During ‘Great’ Lent Gospel for Asia Calls for Prayer for ‘Unity, Holiness, End to Pandemic’

Last updated on: December 1, 2021 at 8:28 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide –Reporting on GFA World mission agency offering online 40-day lent devotional to help Christians pray, fast for unity, end to pandemic and other crises.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) offers online 40-day Lent devotional to help Christians pray, fast for unity, end to pandemic and other crises — ‘**GREAT’** **LENT SEASON ‘MOST IMPORTANT IN A GENERATION’:** Calling for Christians to pray and fast for “unity and holiness,” mission agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) described this year’s holy season of Lent — beginning on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 — as “the most important in a generation.” The organization has launched a Lenten daily devotional, available at http://www.gfa.org/press/Lent21.

One of the largest humanitarian agencies in the world, has invited Christians to join a new movement during Great Lent to pray and fast for “unity and holiness” in America, and an end to the pandemic and other global crises.

Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World) described this year’s holy season of Lent — beginning on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17 — as “the most important in a generation.”

“With the ongoing pandemic, other global crises and so much divisiveness in our world right now, it’s never been more important for Christians to make a concerted effort to pray and fast for unity and holiness,” said Bishop Danny Punnose, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) vice president. “This Lenten season is the most important in a generation.”

Great Lent is the church season prior to Easter, focusing on fasting, repentance, and charity. Many Christians who observe Lent refrain from eating certain foods such as meat for a period of time, using the cash savings to help others in need. Others voluntarily give up an activity they enjoy, and instead use the time to pray and seek the Lord.

Offering a daily devotional for Lent 2021, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is inviting Christians of all denominations to participate in daily prayer and fasting for “unity and holiness” as well as for those who are suffering around the world — including millions impacted by the pandemic, extreme poverty, starvation, sex trafficking, forced labor and other injustices.

“Our world desperately needs God’s intervention, healing and grace,” said Punnose, whose organization works to alleviate extreme poverty and share God’s love in villages and slums around the world.

Prayer: Turns Mourning To Joy

“The Lenten season is a purposeful opportunity in which we seek God and ask him to give us his heart for the suffering people of the world,” Punnose said. “As many of us face challenges that seem overwhelming, let’s remember God is able to bring dry bones to life and turn mourning into joy. Let’s turn to him and earnestly pray and fast.”

Lent is also an opportunity for people to help make the world a better place, Punnose said.

“Lent is a time when we can choose to make a simple sacrifice to embrace a cause that is close to the heart of God,” he said. “Tangible actions and conscious choices we make during the season of Lent should bring us closer to God and our neighbor, help us to become more like Jesus, and provide us with real opportunity to be Christ’s hands to those who need to know he loves them.”

One Billion Adherents

According to estimates, more than a billion Christians around the world will likely observe Lent, which is growing in popularity in evangelical circles.

“Many Christians are rediscovering the richness of the Lenten tradition, and are growing closer to Jesus through self-denial, sacrificial giving, fasting, and times of fervent prayer,” Punnose said. “Knowing that we have the hope that the world is dying for, shouldn’t we offer it?”

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) has produced a booklet titled The Seasons of Lent: Stepping Stones to Spiritual Renewal and Growth, written by Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founder K.P. Yohannan, best-selling author of Revolution in World Missions and Never Give Up. The booklet — a practical guide to observing Lent — is available free at http://www.gfa.org/press/Lent21.

Read another story on how the Lord is using Gospel for Asia to bring relief to those in need during COVID 19.

Those interested in supporting GFA World’s COVID 19 relief efforts in Asia, should go to: http://www.gfa.org/press/covid-19.

Media interested in interviews with Gospel For Asia should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

About Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a leading faith-based mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear about the love of God. In GFA’s latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

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Source: GFA World Press Room, Gospel for Asia Calls for Prayer for ‘Unity, Holiness, End to Pandemic’ During ‘Great’ Lent

Gospel for Asia Provides Sewing Machines, Tin Sheets and Smiles

Last updated on: December 1, 2021 at 9:23 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide – Discussing providing sewing machines, tin sheets, smiles and the eternal hope of Jesus through Christmas gift distribution.

Contagious smiles and joyous hearts filled the open-air gathering. Bicycles, sewing machines, blankets and a host of other practical gifts were received with open hands. A message of eternal hope, found in the Word of God, hit the ears of all who attended. The love of Christ brought 540 families together, while impact and transformation awaited just around the corner.

Discussing Gospel for Asia providing sewing machines, tin sheets, smiles and the eternal hope of Jesus through Christmas gift distribution. — This man also received a sewing machine at the same Christmas gift distribution as Asin.

Asin received a sewing machine and is able to sew clothes again! “My sewing machine had not been working for a long time,” Asin says.

“Due to that, I was not able to stitch the clothes. But I thank God for Gospel for Asia (GFA World) for having concern toward me and giving me a sewing machine.”

Another life touched by this Christmas gift distribution was a man named Raksa. His family survived on his daily labor wages and lived in a mud house that often had a leaky roof during the rainy winter season. Through the distribution, Raksa received 10 tin sheets. Now he can keep his family warm and dry during the winter!

Because of faithful supporters and committed prayer warriors like you, precious people across the globe are receiving practical gifts and hope for tomorrow 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 Rejoice! Newsletter, Sewing Machines, Tin Sheets and Smiles

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Through Gospel for Asia (GFA World) 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.

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

Fighting Global Poverty with Ideas – Uprooting poverty requires education that transmits values
Poverty: Public Enemy #1 – Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

Click here to read more blogs and on Christmas Gift Catalog on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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

Modern Day Slavery Accelerates Under Cover of COVID-19, says Gospel for Asia (Part 1)

Last updated on: November 4, 2022 at 3:56 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by KP Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this 1st part of a Special Report update on the state of Modern Day Slavery amid the COVID 19 pandemic.

In my original report, 21st Century Slavery & Human Trafficking, I unveiled the overwhelming reality that more than 40 million people in our modern world are trafficked as slaves—more than any other time in human history. In this sequel, I unpack how modern slavery is growing—not slowing—under the covering of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

Desperation, Fear — The global COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened the desperation of those at risk, and deepened the cunning of human traffickers.

If there is any sliver of a silver lining to be seen in the coronavirus cloud that has darkened the world in 2020, a reduction in human trafficking might be suspected. After all, with half the globe locked down, the modern-day slave trade must have at least slowed, if not stalled, right?

Sadly, no. If anything, the global pandemic has only heightened the desperation of those at risk and deepened the cunning of traffickers. For example, the World Bank expects poverty to rise for the first time in 20 years, as circumstances push an additional 88-115 million people into extreme poverty, depending on the severity of economic contraction worldwide.

The World Health Organization issued a statement on October 13 saying:

“The pandemic has decimated jobs and placed millions of livelihoods at risk. As breadwinners lose jobs, fall ill and die, the food security and nutrition of millions of women and men are under threat, with those in low-income countries, particularly the most marginalized populations, which include small-scale farmers and indigenous peoples, being hardest hit.

“With low and irregular incomes and a lack of social support, many of them are spurred to continue working, often in unsafe conditions, thus exposing themselves and their families to additional risks. Further, when experiencing income losses, they may resort to negative coping strategies, such as distress sale of assets, predatory loans or child labor.”

With poverty worsened and government resources stretched to capacity, COVID-19 has widened the crack through which the vulnerable fall—or are pulled through. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) details how COVID-19 has impacted “the capacity of state authorities and non-governmental organizations to provide essential services to the victims of this crime.”

21st Century Slavery & Human Trafficking — Worldwide, over 40 million people are enslaved or trafficked, which is higher than the entire population of Canada. Many of these victims are literally kept under lock and key, while others are effectively imprisoned by coercion, manipulation and extortion.

Income, food, housing and health care inequalities have increased in impoverished parts of the world, and these “drivers … increase the risk of sexual and labor exploitation, and are being used by criminal groups to scale-up modern day slavery activities,” warns the distinguished British medical journal The Lancet.

Rather than diminishing it, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has cemented human trafficking as the third biggest illicit trade on the planet, behind only illegal arms and drugs.

As detailed in a previous Gospel for Asia special report on the issue, human trafficking generates an estimated $150 billion a year from the oppressed lives and broken hearts of men, women and children. What sets human trafficking apart from other major issues Gospel for Asia (GFA) has addressed in its series of articles on key global challenges is that it is entirely man-made, both exacerbating and taking advantage of natural factors like disease, economic impoverishment, climate change and the coronavirus.

Photo of forced labor — Those people already working in forced labor conditions may face further hardships because production costs are being squeezed, while more people unable to make ends meet may turn to loan sharks for money and so risk getting caught in a debt pit they can’t climb out of, effectively enslaving them for life.

Exploitation on the Rise

“Instability and lack of access to critical services caused by the pandemic mean that the number of people vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers is rapidly growing,” said U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as he introduced the government’s 20th annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, which monitors the crime and efforts to combat it.

Mike Pompeo, U.S. Seecretary of State — Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State Photo by United States Department of State

“The bottom line is that traffickers have not shut down,” Pompeo said elsewhere. “Traffickers are continuing to exploit people. And as vulnerable people become more vulnerable due to COVID, it’s making it easier and easier for traffickers to operate.”

Victims of trafficking are also “disproportionately at risk” of getting COVID-19 for a variety of reasons, according to The Lancet. Among the causes: pre-existing health needs, unregulated and unsafe working environments, over-crowded living conditions, poverty, malnutrition and substance misuse.

A United Nations report reveals just how COVID-19 has made trafficking easier. Travel and border restrictions intended to slow the spread of the virus may have only driven traffickers further underground, it says, while also making victims harder to identify. Additionally, those already working in forced labor conditions may face further hardships because production costs are being squeezed, while more people unable to make ends meet may turn to loan sharks for money and so risk getting caught in a debt pit they can’t climb out of, effectively enslaving them.

Rather than diminishing it, the ongoing coronavirus crisis has cemented human trafficking as the third biggest illicit trade on the planet, behind only illegal arms and drugs.

Meanwhile, children are at heightened risk of exploitation because schools are closed. For many of them, school was both a safe place and one of their only sources for a regular meal. Now they may be left to fend for themselves with parents unable to care for or supervise them at home.

Photo of little girl from Sri Lanka — Nearly all the children in villages like this one in Sri Lanka do not have any parental guidance whatsoever as many come from broken or illiterate families, which makes these kids vulnerable to predation and trafficking. For many of them, school was both a safe place and one of their only sources for a regular meal. Local lockdowns due to COVID have left many to fend for themselves, as parents are unable to care for or supervise them at home, increasing their risk of exploitation.

Online Predators on the Rise

Dark web chatter — Chatter in dark web forums indicate that online offenders see the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity to commit more offenses against children.

It’s not only children and young people in poorer nations that are at risk, either. In North America, the pandemic has seen everyone spending even more time online than usual—exposing them to predators who scour the web looking for innocent children.

“It’s easier for traffickers to sit behind a computer screen and actually reach out to multiple people, hoping that one or two bite,” says Karley Church, a human trafficking crisis intervention counselor with Victim Services of Durham Region, near Toronto, Canada.

A spokesman for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said that “chatter in dark web forums indicate that offenders see the pandemic as an opportunity to commit more offenses against children.”

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About Gospel for Asia

Read the rest of Gospel for Asia’s Special Report: Modern Day Slavery Speeds up Under Cover of COVID-19 – Growing during pandemic: People vulnerable to exploitation — Part 2

Read more about Gospel for Asia, Modern Slavery, and the COVID 19 Pandemic on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Learn more by reading these Special Reports from Gospel for Asia:

Child Labor: Not Gone, but Forgotten — Millions of Children Trapped between Extreme Poverty and the Profits of Others
Seeking Justice and Defending Human Rights — Wherever Poverty and Oppression Exist

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

This Special Report originally appeared on gfa.org.

24 Christian Leaders affirm Gospel for Asia’s integrity and credibility.

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

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

I Am No Ordinary Shepherd

Last updated on: December 27, 2020 at 6:00 pm By GFA Staff Writer

My name is David. I am a shepherd in the service of the temple. The other shepherds and I watch over the sheep during the night on the fields outside of Jerusalem, not too far from the road that goes to Bethlehem.

I am no ordinary shepherd because the temple sheep are no ordinary sheep. These sheep are without spot or blemish. My job is to protect them, so they stay that way. They are the chosen ones, set apart from all the other sheep, that will be sacrificed in silence. The temple priests will collect their blood and offer it as a covering for sins, just as the Law of Moses requires.

One of us sits in a tower from which we can see the entire flock. The rest of us sit among the sheep to keep them calm and to be ready to protect them from predators.

I am no ordinary shepherd because I have seen the glory of the Lord. I have been telling everyone I know – and even people I don’t know – about what happened. I know this is going to sound crazy, and you may not believe me, but it is true, and you really need to believe it

This one, particularly dark night was unfolding as usual—nothing to write home about. Then, without warning, something happened that frightened us like nothing ever had before nor has since.

An angel – a real angel from Heaven – appeared and stood before us. As he did, the glory of the Lord pierced the darkness and shone around us with indescribable brilliance. Do you think we were scared? No! We wereTERRIFIED!

I still remember shaking in my sandals. I was scared stiff!

Until the angel assured us that we need not be afraid. I think I know now how Isaiah felt back in the year when King Uzziah died!

I am no ordinary shepherd because I heard good news that has caused great joy for the whole world. That’s why the angel told us not to be afraid. He hadn’t come to frighten us or harm us. He came to calm us.

Before I get ahead of myself, here is the good news:

Our long-awaited Savior, our Messiah, had been born! Seriously! Jehovah had kept His promise! Just like He always does.

It turns out that we were probably the only ones the angel told. How do I know this? Because he told us where the Messiah was! He had just been born in Bethlehem. While we were still trying to comprehend the stunning sights and sounds, a band of countless angels led us in giving glory to God. It was the largest and best praise and worship team I have ever seen or heard.

I am no ordinary shepherd because I have seen Jesus. After the angels had gone, the sky became dark again, and none of us could seem to get even a jot or a tittle in edgewise as we stumbled over each other with our own words of amazement.

Once we were able to get our wits about us, we agreed that, given what we had just experienced, we ought to go to where the angel said Messiah would be.

Sure enough, there he was, in a manger in a stable in nearby Bethlehem. His mother, Mary, had wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Did you know that we sometimes wrap our sheep in swaddling to protect them at night? We do!

The baby looked so calm and innocent wrapped up in sheep’s clothing, I felt as though he was, himself, a little lamb. It was a sight to behold.

While I pondered these things, I rejoiced that, unlike my temple sheep, this little lamb would not have to suffer and die to pay for our sins.

How could I have been so wrong?

I am no ordinary shepherd because I know Jesus. I was just a young man back then. More than 30 years had passed before I realized that that little baby had died for my sins. In fact, he took upon himself the wrath of God as his innocent blood poured down a cross to redeem me.

How was I to know that the Lord God loved us so much that he gave his only begotten Son to bear our punishment or that, by believing in him, his death, burial, and resurrection, I could be free from condemnation and made righteous in his eyes?

I lost my job watching over the temple sheep soon after he died because there was no longer a reason to sacrifice sheep. Jesus had become the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.

I have to admit that I was confused the day that he died. I was having a hard time putting all the pieces together, so a friend and I decided to get out of town for a while until we could see things more clearly.

We were walking along the road to Emmaus when, just as suddenly as the angel had appeared, a stranger came alongside us and began walking with us. But that’s another story.

I have spent my life telling others about the night Jesus was born, but I also tell them about why he was born and how, by trusting Him as Lord and Savior, they can be free forever from the bondage of sin and its condemnation.

When you celebrate Jesus’ birth this season, please remember why he came. And, please, share the good news with everyone, just like we did the night Jesus was born.

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

Read more news on Christmas and World Missions on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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COVID-19 ‘Feeds Growing Evil’ of Human Trafficking, Says Gospel for Asia

Last updated on: April 2, 2021 at 5:20 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX — Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing new report stating how COVID 19 pandemic has “cemented human trafficking as the 3rd biggest illicit trade on the planet.”

COVID-19 is feeding the “growing evil” of human trafficking, pulling more of the world’s children into slavery and sexual exploitation, a new report reveals. The pandemic has “cemented human trafficking as the third biggest illicit trade on the planet, behind illegal arms sales and drugs,” says the report by Texas-based humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World).

“The global pandemic has only heightened the desperation of those at risk and deepened the cunning of the traffickers,” says the report, (https://www.gfa.org/press/human-trafficking/), citing worsening poverty and hunger as key drivers of the $150 billion a year global slave trade.

“The horrific exploitation of children and young adults for sex and forced labor is the most vile crime,” said GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan. “We must act now to cut off this growing evil.”

Travel and border restrictions — intended to slow the spread of the virus — have driven traffickers underground and made victims more difficult to identify, the report says. Of the estimated 20-30 million slaves in the world today, four out of every five are women or girls.

The COVID 19 pandemic has "cemented human trafficking as the 3rd biggest illicit trade on the planet," says Gospel for Asia (GFA World) — **COVID-19 ‘FEEDS GROWING EVIL’ OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING:** COVID-19 is feeding the “growing evil” of human trafficking, pulling more of the world’s children into slavery and sexual exploitation, a new report by humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) reveals.

A Wider Net

The surge in online activity due to lockdowns is giving traffickers a wider net to entrap potential victims, including children. Police in Canada warn that “chatter in dark web forums” shows predators view the pandemic as an opportunity to lure children into the sex industry.

In some parts of Asia, traffickers enlist or coerce parents and other relatives to sell their children to “placement agencies” — fronts for domestic slavery.

Predators are even “masquerading as helpers” to find new victims. “Forced prostitution and chosen sex work are going to acquire a new momentum in the post-COVID-19 world,” the report says.

Interpol, the international police agency, says the pandemic “has not blunted the determination of organized crime groups to prey on the vulnerable.”

Traffickers are taking even greater risks, too often resulting in the tragic deaths of their victims. In March, 64 African migrants suffocated in a shipping container; in May, 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a refrigerated truck in England; and in June, a former official in Arkansas pleaded guilty to smuggling women into the U.S. to put their babies up for adoption.

In Europe’s lucrative soccer industry, it’s estimated there are 15,000 trafficking victims every year.

Emergency Interceptors

Faith-based humanitarian groups like GFA World and International Justice Mission are on the frontlines in the fight against slavery — with GFA World’s indigenous workers acting as “emergency interceptors” in city slums and remote villages where millions are easy prey for predators.

“Through vocational training for women, protecting girls by providing safe water access, and our Bridge of Hope children’s program, we’re saving tens of thousands from falling victim to traffickers,” said Yohannan, author of Never Give Up. “This is how we confront the evil of human trafficking head-on, and show people the love of God.”

Read another story on how the Lord is using Gospel for Asia to bring relief to those in need during COVID 19.

Those interested in supporting GFA World’s COVID 19 relief efforts in Asia, should go to: http://www.gfa.org/press/covid-19.

Media interested in interviews with Gospel For Asia should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

About Gospel for Asia

Learn more by reading these Special Reports:

Child Labor: Not Gone, but Forgotten — Millions of Children Trapped between Extreme Poverty and the Profits of Others
Seeking Justice and Defending Human Rights — Wherever Poverty and Oppression Exist

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

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

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

Source: GFA World Press Room, COVID-19 ‘Feeds Slave Trade, Sexual Exploitation’ Says Gospel for Asia (GFA World)

Far-Fallen Man Finds Faithful Friend in Gospel for Asia Pastor

Last updated on: December 6, 2021 at 11:55 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing Lahar, his struggles to fight alcoholism and provide for his family, and finding a faithful friend in Gospel for Asia Pastor who shared the redemption of Jesus for their lives.

When Pastor Chanchal and Lahar met, Lahar was uninterested and even hostile toward what Pastor Chanchal had to say. Lahar had his own religious beliefs, a family to take care of and an inner battle to wage—a battle between leading a responsible life and giving in to the addiction that threatened to destroy that life.

Even though Lahar often grumbled at Pastor Chanchal’s words and sometimes even scolded him, the two men continued to talk with one another. For years, Pastor Chanchal spent time with Lahar and his family once or twice a week. As their relationship deepened, Lahar gradually became interested in what the pastor had to say, and Pastor Chanchal had opportunities to tell the family about Jesus’ love.

Man Struggles to Fight Alcoholism, Provide for Family

Lahar’s life had always involved struggle: When Lahar was young, his father neglected his family, blinded to their needs by his alcoholism, so Lahar bore the burden of providing for his parents and siblings.

Unfortunately, Lahar began walking in his father’s shoes: He became addicted to alcohol at the age of 18. After Lahar married, his alcoholism brought much grief to his wife, Lajja, and drove her away to her parents’ home for three years.

Discussing Lahar, his struggles to fight alcoholism, & the friend in Gospel for Asia Pastor who shared the redemption of Jesus for their lives. — Lahar had been a heavy drinker since he was 18 years old, and his addiction even drove his wife to move in with her parents for three years.

With effort, Lahar eventually stopped drinking and reunited with his wife. Together, the couple worked to provide for their growing family. Eventually, they started a business; it seemed their lives were getting better.

An Unlikely Friendship Develops

Meanwhile, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) pastor Chanchal had started ministering in Lahar’s village. Like most of the other villagers, Lahar didn’t want to hear the message of hope Pastor Chanchal had to share. But Lahar did allow Pastor Chanchal to continue visiting his family, and over the course of several years, a friendship grew.

Pastor Chanchal’s words touched the heart of Lahar’s mother, and she started attending the local worship place. But because Lahar’s father was the elder of their village, people criticized the family for her interest in Christ. Under society’s pressure, Lahar and his father told her she couldn’t attend services for more than a year. But Lahar’s mother continued walking with Jesus, and soon the source of family turmoil shifted from her to Lahar.

Man Hits Rock Bottom

Lahar slipped back into the grip of alcoholism, throwing away the hard work he had invested to quit drinking, reunite with his wife and start a business. Not only did Lahar waste his days drinking with friends, but he also started stealing things at night. He, like his father, stopped providing for his family.

During this time, Lajja and her children experienced Christ’s love through Lahar’s mother, who helped take care of them. Seeing this love led Lajja and her children to the feet of Jesus too. Soon Lajja began joining her mother-in-law in praying for Lahar’s life to change.

As they prayed, Pastor Chanchal continued reaching out to Lahar. The pastor told him of Jesus’ grace and invited him to the place of worship. As God responded to prayer and spoke through the Pastor’s encouraging words, Lahar’s life began to change. He stopped stealing and drinking alcohol, and he joined the service one Sunday.

After Lahar (not pictured) returned to his drinking habit—and started stealing things—Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Pastor Chanchal continued being a friend to the young man. Eventually, Lahar’s heart opened to the love of Christ.

There, as Lahar stood among the believers worshiping, he felt as if a burden had been lifted from him. With a new peace and joy in his life, he decided to entrust his life to Jesus, and he has continued to change from the inside out! Now Lahar takes care of his family, and they rejoice in the redemption Jesus has worked in their lives. Lahar even supports his friend, Pastor Chanchal, as he continues ministering the grace of Jesus in the village.

Many Find Friendship with Jesus

in Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Pastor Chanchal’s commitment to befriend and share hope with Lahar and his family, Lahar found the best friend of all, Jesus Christ.

Millions more people wait to know friendship with the God who makes all things new, but you have the opportunity to give not just one but many people that chance. Sponsor a national worker like Pastor Chanchal to reach more families with Jesus’ love.

Sponsor today and get a packet including their photo and testimony, along with exclusive updates from the mission field that let you see how your sponsorship makes a difference.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Far-Fallen Man Finds Faithful Friend

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.

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Gospel for Asia, Chick-fil-A, Brookshire’s Bring Christmas Relief to Hunger-Hit Texans

Last updated on: December 8, 2021 at 2:02 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX — Chick-fil-A and Brookshire’s are joining a leading aid agency to deliver Christmas relief to Texas families hit hard by the pandemic. As America experiences another spike in coronavirus cases, one in four children aren’t getting enough food and face a bleak Christmas, says Wills Point-based humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World – founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada) according to Feeding Texas statistics.

Chick-fil-A, Brookshire’s, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) & Body of Life to give hundreds of hungry Texas families relief this Christmas — **SPREADING CHRISTMAS CHEER:** Chick-fil-A, Brookshire’s, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and Body of Life (www.bodyoflife.org) are joining forces to give hundreds of hungry Texas families a helping hand this Christmas. The organizations will stage a Christmas grocery, sandwich and water giveaway Sat. Dec. 19 from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. — or until food boxes run out — at GFA World’s campus at 1116 St. Thomas Way, Wills Point.

Feeding Texas — the state’s network of food banks — says hunger in Texas has doubled during the pandemic.

Now Gospel for Asia (GFA World) — an organization that has been helping feed tens of thousands of starving people in Asia — is stepping up efforts to help make sure families on its own doorstep don’t go hungry this Christmas.

The agency — headquartered in Wills Point, 50 miles east of Dallas — will distribute hundreds of holiday food boxes Saturday, Dec. 19, to families struggling with job losses and reduced income.

And Chick-fil-A of Sulphur Springs will help spread the festive cheer, handing out hundreds of free sandwiches, along with Brookshire’s of Wills Point who will distribute water bottles.

Families ‘Loved By God’

“We know many families are struggling this Christmas, and we’re thrilled to join with Chick-fil-A and Brookshire’s to help them,” said Danny Yohannan, GFA World’s vice-president. “We want them to know they’re loved by us and by God.”

Also partnering with Texas nonprofit Body of Life (www.bodyoflife.org) and the USDA “Farmers to Families” program, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and community volunteers will hand out hundreds of boxes of groceries at the organization’s campus at 1116 St. Thomas Way, Wills Point, on Sat. Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. or until supplies run out.

Over the past months, regular grocery giveaways hosted by Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and Body of Life have fed thousands of families from Van Zandt and neighboring counties in Texas.

Anyone interested can follow Gospel for Asia / GFA World online to stay in the loop about upcoming local food giveaways and the organization’s humanitarian work overseas.

Read another story on how the Lord is using Gospel for Asia to bring relief to those in need during COVID 19.

Those interested in supporting GFA World’s hunger relief efforts in Asia, should go to: http://www.gfa.org/press/covid-19.

Media interested in interviews with Gospel For Asia should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

About Gospel for Asia

Headquartered in Wills Point, Texas, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a leading faith-based mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear about the love of God. In GFA’s latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

Learn more by reading these Special Reports:

KP Yohannan has issued two statements about the COVID-19 situation found here and here.

GFA’s Statement About Coronavirus

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

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

Source: Gospel for Asia: Digital Media Room

Gospel for Asia Supplies 37 Million with Safe Water in ‘Thirstiest’ Continent

Last updated on: December 8, 2021 at 2:10 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Faith-based agency has drilled more than 30,000 ‘Jesus Wells,’ distributed 58,000-plus water filters A leading mission agency revealed it has provided safe drinking water for a staggering 37.5 million people in Asia, the world’s “thirstiest” continent. The number of people helped by Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is roughly equivalent to the entire population of California.

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) reported millions of water-deprived families across Asia — home to six out of every 10 people on the planet — now have safe, reliable drinking water thanks to the organization’s deep wells and BioSand filters.

In the past two decades, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) and its partners around the world have provided more than 30,000 wells and 58,000 filters.

Gospel for Asia reports it has provided safe drinking water for a staggering 37.5 million people in Asia, the world's thirstiest continent. — **QUENCHING THE THIRST OF A CONTINENT:** Gospel for Asia (GFA World) revealed it has provided safe drinking water for a staggering 37.5 million people in Asia, the world’s “thirstiest” continent. The faith-based mission agency released a new report titled Don’t Drink The Water (Unless You Know What’s In It).

In 2019 alone, the faith-based organization — manned entirely by local workers, many traveling from village to village on foot — helped drill 4,856 new “Jesus Wells” and distribute 12,243 new water filters in communities, many of which were stricken by waterborne diseases.

“In the world’s thirstiest continent, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) workers and churches are committed to meeting people’s most vital physical need — safe drinking water,” said the organization’s founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan, as the mission agency released a new report titled Don’t Drink The Water (Unless You Know What’s In It).

The report comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) says one in every three people in the world doesn’t have access to safe drinking water, and the United Nations predicts that by the year 2050 up to 5.7 billion people worldwide could be affected by water shortages.

Finding safe drinking water is not just a problem in Asia. In the U.S., as many as 63 million people — nearly one in every five Americans — have been exposed to potentially unsafe drinking water, GFA World’s report says, citing lead and arsenic contamination.

Demand for Water to Skyrocket

In the next 20 years, global demand for water is expected to surge by more than 50 percent, according to the U.N.

“This desperate situation is especially acute in Asia, where millions of families get their drinking water from the only source available to them — often a dirty river or stagnant pond, which are breeding grounds for parasites and deadly bacteria,” Yohannan said.

Drinking contaminated water can lead to fatal diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis A, and diarrhea. Globally, diarrhea kills almost 2,200 children every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

By providing safe water, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) hopes people who’ve never heard about God’s love will see “love in action.”

In one community, the local pastor began praying for a new well when the old village water source dried up, forcing villagers to trek every day to the river. Days later, a team arrived to drill a new Jesus Well. Although skeptical at first, locals soon realized the new well was heaven-sent, the report says.

Going Deep, Finding Lasting Solutions

Beginning with the first well in the year 2000, Jesus Wells — up to 1,500 feet in depth — tap deep underground reserves and bring year-round, clean water to thousands of villages across Asia, each well supplying hundreds of people on average and providing a central community gathering place.

Because local people receive training to maintain the wells, the water keeps flowing. One team recently found a Jesus Well still going strong after 20 years.

Meanwhile, portable BioSand filters — another clean-water solution, costing around $30 each — remove most contaminants, making water 98 percent pure.

Media interested in interviews with Gospel For Asia should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or gwooding@inchristcommuications.com

About Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia (GFA) is a leading faith-based mission agency, bringing vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across Asia, especially to those who have yet to hear the “good news” of Jesus Christ. In GFA’s latest yearly report, this included more than 70,000 sponsored children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,000 clean water wells drilled, over 11,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 200,000 needy families, and spiritual teaching available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.

Read the Special Report on Solving the World Water Crisis … for Good — Lasting Solutions Can Defeat an Age-old Problem

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

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

Source: Gospel for Asia: Digital Media Room

Gospel for Asia Pastor Brings Hope to a Grieving Widow

Last updated on: December 10, 2021 at 7:54 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing Gulika, the shame, rejection and despair she lives through as a widow, and the life changing hope through a Gospel for Asia pastor.

Manan sprang onto the railway tracks, hurrying to get across. The next few steps he took changed the lives of his wife and three children forever. As he crossed the tracks, he wasn’t aware of the train coming his way. Suddenly his body lay crumpled on the railroad tracks. Now his children were without a daddy, and his wife would bear the name of the despised: widow.

Young Widow Suffers Grief, Harassment

Gulika’s life drastically changed the day her husband died. Although she and Manan were not well off, Manan worked faithfully as a tailor, and they managed to have just enough to live on. Now Gulika and her children were left helpless, and they took on the burden of deep, unforgettable sorrow.

Bearing the title “widow” was a heavy weight to carry too. 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.

Water: A Daily Burden and Fear

Although Gulika suffered from despair, she had certain duties to uphold as a daughter-in-law: Gulika had to get water for the family. Unfortunately, the nearest source of water in the village was an old well that was a-third-of-a-mile walk from her home.

In Gulika’s village, collecting water was a grueling chore, one which involved much fear and danger for women and young girls. Even as a widow, it was dangerous to go out alone because men would take advantage of their vulnerability.

Pastor Comforts Family in Trouble

When Pastor Gobhil heard about Gulika and her family, he visited their home, hoping to bring them comfort and encourage them through God’s Word. He said there was hope for their helpless situation and shared about a faithful God who could heal Gulika’s suffering heart. Over the course of time Gulika, was completely restored! Through the power and love they experienced in Christ, Gulika and her in-laws found hope in the midst of their sorrows.

Pastor Gobhil encouraged Gulika (not pictured) to start sewing women’s clothing, and soon the church was able to supply her with a sewing machine.

Pastor Gobhil encouraged Gulika to start sewing women’s clothing, and soon the church was able to supply her with a sewing machine. Gulika began to earn a respectable living through this vocation, and despite the way the villagers treated her, she knew God did not condemn her but rather valued her life.

Bringing Safety Through Clean Water

But even with her new income and life in Christ, Gulika still faced harassment from her neighbors, especially when she went out to fetch water for the family. There were days when she didn’t come home with enough. Pastor Gobhil noticed Gulika’s and the villagers’ struggle for water. Eventually, Gospel for Asia (GFA) drilled a Jesus Well right in front of Gulika’s house. She now can get water easily without fear or disturbance. The other villagers were very grateful for the Jesus Well.

Now when people use the Jesus Well near Gulika’s house, she shares with the villagers about the sweet love of Jesus and how He has given her hope and security. She is thankful for the believers and Pastor Gobhil because of all the help and love they have poured into her life.

“In my time of trouble, when my husband died, [the pastor and believers] helped me to be strong and have confidence to work and earn an income,” Gulika says.

Discussing Gulika, the shame, rejection and despair she lives through as a widow, and the life changing hope through a Gospel for Asia Pastor. — The villagers are very grateful for the Jesus Well, and they respect the Christians after seeing their love and care for the widows and the needy.

Help Reach Those Society Despises

More than 40 million widows live in South Asia. For them, life is a desperate struggle for survival, as it was for Gulika. The heart of Christ is to look after these precious women in need. As He says in James 1:27; “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

You can be part of reaching these women practically with items such as sewing machines, food, clothing and hope. Give toward the Widows Fund today and help tell a woman she is dearly loved!

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Through a Widow’s Tears

Learn more by reading the GFA special report titled “An Imaginative Exercise in Empathetic Fear: Think About Living in a Community with Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women”

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

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

Failing Kidneys and Answered Prayer: How Gospel for Asia Ministered to a Family in Need

Last updated on: December 10, 2021 at 7:58 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing Rajasi, the sorrow and loss that invaded her life, the hope of Jesus that sustained her through widowhood, and God’s love and compassion shared as Gospel for Asia ministered to her family.

Rajasi’s relatives blamed her for the death of her husband. “All these [problems] happened in your life only because of your faith in Jesus,” they said. These wounding words stung Rajasi’s lonely, grieving heart. How different they were from the soothing words spoken by her neighbor about her Savior months earlier. But now who could she turn to? With her husband dead and her own relatives and community speaking against her—who would help her?

No Stranger to Sorrow

Even though Rajasi was only a young woman of 25, sorrow and difficulties were no strangers to her. Before she met Jesus, she and her husband, Mahasvin, were in anguish. Mahasvin worked faithfully as a laborer to provide for his two children and wife, until both his kidneys failed to function properly. At this devastating news, peace left the household, making room for fear to enter the young couple’s hearts.

Rajasi cried out in despair to all her gods, pleading with them to heal her husband. Mahasvin went to many hospitals and underwent treatments. But soon all their money was spent, and they had lost hope of him ever recovering. They heard no answers from their gods, and they were deeply discouraged. They had no one else to turn to.

They heard no answers from their gods, and they were deeply discouraged. They had no one else to turn too.

With Jesus, Everything Changes

The Lord used Pastor Victor (not pictured) and other believers to help Rajasi and encourage her husband during their times of struggle and heartache.

It was at this moment God sent a faithful believer to their home one day. She saw their grave condition and encouraged them with the Word of the Lord. Her gentle words of truth were like a healing balm to their wounded hearts, and they asked her to pray for them. After she prayed, she assured them of her continued prayers. Concerned for the couple, she brought their need to the attention of her Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor, Victor.

With compassion, Pastor Victor visited Mahasvin and Rajasi often, bringing words of encouragement to the couple. As time went by, Rajasi and her husband realized Jesus was the answer to all their problems. Together, they decided they wanted the everlasting love of Jesus to fill their lives.

But life did not grow easier when they made their decision to follow Christ. In anger, Mahasvin’s father turned against them and began to oppose them. But this never swayed their resolve to live in the hope and peace of Christ.

The Agony of Loss

After a few months, Mahasvin and Rajasi grew strong in their faith. But Mahasvin’s health continued to deteriorate due to his failing kidneys. Rajasi listened closely as her dying husband shared his last requests with her: Never forsake Jesus, but go to the worship place at any cost.

After Mahasvin’s death, Rajasi was heartbroken. She suffered through severe mental agony and pain, and to make matters worse, everyone placed the blame of her husband’s death on her shoulders.

Even though so many had forsaken her, Rajasi was not alone. Her church family stood with her during her bleak hours. They visited their sister in Christ and encouraged her to follow Jesus. Rajasi was strengthened by their words and upheld the plea of her husband to continue steadfast in the faith, even in the midst of opposition.

Gospel for Asia Ministered in Midst of Worry for Children’s Future

After Mahasvin’s passing, Rajasi was completely dependent on the income of her father-in-law, Farhat, to meet her and her young children’s needs—but so was the rest of the family. He worked in a small grocery shop, and many of her relatives became dependent on the income Farhat brought in.

Rajasi grew concerned about her children. She wanted them to have a good education, but her father-in-law would not give her extra money to send them to a good school. This troubled her deeply. Rajasi brought her worries before the Lord and the believers. Together, they all prayed for her need.

By God’s grace, Rajasi’s prayer was answered through a Gospel for Asia (GFA) gift distribution. On the happy distribution day Rajasi received a shiny, new sewing machine! The gift was such an incredible blessing in Rajasi’s life. She quickly began work by setting up a personal tailoring shop.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) ministered to Rajasi and she was so blessed to receive a sewing machine through a Christmas gift distribution. Through the help of believers around the world, women like Rajasi have the chance to earn a better income and experience the love of Jesus in a tangible way.

Within a few months, Rajasi was doing so well and received such a good income that she was able to buy a second machine to expand her business. Rajasi found a good school for her beloved children and is able to provide for their future.

Rajasi and her children weren’t the only ones blessed by the machine; her mother-in-law was also touched by the kindness of the believers. Although she was bedridden and unable to go to services, she longed to hear more about the God of love and compassion who provided for her daughter-in-law. God also worked in Farhat’s heart. While he still wants nothing to do with Jesus, he no longer opposes Rajasi for her faith.

Help ‘Sew’ into the Kingdom this Christmas!

God used a simple sewing machine and the love of His children to uplift Rajasi in her hour of need. Not only has it helped provide a way for her children to have a brighter future, but it also planted a seed of hope in her mother-in-law.

You can be part of answering a brother’s or sister’s prayer for God’s provision by choosing an income-generating gift in Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalog! This year, make Christmas about ‘sewing’ into God’s kingdom, and spread the joy and hope of Christ!

Learn more about how Gospel for Asia has ministered through 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.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Failing Kidneys, Opposition and Answered Prayer

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report: Widows Worldwide Face Tragedy, Discrimination – Some Find Hope to Overcome the Challenges of Widowhood

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

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What kind of leaf did the dove bring back to Noah?