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Dying of Thirst: The Global Clean Water Crisis (#1 by Gospel for Asia)

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WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report #1 – Discussing the world’s quest for access to clean water that is safe to drink. Photo credit Giacomo Pirozzi, UNICEF The statistics are mind-numbing. 502,000 people die each year from diarrhea—caused by unsafe drinking water. [1] 2.1 billion people have no access to safely managed drinking water . [2] 159 million people get their drinking water directly from surface water sources . [3] 263 million must travel more than 30 minutes daily to collect their water. [4] Safe drinking water is something most of us take for granted. But for millions of people, the only water they have is contaminated. And millions more are at risk of having no water at all. According to the United Nations, 1.9 billion people (27 percent of the world’s population) live in “potentially severely water-scarce” areas . [5] They wake up each morning knowing they must fight to survive. For those of us who enjoy ready access to clean water , these numbers are d...
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7 Reasons Unsponsored Children Need Our Help

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“The poor do not need our compassion or our pity, they need our help.” — Mother Theresa It is almost impossible for us to understand the magnitude of the needs of the children of South Asia and their families needing the assistance and intervention of Gospel for Asia (GFA) and others. How bad can their life be? Frankly, their lives are much worse than most of us can even begin to imagine. Oh, you’ve heard the appeals over and over again from Gospel for Asia (GFA) , Save the Children, Compassion International, World Vision, and a seemingly endless number of NGOs who are committed to reaching out to those living in extreme poverty who are considered the lowest of the low in their home countries. But there are literally millions of precious, innocent children suffering indignities at levels we fail to comprehend. So, let us explain a few reasons these children need our help. 1. They are considered outcasts. Our national missionaries go into the urban slums and remote villages where the ...
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Stigma & Misunderstandings Keep Leprosy Alive (Gospel for Asia #3)

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WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report #3: Discussing why leprosy remains, despite it being a curable worldwide issue. Gospel for Asia Gives Leprosy Patients Food, Income-generating Gifts, Education and More A GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center located within an area known for leprosy is providing free education, food, medical care and love for children from impoverished families, several of whom are touched by leprosy. While these children of leprosy patients may otherwise be rejected from schools or tolerated at a distance, they are welcomed and loved at Bridge of Hope. National workers and believers in congregations in the nations Gospel for Asia (GFA) serves are helping break the stigma and social rejection experienced by leprosy patients. People affected by Hansen’s Disease are invited into churches and homes. They are hugged. They are fed. They are shown the respect and dignity we, as Christ’s followers, believe every human being deserves. These children, many...
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Gospel for Asia Responds to the Question: What is a Jesus Well Worth?

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If someone were to ask what a Gospel for Asia Jesus Well is worth, the most popular response from faithful followers of our work might be “$1,400.” That’s because we consistently remind our family of believers that a gift of $1,400 can fund the building of a brand-new Jesus Well. However, $1,400 is what it costs Gospel for Asia to install a well in drought-ridden villages across South Asia. The value of a Jesus Well is something entirely different. [1] Defining the Value of a Jesus Well Whether we realize it or not, we make nearly all of our purchases based on the value proposition of a business transaction. For example, if someone is buying a new tire for their car, their buying decision will take into account the expected length of time they intend to own the car. If they plan on trading the car in the near future, most people will choose to purchase a less expensive tire than they would if they were planning to keep the car for a long time. Price is an issue, but the amount the...
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Leprosy: Misunderstandings & Stigma Keep it Alive (Gospel for Asia #2)

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WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report – Discussing the misunderstandings and social stigma that are kept alive toward leprosy patients, despite the disease being a curable worldwide problem. Sakshi, who ministered to leprosy patients, once had leprosy herself before Jesus healed her. Misunderstanding Leprosy: ‘I Deserve This Disease’ “Don’t open my bandage!” the leprosy patient cried out. For years the patient believed it was because of their sin that the destructive disease controlled their body. Now, they thought they must suffer and settle with bearing it alone. But after the leprosy patient’s exclamation, Sakshi, a Gospel for Asia (GFA) -supported missionary, revealed her own hands and feet to the patient, deformity clearly marking what leprosy’s nerve killing illness left behind. “No, no, this is not some sin,” Sakshi said. “I myself have gone through this.” This conversation, shared by Gospel for Asia (GFA) in 2017, gives a glimpse into the despair and belief o...
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5 Distinctives of Gospel for Asia You Should Know

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Every part of God’s creation is distinct. Every person, every animal, every tree is unique and different than all others of their kind. The same can be said of every church, every business and every organization. Something about each is distinctively different. Often, it is not one thing that makes something distinct and different. It may be a combination of distinctives that makes that entity unique in its own right. Gospel for Asia (GFA) cites five Gospel for Asia (GFA) distinctives that describe its function as a faith-based organization (FBO). 1) Focusing on the “Least of These” Like so many faith-based organizations (FBOs), Gospel for Asia (GFA) distinctives focuses its mission on ministering to people Jesus referred to as “the least of these”—the approximately 3 billion people who are disadvantaged, disabled, uneducated and often disenfranchised and ostracized. Gospel for Asia (GFA) ministers to the physical needs of slum dwellers and people living in abject poverty in remote...
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Leprosy: Misunderstandings and Stigma Keep it Alive (Part 1)

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WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report (Part 1) – Discussing the misunderstandings and social stigma of leprosy that keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem. Leprosy. For many, a cloud of mystery, fear and shame surrounds this disease. It’s a disease that destroys nerves and deadens limbs to sensations of touch or pain, yet at the same time can trigger bouts of unbearable agony for the sufferer as infection exposes raw bones. It’s a disease that is difficult to contract, yet carries a stigma so strong that leprosy-affected people have been forced into isolation for centuries. Why is this disease so feared, and how can we help those who contract it? Leprosy: Misunderstandings and social stigmas keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem. What is leprosy? Leprosy, otherwise known as Hansen’s Disease, is an infectious disease caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium leprae. This chronic nervous system disease “mainly affects the skin, the...
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