WILLS POINT, TX — It’s one of the most remarkable stories in the colossal quest to provide clean drinking water to every person on the planet.
The “Jesus Wells” project, a monumental undertaking of Texas-based mission agency GFA World (www.gfa.org), is 25 years old this year — and on the cusp of delivering safe, clean drinking water to its 40 millionth beneficiary.
CLEAN WATER AVAILABLE FOR MILLIONS: The “Jesus Wells” project, a monumental undertaking of Texas-based mission agency GFA World (www.gfa.org), is 25 years old this year — and on the cusp of providing safe drinking water to its 40 millionth beneficiary.
“As we mark World Water Day this month, we’re grateful for all who have sacrificed and labored to make the Jesus Wells project what it is today,” said GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan, also known as Metropolitan Yohan.
So far, the project has supplied reliable, clean drinking water to more than 39 million people in some of the world’s poorest communities — often in remote, parched areas — through a combination of new wells, water pipelines and filters.
This year, it aims to surpass 40 million beneficiaries, launching hundreds of new projects across Africa and Asia.
They’re called “Jesus Wells” because they display a plaque quoting Jesus in the Gospel of John: “Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.”
‘Hidden Catastrophe’
According to UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, 2.2 billion people worldwide — more than 1 in every 4 — lack safe drinking water.
Every year, it’s estimated more than 500,000 people worldwide die from diseases such as cholera and dysentery due to drinking dirty water.
“It’s a global catastrophe that’s largely hidden from us in America,” Yohannan said.
In Asia, GFA World’s team constructed an almost two-mile-long water pipeline through a mountain rainforest infested with blood-sucking leeches to rescue villagers whose water source was swamped with mud, feces, dead snakes and rotting animal carcasses.
The pipeline feeds water tanks that supply filtered spring water to every home. The organization has installed a similar water system in nine more villages in the area.
Since then, the attitude toward Christians in the area has “completely changed,” Yohannan said.
“They welcome the missionaries into their homes to share God’s love,” he said. “They witnessed for themselves how Christians love and care for people, regardless of their religion or social background.”
About GFA World (formerly Gospel for Asia)
GFA World is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers 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 more than 880 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 163,000 needy families, and teaching to provide hope and encouragement in 110 languages in 14 nations through broadcast ministry. 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.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Gafur and his wife, Dishita, the isolation they experienced due to their faith in Jesus, the struggle of walking 4 miles daily to fetch clean water, and Gospel for Asia (GFA) providing Jesus Wells to these communities in need.
Discussing Gafur & Dishita, the struggle of walking 4 miles daily to fetch clean water, & Gospel for Asia (GFA) providing Jesus Wells to communities in need
What would you do if the people in your community forbid you from using the local water to drink, take showers or wash your clothes? You would have to immediately find another water source for your family and livestock to survive.
This happened to Gafur and his wife, Dishita, a couple living in Asia. One of their sons was seriously ill when they requested a visiting pastor to pray for him. God answered in a wonderful way and healed the boy completely. This miracle led the boy’s grateful parents to put their trust in Jesus! However, as the family started to take part in church activities, the villagers opposed them and the other believers.
The villagers stopped talking to them, didn’t invite them to any social functions and no longer allowed them to draw water from any source in their community.
The believers then had no choice but to walk two miles—one way—to a hand pump installed on government premises and carry water back to their homes in large pots every single day.
Walking 4 miles every day
for 7 years adds up to 10,220 miles.
Imagine how many trips Dishita and her family had to make over the next seven years to fetch enough water for drinking, taking baths, cooking and washing dishes and clothes for their seven-member household!
Yet in spite of all these hardships, Gafur, Dishita and the believers in this village remained faithful to the Lord and trusted Him to meet their needs.
A Jesus Well like this one now provides clean water for Gafur, Dishita and their whole village.
And He did! In January of 2016, thanks to the generosity of our Gospel for Asia (GFA) family, a Jesus Well was drilled in this village for the Christians and all the other people in their community to use. When the believers freely shared their clean water with the villagers, the people’s attitude changed. Now the villagers talk with the believers and are interested in hearing about the love of God. Some even ask for prayer and visit house prayer meetings.
The struggle for access to clean water this group of Christians faced is shared by millions of poor people. Often because of extreme poverty, discrimination or drought, their only water sources are polluted, stagnant ponds. They have no other option but to use that filthy, disease-ridden water for drinking and every other human need, as well as for watering and cleaning their livestock. Consequently, people suffer much sickness, and tragically, many children die as a result.
We can change the suffering of such a community in need by providing them with a Jesus Well. Or you can help a family by giving a BioSand water filter, which turns polluted water into clean, safe drinking water.
This plaque by a Jesus Well displays John 4:13-14.
Both are truly life-saving gifts that remind people of the love and care of their heavenly Father. Jesus Wells even have an inscription that says, “Jesus said, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst’ ” (John 4:13–14).
*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) – Discussing the diseases that cripple entire villages due to polluted water, and the transformation that Jesus Wells bring, a tangible display of God’s love through pure, clean water.
Pastor Dalajit sighed at the long list of sick families to pray for. Dysentery, typhoid, malaria and other maladies plagued many of the families in the village where the Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor served the Lord.
Pastor Dalajit had just started serving in this rural area. As a newcomer, he spent many days each week introducing himself to his new neighbors. Offering prayer for any needs they had, Pastor Dalajit noticed an alarming trend: Many families were crippled by all sorts of illnesses.
Pastor Dalajit faithfully prayed for the sick families, face-to-face and in his own personal time with the Lord. He also asked the Lord for insight into the disproportionately high rate of illness. After several months he found the answer: polluted water.
The main water source for the village was an open well located about a mile outside the village. Whenever it rained, this well, being unprotected, collected garbage and sewage as rain water created rivers of filth that snaked through the flat land. The open well became the receptacle for the flowing waters, contaminating the entire well.
This was the water the villagers used to wash clothes, do dishes and cook their food. This was also their drinking water.
Waterborne Illness Wiped Away
Once Pastor Dalajit realized where the diseases were coming from, he gathered his congregation together to pray for a solution. The body of believers fasted and prayed every Friday asking the Lord to help.
Then, one day, the Lord put it on Pastor Dalajit’s heart to ask for a Jesus Well for the village.
His request was granted, and a Jesus Well was drilled. The people in the village rejoiced to see the clean, clear water gush from the above-ground spout! Rain water would not be able to wash waste into this well. The Jesus Well was also deep enough to pull water from underground even in the dry season. The former well regularly dried up by midday, forcing everyone to jockey for their water needs in the early hours of the morning.
Every day, more than 250 people fetched water from the new Jesus Well. Waterborne illnesses such as dysentery and typhoid no longer plague the community now that families have sanitary water to drink and cook and clean with.
God’s Love Poured Out Tangibly
One family in Pastor Dalajit’s congregation was especially blessed by the Jesus Well. Now that the village had an abundant source of water, even though the dry season, Samaah was able to plant potatoes, onions, beans and other green vegetables for his family. The quality water from the Jesus Well helped his produce grow lush. That year, Samaah and his family did not have to purchase any vegetables from the market. In fact, his harvest was so abundant, Samaah had surplus produce to sell in the market, supplementing his family’s income! He easily paid his children’s school fees and other household expenses—something that had stressed the family’s budget in the past.
God’s blessings have flowed through this once sick and struggling community. The Jesus Well—a source of God’s goodness—is pouring out an abundance of pure, clean water.
The Jesus Well had brought not only health to the people in the village but also a tangible display of God’s love.
*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) – 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 World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to help the poor and deprived worldwide, discussing Kylan and his village’s struggle with unclean water, and the access to clean water through newly installed GFA World Jesus Wells.
Ten times each day, 20 minutes each way—Kylan and his wife, Esmai, spent cumulative hours on one task. Back and forth, the parents of two performed the same errand. They had to keep doing it for their survival.
Needing Water Every Day
Every day, Kylan and Esmae made the 20-minute journey to their village’s nearest water source. Nearly 10 times a day, depending on how much water they needed, the husband and wife trekked to the waterhole. There, they filled up their water cans as full as they could. Unfortunately, the road to the waterhole curved downhill. Trekking uphill with full jugs several times a day was taxing for Kylan and Esmae and it was even worse during the rainy seasons.
The rain made the roads difficult to traverse, and both husband and wife had fallen multiple times due to the slippery, muddy trails. Sometimes, the rain fell so hard that the road itself flooded, cutting off access to the waterhole. Adding to their misery, during the rainy season the quality of the water was even worse than normal.
“When the water level rises,” Kylan said, “the water from outside actually gets into the well … and the water becomes dirty … but we didn’t have any choice, we had to collect that water and bring it home.”
The water they gathered already was already dirty and untreated on a good day. The family tried to filter the water as best they could, but they could not remove all the pathogens.
“Because of consuming water from that well … we had problems like upset stomachs and even fevers,” Kylan said. “And also, we had skin diseases because of bathing in that water.”
Easily Drawing Clean Water
Thanks, the new Jesus Well, like the one pictured, Kylan’s village now has easy access to clean, pure water.
“We don’t have to go and fetch water from that [old] water source which is time consuming,” Kylan said. “Moreover, the water from the open source was not clean … it was very unhygienic and impure to drink.”
However, the water from the newly installed Jesus Well was clean and pure.
“We didn’t have to filter the water,” Kylan remarked on the Jesus Well, “because the well was dug very deep.”
Nearly everybody in the community uses the Jesus Well now. Kylan said, “The Jesus Well water is more [than] enough for all the villagers here in this village.”
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia World stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Provide a Village with Access to Clean Water. GFA’s clean water program is supplying safe, disease-free water to families across Asia through Jesus Wells. Each Jesus Well offers clean drinking water to roughly 300 people at a cost of less than $5 per person.
Learn more about the GFA World national missionary workers who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.
WILLS POINT, TX — Mission agency GFA World (Gospel for Asia) now provides a water lifeline to nearly 40 million desperate people – a number roughly equal to the entire population of California.
Globally, 663 million people lack clean water. Every year, around 500,000 people — including 360,000 children under the age of five — die from waterborne diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, dysentery and typhoid.
“These are overwhelming numbers,” said GFA World founder K.P. Yohannan, also known as Metropolitan Yohan. “The good news is we can help save many precious lives, one community at a time.”
Texas-based GFA World has installed more than 40,000 wells — called “Jesus Wells” — and 95,000 BioSand water filters, providing safe drinking water to more than 39 million highly vulnerable people in Asia.
‘JESUS WELL’ PROJECT ENDS VILLAGE ‘WATER WOES’: Texas-based mission agency GFA World (http://www.gospelforasia.net) teamed up with a village church in Nepal to dig a “Jesus Well.” The resulting “miracle” means villagers no longer have to drink from contaminated ponds. Across Asia, GFA World’s water projects serve nearly 40 million people.
Altercations Over Water
In one village in Nepal, quarrels and fights sometimes erupted as villagers waited in line for up to two hours to fill their jars at a community water pipe, reduced to a trickle by months of drought.
Aware of their plight, GFA World came alongside the local church to help make a new well a reality. At first, the believers in this mountainside village began digging by hand, but – when they hit solid rock – their task seemed hopeless. A crew with drilling machines arrived to help, but even they soon gave up.
“The pastor had been praying for two years for God to solve the water problem in the community,” Yohannan said. “[The church members] continued to dig manually, and God did a miracle. Breaking through rock at 33-feet deep, they reached a spring.”
Astonished village leaders said, “This is a great service the church has done… you have become a blessing for us.”
Speaking of the community impact, Yohannan said, “Children won’t miss school anymore because of water-hauling duties, and people no longer get sick from drinking contaminated water from dirty ponds and mudholes.”
“Jesus Wells transform entire communities, Yohannan said, showing people “God really cares about them and answers their prayers.”
Give Clean Water, Fresh Hope! — You can help change tragic outcomes caused by water scarcity and waterborne disease. Help provide villages and families with clean, safe drinking water and give them fresh hope.
WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, to assist the poor and deprived worldwide, issued this first part of a Special Report on the unstoppable compassion force of national missionary workers.
Compassion Sweeps ‘Forgotten Islands’
In what are known as the “forgotten islands” of South Asia, remote outposts dotted along the shoreline of the Indian Ocean, villagers still use oxen as a mode of transportation and wash themselves, their dirty clothes and their dishes in the same stagnant ponds they drink from.
Ritesh and his national missionaries are constantly on the move to show the love of Jesus to the “forgotten islands” in South Asia, to which they sail on boats, walking several miles a day, then riding on bicycles.
No clean water. No schools. No medical clinics. Life seems hopeless—and improvement seems impossible—for many of the “forgotten” people of these islands. But a team of young GFA World national workers was changing all that. Traveling on rickety boats from island to island, these committed young workers brought hope and good news to islanders on the brink of giving up.
“It is not we who have been doing ministry, but it is God who has been doing ministry through us,” said group leader Taj, whose team earned the trust of hundreds of villagers as they prayed for the sick and showed these “hidden” people the love of God.
Their hands-on compassion and care has built strong bonds.
“You are my son,” one elderly widow told a member of the team. “You are my mother,” the young missionary replied.
When Gospel for Asia (GFA World) launched its child sponsorship program on several of the islands, the impact on children who’d never before had the chance to go to school before was staggering, resulting in a new birth of hope and purpose.
But Taj and his team weren’t done yet. “I began to pray that we may have enough resources of water,” Taj said.
Jesus Wells meet practical needs in communities for safe, clean drinking water, and in doing so, convey the love Jesus has for the people in these villages.
The answer to his prayers came: Teams drilled new Jesus Wells, bringing clean water for the first time to thousands of islanders who had only tasted water from filthy ponds, which were contaminated and often caused children to fall sick and even die.
In just two years, the commitment and perseverance of Taj and his team brought new hope and good news to dozens of islands, showering the love of God on everyone they met—including the boat drivers who ferried them from place to place.
Such perseverance is a hallmark of faith-filled national workers who have a deep interest in the well-being and health of their fellow countrymen, propelling them to great lengths to share the wholeness and inner peace they’ve discovered themselves.
As a child, Pastor Marty often dug through garbage to fill his empty stomach. Now he is living in the same slum he grew up in, showing the love of Jesus by meeting practical needs of people who are going through the same struggles he went through.
A Native of the Slums Brings Hope
Marty, an indigenous pastor, has dedicated many years to transforming life for the children in the sprawling South Asia slum he was born in. He recalls digging through the garbage as a boy, desperate to find scraps to relieve his hunger. When his alcoholic father died, Marty, who was still only a boy, became his family’s provider.
Every morning Pastor Marty goes on a neighborhood prayer walk, interacting with residents, praying over the community (shown above) and asking for help in showing the love of Jesus in practical ways. It is only through the power of prayer and tangible help that these communities in South Asia can be transformed.
Having experienced the pain, struggles and addictions that plague children every day in the slums, Marty’s eyes tear up as he describes his heartache for children wallowing in extreme poverty, sifting through the trash without hope—like he once did. That’s why he and his wife, Prina, are so passionate about serving the slum dwellers.
“Most of these children’s parents are my friends. We went to school together,” Marty said. “But most of them dropped out. … They started indulging [in] wrong things. … Some of them are even dead. So I started thinking about their children. Why [don’t] we do something for their children?”
Every morning, Marty goes on a neighborhood “prayer walk.” He prays for each individual by name, and the people in the slum—who embrace him as one of their own—recognize there’s something different about him, something almost heavenly.
“[He] is a great example for us,” says one of his neighbors. “He does what Jesus would have done. Helping the poor and needy and also loving people … He is always willing to help people. … He knows the situation… He understands better than anyone else.”
After serving his neighbors in the slum for 15 years, Marty’s perseverance has turned gray skies into blue. He’s launched two child sponsorship initiatives, turning others’ despair into hope and his own tears into joy.
“Ever since my childhood, the pain and difficult situations and poverty—all those things,” Marty says, “when I look back, [they] were … to make me strong and to trust and [have] faith in [God].”
“Pastor Marty … grew up in [this slum] and now is back serving with his family.” says GFA World’s Yohannan. “Serving here is not easy. … Pastor Marty and many other [national workers] are faithfully serving in the slums.”
Across Asia, thousands upon thousands of national missionaries toil and labor every day, trekking miles on foot—often barefoot in extreme heat or cold—to bring hope and good news to their own people who struggle to see any purpose in their lives or reason to go on living.
With a heavy-duty bicycle like this one, two women missionaries can visit many more ladies than they could on foot, travelling from one village to another, meeting practical needs for personal help, hope and encouragement.
Inspired by Jesus’ love for the poor, these workers press on. Even in the face of hunger, disease, dangerous journeys and other hardships, they refuse to give up.
To reach the remotest villages that are too far to reach by walking, national workers turn to pedal power.
In 2020, amidst the pandemic, hundreds of trained workers on bicycles—a compassion crew on wheels—ventured to remote villages across Asia. Working in conjunction with local authorities within pandemic restrictions, with the heart of Christ they provided help for people in desperate need.
Before the pandemic took hold, bicycles were already helping workers to make the most of their time. Rainer saw how he could help even more people, and he prayed for two years for a bicycle so he could encourage and help a cluster of villages nine miles from his home. Months passed with no sign of a bicycle, but Rainer refused to give up hope. Eventually, he got news that he would receive a bicycle, which was provided through generous donations of people in the West. Rainer cried tears of joy. Today, he rides to 10 villages too far away to visit on foot. His bicycle has even become the local “ambulance,” transporting sick villagers to the nearest clinic. In short, Rainer and his bicycle have been a blessing beyond all expectations.
Because of a bicycle Gospel for Asia (GFA) national worker Rainer has been able to travel to various communities and their churches to show the love of Christ by encouraging the believers, meeting practical needs within the villages for food, clean drinking water and health care, and to support other national workers present in those neighborhoods.
National & Non-National: A Beautiful Partnership
Rainer’s story is a wonderful example of how missions-minded people all around the world can link their lives with the lives of national workers on the frontlines, bringing hope into places they could never go. By supporting and sponsoring a national missionary—perhaps by purchasing a bicycle for them, providing monthly financial support, or committing to pray for them—a beautiful partnership is formed, blessing everyone involved.
The unstoppable, never-give-up attitude of national workers like Rainer is a soul-searching challenge to all who desire to bring hope and love to their neighbors in their own communities, wherever they live—a challenge presented in Yohannan’s new book, aptly titled Never Give Up.
“A day will come when all your family, friends, responsibilities, possessions, degrees, popularity, all of it will be gone,” Yohannan writes. “It’s just going to be you and Christ and nothing else. Let the decisions you make today be ones that will reflect well in the light of that moment.”
“Let me ask you, when was the last time you actively went out of your way to show the love of Christ to someone, and then to talk to them about His love for them?”
“Do you sense a growing ache for those who do not know the love of Christ?”
“Do you feel a deeper burden to care for the suffering and needy… widows and orphans as He did?”
“The choice not to give up is mine. It is also yours.”
As we ponder how to personally convey God’s love in word and deed to those within our spheres of influence, we can also partner with a national missionary who is dedicated to being an unstoppable force for compassion in areas of the world we could never reach on our own. Our prayers and financial support of their commitment to bring practical help and hope to people desperately in need is one way we can never give up in the effort to share good news to a world in need of Christ’s love.
If this special report has touched your heart and you would like to help national workers show Jesus’ love by meeting practical needs, then make a generous one time or monthly gift to support a national missionary in Asia or Africa.
GFA World (Gospel for Asia) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national workers bring vital assistance and spiritual hope to millions across the world, especially in Asia and Africa, and sharing the love of God. In GFA World’s latest yearly report, this included thousands of community development projects that benefit downtrodden families and their children, free medical camps conducted in more than 1,200 villages and remote communities, over 4,800 clean water wells drilled, over 12,000 water filters installed, income-generating Christmas gifts for more than 260,000 needy families, and teaching providing hope and encouragement available in 110 languages in 14 nations through radio ministry. GFA World has launched programs in Africa, starting with compassion projects in Rwanda. For all the latest news, visit our Press Room at https://press.gfa.org/news.
Learn more by reading this Special Report from Gospel for Asia on the Lord’s work in 2020 through GFA and the partnerships worldwide while following Him in His work in 16 nations, including Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, whose heart to love and help the poor has inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada, to serve the deprived and downcast worldwide – Discussing the sickness brought by the lack of clean water, and the Gospel for Asia Jesus Well provides relief for both body and spirit.
The people needed water desperately. The old water pump provided by the village officials years ago was wearing out, resulting in an inadequate water supply in the hottest months and unsanitary water in the rainy seasons. Many villagers were contracting illnesses because of drinking the unclean water, while still more were struggling to get any water at all.
But these villagers needed more than just clean water—they needed living water. Severe sickness and daily disagreements among residents caused unrest to dominate the village as its inhabitants bickered with each other over various matters.
Between the lack of water and the lack of peace, the village people needed help and wholeness more than ever.
The prayers of Abay, Kahua and Pastor Mabon (not pictured) were answered through the installation of a Jesus Well in their village.
A Family Finds Freedom
Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Mabon lived in a small village nearby, where he led a thriving congregation. One day, Kahua, a member of Pastor Mabon’s church, listened to his neighbor Abay share about his many struggles. Frustrated, Abay explained that he did not agree with some of the activities other villagers were partaking in, and he was doing his best to separate his family from these villagers.
Seeing Abay’s discouragement, Kahua shared Jesus’s love with him and prayed for him to experience the peace and joy of Christ. Kahua and Pastor Mabon continued visiting Abay, providing encouragement and care to him and his family.
Abay became more and more interested in learning about Jesus and began attending Pastor Mabon’s church with his family. Over time, the Lord worked in Abay’s heart, transforming his discouragement into hope, and he experienced the love, joy and peace of Jesus for himself. As he grew in his relationship with Jesus, Abay prayed more and more for not only the needs of himself and his family, but also the needs of his village: the need for clean water.
Jesus Wells Provides Quenching of Village’s Thirst
*Names of people and places may have been changed for privacy and security reasons. Images are Gospel for Asia World stock photos used for representation purposes and are not the actual person/location, unless otherwise noted.
Learn more about the GFA national missionaries who carry a burning desire for people to know the love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing the areas with short water supplies, where people often have to choose between walking for miles to find clean water or settling for contaminated sources, and the Gospel for Asia Wells that ensure none will go thirsty.
The young father of four lowered his vessel deep into the well, hesitantly expecting the rope in his hands to tighten and the bucket to submerge beneath the water. Instead, the cord relaxed and he heard the unsettling sound of his bucket hitting the sand far below.
Thunk.
Rasna sighed as he pulled up the rope, his suspicions confirmed: His well had finally run dry.
Sand in Their Water
The well Rasna dug on his property had served his family faithfully for years. As time passed, however, they noticed a problem: Their water grew more and more cloudy with each bucketful they collected.
The family began storing the murky water in containers to let the sand and other debris settle at the bottom before using it. Time consuming as this simple filtering procedure was, the family managed to survive . . . until the well dried up completely.
Left with no other choice and a severe need for water, the family began the backbreaking task of hauling water from a source far from their home, as many other villagers were also doing. Then one Sunday, Rasna decided to talk to Pastor Payas. Rasna had developed a friendship with the Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor and had come to know the Lord after he heard Pastor Payas share his own testimony of God’s grace. Maybe he could do something about their situation.
Gospel For Asia Well Benefits 25 Families
Pastor Payas assured Rasna he would do all he could to help him and his family. The two men prayed and waited for the Lord’s answer. When a survey of Rasna’s village showed the people’s need for clean, accessible water, a Jesus Well was installed and dedicated for the use of the entire village only a short time later. The well now blesses 25 families with clean water for their daily needs. Because its location is near Rasna’s home, he and his family members often use this opportunity to share what God has done in their lives with the people who draw water from the well.
*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) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing villages gripped by poverty, the severe water shortage, water borne diseases, and a Gospel for Asia Jesus Well that provides hope.
In the heat of midsummer, Gospel for Asia pastor Madhukar traveled to a neighboring village where some members of his church resided. He wanted to visit fellow believers and connect with other villagers. However, when Pastor Madhukar arrived, he realized the Lord had much more for him to do than just meet new people and make conversation.
A Thirsty Village
Deep in Asia, there was a small riverside village whose inhabitants followed the traditional religious teachings and worked as farmers. The village was very poor, and there was a severe water shortage, which forced residents to obtain their drinking water from nearby ponds, lakes and rivers. Because this water was contaminated, many of the villagers had become sick from drinking the water they collected. They knew very well that they needed fresh water, but they could find none.
“If it’s possible, please help us to get it,” the villagers responded with hope.
After years of relying on contaminated lakes, ponds and rivers for drinking water, villagers enjoy their new Jesus Well, which provides clean water for the entire village.
A Well of Living Water
Pastor Madhukar soon received permission to install a Jesus Well. When it was completed, the local people rejoiced in how the Lord provided for their most basic need.
Having enjoyed the bounty that flows from the well, some villagers experienced the abundant love and provision of God, and eagerly invite Pastor Madhukar to pray for them whenever he visits.
*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.
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