Gospel for Asia: Our Hearts Ache for Families Without Blankets

Have you ever faced a winter emergency where the electricity in your home went out for three days and you had to wrap yourself in blankets to stay warm until the electric company restored power? Just imagine what would have happened to you if you didn’t have a blanket.

Tragically, every year, millions of poor people across Asia face winter without heating, sufficient clothes or blankets to keep them warm.

Mahaj, a 46-year-old man, lives in a remote farm village in a hilly area of Asia where people struggle throughout the year because of cold weather. Mahaj worked hard but was too poor to buy himself a blanket. Sadly, his grown children did not care about their father’s suffering.


When Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Emet happened to visit the village, he found that people lived in shacks and mud huts and were far poorer than in other places. To help them through the bitterly cold winter months, Pastor Emet and his church—helped by Gospel for Asia friends around the world—distributed blankets to the neediest among them. One of those was Mahaj, who was overjoyed and deeply grateful when he received his blanket.

For the first time, he and the others who received blankets experienced the love of Jesus in a very tangible way. Now, each time they wrap themselves in their warm blankets they remember that God cares for them.

For tens of thousands of poor people who live in the cold climate zones of Asia, a warm blanket can literally mean the difference between life and death. You see, their houses, mud huts and makeshift shacks have no heating systems, and wood fires have to be reserved for cooking. When temperatures drop near or below freezing, poor people like Mahaj suffer immensely, and many who live on the streets and in slums get sick and die. The most vulnerable among them are the elderly and small children.

With winter approaching, Gospel for Asia-supported workers are planning to distribute warm blankets to thousands of poor people who have nothing else to keep them warm.

Throughout last year, they were able to give out more than 170,000 blankets to people and families all across Asia.


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