WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Tilaka, a widow whose life was swallowed up into obscurity and isolation, and the Gospel for Asia workers that demonstrated and shared the unfailing love of Jesus.
Shocked by the news of her 7-year-old son’s murder, Tilaka’s mind whirled into a grief-laden state of confusion. If only her son had stayed with her that day; if only someone had stepped in to rescue him.
Overcome by the emotional trauma of losing her son, Tilaka (not pictured) developed a mental illness that isolated her from her community. Many women in Asia face similar rejection from society, if their husband dies.
Little Arun had been kidnapped by treasure hunters and given as a sacrifice to their gods in the hope of unearthing riches. Unbearable pain pierced Tilaka’s mothering heart when she discovered what had happened to her precious son. Grief stole her ability to think clearly, and she became labeled as a mentally challenged woman by those in her community.
Woman Swallowed Up into Obscurity
After losing her oldest son, Tilaka wandered the streets, slept on the pavement and began murmuring to herself while she gathered up dirty items alongside roadways. Recognizing that Tilaka was far from able to care for her remaining two children, the villagers sent Tilaka’s 5-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter to a children’s home in the area. Tilaka would never again be part of her children’s lives.
As the years passed, Tilaka’s difficulties were compounded by her status as a widow. In a culture that often blames widows for the death of their husbands, Tilaka found little sympathy from others over her plight. She survived by begging, facing the dangers of street life all alone: crime, disease and predators watching for helpless women. But Tilaka fell victim to a different street danger. A bus struck her one day while she sat alongside the road. Badly injured, Tilaka was taken to a hospital to receive treatment for fractures in her leg and hand. She spent months lying in a hospital bed, yet she received no visitors from her family or her village. It seemed that only the kindhearted doctors cared about the mentally challenged widow.
Millions of men and women live on the sides of roads similar to this Asian street. Tilaka (not pictured) was one of them. She would wander about and eventually suffered a severe injury after being hit by a bus.
Tilaka’s short, heavyset body mended partially, but her mind remained unstable. Physically unable to work, she resumed begging for her food, dragging her leg as she looked for a way to satisfy her hunger. Tilaka now lived in a hut instead of sleeping on the pavement, but her mental difficulties had become so well-known that no one was willing to speak or spend time with Tilaka, leaving her in a world of isolation.
Visitors for the Overlooked Woman
Then one day, Tilaka’s world changed. For the very first time, she found unexpected visitors standing in front of her little hut. Shocked to see a man and woman at her door, Tilaka invited them in, offering them spots on the dirty ground where she sat.
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Dhevan and his wife, Marita, had been riding their bicycles when they noticed a poorly constructed hut near the road. Impelled by love, they stopped to minister to whoever lived there. Inside they found Tilaka—a picture of loneliness and despair.
When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Pastor Dhevan and his wife visited Tilaka, she heard for the first time that she was loved by God and was not alone. This woman rejoices at hearing a similar message.
The couple’s kindness comforted Tilaka’s heart, and she quickly opened up to them. Ignoring the smell of the dirty ground he sat upon, Pastor Dhevan gently comforted the troubled widow with truths about her loving Creator.
“Mother, Jesus loves you a lot,” Pastor Dhevan told her, addressing her with the endearing term of their culture. “You are not alone.”
Tears fell from Tilaka’s eyes as she listened to the pastor’s words. Something changed within her heart—she felt happiness and peace. Even her hunger faded away in the presence of the new joy in her heart. It was the happiest day of her life.
These women at a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported church found a place of community and friendships, just like Tilaka did. Tilaka’s new friends prayed with her and provided her with food, helping her to heal from her mental illness.
Loving Community Welcomes the Unloved
Before leaving Tilaka’s hut, Pastor Dhevan invited Tilaka to the church he was leading. Pastor Dhevan’s warm welcome excited Tilaka so much that she walked to church the very next Sunday, even though it was some distance from her hut. She joined in among the believers at the worship service as they praised Jesus for His love and mercy. Seeing Tilaka’s need, the church provided her with food. Thereafter, Tilaka started walking to the church every day, receiving food and growing in her knowledge and love of Jesus. Gradually, her leg grew stronger, as did her troubled mind.
Tilaka’s heart stirred with hope and love for her newfound Savior. As her mind cleared, her heart overflowed with thanksgiving to God all throughout the day.
“Once I was insane,” Tilaka shared. “Jesus touched me and made me normal. He takes care of my day.”
Tilaka’s life was completely changed by the love demonstrated by Pastor Dhevan and the believers at his church. Instead of grief, Tilaka (pictured) has hope, and instead of shame and isolation, she has a community that cares for her needs.
Widow Knows She Is Not Alone
Tilaka discovered a God who promises to never leave her nor forsake her and a community of people who love her and provide for her in Jesus’ name. Beyond the meals she received, Tilaka experienced the care of her new community when a fall trapped her in a pit filled with filthy water for seven hours. Pastor Dhevan and Marita visited Tilaka in the hospital and helped provide medicine for her injuries. No longer alone or forgotten, Tilaka’s church family prays for her and ministers to her needs, regularly providing her with food and encouragement.
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers minister to widows in Christ’s name through many practical ways, such as providing food, clothing and income-producing gifts.
One in 40 Million
As one of Asia’s 40 million widows, Tilaka longed to hear she was not alone and God will never leave her. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers minister to these hurting women by meeting their practical needs while also demonstrating the unfailing love of Christ.
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World, www.gfa.org) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Rachna and her family, the abandonment and acute struggles, and the Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope used by God to lift this mother’s burden.
A day in Rachna’s house was always a gamble. One night, her husband, Sahay, was a doting father who brought home a feast for his children; the next, he was a raving drunkard who beat his wife. Twice, Sahay’s violence had even caused a pregnant Rachna to miscarry.
Rachna was desperate for a way out, but she had nowhere to take her four children. It almost seemed easier for Sahay to just disappear from his family’s life—until the day he did.
Father Goes Missing after Work
Sahay was a laborer at a construction site far from home, so it was understandable when it took him a long time to return at the end of the day. If he was stopping to get food for the children or if he was getting drunk, he would be out even longer. But as the hours ticked by one night, Rachna realized Sahay wasn’t just late.
As cruel a husband as Sahay was, Rachna wasn’t relieved. He provided the family’s only source of income. Whether he was lovable or not, they needed him in order to survive.
Rachna mobilized her three oldest children, Ujala, Yaalisai and Aadi, to walk from house to house asking if anyone had seen him. The whole family went to Sahay’s workplace, but he wasn’t there either, so Rachna left the children there and went out on her own.
She wandered the streets, showing Sahay’s photograph to anyone who would look. Most of them didn’t even recognize him.
Finally, an old man told Rachna she could find her husband at the end of the street in a large house with a big gate.
Mother Uncovers Father’s Secret Life
When Rachna arrived at the large house, a woman answered the door. Unlike the people on the streets, she knew exactly who Sahay was. Sahay, the woman said, was living with her, and all the food he had brought to the children had come from her.
The news shocked Rachna. She had never suspected Sahay was having an affair. She wept the entire way home.
Sahay came home that evening without a thought of repentance. As if he were the wronged party, he viciously attacked Rachna and set fire to the family’s possessions. He turned on the children, too, trying to set them and Rachna on fire, but the mother and children ran from the house.
Neighbors rushed to rescue Rachna, Ujala, Yaalisai, Aadi and Chaitra. Meanwhile, Sahay disappeared again.
Mother Struggles to Feed Family on Her Own
As a homemaker, Rachna didn’t have any ready source of income, and finding a job without any qualifications was difficult. She resorted to searching the streets, looking for plastic items she could sell.
Working as one of the estimated 10,000 waste pickers in Rachna’s country is full of risks. Men and women sort through their cities’ waste with bare hands, exposing themselves to disease and infection, and the constant bending over causes many to suffer from back pain. As a woman, Rachna was also vulnerable to harassment by male trash collectors.
Despite the hazards, Rachna continued in the only work she could find. However, the pay was so little that she couldn’t give her children more than half the food they needed each day, and she didn’t know how she would keep them in school.
Rachna’s oldest daughter, Yaalisai, was old enough to legally drop out of school, and the 15-year-old worried that she would have to do so. Instead, Rachna’s 17-year-old son, Ujala, started finding jobs each day so his younger siblings could stay in school.
The extra income helped, but Yaalisai still struggled with her homework amid the family’s rocky situation.
Seeing Yaalisai’s challenges, the family’s neighbor Edna told her about Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope, a program that would not only help her in her studies but would also feed her and provide medical care. Even better, Edna could help Yaalisai get into the program.
For the first time in months, the family saw a glimmer of hope.
Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope Lifts Mother’s Burden
Although the Bridge of Hope center didn’t have room for Yaalisai’s siblings, Yaalisai’s own attendance has improved the family’s situation. Now, Yaalisai’s school fees and tuition are paid for by the center instead of her mother and brother, and thanks to the center’s cook, she is eating well again.
The staff also regularly give Yaalisai gifts like shoes, material for her uniform, books, a school bag and a lunch box, allowing Rachna to rest easy about Yaalisai’s needs and redirect her earnings to toward her other children.
“Bridge of Hope helps me and reduces my mother’s burden about me,” Yaalisai says.
Through Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope, God is enabling these children to become all they possibly can be, so they can one day be a blessing to many others throughout Asia.
Meanwhile, Yaalisai is excelling in her studies, and best of all, she is learning about Jesus Christ and the love He has for her and her family.
After Yaalisai joined Bridge of Hope, Rachna found a cooking job that meets more of the family’s needs. Later, Sahay was kicked out of his lover’s home and went back to live with his family. Although he continues to drink, his dependence on Rachna’s income keeps him from abusing her.
As Yaalisai continues to grow through Bridge of Hope, we pray that, one day, her entire family will recognize the life-changing love of Christ already at work in their lives.
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Last updated on: November 12, 2022 at 9:58 am By GFA Staff Writer
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the life-changing impact of Jesus Wells on families in Asia who lack any access to safe drinking water.
You need to get some water for a family meal so you head for the kitchen sink. It’s almost automatic; you do it every day. Probably several times a day. You turn on the faucet, but you feel “a sinking sensation” when no water pours from the tap.
You panic.
Yes, you panic. What am I going to do? We need water. Your mind races as you subconsciously understand you may not be able to make food for your family if you can’t get water. You wonder how long you will be without water. A call to the utility company frustrates you because you hear a recorded message: “Our operators are busy assisting other customers.”
While you are on hold, you ask your spouse to run to the store to buy some bottled water. After waiting 20 minutes or so, you learn from the water company that a major main has been severely damaged. They say it might take three months to repair it. Everyone in town is affected.
Adding insult to injury, your husband is late returning home. He has visited all the nearby stores in your small town only to discover they had all sold out of bottled water and has confirmed what you already learned after waiting on hold: You weren’t the first family to learn of the crisis.
Crisis: Lack of Water
The local news will report that the crisis is the damaged water main.
The true crisis, however, is that families are withoutwater. And at least for a while, you don’t know where to find water fit for drinking.
You will be facing a crisis that defines everyday life for 163 million people in Asia. That is approximately half the population of the United States.
Many of those people live in rural villages where there are no water-delivery systems and no safe drinking water nearby. And they have no access to the convenience of bottled water.
They live in a constant state of crisis. Every single day. And it’s not just a matter of quenching thirst. Based on reports from the World Economic Forum (WEF), more than 200,000 people in South Asia die every year—547 every day—because of limited access to safe water close to their homes.
Do you think that NGOs and FBOs such as Gospel for Asia resort to hyperbole when they relate the monumental burden that Asian women have to fetch water for their families? The WEF report says, “On an average, a rural woman walks 5 kilometers to 20 kilometers (3–12 miles) a day just to fetch water.”
Making matters worse, the water they fetch is either polluted or contaminated or both.
Celebration: The Gift of a Jesus Well
Gospel for Asia recently released a five-minute video that explains the clean water crisis in Asia at the personal level. This video explains the impact of the annual three-month drought season. For many, this season is just the same as any other day of the year.
Two women from the village explain their exhaustion from carrying heavy loads of water over long distances.
Though many people in other parts of the world may get water from taps and have access to a virtually limitless supply, these families have only the supply that the women can carry. Asian families regard water as a precious commodity that must be used—and often reused—sparingly.
When Gospel for Asia-supported workers respond to a village’s need for readily accessible clean water, everyone celebrates.
The villagers become healthier. Children stop missing school, and their fathers stop missing work because they are sick. Vimal, a villager in Asia, explained that his daughter had to help fetch water so she was unable to pass her school exams—yet another portent of the long-term impact of not having access to clean water.
Tens of thousands of Jesus Wells dot rural Asian villages, providing a source of all the clean water they need. The wells are dug and maintained at no cost to the villagers through the financial support of Gospel for Asia (GFA) donors.
Words are inadequate to express the appreciation and the joy of Jesus Well recipients. For the first time in many of their lives, they have access to all the clean water they need near home. If a picture is worth a thousand words, the footage during the last minute of the video is priceless. When you begin to see how grateful these people are, you will want to celebrate with them.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report (Part 1) – Discussing the misunderstandings and social stigma of leprosy that keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem.
Leprosy. For many, a cloud of mystery, fear and shame surrounds this disease. It’s a disease that destroys nerves and deadens limbs to sensations of touch or pain, yet at the same time can trigger bouts of unbearable agony for the sufferer as infection exposes raw bones. It’s a disease that is difficult to contract, yet carries a stigma so strong that leprosy-affected people have been forced into isolation for centuries. Why is this disease so feared, and how can we help those who contract it?
Leprosy: Misunderstandings and social stigmas keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem.
Leprosy, otherwise known as Hansen’s Disease, is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. This chronic nervous system disease “mainly affects the skin, the peripheral nerves, mucosal surfaces of the upper respiratory tract and the eyes,” according to the World Health Organization.
The first symptoms of leprosy are often eye damage, painless ulcers or patches of discolored skin with accompanying numbness in the affected area. Without intervention, leprosy may cause crippling of hands and feet, loss of limbs, tissue loss on the face and blindness.
The bacteria slowly attacks the nerves and will leave the one affected without the ability to detect pain. Their hands and feet will no longer notice the hot pot burning their palms, the sharp object penetrating their skin, or even a dislocated ankle as they go about their daily life. Wounds become infected, and tissue loss, degeneration or even amputation follows.
The physical disfigurement caused by leprosy is one of the most well-known signs of the disease.
The physical disfigurement caused by leprosy creates a physical and emotional barrier between the individual and the rest of society, the United Nations explains.
Hansen’s Disease, as we know it, has mutilated lives for thousands of years. Reports of leprosy go back as far as 600 BC.
In the Old and New Testament, the Israelites received instructions from God to remove leprosy from among their camp; and later, Jesus Himself touches and heals many people afflicted with leprosy.
Are there any differences between modern-day leprosy and the mentions of leprosy in the Bible?
Answers in Genesis (AIG), an apologetics ministry that provides answers to many questions about the Bible and topics like creation and science, released an article about biblical leprosy. The article, condensed from The Genesis of Germs by Dr. Alan Gillen, states,
“Biblical leprosy is a broader term than the leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) that we know today. The Hebrew tsara’ath included a variety of ailments and is most frequently seen in Leviticus, where it referred primarily to uncleanness or imperfections according to biblical standards. A person with any scaly skin blemish was tsara’ath. The symbolism extended to rot or blemish on leather, the walls of a house, and woven cloth.”
Many have believed the disease is the result of some great sin of the victim.
It is likely that the man with a withered hand in Mark 3:1–5 suffered from the leprosy we are discussing today. Cultures around the world have recorded the devastating effects of Hansen’s Disease: disfigured noses and facial tissue, blind eyes, missing fingers or toes, and hearts rent in grief and anguish.
Intensifying the trauma of the disease is the weight of guilt many sufferers carry. Over the centuries, many have believed the disease is the result of some great sin of the victim. Instead of kindness or pity, the human being—whose world has just shattered—receives a cold shoulder; a fearful stare; an invitation to hit the road, move to a “leper colony” and leave the life they knew before.
Leprosy is Curable—But Still Feared
For hundreds of years, even medical professionals responded in fear of the infectious disease. Because of the misunderstandings and stigma associated with leprosy, very few people in history chose to study the bacterial infection. The few who did confront it now have millions of people benefiting from their courageous efforts.
In 1873, when people believed leprosy was the result of a curse or a judgement from the gods, Dr. A. Hansen, a physician from Norway, discovered that leprosy was caused by bacteria. He proved it was a contagious disease, like so many other plagues in our world. And when you find the cause of a disease, there is hope of finding a cure.
Dr. A. Hansen, the man who discovered the bacteria that causes leprosy (Public Domain)
After that, a few remedies were found to treat leprosy patients, but the disease and its progression remained widely unknown and unexplored until the 1940s. At that time, new anti-leprosy drugs called sulfones were used to treat patients of Hansen’s Disease, but after the bacteria was eliminated from the person’s system, the disfigurement remained—and the discrimination.
In 1947, a world-renowned orthopedic surgeon working in India, Dr. Paul Brand, visited a leprosarium. Dr. Brand was appalled to uncover the lack of research performed regarding the physical deformation leprosy causes. In his book The Gift of Pain, coauthored with best-selling writer Philip Yancey, Dr. Brand records a conversation he had with a pioneer leprosy specialist, Dr. Bob Cochrane, at a leprosy sanitarium.
Dr. Paul Brand, who developed breakthrough treatments for leprosy (Photo credit The Leprosy Mission)
Dr. Brand learned from Dr. Cochrane that, although leprosy was crippling more people than polio or any other disease, few physicians had investigated the disease, and no orthopedist had researched leprosy and the disfigurement it produces. Most doctors at that time joined society in thinking leprosy was a curse from the gods, and as such, it was not a disease they paid attention to.
That conversation and many future encounters with leprosy patients spurred Dr. Brand to delve into the disease and to later become a leprosy specialist himself, establishing breakthrough techniques for correcting leprosy disfigurement.
Although most in the medical field steered clear of leprosy for hundreds and even thousands of years, some dedicated men and women throughout history have labored to understand leprosy. As a result, today leprosy is curable.
Over the decades following Dr. Hansen’s discovery in the 1870s, multiple treatments were used, but they achieved varied success and leprosy bacteria began developing an immunity to the sulfone drug therapy. Finally, in the 1980s, a multi-drug therapy (MDT) treatment successfully cured leprosy without the threat of bacteria developing an immunity, and WHO adopted it as the standard leprosy treatment.
With this powerful cure, multiple global leprosy-elimination strategies have been implemented and have made great strides in reducing new leprosy cases. With support from groups such as the Nippon Foundation, Novartis Foundation and others, MDT has been globally available since 1995—free of charge.
Many leprosy patients like Rushil make their living by begging, and they often can’t afford to buy certain medications that they need. Rushil (pictured) is very grateful for Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers providing medicines for free. Read more of Rushil’s story »
Yet in 2015, more than 200,000 people discovered they had leprosy—a disease that not only ravages the body but also tears families and communities apart.
Now that we have a cure for leprosy, why then, does this devastating disease still exist in our world?
Yohei Sasakawa, the WHO ambassador for leprosy elimination and the chairman of the Nippon Foundation, gives the answer to this question.
“A leprosy campaign can be likened to a motorcycle,” Sasakawa says.
“The front wheel is the medical cure, and the rear wheel is the elimination of stigma and discrimination. The motorcycle will not run smoothly unless the two wheels are balanced and moving at the same speed.”
It is the stigma and misunderstanding surrounding leprosy that causes the disease to still ravage lives today. Eliminating discrimination and false conceptions of leprosy is key to eliminating the disease itself.
Stigma Hindering Leprosy Prevention
Gospel for Asia’s field correspondents have interviewed many leprosy patients over the years. Each person’s account is unique, but there are common elements: shame or fear hindering them from seeking medical attention; believing treatment is too costly; and excommunication from family or friends when it becomes known they contracted leprosy. Even the children of leprosy patients are spurned from society.
Precious stories of faithful husbands standing by their leprosy-affected wives shine like beacons in a bleak sea of sorrowful testimonies.
When Kishori contracted leprosy, her husband stood by her—a counter-cultural decision in a society that usually rejects lepers. Read why Kishori smiles today »
When leprosy was discovered in Kishori’s body, her community endangered her marriage.
“Why are you keeping this sick person with you?” Kishori’s neighbors questioned her husband. “You can send her to her mother’s home.”
“How can I leave her?” he replied to his neighbors. “I love her.”
Kishori’s husband stood by her faithfully, never heeding their community’s call to abandon her because of her leprosy.
Stories like Kishori’s reveal the strength of ingrained stigma—but also how love can withstand those pressures. Sadly, more frequent are the stories of men and women abandoned by their spouses, in-laws, or even kicked out of their homes by their children.
“Women are particularly vulnerable to the myths and stigma associated with leprosy and suffer higher social costs of leprosy owing to fewer options open to them,” sites The World Bank in a document for India’s Second National Leprosy Elimination Project.
The report adds that, although women comprise 25 percent of leprosy patients, because of strong cultural protocol traditions regarding interactions between men and women “it is more difficult for the service providers and public health information campaigns to reach them.”
Once on their own, men, women and even children of all ages often gather together in leprosy colonies. There, at least, they are understood by their neighbors who suffer from the same affliction. In these leprosy colonies, governments often organize relief and medical work for patients. Yet many find the monthly ration too meager to live on, and they must do whatever they can to keep themselves and any family members with them alive.
Cultural stigma and misunderstanding oftentimes force leprosy sufferers to live in a community by themselves.
Here again, stigma bars their way. Dr. Brand shares in The Gift of Pain the story of Sadan, a leprosy patient whom his wife met. Leprosy had first appeared on Sadan’s body when he was only 8 years old. The stigma of his disease meant he was expelled from school and isolated from society. The child’s friends avoided him, even crossing the street to keep from encountering Sadan.
Finally, when he was 16 years old, Sadan managed to attend a mission school, but his education couldn’t cover up his disease. Employers turned him down, and restaurants and stores would have nothing to do with him. Even public transportation was denied him.
The deformed hands of leprosy patients—and the stigma that surrounds the disease—limit job opportunities.
Many unheard stories follow a pattern similar to Sadan’s. The jobs available to leprosy patients are few, and their damaged hands and feet limit them even more. Some may be able to open shops within their colony—few patients dare to venture out to public markets for fear of disturbing other customers or shop owners with their presence—while others turn to begging, utilizing the very deformities that trapped them in such desperation.
Pervasive fear of catching leprosy permeates the minds of those around leprosy patients, but the reality is that 95 percent of people are naturally immune to leprosy.
Only those who lack this inborn immunity can contract the disease. Research has made great strides in learning about leprosy, but how leprosy is transmitted from person to person is still largely unknown. Those who develop leprosy are typically people who have been closely exposed to Hansen’s Disease for an extended period of time, such as children—who appear to be especially vulnerable.
As stated before, leprosy is curable; but too few people know this life-changing fact. Believing there is nothing to be done or that treatment is too expensive to obtain, those who could be cured of their disease hide in secret, waiting for the “unavoidable” day when sores and disfigurement announce them as “lepers.”
Yet with even one dose of MDT, leprosy patients are no longer contagious, according to American Leprosy Missions. Depending on which of the types of leprosy they contracted, they can be cured with six to twelve months of proper treatment.
“A leprosy campaign can be likened to a motorcycle,” Sasakawa says. “The front wheel is the medical cure, and the rear wheel is the elimination of stigma and discrimination. The motorcycle will not run smoothly unless the two wheels are balanced and moving at the same speed.”
The key is catching leprosy early enough to avoid the debilitation of leprosy as it runs its course—and to prevent the patient from transmitting it to anyone else.
“The problem with leprosy [elimination],” says a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported worker involved in leprosy ministry,
“is [that] young people, when they identify or when they come to know that they are affected with leprosy, they hide, because there is a fear that if they disclose [their disease] they will be sent out from their families and they will be sent out from their villages. That happened in the past, and it happens even today.”
Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO regional director for South-East Asia, confirms the self-perpetuating effect of stigma, not just among youths but of people of all ages, saying, “As long as leprosy transmission and associated disabilities exist, so will stigma and discrimination and vice-versa.”
Yet beyond the fear of rejection, there is another force at play hindering patients from seeking help: an unwarranted sense of guilt.
Leprosy: Misunderstandings and Stigma Keep it Alive: Part 2 | Part 3
This Special Report article originally appeared on gfa.org
To read more on the experience of leprosy patients on Patheos, go here.
Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.
Last updated on: October 26, 2019 at 9:57 pm By GFA Staff Writer
Wills Point, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report – Discussing the plight of widows worldwide as they face tragedy, discrimination, and suffering.
Accounts of the humiliations, insults and indignations suffered by widows worldwide would make anyone cringe.
Gulika, a widow in Asia, experienced helplessness after the people in her village turned their backs on her after her husband’s death.
A woman in Nigeria was harassed by her brother-in-law asking for documents of her house before her husband’s body even left for the funeral home—and then insisted she had to leave.
Another Nigerian woman’s husband lay in a hospital bed when her sister-in-law demanded a huge amount of money from their bank account. When the wife refused, her in-law swore she would regret it.
“Three days after, my husband died, his family descended on me, took his cars away and emptied the house.”
In connection with last year’s International Widows Day, CNN spotlighted the cases of seven widows, ranging from a woman in Nepal to a widow in India to the spouse of a U.S. serviceman killed 12 years ago in Iraq. Their stories varied, but they faced the same plight: difficulties with grief and loneliness, forms of ostracism, financial struggles and hopelessness.
Santu Kamari Maharjan of Nepal struggled greatly because she was a widow, until Women for Human Rights helped her and 14 other women start an agriculture business. (photo credit Womankind Worldwide via CNN.com)
The widow in Nepal, Santu Kamari Maharjan, then 55, had lost her husband to kidney failure years before. With young children to support, she had to work in people’s fields to clothe and feed them. (She had to sell her own field to pay for her husband’s medical treatment.) Her sisters-in-law would taunt her. As difficult as that was, then a serious earthquake in 2015 left her with no income—until the nonprofit Women for Human Rights helped her and 14 other women to build a bamboo shelter to start an agriculture business.
Grace Njeri Mwichigi, whose husband died in tribal violence in Kenya in 2007. (photo credit Matt Maxwell via CNN.com)
Grace Njeri Mwichigi became a widow after her husband was killed during tribal clashes in Kenya in 2007. The following months brought stress, confusion and fear, with much of the neglect and humiliation coming from family members. Purita Carlos of the Philippines lost her husband to lung cancer, which meant her fourth-grade son had to stop attending school while they stayed in Manila so she could learn how to earn a living.
“Being a widow is not easy, It is very sad, and the pain of missing your husband is always there. I don’t want to go through the same experience again. That is why I would not ever remarry. It is enough that I have my son.”
– Purita Carlos in an interview with CNN [1]
In other media coverage, headlines alone give an indication of the situation facing so many widows:
Agonies of widows hit by
harsh Nigerian traditions [3]
Stories of survival: Widows of
India’s farmer suicides [4]
USA: Social Security underpays
thousands of widows and widowers [4]
Kenya: Where becoming a widow is
the worst thing that can happen to you [6]
Widows Are at the Bottom of the Pile
Of the estimated 285 million widows in the developing world, more than 115 million live in abject poverty. [7] Eighty six million have suffered physical abuse, according to Cherie Blair, president of the UK-based Loomba Foundation, established in 1997 to empower widows and educate their children. In addition, 1.5 million children whose mothers have been widowed will die before they turn 5 years old. Considering the average widow has three children and six other family members, the wider impact affects more than a billion people, about one-seventh of the world’s population.
As president of the Loomba Foundation, Cherie Blair is on a mission to empower widows and educate their children. (Photo credit foreignoffice on Flickr)
“Their plight is one of the most important, yet under-reported, human-rights issues facing the world today,” says Blair. “Much has been made, and rightly so, of gender inequality, but widows have truly been at the bottom of the pile—visible and invisible—for too long. For many women, becoming a widow does not just mean the heartache of losing a husband, but often losing everything else as well.” [8]
Gospel for Asia reported on one widow named Gulika and her plight. [9] While Gulika didn’t live an extravagant lifestyle, her husband, Manan, earned an adequate income working as a tailor. That all changed the day Manan hurried across some railroad tracks, unaware of the train just around the bend.
The sorrow of losing her husband was compounded by the reaction of others in her village in Asia. Believing Gulika was cursed, many feared that even passing by her on the street could bring them bad luck. Not surprisingly, Gulika fell into emotional despair. Still, she had to uphold her duties as a daughter-in-law, including retrieving water for the family. The nearest source was an old well a third of a mile walk from home.
Like this woman, Gulika walked long distances to gather water for her in-laws.
Collecting water was a grueling chore, and not just because of the lengthy walk. Women and girls feared going out alone because of the potential danger of men taking advantage of their vulnerability. Some days, Gulika faced harassment from her neighbors, and she didn’t always come home with enough water.
Gulika’s story has a happy ending: A Gospel for Asia-supported pastor arranged for a new water well to be drilled in front of her home.
Widows Do Not Often See Relief from Their Suffering
Too often, however, widows don’t see relief from their suffering. So many women in various parts of the world have lost their husbands that the term “island of widows” has been applied to locations in Nicaragua, Sri Lanka and India.
Some of these women’s husbands have died from unknown chronic kidney disease (CKDu). First diagnosed among sugarcane workers in Chichigalapa, Nicaragua, it more recently spread to a coastal town in Andhra Pradesh, India. In a village of less than 3,000 people, at least 126 women have become widows by CKDu ailments, which have stricken farmers, coconut grove workers and fishermen. [10]
There are other concentrations of widows linked to a variety of causes. The city of Vrindavan in northern India, known as a holy city because of its numerous temples, has been labeled “the city of widows.” That’s because an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 widows live in the area, almost one-fourth or one-third of the city’s population of 63,000. [11]
A “tiger widow” with her three children; a man works in a forest where tiger attacks happen often.
The Sunderbans, a cluster of islands stretching from India to Bangladesh, contain several villages that are home to “Tiger Widows,” women whose spouses have been killed by tigers.
“They think we are evil,” said one woman who lost her husband to a wild animal. “People blame us for the death of our husbands.” [12]
Widows Worldwide Face Tragedy, Discrimination: Part 2 | Part 3
“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!” (Luke 11:11–12 NLT)
One of Jesus’ disciples had asked Him to teach them how to pray. On that occasion, Jesus gave them a format for prayer that some call “The Lord’s Prayer” and others refer to as “The Model Prayer.” Christ’s comment quoted above serves as an exclamation of how remarkable our Heavenly Father is.
Having just taught them to ask God for daily sustenance, Jesus used the illustration of how earthly fathers would respond to the same request from their own sons. He reasoned with them that if a father would gladly give his children the essentials of life how much more would a thrice-holy Father respond in goodness, grace and kindness?
We can infer that Jesus expected even sinful fathers would treat their children with kindness, although that kindness could not compare to the remarkable love of our Father in Heaven.
The Measure of a Remarkable Father
It doesn’t take a lot of Googling to discover that there is very little information about how to measure a father’s performance or success. That begs the question, then, of how to measure remarkable. A definition of the distinguishing adjective turned out to be a good starting point.
Remarkable means “notably or conspicuously unusual” and “worthy of notice or attention.” That being the case, it occurred to me the measurement of a remarkable father is done not by rank or percentile, but by comparison. That turns out to be fortunate for another reason. The only meaningful and applicable statistics on fathering appear to be relative to poor fathering. Governments, institutions and agencies don’t seem to measure good.
Between 133 and 275 million children per year witness different forms of violence in their home.
One-third of women around the world experience violence from “a male partner.”
75 percent of children aged 2–14 experience “violent discipline” in the home.
Men who witness or experience violence as children are about 2.5 times more likely than others to perpetuate violence against partners later in life.
Assuming the correctness and continuity (no change in percentages) of the foregoing statistics, we would expect that more than 687 million men will be violent fathers in their homes by 2029.
Other compelling statistics that does not bode well for successful fathering come from the National Center for Fathering.
Only 64 percent of those polled believed that American fathers “have a good picture of what it takes to be a good father.”
Only half believe that most fathers know “what is going on in their children’s lives.”
97 percent believe that fathers need to be “more involved in their children’s education.”
The Missing Remarkable Fathers
The greatest amount of available statistical information about fathers documents the impact of absentee fathers. According to National Kids Count, 25 percent of children under the age of 18 live in a fatherless, single-parent home. That equates to 18 million children. Regardless of individual circumstances and outcomes, an article entitled “Statistics on Fatherless Children in America” sagely observes that:
“Children who grow up in fatherless homes have a greater risk of major challenges in life than those who grow up with a father at home.”
The U.S. Justice Department states that children from homes where there is no father present comprise:
63 percent of all youth suicides
70 percent of all juveniles in state-operated detention centers
71 percent of all high school dropouts
75 percent of all adolescents in substance abuse treatment
80 percent of all rapists
85 percent of all children exhibiting behavioral disorders
90 percent of all runaways and homeless youth
Although the numbers may vary from one report to another, regardless of the organization compiling data, any variant stats are well within each other’s margin of error. And the statistics are disturbing.
In the face of discouraging data, it is interesting to discover that most fathers don’t think they are doing a good job, let alone a remarkable job. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only 21.3 percent of 7,327 fathers polled believe that they are doing “a very good job.” In other words, a job that would distinguish them from others and, therefore, being remarkable.
32.3 percent believed they are doing “a good job.”
22.6 percent believed they are doing “an okay job.”
23.8 percent believed they are “not doing a very good job.”
There is also encouragement from numerous surveys, including one from Woke Daddy that indicate that 62 percent of fathers want to do a better job of being a father.
The Making of Remarkable Fathers
We are now positioned to reason about our definition of “remarkable” as it applies to fatherhood. It would be specious to compare remarkable only to the statistical evidence of the state of fatherhood. What we can infer is that our society is in desperate need of remarkable fathers. Remarkable is not defined as not being numbered among the masses of delinquent fathers or even among the 21.6 percent who believe that they are doing a very good job.
Remarkable means “notably or conspicuously unusual.” That is above and beyond good or very good. We must establish a standard of what constitutes “conspicuously unusual.” Luke 11:13 is a good place to start. Without pausing, Jesus continued His illustration saying, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give?”
The standard for being a “remarkable father” is God the Father. Jesus did not hesitate to refer to His own disciples as “evil” fathers. He did not intend this to be a slap in their face. He was simply pointing out the truth. Peter, one of those to whom Christ spoke, recognized that the first step to becoming a remarkable father is to “be holy” (I Peter 1:16). In fact, Jesus asked the Father to “Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17).
Jesus asked the Father to make these “evil” fathers—and those of us who have followed—remarkable by their holiness and unity with Himself and our Heavenly Father.
It is important to emphasize that there is nothing in this context that would suggest that being a Christian is enough to be or equals being a remarkable father. It is simply a starting point because it positions earthly fathers with imputed righteousness and with the power of the Holy Spirit to become actively holy by forsaking the ways of the world and pursuing the purity of holiness.
The first and major “conspicuously unusual” measure for being a remarkable father is to be a born-again believer pursuing a holy life.
The evidence of a remarkable father is in that father’s faith, virtuous life, knowledge of the Word, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love.
“For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful” (2 Peter 1:5–8).
While the demonstration of these traits are distinctives of a remarkable father, they are that because they are first the characteristics of a remarkable person—one who has denied himself to follow Christ.
The Mistake of Searching for Remarkable Fathers
A search for truly remarkable fathers could be the wildest goose chase in history. It all comes back to being “conspicuously unusual.” That implies that our standard for measurement is how we compare to other fathers. How do we measure that?
While presence is certainly a factor, several men at a meeting I attended a few years ago about fatherhood might be inclined to disagree based on their horrendous experiences with “present fathers.” Nearly any other factor would be highly subjective as most personal comparisons are.
So, after having pursued the “conspicuously unusual” as remarkable, it’s time to turn the definition of remarkable on its head.
While we have used Scripture sparingly, both writer and readers know that there are many more passages that could help define the Lord’s acceptance of a remarkable father. In fact, that is the point. The only reliable measure of a remarkable father is the Word of God. The Word of God is truth, it is objective, and its standards never change. It is the Living Word of God who will ultimately judge our conformity to His image.
Many were offended by things Jesus said during His earthly ministry. He spoke frankly and in ways that were necessary to “expose people for who they really were and eliminate their pretentions to goodness.”[1]
Many are offended by the Word today because it is “a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to who we must give account” (Hebrews 4:12b–13).
Things That Matter
To be sure, there are things that matter to be an effective father if not a remarkable father. We may not be able to accurately measure our success as a father because, ultimately, our children become accountable for their own lives. Dr. James Dobson once described parenthood as the launching pad from which our children lift off. Our job is to ensure they are ready for launch when it is time for them to launch.
There are many aspects of fatherhood we can embrace that will keep the missile stable in preparation for launch. Those include, but are not limited to:
Loving the Lord and evidencing it by living for Him. Only then will a father be able to effectively teach Biblical principles and watch their children embrace them in their lives.
Loving the children’s mother. Their children must see that, whatever the situation, he always values her and treats her with respect and love.
Openly admitting failure and accepting that failure is not final.
Unconditional love and acceptance. A remarkable father loves his children—no matter what—and is a support and an encourager.
Compassion and understanding. Realizing that the children will make mistakes, empathizing with them when they do, and using those occasions not to berate them but to guide them toward understanding the consequences of bad choices and to teach them how to make better ones.
Being a protector. It is an ugly, sinful world out there with children surrounded by temptation and misinformation.
Having a servant’s heart. Being a father is not about being a dominant, demanding force to be reckoned with. A father is servant of God who has the privilege of raising children to be His servants as well.
Able to demonstrate the power of God working in his life, not just having a form of godliness. A father can instruct in all manner of good things, but it he does not demonstrate the power of God in a life that is remarkably different, what he has taught will be questioned at best and potentially be completed disregarded.
Being sure and steadfast in faith, trust and obedience without question.
The Sum of the Matter
Being a remarkable father boils down to being a man who loves the Lord God with all his heart and soul and strength. When it is the aim of a man to bring honor and glory to God in all that he does, he will be a remarkable father, because, by God’s standards, he will be a remarkable man. Because he searches the Scripture so that the Scripture searches him, he will be continually learning how to be a remarkable father.
It would be naïve to believe that all Christians are remarkable fathers. It would be just as naïve to believe that we can judge who is and who is not a remarkable father. Even if we limited our search to Christian fathers, our path would eventually bend in the direction others have. Even in the best of fathers, we would find their flaws and evaluate them based on those flaws.
Every earthly father, even the best is flawed. But we can continue to press toward the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, allowing Him to shape us into better fathers.
Our time would be best served not by searchingfor remarkable fathers but by being them.
Momentum is not easy to capture. I am using that word to describe a force that starts to pick up steam and for a while appears to be almost unstoppable.
In the religious world I would describe times of authentic revival as extended periods of incredible spiritual momentum.
I am aware that some people have negative feelings about the term revival. Consequently, I am attempting to use a different word to describe those occasions when the Kingdom of God is marked by truly outstanding advances, such as what is recorded in the book of Acts.
Seasoned Christian leaders—men and women who have been around for a while—talk often among themselves, and also when they are alone, they speak with the Lord about how to recapture that dynamic the New Testament church once possessed. They also study past revival-periods to see what can be learned from our more successful predecessors. How did they capture the spiritual momentum they knew? And what are we missing that hinders us from another such season of dramatic advances?
Here is a simple way to list the qualities they are interceding on behalf of without having to do an extensive study of revival history. Spiritual awakenings are ALWAYS marked by an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord. This is true whether describing one’s personal relationship to Christ; the awakening of a local church; revival in a large geographic area, such as a city or county; or even a vast nationwide moving of the Holy Spirit. Once again, the number-one characteristic of all such times is this palpable and powerful sense of the presence of the Lord.
“During a spiritual awakening, there is, first, an overwhelming awareness of the
Presence of God among his people.” —Ted S. Rendell, Fire in the Church
To be more specific, think of experiencing God’s presence this way. What would happen in a given congregation if Jesus Himself made His physical presence known for several months? My belief is that immediately upon recognizing Him in the Sunday service, people would get very quiet. Soon, many would drop to their knees, which is the body language of worship. Probably others would start to sing songs of praise to Him. Well, more often than not, worship is one of the earliest signs of possible revival.
“Suddenly, someone would begin to pray and praise God. As long as an hour would pass before the speaker could speak.” —C.L. Culpepper, The Shantung Revival
Even if Jesus was to do nothing more than be bodily present, very soon the importance of Christian love would permeate the Body. He wouldn’t even have to say anything. People would just know intuitively that this was expected behavior.
“The most powerful emotion of the entire meeting was love. … It was not a ‘sticky’ type of love, it was the pure love of God as described in First Corinthians 13.” —Charles K. Tarr, A New Wind Blowing
You are aware that in theory, godliness and sin don’t go together. So, special times when the presence of the Lord is experienced in a church are regularly marked by the confession of wrongdoing.
“The Spirit of God continued to work in their hearts until they found relief before God in confession often of things hidden for years.” —Alison Griffiths, Fire in the Islands!: The Act of the Holy Spirit in the Solomons
We’re considering what would probably happen Sunday after Sunday if Jesus were to make His presence known in a given church. Now to worship, love and holiness let’s add involvement in God’s service. People would be more than happy to help in His cause in any way possible.
“Laymen all over the revival area woke up to the biblical truth that they were God’s ambassadors. … Whole congregations were moved from dead center to catch a glimpse of their contribution to the Body of Christ.” —Erwin W. Lutzer, Flames of Freedom
Even if Jesus isn’t the one doing the preaching, in times when His presence is strongly felt, it brings alive the opening of the Word. Just sensing that the Lord is there listening to every word not only changes the person preaching, but also those listening.
“There is a famine … of conscience-stirring preaching, a famine of heart-breaking preaching, a famine of soul-fearing preaching, a famine of that preaching like our fathers knew which kept men awake all night lest they fall into hell.” —Leonard Ravenhill, America Is Too Young to Die
When the Spirit of Jesus is powerfully felt in the church, people covet the opportunity of speaking to Him. That’s what prayer is all about … talking to the Lord. And has there ever been a revival not marked by all aspects of prayer—confession, intercession, praise, request, thanksgiving? Not really!
“Most churches are said to fail because they do not generate their own power. … Prayer is the generator. The great London preacher Charles Spurgeon once took some people down to his Metropolitan Tabernacle basement to show them his ‘Power Plant.’ There, on their knees, were about three hundred people praying for the service!” —Armin R. Gesswein, With One Accord in One Place
I am all too quickly listing what marks churches when they experience a special sense of the Lord’s presence. In review, these times of refreshing are characterized by worship, love, holiness, service, an anointing of the preached word, prayer, and I certainly need to add, evangelism. Numerous converts are always a sign of such times.
“A church which does not go out into the world to press the claims of the Kingdom would not know revival if it came.” —Ronald E. Coleman, Dry Bones Can Live Again: Revival in the Local Church
Let’s look at one more positive observation regarding revival, and then something negative that also needs to be mentioned. Revival results in a great sense of well-being. Much like the spiritual euphoria people often experience when they first become believers, so a similar sensation is felt all through a church.
“I have witnessed many revivals of God’s people—both individuals and companies. The Holy Spirit’s working always brought a fullness of joy. Cups ran over. Worries disappeared. When Love and Joy and Peace came in at the door, Misery went up the chimney, search parties failing to locate it afterwards.” —J. Edwin Orr, Times of Refreshing: 10,000 Miles of Miracles Through Canada
All this should sound good!
Even though it has been a long time since America has known a movement of such magnitude, God’s Church in other parts of our world has truly been experiencing momentum factor. In my lifetime, this has certainly been true regarding the believers in China. Many nations in the continent of Africa have shown amazing Christian renewal. Significant regions in South America can also be cited where this new wine is being tasted. A vibrant indigenous church is emerging in the Indian subcontinent. For this, I certainly praise the Lord. Unfortunately, forward movements like these, which I am referencing, are always met by stiff opposition on the part of our spiritual enemy.
The truth be known, seasoned Christian leaders expect dramatic advances in the battle of the kingdoms to be met with fierce and foul counterattacks. Allow me to repeat that: Seasoned Christian leaders expect dramatic advances in the battle of the kingdoms to be met with fierce and foul counterattacks. Veteran spiritual heads aren’t surprised by Satan’s tactics. They agree with the Apostle Paul, who wrote, “We are not unaware of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11).
From the book of Acts alone, long-time Bible students know that the evil cunning of the devil included:
lies, bribes, threats, hiring of false witnesses …
spying, intimidations (like issuing dire warnings) …
muggings, staging riots, mass arrests and jailings …
whippings, beatings, stoning and, yes, murders!
That’s why spiritual leaders who have been around the block a time or two understand that remarkable church growth can be problematic. It has its pluses, but there are also minuses. Included on the “bad” side of the ledger is that the enemy will now pay more attention to what’s happening and realign his forces accordingly. So he lays sexual entrapments for the unwary. He attempts to separate long-time friends and coworkers in the cause. He preys on the jealousy of those who feel they aren’t being recognized as much as they believe they deserve.
Satan spreads gossip, hoping it will be picked up by any who are tempted to feed on such morsels. He tries to bully with threats of physical harm any who are working to plant a new Christ Kingdom flag over long-held enemy territory. In a way, it’s the Acts story enacted again and again in generation after generation.
Experienced church men and women wrestle with matters like these. For example, they know that social media can be used to quickly spread rumors and falsehoods; bloggers can use their platforms to “spin” incredible hearsay into credible sounding concerns; a trumped-up lawsuit can be easily filed against a trusted Christian to disparage their reputation; unscrupulous lawyers can entice newspapers to pick up on such an accusation and put it on Page One, even before a trial date has been scheduled; TV coverage can be influenced by simply giving exposure to innuendo, to rigged-up charges; a man or woman’s reputation can be tarnished before he or she has even had a chance to defend himself or herself in court. If eventually his or her total innocence is proven, that victory will get nowhere near the coverage the accusation did. More likely, it will never be reported on.
Those who have been in the arena for a while are aware that spiritual warfare all too often has victims, just like those in military encounters become wounded warriors. Even more amazing, as seen all through the book of Acts, is that those you have to be careful to keep a watchful eye on are more than often a part of organized religion. I wish someone had made this clear to me so many years ago when I was a young pastor up to my ears in inner-city ministry. It would have better prepared me for the enemy ambush I walked into.
Seasoned Christian leaders know that a man or woman who has experienced a glorious time of spiritual revival will eventually be attacked. The predator will first go after the easy targets—the young believers or those wounded in one way or another. The devil is biding his time, waiting until circumstances are to his liking.
Maybe I’m a slow learner, but later in life, during my most productive middle-years when I was the director of a nation-wide media and publishing ministry and at a time when we were starting to see some real Kingdom momentum involving thousands of churches working together in concert, it happened again. To be honest, the false accusations took me totally by surprise. I believed that my wife and I were Kingdom favorites! Why was God allowing this to happen to us? Couldn’t He just make it all go away?
You see, I naïvely thought spiritual warfare was a sermon series one preached, not a series of seemingly unending attacks that would destroy your ministry and from which you would barely escape unscathed. How naïve I was! What blinders I wore when I preached through the book of Acts. I almost missed the cost to those early advancing Kingdom commandos. I was blind to their shed blood … and I overlooked the bravery displayed by the early disciples.
The Scriptures read that when the opposition “saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished…” (See Acts 4:13.) These were not the kind of religious leaders the scribes and the Pharisees were used to dealing with. “…and they took note that these men had been with Jesus” (Acts 4:13). Jesus … who knew there was a cost involved in things in the world were going to change. And He was prepared to pay that cost with His life.
In my time of serving Christ and His kingdom, have I been bold and fearless? What’s the opposite of being bold? Fearful? Faint-hearted? I’m afraid that’s more of who I was when I encountered enemy opposition. But not one elder that I recall sounded a warning that moving aggressively forward on a spiritual front could stir up an enemy hornets’ nest.
Sure, I preached about revival and I earnestly prayed for it. I made it a lifetime study. But when our ministry started to experience it, the enemy counterattacked, and I screamed bloody murder. Looking back, I don’t think I was bold. I would describe my response as more one of great surprise and shock.
I write these words with deep feelings because the battle for Christ and His kingdom here in America and around the world is not going to be won by spiritual dandies or people playing at Christianity. It’s going to take a new breed of church leaders if our nation, America, is going to be saved. It’s going to require pastors and prophets and evangelists who are aware, up-front, that such service quite often involves real (real, not symbolic) victims.
I hold a conviction in regard to the ongoing spiritual battle in our land between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, God and Satan. Be warned. Be informed. Make yourselves ready. Stand fast. My dear friends, this is a real battle, a battle that begins among the unseen, but then involves real men and women on planet earth.
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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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Last updated on: November 29, 2019 at 2:29 am By GFA Staff Writer
For Veteran’s Day, Lynn C., Gospel for Asia staff and 20-year U.S. military veteran, shares her thoughts about serving in the Navy and now her Lord with GFA.
Let’s face it — I cry whenever I hear the song “Proud to be an American” by Lee Greenwood, and I get choked up when I sing the National Anthem.
As a retired Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy (September 1977–September 1997), I’ve served with some of the finest men and women our country had at the time.
Having served then, I understand the tremendous sacrifice that our military men and women and their families currently make to protect the interests of the United States, both foreign and domestic. Families make do with only one parent taking care of all the responsibilities, while the other is off on deployment in the middle of the desert or the mountains, serving as an Embassy guard or sitting watch at 3 in the morning.
Loyal, dedicated men and women who spend months at a time off on deployment, missing their families and important milestone events, working hard to ensure the interest of the United States and the safety of her people.
I’ve been in this boat having served in the Navy alongside my husband. While he was serving on board ship while Desert Shield and Desert Storm was taking place, I was serving in a shore capacity in the San Diego area.
It wasn’t always glamorous; in fact, sometimes it was downright dirty. I remember back, as a young seaman during my first tour of duty, when I was assigned to do some document destruction for a deployed unit. Little did I know that these documents consisted of literally reams upon reams of stacked perforated paper, the kind that ran through the old dot-matrix printers. I had many black trash bags filled with these documents to destroy. And I couldn’t use our host force’s document shredder and pulper unit. Oh no—I had to make do with the furnace.
I had to burn all that material…to ash. I don’t even think I got a lunch break. I had to stay with the material for the entire length of my shift and make sure it was completely destroyed. For those of you in the know, it’s like a chain of custody type thing. I couldn’t leave the material unsupervised. If I remember correctly, someone brought me several sodas to drink while I chucked chunk after chunk of page print into that behemoth furnace, while constantly stirring the burning paper with a long metal pole.
Consider this: What does someone look like after eight hours in front of a fire with ash floating all around? (I laugh just thinking about this.) When I finished my shift, I chanced to look in the mirror and gasped. My face was totally ash covered except the little point where my garrison cap covered my forehead and where my glasses protected my eyes. There was a black ring around my mouth from drinking the soda that I was given. I smelled like I’d been sitting around the campfire for days, and my uniform was covered in ash! I’m afraid I don’t have a picture of that day, since it was almost 39 years ago and cameras were not allowed in my work area, but I remember this event very well.
It was probably one of the most unglamorous jobs that I’ve had while serving. Don’t get me wrong, I was proud to do it because I knew that whatever I did contributed to protecting the interests of the United States.
Nowadays, I serve my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ as an IT Professional (more like IT Jack of All Trades) at Gospel for Asia. I do a little bit of this, a little bit of that and a whole lot of everything else.
My husband and I have been on staff since 1999. We brought with us that military can-do attitude, understanding the Scripture: “No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier” (2 Tim. 2:4).
Just as our concentration and effort as members of the United States Navy was to support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, both foreign and domestic, our focus now is helping people in Asia know and understand the message of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial love.
We haven’t got much time. Just look at the news: wars and rumors of wars, violence, hatred…
The window we have to share the Good News is closing, and I believe we don’t have much time left.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” —Matthew 24:6–7
But it’s not doom and gloom at the ministry. We are trying to make every last minute we have count.
I totally enjoy what I do. Sometimes it’s not glamorous, flashy stuff (actually, most of the time it’s not flashy, glamorous stuff). Let’s face it, I work behind the scenes, so you won’t physically see what I do online or in print. I’m kind of like the conveyor belt at the assembly factory, enabling goods and services to flow through the factory, touching but not changing the end product, if you get my drift.
But I’m still “proud” to do what I do and serve my brothers and sisters here at the ministry to the best of my abilities. Sometimes I’m not the brightest bulb in the bunch, or I’m having an Oscar-the-Grouch kind of day where I’m off center, but with the love, encouragement and prayers of fellow Gospel for Asia staff, I’m brought back to a sense of peace and the knowledge that what I’m doing here is full of Kingdom purpose.
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Last updated on: January 31, 2023 at 9:06 am By GFA Staff Writer
What was on your mind when you were 6 years old? Maybe your thoughts were taken up by bicycles, stuffed animals and your next snack.
That was not the case for young Pria, a little girl from a poor family in Asia. Her perky pigtails held no big hair bows, and special treats were few and far between. But something more important was missing: a hopeful future.
An Unpromising Beginning
From the first moment of her existence, Pria’s life could have taken many tragic turns.
When her mother, Gala, discovered she was pregnant with Pria, her partner refused to take responsibility for their child and abandoned Gala. Unmarried and now an expectant mother, Gala was crushed by this betrayal.
Despite her abandonment and the looming possibility of abortion, Gala saved her baby. But as her pregnancy progressed, Gala sunk into a depression that slowly clutched hold of her reasoning. Eventually, her depression gave way to mental illness.
Gala’s grandparents stepped in to care for the child, helping any way they could. But as time passed, old age began taking its toll. And as Pria grew older, more needs arose: clothing to cover the pretty child, who was growing taller every day; greater quantities of nutritious food for her increasing appetite; education to train the curious mind developing within her. How could her aged grandparents and mentally ill mother meet all these needs?
Now a lovely ninth grader, Pria is on her way to an adulthood filled with promise and opportunity. She is equipped with knowledge and positive values, and the love she has received from her Bridge of Hope teachers is ready to flow into others.
But Pria’s story could have taken a completely different turn. Instead of finding love and care through Bridge of Hope, Pria could have grown up malnourished and illiterate, only able to do manual labor to earn an income. She could have become one of the 10.3 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are engaged in child labor in South Asia. Or she could have fallen prey to traffickers who look for women and children who could disappear without anyone noticing or insisting on an investigation.
Because God sees and loves each and every child in the world, we rejoice in the opportunity we have to be part of extending that love to the children of Asia. By meeting practical needs in partnership with the Body of Christ around the globe, we can help empower boys and girls to be more valuable citizens in their nations, wiser parents for their future families and happier children in their youth. Together, we can give these children a future beyond the walls of poverty.
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