Gospel for Asia

Schooling. Food. Clothing. An encouraging smile. These are simple ways of showing love to a child, but those simple gestures shape lives. In God’s Church, generosity flows freely toward the hurting and sorrowful. We at Gospel for Asia (GFA) can testify to that. Tens of thousands of men and women and children of all ages in many countries freely give of their resources to help uplift the lives of people they love but have never met. Why? Because that’s the heart of the King we love. Bridge of Hope, an afterschool tutoring program supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) , is currently giving more than 82,000 children those simple gestures of love. But it wouldn’t be possible without the prayers and support of the loving Body of Christ. Without them, stories like Kaling’s would be quite different. These are two of Asia’s children who live in a slum. We may not be able to change every difficult circumstance in their lives, but we can do something! We rejoice in 82,000 children in Asia receivin...

It is always amazing to me when small moments in your life have more significance than you realized at the time. When Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope Program started, I did not imagine how many tens of thousands of lives would be changed by it. To sponsor the second Bridge of Hope child in GFA’s history was quite an honor for me and my wife. I remember the excitement and enthusiasm of everyone had when the entire staff met to witness Dr. KP Yohannan select the first child to be sponsored. Starting a child sponsorship ministry was embarking into unknown territory for Gospel for Asia ( GFA ). We were primarily known for our national missionary sponsorship emphasis, and there was concern of how a child sponsorship program would be received by our supporters. The staff waited enthusiastically for Dr. KP Yohannan to sponsor the first Bridge of Hope Child. The Lord was growing the ministry at a tremendous rate. Would we be up to the challenge of providing all the infrastructure needed fo...

There is nothing impossible with God. Nothing. This truly is an inspiring thought. But it is much more than a thought or word to keep us going—it is truth. Truth many impoverished people are getting the chance to witness in their own lives. Truth that was made evident in 33-year-old Pramesh’s life. Pramesh’s family life was troubled. For 13 years he was possessed by an evil spirit , and his behavior changed. He couldn’t work to provide for his children and wife , which also meant they didn’t have enough money to pay for sacrifices so their god would heal him. But “there is nothing too hard for the Lord Jesus.” These very words of hope spoken by Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Haatim— words found in the nature of God, the worker of the impossible—gave Pramesh courage. After seven months of prayer offered up by Pastor Haatim and the local believers, Pramesh was set free from the demonic powers. This miracle brought his entire family into the loving arms of Jesus. The impossible did not...

I hear the stories all the time. I work at a missions organization, so, of course, I’m aware of suffering children in Asia. Sometimes I pause and let it break my heart, but other times my mind glides over the words and tucks the story into a pile of “sad things” and moves on with my day. But today I want to hear these stories with Jesus’ heart, to pause and take time to be there with these children, imagining they are my own. Listen to this little girl talk about her sister Lakshmi : “My sister is 10 years old. Every morning at 7 she goes to the bonded labor man, and every night at 9 she comes home. He treats her badly. He hits her if he thinks she is working slowly, or if she talks to the other children, he yells at her. I don’t care about school or playing. All I want is to bring my sister home from the bonded labor man. For 600 rupees I can bring her home—that is our only chance to get her back. We don’t have 600 rupees…we will never have 600 rupees [the equivalent of U.S. $14].” In...

Try to think of a gift you received five years ago. Can you think of one? If you remember one, it probably made a special impression on your heart. It was something meaningful. But did it change your life or your family’s? Ujala was in need of a gift like that, a gift that would drastically alter the course of his life. Two Goats Provide Recurring Revenue Sweating in the open fields every day wasn’t helping to get Ujala’s family out of poverty. It looked as though his five sons would have to follow the continuous cycle of harsh life and struggle . But Ujala had hope, and he prayed God would provide. Ujala didn’t let their circumstance shake his devotion and love for Jesus. He firmly believed God would supply all their needs. Month followed after month, and their situation didn’t improve, but somehow, they always got by. Ujala faithfully continued meeting with other Christians to worship Jesus, and he worked hard to provide for his wife and sons. Although their financial situation was d...

It’s Christmastime, “the most wonderful time of the year”! And we at Gospel for Asia believe the Lord God desires all peoples to enter into His joy this season—and all year ‘round. That is why the angels proclaimed at the Christ’s birth that they bring “good news of great joy that will be for all people” (see Luke 2:10). But for some, instead of joy, the holiday season heralds in a season of loneliness and discouragement, especially for those who may not have anyone to celebrate with or who have lost the ones they used to celebrate with. Grief and heartache shroud our joy, and Christmastime can become just another event filled with painful memories of what has been lost. Imani understood this grief. She had lost her husband, who was a Gospel for Asia- supported pastor , and her heart filled with sorrow. She wondered how she would care for her son alone. But then something wonderful happened that helped lift the shroud of loneliness and discouragement. The local church had a Gospel for ...

Last week, our pastor preached a sermon on the topic of King David bringing the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. Sitting there as part of the congregation, I had a sudden stunning understanding about this passage from 2 Samuel chapter 6 that I’d never had before—an understanding so fraught with meaning that I’ve been thinking about it all week. Being a child raised in evangelicalism, my spiritual journey into adult faith has been grounded and formed by Scripture. As a youth, I memorized seven books from the Bible perfectly. I married an ordained minister, who himself preached a series on this topic in an inter-racial church we planted in the inner city of Chicago. Most preachers emphasize in some way or another that David, who had only recently assumed the appointment as king of Israel, stripped down to his linen ephod and danced before the procession, bringing the Ark back to the city. Few preachers avoid drawing an obvious parallel that the king was basically leaping and dancing a...

A bicycle can literally change the course of someone’s life. In Asia bicycles are a major form of transportation. The two-wheeled machine can often save hours of travel time, enabling much more productivity to the user. One of our favorites gifts to give impoverished people in Asia are bicycles. Whether that be for a school-going child or a hard-working dad, we have seen how these simple tools have amazing effects. In Gospel for Asia (GFA) 2016 Special Report , there’s a story about a man named Tosa who received a bicycle through the kindness of donors and supporters across the globe. Here’s a snippet: Tosa was known as the poorest man in his village. Though Tosa and his wife both worked as much as they could, they were barely scraping by. If they couldn’t work, they didn’t eat that day. Tosa knew that if he could get to the city, he would find better work and be able to feed his family. But there was a problem: His family owned only one bicycle, and his children needed it to get to s...

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 ...

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...

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 ...

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 ...

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...

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...

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...

Recently my wonderful daughter-in-law Angela asked if I could pick up her children, ages 8 and 10, from school when their classes were dismissed. Later in the afternoon she would drop off the third child, age 5, by the house. Angela is the widow of our son Jeremy, who died several years back from aggressive lymphoma, or cancer. She has her hands full. Not only does she work full-time, she is also close to getting her doctorate in adult learning. So I am always happy to help out. At the appointed time, Eliana and Nehemiah tossed their book bags in the car, hopped in themselves and promptly announced they were hungry. “Tell me what you want and Papa (that’s me) will get it for you,” I replied. Eliana, the oldest, had a hankering for a cinnamon pretzel. There’s a shop that sells them a few blocks from the school, and what she wanted looked huge in the glass case. I should have given the price tag of $4.00! Nehemiah’s request was for a Blue Ice. “Where do I get that?” I asked. “My friend g...

You’re 10 years old, enjoying your happy-go-lucky days by running around with your friends and playing games. But in a few months, all that will end when you assume the mantle of being a wife to a man you only just met. What’s the point in going to school and learning anything besides how to take care of a home and a family if your fate has already been decided? It is estimated that one-third of girls in developing nations are married before the age of 18—and 1 in 9 are married before the age of 15 . In Asha’s community, they were married as young as 10. “In their society, girls were not given consideration,” reported a Gospel for Asia-supported field correspondent. “They were believed to be a burden upon their parents. At the age of 10, they would get them married. Parents did not want them to study more, since they are going to be in someone else’s house after their marriage.” Asha, too, had no regard for her education. Why would she when it was common knowledge her life would end up...

Jagat isn’t a super hero. He isn’t a genius. In fact, he dropped out of school early. Yet he is a mighty man of God. Through him flows the Spirit of the Living God, and within him dwells the One who gives all wisdom and strength. But it wasn’t always this way. Jagat is a Gospel for Asia- supported national missionary . Because of Jagat’s willingness to be used by God, many people in South Asia have started intimate relationships with Jesus. But each one of their glory-filled stories exists because of Jagat’s own story of finding Jesus. Pastor Jagat and his family. Jagat’s life took a dramatic turn from drugs and irresponsibility to serving God as a Gospel for Asia-supported missionary. Form of Godliness Fades Away Jagat grew up in a Christian home, but he had many of the characteristics James 3 warns against. He held a form of godliness—he obediently followed his family to church services, Sunday school and other activities—but he did not know Jesus personally or live in His power. So...

How many movies do you suppose you’ve watched in your lifetime? Even in the last year? Some clever punchlines or visuals of intense scenes probably stuck in your mind, but there’s a good chance you haven’t thought back to many of the movies. It’s quite a different story for many people in Asia who attend a film show hosted by Gospel for Asia supported workers . For many, that simple movie night ends up changing the course of their lives. Through Gospel for Asia-supported film ministry, the heart of Christ is displayed in a culturally relevant way. Many have found new life in Christ as a result! But even if you loved a certain movie, would you risk your own safety to organize a movie night? Rajak did. Rajak, a Gospel for Asia ( GFA )-supported worker serving on a film team, and his team members drove to a village they had not visited before. They approached the village leaders to get permission to show a film on the life of Christ, but the men denied their request and sternly warned th...

Do you remember your senior year of high school? Maybe you were one of those people who had the next 10 years of their life planned out already—I was not. At 17 years old, I knew I wanted to follow Christ, and I felt like He was leading me to be involved in missions somehow, but I had no idea what that was going to look like. I had lots of questions but few answers. How do I get started? Who can give me some direction? What ministry should I partner with? Am I called to stay in the U.S. or travel and serve abroad? What skills and resources do I need to have under my belt? During my senior year, I searched time and time again for missions opportunities with a variety of ministries. But nothing stuck out; nothing seemed to be the right fit. Graduation came and went. I felt stressed, unequipped and no closer to finding an answer to the question everyone under the sun had asked me by that point: “What are you going to do after high school?” Later that summer, I read Dr. KP Yohannan Metropo...