Rejoice!

No matter how hard he tried, Sundrit couldn’t free himself on his own.

As an alcoholic and a drug addict, Sundrit experienced the effects of his habits on a daily basis. He tried to quit in the hopes of creating a better life for himself and his wife, but severe withdrawal symptoms prevented success. Without drugs, Sundrit felt like he would die.

In desperation, he asked a medical doctor for help. Sundrit took the medicine the doctor prescribed but soon realized that, although the medicine could treat the symptoms, it could not free him from his addictions. Whenever Sundrit tried to stop taking the treatments, his cravings returned.

Film Team Visits Village

Then one day, a woman in Sundrit’s village introduced him to her nephew, Dhir, who belonged to a Gospel for Asia-supported film team, and Pastor Raahi. The men invited Sundrit to watch a movie about Jesus that they planned to show in the village that evening.

After the film showing that night, Dhir and Pastor Raahi offered to pray for the villagers who had gathered there. Sundrit approached the two men and told them about his troubles and addictions. They listened earnestly and prayed for Sundrit.

Man Freed in Two Weeks

Soon after, Sundrit started to attend the church where Pastor Raahi served. He came to understand the great love Jesus has for him and noticed a peace and joy in his own heart that had not been there before he knew about the Saviour.

Only 15 days after the men first prayed for him, God turned Sundrit’s life completely around. Unlike the occasions before when he had searched for freedom, Sundrit stopped drinking and taking drugs—this time for good.

“God delivered me from all the addiction,” Sundrit says.

New Life in Christ

In a matter of days, God’s love transformed Sundrit into a new man. When Sundrit’s wife noticed the complete difference in his character, she also decided to trust in the love of Jesus. Together, the couple is now growing in their love of the One who frees people.

Film teams travel far and put in long hours to show films on the life of Jesus.

“I am so thankful to God . . . and the fim ministry team,” Sundrit says. “God changed my life and has given me a new life.”

Thank you for making a difference in the lives of people like Sundrit. Through your prayers and financial support of Gospel for Asia ministries, many people across South Asia are hearing about the love of Christ for the fist time.

How are people living in this village? Gospel for Asia supported pastor Sadavir wondered.

The water in this remote village was filled with clay, iron and mud, plaguing residents with frequent fevers, colds and digestive problems. Although many people tried to make water filters, it didn’t help.

“In the summer, we suffered a lot due to the scorching sun,” a villager named Gatik shares. “We desire a glass of water, but by seeing the impure water, our thirst goes away.”

When he saw this great need, Pastor Sadavir and a team of Gospel for Asia workers organized an event to distribute BioSand water filters to needy villagers.

Water is hard to come by in many remote areas of Asia, where most of the year it doesn't rain.

Those who have the water filters allow their neighbours to use them, so everyone now has access to pure water.

“Now we are drinking very good water,” Gatik says.

Village health has improved greatly since having the filters, and thankful for the gifts, people also have grown interested in learning about Jesus from the local pastor.

Flooded with anguish and grief after his father’s death, little Baucha dropped out of school and withdrew from society. From then on, whenever someone even glanced at him while laughing, he took offense and responded by throwing stones and spitting at them.

People in the village supposed Baucha would become a madman as he grew up, and they were right.

Madness Progresses

As an adult, Baucha would turn violent in a moment. Quick to hold a grudge, his unsteady voice rarely uttered a respectful comment. Before Baucha’s mother died of old age, she tried every doctor and religious leader she could find to restore her son to his right mind. Sadly, nothing worked.

Eventually events took an unusual turn. The deranged man started spending his time in a local cave, neglecting his farmwork. One day, he declared himself to be a priest. The villagers thought him both absurd and very frightening; they even planned to call the authorities to take him away.

Pastor Meets Madman

When a Gospel for Asia-supported pastor named Pranish met Baucha, Baucha reacted violently. But Pranish spoke with kindness and love, and Baucha calmed down in seconds, quietly listening to the pastor’s words.

Villagers warned Pranish not to talk to Baucha, but Pastor Pranish was filed with compassion for the troubled man. For weeks, he prayed for Baucha and showed him the love of Jesus through his actions and through the Word of God.

God Renews the Mind of a Madman

When Baucha entered a worship service two months later, even the believers were surprised to see him. Pastor Pranish welcomed Baucha to the church and prayed once again for his healing. God answered in a beautiful way.

God gave Baucha a new heart and mind that afternoon, and the other villagers stood amazed—some of them now believe Jesus is God. Today, this former madman is a kind, softspoken, hardworking husband and father of two, and he is growing in the grace of Jesus Christ.

The following comes from an interview with Darshana, a child living at Gospel for Asia’s House of Hope, a home for abandoned and runaway girls. This interview took place in 2014, when Darshana was 11 years old.

My name is Darshana, and I am in fourth grade. We are five siblings. I am the oldest one. My younger brother is elsewhere. He is in another orphanage. But we four sisters are here in House of Hope. The youngest sister’s name is Hinda. Older to her is Lalana, then Latangi. I am the eldest. I am Darshana.

Children Live with Drunken Father

Before coming to House of Hope, we were staying with my father at home. I don’t have my mother right now. She actually ran away from home. I do not know where she is.

My father is a painter, but he used to drink a lot and used to come home and beat my mother severely. … We also didn’t want to stay with our father because my father used to beat me very hard. … He used to use [a] big cane, and with that he used to beat me anywhere on the body.

We were very small, and we used to play. If we were not doing any work at home like cleaning the house or if we were playing with other children, my father used to get furious, and he used to come and beat me.

Little Girl Flees Father’s Abuse

Darshana grew so distraught with the beatings that she ran away from home. For five days, she wandered the streets alone.

At just 10 years old, Angeline has already suffered the anguish of losing both of her parents.

When I ran from home, I didn’t know where I went. But I walked so far, and I was very hungry. But I didn’t eat anything. I was very sad and upset with my father.

After Darshana wandered the streets for five days, some police officers found her and took her to an orphanage for the night. The next morning, the Child Welfare Committee began investigating her situation and soon stepped in to help. Her brother entered one orphanage, and the four sisters entered Gospel for Asia’s House of Hope.

Sadly, Darshana’s father has no desire to be a part of his children’s lives.

Children Find New Life at House of Hope

I like this place so much, because the way my mother loved us, the way my mother cared for us [is the] same way this staff . . . cares for us. It is like my own home.

The reason I think they love us so much is because they love God. They serve God. Because of God’s love, the staff here, they care for us, and they love us. Had they not known Jesus, had they not loved God, they would not have loved us the way they love us. Nobody would have ever loved us the way the staff here loves us.

From Poverty to Provider

After Darshana’s mother left, the young girl had to drop out of school to take care of her siblings. Since joining the House of Hope, she has been able to resume her studies. As Darshana grows, she plans to learn tailoring, and then eventually become a teacher to help give poor and needy children an education.

So many children could not go to school because of the financial condition or some other problem at home. I want to become a teacher so I can teach those underprivileged children. . . . I want to serve them.

Thinking of or imagining leaving this place hurts me so much. … We [are] blessed here

Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support for the ministries of Gospel for Asia. You are making a greater difference than you realize, enabling us to reach out to precious little girls like Darshana to show them the eternal love of Jesus.

People sat transfixed together in front of the young man whose feet danced so brilliantly in time with the music of the guitar-like sitar. Only a few years earlier, Natraj could not have dreamed he would one day perform as a classical dancer in competitions across the country.

Mother Struggles to Provide

Growing up, Natraj and his little sister, Eila, lived in a thatched house in the middle of their village. Their father, Romir, worked as a daily wage labourer in a nearby town, but rather than care for his family, he spent the small amount of money he earned each day to fuel his addictive habits: drinking and gambling. Whenever his wife, Parmita, approached Romir about his behaviour, he would rebuke her in anger and abuse her. Life was a daily struggle for the family.

Eventually Parmita realized the responsibility to provide for the family rested upon her shoulders, so she looked for work as a maidservant.

Despite their mother’s efforts, Natraj and Eila had no soap to use when they bathed and little food to eat. Sometimes Parmita managed to bring home leftover food from the homes she worked in, but other times her children only had water and gruel to fil their growling stomachs.

The children lived with need, fear and shame, while the rest of the village looked down on them in disgust and disapproval.

Children’s Fears Relieved

One thing concerned Parmita more than anything else: the education of her children. Little Eila didn’t like school, and Natraj, six years older than his sister, seemed unusually reserved. In 2006, Parmita learned about a local Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope centre and enrolled both her children.

Embarrassment washed over the siblings as they entered the centre for the first time. What would the other students say about their fithy, wornout clothes? What would the teachers think? Eila worried they would beat her if she did not study well.

The children quickly realized they had no need to be frightened. After their arrival, Natraj and Eila received soap, toothpaste, clothes, notebooks, pens and other supplies from the centre, and they ate a balanced meal every day. Though she didn’t like to study before, Eila learned to enjoy her schoolwork through the staff members’ encouragement. They taught her memory songs to help her in mathematics, and Eila’s studies began to improve.

The children understood the love Jesus has for them through the staff members’ love and kindness. Life still held its difficulties, but the children began to smile again.

Dancing His Way to Graduation

When the staff members recognized the God-given talents the children possessed, they encouraged the siblings to pursue and develop those skills. Natraj became proficient in the art of classical dancing and won several awards as he grew older. His sister, now 14, followed in his footsteps and learned to dance as well. She hopes to be a doctor someday, and Natraj, following his graduation from Bridge of Hope, studied in a fashion design school. He continues to perform classical dances across the country.

Parmita and both her children now attend church together and are growing in their love of the Lord.

“The help my children got from the Bridge of Hope centre is unspeakable,” Parmita says. “The [love of Jesus] we received is priceless.”

Thank you for praying and giving toward Gospel for Asia ministries like Bridge of Hope. Through your support, God is touching the hearts of people across South Asia like Eila and Natraj.

As I travel through so many nations, I often hear the words “thank you.” Sometimes this phrase is communicated in a language I understand; sometimes it’s not. Sometimes it’s just in a look or in someone’s body language, but I still understand what the person is trying to tell me.

The words “thank you” are some of the sweetest words in any language, but I think we sometimes glaze over them. The more we hear them, the more they seem to lose their meaning!

Please, read this slowly, and really seek to understand what you are part of through your prayers and donations. I wish you could see my eyes as I’m saying this. These simple words are so much more than just words.

Thank you. Your prayers enable Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries like Pranish to continue in the grace of God, sharing His love with precious men and women who have never heard the name of Jesus.

Thank you. Through the donations of men and women like you, Gospel for Asia workers are able to bless mothers and fathers with practical gifts such as sewing machines, winter clothing and access to pure water, enabling them to care for their families.

Thank you. Through your generosity and prayers, you are part of ministering to girls like Darshana, showing them a love they never received at home.

Thank you. Your prayers enable boys like Natraj to discover their hidden talents at Bridge of Hope centres. The futures of many children are being made bright as men and women like you give and pray on their behalf.

Thank you, my brother, my sister. Your prayers and donations have made an eternal difference in the lives of those Jesus died for.

Through you, the world will never be the same.

Thank you.