From Discrimination and Dehumanization, Treasure is Found in a Slum

Last updated on: October 29, 2022 at 5:22 am By GFA Staff Writer

Madin finally had to leave. Being from the lowest class, he had suffered exploitation and mistreatment at the hands of his upper-class neighbors all his life. He couldn’t handle the abuse anymore. Seeking peace for his family, he knew they could no longer live in their village. In the face of such hardships, Madin moved his family to a big city, hoping for more opportunities in a place where class was not the sole identity of an individual. Having no connections, the harassed family moved to a large slum within an overcrowded city. All over the world, millions of disenfranchised people have ended up in similar slum dwellings. In 2017, about 900 million people lived in slums across the globe.

Hope Dawns in the Slum with Message of Acceptance

Madin worried about his children. He had escaped ridicule, but poverty had followed him. He seemed doomed to live as an outcast with his children inheriting his fate.

Then, one day, Madin heard about a God who loved him. Amaan, a first-year Bible college student, went to Madin’s slum to share about God’s great love and forgiveness of sins. As Amaan walked through the muddy, narrow lanes of the slums, his heart broke for the people living in these conditions. He wanted to help them any way he could to improve their lives. But what could he, a poor, Bible college student, do?

When Amaan met Madin, he shared God’s Word with this discouraged father. Madin listened attentively to the Bible college student share about the God who accepted them, even though they had always felt so worthless and disposable.

In Need of a Miracle

Amaan faithfully taught weekly literacy classes in the slum. One week, as he made his way to the slum, he passed by a mountain of garbage and found a small boy rolling in the refuse, covered in dirt.

Shocked, Amaan approached the boy and recognized Madin’s son, Savith. Amaan quickly found the boy’s parents to ask what happened. Madin shared how, a week before, Savith began acting strangely and kept wanting to go to the garbage pile. They realized he was being afflicted by an evil spirit, so Madin and Ramana took him to a religious leader to perform a sacrifice on behalf of their son. But Savith continued to get worse throughout the week.

His distraught parents didn’t know what to do. They couldn’t afford to take him to get medical attention. They hoped he would somehow heal on his own. Feeling helpless, Madin and Ramana left their son to roll in the garbage heaps.

Miracle Leads to Worshiping Community

Amaan moved closer to the flailing boy. He reached out his hands and offered a simple prayer to Jesus. Savith immediately sat up and looked at Amaan. Encouraged, Amaan talked to the boy, but Savith did not respond. Amaan prayed again, and the tormenting spirit left. Savith stood up, perfectly healthy.

“We prayed and went to the temple … but nothing happened to him,” the parents explained. “However, you have prayed, and this boy is healed now.” Seeing their beloved son restored filled Madin and Ramana with joy. They encouraged Amaan to visit them frequently.

Astonishment washed over Madin and Ramana. They did not know the power of God before that moment.

“We prayed and went to the temple … but nothing happened to him,” the parents explained. “However, you have prayed, and this boy is healed now.”

Seeing their beloved son restored filled Madin and Ramana with joy. They encouraged Amaan to visit them frequently.

“Our door is open for you all the time,” they told Amaan.

News of the little boy’s healing astounded many neighbors in the slum. Intrigued, many came to Madin’s house to hear Amaan share from God’s Word, and they learned more about this God who had shown Himself so powerful.

No longer rejected, Madin now knows acceptance from his Heavenly Father and the love of fellow worshipers—his new eternal family.

In 2018, residents in more than 900 slums heard about the love of Christ through Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers. Slum ministry is unique and requires creativity on the part of national workers. They meet people in desperate and sometimes life-threatening situations. These compassionate men and women seek to minister to people’s physical needs while also ministering to their spiritual needs.

As governments grapple with how to provide housing and services for the exploding populations in their cities, Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers are bringing hope today into the litter-strewn paths of hundreds of shantytowns across Asia. Thousands of people have found hope in Jesus for today and security for eternity.

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, Treasure Unearthed in a Slum

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

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

Gospel for Asia Supported National Workers Do What Needs to Be Done

Last updated on: November 12, 2022 at 9:56 am By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing what national workers do daily to spread God’s love across Asia. “They need to think about what is needed, not what is possible because possible can change. A major problem I see . . . is not having visionary leaders.” —R.D. Thulasiraj, Director of Operations, Aravind Eye Care System

Mr. Thulasirai’s sage observation, although having nothing directly to do with missions, might be worthy of our consideration of what it really means for indigenous, national workers to be supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) and its generous donors.It is difficult for us to imagine the role of pastors and other national workers in Asia because we have not seen what they have seen, nor have we experienced what they have. One thing is for certain, these pastors and workers do not have the same routine that most Western pastors do.

Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Marty grew up in an Asian slum where, as a young boy, he often dug for food in the bottom of dirty garbage bins to avoid starvation. He describes life in the slums as a vicious, generation cycle.

Garbage litters the streets. Dirty drinking water and the absence of simple hygienic practices like hand-washing cause disease rates to soar. Prostitution, sex trafficking, and other crimes hold countless people in bondage with no escape. ^[1]

Now, Pastor Marty and his family minister to families in the slum where he was raised. One believer in his church said, “He is a great example for us as he represents Jesus. He does what Jesus would have done. Helping the poor and needy and loving people. He is always willing to help people.”

Another Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor, Kanak, witnessed people in his village drinking from the same pond in which they bathed and washed their livestock and dirty dishes. He’s seen mothers unable to feed their children because they have no source of income. He ministers to children and adults who have no education. He works among people who barely have what they need to survive let alone prosper.

“When I see the condition of [these] people, their poverty, . . . it hurts me. It pains me to see them suffering. I wish I could bring changes in their lives.” —Pastor Kanak ^[2]

Like Pastor Marty, that’s exactly what he is doing. He spends time with the villagers and becomes acquainted with their struggles, assessing what would help them the most and show them Jesus’ love. These men, and multiple others like them, spend their days considering the needs of the people to whom they are called to serve.

They demonstrate spiritual leadership by “thinking about what is needed.” Because they understand the people’s needs, they are able to discern what they can do to help those individuals, families and villages according to what they need most.

If people need clean water, the pastors may arrange for the installation of Jesus Wells or distribution of BioSand water filters. If the people need education, national workers help establish Bridge of Hope centers for children and literacy classes for adults. If a rural household needs a source of income, they may arrange for the most appropriate farm animals for the individuals in need. In the slums, they may organize vocational classes to train women to generate income to provide for their families.

People with vision are those who see a need and then make every effort to meet that need. Vision in ministry is all about seeing the need, then doing something about it.

Once we see their needs and minister to them, they will already begin to see Christ in us.

To read more about these national workers, click on the their stories below:

^[1] GFA World, “A Slum Child’s Return,” March 2016

^[2] GFA World, “A Heart Burdened for His People,” July 2015

Learn more about National Workers and Missionaries – the men and women the Lord God is raising up living in Asia to be His ambassadors.

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

Sources:

GFA World, A Slum Child’s Return
GFA World, A Heart Burdened for His People

Veil of Tears Movie Features Plight of Women & Widows in Asia Reports Gospel for Asia

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?

Veil of Tears Movie Features Plight of Women & Widows - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — 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 - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — 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.

=====

For more blogs by Gospel for Asia on Patheos, go here.

For more details on the powerful documentary movie, Veil of Tears, go here.

Go here to know more about Gospel for Asia: GFA.net | GFA Wiki | GFA Flickr

Father’s Day Without My Father

Last updated on: June 20, 2025 at 4:04 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX – Bishop Daniel, President of GFA World, reflects on his father KP Yohannan’s legacy, a life devoted to Christ, inspiring faith and mission.

My father, KP Yohannan, went to be with the Lord one year ago. I remember him every single day since then — wishing he was here and wishing we could continue some of the conversations we started. As I’ve looked back, I’ve come to realize what a tremendous blessing it was for me to witness how he lived out his faith daily.

One of the most impactful things he modeled for me was how to live a life of integrity. He was the same person at home as he was in public. That consistency is rare, yet it’s one of the most powerful ways a parent can love their children. Every day, my father lived out for my sister and me what it meant to genuinely follow God. Growing up in our home, sharing the Gospel wasn’t just a job; it was a way of life.

I watched how, as he got older, his pursuit of God didn’t fade — it deepened. His heart and passion for those who had not heard about Christ only strengthened. He didn’t grow tired of the mission; he grew more consumed by it. And that passion wasn’t just in the gifts he gave or the words he spoke — it was in the life he lived, day after day.

That genuine life is the greatest gift a father can give his children. It’s something we can carry with us and then pass on to our own children, which they will then pass down to their children. Loving our kids means making faith tangible and practical for them. It means showing them what it looks like to live with a passion for those living and dying without Christ and a deep love for God.

That means in the everyday moments — in the car, over coffee, during our prayers — that we live a simple, faithful life by loving God and loving others. In this way, our lives glorify God.

When I think about my father, as much as I miss him, as much as I wish he were still here sitting next to me, there’s also a peace that carries me forward. The same God who was with him is with me. I now have the privilege of continuing this life of love that my father exemplified.

If there’s one thing I wish people would remember about my father, it’s this: He would often say to everyone he met, “Add 100 years to your life — where are you, and what matters in light of that reality?” It was his way of challenging us to invest our lives in eternal things, knowing that only what we do for Christ will last.

He would also urge us not to waste our time. He would tell us, “Don’t give up so easily.” Especially young people — he would plead with them not to wait to serve God. Simplify your life. Use your time. Use your resources. Pray. Give. Go. There’s a world out there that still needs to hear about Christ.

And then he’d often ask the question: What are you now going to do about it?

I hope, by God’s grace, to lead my own children in the same way my father led me. Not by being perfect — my father wasn’t perfect. But by being able to genuinely say to my children, “Follow me as I follow Christ.”

A year without my father has taught me how much he’s still with me. His voice still echoes. His lessons still guide me. GFA World, the ministry he founded, still moves forward.

With that in mind, I continue walking and asking myself, “What am I going to do about it?”

I want to respond to that question every day of my life. I pray that my own children and all those impacted by my father’s life will do the same as well.

This article was originally published on The Christian Post on June 15, 2025.

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and more than 150,000 families provided with the means to break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

About Bishop Daniel Timotheos

Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan is the President of GFA World and is consecrated bishop of the Believers Eastern Church. In his role as president of GFA World, Bishop Daniel serves as a primary link between thousands of Christian workers and missionaries serving throughout Asia and Africa and the rest of the church worldwide.

MEDIA: To arrange an interview with Bishop Daniel, contact: Palmer Holt, 704-662-2569, [email protected]

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

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, Father’s Day without My Father

Gen Z Craves Encounter with God, Says Global Missions Leader

Last updated on: June 23, 2025 at 9:44 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — Endless scrolling and digital overload are creating a surprising hunger among the smartphone generation known as Gen Z — a deep longing for a real, personal encounter with God, says a global missions leader.

“Young people are craving more than just entertainment and information,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, president of global mission agency GFA World. “They’re craving to encounter the living God.”

Gen Z ‘Craves Encounter with God’ says Global Missions Leader Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan — **GEN Z’S ‘GOD ENCOUNTER’**: GFA World’s Set Apart retreat June 2-8 offers young people ages 18-30 the opportunity to swap social media and compulsive texting for a week of “encountering God.”

His comments follow a new study by Barna researchers that revealed young Americans are more likely than older Americans to affirm a “personal commitment to Jesus Christ.” In other research, based on a poll of 2,000 young Americans, two-thirds of Gen Zers said they had prayed to God in the past week, while more than one-third said they had read from the Bible.

Findings suggest many teens and young adults are seeking something deeper than social media likes and followers.

Now Texas-based GFA World is giving them that opportunity.

From June 2-8, the Set Apart retreat at the mission organization’s campus in Wills Point near Dallas offers Gen Zers and Millennials ages 18-30 the opportunity to swap social media and compulsive texting for a week of encountering God — the “encounter they crave,” according to Bishop Daniel.

A Narnia-Like Experience

He likens the retreat to the moment in C.S. Lewis’s “The Chronicles of Narnia” when the children step through the wardrobe to encounter Aslan, a fictional representation of Christ.

Gen Z longs to “walk through the wardrobe” and meet with God personally, he said, “but they don’t know how or haven’t been given the opportunity.”

The retreat will inspire young people to respond to Jesus’ challenge to “deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me” — a radical call, Bishop Daniel says, to embrace “what it means to follow Christ, to live in the light of eternity.”

Seeking A Solid Foundation

Many young people feel empty and are looking for something to anchor their lives on.

A recent report in Premier Christianity noted a growing interest in historic Christian practices and liturgies — dating back to the early church — that “have become more attractive to young adults seeking a solid foundation.”

When young people set aside their phones purposefully for a time of silent prayer and reflection, Bishop Daniel said, the effect on them is profound.

“You have no idea how many young people say that the most impactful thing in their life is just to have the opportunity to encounter the living God,” he said. “As we listen for God’s still small voice, he meets us, but we must give him the space to speak to us.”

Bishop Daniel sees this generation as the future leaders and missionaries of the church — the ones who will carry the message of Christ into the next era.

“They’re going to be the ones to move nations,” he said. “The greatest gift we can give them is the opportunity to encounter God for themselves.”

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and more than 150,000 families provided with the means to break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

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

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, Gen Z ‘Craves Encounter with God’ says Global Missions Leader

MEDIA: To arrange an interview with Bishop Daniel, contact: Palmer Holt, 704-662-2569, [email protected]

GFA World Extends Missionary Movement to Liberia, Africa

Last updated on: June 23, 2025 at 9:46 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — After 45 years of groundbreaking ministry in Asia that includes sending out thousands of national missionaries, a U.S.-based mission organization is expanding in Africa. Texas-based GFA World (www.gfa.org) — formerly known as Gospel for Asia — is moving into a new frontier, with the launch of a new missions base in Liberia in addition to projects already underway in Rwanda.

“Africa is bursting with possibilities,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, the organization’s new president. “Roughly 40 percent of the population of Liberia, for example, is under the age of 15.”

GFA World Extends Missionary Movement to Liberia, West Africa — **NEW WAVE OF HOPE ACROSS AFRICA:** Texas-based GFA World (www.gfa.org) has launched a new mission base in Liberia, in addition to the construction of a large-scale multi-specialty hospital and training complex in Kigali, Rwanda — a “springboard” for ministry across Africa.

Across Africa, it is estimated at least 32 million children of primary age, mostly girls, do not attend school because their families cannot afford the fees. GFA World’s child sponsorship program seeks to change that, and actively partners with communities.

The organization is also launching projects and missionary training in Liberia.

Training and equipping nationals — or locals — to do missionary work is nothing new to GFA World. In the 1980s, its founder, K.P. Yohannan, launched what was described as a “revolution in world missions,” sending thousands of trained national missionaries on foot and bicycles to “share the love of God” in communities across Asia, bringing hope and healing to places where there was no previous exposure to the Gospel.

‘Never Met a Christian’

Many people in isolated villages have never heard the Gospel message — or even met a Christian — while millions live and die without ever hearing the name of Jesus Christ, the missions organization says.

“National missionaries know the local customs, languages, and beliefs, and don’t face travel or visa restrictions that cross-cultural workers have,” said Timotheos Yohannan, adding that local missionaries “can easily connect with their own people.”

Meanwhile, the organization’s ministry base in Kigali, Rwanda, continues to expand. With one of the highest-density populations in Africa, there is only one doctor for every 8,300 people. The organization is constructing a large-scale multi-specialty hospital and medical training complex that is modelled on its state-of-the-art facility in Asia that helps nearly 2,000 patients every day and trains hundreds of medical students.

The Rwanda-based hospital complex will train medical professionals from across Africa, as well as help set up a network of permanent health clinics.

Plans are underway for new projects in Liberia, mirroring the work in Rwanda — including educational opportunities for children, clean water projects known as “Jesus Wells,” and medical camps where the most at risk families can get free healthcare.

“One-third of the world’s communities are still waiting to experience Christ’s love for the first time,” said Timotheos Yohannan. “No one should die without knowing the love of Christ.”

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 freshwater wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

For more details and to arrange an interview, contact: Gregg Wooding @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

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

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, GFA World Extends Missionary Movement to Liberia, West Africa

Millions Resort to Filthy Ponds for Drinking Water

Last updated on: March 24, 2025 at 3:59 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — Millions across Africa and Asia brace for the annual drought season that could result in catastrophic loss of life in coming months as millions turn to filthy, disease-ridden ponds as a last resort to find drinking water. A heartfelt call to arms comes from the global mission agency GFA World (www.gfa.org) as World Water Day on March 22 spotlights the pervasive water crisis.

GFA World warns before World Water Day millions drink dirty ponds. | Image courtesy of Gregg Wooding.

“About 2.2 billion people have no access to safe drinking water, and 829,000 of them will die this year from waterborne diseases, most of which could be prevented,” said Bishop Daniel Timotheos Yohannan, the organization’s president. “This is something we should all care about.”

Since 2007, the Texas-based organization has drilled 40,000 freshwater wells — known as “Jesus Wells” — and has supplied some 39 million people with safe drinking water in some of the world’s poorest and thirstiest regions.

They’re called “Jesus Wells” because they’re inscribed with Christ’s words recorded in John’s Gospel: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst.” The wells are much-frequented community gathering spots — like a town square — giving local Christians opportunities to “share God’s love,” Bishop Daniel said.

This year, GFA World aims to drill thousands more in drought-prone places across Africa and Asia. Each well reliably supplies clean drinking water to hundreds of people for 20 years or more, even during severe drought, the organization said.

Teams typically drill 600 feet to reach fresh water — and the end-result transforms local communities, saving countless lives at risk of cholera, typhoid and other often-fatal waterborne diseases.

In Vimal’s village in Asia, women had to line up for two hours every day to fill their water jugs from the nearest safe water source, with trips to the well adding up to ten miles a day. When the water dried up during periods of drought, fights broke out over water at the muddy village pond, their only other option.

All that changed when the mission organization partnered with a local pastor and his congregation to drill a new well, maintained by the local church.

“The women don’t have to spend half their days hauling water,” Bishop Daniel added, “the children no longer miss school searching for water, people don’t get sick from drinking polluted water, and the attitude of the villagers toward Christians has changed.”

For more about GFA World’s water projects in Africa and Asia, go to www.gfa.org/water/jesus-wells.

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

For more details and to arrange an interview, contact: Gregg Wooding @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

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

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, Ahead of World Water Day on March 22, GFA World Notes Millions Resort to Filthy Ponds for Drinking Water

Christmas Chicken Challenge Helps Families Fly Poverty Coop

Last updated on: January 16, 2025 at 5:04 am By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — A U.S. faith-based organization has hatched an “eggs-traordinary” challenge to help fight global poverty and hunger.

GFA World’s “chicken challenge” is part of its annual Christmas Critter Campaign that aims to “rescue families from poverty and show them Christ’s love.”

Christmas Chicken Challenge Helps Families Fly Poverty Coop — **‘IM-PECK-ABLE’ TIMING:** Just in time for the holidays, Texas-based mission agency GFA World has hatched the “chicken challenge,” part of its annual Christmas Critter Campaign to rescue families across Africa and Asia from poverty and hunger.

“This is not a one-time hand-out,” said Bishop Daniel, the organization’s president. “Providing a pair of chickens can assist a family out of the cycle of poverty. It impacts not only the family, but the entire community in a positive way, and helps the kids to be healthier.

“Everything we do provides the opportunity to share the love of Christ tangibly and practically.”

The “chicken challenge” invites people to donate a pair of chickens each month for a year, helping a dozen families in some of the poorest places in Africa and Asia fly the poverty coop.

Chickens and eggs not only provide a rich source of dietary protein but also generate a reliable income stream, according to GFA World. It supports thousands of indigenous — or national — missionaries who serve millions of the world’s poorest people on two continents.

For more than 45 years, national missionaries supported by the Texas-based Christian organization have helped transform communities through poverty-fighting initiatives, clean water projects, children and women’s programs, and by sharing the “good news.”

Eternity Is ‘Thing That Matters Most’

The Christmas Critter Campaign also gives people the opportunity to donate goats, pigs and water buffalo, as well as other life-changing gifts such as clean water filters, sewing machines, and warm winter clothing.

Practically sharing the love of Christ makes an eternal difference, the organization says.

Giving people who have never heard even the name of Jesus the opportunity to “experience Christ’s love and hope” was the driving force behind the organization’s founder K.P. Yohannan, who died after a car accident earlier this year.

“The only thing that will matter is what was done to impact (lives for) eternity,” he said, just weeks before his death.

Gift items, including literature in local languages, can be donated in his memory at http://www.gfa.org/press/critter.

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

For more details and to arrange an interview, contact: Gregg Wooding @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

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

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, Christmas ‘Chicken Challenge’ Helps Families Fly Poverty Coop

GFA World Responds to Hurricane Helene-Scale Flood in Nepal

Last updated on: June 23, 2025 at 9:51 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — U.S. mission organization GFA World (www.gfa.org) is responding to deadly floods in the South Asian nation of Nepal — a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Helene in the U.S.

As the Southeastern U.S. reels from the devastation and death toll caused by Helene, the landlocked nation of Nepal — famous for Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak — has also suffered deadly flooding on a massive scale.

Nepal Flood Relief: GFA World Respond Hurricane Helene Scale Flood — **RELIEF FOR NEPAL FLOOD VICTIMS:** Torrential monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides in Nepal that have claimed nearly 200 lives with dozens still missing. GFA World (*www.gfa.org) is providing relief aid through local partners in the South Asia nation, home to Mount Everest.*

In Nepal, torrential monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides that have claimed nearly 200 lives with dozens still missing, including in the capital, Kathmandu.

In Lalitpur, a city with 300,000 residents south of the capital, rescue teams were digging with their bare hands around the clock to reach people buried under thick mud and rubble, according to reports.

‘Heart-Wrenching’ Situation

“The situation in Nepal is heart-wrenching right now,” said Bishop Daniel, president of GFA World, a faith-based ministry that supports national missionaries across Asia and Africa.

Thousands of people are in desperate need of food and shelter after flood waters and rivers of thick mud barreled through the Kathmandu valley, the Texas-based organization reported.

“Our local partners in Nepal are providing relief aid such as food for those affected, and reports are trickling in of church members who’ve lost their homes,” Bishop Daniel said. “We’re asking people to keep all those suffering in Nepal in their prayers, along with those suffering in the southern U.S.”

Located between India and China, Nepal is used to heavy annual monsoon rains, but experts say the scale of this flooding is unprecedented, causing chaos across central and eastern parts of the country.

GFA World has played a leading role in supporting compassion-centered humanitarian projects in the isolated nation, which has a population of 31 million.

National missionaries trained and supported by the organization trek through the Himalaya Mountains to share the love of God with people in remote villages and pray with those who are sick.

About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)

GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping thousands of national missionaries bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Africa and Asia, and sharing the love of God. In a typical year, this includes thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in hundreds of villages and remote communities, and helping more than 150,000 families break the cycle of poverty through income-generating gifts. More than 40,000 fresh water wells have been drilled since 2007, hundreds of thousands of women are now empowered through literacy training, and Christ-motivated ministry takes place every day throughout 18 nations. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

For more details and to arrange an interview, contact: Gregg Wooding @ 972-567-7660 or [email protected]

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, GFA World Responds as Nepal Reels from Deadly Hurricane Helene-Scale Floods

Read more on Disaster Relief and Flooding on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

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Gospel for Asia Missionary Helps Alleviate the Despair of a Single Mother

Last updated on: November 28, 2022 at 7:58 pm By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, discussing the despair of Kalyska, her husband’s betrayal, her brother’s thievery, and the hope and peace that God brought through a friend and a Gospel for Asia (GFA) missionary.

“Frustrated” didn’t begin to describe how Kalyska felt. Her younger brother had effectively stolen the money she had lent him. Nearly all her savings were now gone. It was a heavy blow to the single mother of two. Kalyska already had difficulty providing for her son and daughter, but this was the final straw. How could she recover?

A Mother’s Struggles

GFA World discussing the despair of Kalyska, and the hope and peace that God brought through a friend and a Gospel for Asia missionary. — Kalyska, pictured here, is thankful for the love she was shown and the opportunity to provide for her children.

Things hadn’t always been like this. Kalyska had once had a happy home, if not a perfect one. Kalyska’s marriage had started out happy, but three years and two children later, she discovered her husband was seeing another woman. Her husband, confronted with his infidelity, hurled physical and verbal abuse on Kalyska. Then he left.

Kalyska was left alone to take care of their children. Fortunately, with some savings and the small income she now earned through tailoring, Kalyska was able to send her children to school once they were old enough.

But the reality of her situation shattered any semblance of peace. Many individuals, hearing of Kalyska’s plight, offered to help—but all they wanted was to use Kalyska for their own gain. Fear and despair took hold in Kalyska’s heart. She didn’t feel safe; she wasn’t safe.

Then Kalyska’s brother visited. Jobless, he needed a place to stay while he looked for opportunities. Kalyska graciously let him stay at her home. Eventually, he found a job, but it was an international posting, and he needed money to get there. So Kalyska loaned him most of her savings on his promise he would send the money back once he started his job. But no money came; the brother stopped all contact; Kalyska had virtually nothing left for her children.

An Opportunity for Hope, Peace

Not long after her brother absconded with her money, Kalyska was out at her local market. There, she happened to meet a lady named Peleria. A conversation ensued, during which the stressed mother shared all the horrible things she had recently endured. It was all too much—first her husband’s betrayal, then the predators’ threats and finally her brother’s thievery.

Peleria listened to Kalyska bare her heart with patience and compassion. As the talk progressed, Kalyska invited Peleria to her home the next day; they could continue talking then.

At Kalyska’s home, Peleria shared with Kalyska about her sister, Idalis, who happened to be a Gospel for Asia (GFA) missionary. Idalis ran a small program teaching women—specifically, single mothers and widows—how to sew, and Kalyska could help Idalis teach and earn a regular income. An opportunity to provide for her children? Kalyska took it.

When Kalyska began working at Idalis’ home, the sisters shared of God’s love. They shared of the comfort He brings to the helpless and the aid He brings to the needy. They also invited Kalyska to the weekly prayer meetings held at Idalis’ home.

When Kalyska sat with her children in the meeting, a feeling washed over her that she hadn’t felt in a long time—peace. And, oddly enough, joy. She wanted more.

The peace she felt at that first meeting is now a permanent staple in Kalyska’s home. After embracing God’s love, Kalyska began attending the local church and became a frequent visitor at Idalis’ home every week for prayer. Instead of living in constant fear and insecurity, Kalyska had found safety and love in the Lord through Peleria and Idalis. Kalyska didn’t need to bear her burdens alone anymore—she had help.

Learn how you can help other women facing similar situations of abandonment or bereavement.

*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia World stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, The Despair of a Single Mother

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

Learn more about GFA World programs to bring value, hope and love to women and their families, and break the cycle of poverty by helping through Vocational Training, Sewing Machines and Literacy Training.

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