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We’re Hoping Children of Asia Can Experience “Christmas” Like Aashi Did

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It’s December, and that means Christmas, which for some people is a day of new beginnings, a day of joy, a day of hope and expectation. For Aashi, her first day at a Gospel for Asia- supported Bridge of Hope center was very much like Christmas! All the things she ever dreamed of had become a reality: In the morning, she went to school for the first time, and after class, she ate a delicious and nutritious hot meal at the Bridge of Hope center—something she almost never got at home. In addition, Aashi received a new school uniform and a new backpack, as well as school supplies. Every day she received loving help with her homework from the Bridge of Hope teachers. Throughout their time in Gospel for Asia-supported Bridge of Hope centers, children receive many gifts, from pens and pencils to packets of soap, umbrellas, blankets and toothbrushes. The 6-year-old girl was so happy and excited to tell her family all she experienced on her first school day. She was the only one in the family ...
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Hope: The First Sunday of the Advent Season Leading Up to Christmas

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Raju looked confused by my question, and his response revealed it: “What do you mean by Christmas tradition?” I had served the Lord in Asia with Raju off-and-on for over a year. He was a first-generation, Asian believer with a tall, slim build and a heartwarming smile. He loved Jesus and was excited about the upcoming seasons of Advent and Christmas. I tried to explain what I was asking to my bewildered brother in Christ, “Do you and your family have anything that you do every year to celebrate Christmas?” I had come from a family that had been either devoted or nominal Christians for every generation that we knew of. Having immigrated from Eastern Europe to America in the beginning of the 20th century, many of the traditional ways we celebrated Christmas stretched back to before my forefathers left Europe. It never occurred to me that it may take two generations of believers to form a tradition. Raju then went on to explain the different things his family did to celebrate Christmas, m...
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Her Ignorance About HIV/AIDS Led Her to Reject Her Desperately Needy Nephew

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Mani entered the world infected with HIV. Soon after birth, he lost his parents to the deadly disease. His uncle, Dhiraj took him in and cared for him. He made sure Mani had the medicine he needed to stay healthy, but his wife was not so welcoming. Fear and suspicion filled her heart when she thought of Mani. Her ignorance about HIV/AIDS led her to reject her desperately needy nephew. She continually pressured her husband to send Mani away, but Dhiraj would not abandon the boy. Instead, he found help from three GFA-supported Sisters of Compassion that served in the area. On Dec. 1, World AIDS Day will be observed around the globe, bringing needed awareness to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. All across the globe, organizations work together to promote the prevention of AIDS, to emphasize the compassionate care needed for those living with the disease and to remember those who have died from it, like Mani’s parents. Students from GFA-supported Bridge of Hope centers across Asia participated in ...
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Two Hours Passed as Pastor Barasaat Stood Silent Before the Angry Mob of 200

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We’ve talked before about how God answers prayer , and how not a single story you read of lives changed ever happens without prayer . The same is true for our field partners in Asia. This is a powerful testimony of God moving in response to the prayers of His people. And it starts with a marriage on the verge of destruction. Janesh and Juhi fought continually until they heard the message of forgiveness through a GFA-supported radio broadcast. Like Tilak, whose story is below, these two were on the brink of divorce until God intervened and turned their lives around completely. Both families found healing and restoration in Jesus’ name. No ‘Other Woman’ Anymore Tilak, father of three, wanted to leave his wife. He had found another woman—one he thought could satisfy his desires, and he was willing to destroy his marriage because of it. For two years, his marriage grew steadily worse as he focused his attentions elsewhere. But while Tilak was on the brink of divorce, God intervened in his ...
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The Greatest Gift for Christmas is Being Good to One Another

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I have an odd way of thinking about the quality of goodness. In my mind, I have an impression of the earth spinning in space—the photo we’ve all seen so frequently taken from some satellite circling our planet. An exquisite globe shimmers in the dark, turning and turning. Blue mostly, vast seas accented by green and white with pinpricks of lights shining out through occasional cloud cover, across thousands of miles of dark. I know these are cities and towns glowing on the surface of our planet, but I prefer to think that these points of brightness mark an act of kindness here, a gift of sacrifice there or initiatives of uncommon goodness everywhere. Perhaps this is purely fanciful, perhaps it’s imagination gone awry, perhaps it’s an artistic vision given for the purpose of prayer—or maybe, it’s just an old woman’s meanderings. However, it seems as though my mental fancy has some precedent. The term “one thousand points of light” was used in a speech by George Bush at the 1988 Republic...
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Gunja Watched a Film That Changed the Course of His Life Forever

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What impact can a simple film make? This question is being answered every day as many remote Asian villages get the chance to watch a film on the life of Christ. Many of these precious people have never seen a film before, let alone heard of what Jesus has done for them. The message of Jesus’ sacrifice compels many to realize the vastness of God’s incredible love for the world. It opens up a new perspective—one that shows how everything the world has to offer pales in comparison to the love and life Jesus gives. This is exactly what 17-year-old Gunja found when he watched a film that changed the very course of his life forever. Finding What the World Can’t Give From an early age, Gunja and his twin brother attended church with their parents. They watched as their mom and dad remained faithful to Jesus despite the hostile treatment they often faced from their relatives who wanted nothing to do with Christ. Those relatives sowed seeds of doubt in the minds of the young impressionable bro...
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Veil of Tears Movie Features Plight of Women & Widows in Asia Reports Gospel for Asia

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Imagine. You’re a woman in Asia with no rights. You’ve just been married to a man who wants to use you to get rich. You really don’t have the money he’s looking for, yet you’re family’s required to provide a “wedding gift” — a dowry. Your father takes out a loan to pay the groom and his family, yet it’s still not enough. The husband’s family demands even more while your family is left impoverished with nothing more to give. Now your fate is to be burned in a blazing fire because what your family had to offer him didn’t make the cut. Sound unbelievable? Bride burnings and dowry deaths still occur in Asia, even today. Imagine. You wake up one day to find your husband went to work one morning then suddenly went missing. Days pass and you find out he was mauled by a fierce tiger, or lost his life in a work-related accident. You’re a widow now. But instead of getting support from your family during your grief, everybody who loved you before now abandons you and no longer cares for you, beca...
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