Rejoice!

Gospel for Asia pastor Pavan ministers in multiple villages in a mountainous region of South Asia.The only reason he can do what he does is because of his bicycle.

One village he ministers in is made up mostly of people who adhere to a traditional religion. Damini, a young woman in the village, was a devout follower of her gods. She was sure they would take care of her and get her into heaven. She even played a prominent role in the local religious festivals.

God gave Pastor Pavan opportunities to share Christ’s love with Damini’s family. But they always rejected Him. They had no reason to question their gods—until Damini fell sick.

The 19-year-old developed a fever,and it wouldn't go away, even with medication. She grew pale and began to lose weight, and slowly, she realized her gods weren't going to help her.

Pastor Bikes to Reach Village

Pastor Pavan lives relatively faraway from Damini’s village. Because the region is mountainous, the only way to get to Damini’s village is by biking there. Each time he goes, he crosses five miles of mountainous terrain, and then, when he comes to the river, he lifts up his bike and wades through the water.

Pastor Pavan had crossed the river to share Christ’s love before and had been rejected by Damini’s family. But as Damini continued to suffer from her sickness, she remembered hearing about God’s power to heal the sick—and her heart began softening toward the Lord.

Pastor Prays for Sick Woman

Pastor Pavan again made the trek to Damini’s village, and when he found out she was sick, he went to her family’s house to pray for her.

With the family’s permission, Pastor Pavan began to pray, and the Lord healed Damini immediately! As she experienced Jesus’ power, she decided to put her trust in Him.

Healed Woman Joins Pastor’s Fellowship

Damini began joining other believers, many of whom travel long distances, to worship the Lord in a village near hers. Pastor Pavan looks after this fellowship, and he gets thereby riding his bicycle.

At one of the fellowship’s meetings,Damini met and became good friends with another young lady, Gajra. The girls spent time praying and reading Scripture together, and the Lord strengthened them in Him.

Although Damini’s family opposed her, she stood firm in her faith, and eventually her mother came to know the Lord. She is now growing in Him, too.

‘I Have Reached Many with the Good News by Using the Bicycle’

Damini and her mother, along with many others, have come to know the Lord and be discipled through Pastor Pavan, but he couldn't have ministered to many of them if he hadn't received his bicycle.

“I have reached many with the Good News of Jesus by using the bicycle,” Pavan says, “and I don’t know what would be of Damini and others if I were not given a bicycle.”

Thank you for helping pastors like Pavan reach more villages by providing for bicycles.

Ketha is growing up in a slum where rampant addictions and a lack of education chain down most youths. But in the middle of the awful squalor stands a Bridge of Hope center.

Eight-year-old Ketha was just beginning the day at the Bridge of Hope center, where she is one of 130 students, when her mother decided to stay for the morning session. The songs and the Scripture gladdened the heart of Ketha’s mother, Rita, and she invited the staff to her house for prayer.

Later that week when the staff came to pray, Ketha’s father told them that Rita had been possessed by a demon for the past three years. She would unconsciously and uncontrollably do strange things but afterward act like nothing had happened.

The staff shared with them about the God who delivers. They sang songs of worship, and as they prayed, the Lord set Rita free from the bondage of Satan.

As a result, the whole family came to know and love Christ, and the Bridge of Hope center continues to stand as a beacon of the freedom Christ gives.

Gospel for Asia-supported pastor Samuel doesn't have a coat of many colors, but in many other ways he can identify with the Old Testament figure Joseph. Like Joseph, Samuel spent prime years of his life imprisoned away from his family, but he saw God’s hand mold years of injustice into something beautiful.

Caught in the Crossfire

On December 17, 2004, when police stopped Pastor Samuel and asked him to come answer some questions, he had no idea that he would be numbered among the most dangerous of criminals.

Pastor Samuel had grown up in a non-Christian home, but after experiencing the peace of Jesus, he chose to follow Him in 1998. Feeling a burden to tell others of Christ’s love, Samuel enrolled in a Bible college.

Around the time of his graduation in 2001, Samuel went to minister in a village 13 miles from any decent roads. Nestled among green jungles and hills, the village seemed peaceful. But it became a dangerous place as rebel insurgents began settling there. Although many people were too afraid to travel to this village, Samuel continued serving the people there because God had given him a vision for them.

A fellowship grew in the village as Samuel shared Christ’s love. During his first four years there, more than 80 people embraced Jesus’ love. God gave Samuel favor with the local police, who saw how he encouraged the villagers to live upright lives instead of joining the rebels.

But on April 7, 2004, turmoil boiled over when some of the rebels set off a bomb that killed 29 government security forces and injured at least 30 more.

After that, the village was caught in the crossfire. The police and rebels, both seeking control, harassed the villagers.

Eight months later, Samuel and his wife were walking to another village when police stopped them, asking if Samuel would come answer some questions. A few questions ended up becoming two days of interrogation at the police station. Even though Samuel insisted he was not involved in any criminal activity, the police accused him of taking part in the April bombing and put him in jail.

Imprisoned as a Terrorist, Encouraged by Jesus

Fear attacked Samuel as he realized this weighty charge could mean life imprisonment or the death penalty. Hearings dragged on, and his stay in prison turned from days to months to years.

Meanwhile, his wife and his daughter, who was only 10 months old when he was arrested, waited. Samuel knew they were struggling, but the Lord reminded Samuel that He would take care of him and his family.

As Samuel trusted the Lord, he had peace. His wife had brought him a Bible, which strengthened and encouraged him.

“The Bible used to be my companion,” he remembers. “Even while sleeping, I used to keep the Bible under my pillow. My time in prison was not in vain; I was able to spend time in prayer and reading the Bible.”

Hardened Criminals Softened to Christ’s Love

During Samuel’s prison term, not only did he have time to commune with the Lord, but he also seized the opportunity to share God’s love with men walking in the shadows of dark crimes, including armed robbery, rape and murder. Samuel knew that outsiders rarely visited the prison and these prisoners had very little chance to hear of Jesus.

Samuel longed to tell all the inmates of the same love and forgiveness that had changed his life. Every day, he sought to encourage the inmates with the hope of Christ. “I saw many sitting in a corner because they were down-and-out—they were discouraged—and I used to go to them, give them a piece of literature and tell them that Jesus Christ loves them.” Thousands of inmates lived in the prison, and all got to hear about God’s love during Samuel’s stay.

As God opened the prisoners’ hearts, they began to come to Samuel saying they didn't have peace of mind. He told them of the Prince of Peace and prayed for them. During Samuel’s eight years in prison, God touched the hearts of 50 men, and they decided to follow Him.

“The Lord blessed my ministry in the prison,” he says.

Samuel started a prayer group, and it soon blossomed into a thriving fellowship that met every day. Samuel trained two of the new believers to assist him in ministry—and to lead the fellowship if he were ever released.

The Legacy of a Prison Ministry

On March 13, eight years and four months after Samuel’s arrest, God answered prayers from believers around the world by reuniting Samuel with his family.

By the time of his release, more than 50 inmates had started attending the prayer and worship gatherings. He was able to leave this budding congregation in the hands of the two brothers he had trained, who started leading the daily Bible study and prayer meetings. He encouraged them to keep sharing Christ’s love in the prison until they were released or until Christ returned. “I told them that I would visit them sometimes,” Samuel says. “I told them that I would be praying for them.”

Samuel continues to correspond by phone with some of the men who came to know Christ through his prison ministry; they gladly tell him about their lives. They know that if they hadn't heard about Christ, their future would be grim.

“They tell me that they would have perished,” Samuel says.

Although Samuel endured years of injustice, God’s favor transformed this nightmare into a blessing for both Samuel and thousands of other prisoners. Samuel can now rejoice knowing that God used him to touch the lives of men who had never heard about Him before. Like Joseph, Samuel knows that the Enemy intended evil against him, but God used it for good.

Apurva and her seven children shared a small house consisting of a common room, a kitchen and one bedroom. The family of eight lived in poverty because Apurva, a widow, earned only a meager income from selling bananas she grew in her small garden.

But one day, Apurva’s pastor, a GFA pastor, gave her a gift that would drastically change life for her and her children: a piglet.

After taking care of the piglet for one year, Apurva sold it for 6,000 rupees (almost $100), more than one month’s wages for the vast majority of people in South Asia. With her earnings from that pig, she bought another piglet for 1,200 rupees (approximately $20). After raising this second piglet for six months, she gained a handsome profit by selling it for 4,700 rupees (approximately $77).

With her earnings from these two pigs, Apurva was able to build something her family desperately needed.

“My daughters are now growing up. I did not like for them to take baths outside,” she says. “Many times I felt bad . . . when I saw my daughters taking their baths outside. But I had no option since I did not have money to make a bathroom. With the money I received from selling the piglets, I was able to build a small bathroom and a toilet.

“Now I don’t have that uneasy feeling anymore about my children bathing. I feel secure. This toilet has helped us a lot. Before, we had to go to the jungle to go to the bathroom, but now it is very easy because we have it at our own house. I am very happy and thankful to God and to the church leaders who have helped me receive [the piglet], which has become a great blessing for my family.”

The gift of a piglet, donated by someone like you through Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalogue, has not only helped a believer give her seven children a safe place for meeting their basic hygiene needs; it also has filled her with gratitude to the Lord. Thank you for your generosity!

My name is Sadhri. I was born and brought up in a non-Christian family. My husband, Champak, farms to support my family. I have one son named Udit.

As the days went by, my husband did not get enough work in our area, and due to this, poverty crept into our lives. We lost our joy and peace. Every evening my husband and I quarrelled over different things.

Later, when the rainy season approached, the problems at home continued to increase. Since the roof was not good, when the rain came, it just directly poured into the house, and all of the household items got wet.

All we could do was cover the roof with some plastic sheets, but that didn’t do any good. The rain kept pouring into the house during the rainy season. My family struggled with this problem for three years.

During this difficult time, nobody ever thought of helping us. We were just managing our lives with what we had. It was a really terrible and miserable time in my life. There was no one that I could share my personal problems with. But, one particular day while we were repairing our roof, trying to cover it with some tree leaves, one Gospel for Asia pastor visited our house and gave us some Gospel literature.

The pastor assured me of his daily prayers for my family. That was the day I felt something good in my life. That evening, I read the Gospel tracts, and while reading the tracts, I understood that there was only one God, and that was Jesus Christ.

Three days later, I happened to meet with the pastor again, and I asked him to pray for me. Seeing my desire to know more about Jesus, he and his wife started visiting my house regularly. Eventually, I decided to follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

My husband and son were not happy with my new decision to follow Jesus, but I shared the Gospel with them. Later, God changed their hearts, and they also opened their hearts to Jesus. Every day we prayed for our family needs. As the days went by, God started blessing us with so many good things.

Later, through the Christmas gift distribution program of Gospel for Asia, my family received two tin roofing sheets. On that particular day I thanked God from the bottom of my heart, saying, “Every rainy season I was facing a lot of troubles. During the rainy season, my house used to be filled with water. There was no place to keep the household items and no place to cook the food and sleep. Thank you, Lord, for changing my situation.”

Thanks.
Yours in Christ,
Sadhri

Look at Pastor Samuel’s life. His eight years of imprisonment started with injustice, confusion and waiting. I am sure in the beginning it felt unfair—like a bad dream that just didn’t end. Then look at Jesus. He was one of the most misunderstood people. No matter what He did, there were always those who found fault with Him, to the extent that He was crucified. Then we have the list of people in Hebrews 11—Abraham, Noah, Enoch, Job, Joseph and David—all approved by God so much so that Scripture says, “The world was not worthy of them” (Hebrews 11:38).

When you read their stories in the Bible, you get a fresh understanding of the realities and difficulties they actually experienced here on earth. They were called by God, doing the right things, but they found themselves in times of suffering. The crisis of Christianity right now is that our rationalistic theology so disconnects us from God, His character and His dealings with humanity that we’re no longer able to grasp what godliness is and how we get there. All these people in Hebrews 11 understood it: They suffered as they embraced God’s call on their lives, and they were not held back by the trials that awaited them. The trademark of their lives was that in the midst of all, they willingly yielded to God and followed Him.

Pastor Samuel had to suffer the pain of being falsely imprisoned for the sake of Christ, and this is exactly the kind of thing Christ talked about in Matthew 10. Hundreds of our precious brothers and sisters who are serving God on the mission field in many nations continually experience opposition, misunderstanding and physical torture, but they all know the Lord will never forsake them, and He gives them the grace to face trials and fulfill the call He gave them. This is exactly what we see in the lives of Paul, Stephen and others when we read the book of Acts.

May God give us the grace to think about these brothers and sisters and not only pray for them but also stand with them as they continue to reach the most unreached in our generation. Thank you for being one who is standing with them for the sake of Christ.