Gospel For Asia’s Sisters of Compassion Launch Slum Ministry for Those in Need

April 30, 2021 By GFA Staff Writer

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 the GFA Church and Gospel For Asia Sisters of Compassion that launched slum ministry to bring help and compassion to those in need.

Discussing the GFA Church and Gospel For Asia Sisters of Compassion that launched slum ministry to bring help and compassion to those in need. — Slum life is very difficult. But because of the Sisters of Compassion, individuals who would normally go without, like the children pictured, have access to health and hygiene supplies, vitamin supplements, and proper nutrition.

People living in slums often struggle to find food and maintain good health. Most of the men are daily laborers, making just enough money to survive, and many wrestle with alcohol and drug addictions. Children often endure illiteracy and malnourishment.

The millions of people residing in slums are at greater risk for starvation and disease.^[1] Many of these individuals do not receive proper care, nutrition or attention. But through ministries like Gospel for Asia (GFA), such people are treated as what they are: beloved children of God.

Nourishment for the Needy

One day, a local Gospel for Asia (GFA) church and Sisters of Compassion organized a special program to distribute food packets and vitamin supplements to 500 slum residents in the area. This event was the start of GFA’s slum ministry in this area, enabling both current and future residents to have access to essential health and hygiene supplies and loving, supportive friends. Special guests such as Pabla, a local official, and Dr. Abelard, an orthopedic surgeon and medical school professor, provided advice, prayer and encouragement before the distribution.

Seeing the compassion and care emanating from those leading the event, Pabla said, “The heartbeat of the church is similar to our government for the welfare of the state.”

Dr. Abelard provided health and hygiene tips, which brought much joy and excitement to the attendees.

In addition to receiving food packets and vitamin-A supplements, attendees also received the invaluable gifts of compassion and kindness. Quanah, a lame man who attended the event, expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the Sisters of Compassion and the care they showed him and the other people living in the slum.

“This is the first time I have experienced the love of people in my life,” Quanah said. “Now I understand that there are people who love the poor and needy.”

Many others voiced their thankfulness and asked for prayer.

Through events like these, as well as everyday love and care, the Sisters of Compassion are helping some of the most downtrodden people. And for individuals living in the slums, a caring word and compassionate friend are just as nourishing and needed as food packets and vitamin supplements.

Read how the Sisters of Compassion helped Ganitha emerge out of her trials and into triumph.

*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.

^[1] BMC International Health and Human Rights, Slum health: Diseases of neglected populations

Source: Gospel for Asia Field Reports & Updates, Sisters of Compassion Launch Slum Ministry for Those in Need

Learn more about the Sisters of Compassion – those who are specially trained woman missionary with a deep burden for showing Christ’s love by physically serving the needy, underprivileged and poor.

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

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

People in Slums Need Help & Love

June 26, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing the Gospel for Asia slum ministries & Compassion Services teams who forsake their own lives to offer spiritual & physical hope to the families and people in slums of Asia.

In 1999, Gospel for Asia (GFA) began supporting slum ministries to specifically help the plethora of neglected people in slums in Asia.

Tens of millions of people occupy slums in and around major cities. They live in abject poverty and indescribable misery, some within a few hundred yards of some of the most technologically advanced cities in the Asian sub-continent. Thousands arrive daily from rural areas in search of jobs and a better life, only to become trapped in desperate living situations with little hope of change.

Most families in slums live in one-room shanties. Toilets are scarce, so the stench of human waste pollutes the air. Garbage is strewn across the alleyways. Everyone is vulnerable to disease.

Every day is a new battle to somehow find a job, even one that is an extremely menial labor job. If that’s not possible, breadwinners—and often children—must resort to begging, scavenging or prostitution to be able to eat. If they get too sick or too old to work, most have no social agency to help them.

A Gospel for Asia (GFA) behind-the-scenes missionary had the opportunity to see a slum in Asia and described the living conditions of those dwelling in the slum, saying:

“They don’t have money, they don’t have clothes, food. Their houses are just…shacks. It made my heart feel sad.”

Breaking the chain of poverty is almost impossible without the compassion of others outside of these poverty-stricken communities. Many people do see the needs of these struggling millions, but for a variety of reasons, many others simply ignore them, passing them by without a second thought.

That’s why our Compassion Services—specifically slum ministry—makes such a difference.

Not only do these Compassion Services teams go into the slums, but they also sacrifice their own personal comfort by living within the slums. They serve in many ways so they may more effectively demonstrate what others are not: the value of each individual life, no matter how poor. Their acts of service and their encouraging messages are helping many families discover the love and compassion of Jesus Christ.

Jesus set aside all the incomparable splendor of His heavenly majesty to live among and minister to the poor, the weary and the brokenhearted. So too, our supported workers forsake the lives they could have to offer spiritual and physical hope that families in slums would possibly never hear about otherwise.

Living and ministering within the slums allows workers to build relationships, meet needs, teach about Jesus, and bring believers into fellowship with others.

Watch this brief (1:11) video to learn more about the impact of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported ministry in 932 of Asian’s slums. Then, please prayerfully consider what you can do to bring practical help and news of eternal life to those living in slums.

Go here to learn how your donations toward Compassion Services will change lives in the slums.

*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.

Sources:

Learn more about Dr. KP Yohannan’s book, No Longer a Slumdog, where real children living in slum conditions in Asia share their real stories of need and how our loving God intervened to redeem them with His love. You will be astonished as you read how God is powerfully moving in hearts right now.

Learn more about how to bring practical help in Jesus’ Name to the suffering and needy, relieving the burdened, rescuing the endangered and revealing God’s compassion to the people of Asia through Gospel for Asia Compassion Services.

Learn more by reading the Gospel for Asia Special Report: Poverty: Public Enemy #1 — Eliminating Extreme Poverty Worldwide is Possible, But Not Inevitable

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

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

Experience Glimpses of Asia & GFA’s Ministry on YouTube

April 18, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing GFA’s ministry as seen through several videos.

Forty-one years ago, the Lord began answering the prayers of a young man from India, his wife and a few Christian friends who shared a burden for the millions of people in Asia who had never heard of Jesus. Little did they realize the magnitude of the ministry the Lord would initiate and prosper through their sacrificial service—or how technology would enable the Body of Christ to glimpse God’s handiwork on other side of the globe.

GFA’s Ministry Sees Multitudes Transformed

After the publication of Dr. K.P. Yohannan’s impactful book Revolution in World Missions, the ministry thrived beyond imagination. Thousands of readers have felt God prompting them to partner with Gospel for Asia (GFA), and as a result, millions in Asia have heard about the life-changing peace and joy that only Jesus can give.

Yet very few of us will ever get to travel across the world to a rural village or crowded slum in Asia to personally see the difference God is making through Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers.

Thanks to the now commonly-used technology unavailable at the beginning of the 21st century, however, the entire world can see with their own eyes the needs of Asia’s people and how the Lord is working through Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers to minister as Jesus’ hands and feet.

Gospel for Asia invites readers to watch the videos and playlists on its YouTube channel. See and hear stories that will both break and bless your heart. Check out a few of these brief GFA YouTube videos to gain a glimpse of Asia and of the lives God is touching for His glory.

“Forgotten Islands No Longer Forgotten” People on this group of islands in Asia survive through backbreaking work and have few opportunities for improvement. Forgotten by most of society, they’re highly susceptible to waterborne illness, tiger attacks and many other threats. But a team of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported national workers is bringing hope to these islanders.

“How a Jesus Well Transformed Lives in India” The need for clean water amid the global water crisis, especially in parts of Asia and India, cannot be overstated. GFA’s ministry, through the provision of clean water wells and water filters, is saving the lives of children, mothers and fathers across Asia. And we’re saving these families’ time so children can attend school more often, mothers can do more with their time and fathers are healthy more often to keep working.

“From Trials to Triumph: Tapan’s Testimony” Pastor Tapan’s story brings Jesus’ words in John 16:33 to life. From the moment he committed to following Christ, to his time of looking death in the face through severe illness, Pastor Tapan testifies that God truly transforms trials and torment to victory and triumph.

“Visit a Bridge of Hope Center with KP Yohannan” We invite you to join Gospel for Asia’s founder, Dr. K.P. Yohannan, in his behind-the-scenes tour of a GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center in Mumbai. See the difference these centers are making in the lives of many children in Asia.

“Mula: A Widow’s Story” After Mula’s husband died, Mula and her four children were struggling to survive. The Lord showed His provision to them through GFA’s Bridge of Hope program and free tailoring classes. Eventually, His peace transformed their hearts.

“The Stick Gatherer – No Longer A Slumdog” Watch this gripping story as Dr. K.P. Yohannan shares the story of a young boy who ended up in a GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center. Jesus said, “Whatever you do for the least of these, you do unto me.”

“My Visit to a Leprosy Colony” Ashley shares about her visit to a leprosy colony where she got to see Gospel for Asia’s leprosy ministry in action. While she visited with the patients, Ashley watched Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported national missionaries serve the patients by cleaning their wounds. Residents of the colony were despised by society, but national missionaries showed God’s love to them by treating them with dignity and concern.

“Pastor Marty – Growing Up in the Slums” Do you remember your childhood? Pastor Marty does. He grew up in the slums of Mumbai in extreme poverty. Through many hardships, Marty lost all hope—until he encountered the love of Jesus in a genuine and practical way: the healing of his son. After graduating from a Bible college, he returned to the slum he grew up in and began passionately sharing Jesus’ love with those who are struggling.

Watch and Pray

As you watch these videos, may you be encouraged by the Lord’s beautiful work in Asia. Thank you for praying for the people of Asia and for GFA’s ministry among them.

Source: Worldometers, South Asia Population

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

Gospel for Asia Sees a Slum Child’s Return

April 14, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World and affiliates like Gospel for Asia Canada) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing Marty, a Gospel for Asia-supported Pastor serving in slum ministry in the vicious South Asian slums he was born and raised in.

The faintest hints of the sun’s rays begin to streak across the sky and bounce off the plastic-tarp rooftops as one man makes his way along the narrow alleyways of the slum. Some people recognize him and smile; others take little notice. Many have known him since childhood. The man steps around dirty puddles and piles of garbage; he ducks under low-hanging wash lines, strung between houses and laden with wet clothes. Every morning, Pastor Martin walks this route with purpose and prayer.

Eating from the Garbage Bin

Martin, also known as Marty, lives and ministers in the same South Asian slum he was born and raised in. As a young boy in a poor family, he often dug for food in the bottom of dirty garbage bins to fill his empty stomach. He and his mother were left alone when his father died of alcoholism, and in sixth grade, Marty suddenly found himself shouldering the responsibilities as the new head of the family. The daily struggles and addictions each day holds for a child living in the slum had been his own.

“Most of these children’s parents are my friends. We went to school together,” Pastor Marty explains. “But most of them dropped out; they could not continue the studies by seventh or eighth [grade] … They started indulging [in] wrong things, and they started to drink. Some of them are even dead. So I started thinking about their children: Why [don’t] we do something for their children?”

Gospel for Asia founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan: "He does what Jesus would have done. Helping the poor and needy and also loving people … He is always willing to help people." — “He does what Jesus would have done. Helping the poor and needy and also loving people … He is always willing to help people.”

Living Today with No Hope for Tomorrow

Life in the slums is a vicious, generational cycle. Alcoholic husbands provide families with little money and even less leadership. Wives, many uneducated, take up daily labor jobs to try to stay afloat. Children drop out of school as early as second grade to help earn money. Some kids never step foot inside a school at all—their families are unable to pay for water or electricity, let alone their kids’ education.

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.

“I went through what these children are going through,” Marty says. “That gave me a burden . . . and pain in my heart.”

Pastor Returns to Where He Started

In 2006, the Lord led Pastor Marty to start what would become the first ministry in the slum where he grew up: a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope center. Now nine years later, there is a second Bridge of Hope center and three Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported churches. God has blessed Marty’s efforts amidst the hopelessness of the slum.

“[He] is a great example for us as he represents Jesus,” one believer says of Pastor Marty. “He does what Jesus would have done. Helping the poor and needy and also loving people … He is always willing to help people.”

After going on his neighborhood prayer walk every morning, Marty comes home and spends time reading and meditating on the Word and prays for each individual in his church by name. He and his wife, Prina, know dependence on the Lord is essential to their ministry.

“That is one of the reasons I am growing in the Lord [and am] able to do ministry,” Marty insists. “That’s what I have also taught my family.”

Prina knew nothing about city life when she married Marty in 1999. The slums frightened her at first, but when her husband graduated from a two-year Bible college and became a pastor, she encouraged him to minister to the people he grew up with. Now they serve in the slum together as husband and wife, telling people about the powerful love of Jesus.

“If we are afraid,” Prina says, “we cannot do ministry. So we need both God’s guidance and strength.”

Pain for a Purpose

Because Pastor Marty has lived in the slums his whole life, locals relate well to him. They feel at ease and are willing to open up and share their lives with him.

“He knows the situation, experienced the situation, and [grew up] in the same situation,” one believer explains about Marty. “He understands [the slum life] better than anyone else.”

Marty is reminded of his difficult past on a continual basis. Yet he knows every hurt, every trial and every tear has an eternal purpose.

“Ever since my childhood, the pain and difficult situations and poverty—all those things,” Pastor Marty says, “when I look back, [they] were tools in the Lord’s hands to make me strong and to trust and [have] faith in Him, so I would, in the future, do ministry.”

Watch a video about Pastor Marty’s slum ministry

Source: Gospel for Asia Featured Article, A Slum Child’s Return

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

10 Important Values Behind 40 Years of Gospel for Asia’s Ministry

February 16, 2020 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by Dr. K.P. Yohannan – Discussing how Gospel for Asia is the fruit of the Lord grown abundantly through Christian men and women who have committed themselves to a life of 10 core values.

I believe that the small group of Christians who gathered together regularly in the late 1970s to pray about establishing a unique (at that time) ministry to Asia completely trusted that the Lord could and would establish and empower them. I do not believe they could have, in their wildest dreams, expected what God would do with them—and through them and others—over the next 40 years.

From the very beginning, Gospel for Asia’s mission has been “to be devout followers of Christ and to live lives fully pleasing to Him.”

It is reasonable to assume that a mission-oriented group would describe its vision by the work it intends to do. Gospel for Asia (GFA) clearly is committed to transforming communities in Asia with Christ’s love. However, the 10 core values of Gospel for Asia (GFA) never mention Asia. Rather, every core value is about staying on course with the calling of God upon every individual person involved in the work.

5 Core Values for Our Inner Life

Knowing the Lord Jesus more fully and intimately.
Loving the Lord our God with all our heart and mind and strength requires a special intimacy that can be experienced only through an intimate relationship. If this is the basis for a successful Christian life, it must also be the foundation for a successful Christian ministry.
Being a people of integrity and excellence.
Integrity is keeping our promises and commitments regardless of the cost. Excellence is not perfection, but it is exceeding expectations, which we are able to do only by living according to the next core value.
Living in submission to God’s Word.
Those who love the Lord deny themselves and their own desires, preferring to live under the clear revelation given to us in the Bible. His Word is our authority. We demonstrate submission by yielding ourselves to become the clay in Potter’s hands, letting Him not only fashion us to His liking but also using us as He deigns.
Being a people of faith.
Every moment of every day, we must believe that He is who He says He is and trust Him to do all He has promised to do. No matter what. The inevitable result of a lack of trust is that we trust in ourselves, a self-deception that eventually leads to fear and failure.
Being a people committed to prayer and worship.
We have direct access to God through His Son. That access is immediately available. Our Lord does not slumber or sleep. Committing ourselves to prayer and worship positions us to know the Lord Jesus more fully and intimately, which is core value No. 1.

5 Core Values for the Outflow of our Lives to Others

Having a servant lifestyle.
The Lord has called us to serve Him. Our lives must demonstrate the same servant attitude toward others, believers or otherwise. This is the only way we can become the hands and feet of Jesus.
Being a people of grace and love.
This world is not a friend to grace. Nor will it teach us how to be a people of grace. Hatred, strife and contention are everywhere. Being a people of grace and love may be the easiest way for the world to see Jesus in us.
Serving sacrificially.
Serving sacrificially is so much more than “giving.” Giving measures out what we can afford, whether in time or money. Serving sacrificially is giving ourselves to the service of the Lord and His prize creation regardless of what it may cost us.
Being a person with a passion for others.
People who have never heard of God’s love are dying every day. Only we who know Jesus can introduce them to Him before it is too late.
Being a people who work together with the Body of Christ.
God has called us to this work together to get the work done. Each believer has a role to play. When we willingly yield ourselves to the Lord and lean not on our own understanding, He will make our path straight. The Lord has designed each of us to be the right tool for a specific job. We must work together, serving sacrificially, exhibiting grace and love so that together we can accomplish the work to which He has called us.

The Lord must be the center, the focus, the director and the power for all we do. Gospel for Asia (GFA) celebrated its 40th anniversary, having blossomed from a living room of a few faithful prayer warriors to one of the largest indigenous ministries in the world.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) is not the work of one man. Neither is it the work of a few or the work of many. It is the fruit of the Lord grown abundantly through Christian men and women who have committed themselves to a life of 10 core values that enable the Lord to empower them to do greater things than anyone could have imagined.

Source: Gospel for Asia, Frequently Asked Questions

Image Source: Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day

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Five Ministry Commitments of Gospel for Asia

July 2, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

Gospel for Asia Celebrates 40 Years of Service WILLS POINT, TX – When anyone starts an enterprise of any kind, it is unlikely that they can see 40 years into the future and all that those four decades will bring. When the Lord uses a man or woman to begin a ministry, the future is beyond imagination.

On July 3, Gospel for Asia (GFA) gets to look back on the unimaginable things God has done since GFA’s inception 40 years ago. We now take a look at five of the ministries through which the Lord is blessing the millions of people in South Asia who had never heard of Jesus Christ and His love for us.

Training and Equipping National Missionaries:
This has been GFA’s vision from the beginning. To their own people, in their own culture, speaking their own language was the vision upon which the ministry of Gospel for Asia (GFA) was based. Today, thousands are ministering as the hands and feet of Jesus to millions who still need to hear.
Raising Up Women Missionaries:
In cultures where unwritten social rules often separate men from women, GFA-supported women missionaries can minister to Asia’s ladies more effectively than their male counterparts. These women missionaries are filled to overflowing with love for their Lord and eagerly pour out that love to other ladies around them.
Clean Water Initiatives:
Gospel for Asia (GFA) is one of the leading faith-based NGOs in terms of providing clean water to communities in need. Jesus Wells and BioSand water filters offer a healthy alternative to the potentially pathogen-riddled surface water that is, in many places, the only available source. Access to clean drinking water has restored health to individuals, families, and entire villages.
Slum Ministries:
Almost no one wants to go to the squalid slums. Most people who live there don’t want to be there, but they have nowhere else to go. The rest of the population avoids the slums and the people who live in them. But GFA-supported workers go courageously to these regions of abject poverty to minister to people’s physical needs and to show them the riches of Jesus’ love and the gift of everlasting life He offers.
Education for Children:
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope centers prepare school-age children for fruitful lives beyond the boundaries of poverty. Training, health checkups, and nutritious meals are provided free of charge in a loving, affirming environment that awakens the children to their potential. Many are going on to excel in college or careers neither they nor their parents had realized would be possible.

How are these ministries changing their lives so effectively? Faithful Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers have committed themselves to these— and many other—areas of ministry, and the Lord has blessed their commitment to serving Him.

These are but a few of the ministries launched by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers. We will highlight more in the weeks to come during this 40^th anniversary year. Please pray for these areas of ministry, and look out for more articles about GFA’s ministries in the days ahead.

Source: Gospel for Asia, Pray for Specific Areas of Ministry

Learn more about Gospel for Asia’s 40th anniversary year, we can’t wait to reflect on all God has done in and through GFA. We also excitedly look forward to the future, believing the years ahead will be a time to move forward into a new era of passionately sharing the love of Christ.

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

From Discrimination and Dehumanization, Treasure is Found in a Slum

June 11, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

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

Hope Dawns in the Slum with Message of Acceptance

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

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

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

In Need of a Miracle

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

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

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

Miracle Leads to Worshiping Community

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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One Story Among Millions Suffering in the Slums

March 22, 2019 By GFA Staff Writer

“In our world, one in eight people live in slums. In total, around a billion people live in slum conditions today.”—UN-Habitat Slum Almanac 2015-2016.

Upon reading this fact, my mind almost shut down. An eighth of the world’s population?^[1] It seems absurd, but apparently, it is the truth. The reality for those living in slums is harsher than what is reported.

One Story Among Millions Suffering in the Slums - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Maisie (not pictured) is among millions living in slums. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers seek to bring them the love and hope of God.

The Slums: An Explanation

Firstly, what exactly are slums? Merriam Webster defines “slums” as “a densely populated usually urban area marked by crowding, run-down housing, poverty, and social disorganization.”^[2] Little to no basic utilities exist in slums. Sanitation facilities, clean water, medical provision are inadequately present in these urban areas. Diseases run rampant, with little to no prevention.^[3]

Slum dwellers suffer under these harsh and brutal conditions. These people endure the hardship and poverty around them. Entire families are caught in the endless cycle, with no visible way out. Hopelessness and despair rule their lives.

The Ministry of the Faithful

What is being done to help these people? By the grace of God, many Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers toil endlessly among the slums in Asia, bringing hope and love to those in need. Whether it be through prayer, medical care, literacy and vocational classes, gift distributions, water filters, toilets, etc., brothers and sisters minister to those living in these slums.

As I perused the many reports and stories about slums, one in particular caught my attention. The story is of one woman’s return from the brink of desperation and despair. This is Maisie’s story.

A Mother’s Heart Touched

Maisie lives in one of the many slums in Asia. Poverty and destitution were all she had known. Maisie’s husband, Abhaidev, was an alcoholic. Any money he received from his odd jobs went to fuel that addiction. No money for food was left for Maisie and their child. With her stomach empty and her body bruised from the physical abuse heaped upon her by Abhaidev, Maisie couldn’t take it anymore. She decided she would take her own life.

By the grace of God, the very same day she set out for suicide, a neighbor stopped by. This neighbor was a believer and shared Jesus’s love with the desperate woman. The believer gave Maisie a booklet, and the message contained within it transformed her heart.

After learning that she was truly loved, Maisie decided to attend the local church led by Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Mrithun. After sharing her story with him, Pastor Mrithun prayed for Maisie and encouraged her. That day, Maisie fully recognized the love of God, and no longer wished to end her life.

However, Abhaidev opposed her new faith. He beat Maisie and told her to never go to church again. Maisie refused and continued to pray for her husband. Little by little, the man’s heart softened. Not only did her let her go to church, but he eventually accompanied her!

The Millions Untold

Maisie’s story can be repeated in so many other slums. The destitution and addiction, coupled with abuse and hunger, affect not just the women, but men and children as well. The slums are unforgiving and harsh, but God’s love lifts up and transforms the hardest of hearts. Millions are suffering, but there is hope for them. To learn how you can provide those in slums with hope, visit www.gfa.org/compassion-services/slum-ministry.

^[1] U.N. Slum Almanac

^[2] https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slum

^[3] U.N. Slum Almanac

Source: Gospel for Asia Reports, Restored by the God Who Gave Her Breath

Image Source: Gospel for Asia, Photo of the Day

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Gospel for Asia’s Children’s Ministry Is a Bridge of Hope to Kids in Asia

March 22, 2018 By GFA Staff Writer

Bridge of Hope - KP Yohannan - Gospel for Asia — Children attending any GFA Bridge of Hope program learn to read and write, gain positive study habits, are provided with a healthy meal, receive medical care as needed, are shown God’s loving-kindness, and develop the HOPE that their education will one day help them shake off the weight of poverty.

One of our Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastors said something both sad and ironic several years ago: “Nobody cares about the children of this village.”

While, in his eyes, his statement seemed to be true, the irony is that it was not entirely so. The mere fact that he said it indicated that he cared. In fact, he admitted, “I have a great burden for this village.” The reason he cared is that he knew that Jesus cares.

The village of which he spoke is home to 2,000 impoverished families whose daily need is survival. Their entire life is consumed with laboring to feed themselves and their families. Their fight for survival means their children are forced to work in laborious and tedious tasks to generate adequate resources.

Many of these families live in one-room huts, often made with only sticks and plastic. They have no nearby sources of clean water. They lack proper sanitation facilities. What food they are able to acquire does not always provide adequate nutrition. And there doesn’t seem to be a way out.

A recent report from the McKinsey Global Institute found that there is a substantial difference in poverty levels beyond what we comprehend. There is a poverty level at which people can “achieve a decent standard of living,” but these villagers and their children live below that level in the realm of “bare subsistence” where hope and a way out appear non-existent.

Food, clothing and medical care are honorable and necessary charitable acts that demonstrate the love of Christ. They are gifts and services that sustain life. However, they do not, in and of themselves, create a bridge to a better life.

Food can make a destitute person less hungry, but they are still impoverished. Clothing can help provide a sense of dignity, but it does not change a person’s circumstances. Medical care can prevent disease, but it cannot break the bondage of abject poverty.

Creating a Bridge of Hope

This village is an example of how Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope (BOH) centers make a difference.

Bridge of Hope centers provide an educational experience for school-age children in which they learn the practical skills that can be the bridge to a better life. Each school day, students practice reading, writing and math in an environment of Christian love where staff members guide them to the hope for a better tomorrow by teaching them life skills that will become their bridge out of the generational curse into which they were born.

Education is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. Each evening when a child goes home from a Bridge of Hope center, they return to the same existential scenario. But each evening they go with a little more hope for the future.

The centers offer each child with daily, nutritious meals to give them the energy they need to learn and grow. Regular medical checkups are also part of the program. BOH centers even provide the students’ school supplies.

Gospel for Asia (GFA) has helped touched the lives of more than 75,000 children through Bridge of Hope centers. What these children have learned and are learning gives them a bridge they can cross to pass over “the hurdles of tragedy and poverty and press on to a future bright with promises.”

The program helps the children with their education so they can one day get a good job and afford sufficient food, decent clothing, medical supplies and other necessities of life for themselves and for their families. Beyond this, Bridge of Hope provides the children with opportunities to pursue and excel in their God-given skills and interests.

Bridge of Hope staff members become the hands and feet of Christ to the students and their families, serving them with genuine love, compassion and respect. Staff members maintain relationships with the parents and children and offer them counsel, encouragement and, ultimately, give them hope.

What does a child receive at the Bridge of Hope centers?

Education. This includes tuition, books and uniforms. But even more significant is that they will get tutoring in reading and writing, which means a future of hope is guaranteed.

Nutrition. During the school day, each child receives a healthy, balanced meal.

Medical care. The Bridge of Hope leaders who care for children also monitor their health and provide care as needed. Extra attention is given in areas where malaria or tuberculosis is prevalent. In addition to periodic checkups and medical treatment, children also learn basic habits of good hygiene, such as washing hands, trimming fingernails and bathing regularly.

Development of social skills and self-confidence. From the earliest ages in kindergarten, children are given opportunities to play games and practice basic rules of courtesy.

Hope Becomes Real on the Other Side of the Bridge

While the short-term focus is on helping the children now, the long-term perspective is to enable them to become all they possibly can be as a useful servant to their community, and to one day be a blessing to many others throughout Asia.

Bridge of Hope centers are not limited to remote villages. Many are located in the slum areas of major Asian cities, where roaming through and living on top of trash heaps is a way of life and their only hope for tomorrow.

Paul encouraged Timothy to share what he had taught him with others who would then be able to show many more (2 Timothy 2:2). Following that model, the character development and social impact at work in Bridge of Hope centers is being passed on to many others throughout the community.

Bridge of Hope is not just a name for a project. It is a ministry that actually produces a product. That product is the potential for a hopeful future for children who are trapped by circumstances they did not create, in a situation they cannot escape and who would, otherwise, have no hope.

Parents and grandparents recognize the changes in their children and grandchildren, causing them not only rejoice in their hope for the future but also to realize the love of Christ in their own lives.

Even local leaders praise the work of Bridge of Hope centers for their impact on the community at large. One leader said, “I am really happy to see a social network coming up to this level of taking care of the future of children.”

The father of one of the children at the same center said, “This only can be possible through Christians. The love of Christians is great. My children are going to become well-prepared for their future. I am overwhelmed with their concern for us.”

To learn more about Bridge of Hope read “What Bridge of Hope Gives Children.”

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National Workers are ‘Unstoppable Compassion Force’ Says Gospel for Asia Special Report

December 20, 2021 By GFA Staff Writer

WILLS POINT, TX – GFA World (Gospel for Asia) founded by K.P. Yohannan, has been the model for numerous charities like GFA World Canada, reveals in a new report: National missionaries — those working in their own countries — are the “new pioneers” of the 21st century, and they’re proving to be an “unstoppable compassion force,” a new report reveals. “More and more, local missionaries are driving ministry projects in their own countries and transforming their own communities,” said K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan), founder of global mission organization Gospel for Asia (GFA World). According to GFA World’s new report, National Workers: Unstoppable Compassion Force, (www.gfa.org/press/workers) there’s a natural progression toward “indigenous” workers who understand their own culture, language, and neighbors far better than foreign missionaries.

In 2021, there were 430,000 foreign “expat” mission workers overseas, compared with 13.2 million national missionaries serving on their home soil, the report says.

National Workers ‘Far Less Costly’

National missionary workers are the pioneers of the 21st century, proving to be an unstoppable compassion force, a new GFA report reveals. — **UNSTOPPABLE COMPASSION FORCE:** National missionaries — those serving in their own countries and cultures — are the “new pioneers” of the 21st century, and they’re proving to be an “unstoppable compassion force,” says a new report (www.gfa.org/press/workers) by global mission organization Gospel for Asia (GFA World).

National workers also serve in their own countries at far less expense — and with fewer restrictions — than expat Western workers who often incur costs associated with emergency medical insurance, security, and immigration, as well as safety restrictions on movement, says Gospel for Asia (GFA World).

It can cost between $50,000-$120,000 a year to support an American family in a developing nation — an annual sum that could help support 50 national workers.

“National workers live at the same level as the local people,” Yohannan said, “working alongside them, living among them in the villages and slums, dressing the same, speaking the same language, eating the same food, drinking from the same well.”

Today, 80% of the world’s countries are either completely closed or severely restricted to foreigners doing any form of religious work — Afghanistan being one example.

“Then again,” Yohannan said, “no matter what closed doors, restrictions or financial costs might be, God still calls his people to evangelize, to go, and send missionaries to preach the gospel and fulfill the Great Commission.”

Most Needy Places on Earth

GFA World’s national workers run projects in more than 12,000 parishes — or local churches — across Asia. And the organization is expanding into Africa as well.

Its workers complete a three-year training period before they venture full-time into some of the most needy places on earth, bringing clean drinking water through “Jesus Wells,” launching children’s education and health projects, helping poor families generate income, and sharing God’s love.

In South Asia, mission worker Rainer prayed for two years for a bicycle so he could encourage and help a cluster of villages nine miles from his home. Now his bicycle has become the local “ambulance,” transporting sick villagers to the nearest clinic.

GFA World’s Sisters of Compassion — teams of specialized women missionaries who serve in leprosy colonies — are uniquely trained in care and counseling. Geeta and her local co-workers clean the wounds of leprosy patients and wash their deformed feet.

“We do all this because of the love of God,” Geeta said.

About Gospel for Asia – now GFA World

Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a leading faith-based global mission agency, helping national missionaries 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://gfanews.org/news/.

Media interested in interviews with Gospel For Asia should contact Gregg Wooding at InChrist Communications @ 972-567-7660 or gwooding@inchristcommuications.com

Learn more about GFA World Compassion Services – comprised of four areas of ministry: slum ministry, leprosy ministry, medical ministry and disaster relief. Through these ministries, GFA missionary workers are relieving the burdened, rescuing the endangered and revealing God’s compassion to the people of Asia.

Read more blogs on National Missionary Workers and Compassion Services on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Read what 25 Christian Leaders are affirming about GFA World.

Source: GFA World Digital Media News Room, National Workers are ‘Unstoppable Compassion Force’ Says GFA World Report