The Transformative Work of National Missionaries in Asia: Compassionate Care in Action

In the heart of Asia, amidst the bustling cities and remote villages, there is a world where the marginalized and neglected endure lives of silent desperation. Leprosy colonies, a vestige of ancient times, still house those whose afflictions have ostracized them from society.[1] Slums, teeming with life, are also rife with the struggles of survival. Here reside the elderly, the widowed, the disabled, often left to their own devices and largely forgotten by the mainstream world. And yet, in these places full of such profound need, the comforting presence of the Sisters of Compassion, a specifically trained group of GFA World’s national missionaries in Asia and Africa, conveys hope and refreshment. Trained to serve with empathy and practical skills like wound care, these women function as God’s hands and feet, putting His love into action as they reach out to minister where ministry is devoid and touch lives with the dignity and care every that human being deserves.


The Touch of Compassion

Geeta, a Sister of Compassion and one of the local missionaries in Asia, is assigned to a leprosy colony, tending to the wounds of those bearing the mark of this ancient disease. Her vocation is not merely a duty; it is a calling to return a sense of humanity to those society has forsaken. “If I did not come here to help them,” Geeta says, “no one would have served them or taken care of them … They would die without any hope.” The mere presence of a caring individual like Geeta provides a profound sense of dignity to those who have been denied human touch for so long that they often forget the feeling of it on their skin.[2]

Mungeli Das, one of the colony’s leprosy residents, who has spent more than a half-century in this remote area, describes the difference brought by the sisters’ efforts: “Before the Sisters came, there was no one to help trim our hair, cut our nails, help us clean our houses or even encourage us. The Sisters help us by cleaning our wounds, and in the process, they make us happy and encouraged all the time.” The Sisters of Compassion’s constant commitment to serving those living in the leprosy colony is a manifestation of their profound desire to show God’s love and demonstrates an outstanding reflection of that faith in action.[3]


Power of Local Missionaries

National workers, also known as national missionaries, are in a particularly strong position to minister in places where foreign missionaries, outsiders and foreigners in general are not allowed or find it increasingly difficult to share about hope in Christ. When women and men from the local community become missionaries in their neighborhoods, they are more quickly understood, trusted and appreciated for their efforts to help others, even in the name of representing Christ and His love for that community. Powerful interactions in these areas occur because the national missionaries live there, minister there and show up every day as a positive force in their communities. GFA World’s Sisters of Compassion provide a vivid example of the impact of national workers who are assisting their communities and helping them overcome life’s daily struggles.[4]

National missionary workers are the “new pioneers” of the present century. They are proving to be a powerful force of love that God uses to transform communities. Toiling to bring healing and hope, they touch thousands of lives with the tangible love of God through slum, leprosy, medical and disaster relief ministries. Thanks to them, men, women and children who otherwise might have gone without help … have been blessed with much-needed aid.[5]


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