Rejoice!

After having three children, Tapti faced sudden tragedy: Her husband died, leaving the four of them alone.

The young widow, a believer, couldn’t provide for her children. The family was destitute.

Neglected by Her Own Children

Laalamani also became a widow before her children were grown. She raised her son and daughter, and eventually they both got married and moved out. Sadly, neither of her children looked after her, and the people in her village didn’t have good relationships with her.

One day, Gospel for Asia pastor Baldev Das shared with Laalamani about Christ’s love for her, and she started attending services at Pastor Baldev’s church.

Touched by God’s Love

On June 23, 2013, Gospel for Asia fellowships across South Asia celebrated International Widows’ Day.

Tapti joined 120 women, 70 of them widows, for a celebration. The local pastor shared from God’s Word, telling the widows how much God loves and cares about them.

That day, through the generosity of believers around the world, Tapti received a piglet! With the profit she makes from the sale of the pig, she will be able to provide for her family and perhaps buy another piglet to continue the income.

“After a few years, [my husband] died,” Tapti shares. “I felt very sad, but through the encouragement from the speaker that God loves us and cares for us as widows . . . I am touched by this program.”

Laalamani also attended a Widows’ Day program. There the speaker distributed saris, the traditional dress of South Asian women, to 14 widows. The sari impressed Laalamani with the genuine concern the Church has for her.

“I was never given a sari anytime, not even by my own children,” she says. “But you people gave me one. I am thankful.”

In addition to the Christian widows at these programs, non-Christian widows also heard, perhaps for the first time, of God’s great love for them.

The Lord is using you to meet the desperate need of some of the most abused and abandoned people in the world. Thank you for showing them His love.

Seva, a wife and mother of four, shares the impact of one little piece of paper:

“I had been suffering with typhoid for five years. For my treatment we had gone to doctors, but I did not find any relief. When the doctors did a checkup, they were not able to find any sickness in me. At last we went to a magician whose advertisement we had seen on the television. He charged us a big amount of money. There also I was not healed.

“There was a shrine in our house. We had buried my husband’s father’s body in the shrine, where we used to pour oil to worship the spirits. He was a witchcraft doctor. My father-in-law’s pupil told us that my father-in-law, who was dead, wanted some service from us. Therefore we buried our father’s dead body in our home and were worshiping it. Our condition turned worse, and we were very afraid. We again went to the witch doctor. There was no relief. I thought that there was no god at all.

“One day, some people [gave] us some literature. I read the tract and saw a phone number on that tract. … A little ray of hope came to our hearts. We dialed the phone number in the tract and shared all our problems through the phone. That was Gospel for Asia pastor Harsukh. He prayed for us over the phone. He invited us to church.

“For the first time, we heard the Word of God in the service. … Having faith in our hearts, we continued to come to Sunday services. As our faith increased, our problems began to decrease. We conducted prayer meetings at our home. God’s servant earnestly prayed for me, and I was delivered completely. We [took out] the shrine from our house, and the dead body was removed. I put my trust in Jesus Christ. Now we are happy in the Lord.”

Thank you for sharing Christ’s love with people like Seva. One day, you’ll find out whose hands—and lives—your generosity has touched.

Nandi doesn’t remember why he left home as a young boy, but he can’t forget how much his life has changed since then.

Several years ago, Nandi got on a train and ended up on the streets. Handicapped by polio, Nandi was a prime target for people who take advantage of street children. A man coerced Nandi to beg for him and, after a few years, took him to another city. Along with many other children, Nandi spent his days begging at traffic signals, and at the end of each day, the man would take almost all of their money.

One night, however, everything changed. Nandi was begging as usual when a vehicle ran over him. Seeing Nandi bleeding on the street, the man left him to die. But a compassionate woman brought Nandi to a hospital for treatment. After a few months, Nandi’s wounds healed, and the government sent him to a home for abandoned and runaway boys run by GFA staff.

A New Home

There, Nandi receives shelter, nutrition, education and care. The staff arranged for Nandi to go to a good school, and he is now excelling in second grade, with hopes of becoming a social worker in the future. He also loves participating in cultural dances, skits and sports with the other boys at the home. Through the compassionate staff, Nandi is experiencing Christ’s love—a love that starkly contrasts the abuse and neglect he once knew. He has decided to embrace Jesus’ love, and he wants to remain a faithful member of the Body of Christ throughout his life.

“I am very much grateful to [the] children’s home, which has been taking care of me and providing me education, clothes, food and my daily needs,” Nandi says. “When I remember my past life, when there was nobody to take care of me, I had to beg. But now, the . . . teachers and [staff] take care of me, and that reminds me to be faithful to Jesus and follow Christ forever.”

Through an accident that could have left Nandi dead, God brought him off the streets to a place of safety and hope, and now Nandi worships Him joyfully. With your support, Gospel for Asia is able to provide a loving home for more children like Nandi.

Anavi broke down in tears when she heard the news: Her daughter Tvisha had a hole in her heart and needed surgery.

As a widow who struggled to provide for four children, Anavi knew she would never be able to afford the 350,000 rupees (approximately $5,800) needed for the surgery.

Medical Checkup Ends in Fear

Despite grinding poverty, Anavi had always managed somehow to feed her children. Then, the family’s situation looked up when Tvisha was enrolled in GFA Bridge of Hope, which provided for the girl’s education and a nutritious meal each day. When Anavi got a job as a cook at the Bridge of Hope centre, the family’s financial burden eased further. The family’s basic needs were met, and Tvisha began excelling in her studies.

One day, though, the Bridge of Hope centre hosted a medical camp for the children, inviting a pediatrician to give checkups to the students. When the doctor was checking Tvisha, he noticed something wasn’t right and concluded she might have a hole in her heart. He prescribed some tests for Tvisha, but Anavi didn’t know how or where these tests could be done. Tvisha was afraid upon hearing she might need to have surgery.

Miriam, one of the coordinators of the Bridge of Hope centre, encouraged Anavi and began praying with Anavi for God to heal Tvisha. Miriam also took on the responsibility of getting Tvisha the needed medical tests.

Miriam took Tvisha to a cardiac hospital two hours away to receive the tests, which confirmed that Tvisha did indeed have a hole in her heart. The doctors said that not having the operation could be very dangerous for Tvisha.

Going the Extra Mile for Girl’s Health

When Miriam explained the situation, Anavi began weeping. But over the following weeks and months, Miriam and the Bridge of Hope staff prayed for Tvisha and comforted Anavi, declaring that God would meet her financial need.

Meanwhile, Miriam learned of a hospital a few hours away where Tvisha could go for the surgery. But Tvisha would need to go there for tests beforehand. Her mother, who never left the village, couldn’t take her.

Miriam again stepped in to help; she took Tvisha to the hospital for tests and sought out a government official for financial help. He agreed that the government would pay for Tvisha’s surgery! Seeing this miracle of provision, the Bridge of Hope staff thanked God.

God’s faithfulness continued as the surgery approached. Shortly before Miriam and Tvisha were supposed to travel to the hospital, Tvisha got sick. But after the Bridge of Hope staff and families prayed for her, she quickly recovered.

The Lord also answered their prayers for a successful operation, and a few days afterward, Miriam brought a healthy Tvisha home. Tears streamed down Anavi’s face as she struggled to find words to thank Miriam.

“No one can do [so] much for others in this world [as what] Sister Miriam did for us. May God bless you, Sister Miriam Das,” Anavi said.

As Tvisha recovered, the Bridge of Hope staff continued to help, providing her with needed nutrition like fruit and eggs.

By God’s grace, Miriam and the Bridge of Hope staff were able to stand with Tvisha and her family throughout a challenging journey.

The Lord is using your support of Bridge of Hope to provide more children with the chance to not only receive education, but also experience Christ’s love through the compassion of staff members who are willing to go the extra mile.

The flesh in his legs began to decay, and although doctors said his leprosy was curable, he couldn’t afford the necessary treatment.

Manpreet thought it was just a sting from a caterpillar, but the small, white spot on his body soon became like a boil. Although Manpreet took medicine, the spot spread all over his legs. When Manpreet couldn’t feel pain in his legs, a chilling question entered his mind: Did he have leprosy?

Diagnosed and Shunned

Manpreet’s fears were soon confirmed. The flesh in his legs began to decay, and although doctors said his leprosy was curable, he couldn’t afford the necessary treatment.

Upon hearing of the diagnosis, Manpreet’s children were frightened. Others then began looking down on him, scolding him harshly if he accidentally touched them.

As Manpreet faced a deteriorating body and painful social stigma, despair overwhelmed him. Then his grown children put the last nail in the coffin: They sent him away.

Deeply hurt by this rejection, Manpreet and his wife left their home for a small hut in a leprosy colony.

Hands of Healing and Acceptance

One day, four women came to the village with words of encouragement for Manpreet and the other leprosy victims.

“You still have hope,” they said, declaring that healing was possible.

These women were Gospel for Asia Sisters of Compassion, women missionaries specially trained and commissioned for hands-on ministry among the poor and neglected. They continued to visit the colony, and as the residents experienced the women’s love and acceptance, they began opening up to them. Hearing about the people’s sorrows, the women prayed for them and comforted them with God’s Word.

The Sisters of Compassion not only shared love and hope; they also brought medicine and dressed wounds. They regularly treated Manpreet’s wounds, and within two months, God healed him! Knowing this happened through the women’s prayers, Manpreet and his wife joyfully decided to follow Christ.

Through the sisters’ sacrificial love and concern, Manpreet and his wife have found healing—physically, emotionally and spiritually—and have even been able to share this good news with their children.

By supporting GFA missionaries, you are helping many more people to find new life and acceptance in the Body of Christ.

No matter the age of a child, most parents will stay up all night waiting for them to return home.

This was definitely true for Himesh’s parents. They waited for 11-year-old Himesh when he stayed out late at night with friends. They tried to correct him, but Himesh never changed.

One day Himesh’s friend invited him to go visit Gospel for Asia pastor Chirayu Kiran. A very pleasant visit became even more joyful when Pastor Chirayu invited Himesh to stay for Vacation Bible School that afternoon. Himesh was filled with excitement with this invitation; he stayed all afternoon participating in the VBS program. For the first time, Himesh learned songs with actions, which gave him great happiness.

The next day Himesh came again to the VBS program and learned about the compassion of Jesus, especially toward children like him. That entire night he thought about the things he learned at VBS and decided he wanted to follow Jesus.

Obedience is Key

On the last day of VBS, all the other children were sharing what they had learned. When Himesh was also asked if he wanted to share, he was nervous at first but decided to go up anyway. In that moment, he told the other children that he wanted to open his heart to Jesus.

“Whatever situation may come in my life, I will not leave my Jesus, and [I] want to minister Him all the days of my life,” proclaimed Himesh.

He now listens carefully to his parents’ instruction and shares the love of Jesus with them, even if they do not understand.

Through your support of VBS programs just like the one Himesh attended, more children are coming to learn about the One who said, “Let the little children come to Me.”

Recently, I saw a friend of mine, a brilliant scientist, whom I’ve known since the 1970s. He was a world-renowned scientist, making enormous amounts of money working for his government. In 1973, he submitted his resignation. It took the government seven years to let him go. They did everything they could to keep him from resigning.

I heard his testimony in my early days of ministry, and he said he had come to the conclusion that the greatest privilege on earth was carrying the Bible and sharing the Good News. I’ll never forget the tears and joy on his face. When I talked to him recently, he said that after serving God all these years, if he had to make that decision again, he’d make it much faster than he did those many years ago. This man was born into a rich family, and the world acclaimed him. But he came to the place where, for him, the greatest privilege was serving the Lord Jesus Christ.

I’m not a scientist, and I don’t have the credentials this man has, but I think about the privilege the Lord has given to you and me and to the missionaries, Sisters of Compassion and believers in Asia—the special privilege of serving Him. The blessings and joys that we experience, you cannot buy with a billion dollars. Our needs are met and the Lord answers our prayers, and when life is over, we’ll possess something not made by human hands.

When you stand before the Lord, you will see people who are there in His presence because you helped reach them with the message of Christ’s love—people like Laalamani, Tvisha and Manpreet. I hope that as you continue to support and pray for God’s work in Asia, you are encouraged to remember He is changing lives through you. May the Lord give you the grace to keep living for a time when there is no time—eternity.