Gospel for Asia Missionary Shares, “Love is the Most Powerful Weapon We Have”

August 15, 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 Myo Zaw, a gospel for Asia missionary, and family who, despite the struggle and difficulty, through a burning love & desire for God, poured out their lives in love for others.

fire burned inside Myo Zaw. It was lit the day the Lord redeemed him, and it grew hotter and more intense every single day. He was like the prophet Jeremiah, unable to keep the love of Christ hidden within himself. If he tried, he felt restless, he felt sick.

Weary of holding it in, Myo Zaw shouted from the roadsides and in market places, “Christ [redeemed] me, and He will [redeem] you also!”

People thought he had gone mad. Those in his community already knew him as a hot-blooded drunkard who fought with people and beat his wife and children, and now he proved his insanity.

“But I knew I was not mad,” Myo Zaw says. “The love of God just would not simply keep [quiet] in my heart. I wanted to pour it out and share it.”

Independently Ministering

Consumed by a fire that could not be put out, Gospel for Asia Missionary Myo Zaw traveled throughout his region, walking from place to place, sharing the Word of God. He told people “how a sinner like me was found by God.” In three years, he visited 100 communities. His wife, Shway, sent him letters while he was away to encourage him.

“If your life can [be changed] by Christ, there is no one who cannot be changed by Christ,” she’d say. “So wherever you are going and sharing the Word of God, we are here to pray for you. I believe people will be changed by the love of Christ.”

And people were—350 of them. They heard of His great love and saw it lived out in His child, and it changed them.

Following Like Jesus: Gospel for Asia Missionary Network

Not long after, a man visited Myo Zaw’s village and shared about the different places in their country and how Jesus went to a foreign land, though heaven was His home.

The fire inside Myo Zaw intensified. He knew without any doubt that his life needed to be about sharing the Lord’s love with others. It was a powerful love that transformed him, and he knew others needed it, too.

Nearly 10 years later, God sent them to the southern region of their country through Gospel for Asia. — Myo Zaw (pictured) with his wife, Shway, and youngest son.

He told himself, “It is better that I go and give my life for the people in foreign lands.” So he and his wife prayed and prepared themselves to live in an area where people were unfamiliar with the Lamb of God.

Nearly 10 years later, God sent them to the southern region of their country as Gospel for Asia missionaries.

Forced Out of Community

In their new community, people quickly realized Myo Zaw and his family were Christians and decided they would have nothing to do with the new arrivals.

“We were [forced] out of community,” Pastor Myo Zaw says, “and it is very difficult to live without community.”

People threw stones at Myo Zaw’s home and threatened to penalize others if they spoke to the Christians. Even Myo Zaw’s young children faced discrimination at school because of their faith.

“Sometimes, when we would go to the market,” Pastor Myo Zaw recalls, “they’d look at us as if we were enemies. All these things we faced, but the Lord showed His grace upon us through which we are still OK now.”

Gospel for Asia Missionary: Love Turning Hearts

Myo Zaw, Shway and their children trusted Christ throughout the hardships, and with the Spirit’s fiery love pulsating within them, they learned how to love the people in their new community.

Myo Zaw’s wife, Shway, leading Sunday School in one of the local fellowships.

The pastor started with film ministry, showing people movies they enjoyed and also the film of Jesus’ life. The local children felt Myo Zaw’s and his wife’s warmth and began visiting them. Myo Zaw and Shway would give the young boys and girls treats, teach them songs and bathe the ones that came looking haggard.

The community watched how they cared for their children and wondered why this man and his wife loved them so much. Soon, people talked to them at the market, and Pastor Myo Zaw and Shway were able to reveal Christ’s love to them.

They cared for the sick and took people to the hospital when needed. When floodwaters destroyed homes and livelihoods, they and other Gospel for Asia workers helped provide relief. Pastor Myo Zaw frequently visited people to encourage them and offer words of life and hope in Christ Jesus. And people visited him as well.

God’s Most Powerful Weapon

“What I have found in my life is that love is the most powerful weapon we have from God.” —Myo Zaw

The fire God kindled within Myo Zaw on the first day of his redemption continues to burn brighter and hotter as the years pass.

“My love has become deeper for them. I care for them more,” he says of the people who are now his friends. “That’s why I don’t want to go back to my hometown. That is why I would like to sacrifice my whole life for them.”

After 14 years of displaying Christ’s love, people feel and understand Myo Zaw’s love for them and many return it. They’ve come to know that “everything I do is for them,” he says. And he does it because of Christ.

“What I have found in my life,” Myo Zaw says, “is that love is the most powerful weapon we have from God.”

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.

*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, Love on Fire

Learn more about Film Ministry in Asia, as films on the life of Jesus have proven to be one of the best ways to let people in Asia know about the sacrificial love and deliverance of God.

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

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

A Light in the Slum Through Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope Center

August 12, 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 children and their families in abject poverty, and the Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope center that help give the children of Asia the light of a brighter future.

As the Bridge of Hope administrative staff walked through the area, they saw many crude shanties lining dirty streets where hungry children roamed. They talked to poor mothers and sick fathers, people who expressed their needs and hopes for themselves and their children. Wanting to start a new Bridge of Hope center, the staff had asked a local official for his suggestion.

“If you can bring goodness to this area,” he told them, “the children will have a future.”

Sometime later, with the lighting of a lamp and the cutting of a ribbon, a new Bridge of Hope center opened its doors for 100 boys and girls in this community of downtrodden slum dwellers.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Vela a BOH student — Vela 2013

A Girl Without a Mother

Among those 100 faces was 9-year-old Vela. Vela’s mother had abandoned the family some time before, fleeing the abuse of her alcoholic husband. A few days after his wife left, he fell ill and couldn’t leave his bed. So Vela’s grandmother, Paramita, became the family’s sole provider.

Despite their abject poverty, Paramita wanted her grandchildren to get an education—and through Bridge of Hope, Vela had a chance.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Tamal a BOH student — Tamal 2013

A Boy Acting as a Father

Elsewhere in the crowd sat 9-year-old Tamal, a boy with a heavy burden. While his parents worked, Tamal ran the home and cared for his younger siblings, including a 1-year-old. After feeding them breakfast, Tamal would leave the children in a room so he could go to school for a few hours. Returning at noon, he would feed them again. When he could, Tamal collected glass and plastic bottles from the roadside to sell.

“Thank you so much for the special care toward me from Bridge of Hope,” he shared on opening day. “This will really be a hope to my life.”

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: BOH student Tamal — Tamal 2016

A Light Through Three Years of Challenges

Three years since opening, Bridge of Hope has been one of the few consistent things in Tamal’s life. In 2014, Tamal’s father divorced his mother. She moved the family out of the slum, only to return some months later, at which point Tamal reenrolled in Bridge of Hope. Since then, he continues to receive steady love and care through the Bridge of Hope staff.

Through the staff’s tutoring, Tamal’s grades are improving in school, and he is receiving a meal every day.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Vela attended a Bridge of Hope center — Vela 2016

Vela’s life has not come without challenges either. Her dad often needed to be taken to the hospital for medical treatments, so she wasn’t always able to go to school or to the center. But in the midst of this, God showed His grace through the prayers of the Bridge of Hope staff.

As is customary with all Bridge of Hope students, the staff regularly visited Vela’s home to encourage her family, talk about her education and even pray for the family’s needs. Vela saw God’s power and love when He answered the prayers of the Bridge of Hope staff and restored her father to full health. Vela’s grandmother wants to know more about the Jesus who healed her son.

Through the Love of the Bridge of Hope Center Staff

From early on, Vela and Tamal’s lives have been full of responsibility as caregivers for their families. Even so, the staff at their Bridge of Hope center has helped them succeed through tutoring, prayer and encouragement.

Vela continues to attend Bridge of Hope to this day, and now that her father is better, she is able to come consistently. She is in 8^th grade, where she enjoys studying her native language and has developed a special talent for public speaking.

“I never thought that there are people who really think about life in the slums, but now I understand Christians have caring and compassionate hearts,” Vela’s grandmother shared. “There are many children who were wandering around without meaning in this slum, and now we will see a bright future in their lives. I am really thankful to all those [who] are supportive of this center.”

That gratitude is for you. No matter what ministries of Gospel for Asia (GFA) you pray for and support. God is using you to make a difference in the lives of boys and girls like Tamal and Vela and their families. Thank you for working with us to help give the children of Asia a brighter future.

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.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Report, A Light in the Slum

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

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 Pastor’s Wife Sews 100 Face Masks for Children

July 28, 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 Bindhiya, her ministry in the slums alongside her husband, GFA pastor Sachitan, amid the Coronavirus lockdown.

Bindhiya leads a busy life serving Christ in partnership with her husband, Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Sachitan. When the COVID-19 pandemic kept Bindhiya at home, she felt powerless—but not for long.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Bindhiya, her ministry alongside her husband, GFA pastor Sachitan, amid the Coronavirus lockdown, sewing face masks for the slum children. — Bindhiya gave face masks to children in a nearby slum.

Bindhiya obtained a degree in nursing, but since marrying her husband, she takes care of people in very different ways. She faithfully serves the women of her congregation and community and leads the local Women’s Fellowship group. As an accomplished tailor, Bindhiya teaches girls in her church and women in her village how to sew. Many can now sew their own clothes.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: This girl told Bindhiya, “Thank you, didi [older sister], for this mask.” — This girl told Bindhiya, “Thank you, didi [older sister], for this mask.”

During the lockdown, compassion filled Bindhiya’s heart as she watched children wandering in her village and in the nearby slum. They played together without face masks, and she knew they risked transmitting the virus. Concern prompted her to action.

Bindhiya gathered all the cotton scraps she could find and sewed 100 face masks. Then she went to her village and the nearby slum and handed out the masks to children in need. She gave each child an extra mask to give to a friend. Soon, when other children saw their friends receiving face masks, they came and asked for masks too.

The children covered their mouths with the face masks right away, but Bindhiya could still hear grateful words spilling from their lips.

“Thank you for this mask,” said one boy. “I wanted one, but my parents could not buy it for me. Surely, I will wear a mask when I go out.”

Learn more about how to Help those in need amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, giving food and aid to Coronavirus victims.

Learn more about the need for Disaster Relief Work and how you can help GFA-supported Compassion Services teams provide things like food, blankets, medicine and other emergency supplies to disaster-affected people and villages across Asia.

Learn more about the 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.

Learn more by reading these Gospel for Asia Special Reports:

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

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Learning Obedience Instead of Swear Words

July 6, 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 Saloni and her encounter with the Gospel for Asia (GFA) VBS program, God’s instrument to soften hard hearts transforming children’s lives.

Foul words flew from Saloni’s mouth shaped like arrows pointed at her father, Laksh. Hot with anger at his young teen’s continual insolence, Laksh put his foot down and disciplined Saloni. But receiving the consequences of her actions only drove Saloni into sullenness. The 13-year-old withdrew, refusing to eat for an entire day.

Laksh tried to talk with his daughter the next day to convince her of the error of her ways. But respect in Saloni’s child-parent relationships had vanished long before. She cared little about what her parents told her to do. Saloni had joined a troublesome crowd and skipped school to wander the village with them. Soon, she skillfully quarreled with anyone who crossed her, pulling from a collection of foul words she learned from her new friends. Even when her misconduct led to discipline, Saloni ignored Laksh’s every word of correction.

Noah Impacts Rebellious Teen

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Saloni and her encounter with the Gospel for Asia VBS program, God's instrument to soften hard hearts transforming children's lives. — Saloni (pictured) wandered down a rebellious path with misleading friends and ignored her parents’ counsel. Then she heard the story of Noah, which changed her life.

In the midst of her rebellion, Saloni developed a friendship with a classmate, Nandini. One day while they chatted together, Nandini shared an interesting story she had just learned at a local Vacation Bible School program. It piqued Saloni’s curiosity, and the young girl quickly expressed interest in attending VBS too.

The next day, both girls entered the church where our pastor Pahal was hosting the Gospel for Asia (GFA) VBS program. Powerful truths filled Saloni’s ears as she carefully listened to her VBS teacher.

“Noah was a good person, and he feared God,” the teacher explained. “He obeyed God and built the ark according to His instructions. Because of that, his family was saved from the flood water.”

Until that moment, obedience had been low on Saloni’s priority list. After all, didn’t she have more fun playing with her friends and making her own decisions than she would have if she did what her parents told her to do? But the story of Noah’s obedience to God—and the subsequent deliverance he and his family experienced—made Saloni rethink her rebellious choices.

Contemplation Leads to Heart Change

Saloni began considering the implications of her actions, and she realized God values obedience and blesses those who obey.

Touched by this new understanding, Saloni resolved to obey her parents and fulfill her responsibilities well. The determination that used to empower her selfishness and rebellion now helped give Saloni the strength she needed to change her life’s course. Breaking off from her old habits, she bid farewell to her harmful friendships and resumed attending school regularly.

By the end of the week-long event, Saloni seemed like a different girl. Her parents observed her new choices with amazement.

“Our daughter’s life has changed after attending your [VBS] program,” they testified to Pastor Pahal.

Not long after first attending VBS, Saloni expressed faith in Christ. Sunday school at Pastor Pahal’s church became a regular part of her life, as did choosing to honor God. The old Saloni was gone, and the new Saloni walked daily in the power of God.

Read how Jasveer, a teen who thought being good was enough, realized what God really wanted.

Learn more about how you can give toward Gospel for Asia VBS 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.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Report, Learning Obedience Instead of Swear Words

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

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 Young Child Laborer Find New Life

June 15, 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 Ashmita, a child laborer living in a constant nightmare, and the house of refuge and hope through the help of authorities and Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported home for abandoned and at-risk children.

It burned. Ashmita hurled her exhausted young body into the kitchen. Her eyes stung as she cried out in agony. Chili powder washed off her small cheeks in a red stream as she anxiously tried to recover from the new form of abuse. But the pain in her eyes couldn’t compare to the pain and confusion found in her young, tender heart.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: After the death of her father, Ashmita (pictured) was sent to live with a family as a servant. This became a living nightmare for her. — After the death of her father, Ashmita (pictured) was sent to live with a family as a servant. This became a living nightmare for her.

A Living Nightmare

Ashmita doesn’t remember very much about her life before her father died. In fact, she hardly remembers her father at all. The only thing she remembers is he was ill and couldn’t eat spicy foods, and one day he was gone forever.

After his death, Ashmita and her mother moved into someone else’s house to do domestic housework. After a time, Ashmita’s mom sent her to live with another family as a servant. This became a living nightmare for Ashmita.

From morning to night, she washed dishes, mopped floors and sometimes washed clothes. When she couldn’t do her work, they beat her legs with canes and slapped her.

“The house where I was staying . . . I was very much ill-treated,” Ashmita shared. “When everybody [went] to bed after food at night, the house owner used to watch television. While watching the television, she used to ask me to massage her legs. If I am tired, if my hands are hurting, she used to beat me and ask me to massage her properly. One night, when I was massaging her leg, I was very tired and sleepy, and while massaging, I slept off. She went to the kitchen and brought some pepper powder [chili] and put that pepper powder in my eyes.

“Once my mother called me,” Ashmita remembers. “She asked that [woman] whether [I was] around. Then she told lie to my mother, and she replied that ‘Ashmita is sleeping,’ while I was sitting with them. While she was talking to my mother, she motioned me not to speak and be quiet and continue the work I was doing.”

Ashmita’s mother was of no comfort to her daughter. When Ashmita was allowed to talk with her mom over the phone, the young girl cried and pleaded with her, asking her to take her out of the home she lived in. But her mom told her to do whatever they said. Even though her mom was not involved in her life very much, Ashmita missed her terribly and longed to escape the life she was living.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: When the local authorities found out about Ashmita’s situation, they rescued her from life as a child laborer and brought her to a Gospel for Asia-supported home for abandoned and at-risk children. — When the local authorities found out about Ashmita’s situation, they rescued her from life as a child laborer and brought her to a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported home for abandoned and at-risk children.

House of Refuge, House of Hope

When the local authorities found out about Ashmita’s situation, they rescued her from a life as a child laborer and brought her to a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported home for abandoned and at-risk children. Now precious Ashmita is safe from abuse, pain and hopelessness. No longer forced to labor, she lives like a child should.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Ashmita plays with other children her age, bathes, receives daily meals, learns songs and dances with the other girls at the home. She attends school and likes it! — Ashmita plays with other children her age, bathes, receives daily meals, learns songs and dances with the other girls at the home. She attends school and likes it!

Ashmita plays with other children her age, bathes, receives daily meals, learns songs and dances with the other girls at the home. She attends school and likes it! She especially loves the staff who care for her, and the other girls who help her with her studies.

“I like this place so much; I like all these didis (older sisters). They work hard for me and for all of us,” Ashmita shared. “I like this place and I don’t [want] to leave this place and go to any other place or orphanage because of the love and care that we get here.”

Ashmita is thriving under the love she is receiving—love every child longs for.

“The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow.” —Psalm 146:9

Best of all, Ashmita has learned she is safe in the arms of Jesus. He saw her tears and knew the pain she felt in her heart. By His kindness and love, He brought her to this home. His love is found in the staff who daily look after and nurture the children who have been abused, abandoned, misplaced and forgotten, girls just like Ashmita.

Many children, just like Ashmita, experience neglect, abandonment and abuse. Learn how you can help abandoned children by partnering with Gospel for Asia.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Young Child Laborer Find New Life

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

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

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

A Gospel for Asia-supported Pastor Remembers Life on A Tea Plantation

April 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 harsh life of those living in tea estates, and the Gospel for Asia-supported pastor who show in big and small ways how much Jesus loves them.

“I was born and brought up in a tea estate. I am a son of a tea garden laborer, and I myself was a laborer once. Before even coming to the Lord, I have seen the struggles of the life of tea garden people.” —Pastor Ekanpreet

Rows and rows of lush green shrubs stretch into the horizon. Women dot the scenery, plucking tea leaves and stuffing what they’ve collected into bags they carry on their heads. Some women smile, enjoying the slivers of conversation they have with each other. Others keep their focus on their job, plucking and stuffing, so their families will have enough income to make it through the day.

For as much natural beauty that surrounds the tea estate, the lives of these laborers are far from beautiful.

Parents can’t afford to buy their children clothing.

“All I can do is just tell [my children], ‘This time I am not able to buy your clothes. Maybe next coming Christmas, I will buy some dress,’” says Mudit, father of six.

Wives are sent away to find work.

“I am barely able to buy food for my children. That was one of the reasons why I had to send my wife to [the city],” says Bhavin, father of three. “As a domestic help she has gone there so she can send us some money, and at least we can maintain the family.”

People have no restroom facilities.

“We used to go out in the open in the tea garden. That is the practice here,” says Iniyavan, a tea garden laborer. “There is lots of inconvenience when you have ladies at home, when you have children at home. For them, going to the toilet in the open, it’s not very good . . .”

Fathers suddenly vanish when the burden of caring for the family becomes too much.

“I have seen . . . the father, the head of the family, all of a sudden left the home and gone elsewhere,” says Pastor Ekanpreet, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor serving in the area. “Once the man leaves the home, he never returns or nobody hears anything about that man.”

Young boys and girls grow up thinking drugs, alcohol and promiscuity are a normal way of life.

“People here tend to live a morally loose type of life,” Ekanpreet says. “They do not think much about ethical values or moral values in their lives.”

“I lived a very worldly life,” he says. “I used to drink. I used to smoke. I did every worldly thing that a person who doesn’t know the Lord does. … I even told my wife, ‘Look, now we have two children. The money that I make from labor work, from the tea garden, is not sufficient. You sell wine and drinks at home so we can make a better living.’”

But then Ekanpreet came to know Jesus. After nearly dying from a sickness, Ekanpreet devoted his life to serving the Lord, who healed him. He left the tea estate to pursue life in ministry, but the tea-estate life was never far from his mind.

“I wanted to continue to work among the tea estate,” he says. “I am deeply attached and associated emotionally with those living in tea gardens.”

After graduating from Bible college, Ekanpreet returned with a yearning to help the people he knew were living empty, hand-to-mouth existences—like he once was. But it took patience and enduring a tremendous amount of opposition to establish the work.

Fighting the Past

Pastor Ekanpreet and other missionaries were up against a colonial-era mentality among the tea estate laborers, who thought Christians were only out to make money and turn them into slaves.

“That was the misunderstanding the people had about the work we were doing,” Ekanpreet says. “But when we understood that, our first goal . . . was to bring change in the hearts and minds of the people who were thinking like that.”

Pastor Ekanpreet and other Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers searched for ways, even using their own resources and finances, to show the tea garden laborers God’s love by caring for their needs.

“If anybody was not able to send their children to school, we helped them. If anybody was not able to buy medicine for their sickness, . . . we started to help those people,” Ekanpreet says.

Through these practical expressions of Christ’s love, the people who once opposed Ekanpreet’s ministry began to soften their hearts.

“There is something strange, new in these Christians,” they said. “They are not here to make anybody slaves . . . but their purpose is to help the poor and the needy, which we are not able to do.”

“There is something strange, new in these Christians. . . their purpose is to help the poor and the needy, which we are not able to do.”

Blazing Forward

Pastor Ekanpreet knew the people living in the tea estate had many needs, many struggles. He saw their poverty, but he also understood their desire to thrive. He knew they needed lasting help, help that would sustain them.

So he set up Christmas gift distributions to give families income-generating gifts like barnyard animals, sewing machines, rickshaws and other items to alleviate their financial burdens.

People also received other gifts that would help their health and protect their dignity, gifts like toilets and mosquito nets. Seven Jesus Wells were also installed throughout the tea estate, allowing anyone access to clean, safe water.

A Bridge of Hope center opened, giving kids, some of whom sold alcohol or were beggars, a chance for a better life. It also relieved some of the pressure parents felt to properly provide for their children, while at the same time imparting good morals to the students.

For 15 years, Pastor Ekanpreet and other Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers have served the more than 10,000 people living in the tea estate and surrounding areas, showing them in big and small ways how much Jesus loves them. Ekanpreet has seen the mindset of people change, and entire communities have been uplifted in society, but there is still much work to be done and more people who need to find the Hope worth living for.

“For the poor will never cease from the land; therefore I command you, saying, ‘You shall open your hand wide to your brother, to your poor and your needy, in your land.’” —Deuteronomy 15:11

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.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Life on a Tea Estate

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through Gospel for Asia (GFA World and it’s affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) and its Christmas Gift Catalog, 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.

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Gospel for Asia Finds Child Lost in a Sea of Faces

April 20, 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 Jishan, like many abandoned children turned to a life of begging in the streets, and the encounter that brought hope through Gospel for Asia-supported children’s home.

Three-year-old Jishan felt his grip on his father’s finger slip as the crowd jostled them in the marketplace. Suddenly, his father was gone. Strangers surrounded him.

Crying helplessly in the midst of the crowd, Jishan had no idea he would never see his father, mother or sister again.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Jishan, like many abandoned children turned to a life of begging, and the Gospel for Asia-supported children's home that brought hope. — Jishan is only one of many children who have been separated from their families at bustling marketplaces, such as this busy street. Parents can quickly disappear into a crowd, accidentally or intentionally, and never be seen again by their children.

In the years that followed, Jishan spent many days crying at street corners, hoping his family would find him. Instead, he found disappointment day after day.

Train Ride to a Life of Begging

When a kind man saw little Jishan crying in the market, he took Jishan home to care for him as his own son. Even at such a young age, Jishan’s religious beliefs were strong and contradicted those of his new family. The family treated him very well, but their different beliefs bothered Jishan deeply. Eventually, 9-year-old Jishan ran away and boarded a train bound for a major city.

Upon arriving, Jishan didn’t have a friend in the world. He had nothing to eat for the first two days in the city. To survive, he slept in the train station and partially appeased his gnawing hunger by begging.

“I used to miss my home,” Jishan remembers. “I used to think, What happened to my father? Where is he? I used to cry all alone at the station.”

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan and Gospel for Asia-supported children's home — Jishan grieved the loss of his parents, much like this young boy did. Jishan tried to survive street life on his own, but he was helpless against attacks from older boys.

At one point during the two or three weeks he spent on the streets, a group of boys beat Jishan in the middle of the night and stole the few coins he had earned through begging. Wary of everyone after the attack, Jishan isolated himself from others. But he did not go unnoticed—a loving eye spotted him among the multitudes packed into the city.

Gospel for Asia-supported Children’s Home: A House of Hope

One day, a lady approached Jishan. When she asked what his name was or if he was hungry, he barely answered her. The lady told Jishan about a place he could call home, and after listening to her for a little while, Jishan decided to trust her and accept her help.

The lady brought Jishan to a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported home for street boys. When Jishan arrived, he met the men, women and other rescued boys who would become his family. The staff gave Jishan a bath, tasty food and his very own cot in a room shared with other at-risk boys.

The environment was new for Jishan, but he embraced it. The rooms were kept neat and clean, and there was structure to the days’ events. Jishan had fallen behind in his schooling since running away, and he earnestly wanted to catch up, so the staff arranged for him to receive extra tutoring.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Boys and girls at Gospel for Asia-supported children’s home receive education, food and genuine love — Boys and girls at Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported children’s homes receive education, food and genuine love from the staff, as well as help to heal from emotional and physical trauma from turbulent childhood experiences.

One Big Family

The men and women serving at the boys’ home truly love the children they minister to. As new children enter the home, the staff recognize each child’s individual needs.

“[The children] are already depressed, they are downtrodden,” explained Manik, the project coordinator for the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported boys’ home.

“They are not happy, and people despise them in the world outside. If we are not kind to them, if we do not show love to them, they will lose hope…and I don’t want that to happen to these children.”

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: boys sheltered at the children’s home see each other as brothers and view the staff as aunts and uncles — Jishan (center) and the other boys sheltered at the children’s home see each other as brothers and view the staff as aunts and uncles, in place of the voids left by their own family members.

The atmosphere in the boys’ home is that of a big family, with many “uncles,” “aunts” and “brothers” to learn from, play with and cherish. Children who are sullen or dejected when they arrive at the boys’ home soon learn to laugh again through the love shown to them day after day. Jishan quickly recognized this genuine love.

“Everybody here is my family member,” Jishan shared. “I don’t feel that this is an orphanage; I feel this is my own house.”

Once, when Jishan experienced trouble with his legs and became weak and tired due to illness, the staff ladies cared for him and served him in many ways. They provided medicine for him and even massaged his weak legs.

“I will never forget the way they have cared and loved me,” Jishan said. “They have served me more than a mother would do to her children.”

Positive Role Models for Life

Jishan, now 16 years old, is a testimony of the love and encouragement the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported staff pour out for the children at this children’s home. Their lives demonstrate gentle yet strong character, and Jishan values their direction and counsel.

“Had that sister not come to the railway station and not met me that day,” Jishan shared, “my life would have totally changed. I would have become very bad and rogue. If I had not met that sister, I would have been into criminal activities, drinking, consuming drugs, maybe stealing, even murdering. Who knows?

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Gentle guidance and counsel from the staff helped Jishan cultivate positive character qualities — Gentle guidance and counsel from the staff helped Jishan (pictured) cultivate positive character qualities that will benefit him and those around him for his entire life.

“One of the reasons I like the staff here at [the boys’ home],” Jishan continued, “is because even if I do [make a] mistake, they correct me . . . and I don’t feel bad when they scold me because I know that they are trying to correct me. They are trying to teach me what’s right and what’s not right. . . . I know they do it out of love and concern to make my future and my life [better]. I am very grateful and thankful to them.”

Jishan might be miles apart from his biological family, yet he has joy in his heart because of the love showered upon him in Jesus’ name.

Helping Abandoned Children Flourish

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: The smiles of these two boys tell of the hope and love they discovered through the boys’ street children’s home — The smiles of these two boys tell of the hope and love they discovered through the boys’ street children’s home supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA). Through this boys’ home, hundreds of children have been cared for, and many have even been reunited with their families.

Through the kindness and care Jishan received at the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported children’s home, his ambition changed from simply finding some food to fill his stomach to becoming a cricket player and completing his education. What’s more, God’s love has been demonstrated in ways Jishan will remember the rest of his life.

Give other children the same opportunity to receive care and love by donating to the Abandoned Children Fund.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Child Lost in a Sea of Faces

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

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

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

The Expectation of Gospel for Asia School of Discipleship That Was Met

April 8, 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 Gospel for Asia School of Discipleship alumni, who experienced grace & love in the GFA community, coming to truly know & love Jesus a little bit more.

Chantelle, Steward, Marcela and Grady came to Gospel for Asia’s School of Discipleship (SD) at different times, from different parts of the world and with different ideas of what the program might look like, but they all came with a common expectation: to grow closer to Jesus.

Chantelle imagined SD would be full of rules, like a convent, and full of structured activities, like summer camp. But she knew the Lord was asking her to go.

“It’s going to be totally strict, but I’ll do it,” she thought.

‘Everything Was Going to Be OK’

When Chantelle arrived in August 2009, she had never lived with a group of girls before and didn’t know how it would work out. But as time progressed, the barrier of awkwardness broke down, and she found that although life at SD was busy and structured, it wasn’t a convent, and it could be fun. When she and her roommates spontaneously made a music video one night, she knew everything was going to be OK.

“Everything, down to living in the house with the girls . . . to working in the office—everything worked together to edify me, to sanctify me, to bring me closer to Jesus,” Chantelle says.

Steward stared at the SD ad that asked, “Can you die to yourself for one year?” The question moved him almost to tears. He felt like he couldn’t die to himself for 10 seconds successfully. Filled with a desire to be around other people who wanted to die to themselves, Steward decided to take SD up on their offer.

“I wanted to learn to die to myself,” he says. “I wanted to learn to live Christ’s life and not mine.”

Living Christ’s Life, Not His Own

Steward came to SD in August 2011 as a 25-year-old who had been living on his own for seven years. He anticipated there would be certain program expectations, like abiding by a curfew and participating in weekend activities, but he was willing to surrender his own will, knowing the Lord was using those things to do a work in his heart.

“With School of Discipleship, things like the emphasis on love and the emphasis on actually walking out things that Christ said to His followers . . . really made it clear to me the distinctions between living my own life and living Christ’s life, and made it easier for me to make the choice at times to live the life that Christ is living,” Steward says.

Marcela thought the program would be physically demanding, involving time in the mountains and climbing rocks. But she believed it would help teach her about God and what it meant to serve Him, so she braced herself for the challenges.

“Oh boy,” she thought, “I don’t have enough strength, but the Lord will have to give it to me.”

Preparing for a Lifelong Walk

When Marcela arrived at SD in 2011, she came as a new believer eager to discover what it meant to serve the Lord and “pick up her cross.”

She didn’t learn about this concept through physically demanding activities, as she had envisioned. Instead, she grew in understanding as the Lord challenged her in daily life—whether through praying with other students and the staff, learning to serve her roommates, or discussing topics like discipleship during class.

“As a new believer, you have all this zeal, and you’re like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to follow Jesus and serve Him,'” Marcela comments. “But I think if there’s not that very crucial time of discipleship, . . . we’re human, so we tend to just forget about it, you know? But the Lord was gracious and merciful, and He brought me here to the School of Discipleship to be discipled. And during that time, He taught me a lot about what it means to live reality in the light of eternity.”

Grady believed SD would offer something he needed and wanted: an opportunity to go deeper in his personal relationship with Christ.

“It really struck a chord with me because I knew I wasn’t living what a Christian should be,” Grady says.

Learning Through Grace

When Grady left Australia for SD in January 2014, he found it incredibly difficult to wave goodbye to his parents. But when he arrived in Texas, he found a refreshing sense of community and unity among the staff at Gospel for Asia (GFA) and among his roommates and resident assistants, who helped him grow in his walk with Jesus.

“Getting to live with them and seeing their walks with the Lord was a huge encouragement to me to pursue after Him,” Grady says. “The other students were fantastic. … Definitely my spiritual life was a result of having those people around me.”

A Common Goal Found in Gospel for Asia School of Discipleship

Marcela, Grady, Chantelle and Steward couldn’t fully imagine what SD would be like before they arrived, but they each agree that they graduated as changed people. As they spent time with the Lord in prayer and experienced grace and love in the community at Gospel for Asia (GFA), they came to know and love Jesus a little bit more.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, The Expectation that Was Met

Learn more about the GFA School of Discipleship program — a life-changing year in study and growth in true discipleship.

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

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

Drinking Lessons with Mom to Life Lessons with Gospel for Asia

March 2, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing a story of destroyed lives by alcohol addiction, resulting to widowhood, extreme poverty, and the hope a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-sponsored Bridge of Hope center brings.

Some mothers prepare their teenagers for adulthood by helping them in their studies, feeding them healthy meals and teaching them how to treat others well. Sahdev’s mother, Vahini, spent time drinking with her son.

Despite an adolescence of consuming booze with his mother, Sahdev found steady work as an adult, but he spent all his earnings on alcohol. Over time, his habit grew with such force that even his mother was disturbed by it. Vahini wondered if perhaps a wife would temper her son’s addiction—so she began searching.

Alcoholic Son Marries, Abuses Wife

Vahini managed to keep Sahdev’s alcoholism a secret while she arranged marriage between him and a young woman named Tanu. However, it didn’t take long for the bride to discover her new family’s secret. From the beginning of the union, Sahdev tormented his wife with verbal abuse and brutal, drunken beatings.

Despite Vahini’s wish that marriage would soften her son, she didn’t support any of Tanu’s efforts to change Sahdev. Even when her daughter-in-law became pregnant with a vulnerable child, Vahini continued to side with Sahdev and his drunken outbursts.

Unhindered, Sahdev’s alcoholism only grew worse, inflicting significant liver damage. As Tanu anticipated raising her child with a drunken father, Vahini tried to find proper treatment for Sahdev. However, two months after a little boy, Aakar, was born, Sahdev died.

Vahini put all the blame on Tanu and the newborn baby. Instead of comforting Tanu or repenting of her role in her son’s death, Vahini demanded that Tanu leave the house. When the young mother resisted, Vahini beat her the same way Sahdev had for the last two years.

Grandparents Care for Mother and Young Child

With a 2-month-old child and no other options, Tanu returned to her parents’ home in the slums. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but her parents comforted her and encouraged her to stay with them.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing a story of destroyed lives by alcohol addiction, resulting to widowhood, extreme poverty, and the hope a Gospel for Asia-sponsored Bridge of Hope center brings. — Due to extreme poverty, hundreds of thousands of children in Asia never experience a normal childhood. From an early age, these kids are faced with situations and decisions that most of us haven’t ever had to make, much less as a child.

Tanu began looking for a job that would give her time to care for Aakar, but it proved to be an impossible task. The family’s social caste had been restricted to jobs with long hours and low pay for generations.

Instead of pressuring Tanu, her father, Chandrakiran, took on the role of providing for his daughter and grandson. Tanu helped her mother at home while Chandrakiran worked as a daily wage laborer. When it came time to put Aakar in school, however, the cost of his education was too much for the family.

For all her looking, Tanu still hadn’t found a good job. She and her parents scrimped and saved what little they had, but even when they enrolled Aakar in a free city school, the costs for his supplies were overwhelming. And if anything ever happened to Chandrakiran, the family would have nothing at all.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Tanu's father worked hard to support his wife, Tanu and Aakar, but the family's finances became strained when Aakar began school. — Tanu’s father worked hard to support his wife, Tanu and Aakar, but the family’s finances became strained when Aakar began school.

Neighbors Tell Family about Gospel for Asia-sponsored Bridge of Hope Center

If Aakar was forced to drop out of school at the age of 6, he wouldn’t be the first. Only 40 percent of his people are literate. Still, his mother and grandparents felt Aakar should be included in that percentage. After all, their neighbors were gripped by poverty, too, yet their children were well fed and thriving in school.

When Tanu talked to her neighbors about their children’s education, they said their children were receiving help in their Gospel for Asia (GFA)-sponsored Bridge of Hope center, a program that offered support, including an education, tutoring, meals and medical care, for children of needy families like their own.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing a story of destroyed lives by alcohol addiction, resulting to widowhood, extreme poverty, and the hope a Gospel for Asia-sponsored Bridge of Hope center brings. — In addition to tutoring Aakar (pictured), the staff at the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-sponsored Bridge of Hope center relieves his family’s burden by paying for all Aakar’s education expenses, feeding him and providing medical care.

Seizing her chance, Tanu enrolled Aakar at the center in June 2013. True to the neighbors’ account, the staff eagerly began building up Aakar’s academic skills while filling his hands with school supplies, hearty meals and even a gift for his birthday.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: As Aakar grows, Tanu (pictured) has hope that he will grow up to be a good man who loves others. — As Aakar grows, Tanu (pictured) has hope that he will grow up to be a good man who loves others.

Mother’s and Son’s Lives are Changed

As they cared for Aakar’s physical needs, the staff demonstrated compassion and kindness to Aakar every day. Tanu has hope that her son’s life will look very different from his father’s.

“I can see that my child is improving in his studies and learning good habits through the Bridge of Hope center,” Tanu said. “I only wish that my child will grow up [to be] a good companion and never ever become addicted to alcohol or any kind of bad habits.”

By sponsoring Aakar, someone like you has brought lasting hope to a child, his mother and even his grandparents. You can be part of transforming a family, too.

Learn more about how to sponsor and help children trapped in generational abject poverty through Gospel for Asia-sponsored Bridge of Hope Center.

Source: Gospel for Asia Feature Article, Drinking Lessons with Mom

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

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

Alone No Longer Because of Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope

February 8, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the life of Jenya, like many children like her with families trapped in a cycle of poverty, and the impact Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope centers bring, a place where children can know they are loved and lovable.

Imagine a little girl gazing out a living room window, two streams of tears cascading down her cheeks. Out the window, she sees empty paths flanked by lush vegetation. She would rather look outside—or sleep the day away—than feel the isolation of the small room.

This is what Jenya’s life was like.

Jenya lived with her grandparents on a tea plantation where they worked. The rest of her family lived on another tea plantation more than 30 miles away. Once a month, Jenya’s parents would scrape enough money together for the journey to see their daughter. The joy of family visits was quickly replaced by feelings of rejection and abandonment as soon as her parents left. The separation left a gaping hole in the young girl’s heart.

Families like Jenya’s parents and grandparents, who work on tea plantations, face overwhelming challenges. Most receive poverty-level wages with the promise of “perks” like free housing and education for their kids. But many plantations do not keep up their end of the bargain to provide adequate housing or schools.

Even if there is a school to attend, many children end up in the fields to help fulfill the unreasonable quotas placed on the families. International Labor Rights reports,

“Dropout rates among children is extraordinarily high for tea families … low wages and high quotas have forced both women and aged workers to bring in children to assist them in plucking leaves to meet the productivity quota.”

If workers don’t bring their children to work, they risk going into debt to plantation owners, further perpetuating the cycle of poverty the family lives in. This places families in no-win situations because they cannot afford to relocate and are left to survive as best, they can in the circumstances created for them.

School is one of the best tools to break free from this cycle. Perhaps that is why Jenya’s parents sent her to live with her grandparents—their plantation offered education for the workers’ children.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Jenya, like the child pictured, spent many lonely hours at home. Her grandparents worked long days in the tea fields just to survive. — Jenya, like the child pictured, spent many lonely hours at home. Her grandparents worked long days in the tea fields just to survive.

Loneliness Crowds Capacity for Learning

Jenya struggled to focus at school. She constantly thought about her parents, neglecting the work in front of her. Her grades were already failing in second grade. At the end of the day, Jenya came home to an empty house. With her grandparents working hard to fill their quotas, they came home late and exhausted. Instead of studying, Jenya spent those after-school hours sitting in despair or sleeping. At 7 years old, she wasn’t thinking about making choices that considered her future. She only knew today—and today she missed her family.

As much as her grandparents wanted to help, they were stuck working tirelessly to survive. This is a burden many families face: wanting a different future for their children but feeling powerless to give it to them.

From an Empty House to a Room Full of Kids

One day, Jenya’s grandparents heard about a nearby Bridge of Hope center. Intrigued, they talked with Rishab, one of the teachers, and learned how the after-school program would support their granddaughter’s education. Thrilled at the opportunity to help their granddaughter, they quickly enrolled her in the program.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Jenya found the sense of belonging she longed for in the Bridge of Hope center she attended. — Jenya (pictured) found the sense of belonging she longed for in the Bridge of Hope center she attended.

Right away, Jenya was excited to go to the center. She wouldn’t have to go home to an empty house every day. Her usual, isolated after-school routine was replaced by a room full of children singing songs and happily studying.

Jenya loved going to the Bridge of Hope center. Soon, Jenya caught up on her lessons and her grades began to improve. As her school performance strengthened, other changes occurred too. Jenya’s formerly downcast face broke into radiant smiles more and more frequently.

Now when Jenya came home in the evenings, after tutoring at the center, her grandparents were already home cooking dinner. They watched with wonder as their granddaughter blossomed before them.

In addition to getting the education she needed to reach beyond the poverty of tea estates, she also received the love her little heart longed for. The Bridge of Hope staff invested in Jenya’s life, and she knew she was valued.

Jenya now spent her days surrounded, supported and guided by the caring adults in her life.

Having a community of love and support has changed Jenya’s outlook on life. She is happy and confident, a change that both grandparents and parents have noticed. Jenya prays that her parents will find work in a plantation closer so they can live together again. Living under one roof together would make her joy complete.

Children—God’s Image Bearers

Bridge of Hope has been a lifeline for many impoverished children like Jenya, by covering many of the costs of school, plus supplying a free meal, Bridge of Hope has made it possible for children to leave the fields for an education.

“Basic education is often out of reach for the students of tea estate workers, even when the schooling is offered for free and each child receives a set of school uniforms,” reports Sahana Menon for the Global Press Journal. “Costs, such as additional uniforms, shoes, exam fees and more, must all be paid by the family.”

Bridge of Hope centers exist near many tea gardens, providing the same support, education and love to thousands of children in Asia. Children are leaving the fields to sing, dance and study—the true work of childhood. This opportunity lies at the very heart of transforming communities.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Families who work and live on tea plantations are grateful for Bridge of Hope centers, which are dedicated to helping their children succeed in life. — Families who work and live on tea plantations are grateful for Bridge of Hope centers, which are dedicated to helping their children succeed in life.

“There is nobody who is worthless or inferior, because every one of us is made in the image of God,” shares Dr. K.P. Yohannan.

“Think about it—every single one of these children is an eternal being. They will live forever. That means they are extremely, infinitely valuable, and we must value them. Once we recognize that and understand that, we will know how we must treat them. … And we can also pray for them, and also for children around the world who are suffering in very difficult, even unimaginable, circumstances, that the Lord would protect them and help them, and even enable us, His Church, to show them a little kindness.”

Many children do not know they are valuable, just as Jenya once did not. Bridge of Hope is a place children can know they are loved and lovable. It is important that children who enroll stay enrolled, experiencing stability in an often-unstable life. The Unsponsored Children’s Fund makes it possible for Bridge of Hope staff to serve these children faithfully.

See What You Provide When Donating to Unsponsored Children »

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Alone No Longer Because of Bridge of Hope

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

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.