Gospel for Asia-supported Women Missionaries Breaking the Status Quo

Last updated on: May 26, 2021 at 3:11 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Elangbam and his family, a history of crime and rebellion, experiencing debilitating sickness, and from resisting the message Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries bring, received healing for His body and Jesus in his heart.

Elangbam may have only been 16 years old when he joined a local militant group, but he instantly took on the duties of a man. As the years went by, he rose through the ranks of the group and became their financial leader. With this extravagant experience, his future was full of potential. But in one moment, it all came crashing around him.

The police captured him, putting an end to his rebel lifestyle. When the police released him, Elangbam abandoned his past and moved to a new village. He married and began farming for a living. He made a quiet life with his wife and their five children. His unspeakable crimes faded into the past and life was comfortable—until three strange women arrived in the village.

Missionaries Befriend Village’s Young Women

When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported women missionaries Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva moved in, the villagers were shocked by their different lifestyle. Instead of staying near the home, as was culturally expected, these women spent their days visiting the homes of other people and trying to make new friends. What the missionaries saw as kindness, the villagers saw as loose character.

Still, Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva continued visiting with those who would receive them. Eventually, some of the young women in the village opened up to the missionaries and befriended them.

One of these women was Elangbam’s 19-year-old daughter, Nabati. As she watched the missionaries and heard what God had done in their lives, she decided to open her heart to Jesus.

Overwhelmed by Christ’s love, she began telling her family about Jesus, but they responded harshly to her.

“Have you gone insane?” they asked her.

“Do you know what you are saying? You have been fooled by your Christian friends. Do not mingle with them anymore because then you are going to talk nonsense.”

With that, she was banned from seeing her new friends.

Daughter Prays for Family to Know Jesus

Nabati continued to pray for her family despite the pain of their harsh words, and she found ways to visit the missionaries in secret. She asked them to visit her family, but the hostility the missionaries received from Nabati’s family greatly discouraged them from visiting.

One day, Elangbam became ill. He tried to visit a doctor and the local witch doctor, but he could not afford enough visits to get well.

When Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva heard of Elangbam’s sickness, they gathered some fruit and snacks to take to him. They shared the confidence that Jesus could heal him, and they prayed for him.

From then on, Nabati kept the missionaries informed of her father’s condition. As his health worsened, he soon lost the ability to move without feeling pain.

Soon, the entire village knew of his depleting health and was solicitous about how he would ever get better. Nabati became more worried when her father hadn’t improved even a week after the missionaries visited and prayed.

Prayers Restore Father to Good Health

The women missionaries remained sure that Jesus could heal Elangbam and encouraged Nabati to also trust Him.

One month later, Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva were walking through the village when they saw Elangbam outside, in no pain at all. Filled with joy, he told them their prayers and his daughter’s faith had brought him healing.

From then on, Elangbam and his wife began treating the missionaries differently. They welcomed Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva into their home and their hearts slowly changed as they listened to the message of Jesus.

Through this incredible healing, many other villagers began treating the missionaries with respect. Today, women missionaries continue to shine the light of Jesus in this place.

Villages all across South Asia are still waiting to see the transformational love of Christ lived out. You can help them experience His healing touch by sending more Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported women missionaries just like Kalyani, Padmavasa and Reva.

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion, specialized Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries, who have hearts that ache for hurting women and those deemed as poor and needy.

*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 Reports, Rebel Faces Daughter’s Defiance

Read the Gospel for Asia Special Report: 100 Million Missing Women and the Aftermath of Acute Gender Imbalance

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

A Toilet from Gospel for Asia Brings Unexpected Blessings

Last updated on: May 26, 2021 at 3:15 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Laal and his family, and the blessing the gift of a toilet brings, even beyond sanitation, the peace of God and His saving grace.

While some may ask for a new bicycle or the latest iPhone for Christmas, others wish simply for a toilet. For one family living in a remote village, the gift of a new sanitation facility from a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker opened the door for them to receive Jesus, the greatest gift ever given.

The Needs of a Family

Laal and his wife lived with four of their five children and their daughter-in-law. They were one of only three families still living in the village. Many had moved away because the community was isolated and lacked basic facilities, including a sanitary outhouse.

With the exception of his eldest daughter, Nmi, who lived in the neighboring village, Laal and his family worshiped traditional gods. Nmi, however, had married a man in a neighboring village, and they both began a relationship with Jesus. Nmi shared what she learned about Jesus with her father, but he chose not to listen.

An Interesting Proposal

One day, two Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries, Gavi and Taani, proposed a plan to have a sanitation facility constructed for Laal and his family, a gift made possible through the church’s Christmas gift distribution.

By December, the new sanitation facility was constructed. Local Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastors Baru and Naba, along with Gavi and Taani, hosted its inauguration. The pastors also explained why the community of believers went out of their way to provide services like a sanitation system for their neighbors. Laal’s family and community now had access to life-changing sanitation.

Surprising Benefits of a Toilet

Fifteen days after the facility opened, Laal asked Pastor Baru and the two women to visit his family at home. When they arrived, Laal greeted them with an announcement: He had made the decision to know and love Christ. Pastor Baru prayed for Laal and his family. The whole family recognized the peace of God that followed.

Now, Laal and the rest of his family join his daughter Nmi in attending the local fellowship, where they continue to learn more about Jesus.

What began as a gift of a much-needed sanitation facility soon led to the gift of friendship with the neighboring community of believers.

Click here to read of another family blessed with a toilet.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, A Toilet Brings Unexpected Blessings

Learn how to help protect people’s health, prevent diseases and help cure illnesses through donating towards Medical Camps, Mosquito Nets and Outdoor Toilets.

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

No Money for Medicine Until Gospel for Asia-supported Medical Camp Arrived

Last updated on: July 7, 2022 at 12:48 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Khandra and her family, her bouts with illness, and the health care and medicine provided by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported medical camps.

Enough was enough, the laborers decided. Kandhara’s fellow tea laborers began protesting their working conditions and low pay. As the days turned into weeks and months, the protests continued—which meant no pay for any of the workers, including Kandhara.

Limited Resources

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Discussing Khandra and her family, her bouts with illness, and the health care and medicine provided by Gospel for Asia-supported medical camps. — Kandhara (pictured) received free treatment through the medical camp that her son’s Bridge of Hope center had organized.

Kandhara and her husband worked hard, but their combined income was only enough to feed them and their two children. When the strike occurred, however, Kandhara’s pay did not come. Their only source of money was from Kandhara’s husband, who worked some distance away and only returned once a month to bring money. But his earnings alone couldn’t make ends meet.

One day during the strike, Kandhara fell ill. Her husband wasn’t due to return yet, leaving Kandhara alone to bear her sickness. The nearest hospital was located more than 7 miles away—too far for the sick woman to travel. But despite her high fever and near-constant headaches, Kandhara somehow fed her children and sent them to school on her little savings.

The Gift of Healing

One day, Kandhara’s 13-year-old son, Abhin, came home from school with some news. Abhin attends the local Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope center, and he had learned that the center was organizing a free medical camp. When Kandhara heard this, her heart soared with hope. This was a chance to get some reprieve from this illness that haunted her.

When the day of the medical camp arrived, Kandhara and her children made the very short journey. Once there, doctors examined Kandhara and gave her some medication that would alleviate her constant headaches and fever. Along with the medication, Kandhara also received free vitamin supplements for herself and her children. Because the food Kandhara could afford provided little in the way of vitamins, she and her children were suffering from deficiencies.

After diligently taking the medication for an entire month, Kandhara was completely healed. The sickness left, and her strength returned.

“I was not able to get any medicines when I was severely sick because I did not have money on hand and was very weak to travel,” Kandhara says. “But I was able to attend [the] free medical camp … where I could get free medicines for my sickness.”

Kandhara thanked the Bridge of Hope staff and doctors, saying, “This was a great blessing for me and my family.”

Learn more about how medical camps and the medicine they supply bring healing and hope to families in need.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, No Money for Medicine

Learn more about the need for Medical Ministry. GFA-supported medical ministry is helping thousands who are in need of medical care and attention, all while displaying the love of Christ.

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

She Met Gospel for Asia-supported Missionaries. Then She Met God on the Rooftop

Last updated on: July 7, 2022 at 1:32 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Shanti, her family, her chronic bouts with tuberculosis, the helplessness and grief, and the hope, healing and peace brought about by Gospel literature and the ministry of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported missionaries.

When Muktananda sent his wife, Shanti, up to the terrace, he expected her to return freshened up for a visit with her relatives and neighbors—not making declarations about a new religion. Yet there she was, tears in her eyes, clutching a strange book to her chest and announcing the impossible: She had found a new God on the way to the bathroom.

Wife Sick for 10 Years

Shanti had been sick for the last decade, beginning with six years of seizures and continuing with tuberculosis. In a time when her body most needed rest, she was overcome by unexplainable fears each night.

“I almost became insane. … I used to stay home weeping all day,” Shanti said. “My two sons used to cry with me since I was not even able to cook food. They used to fear that I would die soon.”

Throughout her suffering, Shanti begged her gods for relief, regularly performing rituals for their attention. When that didn’t work, she asked her doctors for stronger medicine, but they insisted they were already giving her the strongest dose they could.

When Shanti started struggling to breathe one day, she gave up on her search for healing.

“I told my sons to bring some acid,” Shanti said, “so I could drink it and die.”

Husband Calls Christians for Prayer

Shanti’s family didn’t bring her acid, but they did watch as her situation grew more hopeless.

One day, Muktananda decided to call a Christian television channel that offered prayer at the end of each show. Obediently, Shanti listened as the Christians prayed over the phone, though she remained unconvinced that it would do anything.

When Shanti’s relatives came over that day, she and her husband talked about the phone call, and the relatives shared that they had Christian neighbors in their building who would also pray for Shanti.

Muktananda decided they should visit these Christians, too, and asked Shanti to go up to their terrace bathroom and wash up before they went.

The whole way up the stairs, Shanti thought, I am not going to make it today. Surely I am going to die. When she got to the roof, however, she found a book called The Gospel of John leaning against the wall.

Wife Reads Mysterious Book

“I started wondering how this book reached our terrace,” Shanti said. “We didn’t know any Christian who would give us this book.”

Indeed, her relatives’ Christian neighbors often gave literature to the many local children who came to visit, but Shanti’s sons were never among them.

With her family still waiting, Shanti began to read the mysterious book and found she couldn’t stop. Her heart filled with joy when she reached Christ’s words in John 15:16:

“You did not choose me, but I have chosen you.”

Assured of Jesus’ love, Shanti wept as she went downstairs and showed the book to Muktananda.

“I told my husband that this is the real God,” Shanti said.

Couple Visits Missionaries for Prayer

Full of hope, Shanti and Muktananda went to their relatives’ home to meet with the Christian neighbors: Balika and Sadhvi, who served as Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported women missionaries, and a local Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor, Kavi, who happened to be visiting.

The missionaries shared the Good News with the couple and invited them to come to church. Later that week, the missionaries came to the couple’s house to pray and tell them more about Jesus.

By Sunday, Shanti had great hopes for her first church service, but they were shattered the instant she walked into the building.

“To my disappointment,” she said, “I found no Jesus at the church.”

All her life, Shanti had worshiped gods by praying before their images, but there were no images of Jesus Christ in this church building. The God she sought was nowhere to be seen.

Missionaries Teach Family About Christ

“I cried a lot that day in the church, thinking Jesus was not there,” Shanti said.

When Pastor Kavi realized what was wrong, he explained why Jesus doesn’t need an image to represent Himself. He encouraged her with the story of the blind man who was healed after praying to Jesus.

That night, the Lord appeared to Shanti in a dream, saying she would be healed. Believing Him, Shanti asked the missionaries to pray for her again.

As Pastor Kavi, Balika and Sadhvi continued visiting and praying for Shanti, her health improved. After one month, Muktananda and her sons put their full trust in Christ, too.

Since she gave her life to Christ, Shanti’s health problems have disappeared completely. And now, instead of crying with her sons while Muktananda goes to work, Shanti writes praise songs. She also spends much of her time reading the Bible—without which she says, “I would not have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. By reading the Gospel according to John, I believed in Jesus Christ.”

By giving God’s Word to someone like Shanti, you give her the chance to hear not just from a missionary but from the Lord Himself. Give toward Gospel literature today and see how He will transform lives.

Learn more about the Gospel Literature Ministry, how you can help National Missionaries reach out to thousands of people each day with Gospel tracts.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, She Met God on the Rooftop

Learn more how to help National Missionaries be more effective by providing ministry tools that will assist them in reaching the lost.

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

10 Important Values Behind 40 Years of Gospel for Asia’s Ministry

Last updated on: July 8, 2022 at 2:39 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing how Gospel for Asia is the fruit of the Lord grown abundantly through Christian men and women who have committed themselves to a life of 10 core values.

I believe that the small group of Christians who gathered together regularly in the late 1970s to pray about establishing a unique (at that time) ministry to Asia completely trusted that the Lord could and would establish and empower them. I do not believe they could have, in their wildest dreams, expected what God would do with them—and through them and others—over the next 40 years.

From the very beginning, Gospel for Asia’s mission has been “to be devout followers of Christ and to live lives fully pleasing to Him.”

It is reasonable to assume that a mission-oriented group would describe its vision by the work it intends to do. Gospel for Asia (GFA) clearly is committed to transforming communities in Asia with Christ’s love. However, the 10 core values of Gospel for Asia (GFA) never mention Asia. Rather, every core value is about staying on course with the calling of God upon every individual person involved in the work.

5 Core Values for Our Inner Life

Knowing the Lord Jesus more fully and intimately.
Loving the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and strength requires a special intimacy that can be experienced only through an intimate relationship. If this is the basis for a successful Christian life, it must also be the foundation for a successful Christian ministry.
Being a people of integrity and excellence.
Integrity is keeping our promises and commitments regardless of the cost. Excellence is not perfection, but it is exceeding expectations, which we are able to do only by living according to the next core value.
Living in submission to God’s Word.
Those who love the Lord deny themselves and their own desires, preferring to live under the clear revelation given to us in the Bible. His Word is our authority. We demonstrate submission by yielding ourselves to become the clay in Potter’s hands, letting Him not only fashion us to His liking but also using us as He deigns.
Being a people of faith.
Every moment of every day, we must believe that He is who He says He is and trust Him to do all He has promised to do. No matter what. The inevitable result of a lack of trust is that we trust in ourselves, a self-deception that eventually leads to fear and failure.
Being a people committed to prayer and worship.
We have direct access to God through His Son. That access is immediately available. Our Lord does not slumber or sleep. Committing ourselves to prayer and worship positions us to know the Lord Jesus more fully and intimately, which is core value No. 1.

5 Core Values for the Outflow of our Lives to Others

Having a servant lifestyle.
The Lord has called us to serve Him. Our lives must demonstrate the same servant attitude toward others, believers or otherwise. This is the only way we can become the hands and feet of Jesus.
Being a people of grace and love.
This world is not a friend to grace. Nor will it teach us how to be a people of grace. Hatred, strife and contention are everywhere. Being a people of grace and love may be the easiest way for the world to see Jesus in us.
Serving sacrificially.
Serving sacrificially is so much more than “giving.” Giving measures out what we can afford, whether in time or money. Serving sacrificially is giving ourselves to the service of the Lord and His prize creation regardless of what it may cost us.
Being a person with a passion for others.
People who have never heard of God’s love are dying every day. Only we who know Jesus can introduce them to Him before it is too late.
Being a people who work together with the Body of Christ.
God has called us to this work together to get the work done. Each believer has a role to play. When we willingly yield ourselves to the Lord and lean not on our own understanding, He will make our path straight. The Lord has designed each of us to be the right tool for a specific job. We must work together, serving sacrificially, exhibiting grace and love so that together we can accomplish the work to which He has called us.

The Lord must be the center, the focus, the director and the power for all we do. Gospel for Asia (GFA) celebrated its 40th anniversary, having blossomed from a living room of a few faithful prayer warriors to one of the largest indigenous ministries in the world.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) is not the work of one man. Neither is it the work of a few or the work of many. It is the fruit of the Lord grown abundantly through Christian men and women who have committed themselves to a life of 10 core values that enable the Lord to empower them to do greater things than anyone could have imagined.

Source: Gospel for Asia, Frequently Asked Questions

Image Source: Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day

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

When My Tumor Disappeared – Gospel for Asia Shares One Village Woman’s Story

Last updated on: February 17, 2020 at 4:50 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – A woman shares her testimony, from being enveloped darkness, a seemingly hopeless brain tumor, to encountering the Lord’s healing and redemptive power in her life.

My name is Loukya. I was born and brought up in a family that followed a traditional Asian religion. I am married and my husband, Naathim, farms.

Since I was born and brought up in a non-Christian family, I practiced all of the rituals according to our doctrines. Since my childhood, my parents taught me all the religious customs. I remember those days when my parents would offer prayers, especially to one goddess whom they believed was powerful.

Woman Stops Worshiping Her Goddess, Falls Sick

When I turned 25, I got married and started a new life with my husband. He never compelled me to worship the gods, so I did not perform any kinds of rituals in my house for one year.

While everything was going well in my family life, one day I became sick and began to suffer from a headache and other illness [weakness and nausea]. However, I did not take my bad health seriously.

As the days went by, my headache started to develop day by day, and I became more ill. By that time, my husband took me for several medical checkups, and I was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

My husband did not tell me this. Everyone in my family visited me at the hospital and encouraged me with their lovely words, [saying] that within a week I would be all right. The doctor said to my husband that I had to undergo a major operation immediately, which would cost us a huge amount. While my husband was sharing these issues with an elder brother, I found out about my brain tumor, and I became afraid.

Enveloped in Darkness

That particular evening, I started to think about my past behavior and how I had not worshiped any gods for the last year. I thought to myself, That could be the reason I got ill, and now I am going to die. I had no hope for my life. I felt heavy darkness surrounding me, and death was following me. Those days were a bitter experience in my life.

About two weeks later, I was admitted to a private hospital and got general medication, which gave me a little relief for the time being. Then my parents took me with them to live in their house. My husband was also with me. With the help of local villagers, I went through naturopathic treatment in my mother’s village.

In those days, my husband happened to meet with a witch doctor who advised him to memorize some sacred words and chants by which I could be cured. One evening, the witch doctor visited me at my mother’s house, chanted some mantras and gave me some handmade medicine. Early in the morning, my husband would recite some mantras for my healing, but nothing seemed to help. Nothing could heal my disease; rather, my problem started to increase every day.

When all hope had vanished, a group of women [from Women’s Fellowship] came to visit our village. Their names were Hafiza, Paavai, Sabrang and Tamarai. They shared with me about the name of Jesus and gave me some literature to read.

Given Hope to Live

Tamarai told me about how Jesus died on the cross of Calvary for the redemption of mankind. Then I started to share my personal problems with her, saying, “For the last nine months, I have been suffering from a brain tumor. I have gone through several medications, but nothing could heal my disease. Rather, every day it is developing. I have lost hope of living on this earth.”

“They gave me hope to live in this world.”

That particular moment, Hafiza and the other sisters joined their hands and prayed for me and assured me I’d be in their daily prayers. They gave me hope to live in this world. To my amazement, the whole day I had no headache, and my faith began to grow.

Faith Blossoms Into Love for Jesus

From time to time, the sisters visited me and prayed for me, and they conducted weekly prayer meetings. As days passed by, the Lord healed me, and my husband and I opened our hearts to Jesus and began attending the church in our village.

When Loukya went for a checkup, the doctor couldn’t find any tumor on her brain. Today Naathim and Loukya are strong in their faith, and they’re faithfully involved in their church.

Hundreds of women missionaries are bringing hope to women like Loukya. These women missionaries have prepared themselves in Bible college, they understand the tragedies faced by women in Asia, and they know the One who can help. More women missionaries are ready to be sent out, and you can partner with them to impact the lives of women like Loukya.

Learn about sponsoring women missionaries

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, When My Tumor Disappeared One Village Woman's Story

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion, Gospel for Asia’s specialized women missionaries, who have hearts that ache for hurting women and those deemed as poor and needy.

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

Gospel for Asia’s Gift of a Blanket Leaves Lasting Impact for Widow

Last updated on: July 8, 2022 at 2:43 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Dayita and her family, their struggle with poverty, and the lasting impact Gospel for Asia’s gift of a blanket brings.

Gift of a Blanket: Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Dayita and her family, their struggle with poverty, and the lasting impact Gospel for Asia's gift of a blanket brings. — Dayita (second from left) and her children and grandchild pose for a picture with Pastor Ansh (far right). The pastor’s gift of a blanket made a lasting impact for Dayita’s entire family.

After the death of her husband, Dayita and her children faced many challenges, especially when it came to finances. Without the presence or provision of her husband, Dayita carried grief and sorrow as her constant companions. When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Ansh met Dayita, the expression she wore moved him to compassion.

Pastor Ansh and his wife often traveled through their village and the surrounding areas, talking with neighbors and learning more about their lives. When they came to Dayita’s home, they learned that the widow’s elder daughter was married and lived in the same village and her youngest, a son, was studying in the 10th grade. Her two remaining children worked in the paddy fields to provide for the family.

An Unexpected Gift of a Blanket

As Pastor Ansh and his wife spent time learning about the family and their challenges, they offered Dayita encouragement, sharing Scriptures from God’s Word and praying with her. Dayita was comforted by Psalm 46:1–3 as well as the truths in Isaiah 41:10:

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

Before leaving, Pastor Ansh gave Dayita a blanket—a valuable gift for a family struggling to make ends meet. She received the gift; but based on her outward response, the pastor’s generosity didn’t seem to have much of an impact.

However, Dayita was actually deeply moved by the compassion and generosity of Pastor Ansh and his wife. She became interested in the God they served and was moved seeing the pastor’s compassion. Days grew into months and months into years, and Dayita’s secret desire to learn more about God continued to grow.

A Courageous Step

Finally, Dayita decided to visit the fellowship where Pastor Ansh led a community of believers. There, Dayita learned more about God and His Son, Jesus. She and her family began to regularly attend the gatherings. Now, they all enjoy personal relationships with Jesus.

“At a time of difficulties, none of our relatives came to meet us,” Dayita describes.

“Pastor Ansh came to visit our home and prayed for us. Seeing the situation of our family, he provided us with a blanket. I really felt that God had sent His angel to visit our family, and it impacted my life deeply.”

A simple blanket impacted Dayita and her family long after the gift was given. Would you consider giving the gift of a blanket? You never know how it could change a life for eternity.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Gift of a Blanket Leaves Lasting Impact for Widow

Learn more about how generosity can change lives. Gifts like pigs, bicycles and sewing machines break the cycle of poverty and show Christ’s love to impoverished families in Asia. One gift can have a far-reaching impact, touching families and rippling out to transform entire communities.

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

The Man Who Didn’t Want A Gospel for Asia Jesus Well

Last updated on: July 8, 2022 at 2:45 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Vachan, his family and suffering village, the illnesses due to the absence of any clean water source, ostracization from a leprosy diagnosis, and the Gospel for Asia (GFA) Jesus Well and Jesus’ messengers bringing hope, restoration, and healing.

The team of workers arrived and started drilling a Jesus Well—then Vachan showed up.

The man, staunch in his religion, tried to stop the workers. He tried to persuade the landowner not to let the well be drilled on his property. When that didn’t work, he turned on Pastor Dhiraj.

“If I meet you alone, I will kill you,” Vachan threatened. “You want to bring Christianity in our village. Don’t try this—otherwise, you may lose your life.”

Vachan and Pastor Dhiraj talked for a long time before Vachan walked off, hurling threats at the neighbors as he did.

Villagers Sick Without Clean Water

The village was suffering. Without any clean water source nearby, villagers dug holes straight in the mud and drew out dirty water. If they didn’t want to do that, they walked a half mile to the nearest well each time they needed water to drink, cook with, bathe in or wash their clothes with. But the water from the well was dirty, and it smelled.

After putting the water to their lips and drinking it down, the people often became sick with fevers, coughing or diarrhea. The village was constantly sick, and the people couldn’t afford to purchase a well for themselves.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Dhiraj visited this village, and their suffering pained him. He requested a Jesus Well for the village, and after sending a team to survey the village, his leaders granted the request. Soon, workers arrived to install the well.

Man Bent on Stopping Jesus Well

Once the drilling commenced, Vachan hassled the landowner and the neighbors, trying to stop the installation of the well. But he failed.

The workers finished the well, and the whole village was welcome to use it. They would no longer have to suffer from the waterborne illnesses that had made them sick. They’d have water to stay hydrated and live more hygienic lives, and they wouldn’t have to walk hours each day to get water.

The whole village enjoyed these benefits—Vachan’s family included.

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: Once the Jesus Well was drilled, the villagers had clean water nearby so they wouldn’t fall sick from waterborne diseases. — Once the Jesus Well was drilled, the villagers had clean water nearby so they wouldn’t fall sick from waterborne diseases.

But then, a white spot broke out on Vachan’s mother’s leg. The family took her to the hospital, and the doctor gave her the diagnosis: She had leprosy.

Opponent Banned from Well for Mother’s Leprosy

News about the leprosy spread quickly, and the villagers stopped talking to Vachan’s family.

The disease not only maims victims but also carries with it a social stigma that costs people their livelihoods and cuts them off from society—and sometimes public water sources.

The villagers asked Vachan’s whole family not to draw water from the Jesus Well anymore. For two weeks, the family drew water from a mud well they had dug and walked more than an hour to draw water elsewhere. The water was dirty and smelly, but they had to drink it, bathe in it and wash their clothes with it.

Hope From a Surprising Source

Pastor Dhiraj arrived at the family’s home. He’d heard the villagers had cut them off from the Jesus Well, and he asked Vachan to start drawing water from the well again. The Jesus Well, like all Jesus Wells, was for everyone.

Vachan stood amazed that the man he had threatened to kill was offering restoration and physical help to him and his defamed family.

In the days that followed, the family started drawing water from the well again. Villagers asked Pastor Dhiraj to tell them to stop, but the pastor defended the family.

“We need to love them and help them during their problems,” he responded.

Through the pastor’s love, Vachan’s attitude toward Christians started to change, and gradually, the family started visiting Pastor Dhiraj’s church. As time passed, they got to know and grew closer to the believers in the church, and the believers shared more with them about the Lord.

Opponent’s Family Offered Restoration and Healing

In one conversation, a believer told Vachan that Jesus can heal and encouraged Vachan to ask the pastor to pray for his mother. Vachan believed what she said, so he brought his mother to a Sunday service.

Pastor Dhiraj prayed, and the Lord began to heal Vachan’s mother!

The whole family eventually opened their hearts to Christ. Today they are a committed part of Pastor Dhiraj’s church, and the Lord has completely healed Vachan’s mother from her leprosy.

This Jesus Well stands as one among thousands that is bringing healing, both physically and spiritually, to people like Vachan and his family, and by God’s grace each of the wells will continue to do so for decades.

Countless villages still draw water from stagnant ponds, polluted streams and distant wells. You can help save these people from disease and death and show them Jesus’ love.

Learn more about how to provide pure, clean water to families and entire villages through a Jesus Well or a BioSand Water Filter.

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, The Man Who Didn’t Want a Jesus Well

Read the “Dying of Thirst”: The Global Water Crisis Special Report — The Crucial Quest for Access to Pure, Clean Water.

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

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

Last updated on: July 13, 2022 at 9:42 am By GFA Staff Writer

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

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

This is what Jenya’s life was like.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Loneliness Crowds Capacity for Learning

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

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

From an Empty House to a Room Full of Kids

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Children—God’s Image Bearers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See What You Provide When Donating to Unsponsored Children »

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

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

Learn more about how to sponsor and help children trapped in generational abject poverty who need a Bridge of Hope.

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

Gospel for Asia Shares a Mother’s Hidden Legacy

Last updated on: July 14, 2022 at 10:04 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing a family torn by alcohol, opposition, and life-threatening sickness, and the legacy from the God who speaks bringing hope in the midst of despair.

In some ways, Oppilmani and Sadhya were typical of many South Asian children: They worshiped a traditional god, they couldn’t afford to go to school, and their family struggled to make ends meet under their father’s alcoholism. Yet for all their ordinariness, their mother, Naomi, knew something about their ancestry that could change their lives—if only she had the courage to embrace it.

An Unequal Union

Before she was the wife of a man who spent all his earnings on booze, and before she was the mother of two children she couldn’t support, Naomi had lived a life that was anything but ordinary in her part of the world. Naomi was a Christian, and her parents were Christians, too.

Naomi grew up praying to Jesus as a friend and reading the Bible to know Him better. Her love for God was so great, it seemed natural that she would one day pass on her faith to her children. When it came time to arrange her marriage, however, such desires were forgotten by her parents.

The wedding was held in the church and followed all the Christian traditions, but at the end of the ceremony, Naomi walked down the aisle with a man who shared another faith. The next time she attended worship services, she would discover the full extent of his antagonism toward her love for Jesus. It would be years before she entered a church again.

Alcoholic Husband Thrusts Family into Poverty

It didn’t take long after the wedding for Tarak’s alcoholism to reveal itself. Although he found steady work as a truck cleaner, he always spent his paycheck getting drunk or buying cigarettes, leaving the couple struggling for basic necessities. When Oppilmani and Sadhya were born two years apart, that struggle only increased.

As they grew, the children would need even more—clothing, food, education—and Naomi knew she had no way to adequately provide it all. When she stopped to look at her life, all she could see was a mess. In her despair, however, she thought back to her life before, and with a penitent heart, she began to pray.

Tarak still disapproved of her faith in Jesus, so Naomi didn’t tell him she had repented of her neglect toward God, or that she was praying for their family’s restoration, or that part of that restoration meant Tarak’s sobriety.

When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Zaafir came to their village, though, she began talking with him frequently and even going to church again. She also found a way to help her children by enrolling them in the local Bridge of Hope center, where Oppilmani and Sadhya excelled in their studies and were given a new reason to hope for a better life.

For a short while, Tarak allowed Naomi’s revival, but soon his animosity returned. He began verbally abusing his wife when she attended worship services.

In the heat of constant opposition, Naomi lessened her church attendance, but she refused to give it up entirely. As she continued praying for her family, a bigger crisis began brewing in Tarak’s life.

Lung Infection Threatens Father’s Life

Tarak had been drinking and smoking for years when breathing became difficult for him. It began as simple asthma but quickly progressed into something unmanageable. Waves of nausea overtook the father of two, and he began vomiting blood. Although he could no longer eat, Tarak continued to drink alcohol.

Within a few days, the family had to take Tarak to the hospital. The doctors said he had a serious lung infection, and he would die if he didn’t have an operation. After years of spending his income on alcohol, though, Tarak didn’t have enough money to be treated.

Heartbroken, Naomi, Oppilmani and Sadhya took Tarak home. All they could do now was prepare for life without a husband and father.

Oppilmani and Sadhya continued attending the Bridge of Hope center, but it was clear to the staff that something was wrong. When they asked Oppilmani the reason for his sadness, he explained his father’s condition and the surgery they couldn’t afford.

The staff encouraged the 12-year-old, telling him Jesus could solve his problems, and they decided to pay a visit to the family.

God Speaks to Father through Bridge of Hope Staff

When the center coordinator arrived at Oppilmani’s home with two social workers, Tarak had thinned drastically and looked years beyond his age of 35. Still, the group shared from God’s Word and encouraged the family to ask Him for mercy.

As the staff shared, the Lord spoke to Tarak’s heart. He confessed his wrongdoings to God, and from that day on, a change began to sweep through the family.

Naomi was allowed to attend prayer meetings regularly, and along with the pastor and the other believers, she prayed for Tarak’s healing. Slowly, he began to recover, and he opened his heart to God. Now, instead of protesting his wife’s church attendance, he brings the children to church, too.

As Oppilmani and Sadhya learn about Christ from their pastor and their parents, they have a true hope of continuing their family’s legacy: raising each generation to serve God.

“Jesus turned our trouble into happiness,” Naomi says, “and we are ever thankful to Jesus.”

Learn more about how to sponsor and help children trapped in generational abject poverty who need a Bridge of Hope.

Source: Gospel for Asia Report, Their Mother’s Hidden Legacy

Learn more about the National Missionaries and their passion to help the people in their nations understand Christ’s love through various ways.

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