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Gandhi: Eliminating Leprosy Is the Only Work I Have Not Completed in My Lifetime

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The international observance of World Leprosy Day is held annually on the last Sunday in January. Its purpose is to raise awareness of the disease. Churches and humanitarian organizations around the globe participate in World Leprosy Day by communicating facts, dispelling myths long associated with leprosy, and praying for those afflicted and those who provide aid to them. World Leprosy Day was established in 1954 by French philanthropist Raoul Follereau. It was originally observed on January 30, linking it to the death of Mahatma Gandhi on that date in 1948. Gandhi is quoted as having said, “Eliminating leprosy is the only work I have not been able to complete in my lifetime,” although he worked continually to help those afflicted with the disease in India. The goal of the World Health Organization is for every nation to have zero documented cases of leprosy. The official measure of zero cases is one per 10,000 people per country. Although India achieved that goal in 2005, and the go...
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I Lived Life Surrounded By People Who Love Jesus

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When I came to Gospel For Asia’s School of Discipleship I didn’t know what I was getting into (in a good way). I was shocked by how loving and friendly the community at Gospel For Asia ( GFA ) was. I didn’t just go to class, eat, sleep and repeat; I lived life surrounded by people who loved Jesus. They chose to invest in me and my classmates. Many of the families here “adopt” different students and pour into them in deeper ways. After two years in the program, I felt like I had an additional family here. While it was difficult being away from home for two years, the Lord gave me people here who loved me for me. I watched how the staff acted in an office environment, but I also saw them be laid back at home and in everyday life situations. They shared their struggles and stories with me. I learned from them and their walks with the Lord. He put people in my life who had similar struggles and those who were further along in their walks than I was to help me see Jesus. A GFA School of Di...
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Imagine Your Life Without Any Form of Transportation

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Gospel for Asia is in the business of providing answers. Providing answers to questions like: “Does my life have any value?” “Does anyone care about whether I live or die?” “How can I find peace for my restless heart?” To those questions, our workers can say confidently, “Yes, your life has incredible value; God cares so much about you that He sacrificed Himself in order to make a way for you to live with Him for eternity; the longing in your heart is met through relationship with Christ.” Gospel for Asia ( GFA )-supported workers help provide other answers too—like the solution for a family trapped in poverty or for a community battling illnesses due to impure water . Just in the last 10 years, hundreds of thousands of families have received clean water and income-generating gifts, such as livestock or sewing machines, through the ministry’s community development initiatives. But what answer is there for a pastor who doesn’t have a way to visit all his congregants or neighboring commu...
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Two-Year-Old Left to Die Now Top of Her Class in Bridge of Hope

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The world can be a broken place. A place where many are left forgotten or simply shoved aside. This was the world Janvi was born into. Janvi never experienced the love of her birth parents. In fact, it was by their own hands she was left alone to die. But even in the midst of this broken world there is room for redemption . Christ’s compassion never decreases even when the darkness thickens. God’s love does not vanish when earthly love fails. It is this kind of love God puts inside His children. It’s the love He placed in Dayalu’s heart for neglected Janvi. This is Janvi Two-year-old Left to Die Tears of compassion rolled down Dayalu’s face. He saw her. The skinny, frail body of a little girl, no more than 2 years old, sitting alone near a thorny bush. Ants covered her. She cried out in pain as they bit her innocent, little face. Swooping her up in his fatherly arms, Dayalu took her home with him. She was safe now. Janvi would become part his family. Parents Abandon Daughter Little Jan...
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What Simple Thing is God Asking You to Do Today?

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It can be easy to over complicate what it means to serve God. “It means moving to another country.” “It means I have to minister full time.” “It means I have to go to Bible college first.” God certainly uses all those things and asks many people to do them. But those things in themselves aren’t where powerful ministry comes from—it is in obedience to God’s leading that the power rests. We expect serving God to be something grand or some huge act, but often powerful fruit for God’s kingdom is the result of a simple word spoken, a simple action carried out. “‘It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of Hosts.” —Zechariah 4:6 Ramesh’s story is evidence of the simple power of an obedient servant to his Lord. Gospel for Asia-supported pastors have to grocery shop, too, yet their attentive hearts to God’s leading enables them to use even the ordinary tasks of life to impact lives for eternity. ‘Chance’ Meeting in the Market Ramesh’s wife, Terti, wandered around the m...
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Can Cleanliness Lead to Godliness?

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Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness? That’s a good question. It may not be in Scripture, as many people believe, but it does have an element of truth. John Wesley is generally cited as the originator of the phrase in his sermon, “Cleanliness Is, Indeed, Next to Godliness.” It is certain that he was not the creator of the concept. Similar statements have been recorded in ancient literature. While the Bible may not specifically say that cleanliness is next to godliness, it does, however, associate the two. Those stricken with leprosy in Biblical times were required by ritual law to announce that they were unclean should they appear in public. Jesus described the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, saying that they were more concerned about outwardly cleanliness than internal cleanliness where they were “full of extortion and self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25, 26). Job described himself as “pure, without transgression” (Job 33:9). The Psalmist similarly used cleanliness to describe his ne...
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Gospel for Asia’s One-Year Gap Program Provides Young Adults With Many Opportunities

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There is an amazing report from the field about an 80-year-old man named Naitik who heard about Jesus for the first time through a GFA-supported pastor. The story describes how through prayer and the power of Christ, the lives of this man and his wife were radically and miraculously changed. “Although I had spent my whole life in darkness, now I have found light in Jesus. He is really God,” Naitik said. “I want to live for Him for the rest of my life.” When I read reports like this, it’s a wonderful reminder to me that by serving here on staff at Gospel for Asia, I’m making a difference for God’s kingdom. As far back as high school, I can remember wanting my life to be productive and mean something. I’ve been on staff with Gospel for Asia (GFA) for about four years now and consider it an honor that my vocation is within a ministry having such an incredible impact . I know we, as Christians, can bring glory to God in our work no matter what our job is. Verses like Colossians 3:23 have...
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