WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada, founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan) releases new video featuring Francis Chan, Hank Hanegraaff, and K.P. Yohannan – three of America’s high-profile influential church leaders – urging Christians to shun divisiveness and work towards greater unity and humility in the church.Christians everywhere need to place less emphasis on “charismatic personalities” and “popularity contests” and focus more on humility and unity, agreed the three influential leaders, who’ve often challenged the status quo.The trio — author and pastor Francis Chan, Gospel for Asia founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan, and radio show host Hank Hanegraaff, known as the “Bible Answer Man” — are featured in a new roundtable video discussion, titled The Keys to Christian Unity Unlocked.
LEADERS CALL FOR CHURCH HUMILITY, UNITY: Three of America’s high-profile influential church leaders are urging Christians to shun divisiveness and work towards greater unity and humility in the church. The trio — author and pastor Francis Chan, Gospel for Asia founder Dr. K.P. Yohannan, and radio show host Hank Hanegraaff, known as the “Bible Answer Man” — are featured in a new roundtable video discussion, The Key to Christian Unity Unlocked.
Former California megachurch pastor and best-selling Crazy Love author Chan, who now lives and ministers in one of Hong Kong’s poorest neighborhoods, acknowledged “sound bites” from the nearly hour-long discussion would likely ignite controversy.
“(People will say) Francis is teaching some weird stuff, and K.P. is dressed really weird, and Hank… we all know (he) went off the deep end,” Chan said, referring to Hanegraaff’s embrace of Eastern Orthodox teachings.
Quest for ‘Deep Faith Beyond Personalities’
Describing the church in America as “splintered,” Chan said he’s being challenged to discover a deeper faith beyond 21st century American evangelicalism — which, he said, often focuses on personalities and theological squabbles.
Yohannan — who describes his own personal trials in his new book Never Give Up: The Story of A Broken Man Impacting A Generation — challenged believers of all theological stripes to practice humility and follow the example of the early church in the Book of Acts.
The mission pioneer — whose Texas-based organization Gospel for Asia (GFA World) transforms millions of lives across Asia with God’s love — said God was teaching him humility and “to die to my reputation.”
“(In America), we think we are the ch\urch, and we’re to sit on the top of the mountain and lead the whole world,” Yohannan said.
The church, Yohannan said, should not consist of fragmented groups following charismatic individuals. “The early church fathers taught not to (the) individual, but to the Body (of Christ).”
Hanegraaff, author of Truth Matters, Life Matters More, agreed the church today has much to learn from the early church’s teachings and practices. “Christ is building his (church) and the gates of hell will not prevail upon it,” he said. “We are new creations in Christ. Because the Holy Spirit has empowered me for service, I have the ability by God’s grace to be a transformational agent in the world.”
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.
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Last updated on: January 25, 2022 at 6:31 am By GFA Staff Writer
WILLS POINT, TX – Texas-based Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada, founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan) and Body of Life are leading hunger relief efforts to help thousands of families in Texas struggling with COVID 19 hardships.Humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) — a faith-based organization headquartered in Wills Point, 50 miles east of Dallas –has rushed to help starving people on the other side of the world as the pandemic spreads.
But after the coronavirus hit hard in its own backyard, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) jumped into action to help its Texas neighbors, too.
The organization — partnering with Texas-based ministry Body of Life — is helping to feed hundreds of Texas families every month by distributing “Farmers to Families” fresh produce boxes.
Every month, more than a thousand Farmers to Families boxes — supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) — are being handed out to Texans in need at GFA World’s Wills Point campus.
The organization’s Texas hunger response has caught the attention of local leaders.
Mayrani Velazquez, a member of Terrell City Council, described the COVID-19 food relief as a “blessing,” adding: “We’re all grateful for GFA World’s willingness to host these events.”
OUT OF THE JAWS OF HUNGER: Texas-based humanitarian agency Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is releasing hundreds of thousands of families from the jaws of hunger amid crippling COVID-19 hardships at home and overseas. Food relief efforts are under way in Texas and across Asia.
Help, Hope for the Hurting
“Our desire is to bring help for today and hope for tomorrow wherever we are,” said K.P. Yohannan, founder of Gospel for Asia (GFA World) that’s also feeding hundreds of thousands across Asia in the throes of the pandemic.
In Asia — the world’s most populated continent, home to six out of every 10 people on earth — many families face starvation as COVID-19 has shuttered factories and other businesses, leaving desperate parents with no income or safety net.
Thousands more would be in dire straits without grassroots food relief efforts, led by local churches. One aid recipient said: “I will never forget such an act of kindness in my life.”
Gospel for Asia Rescuing People Out of the Jaws of COVID 19 Hunger
The organization’s Bridge of Hope program and local church-run efforts in Asia continue to release thousands from the jaws of hunger — children like Samsundar, an orphan, and Sunita, whose mother hasn’t been able to work for months.
Aid packages — including rice, cooking oil, salt, and other essentials — have been a lifeline for nearly 200,000 people, including children.
In northeast India’s tea-growing region of Assam, Gospel for Asia (GFA World) workers are delivering aid in the midst of a “double disaster” — COVID-19 and devastating floods. They use homemade paddleboards to get around their rain-lashed communities, where some churches are under several feet of floodwater. In one area, church members also gave out face masks.
In India’s densely populated West Bengal region, people are calling the church-led relief effort a godsend. “It’s as if the Lord suddenly sent manna from above,” one parent said.
Texas-based 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.
Last updated on: January 25, 2022 at 6:33 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 Vaj, a once hardened man by alcohol addiction, now transformed when a Gospel for Asia pastor shared with him the love of Christ.
Vaj was a changed man. It was difficult not to notice it. His family members and friends marveled at his transformation. The once careless drunkard, who spent all of what little he earned on his addiction, now was faithfully working and able to provide for his family. He hadn’t touched a bottle in weeks. Instead he spent his time behind a pull cart laden with vegetables or food to sell. His family, who once toiled under the shadow of discouragement, was now filled with joy.
Pastor Samuel shared the love of Christ and prayed with Vaj, to be free from his addiction.
What was the secret? How could such a hardened man become so gentle? How could he leave the very essence of who he had been?
Pastor’s Counsel Helps Man Overcome Addiction
The change began when Vaj met Pastor Haatim. The Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor shared with him the love of Christ and prayed with Vaj. He also invited him to church, and Vaj willingly went to a prayer meeting one night. There, the heartfelt prayers of the pastor and the believers touched his heart.
“I felt very good,” Vaj told the pastor. “We will be coming back continually for the prayer meeting.”
The power of God’s Word began to transform Vaj’s life. He met regularly with the pastor and received counsel. Eventually, the grip of alcohol on Vaj’s life loosened—and Vaj decided he would quit drinking altogether. And he was true to his word.
Vaj regularly met with a Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor, Haatim, who counseled him. Eventually, Vaj decided to give up alcoholism.
Vaj’s neighbors and family marveled at the change that took place. He took care now to live his life in a more honorable way. He labored hard to provide for his family. He used his money to take care of their needs. As happy as Vaj’s family was at his transformation, they still struggled in their finances.
“I was addicted to alcohol, but after meeting with Pastor [Haatim] and praying to God, I could get rid of it,” Vaj explained. “Now I have experienced a new life in the Lord Jesus. Also there was no peace in my life because of my behavior, but thank God for changing me. I give glory and honor to Him.”
Pull Cart Brings Hope, a New Future
Seeing Vaj’s need, Pastor Haatim applied for Vaj to be included in the Christmas gift distribution. As a result, Vaj received a pull cart.
Vaj no longer hires himself out for manual labor, but has his own business of selling vegetables in the mornings and prepared food in the evenings. His family members have even begun to help him in his business.
Seeing Vaj’s need, Pastor Haatim applied for Vaj to be included in the Christmas gift distribution. As a result, Vaj received a pull cart.
Vaj doesn’t struggle to provide for his own family any more. By earning $4 per day, Vaj can even give his children education, and the cart’s profits have been more than enough for his family’s daily needs. He gives to the church faithfully, too, sharing his blessings with others.
Vaj’s life is a testimony to all those around him.
“After accepting Jesus in his life, there are lots of improvements in Vaj’s life,” Vaj’s neighbor explains. “He left drinking alcohol and runs his business well. Now, he takes care of his family, which he could not do before.”
Vaj was delighted when he received the cart. He no longer works as a laborer but is selling vegetables in the morning and prepared food during the evening.
Gifts That Change Lives
A simple gift and a mighty God can do so much in one man’s life. Beyond Vaj’s life, a ripple effect has reached out to all those around him. You can be part of bringing hope to more families in need this year. Check out the Christmas Gift Catalog and make an impact for eternity.
*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.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Ruhae, the grief and hardships of an aging widow, the last living relative for her grandchildren, and the Gospel for Asia Pastor that brought God’s peace and comfort.
Her son was murdered. Her daughter-in-law and husband both succumbed to illnesses. Ruhae was the last living relative for her grandchildren but at 77-years-old, she knew she wouldn’t live much longer. Who would take care of her young grandchildren, only 12 and 8 years old, when she passed?
Ruhae (pictured) had become her grandchildren’s sole caregiver, and she often worried for their futures.
Hardened by the World
That question kept Ruhae up at night as she agonized over the fate of her precious grandchildren. Even at 77 years old, she worked in the fields to scrape together enough money to feed her grandchildren. It was hard, menial labor, but Ruhae did it. How else would she provide for them?
The grief and hardships the aging widow had faced over the years hardened Ruhae’s heart. There is no place and no one who can give me peace, she thought.
Reigniting a Spark of Hope
Gospel for Asia pastor Shirom led a small fellowship of believers in Ruhae’s village. The temporary building his congregation met in was close to Ruhae’s home. Occasionally, the pastor and a few believers visited Ruhae, offering prayer and encouragement.
On one particular visit, Gospel for Asia (GFA) Pastor Shirom encouraged the widow to give all her cares and burdens to the Lord because He could give her the peace she was searching for. He could remove the anxiety she felt when she thought of her grandchildren’s future. He could lighten her burdens. The thought intrigued the widow, who had almost given up hope of finding relief for her and her grandchildren. Desiring to know more, Ruhae began attending services at Gospel for Asia (GFA) Pastor Shirom’s church.
Widow Learns The Peace That Passes Understanding through Gospel for Asia Pastor
Little by little, Ruhae’s heart opened up. The widow realized that no matter what had happened in her life and no matter what the future held, God loved her and He provided.
“I get peace worshiping the Lord,” Ruhae remarked. “When I worry, I tell everything to God. … Before knowing the Lord, I worried, but when I heard about the Lord, I began to call upon Him. In spite of all problems, I feel peace of mind and pray more and trust in the Lord alone.”
Ruhae embraced God’s love into her heart fully. The calm Ruhae now feels knowing her grandchildren will be looked after dwarfs the worries she felt before.
“I am not scared of what the future holds,” Ruhae declares. “God is there to take care of my grandchildren.”
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are GFA stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Last updated on: October 20, 2020 at 6:50 pm 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 Women Missionaries who care deeply for the sick and suffering around them, ministering to them through prayer and encouragement.
One evening as Gospel for Asia women missionaries Pakhi, Heerkani and Sabeena stood on the terrace of their house overlooking their city neighborhood, they saw an old man lying down on a cot outside his home. The man looked very sick as his family members hovered around him, taking care of his needs.
The three women missionaries went to their room and began to pray for the man. There they asked the Lord for His help to minister to their neighbors.
A Doctor’s Plight
The man’s name was Bilva—and he couldn’t move. A doctor by trade, he was usually the one to look into the faces of the ill as they rested on their sickbeds. But now he rested on his. Paralysis had taken him by surprise months before, leaving him completely helpless.
The medicines he took did nothing to improve his condition, and Bilva lived the same routine over and over again, until a visit from three unfamiliar women changed things.
A Change of Mind through Gospel for Asia Women Missionaries
When Pakhi, Heerkani and Sabeena introduced themselves to Bilva and his family, they learned about his paralysis. Pakhi shared hope from God’s Word and told them about the One who heals. At first, Bilva’s family didn’t respond very positively—they didn’t know anyone named Jesus. But as the women patiently explained the healing power of the Son of God and offered to pray for Bilva, the family changed their minds.
The sisters prayed for and visited the family regularly. As time passed, Bilva’s body began to improve, and he started to move his hands and legs. The family rejoiced at his improved health, and Bilva’s daughter chose to love Jesus. Now she prays with the missionaries and spends time reading God’s Word.
Thanks for being a part of stories like this through your prayers.
*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.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Prisha and the Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion, women missionaries who dedicate their lives to bringing hope and God’s love to the most needy and disenfranchised.
The place was filthy. The people who lived there struggled daily to subsist. Their situation was desperate. They needed help, but it would have to come from someone willing to sacrifice their own comfort to come alongside and provide the relief the disenfranchised needed.
What would motivate someone to do that? Only love and compassion. Love can compel you to go. Compassion will compel you to dwell among them.
That’s what happened after Prisha committed her life to serve Jesus with the Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion and volunteer to go to the people in the remote village of Punya Basti.
The people of Punya Basti lived in squalor and the stink of rotting animal carcasses, burning garbage and waste that littered the entire village. Outsiders would do their best to avoid the village because the stench was so onerous. The village had no electricity, no running water and no toilets. Prisha knew this, yet she chose to go there.
When she arrived, the reality exceeded her grimmest expectations. She found naked, hungry children, people covered in filth, mothers preparing meager meals in dirty pots and vessels, and drug and alcohol addiction rampant even among the children. The first drink of water offered to her in Punya Basti was in a glass so dirty that it broke her heart to realize what life was really like in the village.
Yet, when her Sisters of Compassion mentor suggested that she commute from another village where she would be safer, Prisha responded, “I don’t want to live in a different place. I want to stay in the midst of them, in the village, so I can understand their feelings … and they can understand the love we want to show them.”
Prisha’s story is more than one of compassion. It is one of redemption. Compassion is a feeling of empathy. Prisha knew that compassion motivated by love opens a way to redemption. She knew that the people needed to know that someone loved them and that those who loved them cared enough about them to help them learn how to live healthier and more productive lives. Living among them was the first step in demonstrating her love and compassion.
It was not a difficult decision for her to make, but there were times she wondered if it would be one that was difficult to keep. She and the Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion who joined her spent their first week in the village fasting and praying for the Lord’s guidance to show them how to build loving relationships with the villagers. They knew that they had to draw close to them in order to build relationships of trust.
As they cleaned the village streets—one of the lowliest of tasks for the lowliest of people in their country—and as they helped women with their daily chores, and as they helped take care of their babies, those relationships began to develop. Eating meals the locals cooked helped as well. Especially the mouthwatering tortoise and mongoose.
The relationships engendered the kind of trust that caused the people to listen to their advice. Prisha and the other Sisters of Compassion taught them how to bathe, brush their teeth, comb their hair and dress neatly and modestly.
Learning these valuable lessons led to the people accepting them as part of the family. As one of the villagers said, “We love them because they love us.”
Today, more than 1,000 Punya Basti villagers have been transformed by the love of Christ as it has been taught and demonstrated in the lives of the Sisters of Compassion. The village has been redeemed from the filth and squalor in which it was once lost. The transformation from darkness to light began with the love of Christ shining through one life committed to compassion. Now that love continues to transform individual villagers from the inside out as they, too, have come to accept His love and follow Him.
I can’t help but think about how Prisha and the seven other Sisters of Compassion so clearly demonstrated the love of Christ just as He loved us. He set aside His comforts to live among us in our world of filth and shame. He did it so that He would be able to completely understand our desperate situation and build a relationship with us based upon His sacrificial love. It was by doing so that His compassion opened the way for our redemption by having a personal relationship with Him.
Heavenly Father, help us to see the others as you see them. Give us a love for them like your love, a love that breaks our hearts with compassion. Give us a compassion that is willing to act sacrificially so that others will see you in and through us so that they, too, will come to know you and be blessed by your great love. Give us a love that compels us to go and tell others who will receive that love and who will, in turn, go and tell others. Thank you, Lord, for what you are going to do through us.
*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.
Pastor Gobi knelt on the ground while the sound of his prayers filled the air. Soon he would begin his ministry distributing literature and praying for the sick and needy. On his knees he would find victory. Gobi didn’t know it then, but a long journey of faith and endurance awaited him.
Village Opposes the Good News
Early in the morning, Pastor Gobi felt the Lord’s prompting to share His love in one particular village, so he made his way there. But when he arrived, the pastor faced utter rejection. The villagers were worshiping their traditional deities, trying to find joy and peace in their hearts. They offered sacrifices to them, hoping to receive blessings, and they had no room for Pastor Gobi’s message of hope in Christ.
Some villagers snatched the literature Gobi offered them and tore the booklets. With threatening words, they told him to leave and not return.
The villagers snatched the literature Gobi offered them and tore the booklets. With threatening words they told him to leave and not return.
A Heart Committed to Prayer
Even though it was difficult, Pastor Gobi prayed and sought God’s face, asking Him to prepare the soil of the villagers’ hearts and minds to know the Lord’s grace. Because this matter burdened his heart, he began to fast and pray every Friday for the village—something he would do for three years.
As time went by, Pastor Gobi felt full of the Lord’s courage, so he once again visited the village that had harshly rejected the Good News. Gobi passed out literature and shared God’s love with the villagers. At the end of the day, he met a man named Tosa.
Tosa was known as the poorest man in his village. He struggled finically. Though Tosa and his wife both worked as much as they could, they were barely scraping by. If they couldn’t work, they didn’t eat that day.
Meeting a Troubled Man
As Pastor Gobi conversed with Tosa, he heard the man’s story in detail.
Tosa was known as the poorest man in his village. He struggled financially. Though Tosa and his wife both worked as much as they could, they were barely scraping by. If they couldn’t work, they didn’t eat that day.
Tosa knew that if he could get to the city, he would find better work and be able to feed his family. But there was a problem: His family owned only one bicycle, and his children needed it to get to school each day. There was no other means of transportation he could afford. So he stayed in his village—sometimes walking by foot to nearby villages—looking for work so his family could live.
Doors Begin to Open
Tosa was presented with a bicycle by Pastor Gobi. With this useful gift, Tosa travels to the city and earns a better living.
Whenever Pastor Gobi visited the village, he made it a point to check in with Tosa and his family. As they saw the genuine love and care Gobi shared with them, they decided to learn about Jesus by attending church.
When it came time for Pastor Gobi to organize a Christmas gift distribution, he requested that Tosa be added to the list of recipients. Two months later, Tosa was presented with a bicycle. With this useful gift, Tosa traveled to the city and began to earn a better living. Soon his family could enjoy three meals a day, and he was even able to purchase more clothing for his family, including school uniforms for his children.
As Tosa and his family’s lives began to transform, the villagers watched them closely. Slowly their hearts began to soften. Their ideas about Pastor Gobi and God began to change. The villagers began to take the literature Pastor Gobi offered, and they read it with curiosity. They have begun to ask Pastor Gobi for prayer when they are sick or in need of peace.
As Pastor Gobi faithfully prayed, the Lord listened and answered the cries of his heart. Now Christ’s love is freely shared in a village that once rejected it. The bicycle was just one tool the Lord used to prepare the soil of hardened hearts!
As Tosa and his family’s lives began to transform, the villagers watched them closely. Slowly their hearts began to soften. They wanted to take the literature Pastor Gobi offered.
The gift of a Gospel for Asia (GFA) bicycle can help break the bondage of poverty for a family just like Tosa’s, and a bicycle can also be given to a missionary to help him or her share the love of Christ farther and faster. Help many others to hear about the love of Christ by giving the gift of a bicycle.
*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.
Last updated on: January 29, 2022 at 10:50 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 Sundar, blind at birth, obscure and impoverished, the sufferings his family experienced, and the calling and life of a Gospel for Asia Missionary in the grace and love of God.
O
ne chilly Tuesday, a blind baby boy was born into an impoverished, illiterate family in a remote village tucked into the foothills of the Himalayas. The parents loved their little boy and named him Sundar.
The small family had love, but little else. Debalal, Sundar’s father, had partial paralysis but was still able to work as a day laborer collecting wood to sell. To help make ends meet, Sundar’s mother also worked. Much of their income went to medical treatments for Sundar, but the little boy’s world remained shrouded in darkness.
Sundar grew up in this small mud-wall hut with no expectations but to live and die in obscurity.
Neighbors looked on Sundar’s family with dismay, counting the family’s poverty, the father’s lameness and the son’s blindness as hardships too difficult to endure.
“Sundar will never receive sight. He is a burden for you,” they said. “Take him and throw him into the river instead of facing so many problems in life.”
“Take him and throw him into the river instead of facing so many problems in life.”
Debalal and his wife ignored the ill advice and continued to care for their son. But young Sundar began to believe what he had heard his neighbors say about him, especially when he saw his parents’ sorrow.
A little brother soon joined Sundar. The family of four eked out what life they could, faithfully worshiping their traditional deities.
Struggling through life, the family could not foresee the joy waiting just ahead.
7-year-old Sundar Experiences a Miracle, Family Transforms
One day, after Debalal spoke to Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Tuhinsurra, 7-year-old Sundar listened intently as his father told him about a Man who could make his eyes better. Excitement, fear and incredulity wrestled in the boy’s heart.
Desperate to provide his son with healing, Debalal brought his family to church. After each service, warm, gentle hands crowned Sundar’s head as Pastor Tuhinsurra asked a Man named Jesus to bring light to Sundar’s eyes.
Soon, God answered their prayers, and Sundar saw the face of his loving parents for the first time.
When the pastor of this church shared Jesus with Debalal, Sundar’s father, it brought an unknown happiness and healing to the entire family.
After this miracle, the entire family began worshiping Jesus at the local church. Sundar’s father shared the testimony of his son to their neighbors, who began asking him to pray for their needs. Four years later, God also healed Debalal from his lameness. He became a church deacon, and the poor, illiterate man once considered cursed became a pillar of godliness in the community.
Sundar’s family reveled in unfettered happiness. God had done so much for them. A newfound hope kindled in Debalal’s heart—a hope that his sons would surpass him in every way.
Father Martyred When Praying for Sick Man
Sundar’s father, Debalal
Since Pastor Tuhinsurra lived in another village and oversaw multiple congregations in surrounding towns, Debalal did a lot of the day-to-day work of answering calls for prayer and visiting believers for encouragement. Everyone knew they could call Debalal to help them and he would, often with his wife and sons accompanying him.
A local man, who was in immense pain due to disfiguring burns on his face, frequently called Sundar’s father to pray for him; it was the only time the man experienced relief.
One night, this man begged Debalal to come to his house to pray for him, even though he had already prayed for him twice that day. Reluctantly, Debalal climbed out of bed.
In the man’s little hut, shrouded by deep night, Sundar’s father knelt to pray. As Debalal closed his eyes, the disfigured man took out a knife and brought it down on the back of Debalal’s exposed neck.
News of Debalal’s death spread throughout the village, and old, familiar taunts swirled around Sundar’s mother and her sons: This family was cursed. Fear began to consume Sundar.
After Sundar’s father was killed while praying for a neighbor, their pastor sat with the family in their grief, offering comfort, counsel and practical help.
Pastor Tuhinsurra, who had worked closely with his father, sat with the family in their grief. The comfort he offered from God’s Word was the comfort he needed too.
As the community reeled in the wake of such violence, neighbors talked of sending Sundar away to work to support his family. How else would the family survive now?
But Pastor Tuhinsurra helped the family pick up the pieces of their lives, and he sensed the Lord had a different plan for Sundar.
“After I knew my father had gone to be with the Lord, there was uncertainty in front of me and I feared,” Sundar recalls. “Now who will take care of us? Who will I call father?”
Crossroads Leads to Spiritual Transformation
His father’s death was a turning point in Sundar’s life. Under the patient loving guidance of Gospel for Asia missionary Pastor Kanish, Sundar found peace in Christ.
Sundar’s pastor encouraged the young man to stay with his ministry leader, Gospel for Asia (GFA) missionary pastor Kanish, while Sundar wrestled with his future.
Pastor Kanish and his wife welcomed Sundar into their home and showed him to his room, their eyes shimmering with compassion and concern. Their home was a refuge to help Sundar figure out what to do next and process the death of his father, free from community pressure and taunts.
Sundar’s days took on the structure of the household: mornings filled with family prayers, followed by breakfast and study; afternoons and evenings busy with ministry activities. Kanish guided Sundar, teaching him to trust the Lord.
Despite the miraculous healings in his family and years of listening to his father share God’s Word, Sundar had not yet decided for himself what he would do about the message of God’s love.
His father’s death jarred Sundar out of his indecision, setting a crossroads before him. He knew he must either walk away or put his faith in Jesus. It was time to decide.
“During that time, I did not understand anything, and I was so discouraged,” Sundar remembers.
In hindsight, he recognizes this as a turning point in his life: “Through this incident, my life was changed. There and then I believed in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord.”
Pastor Kanish, who teaches at the nearby Bible college, welcomed Sundar into his home as a son, caring for the fatherless young man. Kanish taught Sundar how to read and write and how to pray and seek the Lord. It was under Kanish’s roof that Sundar committed his life to the Lord.
The three months Sundar stayed with Kanish’s family were vital to his personal and spiritual foundation. Seeing Sundar’s lack of education, Pastor Kanish taught him how to read and write using the Bible. Sundar wrote out the first five books of the Bible and read aloud the book of Proverbs each day. As Sundar grew in his literacy skills, he also absorbed spiritual lessons. He was grateful to have a mentor to help him through the dark valley of his father’s death.
“Pastor Kanish really encouraged me from the Word of God and helped me pray,” Sundar says. “Because of his motivation and encouragement, I have been strong in the Lord and I am growing in the Lord.”
Now empowered by the Holy Spirit, Sundar was like a sponge, soaking up the everything he was taught. Pastor Kanish gave him more and more responsibilities as he saw Sundar rising to every challenge.
“This boy was very keen and very mature in understanding,” Pastor Kanish remembers. “We have our cottage meetings four days a week, so I used to take him … and encouraged him to lead the worship service. … He was very faithful.”
Sundar devoured the Bible during this time, letting the comforting words of God wash over his hurting heart. He found solace, love and purpose in the rich, living words.
Sundar began to focus his prayers on the future.
Called by God to Forgive His Father’s Murderer
God’s forgiveness continued to work in Sundar’s heart. As he thought about the call to extend to others the same forgiveness he had experienced, there was one face that rose from the mist of memory, a face that was scarred and contorted in pain, the face of the man who had delivered his father’s death blow. Sundar knew he had to forgive his father’s murderer.
Relinquishing his desire for vengeance, Sundar prayed for this man and felt a supernatural love dislodge his hate. In this one act of trading self-focused retaliation for others-focused transformation, Sundar took a huge leap in his spiritual journey.
“Please pray for the person, Kumar, who murdered my father,” Sundar urges while sharing his prayer requests with other believers. “Even though he is in jail, I pray that his heart will be changed. Please join with me in prayer that he may receive the Lord.”
As Sundar’s love for Kumar grew, it opened the door of his heart to love anyone. Kumar needed Jesus, just as Sundar had. So did thousands of others in villages scattered across his beloved country. God was calling Sundar to be a missionary, answering the cherished wish of his father’s heart.
Sundar enrolled in Bible college, putting his new literacy skills to work. He also developed a heart to share the Good News with people who did not yet know about Jesus.
Sundar spent the next three years in Bible college. He thought about his father often during this time, about his father’s sacrifice. His father had given everything to Jesus, including his very life.
“During [that time] I read Matthew 5:10: ‘Blessed is the man who is persecuted,’” Sundar recalls. “That greatly encouraged me.”
A passion to see lives transformed by Jesus grew in Sundar as he realized how many men, women, boys and girls had yet to hear about the Savior’s love. Visions of villages tucked into the ripples and folds of the Himalayan foothills, each a replica of his own hometown, deepened Sundar’s determination to serve the Lord as a missionary.
The idea that he, who was born blind, impoverished and obscure, could make a difference in people’s lives seemed incredible. But he would dedicate his life to that very end.
“There are so many people in the world, people are perishing … without Jesus,” Sundar says. “So, my vision is … to preach the [Good News] to those people who have never heard.”
Gospel for Asia Missionary Ministry Grows in Answer to Prayer
Sundar is able to travel to many different villages in the area he serves thanks to the bicycle he has been equipped with.
The area God called Sundar to work in has many villages dotting the hilly terrain, where rivers of melted snow cut gouges into the landscape before winding their way to the plains, where rural inhabitants cultivate the land. Millions of people live in these villages scattered across hundreds of miles.
After graduation, Sundar moved to one of these little villages, more than 100 miles west of his hometown, but in landscape, climate and culture, it could have been the town next door. He met people who looked and talked just like him. They ate the same food as him, and he understood the struggles of their lives.
There was no church in the village; his ministry started from scratch. The years at his father’s side, under Pastor Kanish’s mentorship and in Bible college had all prepared Sundar for this time. The Lord had called him; now it was time to get to work.
This area was ready to receive God’s Word, like a fertile field, tilled and waiting for seed to be planted.
In his first year, Sundar saw the Lord work in amazing ways. Fifteen people came to know the love of Christ because of Sundar’s faithful testimony and prayers, and a prayer fellowship started. Seeing this fruit, Sundar was confident the Lord would grow them into a thriving church.
Many other villages nearby also needed to hear the message of God’s love. Sundar prayed God would provide him a bicycle so he could visit more communities and expand his ministry. Within a year, God answered his prayers and the radius of Sundar’s influence stretched many more miles.
“I was really lacking a bicycle for my ministry and other works,” Sundar shares. “I was praying to God for a new bicycle, and God answered my prayers.”
Through the efforts of Sundar and the many other Gospel for Asia missionaries serving in the region, 42 new villages heard the Good News, thousands of tracts were distributed, and hundreds of people experienced Christ’s forgiveness in 2019.
Sundar continues to serve the Lord in the remote foothills of the Himalayas. He pedals to surrounding villages, making sure everyone knows about the Savior who died for them, and he is no longer alone in his work. Sundar is married and has a daughter; the family serves the Lord together. The memories of his father and his mentor inspire and encourage Sundar, spurring him on in ministry.
As Sundar is only a recent graduate, most of his ministry is still before him. But God promises that those who lose their lives for Him shall find life. The boy born blind, obscure and impoverished has found his calling and life in the grace and love of God.
God Calls Workers and Supporters
God is raising up men and women in nations where the greatest concentration of people who have not yet heard the Good News live, and He is calling them to display His love to their own people. These Gospel for Asia national missionary are able to minster in ways that many other cannot. They’ve struggled and lived through common hardships of people in their communities, such as poverty, discrimination and lack of opportunities. Yet they’ve seen God intervene in these struggles, often in miraculous ways, and have discovered alternative paths of joy and freedom. Like Sundar, they’re eager to share the hope they found in Christ with their neighbors.
We can empower their ministries through our prayers, through our giving and through our faith, becoming true partners in the work. No one can serve God alone. Every Gospel for Asia national missionary need brothers and sisters who will pray with them, rejoice with them and provide for them.
Sundar’s supporters will share in the fruit of his ministry.
There are many national missionaries in need of support. Become a partner in their ministries today, and see the fruit in eternity.
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are GFA stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Every day, Priti, her older sisters and her mother, Chunni, had suffered the daily abuse of her father’s drunken rages. As Priti listened to her mother cry through the nights, it slowly dawned on her that her father had left them and he wasn’t coming back. They were alone.
The Christ like love and examples of Bridge of Hope teachers across Asia impact students like Priti deeply.
Mother Struggles to Provide, Dies
Priti’s mother found work in a rice field, but the labor was hard and she frequently became ill. Without a sustainable income, Chunni couldn’t send her girls to school; she couldn’t afford to feed her children; she couldn’t visit a doctor to treat her illness. Chunni eventually arranged for Priti and her siblings to live with their grandparents, though this didn’t improve their lot in life very much. Unable to afford medical care, Chunni died.
Priti didn’t know how to express her grief or where to find any answers for her struggles. Without the love of her parents, joy slowly seeped out of the 14-year-old’s life.
God Provides Life, Hope
Priti’s life has completely changed through Bridge of Hope.
But Priti’s story doesn’t end in hopelessness. The staff at a nearby Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope center heard about Priti’s heart-wrenching situation and visited her home to see if they could somehow bless the young girl. Their hearts ached when they witnessed her gaunt and haggard expression.
Before long, Priti enrolled in the Bridge of Hope center where the staff encouraged her, prayed for her and also helped her practically through things such as daily meals, school supplies, bars of soap and lessons on cleanliness and morals. Within two months, the girl’s outlook had changed completely.
“I have inspiration to study and perform well in my studies,” Priti shares. “God is my inspiration. I attend [the] Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope center regularly, and I [have] learned moral values of the society. … I praise God for the Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope that made my life more meaningful and helped me to grow excellent in studies.”
Thank you for helping make stories like this possible through your love, prayers and donations. You are making a bigger difference than you know.
*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.
Last updated on: November 3, 2022 at 9:25 pm 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 Dayita and her family, the extreme poverty, and the fulfilled dream of an education for her first-born through Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope Program.
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s Dayita hauled pile after pile of wood from the forest, she carried a different burden in her heart: the safety and well-being of her children. Each day, she went to work in the jungle, leaving her four children behind in the village with Kasni, her oldest, in charge.
Dayita worried about Kasni’s future, but what else could she do as a poor laborer battling to provide for four children? She struggled just to supply food for them, and she never dreamed of sending 7-year-old Kasni to school; the thought didn’t even enter her mind.
Mother Fights to Provide
Because Dayita’s husband could no longer work, Dayita provided for her four children by laboring as a wood gatherer. While Dayita worked during the day, Kasni had to look after her younger siblings.
Kasni’s father, like many men in the village, wasted his life on alcohol. Eventually, his addiction made him so sick he could not work or even get out of bed.
As a result, Dayita had to labor as the sole provider for the family. She, along with many other women in her mostly illiterate community, gathered firewood from the forest and sold it in the market. Dayita made very little money. Although many people in rural areas of Asia still use firewood for cooking, a growing number in Dayita’s village started to use kerosene stoves instead. The market for Dayita’s firewood was dwindling. With an unreliable family income, sometimes Kasni and her three siblings had to go to bed with empty stomachs.
While her mother worked in the forest during the day, Kasni looked after her younger siblings. The four children spent most of their time roaming around the village, occasionally receiving food from their neighbors. Meanwhile, anxiety and fear for her children’s safety gripped Dayita’s heart as she worked in the forest.
Daughter Receives Education
One day, staff members from the local Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope center were visiting homes in the area and happened to meet Kasni’s family. When they heard about the family’s challenges, the staff invited Kasni to join Bridge of Hope, and her mother readily agreed.
As Kasni went to the Bridge of Hope center for the first time, her heart bubbled with excitement and happiness. She delighted in the chance to attend Bridge of Hope each day after taking care of her younger siblings in the morning.
When Bridge of Hope staff members met Kasni’s family, they invited Kasni to join Bridge of Hope. There, Kasni began to thrive, and the changes in her life filled her mother with pride and joy.
God used Gospel for Asia (GFA) Bridge of Hope Program to reduce Dayita’s financial burden, as it provided Kasni with a daily nutritious meal and school supplies, such as a schoolbag and notebook. Kasni thrived in Bridge of Hope. As she went to the center day by day, she grew into a well-mannered young lady with a zest for learning. She learned to speak politely and to respect older people, and she participated energetically in all of the Bridge of Hope activities.
Seeing her daughter’s character development and good manners filled Dayita with joy and pride. Dayita is also grateful Bridge of Hope has supported her and other parents by hosting parents’ meetings and awareness activities.
“Through this program I am learning a lot,” said Dayita. “Moreover, by seeing the changes in my daughter, I am proud of Bridge of Hope and its activities.”
Bridge of Hope Blesses Thousands of Children—and Mothers
God is using Bridge of Hope to bless Dayita and thousands of other mothers with the opportunity to give their children an education.
Thousands of mothers in Asia are being offered the same opportunity as Dayita through Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope Program. By supporting Bridge of Hope and linking your life with a child in Asia, you can help bless another mother with the hope that her child will gain a promising future through God’s grace.
*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.
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