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

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

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

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

Wife Sick for 10 Years

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

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

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

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

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

Husband Calls Christians for Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

Wife Reads Mysterious Book

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

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

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

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

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

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

Couple Visits Missionaries for Prayer

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

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

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

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

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

Missionaries Teach Family About Christ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Called for a Special Purpose: Women National Workers

Last updated on: November 25, 2019 at 3:04 pm By GFA Staff Writer

Wills Point, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) – Discussing the importance of women national workers in Asia cannot be overemphasized. Millions of Asian women face unimaginable pain, misery and degradation.

In Acts chapter 16, the Apostle Paul tells of visiting the city of Philippi for a number of days. On a Saturday, he and those with him retired to a river bank where believers customarily gathered for Sabbath prayers.

It was there that he met Lydia, an entrepreneur (centuries before entrepreneur was even a word) from the city of Thyatira. Both Paul and Lydia were a long way from their respective homes. They were in Philippi, a city in Macedonia named for its former king Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. When Paul met Lydia, the city was under Roman rule and was, in fact, planned to be converted into a miniature version of Rome.

Thyatira, Lydia’s hometown and base of operations, was located in Asia Minor, nearly 600 miles away by land.

Lydia, like the Ethiopian eunuch, was a follower of the one true God, but she apparently was not yet aware that He had come in the flesh to redeem us. She and her husband opened their hearts to the Lord after listening to Paul. Not much else is said of her in the Bible except that Paul and Silas stayed at her house after their release from prison (Acts 16:40).

Lydia was revered in both Philippi and Thyatira. Some scholars believe that she and her husband may have been instrumental in establishing the body of believers that became the church in Thyatira to which Christ directed a communique in Revelation chapter 2. Their assumptions are based on the fact that Paul never visited the city, at least not that history records.

The point is that not only did Lydia become a follower of Jesus, but it is almost certain that she also became a missionary for Him in her homeland.

The Case for National Workers

One of the advantages of national workers, i.e., those who, rather than going to a foreign country, remain in place and share the love of Christ with their own people, is that they are not strangers to be scrutinized, but they are one with the people.

If that is true from a cultural perspective, would it not also be true from a gender perspective?

If Tibetans understand Tibetans better than a stranger could, would it not also be true that Tibetan women understand other Tibetan women even better than Tibetan men do? The same question applies within any cultural context in any country.

The Case for Women National Workers

With all of the study and research conducted over the centuries, no one understands women as well as other women. Many jokes have been made about it, unfortunately, usually to the denigration of either the men or the women.

The fact is that women who commit their lives to Christ have, among their many blessings, the ability to better communicate with and understand other women—their hopes and dreams and problems and pains.

The importance of women national workers in Asia cannot be overemphasized. Millions of Asian women face unimaginable pain, misery and degradation. Suicide death rates among young women in Asia are among the highest in the world, according to a study released September 1, 2018.

In some Asian cultures, only women can minister to other women. If a woman wants to share something on their heart with someone else, they will seek out another woman whom they hope will listen and empathize. GFA-supported women national workers commit to coming alongside other women, willing to listen, to pray and to help share their burdens, demonstrating the love of Jesus. Many women willingly inquire about Jesus and choose to embrace His love simply because of the dedication and commitment of women national workers.

Please prayerfully watch this brief video (2:46) and allow the Lord to touch your heart for the women of Asia and the Asian believers who are committed to sharing the peace, joy, love, and hope for which so many are seeking.

Learn how to pray for Asia’s Women Missionaries

Learn how you can help to support a woman missionary like Bhagyawati, Tial, Sita or others.

May the Lord bless and encourage you as you pray.

To learn more about Women Missionaries, visit this page on the GFA website.

To read more posts on Patheos on National Missionaries, go here.

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

Go here to know more about Gospel for Asia: Youtube | Twitter | GFA Reports | GFA.net

Sources:

The Guardian, Nearly 40% of female suicides occur in India
The Lancet, Gender differentials and state variations in suicide deaths in India: the Global Burden of Disease Study 1990–2016

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 & Ministry Leaders Celebrate KP Yohannan Memorial

Last updated on: November 4, 2024 at 3:50 pm By GFA Staff Writer

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WILLS POINT, TX — At Prestonwood Baptist Church in Dallas on October 18, GFA World (www.gfa.org) led a special “Celebration of Life” service for its founder and leader, K.P. Yohannan, who passed tragically in May of this year. The service had over 250 attendees, including prominent Christian leaders and pastors such as Jack Graham, Francis Chan, Hank Hanegraaff, Johnnie Moore, David Mains, Frank Sontag, and Troy Miller.

As a pioneer of one of the largest mission movements in history, many leaders, friends, and family members reminded those in attendance of K.P. Yohannan’s impact across tens of thousands of communities in nearly 20 countries, thanks to his unwavering dedication to sharing the Gospel. During the service, attendees shared fond memories and reflections on K.P.’s legacy of humility, deep faith, and his genuine care for the hurting and those without Christ in this world.

“Metropolitan was a gift to all of us,” said Pastor Jack Graham. While recalling words to describe K.P., Graham said he considered him a revolutionary, visionary, man of God, passionate evangelist, spiritual leader, and a humble servant of Christ.

Francis Chan speaking at the KP Yohannan Memorial — Francis Chan prays at the conclusion of his remarks, celebrating the life of his friend K.P. Yohannan. (Photo Credit: GFA World)

“I don’t know who I would be had I not met and known him,” Francis Chan said of his friendship with K.P. “Every time he saw me, he’d go, ‘You know Francis, I pray for you every single day. I really do.’ Here’s a person who is doing exponentially more than I’ve ever done, and yet somehow he could keep this deep communion with Christ, and he could look at me and tell me that he loved me, and he honestly prayed for me every day. And that example is what I’m striving for now.”

“Metropolitan was no ordinary Christian,” Johnnie Moore said in his remarks. “He was a once-in-a-century figure whose ministry will live on after him for generations. This great leader, this history-making Christian figure, had surrendered his life entirely to Jesus once and for all at the very beginning of his ministry, and he surrendered it again and again every day for nearly 60 years of Christian service. He was faithful, and he was consistent.”

“I loved him the first moment I met him,” Hank Hanegraaff told those at the memorial. “And I have loved him ever since. I can tell you I have never, ever seen a more selfless leader than K. P. Yohannan. I thank God for the inspiration he has been in my life, and I pray that we might carry on the task that Jesus Christ has given to us.”

Addressing the future of the ministry, K.P.’s wife, Gisela, said, “What will happen to GFA World after he is gone now? GFA World will remain the same. We will keep on [sharing Christ’s love] through training and sending out national missionaries. And we will do it with the same heart and the same values my husband has passed on to all of us.”

“The future looks very bright for GFA World as President Bishop Daniel takes on the responsibility of the ministry,” Gisela added. “We are grateful to God that he is bringing the same genuine faith and compassion for the lost that his father had for this world.”

Bishop Daniel, K.P.’s son and now GFA World’s President, expressed heartfelt gratitude for the outpouring of love he has personally received since the death of his father. He was thankful that K.P.’s friends took the time to share the many ways they were personally encouraged by his father’s ministry and friendship.

“It’s so clear to me that my wonderful father is leaving a legacy of unwavering faith, selfless service, and genuine Christian love,” said Bishop Daniel. “Hearing his friends share how they were fundamentally changed by my father’s love and his sincere kindness gave me an incredible sense of joy and gratefulness. He blessed thousands of souls in need of Jesus, and yet, in his grand vision and bold missionary work, he never forgot to intentionally love his family and friends. Ten thousand miles away, or in his own home, he was the same Christ-like example wherever his feet were planted.”

For those looking to speak with Bishop Daniel to hear more about the life and legacy of K.P. Yohannan and the future of GFA World, please reach out to [email protected].

About Bishop Daniel

Bishop Daniel is a global Christian leader who serves as President of GFA World. He is also a consecrated bishop of Believers Eastern Church. In his role as president, 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. At a very young age, Bishop Daniel sensed his own personal calling from the Lord and he dedicated the rest of his life to those who had not yet encountered the hope of Christ. He has been in ministry for more than four decades. While traveling frequently, he resides at GFA World headquarters in Texas.

About GFA World

Since 1979, GFA World (www.gfa.org) has been committed to serving the “least of these” in Asia and Africa, often in places where no one else is serving, so they can experience the love of God for the first time. GFA World supports national workers serving as the hands and feet of Christ in four main ways: Sponsoring national missionaries to minister to people’s needs, sponsoring children, investing in community development, and helping families in need of care or during disasters. For all the latest news, visit the Press Room at https://gfanews.org/news.

Notable News about KP Yohannan: MissionsBox | NRB | Patheos | Crosswalk

Source: GFA World Digital Media Room, GFA World and Other Ministry Leaders Celebrate the Life of The Late K.P. Yohannan at Memorial Service

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.

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