people suffering with leprosy—a rare attitude in a society where leprosy patients are commonly shunned. Joti told Ranjini that if she would go see Pastor Daha, he would gladly attend to her wounds, and what’s more, he would do it free of charge.

Ranjini’s world changed that day. Someone cared about her needs as a leprosy sufferer and had dedicated his life to helping her and other patients! Ranjini had to meet him.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Pastor Daha cleaned Ranjini’s wounds and demonstrated kindness and respect toward her. The words of hope he shared gave her a new outlook on the future, and Ranjini came frequently to worship and learn more about Christ. — Pastor Daha cleaned Ranjini’s wounds and demonstrated kindness and respect toward her. The words of hope he shared gave her a new outlook on the future, and Ranjini came frequently to worship and learn more about Christ.

Kindness Points to Loving Savior

Soon, Ranjini accompanied Joti to the church and met Pastor Daha. He welcomed her with genuine love. He applied medicine to her wounds and wrapped protective bandages around them, all while treating her as someone he—and God—valued. Pastor Daha shared things that amazed Ranjini. He told her God had sent him there to care for her, and that God loved her and wanted to be part of her life.

After living as an outcast for so long, this amazing news and demonstration of kindness came as a welcome surprise. Touched by her reception at the church, Ranjini began attending worship services the following Sunday and learning more about Jesus.

Over the following weeks, Ranjini “tasted and saw” that the Lord is good and that He blesses those who trust in Him. As she learned more about Christ, Ranjini understood the true depth of her need for Him, not just as a provider of aid in her time of need but also as her Savior and Redeemer. Three months after her first visit to Pastor Daha’s church, Ranjini opened her heart to Jesus.

Ranjini doesn’t live alone anymore—Jesus is at home in her heart—and she doesn’t need to worry about her future. She knows her Maker sees her and knows her needs, and she knows His children do too.

Make the Neglected a Personal Priority

Thankfully, men and women across the globe—like Pastor Daha—are championing the cause of people with leprosy. Many Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers focus on serving neglected leprosy patients by helping them in simple yet significant ways. They cook meals, clean homes, help with personal hygiene, comfort lonely hearts and treat wounds, all in the name of Christ. By showing patients the respect and care they deserve, these workers are bringing Christ’s love to thousands.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Even amidst a very difficult life, leprosy patients like this woman are able to smile when they glimpse the love of their Maker. Today, you can help Gospel for Asia-supported workers demonstrate God’s deep love and care for more people afflicted with leprosy. — Even amidst a very difficult life, leprosy patients like this woman are able to smile when they glimpse the love of their Maker. Today, you can help Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers demonstrate God’s deep love and care for more people afflicted with leprosy.

Today, you can help give vital care to leprosy patients by supporting the work of Gospel for Asia-supported leprosy ministry. Your donation will send hope and practical help to men and women like Ranjini, many of whom don’t yet know anyone cares for them.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Gospel for Asia Provides Someone Who Cares

Learn more about the GFA-supported leprosy ministry, or the Reaching Friends Ministry, helping remind people affected by leprosy that, despite the stigma of leprosy, they have dignity and are valued by God.

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

Notable News about Gospel for Asia: FoxNews, ChristianPost, NYPost, MissionsBox

Gospel for Asia Helps Man Find Jesus at Just the Right Time

March 24, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the stigma of having leprosy, the suffering, humiliation, and the love of Christ shown through those like a Gospel for Asia (GFA) supported pastor, and Sisters of Compassion (specialized women missionaries).

Balwant looked at the well near his house. He wondered if he could do it, if he could jump in and end his life. Would it be quick? Would it be painless? He had already experienced more pain than he wanted to endure. Death would be a welcome end to this marred life of illness and rejection he was now living. He didn’t know what else he could do.

The Stigma of Having Leprosy

Balwant was an educated man who worked as a tutor, helping the children in his village with their studies. He had a wife, three daughters and son. When he was in his 30s, he noticed white patches on his leg. They itched and then became numb. It turned out to be leprosy, a chronic skin disease that can cause serious nerve damage and leave a person disfigured if left untreated.

Even though the disease is curable with a multidrug treatment, the stigma that comes along with it is not.

When the people in Balwant’s village found out he had leprosy, they started avoiding him. Balwant was one of tens of thousands of people in South Asia suffering from leprosy and the humiliation and ostracism that comes along with it. For centuries, leprosy patients have been barred from accessing common wells or participating in festivals, because people believe their presence increases the risk of contagion. They’re often rejected, even by family members who fear they, too, will “catch” the disease or have to endure social rejection because of them.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Balwant was one of tens of thousands of people in South Asia suffering from leprosy and the humiliation and ostracism that comes along with it. — Balwant was one of tens of thousands of people in South Asia suffering from leprosy and the humiliation and ostracism that comes along with it.

There are some people who even think leprosy is a punishment from the gods for past sins, so they avoid those affected because they do not want to incur the wrath of the gods.

Balwant and his family ended up moving from the village.

Hospital Visit Leaves Man with Amputated Leg

By the time Balwant went to a mission hospital for treatment, the disease had progressed so severely that he was transferred to another hospital for better medical care. Because the leprosy had been eating away at the nerves in his right leg, doctors amputated Balwant’s leg at the knee.

Balwant was now weak, unable to work and unable to afford the medical treatments necessary to help cure him of the high blood pressure and diabetes he had developed as well.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Twenty-eight years of suffering from leprosy left Balwant weary of life. He didn’t want to be a burden to his family. He didn’t want to live, so he plotted to end his own life. — Twenty-eight years of suffering from leprosy left Balwant weary of life. He didn’t want to be a burden to his family. He didn’t want to live, so he plotted to end his own life.

Man Longs for Death to End His Suffering

Twenty-eight years of suffering from leprosy, and now high blood pressure and diabetes, had taken more than just a physical toll on Balwant; they left him weary of life. He didn’t want to suffer anymore.

Balwant thought death would take away his shame, that death would relieve his family members of the burden of caring for him, that death would resolve all his problems. He wanted to hang himself, but the disease had riddled away his muscles, leaving him without strength in his hands or leg to carry out his self-imposed death sentence.

There was a well nearby his house, though. He’d see it and wonder if he could end his suffering simply by jumping in. Days passed, and he mentally prepared himself to end his own life.

Man Realizes Value of Human Life

In the midst of this misery, Balwant met Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Daha and three Sisters of Compassion, specialized women missionaries.

Every Saturday, Pastor Daha would visit with the people in Balwant’s community to offer encouragement and to pray for their needs. He had heard of Balwant’s condition, so he and the three Sisters of Compassion, Ujvala, Leena and Puji, decided to visit him.

After listening to Pastor Daha share about Jesus Christ and His compassion, Balwant felt a stirring in his heart. He opened up to the pastor and missionaries and told them of his agony and his plans to end his life.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: As Balwant spent time learning more about Jesus through the love and care of Pastor Daha and the three Sisters of Compassion, he stopped plotting his own death and began to live again. — As Balwant spent time learning more about Jesus through the love and care of Pastor Daha and the three Sisters of Compassion, he stopped plotting his own death and began to live again.

Pastor Daha and the sisters prayed for the suffering man and encouraged him from God’s Word. For many days, they prayed for him, and Balwant’s health began to improve. He also felt a peace that surpasses understanding grow in his heart and mind, and he began to realize how valuable his life was.

Christ’s Love Shown Through Servants Touches Man

Pastor Daha, Ujvala, Leena and Puji visited Balwant and his wife regularly. They helped them fetch water and chop vegetables. They even trimmed Balwant’s nails for him—a small task that many leprosy patients can’t do for themselves—showing him the tender love of Christ.

As Balwant spent time learning more about Jesus through the love and care of Pastor Daha and the Sisters of Compassion, he stopped plotting his own death and began to live again.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Pastor Daha and the women missionaries visited Balwant and his wife regularly. They helped them with daily tasks and even trimmed Balwant’s nails for him, showing him the tender love of Christ. — Pastor Daha and the women missionaries visited Balwant and his wife regularly. They helped them with daily tasks and even trimmed Balwant’s nails for him, showing him the tender love of Christ.

“I was emotionally weak and thought to end my life,” Balwant said, “but I found Jesus in the right time. I thank God that He loves me.”

A few months after Balwant discovered the love of His Savior, he became ill with jaundice. He passed away Dec. 29, 2015, and now gets to spend eternity with the One who loves him—redeemed and fully restored. Truly, he did find Jesus at just the right time.

Every year, there are nearly 230,000 new cases of people diagnosed with leprosy. About 60 percent of those cases concern people living in India alone. While leprosy is a curable disease, many men, women and even children find themselves abandoned and scorned because of it. Like Balwant, they live with shame and hopelessness as their constant companions. But God is using His servants to give these precious people hope and new life in Him—and you can help.

Give to Leprosy Ministry

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, He Found Jesus at Just the Right Time

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

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Gospel for Asia-supported Women Missionaries Breaking the Status Quo

February 21, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Elangbam and his family, a history of crime and rebellion, experiencing debilitating sickness, and from resisting the message Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries bring, received healing for His body and Jesus in his heart.

Elangbam may have only been 16 years old when he joined a local militant group, but he instantly took on the duties of a man. As the years went by, he rose through the ranks of the group and became their financial leader. With this extravagant experience, his future was full of potential. But in one moment, it all came crashing around him.

The police captured him, putting an end to his rebel lifestyle. When the police released him, Elangbam abandoned his past and moved to a new village. He married and began farming for a living. He made a quiet life with his wife and their five children. His unspeakable crimes faded into the past and life was comfortable—until three strange women arrived in the village.

Missionaries Befriend Village’s Young Women

When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported women missionaries Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva moved in, the villagers were shocked by their different lifestyle. Instead of staying near the home, as was culturally expected, these women spent their days visiting the homes of other people and trying to make new friends. What the missionaries saw as kindness, the villagers saw as loose character.

Still, Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva continued visiting with those who would receive them. Eventually, some of the young women in the village opened up to the missionaries and befriended them.

One of these women was Elangbam’s 19-year-old daughter, Nabati. As she watched the missionaries and heard what God had done in their lives, she decided to open her heart to Jesus.

Overwhelmed by Christ’s love, she began telling her family about Jesus, but they responded harshly to her.

“Have you gone insane?” they asked her.

“Do you know what you are saying? You have been fooled by your Christian friends. Do not mingle with them anymore because then you are going to talk nonsense.”

With that, she was banned from seeing her new friends.

Daughter Prays for Family to Know Jesus

Nabati continued to pray for her family despite the pain of their harsh words, and she found ways to visit the missionaries in secret. She asked them to visit her family, but the hostility the missionaries received from Nabati’s family greatly discouraged them from visiting.

One day, Elangbam became ill. He tried to visit a doctor and the local witch doctor, but he could not afford enough visits to get well.

When Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva heard of Elangbam’s sickness, they gathered some fruit and snacks to take to him. They shared the confidence that Jesus could heal him, and they prayed for him.

From then on, Nabati kept the missionaries informed of her father’s condition. As his health worsened, he soon lost the ability to move without feeling pain.

Soon, the entire village knew of his depleting health and was solicitous about how he would ever get better. Nabati became more worried when her father hadn’t improved even a week after the missionaries visited and prayed.

Prayers Restore Father to Good Health

The women missionaries remained sure that Jesus could heal Elangbam and encouraged Nabati to also trust Him.

One month later, Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva were walking through the village when they saw Elangbam outside, in no pain at all. Filled with joy, he told them their prayers and his daughter’s faith had brought him healing.

From then on, Elangbam and his wife began treating the missionaries differently. They welcomed Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva into their home and their hearts slowly changed as they listened to the message of Jesus.

Through this incredible healing, many other villagers began treating the missionaries with respect. Today, women missionaries continue to shine the light of Jesus in this place.

Villages all across South Asia are still waiting to see the transformational love of Christ lived out. You can help them experience His healing touch by sending more Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported women missionaries just like Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva.

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion, specialized Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries, who have hearts that ache for hurting women and those deemed as poor and needy.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Rebel Faces Daughter’s Defiance

Read the Gospel for Asia Special Report: 100 Million Missing Women and the Aftermath of Acute Gender Imbalance

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

Despite All Odds

November 20, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the life of a widow named, Amey and her family who, through a life exposed to lack, danger and desperation, found refuge in God’s grace who provides all that they needed, business, protection, peace and joy.

Riots swept through the small village, causing upheaval in every way. Those behind the riots began to extort every local business, attempting to further their cause. Gair, as a dry-fish vendor, was one of them. The activists gave him an ultimatum: Pay a sum upwards of $60,000 or face the consequences. Gair refused; he did not have the money. He was murdered in his own house. He left behind a wife and four daughters. Amey, Gair’s widow, wondered what to do.

Left Adrift, Unsafe

“I had to go through lots of problems after my husband passed away,” Amey recalled. “I had to protect my children.”

To ensure her daughters’ safety and future, Amey began to sell her belongings.

“Our economic situation went from bad to worse and most of our house belongings had to be sold,” Amey shared. “I was mentally drained …”

Another Attempt

When money ran out and there was no more to sell, Amey decided to revive her husband’s business. Things started to look up as the business began to thrive. But others businessmen looked upon her success with jealously. They harassed the widow, even attempting to kill Amey.

“One day, two men came on a motorcycle and followed my scooter while I was on my way to the market, and they shot at me,” Amey remembered. “The first bullet passed somewhere, and the second hit my scooter … and I fell on the road. This was a great escape, but I immediately decided to stop this business for the safety of myself and my daughters.”

Amey found herself back at square one. This time, she didn’t know what to do.

Truly Desperate

Anxiety, worry and uncertainty gnawed at Amey’s heart. What would happen to her and her daughters? Was there any hope at all? Who could help them?

A neighbor of theirs, who often helped the beleaguered family, suggested Amey and her daughters attend church services led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Maran. When they visited, the believers instantly welcomed the widow and her daughters. Amey immediately felt peace.

“When we went back home that day, I asked my daughters what they felt,” Amey said. “All of them felt so great as they could experience peace and joy.”

A New Business and Blessing

Soon after, the Lord inspired her to open a spice business. The new venture, blessed and prayed for by the pastor, brought in the much-needed income to support Amey and her daughters.

“I have no words to thank my Lord Jesus for the miracles that He has done in my life,” Amey says. “I am so thankful He has saved me and also protected me in order to be the strength for my daughters. Now we are living with God’s grace, and our lives have been blessed immensely.”

Think About It

Like Amey and her daughters, there are many women and their families left to pick up the pieces after their husbands pass away. If you would like to help them, visit gfa.org/gw/widows

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, Ministry Focus: Despite All Odds

Learn more about the 100 Million Missing Women and the Aftermath of Acute Gender Imbalance.

Learn more about how to sponsor and help the children from families stuck in generational abject poverty who need a Bridge of Hope.

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

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.

Lifting Their Burdens

November 8, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the stories of families and people who struggle against poverty, the destitution that they experience, and the life-altering impact tangible gifts of generosity can bring to the marginalized.

I certainly wasn’t rich growing up, but I never knew poverty, either. I always had three meals a day, a roof over my head and A/C and heating (rarely needing heat because Texas winters are mostly mild). Poverty was never something I personally experienced, but having seen its effects on families and communities, I am familiar enough with it.

Absolute Poverty

Growing up at Gospel for Asia (GFA), I heard countless stories of the struggle against poverty. But I also heard how Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers—both with the truth of God’s love and with income-generating gifts such as farm animals and tools—have brought hope to numerous impoverished families.

Compared to them, I have had nearly everything handed to me on a silver platter. My daily prayer is that I don’t take for granted the blessings around me. There are children starving, literally eating dirt to satiate their hunger. Dr. K.P. Yohannan, president and founder of Gospel for Asia (GFA), shared this story in his book No Longer a Slumdog:

“One of my most painful memories has to do with a little girl named Meena. Meena was a beautiful 5-year-old living in a slum. She had the biggest brown eyes. When social workers first saw her, she was standing in six inches of sewer water. … Later, I learned that she began eating the sewage-infested dirt off of the streets. Soon she went into a coma and died.”

Breaking the Cycle

Poverty encompasses millions within its grasp; whether abandoned street children, struggling farmers or mistreated widows, millions are trapped in destitution.

Yet in the face of such despair, countless Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers and pastors toil joyfully among the struggling and hurting. It is their goal to see the impoverished and lowly lifted up—through gifts provided by our supporters and partners, they are doing just that.

But, you may ask, what gifts exist that help those in poverty? Income-generating gifts include farm animals such as cows, goats or chickens; tools such as sewing machines and pull carts; and vocational training and literacy classes. Each gift brings help in some form to families in desperate need. Goats, for instance, provide nutritious milk to sell or consume, and their offspring can be sold for additional income. Kirpal and Bani are one couple helped through a pair of goats.

Provision Amongst Struggle

One day, a believer in Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Taranga’s church informed him of a struggling family in the village. The believer asked if Pastor Taranga could go to the family and offer prayer and encouragement, because they were truly struggling, both financially and emotionally. Together with other members of the church, Pastor Taranga set out to see what help they could bring this struggling family.

The pastor met Kirpal and Bani who, together with their four children, had fallen on hard times. Bani had been struggling with an unidentifiable illness for quite some time. Her condition made it hard to eat. She became weakened to the point of being unable to walk.

All of Kirpal and Bani’s money had gone to finding a cure, but nothing had worked. Their money practically gone, the family had barely enough to survive. On top of it all, the roof of their house was flimsy, making worrying sounds in the night and leaking during rainy season.

After hearing the couple’s woes, the pastor was filled with compassion. He and the believers prayed for Kirpal and Bani, and before leaving, also promised to continue visiting. For the next several months, Pastor Taranga continued to visit Kirpal and Bani, always praying for the harried and hurting family. Through constant prayer, the illness afflicting Bani completely disappeared.

With one burden lifted off the family, Pastor Taranga began thinking of other ways to bless Kirpal and Bani. Then it came to him. Some months later, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported gift distribution was organized—Kirpal and Bani were invited. There, they received a pair of goats.

One year found those two goats turning 12. Kirpal was able to sell six, taking the money to buy thin sheets of cement to finally fix their leaky roof. It was also enough to pay school fees for their four children and buy enough food.

Alleviating Poverty, One Family at a Time

All it can take is one gift to truly save a family from utter destitution. Through income-generating gifts, countless lives in Asia have been changed, and will continue to be changed.

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.

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

Devastation Meets a Glimmer of Hope

September 8, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the desperate reality that families and their children trapped in poverty experience, and the hope that God provides through His means like Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope centers.

Sibirah posed next to Rajdev as the camera captured the special moment. In Rajdev’s hands were two plaques recognizing his talent in public speaking. Sibirah touched the side of the framed plaque. This was her firstborn son—her little boy who had been abandoned by his dad. This was her son who once had no hope for a future education because of their poverty. Now, there he stood, holding up his achievements.

This is Rajdev. His alcoholic father abandoned him and his mother, Sibirah, when he was born. Without his father's support, his childhood was filled with struggle and poverty. — This is Rajdev. His alcoholic father abandoned him and his mother, Sibirah, when he was born. Without his father’s support, his childhood was filled with struggle and poverty.

Alcoholic Dad Abandons Family for First Time

Rajdev’s father, Jairus, left home before he even saw his newborn son’s face. Alcohol appeared to be more important to him than his family. Jairus’s addiction to the bottle left him hard and immovable, even after much pleading from his pregnant wife and his sister. Tensions eventually exploded in one final argument.

Sibirah was now a single mother, left with nothing to support her family. She had a son to raise and hospital bills to pay from her delivery. But these weren’t the only troubles she faced.

Near Death Experience

One day, little Rajdev gasped for air. He was suffering from a severe asthma attack, and the doctors held no hope for his survival.

Her Son was dying.

Sibirah watched helplessly as her son was slipping away from her with no support given by her husband and no hope for her little one’s future. She had nothing but love to offer her son, much like many poverty-stricken single mothers in Asia. What would his little life hold? What trials and troubles lie ahead for this abandoned son?

At the last moment, Rajdev’s aunt, a woman of faith in Jesus, prayed over her nephew, and the Lord healed him completely! It was a miracle. God spared Rajdev’s life. Now Sibirah needed to find a way to support and educate her only son.

New Hopes Dashed When Father Leaves Again

As years passed, Sibirah somehow managed to keep herself and her son alive, though it was difficult to raise a son on her own. One day, Rajdev’s father returned home to them, hoping for a new and more peaceful life together with his wife and son—a life without alcohol. Jairus promised Sibirah that he wouldn’t drink anymore, but his addiction slowly made a way back into his life. Once the bottle entered the scene again, peace left their household and fighting commenced.

When Sibirah was about to give birth to their second child, Jairus left home again. Life turned from lacking peace to being miserable for Sibirah. Abandoned by her husband once more, Sibirah was now left with two mouths to feed.

Sibirah longed to end her own life. It seemed like the only way out of the grief she lived day in and day out. But whenever she thought of her children and their futures, she resolved to live and give them decent lives. She wanted to give them good educations. She knew that education was one of the only means for her children to escape the kind of life she lived. She dreamed of them becoming something greater than she or their father had become.

But how?

Through the Bridge of Hope program, more than 70,000 children, like Rajdev, are being given a chance to hope for their future.

Restoring Hope Through Free Education

Sibirah’s devastation in life met with a faint glimmer of hope when she heard about an opportunity for Rajdev to be enrolled in a tutoring program. The same sister whose prayer saved Rajdev’s life now introduced them to a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope center. Soon, little Rajdev was enrolled.

Life would never be the same again.

Young Rajdev began going to school, as the Bridge of Hope center provided him with enough paper, pencils and school supplies so that he could attend school and receive tutoring at the center to help him in his studies. In many regions in Asia, education is offered to all children through government schools, but each child needs to have a school uniform and school supplies to be able to fully participate.

Joy replaced worry in Sibirah’s heart as she watched her son blossom in the Bridge of Hope center. A daily meal, school supplies and opportunities for her son to compete in statewide competitions were all part of her son’s growth, as it was for his classmates and the more than 70,000 children who participate in Bridge of Hope across Asia.

Rajdev’s talents began to unfold as he won two state-level speech competitions. With this newfound talent, and all the help and encouragement Rajdev received from his teachers at the center, his aspirations grew as he dreamed of becoming a doctor—a dream he would most likely never have been able to see fulfilled if it weren’t for Bridge of Hope.

You can give hope for children trapped in poverty today by giving a gift to the Unsponsored Children's Fund. — You can give hope for children trapped in poverty today by giving a gift to the Unsponsored Children’s Fund.

Help Meet the Immediate Need for Children Trapped in Poverty

Today, Sibirah doesn’t know where her husband is, but because of the help and encouragement her family is receiving through Bridge of Hope, she can face the future with a new sense of optimism. Her children have a chance for a better future, and she hopes Jairus will return to them one day to be part of their lives and see for himself the potential in their son’s life.

Imagine what would have happened to Rajdev and Sibirah if Bridge of Hope hadn’t entered their lives. Maybe Sibirah would have ended her life, or perhaps Rajdev would have joined the 168 million children trapped in child labor. By God’s grace, this was not their story. Bridge of Hope made a way out for them. You can be part of helping families in need like Sibirah and Rajdev’s.

Help a child like Rajdev with your gift to the Unsponsored Children’s Fund!

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, Hope in the Unknown

Learn more about how to sponsor and help children trapped in generational abject poverty who need a Bridge of Hope.

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