Dreams of Motherhood Resurrected as Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion Pray

Last updated on: April 19, 2022 at 8:42 am 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 Matali, the many visits of miscarriages hindering motherhood, and the hope and answered prayers through Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion.

Matali’s hand unconsciously lingered over her flat belly, and tears that were eager to be her morning companion sprang up. Two white saris flitted by outside, catching Matali’s eye. She pushed back her dark thoughts and opened her door to follow the women she watched every day.

Miscarriage’s Many Visits to Matali

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Matali met two of these Sisters of Compassion while they bought milk from her next-door neighbor, and their friendship grew during Matali’s darkest days. — Matali met two of these Sisters of Compassion while they bought milk from her next-door neighbor, and their friendship grew during Matali’s darkest days.

Matali had arrived in this village two years previously as a new bride. She was determined to make a comfortable home for her husband, Ayush, who worked hard every day at a factory manufacturing medication.

What should have been two blissful years of newlywed joy for Matali and Ayush was marked instead by sorrow and grief. Matali became pregnant very quickly, but before she completed the first trimester, Matali lost her baby. Two more pregnancies and two more miscarriages dismayed the young bride who longed to be a mother. Matali wanted to bring joy into her husband’s life, but it seemed all they had was grief.

Ayush worried for his wife and sought medical treatment for her, trusting doctors to diagnose and treat the cause of Matali’s miscarriages. Both Ayush’s and Matali’s parents offered sacrifices and prayed to their gods for the blessing of a child, but neither medical help nor religious activities enabled Matali to carry a baby to full term.

During this time, two women bought milk every day from Matali’s neighbor. At first Matali didn’t think anything about the women passing her home, but their simple white dresses stood out, contrasting with the typical fashion of bold, colorful prints. Matali became intrigued by the two women who appeared young, serene and set apart somehow.

One day, Matali went out and talked with the women and learned they were Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion who served Jesus.

The sisters began to visit with Matali when they came to buy milk, and the women became friends. Soon they learned about Matali’s heartache and encouraged her to trust in Jesus, the living God who rose from the dead. Surely, He could cause life to spring up in Matali’s womb.

Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion help Hope to Blossom in Matali’s Heart

Accepting the sisters’ invitation, Matali and Ayush visited the nearby church led by one of our pastors Sachitan. The couple shared with the pastor their intent in visiting his church: They wanted a baby and hoped Jesus would do something. Pastor Sachitan and the other believers gathered around Matali and Ayush and prayed for them, asking God to bless the young couple with a baby.

The next month, Matali knew she was pregnant again.

Fear and joy wrestled in her heart. As the first trimester progressed, Matali noticed a difference between this pregnancy and her others. Hope would rise in Matali’s heart, but then memories of what had happened in the past would send that hope scattering into the wind.

By the beginning of the second trimester, Matali and Ayush’s faith in Jesus grew with the baby in her belly. She did not have any of the complications of the previous pregnancies, and the couple knew Jesus had answered their prayers.

Ayush’s mother came to stay with Matali to take care of her, and she started going to the church with her son and daughter-in-law. Matali’s pregnancy continued normally, causing all three to praise Jesus for His miraculous gift of life.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Matali, the many visits of miscarriages hindering motherhood, and the hope and answered prayers through Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion. — Matali, Ayush and Ayush’s mother pray and fellowship with the Sisters of Compassion every Wednesday. There is hope and excitement in the group as Matali’s fourth pregnancy continues free of her previous troubles.

New Life for the Entire Family

Matali, Ayush and Ayush’s mother pray and fellowship with the Sisters of Compassion every Wednesday. There is hope and excitement in the group as Matali’s fourth pregnancy continues free of her previous troubles.

Matali’s life was so different than it used to be. She no longer worried about her baby—she knew Jesus was watching over the life developing within her. The Sisters of Compassion came to Matali’s home every Wednesday for prayer and fellowship. The sisters presented Matali and Ayush with a gift to celebrate their growing family: a Bible. Ayush read it every morning before going to work and each night before bed.

Now, Matali, Ayush and his mother faithfully worship Jesus every Sunday, and all three plan to testify to their new faith.

Matali praises God for her struggles, which led her family to know Jesus. When her baby is born, the child will grow up knowing Jesus his or her whole life. Matali’s pain and sorrow have given way to contentment and anticipation of good things in the future.

Read how Ganitha—paralyzed during pregnancy—was rescued from despair, along with her husband and son.

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

*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 Field Report, Dreams of Motherhood Resurrected

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion – those who are specially trained woman missionary with a deep burden for showing Christ’s love by physically serving the needy, underprivileged and poor.

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

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

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

Children Become More Than Scavengers at a Bridge of Hope Center

Last updated on: April 19, 2022 at 8:47 am 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 Adya and her siblings who, like many students, were rescued from difficult situations when they are enrolled in Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope.

Adya lost her father when she was a small child. Her mother, a Christian in name only, remarried and had two more children, only to be abandoned by her new husband shortly thereafter. Though Adya’s mother labored from early morning to late night every day, she never earned quite enough to provide for the family. Adya and her siblings often went hungry.

Adya’s mother managed to send her to school from time to time, but Adya’s younger sister, Lalana, and brother, Gayan, spent most of their lives roaming the slums, collecting trash to recycle. That is, until they began attending a Bridge of Hope center near their home.

Guiding Their Now-Clean Hands

Tarli, a social worker at Adya’s Bridge of Hope center, remembers when young Adya first joined seven years before. The girl, then 8 years old, was scrawny and unclean. She and her siblings didn’t know how to bathe or comb their hair; they didn’t have enough clothing to cover their bodies; they hardly knew how to carry on a conversation.

The tutors and social workers patiently worked with Adya, Lalana and Gayan. The children didn’t know how to read or write, so the Bridge of Hope tutors helped each one individually, guiding their hands to help the children form the letters. The center provided a daily meal, hygiene lessons, clothing and abundant doses of love. Under this care, it didn’t take long for the children to blossom.

“The life of Adya entirely transformed after she joined the Bridge of Hope center,” Tarli reflects. “She looks beautiful now and has become an energetic student in our center.”

No Longer Searching

Rather than scavenging for trash, Lalana and Gayan enjoy studying, and 15-year-old Adya has become one of the best students in her school. Her teachers and tutors are proud of her accomplishments, and her mother, after witnessing the transformation in her children’s lives, has come to understand that the Christ she once knew in name only is a Living Savior who still changes lives today.

Thank you so much for standing with us to make stories like this possible. May the Lord bless you.

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 Featured Article, Children Become More Than Scavengers

Learn more about the Discarded, Abandoned and Abused Children, and how, through your partnership, the ministry through Gospel for Asia can give them a home, protection and strive to reunite them with their families and help change 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

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report: Poverty: Public Enemy #1 – Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

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

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

Learning Obedience Instead of Swear Words

Last updated on: April 19, 2022 at 8:58 am 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

Hearts Changed Before the Credits Rolled

Last updated on: April 20, 2022 at 11:12 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the difficulties to reach villages with the Gospel, whether because of location, tradition, illiteracy, and the transformative impact Gospel for Asia (GFA) film team ministry bring to the mission field.

Paritosh excitedly sat down with his wife and other members of his community. They were about to enjoy a special treat that evening: a movie.

As the film progressed, however, Paritosh’s mood changed from that of seeking entertainment to one of deep contemplation. This movie was not what he expected, but he was far from disappointed.

GFA founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing the difficulties to reach villages with the Gospel, & the transformative impact Gospel for Asia film team ministry bring to the mission field. — When Pastor Biswas (left) and Paritosh (right) first met, Paritosh had little interest in the God Pastor Biswas loved and served. Years later, however, that changed when Paritosh attended a film show.

Unwanted Hope

Paritosh had heard of Jesus before. Our pastor in his area, Biswas, had first come to Paritosh’s village more than 12 years earlier and brought news of Jesus to Paritosh’s community. Even so, Paritosh had no interest in Jesus and didn’t understand the significance of His life.

Paritosh’s reaction to Pastor Biswas’s ministry was typical in his region. The majority of people in his mountainous area either ignored what workers like Pastor Biswas shared or responded with firm—sometimes forceful—rebukes. Pieces of literature about Christ frequently ended up as torn fragments on the ground, and bruises marked the bodies of many who tried to help villagers learn about Jesus. Traditions ran deep, and these communities wanted nothing that their ancestors didn’t have, especially regarding whom they worshiped. Some villages were so determined to keep themselves at status quo that any outsiders were required to obtain permission to even enter their area.

“The ministry here … is not easy,” Pastor Biswas says. “An ordinary person without a deep commitment to serve the Lord cannot come here and stay and do ministry.”

In addition to villagers’ resistance to Christ, he names other challenges to ministry: extreme winter cold, lack of electricity, high living costs, very few roads, forests filled with bears and tigers, low literacy rates and homes scattered across far distances.

In the midst of these obstacles, Pastor Biswas and other Gospel for Asia (GFA) workers cry out to God to enable them to serve and love the communities and people who, at the moment, do not especially want them around.

Understanding Grows Through Films

Since 1988, dedicated national workers have traveled as film teams to remote regions to share special movies with communities. These culturally relevant films help people in all walks of life grasp the greatness of God’s gift through Christ.

As an answer to those prayers, God sent small groups of men and women to this region—our film team that were ready to help communities understand, through movies, the truth of who Jesus is.

When one such team came to Pastor Biswas’s area, they worked together to organize a special movie night for Paritosh’s village.

“In most of the remote villages, there are no other means of entertainment like television and other things,” Pastor Biswas explains. “When there is a film show, people are interested, and they come.”

After obtaining permission from local authorities, Pastor Biswas and the film team members announced the details of the event to the community. They set up their projector screen and prepared for the sunset event.

Paritosh and the others watching the film saw Jesus in a new way that night. After years of disinterest in Christ, Paritosh finally understood what Jesus did for him.

“It really touched my heart,” Paritosh says. “Through this film show, I could understand that Jesus Christ came to this world to save me; He came and gave His life. … Our body will die one day, but our soul will be saved if I believe in Jesus Christ. Through His death I am saved. And it was for my sins that He died and rose again.”

People of all ages in villages like Paritosh’s have discovered those same things about Christ after watching a film about His life, ministry, death and resurrection. For some, the evening event is their first time to ever hear of Jesus. Others who grew up as cultural Christians realize through the film that they never started their own personal relationship with Christ. Still others journey from a place of spiritual criticism to faith during those few hours—or they start the journey.

Gospel for Asia (founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan) Film Team Ministry — Malini (right) carries some of her team’s gear in a basket as they make their way to the next village. Gospel for Asia (GFA) film teams members’ love for God strengthens them as they give their all each day to serve communities in need of hope.

Giving Their All for Communities, for Christ

Film ministry has proven one of the most effective ways of conveying God’s love to communities, especially those with high illiteracy rates. But serving in film ministry is not easy, as Malini knows firsthand.

Malini served on a team with three other women in Pastor Biswas’ region. At the start of her ministry, Malini knew she wanted to serve on a film team. Since then, she helped many people understand the truth about Christ. Her passion for using film to convey hope and God’s promise of new life undergirded her during times of intense difficulty.

“I know Christ selected me for this ministry, and Christ will help me,” Malini declares confidently.

As an all-women team, Malini’s group had special opportunities to minister to the women in the villages they visited. The culturally imposed behavioral boundaries in their area meant they did not receive the same level of opposition a team of men would experience—male missionaries commonly receive beatings, for example—and communities were often more willing to welcome unknown women than male strangers.

But the young women also had their own set of unique challenges. Some villagers misunderstood the traveling women’s intentions and passed shameful remarks. The mountainous region they ministered in had very little access to transportation, so they had to carry their equipment long miles up and down steep slopes. Local believers often assisted the women, but even so, the journeys between villages were grueling for all the film teams, especially for the women teams.

“Sometimes we are so tired physically,” Malini confides. “When we are discouraged … we pray our God will inspire us and give us more strength to do the ministry.”

But amid the challenges, Malini and all the other film team members, male or female, know their labor is not in vain. They meet people like Paritosh, whose lives are forever changed because others gave of themselves to bring hope to remote places.

“It is through the film ministry team that came to my village [that] I was able to watch the film and understand the love of God in my life,” Paritosh testifies.

He and his wife now both participate in their local fellowship and are growing in their walks with Christ.

Change Lives Through Film Ministry

Malini desired to spend her days helping others learn of God’s redemptive love, and through Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported film ministry, she and many others are doing just that. In addition, these teams empower communities to grow stronger by hosting double-feature shows. They play one film telling Christ’s story and a second film promoting awareness of societal issues, such as hygiene, smoking, alcohol and drugs. Scattered across diverse areas of Asia, film teams visit hundreds—even thousands—of communities each year, but more teams are needed to help all the people of Asia understand God’s gift of mercy.

Gospel for Asia (founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan) Paritosh and his family found Jesus through a film team, and their lives will never be the same. Countless more families still need to hear of Christ, and sending film teams is one of the most effective ways of helping them do so. — Paritosh and his family (pictured) found Jesus through a film team, and their lives will never be the same. Countless more families still need to hear of Christ, and sending film teams is one of the most effective ways of helping them do so.

Today, you have the opportunity to be part of a film team ministry through your prayers and gift. God has chosen individuals to serve in this effective but challenging ministry, and He can work through you to equip those teams with all the tools they need. Send news of His love to more people like Paritosh by donating toward film ministry!

Learn more about Film Team 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.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Hearts Changed Before the Credits Rolled

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.

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

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

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

Village Learns to Value Education

Last updated on: April 17, 2021 at 10:52 am 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 GFA Sisters of Compassion team who, despite facing resistance, labored for literacy for women and children, transforming their lives, bettering society.

Kuvira, Sabeena, Aamaal and Binita walked along the dirt road flanked by lush landscape that seemed to embrace them, inviting the four ladies to continue down to the village nestled near the river that flowed just beyond. As the women stepped into the village, however, the welcome feeling vanished.

An Unwelcome Entrance

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing the GFA Sisters of Compassion team who, despite resistance, labored for literacy for women and children, transforming lives, bettering society. — Bodhi, like the other women in her village, did not understand the value of education until four GFA Sisters of Compassion came to her village and started a literacy class. Through that class, Bodhi experienced the blessings of literacy in everyday life.

The Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion team, clad in their long white saris, entered the village and made their way through the streets, but no pairs of eyes looked their way. Stillness filled the air as the residents feigned ignorance of the presence of four strange women walking through their village. Doors swung closed, hiding suspicious residents inside. Others continued their outdoor chores but turned their backs on the sisters as they passed by.

The cold reception didn’t dampen the sisters’ excitement to minister within this village. They knew they could do something great for the people who hid in their homes and turned their backs. Kuvira, Sabeena, Aamaal and Binita prayed for the villagers as they headed home and asked the Lord to give them a ministry in this place. They encouraged each other along the way, reminding themselves of God’s great power to change lives.

Pens, Pencils and Notebooks

The four sisters continued to visit the village. At first, the only residents who acknowledged them were children. From very young to school aged, kids would approach the women in white with curiosity, asking questions and relishing the adult attention. Kuvira, Sabeena, Aamaal and Binita started teaching the village kids, most of whom worked in fields or roamed the streets instead of attending school. The sisters gave the children pens, pencils and notebooks so they could study on their own when the women were not there. After some time, the kids enjoyed learning and wanted to go to school, something they had always avoided before the sisters came. The parents in the village, amazed at the transformation, began to acknowledge the women who had helped their children so much.

Next Step: Literacy for Women

Motivated by the impact they had teaching the children to value education, the four Sisters of Compassion looked for a way to help the women in the village—most of whom were illiterate. The sisters decided to start a literacy class.

At first the villagers laughed at the sisters’ idea.

“What would we do by learning how to read and write?” the village women scoffed. “Our life is spent working in the fields and river, so if we join the class, it is not going to be beneficial for us, and we would be simply wasting our time.”

Undeterred, the Sisters of Compassion urged the women to join their class and explained the many ways literacy could impact their lives. The women in the village decided to talk it over. They had watched the sisters teaching their children and knew the team wanted to help them in society. They were grateful their kids started attending school and began to think that maybe they should learn too. They finally decided they would enroll in the literacy classes with the sisters.

Wife and Mother Perseveres in Learning

The first literacy class included six women from the village. Bodhi, a 45-year-old mother with four children, joined the first class. Bodhi had never gone to school herself and took up the challenge to learn to read and write. It was very difficult for Bodhi at first, and she wanted to quit many times, but the sisters kept encouraging her. Bodhi went to class every Saturday, leaving behind her work, and slowly grew in her abilities. Sometimes her husband would tease her when she studied and practiced at home, asking if she was going to become the village accountant. Bodhi retorted that she simply wanted to learn how to read and write.

As Bodhi progressed with the instruction and encouragement of the sisters, she began helping the other ladies. They would get together to study and spur on those who struggled. A community pride formed among the group of six in the literacy class.

Now when Bodhi goes to the market, she no longer relies on the color of the money to tell her how much change she received back from her purchase. Instead, she reads the price tag, counts out the proper money and checks that her change is correct. When her kids are working on homework, Bodhi helps them when they are stuck and corrects their pronunciation when they read. Even her husband is proud of her.

“I feel so happy and proud of my wife,” Bodhi’s husband says. “If a person decides to accomplish something, [she] can achieve it someday. The sisters are working for the development of the society, and we should take advantage of what is provided by the sisters of the church.”

Kuvira, Sabeena, Aamaal and Binita visit the village frequently and are now welcomed into the homes of grateful families and honored as guests. Having ministered to the practical needs of the villagers, such as Bodhi, the Gospel for Asia (GFA) Sisters of Compassion have become trusted confidants for the village’s mothers and children who seek the sisters out for prayer for life’s concerns. The four young women are now indispensable to this village and are shining lights of God’s love.

While the women in this village had to be convinced of the value of literacy, other women, like Habiba, dream of obtaining literacy. Read how Habiba’s dreams came true.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Report, Village Learns to Value Education

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

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

Learn more by reading the GFA special report: Literacy: One of the Great Miracle Cures — Resolving the Limitations Illiteracy Places on the Human Spirit

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

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

A Pastor’s Intercession

Last updated on: April 20, 2022 at 11:13 am 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 Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor’s prayer and encouragement for those who are sick. Many people like Mihirkiran are completely healed as a result!

Pastor Babala was a family man who had nine children. So when he happened to meet a man whose children were going hungry, compassion stirred his heart.

The man, Mihirkiran, had been working hard labor from morning to night to provide for his family until the excruciating effort took its toll on his body, leaving him sick, weak and unable to work. Mihirkiran’s wife had to care for their three young children and couldn’t help provide for the family. With the breadwinner sick, the family found themselves in desperate need.

Visiting Pastor Provides Rice

Our pastor Babala visited Mihirkiran one day and learned of the family’s struggles. When the pastor and his wife came back the next day, they realized the family had no food to eat and their children were going hungry. Moved with compassion, Pastor Babala and his wife gave the family enough money to buy rice for their children. Mihirkiran was very happy for the help.

Surprised by God’s Answers

Over the next several days, Pastor Babala encouraged Mihirkiran and his family, sharing from the Word of God and praying for Mihirkiran’s healing. Before long, Mihirkiran’s health was completely restored! Surprised by this miracle, Mihirkiran and his wife came to understand Jesus as God, the One who died on a cross and heals the sick.

Today, Mihirkiran and his wife are learning more about the Jeusus they love by attending the church Pastor Babala leads.

Thank You

Every day, pastors like Babala reach out to those in their communities, actively sharing the love of Jesus with people, whether that means praying for them or helping provide a meal. God is making their ministry possible as people like you stand with them through prayer and financial support. Thank you.

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

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, A Pastor’s Intercession

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report: The Scandal of Starvation in a World of Plenty — World Hunger’s Ugly Truths Revealed

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

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

People in Slums Need Help & Love

Last updated on: April 20, 2022 at 11:16 am 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 Gospel for Asia slum ministries & Compassion Services teams who forsake their own lives to offer spiritual & physical hope to the families and people in slums of Asia.

In 1999, Gospel for Asia (GFA) began supporting slum ministries to specifically help the plethora of neglected people in slums in Asia.

Tens of millions of people occupy slums in and around major cities. They live in abject poverty and indescribable misery, some within a few hundred yards of some of the most technologically advanced cities in the Asian sub-continent. Thousands arrive daily from rural areas in search of jobs and a better life, only to become trapped in desperate living situations with little hope of change.

Most families in slums live in one-room shanties. Toilets are scarce, so the stench of human waste pollutes the air. Garbage is strewn across the alleyways. Everyone is vulnerable to disease.

Every day is a new battle to somehow find a job, even one that is an extremely menial labor job. If that’s not possible, breadwinners—and often children—must resort to begging, scavenging or prostitution to be able to eat. If they get too sick or too old to work, most have no social agency to help them.

A Gospel for Asia (GFA) behind-the-scenes missionary had the opportunity to see a slum in Asia and described the living conditions of those dwelling in the slum, saying:

“They don’t have money, they don’t have clothes, food. Their houses are just…shacks. It made my heart feel sad.”

Breaking the chain of poverty is almost impossible without the compassion of others outside of these poverty-stricken communities. Many people do see the needs of these struggling millions, but for a variety of reasons, many others simply ignore them, passing them by without a second thought.

That’s why our Compassion Services—specifically slum ministry—makes such a difference.

Not only do these Compassion Services teams go into the slums, but they also sacrifice their own personal comfort by living within the slums. They serve in many ways so they may more effectively demonstrate what others are not: the value of each individual life, no matter how poor. Their acts of service and their encouraging messages are helping many families discover the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

Jesus set aside all the incomparable splendor of His heavenly majesty to live among and minister to the poor, the weary and the brokenhearted. So too, our supported workers forsake the lives they could have to offer spiritual and physical hope that families in slums would possibly never hear about otherwise.

Living and ministering within the slums allows workers to build relationships, meet needs, teach about Jesus, and bring believers into fellowship with others.

Watch this brief (1:11) video to learn more about the impact of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported ministry in 932 of Asian’s slums. Then, please prayerfully consider what you can do to bring practical help and news of eternal life to those living in slums.

Go here to learn how your donations toward Compassion Services will change lives in the slums.

Learn more about the need for slum ministry, uplifting the lives of slum dwellers. Gospel for Asia began supporting ministry in the slums in 1999. Through this work, many people have found hope and strength in God.

Sources:

Learn more about Dr. KP Yohannan’s book, No Longer a Slumdog, where real children living in slum conditions in Asia share their real stories of need and how our loving God intervened to redeem them with His love. You will be astonished as you read how God is powerfully moving in hearts right now.

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

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report: Poverty: Public Enemy #1 — Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

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

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

A True Friend Found at Gospel for Asia Vacation Bible School

Last updated on: April 21, 2022 at 5:38 am By GFA Staff Writer

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

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

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

Learning About Friendship

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

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

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

Be a True Friend

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

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

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

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

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, A True Friend at VBS

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

“We Want to Sacrifice”: Gospel for Asia Women’s Fellowship Gives Help and Hope

Last updated on: April 21, 2022 at 5:41 am 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 Gospel for Asia (GFA) Women’s Fellowship groups that continue to give help and hope with an immense love to Jesus and others even at the cost of their own comforts.

Mima’s hands grasp the grains of rice, letting it spill from her fingertips as she sets apart a portion of food for the day. The same hands rise in worship and prayer. The same hands make soap; share literature; and help the poor, the widows and orphans. The same hands tenderly care and tend for her family. In Mima’s heart rests this hope: The fruit coming from her hands is something eternal.

Every Friday, Mima and other women from churches all across the country meet for a day of fasting and prayer at their Gospel for Asia (GFA) Women’s Fellowship. They pray for their families and lift up the needs of the local church. They read God’s Word and go out into their communities to encourage their female neighbors in the Lord. Their sole desire is to know and love the Lord more, and they have seen the Lord work powerfully.

“For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.”
—2 Corinthians 8:3–5

Not Your Everyday Women

Beyond your average women’s meetings, there is something profoundly unique about this particular group of ladies. Much like the example given in Proverbs 31 in the Bible, these women stretch out their hands and resources to the poor and needy around them.

Like Mima, each woman in the fellowship raises funds for their fellowship and for the kingdom of God. They set aside a handful of rice from the daily portion they cook for their families; they make soap and sell it; and they also sell vegetables in the market. By doing so, Mima and the other Women’s Fellowship ladies sow into the kingdom and their church with the finances they raise. They are not afraid they will go hungry by their sacrifice—to them, it is a sacrifice worth giving unto the Lord.

“We want to participate, we want to give, we want to sacrifice what we have, even if it is small things,” Mima says. “It gives us strength to give for the Lord…”

Through Mima and the other women’s efforts, they are able to support three local Bible college students. Last year they were able to provide a few flood victims in their area with rice, clothes and drinks.

“In my thinking, fundraising is very important,” Mima says. “If we don’t have funds, we cannot do any mission work or sponsor any items or activities. So fundraising is very important.”

The women also help each other out with hospital bills when one of the women in their fellowship gives birth. Through their fundraising and fellowship, they have seen a strong bond of unity form among them.

“Whenever we make an arrangement for fundraising,” Mima says, “we can have more fellowship at that time, and also we have good relationships with each other . . . also, it gives more happiness to our heart when we participate in activities.”

Along with their fundraising, they remain proactive in sharing their personal testimonies of God’s faithfulness in their lives. For Mima, it hasn’t always been easy to share her faith. There have been times when she simply had no courage. But she would pray, and the Lord would give her strength and boldness to comfort those in need and share His love with her neighbors. Along with these house visits, Mima and some of the other women make it a point to invite women in their community to come to their prayer and worship gatherings.

Blooming and Growing in Christ

Over the course of the years, Mima has seen her Women’s Fellowship come to life. It has grown and bloomed as the women themselves grow in their fellowship and in their love for one another, for God and for others who need to know Him.

Cheerfully and willingly, Mima and the Women’s Fellowship give and make sacrifices. Their efforts a have great reward, for their eyes are fixed on eternal things as they aim to serve God in every area of their lives.

Their hands will always toil with hard work. They will sacrifice a daily meal so others may experience the Bread of Life for the first time. They have joy knowing their efforts, small or large, are making a difference. They walk together in unity and fellowship, all with one purpose in mind—to love the people around them with all they have found in the Lord.

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

Here are some ways you can join in prayer for Gospel for Asia Women’s Fellowship.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, We Want to Sacrifice

Learn more about how you can help alleviate the many struggles widows face through the Gospel for Asia supported Widows Ministry, providing them with basic essentials, sources of income and opportunities to find peace in Christ.

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

Walking 10,220 Miles for Water: Providing Jesus Wells for Communities In Need

Last updated on: April 22, 2022 at 5:57 am 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 Gafur and his wife, Dishita, the isolation they experienced due to their faith in Jesus, the struggle of walking 4 miles daily to fetch clean water, and Gospel for Asia (GFA) providing Jesus Wells to these communities in need.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Gafur & Dishita, the struggle of walking 4 miles daily to fetch clean water, & Gospel for Asia providing Jesus Wells to communities in need — Discussing Gafur & Dishita, the struggle of walking 4 miles daily to fetch clean water, & Gospel for Asia (GFA) providing Jesus Wells to communities in need

What would you do if the people in your community forbid you from using the local water to drink, take showers or wash your clothes? You would have to immediately find another water source for your family and livestock to survive.

This happened to Gafur and his wife, Dishita, a couple living in Asia. One of their sons was seriously ill when they requested a visiting pastor to pray for him. God answered in a wonderful way and healed the boy completely. This miracle led the boy’s grateful parents to put their trust in Jesus! However, as the family started to take part in church activities, the villagers opposed them and the other believers.

The villagers stopped talking to them, didn’t invite them to any social functions and no longer allowed them to draw water from any source in their community.

The believers then had no choice but to walk two miles—one way—to a hand pump installed on government premises and carry water back to their homes in large pots every single day.

Walking 4 miles every day
for 7 years adds up to 10,220 miles.

Imagine how many trips Dishita and her family had to make over the next seven years to fetch enough water for drinking, taking baths, cooking and washing dishes and clothes for their seven-member household!

Yet in spite of all these hardships, Gafur, Dishita and the believers in this village remained faithful to the Lord and trusted Him to meet their needs.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: A Jesus Well like this one now provides clean water for Gafur, Dishita and their whole village. — A Jesus Well like this one now provides clean water for Gafur, Dishita and their whole village.

And He did! In January of 2016, thanks to the generosity of our Gospel for Asia (GFA) family, a Jesus Well was drilled in this village for the Christians and all the other people in their community to use. When the believers freely shared their clean water with the villagers, the people’s attitude changed. Now the villagers talk with the believers and are interested in hearing about the love of God. Some even ask for prayer and visit house prayer meetings.

The struggle for access to clean water this group of Christians faced is shared by millions of poor people. Often because of extreme poverty, discrimination or drought, their only water sources are polluted, stagnant ponds. They have no other option but to use that filthy, disease-ridden water for drinking and every other human need, as well as for watering and cleaning their livestock. Consequently, people suffer much sickness, and tragically, many children die as a result.

We can change the suffering of such a community in need by providing them with a Jesus Well. Or you can help a family by giving a BioSand water filter, which turns polluted water into clean, safe drinking water.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: This plaque by a Jesus Well displays John 4:13-14. — This plaque by a Jesus Well displays John 4:13-14.

Both are truly life-saving gifts that remind people of the love and care of their heavenly Father. Jesus Wells even have an inscription that says, “Jesus said, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst’ ” (John 4:13–14).

We hope to provide thousands of communities with Jesus Wells and BioSand water filters this year! Will you join us?

Learn more about how to provide pure, clean water to families and villages through Gospel for Asia Jesus Wells and BioSand Water Filters.

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, Walking Four Miles Every Day for Water

Read the Solving the World Water Crisis for Good special report — Lasting Solutions Can Defeat an Age-old Problem.

Learn more by reading The Global Clean Water Crisis special report — Finding Solutions to Humanity’s Need for Pure, Safe Water.

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

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Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion help Hope to Blossom in Matali’s Heart

New Life for the Entire Family

Guiding Their Now-Clean Hands

No Longer Searching

Noah Impacts Rebellious Teen

Contemplation Leads to Heart Change

Unwanted Hope

Understanding Grows Through Films

Giving Their All for Communities, for Christ

Change Lives Through Film Ministry

An Unwelcome Entrance

Pens, Pencils and Notebooks

Next Step: Literacy for Women

Wife and Mother Perseveres in Learning

Visiting Pastor Provides Rice

Surprised by God’s Answers

Thank You

Learning About Friendship

Be a True Friend

Not Your Everyday Women

Blooming and Growing in Christ

What is the Christian teaching about caring for the poor?