August 15, 2018

Cowering in the corner - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Cowering in the corner … children in Asia like Bijay are often in need of assistance at home and at school, to escape the cycle of poverty that plagues them.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World), Wills Point, Texas – One young child’s journey from cowering in the corner.

Day after day, night after night, the scene was all too familiar. Bijay would withdraw to a corner of his home in an attempt to avoid becoming the object of the venting of his father’s drunken rages. It is a scene that is common in many homes where the family lives in abject poverty, and there seems to be no hope for today or all the tomorrows that will follow.

At his tender age, Bijay could understand the poverty. His family was one of many in the village whose fathers worked in the rice paddies to provide an income upon which they could barely subsist. For Bijay, poverty was ‘normal.’

What Bijay could not understand was the indignity that a life of poverty had heaped upon his father. Kuwar had once been a young boy like Bijay with hopes and dreams of a better future, but his dreams had dissolved into a wearisome morass of hopelessness. All Bijay could understand was that his father was usually drunk and angry.

This habit, too, was common among men in the village as many suffered the cycle of shame that entraps so many fathers trying to raise a family in poverty. Shame drove them to escape from reality in alcohol. Aside from the physical abuse, the expenditure of what little income he earned for drinking continued to exacerbate the family’s poverty.

Cowering in the corner, Bijay was already heading toward the path of despair in which his father was entrapped. In fact, the child was so traumatized that he found it impossible to concentrate on his school work.

That’s the way it was the day some Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope staff came to visit Bijay’s family.

Understanding the plight of Bijay and his family, the staff did what they could by enrolling him in their Bridge of Hope center, including providing him with new shoes, school uniforms, supplies and a backpack. Attending the center, Bijay gained physical strength from being provided with a nutritious daily meal and regular medical checkups.

Yet, Bijay’s studies were not going so well. The experienced staff understood that there was a greater problem hindering his progress. The love of Jesus moved them to do something about it.

Staff members began to visit Bijay’s home on a regular basis. During those visits, they encouraged Kuwar to understand the problems his alcohol addiction were causing. When Bijay witnessed this care and concern that went far beyond his schooling, he witnessed the love of Christ. He saw that love flowing through them as they prayerfully counseled his father. Bijay, too, began to ask the Lord to help his father break his addiction.

Bit by bit, day by day, things changed. Bijay’s father stopped drinking. The daily fits of rage subsided. Kuwar’s income, once spent on alcohol, was now available to meet the family’s needs. Gradually, the family’s financial situation improved dramatically.

What is more, with the stress at home replaced by love and care, Bijay’s studies improved as he was able to diligently apply himself to his studies without having to worry about another dismal evening cowering in a corner.

When Bijay thanks Jesus for blessing his family, he is also thanking those who have responded to the Lord’s call to support children and Bridge of Hope centers through their gifts to GFA.

We have the privilege of helping others to reach others for Christ. Learn more about how you can help support the Bridge of Hope program.


Source: Gospel for Asia, Dreaming of Food and Schoolbooks
Image Source: Gospel for Asia

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July 7, 2018

Wills Point, Texas – GFA (Gospel for Asia) – Discussing where violence against women occurs worldwide, including violence against widows.

Widows in Meru, Kenya, Africa who have lost their husbands - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Widows in Meru, Kenya, Africa who have lost their husbands and have only themselves as a group to look after each other.

If a woman happens to escape the abuse so common in marriage, what happens to her once she is no longer married and becomes a widow? Does the violence against widows end?

Violence Against Widows

“Gulika’s life drastically changed the day her husband died. … Bearing the title ‘widow’ was a heavy weight to carry. The sharp, condemning words of the villagers stung Gulika’s already broken heart. Because of this, the pain of losing her husband increased all the more. It seemed that every time she stepped out of her home she wasn’t safe from their harsh criticism.

“The villagers believed Gulika was cursed. They were even afraid that if she passed them on the street, she would bring them bad luck. This shame and rejection, on top of the reality of her husband’s death, grew unbearable. Soon Gulika fell into deep emotional despair.”

Condemnation. Shame. Rejection.

a widow has lost all “color” from her life once her husband has died - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Wearing a white sari symbolizes that a widow has lost all “color” from her life once her husband has died.

Gulika, like so many other widows in South Asia, incurred the blame for her husband’s death—even though he had died crossing railroad tracks as an oncoming train headed his way. But that didn’t matter. The cause of a husband’s death, no matter how arbitrary or natural, is blamed on the wife.

People believe the husband’s death came about because the wife is a curse, a bad omen. They may strip her of her jewelry, shave off her hair, and force her to wear a white-colored sari, signifying she no longer has any “color” and must spend the rest of her days on earth in mourning. Often, she’s cast out of the home, left with no property and no way to fend for herself. She no longer has any family unless she has dependent children. In order to survive, she may need to beg or turn her body over to prostitution.

There are more than 57 million widows in Asia—and it transcends ages and social statuses. A person can become a widow as young as 7 years old (depending on if they were forced into a child marriage) or can come from a wealthy, high-class family. But once a girl or a woman bears the name “widow,” who they were before no longer matters. They’re obligated to live out the rest of their lives forgotten, shamed and without any hope.

The cause of a husband’s death, no matter how arbitrary or natural, is blamed on the wife.

In an article published by National Geographic, journalist Cynthia Gorney was able to get an insider’s view on the plight of widows. In one interview, she noted the “fury” a social worker named Laxmi Gautam had when talking about the condition of widows:

“We asked whether Gautam had ever imagined what she would change if she were given the power to protect women from these kinds of indignities. As it turned out, she had. ‘I would remove the word ‘widow’ from the dictionary,’ she said. ‘As soon as a woman’s husband is gone, she gets this name. This word. And when it attaches, her life’s troubles start.’”

There are more than 57 million widows in Asia - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
There are more than 57 million widows in Asia

When Will the Violence Against Widows End?

From one stage of life to the next, it would seem the women of Asia hardly get any reprieve from abuse and discrimination. Violence against women is “from the womb to the tomb,” as the old saying goes.

But in the midst of such gloom, Gospel for Asia—and other governmental and non-governmental organizations working on behalf of women’s rights in Asia—is seeing a new dawn rising for hundreds of thousands of women.

As women experience the love of fellow human beings who are willing to serve and minister to them, their understanding of their worth and value in society is elevated. Gospel for Asia-supported workers, including men, treat each girl and woman they meet with respect. They speak words of life into the hearts of women who’ve silently suffered violence, letting them know they matter, they are important, they are valuable, they are loved—even if the rest of society doesn’t believe so.

Remember Aamaal, the woman who tied a noose and was planning on hanging herself to escape her husband’s abuse? She didn’t jump. She didn’t kill herself. Instead, a relative offered her hope in the name of Jesus and led her to a compassionate GFA-supported pastor. Because of that, her life changed—and her husband experienced renewal too! He no longer drinks. He no longer beats his wife, and Aamaal is no longer living the life of an abused woman.

Geeta and her two young children rebuilt their lives - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Geeta and her two young children rebuilt their lives after their abusive father left, through the support of their local church.

When Geeta’s abusive husband left her, she went from fear to despair—not relief. She faced pressure to sell her body as a prostitute, and she eventually started working as one. But one of her friends, a believer, knew there was a better way to live. She shared loving counsel with Geeta, something she had been searching for.

The hunger and poverty Geeta and her children faced remained a problem, however, until Geeta’s children were enrolled in a Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope center. The local church has also came alongside the family, helping them find a safer place to live and provided help and encouragement.

As GFA-supported workers lead their congregations to truly value women, whole portions of society are showing women respect they’ve never experienced before. Believers can be heard thanking God for their newborn baby girls. They educate their daughters to give them a future of their own. They refuse to receive dowry as a testimony to the love of Christ. And when their sisters in Christ become widows, they embrace and support them rather than reject them.

Gospel for Asia-supported Initiatives Helping to End Violence Against Widows, Women

Through various GFA-supported initiatives, girls and women have opportunities to reach heights they were once barred from reaching because of their gender.

Literacy Training - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Literacy Training is key for helping women and widows get back on their feet.

Literacy Training

provides adult women with the opportunity to learn how to read and write—skills they never had the chance to learn, most likely because in the minds of many parents, a girl’s education is not worth investing in.

Health care seminars - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Health care seminars give women and widows practical training in personal hygiene.

Health Care Seminars

teach women how to properly take care of their pregnancies, their babies, their homes and families, which empowers them inside the home.

Gospel for Asia's bridge of Hope program - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope program helps widows with children keep them in school.

Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope Program

is a child sponsorship program that helps keep young girls off the streets and provides them with an education—while teaching every student how boys and girls are created equal in God’s sight.

Vocational training and Income-generating gifts - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Vocational training and Income-generating gifts like sewing machines give widows practical skills to earn a living.

Income-generating Gifts

give impoverished women the ability to take care of themselves and their families if their husbands are struggling to provide, unemployed, or incapacitated due to alcohol or other addictions. Vocational training makes it possible for women to learn skills that will help them find good jobs—or even start their own business!

At the heart of many of these initiatives are GFA-supported women missionaries and Sisters of Compassion, specialized women missionaries. They stand beside and advocate for the rights of abused and neglected women. They show others how to love and care for the people around them, regardless of their gender. Through them—and the guidance and teaching of male pastors and missionaries who see each woman as precious, valuable and made in the image of Almighty God—violence against women is ending. Women are enjoying new life safe from hands that once sought to abuse them.

Sisters of Compassion - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Sisters of Compassion help widows in need of support, encouragement or medical attention.

As for Geeta, she has a solid group of people who have stood with her through her hardships. We, too, can come alongside women like Geeta. Through our prayers and support of national workers, we take part in helping end the violence against women in Asia.

When we come alongside GFA-supported workers, we empower them to empower others. We have seen the fruit of these efforts over and over again, and by God’s grace, we will see more and more women set free—physically, emotionally and mentally—from the abuse and neglect they’ve known their entire lives.


For more on Patheos about violence against widows, their plight and need, go here.

This article originally appeared on gfa.org.

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March 22, 2018

Bridge of Hope - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Children attending any GFA Bridge of Hope program learn to read and write, gain positive study habits, are provided with a healthy meal, receive medical care as needed, are shown God’s loving-kindness, and develop the HOPE that their education will one day help them shake off the weight of poverty.

One of our Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastors said something both sad and ironic several years ago: “Nobody cares about the children of this village.”

While, in his eyes, his statement seemed to be true, the irony is that it was not entirely so. The mere fact that he said it indicated that he cared. In fact, he admitted, “I have a great burden for this village.” The reason he cared is that he knew that Jesus cares.

The village of which he spoke is home to 2,000 impoverished families whose daily need is survival. Their entire life is consumed with laboring to feed themselves and their families. Their fight for survival means their children are forced to work in laborious and tedious tasks to generate adequate resources.

Many of these families live in one-room huts, often made with only sticks and plastic. They have no nearby sources of clean water. They lack proper sanitation facilities. What food they are able to acquire does not always provide adequate nutrition. And there doesn’t seem to be a way out.

A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute found that there is a substantial difference in poverty levels beyond what we comprehend. There is a poverty level at which people can “achieve a decent standard of living,” but these villagers and their children live below that level in the realm of “bare subsistence” where hope and a way out appear non-existent.

Children's Ministry - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia

Food, clothing and medical care are honorable and necessary charitable acts that demonstrate the love of Christ. They are gifts and services that sustain life. However, they do not, in and of themselves, create a bridge to a better life.

Food can make a destitute person less hungry, but they are still impoverished. Clothing can help provide a sense of dignity, but it does not change a person’s circumstances. Medical care can prevent disease, but it cannot break the bondage of abject poverty.

Creating a Bridge of Hope

This village is an example of how Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope (BOH) centers make a difference.

Bridge of Hope centers provide an educational experience for school-age children in which they learn the practical skills that can be the bridge to a better life. Each school day, students practice reading, writing and math in an environment of Christian love where staff members guide them to the hope for a better tomorrow by teaching them life skills that will become their bridge out of the generational curse into which they were born.

Education is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Each evening when a child goes home from a Bridge of Hope center, they return to the same existential scenario. But each evening they go with a little more hope for the future.

The centers offer each child with daily, nutritious meals to give them the energy they need to learn and grow. Regular medical checkups are also part of the program. BOH centers even provide the students’ school supplies.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) has helped touched the lives of more than 75,000 children through Bridge of Hope centers. What these children have learned and are learning gives them a bridge they can cross to pass over “the hurdles of tragedy and poverty and press on to a future bright with promises.

The program helps the children with their education so they can one day get a good job and afford sufficient food, decent clothing, medical supplies and other necessities of life for themselves and for their families. Beyond this, Bridge of Hope provides the children with opportunities to pursue and excel in their God-given skills and interests.

Bridge of Hope staff members become the hands and feet of Christ to the students and their families, serving them with genuine love, compassion and respect. Staff members maintain relationships with the parents and children and offer them counsel, encouragement and, ultimately, give them hope.

What does a child receive at the Bridge of Hope centers?

Education. This includes tuition, books and uniforms. But even more significant is that they will get tutoring in reading and writing, which means a future of hope is guaranteed.

Nutrition. During the school day, each child receives a healthy, balanced meal.

Medical care. The Bridge of Hope leaders who care for children also monitor their health and provide care as needed. Extra attention is given in areas where malaria or tuberculosis is prevalent. In addition to periodic checkups and medical treatment, children also learn basic habits of good hygiene, such as washing hands, trimming fingernails and bathing regularly.

Development of social skills and self-confidence. From the earliest ages in kindergarten, children are given opportunities to play games and practice basic rules of courtesy.

Hope Becomes Real on the Other Side of the Bridge

While the short-term focus is on helping the children now, the long-term perspective is to enable them to become all they possibly can be as a useful servant to their community, and to one day be a blessing to many others throughout Asia.

Bridge of Hope centers are not limited to remote villages. Many are located in the slum areas of major Asian cities, where roaming through and living on top of trash heaps is a way of life and their only hope for tomorrow.

Paul encouraged Timothy to share what he had taught him with others who would then be able to show many more (2 Timothy 2:2). Following that model, the character development and social impact at work in Bridge of Hope centers is being passed on to many others throughout the community.

Bridge of Hope is not just a name for a project. It is a ministry that actually produces a product. That product is the potential for a hopeful future for children who are trapped by circumstances they did not create, in a situation they cannot escape and who would, otherwise, have no hope.

Parents and grandparents recognize the changes in their children and grandchildren, causing them not only rejoice in their hope for the future but also to realize the love of Christ in their own lives.

Even local leaders praise the work of Bridge of Hope centers for their impact on the community at large. One leader said, “I am really happy to see a social network coming up to this level of taking care of the future of children.”

The father of one of the children at the same center said, “This only can be possible through Christians. The love of Christians is great. My children are going to become well-prepared for their future. I am overwhelmed with their concern for us.”


To learn more about Bridge of Hope read “What Bridge of Hope Gives Children.”

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December 15, 2017

Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas

I hear the stories all the time. I work at a missions organization, so, of course, I’m aware of suffering children in Asia. Sometimes I pause and let it break my heart, but other times my mind glides over the words and tucks the story into a pile of “sad things” and moves on with my day.

But today I want to hear these stories with Jesus’ heart, to pause and take time to be there with these children, imagining they are my own. Listen to this little girl talk about her sister Lakshmi:

“My sister is 10 years old. Every morning at 7 she goes to the bonded labor man, and every night at 9 she comes home. He treats her badly. He hits her if he thinks she is working slowly, or if she talks to the other children, he yells at her.

I don’t care about school or playing. All I want is to bring my sister home from the bonded labor man. For 600 rupees I can bring her home—that is our only chance to get her back.

We don’t have 600 rupees…we will never have 600 rupees [the equivalent of U.S. $14].”

In another place in Asia, Neha and Prema shared a six-by-eight-feet hut with their parents and five other siblings. For a bathroom, they had to go to the railroad tracks—they had no alternatives to escape prying eyes. Their parents worked as garbage collectors, digging through people’s trash every day to look for anything they could sell or recycle. Prema and Neha often ended up helping their parents, hoping they could provide that little bit extra their family always needed.

Then there’s Sashmita and her family, who lost everything they had in a flood. Already poor, Sashmita’s parents struggled to get back on their feet and provide for their three children. After the flood, the family had to move, and they couldn’t afford to send Sashmita and her brothers to school for several years.

Children provided hope - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Children like these are being provided hope through the work of Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope.

Like many other families in Asia, all these children were stuck in a nearly unbreakable cycle. As poverty kept them from attending school, their chances for a good education—and to rise out of poverty—faded. Most likely, their children and grandchildren will inherit the same struggles.

Fortunately, for tens of thousands of children throughout Asia, this is no longer their story. The cycle of poverty is being halted at the first step: educating the children. For the more than 82,000 boys and girls enrolled in Bridge of Hope, a child sponsorship program supported by Gospel for Asia, poverty is no longer an obstacle to education.

Thousands of families have been transformed by the support they receive from the GFA community across the world to provide children in Asia with quality education and care. People from the U.S. to the U.K., from Canada to Finland, from South Korea to New Zealand and many other places around the globe are all fighting for the children of Asia to succeed. And they’re helping provide Bridge of Hope with the resources needed to ensure every child in the center—whether sponsored or not—is taken care. Because of this, we’re seeing boys and girls breaking free from the cycle that threatened to keep them stuck.

When Neha and Prema joined Bridge of Hope, their lives changed dramatically. After four years of support and education, they were able to build a three-bedroom home with an indoor bathroom for their family. Their next goal is to both become teachers to help other children in need, a goal that would have been impossible before Bridge of Hope.

For Sashmita, after enrolling in Bridge of Hope, she could return to school and receive the extra help she needed after missing so many years of education. This helped her family’s financial burden and enabled her brothers to return to school as well.

Children enrolled in Bridge of Hope are provided with school supplies they may not be able to afford and tutoring so they can excel in school. They are given a daily meal, relieving a burden for many families. They receive medical care and lessons about hygiene. Entire families and communities are impacted by the Bridge of Hope centers, freeing their children from the cycle of poverty.

It is a privilege for us to impact the lives of so many children across Asia. As Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14).

Hope and a flourishing future is the new inheritance for these children.

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December 3, 2017

Gospel for Asia (GFA) Advent Essay, Wills Point, Texas

Raju looked confused by my question, and his response revealed it: “What do you mean by Christmas tradition?”

I had served the Lord in Asia with Raju off-and-on for over a year. He was a first-generation, Asian believer with a tall, slim build and a heartwarming smile. He loved Jesus and was excited about the upcoming seasons of Advent and Christmas.

I tried to explain what I was asking to my bewildered brother in Christ, “Do you and your family have anything that you do every year to celebrate Christmas?”

I had come from a family that had been either devoted or nominal Christians for every generation that we knew of. Having immigrated from Eastern Europe to America in the beginning of the 20th century, many of the traditional ways we celebrated Christmas stretched back to before my forefathers left Europe. It never occurred to me that it may take two generations of believers to form a tradition.

Raju then went on to explain the different things his family did to celebrate Christmas, most of which actually occurred before Christmas. He told me about how they took part in different Christmas programs at his local church, how they sang Christmas carols, how they helped the poor, and how they spent Christmas Day with the Christian community.

Some of his traditions were similar to mine, some were different.

As I asked other Asian brothers and sisters about their Christmas traditions, their answers were very similar to Raju’s, though they were from different cultures and had different mother tongues. Their “traditions”—though they didn’t identify them as that—were more about what they shared with other Christians within Believers Eastern Church and the rest of the church worldwide, rather than what was passed down to them by their parents. Their Christmas and Advent traditions were truly “church” traditions, not family traditions like mine.

Believers Eastern Church in Wills Point, Texas
Gospel for Asia’s chapel in Wills Point, Texas

The Season Leading Up to Christmas: Advent

The season of Advent is an important part of preparing for Christmas. Our Asian brothers and sisters follow the traditional church calendar that has been handed down through the centuries and is followed by believers throughout the world. Their “Christian year” always starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which this year falls on December 3 (so Happy New Year!)

This first season of the church calendar, referred to as Advent, is a season to build our expectation for the coming of Christ, which we celebrate on Christmas. Advent literally means “coming,” referring to the coming of Christ. It’s approximately four weeks long but varies because Christmas always falls on a different day of the week.

However, it always has four Sundays and each of these Sundays has a different theme:

  1. Hope: The first Sunday of Advent helps to stir up a hope and longing for the coming of Christ, much like the nation of Israel had at the time of Jesus’ birth.
  2. Love: The second Sunday of Advent reminds us about the great love that God and Jesus have for us, and we are encouraged to love others as a result.
  3. Joy: The third Sunday reminds us of the excitement the angel shared with the shepherds on the night Jesus was born: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people” (Luke 2:10). That joy is now ours in Christ!
  4. Peace: The last Sunday of Advent reminds us of the peace we have with God as a result of Christ’s coming.

These themes are carried out throughout the week and are highlighted in the Scripture readings that are read in all of their churches.

Since the theme for this Sunday is hope, the Scripture readings are from Isaiah 64:1–9; Psalm 80:1–7,17–19; 1 Corinthians 1:3–9; and Mark 13:24–37. These Scripture passages are being read in every church led by a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor—and throughout the rest of the world—this Sunday. In more than 300 languages, messages of hope will be spoken by GFA-supported missionaries, and millions of hearts will be directed to the coming of Christ.

In fact, if you want to read the exact same Scripture passages that our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord will be reading, you can sign up for our daily Advent readings and prayers to help keep your heart directed toward Christ this season in the Advent.

Christian Traditions, not Cultural or Family

As I thought about how our Asian brothers and sisters described how they celebrate Christ’s coming, three things stuck out:

  1. Most of their traditions were in the Advent season, not on Christmas Day.
  2. Their traditions, though new to them, were similar to what had been practiced for centuries by Christians around the world.
  3. Their traditions centered on the Gospel and sharing the hope, love and joy of Christ with others in the hope that they, too, would find the peace that only Christ can give.

The amazing thing about what Raju and other Asian believers shared is that—even though they were first-generation believers—their traditions provide us with a blueprint of Christmas celebrations without the blemish of American materialism, which has, unfortunately, enraptured the Church. These Christ-centered practices are ancient in origin yet expressed in a way that is totally within the context of their Asian culture.

Centering Our Year on Jesus Christ

Celebrations, especially on holy days or holidays, form an important part of every culture, whether religious or secular. As the Church has grown throughout the ages, the Church calendar, with its season and holy days, has helped shape a Christ-centered Church that is consistent regardless of its surrounding culture or the era in which the Church finds itself. The Church traditions of Advent and Christmas can also help believers fend off counter-Christian practices of the surrounding cultures and unite believers around the world.

For most of the Church throughout history, Christmas has always been a holy day in the liturgical church calendar. The church calendar creates seasons that are shaped by the life of Jesus and His Church. It provides an alternative rhythm to our year that seeks to make each season centered on Christ. Following the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, it encourages us every year to remember all He did for us while on earth. This rhythm help us to enter into the Scriptures in a unique way.

Longing for the Advent of the Christ

Prior to John the Baptist showing up on the scene, there were “four hundred years of silence.” The last passages of the Old Testament were delivered by the prophet Malachi around 400 B.C. and there had been no new, God-given revelation since then. With the Roman occupation and oppression in Judea, hearts and nation were longing for the coming Messiah (that is Christ) to deliver them. The coming of the Christ was the hope of the nation.

In the first pages of the New Testament, when the silence is broken, it does not begin with telling us that Jesus was born but starts with building the expectation for His advent. The Apostle Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam, showing that based on the generations, it was time for the Messiah to come. Luke starts with the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah. The coming of the Messiah is at the door! Any time now!

Next, Gabriel appears to an unsuspecting virgin in Nazareth, by the name of Mary. The tension increases as we see that she’s betrothed to a man named Joseph who could easily dismiss and shame her. But he doesn’t. Instead, they make the long trip to Bethlehem, and the Messiah’s birth is heralded by the host of heaven!

The church calendar follows this same pattern. Advent provides a space for us in which our expectation of Christmas is built. The Scriptures that are read, the sermons that are preached and the familiarity of the season remind us to look expectantly to Christmas, to the coming of Christ. But it also, encourages us to look for His second coming now.

Sharing the Love

Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries and believers in 14 Asian countries are busy preparing for all the different programs they will have leading up to Christmas. These programs start this week, and their primary focus will be sharing the hope that we, as believers, have in Jesus. Raju and other believers are preparing Christmas carols, Scripture readings about the Christmas story, and cultural dances done to Christian songs that visually help tell the story about Jesus. Every program will have a clear presentation of the love and salvation that is in Jesus Christ. In many places, these celebrations will often include Christmas gifts to the poor to help them escape the cycle of poverty—a tangible expression of Christ’s love and what He has done for us spiritually.

The main thrust of these programs will be to take the love and hope of Christ to those in the surrounding cultures. For many, this will be the first time they’ve heard the good news of Jesus, and as a result, this Christmas will be the first Christmas many celebrate as believers!

As I prepared to celebrate Christmas with Raju and my other Asian brothers and sisters, I was trying not to be agitated about how different their celebration was compared to my own. No one bought me a present. There was none of the familiar traditional American food. No Christmas tree. I wasn’t even invited into a family’s home. Instead, we gathered as a church; we celebrated, as a Christ-centered community, the Savior who had come into the world to make us one.

Once I was able to let go of my cross-cultural shock, I was actually captivated by how appropriate a way this is to celebrate Christmas. A common meal was being shared by believers in congregations throughout Asia. For many people joining the celebration, they had never even heard of Jesus this time last year, and through the faithful witness of the believers—and for some, because of the Advent programs—they were now celebrating their first Christmas.

Old Dogs Learning New Tricks

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because we have generations and generations of Christmas tradition that we have it right compared to our first-generation brothers and sisters. But as I listened to dozens of Asian believers tell me their Advent and Christmas traditions, I was reminded how “on-fire” new believers often seem compared to us in the faith who have known Jesus and have maybe left our first love (Rev. 2:4-5).

I realized that most of my family’s Christmas and Advent traditions growing up didn’t really center on Christ. Except for going to a Christmas service, they were family traditions, not church traditions. Even the Advent calendars I opened every year had little to do with Jesus, but became a countdown to opening presents.

These new believers practice many of the historic traditions of the Church, but they—like the angels in the Gospel of Luke—are using them to proclaim Christ’s coming to the world. Their traditions make Christ known and help them to love those who won’t love them back. Because of this, Christ will be born into the hearts of many people this Advent.

Maybe if we learn from our Asian brothers and sisters, we can recapture Christmas by revamping some of our holiday traditions. We can use the Advent season to kindle our first love for Jesus and share the hope, love, joy and peace we have in Him with those who don’t know Him.

We can use GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog to give to “the least of these” and escape the materialist traditions of the season. Share the Forgotten Christmas video during Advent Sunday services. Consider organizing Christmas caroling, and hand out gospel tracts and hot chocolate to your neighbors.

However you celebrate, we can listen to John the Baptist’s admonition to “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. … And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” —Luke 3:4 & 6

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November 15, 2017

Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, TX, USA

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Who in their lifetime hasn’t heard that question or asked that question. The responses children give… it’s like the entire world is at their fingertips. To them, there’s nothing they can’t be, there’s nothing but their age that’s holding them back.

“An astronaut.”

“A farmer.”

“An intercontinental airplane pilot.” (Oh yes, I have heard that one.)

“A police officer.”

“A mom.”

“A missionary.”

“A pirate.”

Whatever they can think of that is the most exciting, most adventurous thing…that is what they want to become. And who would tell a 5-year-old, “Well, I think that’s just a bit out there. Why don’t we sit down and think about some more realistic things you can do when you grow up?”

We give children the freedom to dream. They’re supposed to dream.

But you know what? There are millions of children in Asia who don’t even know how to dream. You want to know why? Because for generations before them, who they will be when they grow up has already been dictated by their social status.

For many children in Asia, their futures are dictated by their social statues and the past of the generations before them.
For many children in Asia, their futures are dictated by their social statues and the past of the generations before them.

If your parents cleaned the sewers with their bare hands, you will clean the sewers with your bare hands. If your parents and grandparents cremated dead bodies, you will cremate dead bodies. If you were born poor, you will always be poor.

But things are changing!

Young boys and girls are dreaming. They’re growing up and chasing after those dreams—even if there are hurdles and challenges. They’re not giving up. They’re changing their destinies.

The following story is about a fisherman’s son who wanted to be a doctor.

An Unusual Catch for a Fisherman’s Son

In 2005, Ishayu entered a newly opened Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope center near his home.

Like millions of other children in South Asia, Ishayu grew up in poverty with no way of escape. But he had a dream.

This is Ishayu, a fisherman's son -KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
This is Ishayu, a fisherman’s son who dreamed of becoming a doctor. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope gave him the opportunity to realize his dream.

From my childhood, my aim was to become a doctor, so I worked very hard for that,” Ishayu shares. “The Bridge of Hope staff helped me a lot by teaching me and supporting me through prayer.”

When Ishayu graduated from the program in 2012, more than 60,000 other children filled Bridge of Hope centers across South Asia, receiving the same opportunity Ishayu had received—the opportunity to study and grow in their God-given skills and talents.

His Greatest Catch

By the time Ishayu graduated from Bridge of Hope, he was the best student in his school. His dreams of becoming a doctor seemed to be within his grasp. He took his final high school exams with a focus on biology and scored 97.5 percent. Ishayu might actually become a doctor.

But there was a problem: He didn’t make it into college. He applied again and still didn’t make it. He was told he would need to pay 2 million rupees if he wanted a seat.

The son of a poor fisherman could never pay such a large fee. And yet, against all odds, hope burned in Ishayu’s heart.

The 19-year-old approached the staff of his childhood Bridge of Hope center. These were the men and women who had helped him study and grow for seven years of his life, who had continually prayed for and encouraged him. Ishayu shared with them the situation he now faced, and they, like they had always done, responded with prayer.

Afterward, Ishayu tried one more time, and finally he was able to enter college without paying the exorbitant fee!

“God heard our prayers,” he said, overwhelmed with joy.

Against all odds, the son of a poor fisherman had found the opportunity to become a surgeon.

Bridge of Hope is giving children a chance to live out better futures - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope is giving children a chance to live out better futures!

We at Gospel for Asia (GFA) give glory to God for the changes He is bringing about in this generation of young people. We believe in and pray for Ishayu to see his childhood dream come true. I, for one, believe that was something the Lord placed inside him, and He will see it accomplished. We’re thankful for Bridge of Hope and how the staff helped that young man overcome the hurdles and challenges he faced. Our hearts are united with him and the thousands of others who have learned to dream and chase after those dreams!

Bridge of Hope centers all across Asia are providing impoverished children opportunities to become whatever they want to be when they grow up… Well, except for a pirate.

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