Last updated on: November 28, 2019 at 2:33 pm By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas
It’s Christmastime, “the most wonderful time of the year”! And we at Gospel for Asia believe the Lord God desires all peoples to enter into His joy this season—and all year ‘round. That is why the angels proclaimed at the Christ’s birth that they bring “good news of great joy that will be for all people” (see Luke 2:10).
But for some, instead of joy, the holiday season heralds in a season of loneliness and discouragement, especially for those who may not have anyone to celebrate with or who have lost the ones they used to celebrate with. Grief and heartache shroud our joy, and Christmastime can become just another event filled with painful memories of what has been lost.
Imani received a new weaving loom as part of a Gospel for Asia-supported Christmas gift distribution.
Imani understood this grief. She had lost her husband, who was a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor, and her heart filled with sorrow. She wondered how she would care for her son alone. But then something wonderful happened that helped lift the shroud of loneliness and discouragement.
The local church had a Gospel for Asia-supported Christmas gift distribution to take care of those in need, and she received a weaving loom. To Imani, it showed her how the Lord and His Church had not forgotten her.
“I was thinking, What will happen to me and my son? when my husband left us on this earth alone,” Imani said. “Today I felt sad, as I missed my husband, but at the same time I count myself blessed and thank the leaders for not forgetting me and for giving me a gift by which I can look after my son and look after my family needs. I am truly encouraged by your love.”
For those who find the Christmas season challenging—and born-again believers can also fall into that group—sometimes all it takes is a thoughtful word, card or gift that reminds them they are not forgotten. It can remind them once again that this holiday season is truly one of “great joy.” The Lord Jesus wants everyone to experience that.
Gospel for Asia-supported workers give out all sorts of Christmas gifts from barnyard animals to sewing machines to rickshaws to mosquito nets that help get people out of poverty or improve their quality of life.
You, the one reading this right now, were probably part of helping these precious men, women and children experience that joy if you gave to or prayed for Gospel for Asia last year. And we thank you for joining us as we seek to show others across the world what this holiday season is truly about. Our field partners in Asia are actively spreading good cheer and joy throughout December. We at GFA are praying for them and the many lives who will be touched this Christmas. Will you join us?
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Last updated on: December 11, 2017 at 11:27 pm By Karen Mains
Last week, our pastor preached a sermon on the topic of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Sitting there as part of the congregation, I had a sudden stunning understanding about this passage from 2 Samuel chapter 6 that I’d never had before—an understanding so fraught with meaning that I’ve been thinking about it all week.
Karen Mains reflects on 2 Samuel 6 in preparation for the season of Advent.
Being a child raised in evangelicalism, my spiritual journey into adult faith has been grounded and formed by Scripture. As a youth, I memorized seven books from the Bible perfectly. I married an ordained minister, who himself preached a series on this topic in an inter-racial church we planted in the inner city of Chicago. Most preachers emphasize in some way or another that David, who had only recently assumed the appointment as king of Israel, stripped down to his linen ephod and danced before the procession, bringing the Ark back to the city. Few preachers avoid drawing an obvious parallel that the king was basically leaping and dancing around in his underwear.
Perhaps it’s because of the conversations I had while sitting around in Bible study groups as I traveled in Africa that the Old Testament stories come alive in new ways. Listening to Africans in Kenya, all modern and educated and wise, talk about their particular understanding of Bible stories made me realize there were nuances I just had simply never understood because of my American background, because of privilege, because of limited exposure to the world.
Take the story of Abigail and David as an example. Abigail, with her beauty, wisdom and insight, saves David from slaughtering in angry outrage her whole little village. She prepares food for his band of outliers, assuages David’s outrage, then tells her husband Nabal (whose name means “fool”) how his death has been avoided. Out of shock, he dies anyway, and Abigail immediately marries the leader of this renegade resistance movement, David (see 1 Samuel 25). I’ve often thought, Why did she marry him right away—or at least what appears from a surface reading as “right away”?
However, the Kenyan women sitting in our Bible discussion circle understood instantly. I gained insight when each described how her own tribe treated widows, not just in the past but in the present. Abigail, as a widow had no rights. She would not inherit her husband’s wealth; that would legally go to the nearest male relative. Widows are often outcasts in communities around the world, even today, having lost position gained through a husband. Suddenly, listening to my African friends, I got it and thought: This really is not an American story, is it?
The picture that came to my mind as my pastor spoke last Sunday was of a young man, “ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to,” deliberately stripping himself of all kingly regalia down to the kind of garments a working man might wear while breaking rock, or hauling grain from the field, or pushing felled and stripped logs toward a construction site.
Michal, David’s wife (also the daughter of King Saul, recently slaughtered in battle along with his sons), sees her husband dancing wildly in the streets and despises him. Commentators are often not kind to Michal—but her story is one of tragedy and agonizing family dysfunction. Remember, she had been torn from David and given to another man name Phalti, who followed her weeping when she was re-joined again to her first husband, now the king (see 2 Samuel 3:15–16).
I think Michal was a young woman corroded by depths of grief and shock. And there’s David, dancing in the streets before the crowd of joyful and ecstatic Israelites, bringing the Ark of the Covenant that had been stolen by Israel’s archenemies, the Philistines, back to the capital city (accompanied by some 30,000 able-bodied young men). Quite a picture.
The account in 2 Samuel tells us Michal despised David in her heart and says to him when he returns to bless his household, “How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today, going around half-naked in full view of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar fellow would do!” There’s nothing like the sarcasm of a wounded woman. In other words, “I’m the daughter of a real king who knows how a real king should behave.”
I wondered what would have happened if the young David (and remember, a handsome and athletic man) hadn’t stripped down to the work garments of the common laborer. I wondered if he hadn’t led the people into worship as a man among men, a herder of sheep, a slaughterer of giants with nothing but a stone and a slingshot as weapons. I wondered if the people wouldn’t have entered fully into worship, rejoicing and thanksgiving if their young king hadn’t brought the Ark of the Covenant—a symbol of the Presence of God—to Jerusalem as one of them, simply as a man among men.
David responds to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes. But by these slave girls you spoke of, I will be held in honor” (see 2 Samuel 6:21–22).
How extraordinary: Young women, torn from their families due to war or raids, utterly subservient to the will of arbitrary masters and mistresses, vulnerable and without position of any kind, powerless as virtual slaves—these understand what David was doing.
If I have any insight into this passage, think of what it must have felt for them to see King David divest himself of the symbols of kingly authority, strip down to the garments of a common working laborer (like all those groaning throngs in Hollywood historical films showing the building of the pyramids, for instance). This act of David’s, if there is any truth into my flash of insight, said to them, “I am just a man like any other. All are welcome to enter into exuberant worship, not just the high or the mighty or the wealthy or the well-placed. The God of Israel is the God of all, even of the lowly, the humble, the abandoned, the ordinary. Come dance and worship along with me and let us together extol the King of Heaven.”
If I had been a lowly slave girl that day, I too would have held this young man in honor.
We are in the season of Advent. These are the four Sundays before Christmas that the liturgical church has set aside to get ready to celebrate the coming of Christ, the King. He too divested himself of His kingly glory and authority, took on human form (a common fleshly garment, if you will) and was born among a people enslaved in multitudes of ways. He came among us to show us how to live and how to love. He invites us into a holy dance of delightful obedience alongside Him that is always centered in a worship of the Presence of God, the Father.
His earthly life ends when, as a young man wearing only what some might call a linen ephod or at least the undergarments of a common laborer, He gives up His life on a cross so that we, slaves as we were, might enter completely with Him into what early church theologians have termed the perichoresis koinonia—an image of the Holy Three dancing in unending and harmonious relationship.
The church my husband and I attend is an inner-city church thronged with eager and spiritually hungry millennials. It’s worship is vibrant (and loud). Baptismal services are held frequently. Some 56 new believers were baptized on the recent Sunday set aside for this. But it is not a liturgical church; we probably will not observe Advent this December 10. But the Holy Spirit (or perhaps some stray imagining of my own) or the memory of the Scriptural insights from my African friends, or simply looking at a familiar Scripture (2 Samuel 6) with a little fresh understanding is making this Advent Sunday deep with meaning. I am thinking of a young man, stripped, dancing before his people.
And this week, I am practicing waiting. The Advent wreath I purchased the Friday after Thanksgiving stayed cool for a few days in the trunk of the car. But now it has taken its place on our coffee table. The fall arrangements with gourds and pumpkins have been changed with greens, a small Christmas tree and artificial vines of red poinsettias to set the Christmas mood. A nativity scene, handmade from rusted metal, will be placed on the planting table on the front patio next week. Red, battery-powered lanterns will light the sidewalk on Christmas Eve. I’ve purchased tickets to take my family to hear the concerto The Messiah.
These are preparations for the Christmas Day that is coming, but none are so powerful as the inward preparation I am making. I am waiting for the celebration of the young King who has come and is coming and will come again and who has divested Himself of royalty and taken on the humble garments of human flesh—so that we might learn to dance with Him one day in the unending celebration of the Kingdom of His Father.
“David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the Lord, with castanets, harps, timbrels, sistrums and cymbals. … Wearing a linen ephod, David was dancing before the Lord with all his might, while he and all Israel were bringing up the ark of the lord with shouts and the sound of trumpets.” —2 Samuel 6:5, 14–15
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It’s December, and that means Christmas, which for some people is a day of new beginnings, a day of joy, a day of hope and expectation.
For Aashi, her first day at a Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope center was very much like Christmas! All the things she ever dreamed of had become a reality: In the morning, she went to school for the first time, and after class, she ate a delicious and nutritious hot meal at the Bridge of Hope center—something she almost never got at home.
In addition, Aashi received a new school uniform and a new backpack, as well as school supplies. Every day she received loving help with her homework from the Bridge of Hope teachers.
Throughout their time in Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope centers, children receive many gifts, from pens and pencils to packets of soap, umbrellas, blankets and toothbrushes.
The 6-year-old girl was so happy and excited to tell her family all she experienced on her first school day. She was the only one in the family to attend school; her older brother and sister were illiterate. They never had the chance to get an education because of their dire poverty and their abusive father’s addiction to alcohol.
Growing up, there were days Aashi and her siblings starved. If they were able to eat a meal, it was usually gruel and rice once a day. Their desperate mother would borrow money from neighbors and worked odd jobs to try to feed her children.
A number of years have passed since Aashi’s first school day, and today she is a graduate with a bright future. So many positive changes took place in her life and in her family because she was given the opportunity to attend Bridge of Hope. She excelled in her studies thanks to the daily tutoring she got at the Bridge of Hope center. Her health also greatly improved because of the nutritious food and medical care she received through the program.
How we wish this could be the story for every needy child in Asia! But sadly, for every child helped through GFA-supported Bridge of Hope centers, there are far more children who never find this kind of fresh start.
It is our hope, prayer and fervent desire that the children of Asia have the opportunity to experience “Christmas” like Aashi did. We want children to have hope and expectation met, so that they may find fulfillment and go on to bless their communities and help others as well.
Gospel for Asia (GFA) and its partners around the world help make it possible for 82,000 children to attend Bridge of Hope. But there are still many children in need of sponsors and who are waiting to be enrolled in Bridge of Hope.
Aashi was one of the fortunate children from her community to become a Bridge of Hope student. The quality education she received has given her a future and the opportunity to help her family escape poverty.
But imagine if Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers hadn’t been able to open a center in Aashi’s village, or there hadn’t been enough resources to take her in and care for her. She, like her siblings, would still be illiterate, would still be hungry, would still be forced into laboring for her and her family’s survival.
Every child is so precious and has the potential to change their world for the better—if only they were given the opportunity. There are still so many children waiting for that chance. GFA-supported workers wish they could take in all the children who stand at the centers’ gates, longingly watching other children their age joyfully singing, dancing and learning. And one day, we hope we are able to do just that.
We at Gospel for Asia and the GFA community around the world are so thankful for Bridge of Hope and how it’s changing the futures of children like Aashi. And we’re hoping and praying many more children will get to experience the gift of new beginnings, of joy, of hope and expectation, too.
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Last updated on: December 4, 2019 at 2:55 am By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) Advent Essay, Wills Point, Texas
Raju looked confused by my question, and his response revealed it: “What do you mean by Christmas tradition?”
I had served the Lord in Asia with Raju off-and-on for over a year. He was a first-generation, Asian believer with a tall, slim build and a heartwarming smile. He loved Jesus and was excited about the upcoming seasons of Advent and Christmas.
I tried to explain what I was asking to my bewildered brother in Christ, “Do you and your family have anything that you do every year to celebrate Christmas?”
I had come from a family that had been either devoted or nominal Christians for every generation that we knew of. Having immigrated from Eastern Europe to America in the beginning of the 20th century, many of the traditional ways we celebrated Christmas stretched back to before my forefathers left Europe. It never occurred to me that it may take two generations of believers to form a tradition.
Raju then went on to explain the different things his family did to celebrate Christmas, most of which actually occurred before Christmas. He told me about how they took part in different Christmas programs at his local church, how they sang Christmas carols, how they helped the poor, and how they spent Christmas Day with the Christian community.
Some of his traditions were similar to mine, some were different.
As I asked other Asian brothers and sisters about their Christmas traditions, their answers were very similar to Raju’s, though they were from different cultures and had different mother tongues. Their “traditions”—though they didn’t identify them as that—were more about what they shared with other Christians within Believers Eastern Church and the rest of the church worldwide, rather than what was passed down to them by their parents. Their Christmas and Advent traditions were truly “church” traditions, not family traditions like mine.
Gospel for Asia’s chapel in Wills Point, Texas
The Season Leading Up to Christmas: Advent
The season of Advent is an important part of preparing for Christmas. Our Asian brothers and sisters follow the traditional church calendar that has been handed down through the centuries and is followed by believers throughout the world. Their “Christian year” always starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas, which this year falls on December 3 (so Happy New Year!)
This first season of the church calendar, referred to as Advent, is a season to build our expectation for the coming of Christ, which we celebrate on Christmas. Advent literally means “coming,” referring to the coming of Christ. It’s approximately four weeks long but varies because Christmas always falls on a different day of the week.
However, it always has four Sundays and each of these Sundays has a different theme:
Hope: The first Sunday of Advent helps to stir up a hope and longing for the coming of Christ, much like the nation of Israel had at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Love: The second Sunday of Advent reminds us about the great love that God and Jesus have for us, and we are encouraged to love others as a result.
Joy: The third Sunday reminds us of the excitement the angel shared with the shepherds on the night Jesus was born: “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all people” (Luke 2:10). That joy is now ours in Christ!
Peace: The last Sunday of Advent reminds us of the peace we have with God as a result of Christ’s coming.
These themes are carried out throughout the week and are highlighted in the Scripture readings that are read in all of their churches.
Since the theme for this Sunday is hope, the Scripture readings are from Isaiah 64:1–9; Psalm 80:1–7,17–19; 1 Corinthians 1:3–9; and Mark 13:24–37. These Scripture passages are being read in every church led by a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor—and throughout the rest of the world—this Sunday. In more than 300 languages, messages of hope will be spoken by GFA-supported missionaries, and millions of hearts will be directed to the coming of Christ.
In fact, if you want to read the exact same Scripture passages that our fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord will be reading, you can sign up for our daily Advent readings and prayers to help keep your heart directed toward Christ this season in the Advent.
Christian Traditions, not Cultural or Family
As I thought about how our Asian brothers and sisters described how they celebrate Christ’s coming, three things stuck out:
Most of their traditions were in the Advent season, not on Christmas Day.
Their traditions, though new to them, were similar to what had been practiced for centuries by Christians around the world.
Their traditions centered on the Gospel and sharing the hope, love and joy of Christ with others in the hope that they, too, would find the peace that only Christ can give.
The amazing thing about what Raju and other Asian believers shared is that—even though they were first-generation believers—their traditions provide us with a blueprint of Christmas celebrations without the blemish of American materialism, which has, unfortunately, enraptured the Church. These Christ-centered practices are ancient in origin yet expressed in a way that is totally within the context of their Asian culture.
Centering Our Year on Jesus Christ
Celebrations, especially on holy days or holidays, form an important part of every culture, whether religious or secular. As the Church has grown throughout the ages, the Church calendar, with its season and holy days, has helped shape a Christ-centered Church that is consistent regardless of its surrounding culture or the era in which the Church finds itself. The Church traditions of Advent and Christmas can also help believers fend off counter-Christian practices of the surrounding cultures and unite believers around the world.
For most of the Church throughout history, Christmas has always been a holy day in the liturgical church calendar. The church calendar creates seasons that are shaped by the life of Jesus and His Church. It provides an alternative rhythm to our year that seeks to make each season centered on Christ. Following the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, it encourages us every year to remember all He did for us while on earth. This rhythm help us to enter into the Scriptures in a unique way.
Longing for the Advent of the Christ
Prior to John the Baptist showing up on the scene, there were “four hundred years of silence.” The last passages of the Old Testament were delivered by the prophet Malachi around 400 B.C. and there had been no new, God-given revelation since then. With the Roman occupation and oppression in Judea, hearts and nation were longing for the coming Messiah (that is Christ) to deliver them. The coming of the Christ was the hope of the nation.
In the first pages of the New Testament, when the silence is broken, it does not begin with telling us that Jesus was born but starts with building the expectation for His advent. The Apostle Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage back to Adam, showing that based on the generations, it was time for the Messiah to come. Luke starts with the angel Gabriel appearing to Zechariah. The coming of the Messiah is at the door! Any time now!
Next, Gabriel appears to an unsuspecting virgin in Nazareth, by the name of Mary. The tension increases as we see that she’s betrothed to a man named Joseph who could easily dismiss and shame her. But he doesn’t. Instead, they make the long trip to Bethlehem, and the Messiah’s birth is heralded by the host of heaven!
The church calendar follows this same pattern. Advent provides a space for us in which our expectation of Christmas is built. The Scriptures that are read, the sermons that are preached and the familiarity of the season remind us to look expectantly to Christmas, to the coming of Christ. But it also, encourages us to look for His second coming now.
Sharing the Love
Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries and believers in 14 Asian countries are busy preparing for all the different programs they will have leading up to Christmas. These programs start this week, and their primary focus will be sharing the hope that we, as believers, have in Jesus. Raju and other believers are preparing Christmas carols, Scripture readings about the Christmas story, and cultural dances done to Christian songs that visually help tell the story about Jesus. Every program will have a clear presentation of the love and salvation that is in Jesus Christ. In many places, these celebrations will often include Christmas gifts to the poor to help them escape the cycle of poverty—a tangible expression of Christ’s love and what He has done for us spiritually.
The main thrust of these programs will be to take the love and hope of Christ to those in the surrounding cultures. For many, this will be the first time they’ve heard the good news of Jesus, and as a result, this Christmas will be the first Christmas many celebrate as believers!
As I prepared to celebrate Christmas with Raju and my other Asian brothers and sisters, I was trying not to be agitated about how different their celebration was compared to my own. No one bought me a present. There was none of the familiar traditional American food. No Christmas tree. I wasn’t even invited into a family’s home. Instead, we gathered as a church; we celebrated, as a Christ-centered community, the Savior who had come into the world to make us one.
Once I was able to let go of my cross-cultural shock, I was actually captivated by how appropriate a way this is to celebrate Christmas. A common meal was being shared by believers in congregations throughout Asia. For many people joining the celebration, they had never even heard of Jesus this time last year, and through the faithful witness of the believers—and for some, because of the Advent programs—they were now celebrating their first Christmas.
Old Dogs Learning New Tricks
It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that because we have generations and generations of Christmas tradition that we have it right compared to our first-generation brothers and sisters. But as I listened to dozens of Asian believers tell me their Advent and Christmas traditions, I was reminded how “on-fire” new believers often seem compared to us in the faith who have known Jesus and have maybe left our first love (Rev. 2:4-5).
I realized that most of my family’s Christmas and Advent traditions growing up didn’t really center on Christ. Except for going to a Christmas service, they were family traditions, not church traditions. Even the Advent calendars I opened every year had little to do with Jesus, but became a countdown to opening presents.
These new believers practice many of the historic traditions of the Church, but they—like the angels in the Gospel of Luke—are using them to proclaim Christ’s coming to the world. Their traditions make Christ known and help them to love those who won’t love them back. Because of this, Christ will be born into the hearts of many people this Advent.
Maybe if we learn from our Asian brothers and sisters, we can recapture Christmas by revamping some of our holiday traditions. We can use the Advent season to kindle our first love for Jesus and share the hope, love, joy and peace we have in Him with those who don’t know Him.
We can use GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog to give to “the least of these” and escape the materialist traditions of the season. Share the Forgotten Christmas video during Advent Sunday services. Consider organizing Christmas caroling, and hand out gospel tracts and hot chocolate to your neighbors.
However you celebrate, we can listen to John the Baptist’s admonition to “Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight. … And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” —Luke 3:4 & 6
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This is a powerful testimony of God moving in response to the prayers of His people. And it starts with a marriage on the verge of destruction.
Janesh and Juhi fought continually until they heard the message of forgiveness through a GFA-supported radio broadcast. Like Tilak, whose story is below, these two were on the brink of divorce until God intervened and turned their lives around completely. Both families found healing and restoration in Jesus’ name.
No ‘Other Woman’ Anymore
Tilak, father of three, wanted to leave his wife. He had found another woman—one he thought could satisfy his desires, and he was willing to destroy his marriage because of it. For two years, his marriage grew steadily worse as he focused his attentions elsewhere. But while Tilak was on the brink of divorce, God intervened in his life: He sent Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Barasaat to minister to him.
As the two talked together, Tilak realized Jesus could give him satisfaction in his marriage.
At Tilak’s request, Pastor Barasaat prayed. For an entire week, the pastor prayed God would restore Tilak’s marriage, and God did! Jesus blessed this couple with a spirit of love and unity. Their affection for one another grew rapidly as peace and joy filled their home once more. That very weekend, the couple started meeting with others in the village to learn more about Jesus from Pastor Barasaat.
As they witnessed God blessing their marriage and helping them fall in love once again, Tilak and his wife fell in love with Jesus.
Praise God! Through the prayers of a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor, supported by the prayers of sponsors and donors around the world, God intervened in the life of Tilak and brought him satisfaction that can only come through Jesus.
But the thing is, not everyone is happy when men and women commit their ways to the God who walked on earth—that was the case when Tilak and his wife found a new start in Jesus.
They Wanted to Attack Pastor Barasaat
Tilak and his wife were happy again; no one could deny that. But some people in the village were anything but happy about the transformation in their lives.
Villagers blamed the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor for the couple’s new life in Christ. They wanted to attack Barasaat, so they began looking for an opportunity to do so.
That came one night as the pastor gathered with 20 youth to worship Jesus.
Silent Before His Accusers
The chorus of voices lifted to Jesus was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a crowd of angry men. Ten villagers rushed on Pastor Barasaat and grabbed him by the neck. They began to beat him and dragged him to an impromptu village meeting.
Two hundred angry villagers pressed in on the pastor. They hurled accusations at him. They questioned him. They harassed him. But Pastor Barasaat did not respond. He remembered how Jesus had stood silent before His accusers, and he chose to walk in his Master’s footsteps.
Two hours passed as Pastor Barasaat stood silent before the mob, while the 20 youth he had been worshiping with prayed earnestly for the pastor’s protection.
And God answered.
The crowd couldn’t decide what to do with him. One by one, they grew frustrated and left the scene. God delivered Pastor Barasaat that night, but this was only the beginning of the pastor’s troubles.
Isn’t that amazing? These young men and women simply prayed, and God stopped the attack.
Stories like this inspire and encourage us to keep pressing on in prayer, no matter what challenges we may face. For Pastor Barasaat and the believers in his village, the challenges were only beginning. But in the face of this, they prayed, and they clung to the promises of God found in His eternal Word.
Five Years Without Water
Pastor Barasaat continued to meet with men and women in the village who knew Jesus or were eager to learn more about Him. But about a month after the impromptu meeting, several villagers decided to ban his family from the village well, forcing them to gather water from the local river.
But Pastor Barasaat and his family weren’t the only ones drinking this polluted water—the village well didn’t provide enough for everyone, and some people even got sick with jaundice, malaria or dysentery because of the water they drank.
As time passed, things grew more difficult: It was decreed that anyone caught talking to Pastor Barasaat would have to pay an exorbitant fine. People even damaged his home.
Love in the Face of Hatred
It was difficult for Pastor Barasaat and his wife not to feel discouraged through these years. But God gave them strength, and they remembered how anyone who follows Jesus will face troubles in this life. Despite the struggles they faced, Pastor Barasaat and his family continued gathering with other believers for prayer and praise. As a body, they found great comfort in the words of Psalm 91.
The words of Psalm 91 encouraged the believers in GFA-supported Pastor Barasaat’s congregation through many years of hardship. God provides His children, like the GFA-supported pastor shown, with His words to encourage and uplift believers every day.
I will be honest, this is one of my favorite parts in this story. Discouragement is such a common weapon used against believers. Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan even wrote a book about it. Pastor Barasaat, his wife and the believers didn’t know how things would end. All they saw was struggle and hardship—and Jesus. In the midst of their pain and rejection, God continually met them through His Word.They didn’t give up. They clung to Jesus even tighter during their darkest days, and they kept going. They kept praying. They kept loving one another.
As Pastor Barasaat and those around him kept their eyes on Jesus, some pretty amazing things happened. Here’s how the story ends:
God showed Pastor Barasaat a way he could “bless those who persecute you,” as God instructs us to do in Romans 12:14. Pastor Barasaat applied for a Jesus Well (clean water bore well) to be drilled in his village, which was made possible through the generous donations of GFA friends. Within a few months, a new well poured out pure water for all to use.
Fresh, Pure Water Provides a Fresh Start
Pastor Barasaat continued to love on the people in his village as he had done for the last 13 years, praying for the sick and ministering to those in need, but now things were different. Even those who had once been angry with him went to him for prayer when their families were sick.
A 22-year-old man named Dinpal, whose father had died of a waterborne illness, was particularly touched by the new well. The tangible expression of God’s love inspired Dinpal’s heart to know Jesus, so he talked to Pastor Barasaat. Now Dinpal can hardly keep Christ’s love to himself—he joyfully goes around telling others of the God who provides.
Truly, God heard the prayers of His servants and touched the hearts of the people in this village. Praise the Lord!
God moves. We’ve seen it again and again and again in our own lives, in the lives of those around us, and in the lives of men and women in Asia. People are only now finding out about the God who answers prayer, and that is through the faithful prayers and perseverance of GFA-supported pastors like Pastor Barasaat. That encourages us, challenges us, motivates us to keep praying, to keep pressing on in times of adversity and difficulty. Our God is faithful, and people in Asia get to learn this every day as we keep seeking after Jesus and honoring Him with our lives.
Amen. Praise the Lord!
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For more details on clean water bore wells, go here.
Last updated on: November 28, 2019 at 3:27 pm By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas
Imagine. You’re a woman in Asia with no rights.
You’ve just been married to a man who wants to use you to get rich. You really don’t have the money he’s looking for, yet you’re family’s required to provide a “wedding gift” — a dowry. Your father takes out a loan to pay the groom and his family, yet it’s still not enough. The husband’s family demands even more while your family is left impoverished with nothing more to give. Now your fate is to be burned in a blazing fire because what your family had to offer him didn’t make the cut.
Sound unbelievable? Bride burnings and dowry deaths still occur in Asia, even today.
Imagine. You wake up one day to find your husband went to work one morning then suddenly went missing. Days pass and you find out he was mauled by a fierce tiger, or lost his life in a work-related accident. You’re a widow now. But instead of getting support from your family during your grief, everybody who loved you before now abandons you and no longer cares for you, because they believe you have bad Kharma, which makes you responsible for your husband’s death. Is there any hope for you now?
Sound incredible? Millions of widows in India suffer alone and abandoned due to this social stigma.
Is there any hope for the women of Asia who find themselves living out these scenarios?
After the movie was finished, people wanted to know how they could help the suffering women in Asia.
Movie Night at Local Church Raises Awareness
On Nov. 10, a few Gospel for Asia (GFA) staff and members of a local church came together to watch GFA’s documentary film, “Veil of Tears.” One couple who came to view the film was so shocked at the treatment of women in Asia that they covered their mouths throughout the movie as they considered what could be done to help these precious women that God loves so much.
Mary, a member of the local church, was overwhelmed by the reality that many women in Asia face.
“It’s overwhelming. You wonder how you can help,” Mary explained. “I’m just one person.”
Pastor David Cartwright, senior pastor of the local church, was gripped by compassion seeing the way some women are treated.
“My heart breaks when I see how deep evil and sin go in our world,” Pastor Cartwright said. “It’s hard to believe groups of people are so unloved and despised and treated like they are. It is beyond anything we see in our culture.”
Sisters of Compassion takes care of the lowest of the low and listen to their stories.
Gospel for Asia-supported Workers Bring Hope to Suffering Women
Near the end of “Veil of Tears,” the mood of the movie turns from the abuse and violence against women in Asia to hope as Gospel for Asia-supported women missionaries and Sisters of Compassion—women who are specifically trained to minister to the least of the least—enter the scene.
These national workers are changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of women in Asia simply by ministering to and loving them. They also offer programs that help improve a woman’s quality of life. One of those programs is literacy classes, which will keep a woman from signing bad contracts or being cheated at the marketplace.
“I’m really impressed with the literacy of the children and the women, because I think that changes lives,” Mary explained. “I think that’s one thing that no matter what country you’re in or who you are, literacy changes lives.”
The film also shows the ministry Sisters of Compassion have on an island that is home to millions of widows who have been overlooked and abandoned by their family and friends.
“When I stand before my God,” one Sister of Compassion explained, “He’ll say to me, ‘You’ve done a good job, and because of you, these widow mothers are in heaven also.’”
One Person Can Make a Difference for Women in Asia
After the film ended, a Gospel for Asia staff member stood before those who were in attendance and pointed out that we may not be able to do everything, but all of us can do something.
“If God cares about our personal struggles,” she said, “certainly He cares much more about the bigger things.”
Then everyone gathered in groups to pray for women missionaries and those women who are suffering. Mary was impacted by the call to prayer.
“It’s going to make me think and pray differently, and hope I don’t get callous,” Mary said.
The question I’m going to leave with you is a question I asked before: Is there hope? Through people’s prayers and support of the women missionaries and Sisters of Compassion, many women who have no hope will finally find it.
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For more details on the powerful documentary movie, Veil of Tears, go here.
Last updated on: December 4, 2019 at 3:06 am By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas
You’re 10 years old, enjoying your happy-go-lucky days by running around with your friends and playing games. But in a few months, all that will end when you assume the mantle of being a wife to a man you only just met.
What’s the point in going to school and learning anything besides how to take care of a home and a family if your fate has already been decided?
In Asha’s community, they were married as young as 10.
“In their society, girls were not given consideration,” reported a Gospel for Asia-supported field correspondent. “They were believed to be a burden upon their parents. At the age of 10, they would get them married. Parents did not want them to study more, since they are going to be in someone else’s house after their marriage.”
Asha, too, had no regard for her education. Why would she when it was common knowledge her life would end up just like every other girl’s in her village.
“I never thought about studies, that I can become a better, educated woman,” Asha said. “I thought always that I won’t get good education, that I’ll be getting married, and I will go to my in-laws’ house … as usually people do in our village. So I didn’t have any hope or any future or any value of my life.”
This is Asha. She escaped the fate of entering a child marriage when she enrolled in a Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope center, which taught her and her family that a girl’s life is valuable.
But then something changed. When Asha was 8 years old, she was enrolled in a local Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope center where she learned that boys and girls are equal, that girls can become great leaders in their communities. Through the love, care and teaching of the Bridge of Hope staff, Asha realized her life as a woman does have value—and she began to dream of a world beyond household chores.
Then Asha’s father took notice of his daughter’s change. He saw how Asha was improving in her studies, and he no longer thought about marrying her off. Instead, he also began to dream for his daughter. As a police officer, he worked alongside women and wondered why his own daughter couldn’t become like them.
“I used to think about my daughter that after teaching her maybe [up to] 10th or 8th grade, I will get her married and she will go to her in-laws’ house,” Asha’s father said. “But now, when I saw her improvement in her studies, my view totally changed. I was so encouraged by looking at her. … It was a great thing that through her studies, my eyes were opened.”
Asha escaped the fate of other girls in her village. Instead of becoming a wife at 10 years old—and possibly a mother soon afterward—she was given the opportunity to study and finish high school. Because of Bridge of Hope, this young girl’s future changed quite drastically.
And many other children’s futures are changing.
These girls attend the same Bridge of Hope center as Asha. In their village, parents will often marry off their girls who are as young as 10 years old.
Last updated on: December 4, 2019 at 3:15 am By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas
Jagat isn’t a super hero. He isn’t a genius. In fact, he dropped out of school early. Yet he is a mighty man of God. Through him flows the Spirit of the Living God, and within him dwells the One who gives all wisdom and strength. But it wasn’t always this way.
Jagat is a Gospel for Asia-supported national missionary. Because of Jagat’s willingness to be used by God, many people in South Asia have started intimate relationships with Jesus. But each one of their glory-filled stories exists because of Jagat’s own story of finding Jesus.
Pastor Jagat and his family. Jagat’s life took a dramatic turn from drugs and irresponsibility to serving God as a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary.
Form of Godliness Fades Away
Jagat grew up in a Christian home, but he had many of the characteristics James 3 warns against. He held a form of godliness—he obediently followed his family to church services, Sunday school and other activities—but he did not know Jesus personally or live in His power.
Soon, the form of godliness faded away. In its place, selfishness, lack of self-control, disobedience to his parents, recklessness and a love for pleasure rather than a love for God filled the young man’s heart. Jagat welcomed wild boys and girls into his life, and with them, drugs. Abandoning his studies, Jagat started working with a carpenter, but he soon lost interest in that as well.
One day, a local pastor named Narain visited Jagat at his home. Jagat’s reputation preceded him, so Pastor Narain dedicated a portion of his day to sit down with the young boy. Jagat still bore the title “Christian,” so Narain asked Jagat several questions about Jesus. Although Jagat had spent years in church, he had never paid much attention, so he was unable to answer Pastor Narain’s questions. Narain opened his Bible and spoke truth into Jagat’s life. He asked Jagat to read a portion from Revelation—and that was the turning point in Jagat’s heart.
Jagat realized that the way he was living was absolutely against the way God desired him to live. Recognizing his wrongdoing, Jagat soon prayed, asking to be brought near to God and cleansed by Jesus’ blood.
A New Man
The next several years of Jagat’s life looked quite different than his previous years. Jagat attended a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bible college for three years, strengthening himself in the Lord and in the foundations of his faith. He abandoned his reckless, irresponsible ways and married a godly young girl, assuming the responsibilities of husband and of father of their soon-to-follow sons. A passion burned within Jagat, no longer for drugs but for helping his neighbors and others in distant places understand the mercy and grace of God.
And God moved through Jagat to help others delight in Christ too.
As years passed, gatherings of new believers sprinkled the map around Jagat. In one community, a family experienced God’s powerful answer to prayer and were delivered from several problems in their lives. They joyfully opened their home to anyone who wanted to praise Jesus with them. Over time, their house filled with men, women and children whose hearts held love for Christ.
Jagat’s own home grew crowded when he tried to organize prayer meetings or worship services. In addition, Jagat’s landlord didn’t like so many people entering the house. With no place to worship in their area, they had to make due with crowded rooms or divide up to meet in smaller groups.
Then in 2013, Jagat and the believers around him experienced the generosity of GFA friends from around the world: A building was constructed to house the struggling congregation!
Pastor Jagat and his congregation received a permanent place of worship through the help of GFA friends.
The 65 believers could now freely gather to pray, sing, fellowship and disciple one another. Jagat—who as a child tried to escape his house whenever a prayer meeting was scheduled—eagerly lead the thriving congregation in their new building.
This fellowship stands as a testimony of the power and love of God. Each one in the congregation carries a unique story of how God touched their heart and adopted them into His family. Jagat’s own story also intersects with Dr. KP Yohannan Metropolitan, who envisioned the movement of national missions in Asia and founded Gospel for Asia (GFA) so many years ago.
Our God is in the transforming business. Gospel for Asia’s website and reports website are filled with stories of how God is using missionaries like Jagat to impact the lives of farmers, daily laborers, parents, widows and children. Those stories evoke praise for what God is doing, and they also testify of God’s mercy already poured out in the lives of so many. Praise the Lord today for what He has already done!
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Last updated on: December 3, 2019 at 3:45 am By GFA Staff Writer
How many movies do you suppose you’ve watched in your lifetime? Even in the last year? Some clever punchlines or visuals of intense scenes probably stuck in your mind, but there’s a good chance you haven’t thought back to many of the movies.
It’s quite a different story for many people in Asia who attend a film show hosted by Gospel for Asia supported workers. For many, that simple movie night ends up changing the course of their lives.
Through Gospel for Asia-supported film ministry, the heart of Christ is displayed in a culturally relevant way. Many have found new life in Christ as a result!
But even if you loved a certain movie, would you risk your own safety to organize a movie night?
Rajak did.
Rajak, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker serving on a film team, and his team members drove to a village they had not visited before. They approached the village leaders to get permission to show a film on the life of Christ, but the men denied their request and sternly warned them not to ask again. That day, Rajak and his teammates had to leave the village without being able to do any ministry.
Three months later, the film team happened to drive through the same village. On their way out, they stopped at a house and asked for some drinking water. Irshaad, the owner of the house, had a long conversation with the brothers and heard about the love of God and the film the brothers were showing in other places.
Wanting to see the film, he told the brothers, “No matter if the village leaders did not permit you to screen [the film] in the village, you can screen it at my house. If something happens, I will handle the problem.”
That evening, the film team prepared for an outdoor film show on Irshaad’s property. To their surprise, 110 people showed up and watched the movie with great interest. Irshaad and others were deeply moved by the story of Jesus, His love for people and how He healed the sick, how He suffered and died on the cross, and then how He rose again.
During the movie, the brothers explained why Jesus was arrested, beaten and crucified. They made sure the villagers understood that it was not because of His own mistakes, but that He suffered for all of us and sacrificed His life for our salvation.
Leaving the village that night, Rajak and his team thanked God for giving them this open door and for His protection throughout the film show when ministry in this village seemed impossible.
Three days later they received an invitation from Irshaad to come back to pray for him and his family. The team gladly visited Irshaad, encouraged him from God’s Word and prayed for him and his family.
Understanding the love of God, Irshaad and two other families decided on their own to trust Jesus as their Savior. With the help of the film team, they started a small prayer fellowship in their village.
Film ministry is incredibly effective, but it comes at a price. Film team members endure the hardships of the road and constant travel. Far from home, they camp out at believers’ homes, church building floors or the sides of roads. They spend hours inviting people to film shows, answering questions and praying for serious needs late into the night. They bear persecution and opposition from communities that may not want to hear of God’s love.
These women serve on a Gospel for Asia-supported film team, and it is not easy. Read their story.
Why do men and women like Rajak lay aside their safety and comfort to show movies through film ministry?
As Dr. K.P. Yohannan writes, “Choosing inconveniences, choosing difficulties, choosing the rough road because we love Him—this is the way of Christ.”
You see, these men and women love Jesus so much. And they see how movies on the life of Christ, like the one Irshaad saw, are one of the most effective ways to help people—especially those who know nothing about the Bible or are illiterate—discover God’s love for them. They also have opportunities to help meet practical needs by showing additional films that highlight essential and often unknown principles of hygiene or the dangers of alcohol and drug addictions. In short, these films change lives, and that’s why we at Gospel for Asia support men and women who choose inconveniences and difficulties to show these films.
Because film teams long for permanent transformation, Rajak’s team introduced Irshaad and the other new believers to a pastor who could take care of them. They are now equipped with the knowledge of God and can grow in their personal relationships with Him, even though Rajak and his team moved on to show their films in another community.
Irshaad’s story of transformation is powerful and specific to his life, yet it is being repeated in mountainous villages and in valleys, in dry desert communities and in tea gardens. Each story is unique, but they are many.
The next time you sit down to watch a movie, rejoice over the many people who are discovering the depths of Christ’s love for them at life-changing movie nights in Asia!
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Last updated on: November 4, 2019 at 12:02 am By GFA Staff Writer
Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas
World Toilet Day, established for November 19th by the UN in 2013, coincides with the 2001 creation of the World Toilet Organization, an organization aimed at raising awareness about and addressing the need for toilets all around the world.
On Oct. 2, 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Swachh Bharat (Clean India), an initiative to clean India in multiple ways, including the goal of eliminating open defecation in the nation by Oct. 2, 2019—the 150th anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
We are proud to be a small part of impacting families, transforming communities and enabling education (more on that later) through toilets.
Gospel for Asia’s field partners regularly inaugurate new toilets, like they did for Mae and her family. Here’s her story.
The Testimony of a Toilet
Like many others in their village, Reuel, Mae and their family had no toilet facility and had to use the open field early in the morning. They especially struggled during the rain. Mae often felt unsafe and uneasy having to go out in the open, visible to any prying eye, but she had no other choice. Although Reuel and Mae made plans to construct a toilet of their own, they couldn’t come up with the funds to start the project.
Mae and her family [pictured] were overjoyed when their church constructed a toilet for them. Now they have a private and safe place to use the restroom. But they weren’t alone. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Vikranta was Mae’s pastor. He had the joy of nurturing and watching the family grow in the Lord and learn to love Him more. As he cared for their spiritual needs, Pastor Vikranta also saw this family struggle in poverty. Pastor Vikranta aimed to change this, and he requested a toilet to be built for them outside their home. During construction, excitement unfolded among the villagers, and many asked Pastor Vikranta to build them a toilet, too. As the walls of the toilet went up, their desire increased to hear more about Jesus and His love. Encouraging those who lived nearby to use the helpful gift whenever it was needed, Mae told her neighbors, “Our church has built the sanitation [toilet] for us.”After the long-awaited toilet was completed, Reuel and his family were overjoyed and deeply grateful. God fulfilled their hope and need of safe sanitation through the prayer and resources of the Gospel for Asia (GFA) community and its partners worldwide. Not only does this family have a safe place to use the restroom, but the toilet stands as a testimony of God’s faithfulness to those in their sphere of influence. It is setting a pathway for many to find the true hope of Jesus and His cleansing love.
2.4 billion Still Have No Toilet
Did you know that to this day, some 2.4 billion people worldwide—about one-third of the planet—still don’t have access to adequate sanitation facilities? Bringing that number to zero by 2030 is one of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
But seriously—2.4 billion people?
When I was a kid, I enjoyed our rustic camping trips. There were places we went where we had to use a trowel because there were no toilets for miles. That was an interesting novelty, part of the experience.
This is the only sanitation facility (or restroom) in this village.
But I never had to worry about men coming and attacking me. I wasn’t concerned about finding someone else’s mess. My biggest concern was usually avoiding bug bites in awkward places and making sure I kept my clothes clean in the process.
I could handle it for a few days, but I was always thankful to have a porcelain seat once we got back home. I can’t imagine having to go outside every single day. Rain or shine, snow or wind, mosquito swarms and prickly grass.
A toilet is a lot more than dignity. It means safety from diseases, from attacks, from bugs and harsh weather. But toilets also impact education in ways not many people may realize.
Toilets and Education
Did you know that toilets directly impact education, especially for girls?
Think about it.
People all over the world have picked up a practice that may be detrimental for their health: holding it.
Without convenient access to a bathroom, countless women deliberately drink insufficient water just so they won’t have to urinate later in some public place. There is this powerful video produced by WaterAid about a woman living in a slum who, among other things, has trained her body to only go once per day so she won’t have to do it more often.
Gospel for Asia-supported workers are providing toilets for many communities all across Asia.
Our bodies are meant to go several times a day! When we don’t drink enough water, we become dehydrated, which means headaches, difficulty concentrating, and decreased performance in school.
Dehydrated children cannot focus as well. They struggle. They fall behind. They should be drinking, but many don’t want to because of inadequate toilets.
And then girls hit puberty.
Every month comes a few days when young women need easy access to a safe place. But if they don’t get it, many stay home until the way of women has passed. That means teenage girls might start missing out on a quarter of their schooling. It’s no wonder so many in toilet-deprived areas fall behind and eventually drop out.
Now, amazingly, global drop-out rates between boys and girls are leveling out on the whole, but they still remain skewed in regions without proper sanitation. This is tragic when you consider the tremendous global push for education and empowering women. Awareness of the need for toilets in this equation has been increasing through the years, and we praise God for that. In fact, it seems that will be one of the topics at this year’s World Toilet Summit.
Toilets provide dignity, safety, health, enable education and empower communities.
I remember the excited buzz around the office when GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog first featured toilets, and we have been proud to feature them every year since. We’re grateful to be part of bringing sanitary joy to tens of thousands of people in Asia.
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The church my husband and I attend is an inner-city church thronged with eager and spiritually hungry millennials. It’s worship is vibrant (and loud). Baptismal services are held frequently. Some 56 new believers were baptized on the recent Sunday set aside for this. But it is not a liturgical church; we probably will not observe Advent this December 10. But the Holy Spirit (or perhaps some stray imagining of my own) or the memory of the Scriptural insights from my African friends, or simply looking at a familiar Scripture (2 Samuel 6) with a little fresh understanding is making this Advent Sunday deep with meaning. I am thinking of a young man, stripped, dancing before his people.
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