Gospel for Asia

Gospel for Asia (GFA) News, Wills Point, Texas World Leprosy Day Report #1 Leprosy is one of the most misunderstood sicknesses in the world. Many people in the West think leprosy is a disease in which fingers and limbs fall off, is highly contagious, is incurable, and has been eradicated–if they think about leprosy at all. We don’t recognize the many facts about leprosy because it rarely appears in highly developed countries. It may surprise many readers that about 200 cases of leprosy are reported every year in the United States. There are currently more than 3,000 cases of leprosy under active medical supervision in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and other health care organizations refer to leprosy as Hansen’s disease. Much like a rose, however, leprosy by any other name is still leprosy and still carries with it the deeply imbedded stigma that has been attached to it for millennia. Leprosy is a “a complex infectious” bacterial di...

In this day and age, when a person desires to learn something new or become skilled in a particular field, he will seek some form of educational institution, be it a college or technical school, master’s program or certification. Years are spent, reports are written and book after book is studied, all to gain the desired knowledge. But in ancient times, a different form of learning took place. Students lived with their teachers, learning directly from watching their lives, pulling valuable lessons and asking necessary questions from daily events. The home was the classroom; the textbook was living examples and events of the day. Look through the Gospels and you will see that this is the way Jesus taught His disciples. Through everyday events, Jesus revealed what the Father God was like. Whatever came His way became His teaching material—a child’s illness, a crowd of hungry people, the woman caught in adultery, the disciples’ dusty feet or a confrontation by the high priest’s troop...

Recently, I picked up a copy of A.W. Tozer’s book  The Knowledge of the Holy   after many years  since  my first reading . Taking time to  slowly read through the book, I’ve been  challenged  afresh  by how deeply Tozer  entered into the  pursuit of knowing God. It’s been reminding  me how  important  it is for us to  deliberately take the time to grow in knowing God. At the beginning of each chapter is a prayer.  Read through this prayer from the book and seek to see the God that Tozer saw : O Majesty, unspeakable, my soul desires to behold Thee. I cry to Thee from the dust. Yet when I inquire after Thy name it is secret. Thou art hidden in the light which no man can approach unto. What Thou art cannot be thought or uttered, for Thy glory is ineffable. Still, prophet and psalmist, apostle and saint have encouraged me to believe that I may in some measure know Thee. Therefore, I pray, whatever of Thyse...

A few years ago, I heard the story of one missionary serving with our organization who, in a short time, had planted five churches in a difficult part of Northeast India. Curious of how this young brother did it, I called one of our senior leaders and asked him if he could tell me more about this brother’s ministry. All that I knew was that he was from a tribal background and didn’t have any college education, yet regardless, it seemed that God was with him in a remarkable way. The first church he planted began with the healing of a Hindu priest who was paralyzed. Then, one after another, four more churches were born. I was more than curious to find out this brother’s secret. Our senior leader said he would check into it and let me know what he found out. When he called to tell me, he said, “There is nothing unusual about him. I found nothing special except for one thing—he gets up very early each morning and spends two or three hours in prayer and then an hour or two reading the...

Introduction I once heard about a man whose memory was failing. He went to his doctor to seek treatment. After this man had gone through various tests, his doctor’s conclusion was, “I want to be of help, but in my opinion, we only have one option. I can do surgery to prevent you from losing more of your memory, but you need to know that in the process you could lose your eyesight.” The doctor then left his patient with time to decide whether or not he wanted to go through with the treatment. On the doctor’s return, the man seeking help responded, “I’ve thought about it and decided not to have the surgery. I’d rather have my eyesight than my memory. I prefer to see where I’m going rather than remember where I’ve been.” Although this is obviously not a true story, how many of us desperately wish we could in their entirety forget the failures of our past? So many of us don’t experience joy in its fullest because we are still tethered to the sins of yesterday. We cannot change...

Since 2007, GFA-supported workers have been caring for leprosy patients through medical care, practical personal care and by giving them the opportunity to know that God loves them. This ministry is one of those that I am so happy we can be a part of. God’s heart is for the vulnerable and the forgotten, and these precious people certainly are one among them. By God’s grace, we are working in 44 leprosy colonies across Asia. Some of these colonies have up to 5,000 patients. I am amazed and so grateful we have a part in making their difficult lives better. Not only do these patients have the physical difficulties that comes with this infectious disease, but they have the emotional difficulties that come along with it as well. Because of the stigma associated with this disease, it is not uncommon that those who have it are abandoned by family members and are left uncared for by anyone. Although with appropriate medical care this disease can be treated and cease to be contagious, many do n...

Recently, January 2018 was declared as  National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month . Gospel for Asia deals first hand with the scandal of slavery and human trafficking through our ministries among the poverty stricken in Asia where  over two-thirds  of the worlds human trafficking victims reside. The 2016 Global Slavery Index estimates that 45.8 million people are living in some form of modern slavery. Over 30 million reside in Asia. Five countries are home to 26.5 million men, women and children trapped in the grips of slavery and human trafficking. Another source estimates 36 million victims worldwide, with 23.5 million in Asia. Regardless of the exact number, any number of this magnitude is scandalous. Many of the tens of thousands to whom Gospel for Asia ministers are victims of this scandal or of its results. “The United Nations estimates that some 64% of human trafficking in Asia is for forced labor, servitude and slavery, while 26% is f...