GFA World Newsletter

August 2017, Vol. 13, No. 5

A young, untidy girl walked through the doors of an unassuming building, while other children, many much neater and cleaner than she was, filed past her.

Dhruvi hadn’t been attending the center for very long and didn’t know the names of all her classmates, but she would learn more of them as time passed. In fact, she would discover a great deal of her own potential to bless others during her years in the GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center.

A Family in Need

Dhruvi’s family lived in a small house with no running water and no toilet. Her father found work as a tailor while her mother worked as a daily-wage laborer, but their earnings were insufficient to provide food for their two daughters, let alone the necessary school supplies.

“My parents did not study,” Dhruvi shares. “They have been working as laborers their whole life. But they are encouraging me to study well.”

When Dhruvi’s parents encountered Amoolya, who worked at the local Bridge of Hope center, they were eager to know if one of their children could be enrolled in the program. That’s how Dhruvi’s transformation commenced.

A Little Girl with Big Dreams

External changes were quick to take place and easy to notice: Dhruvi’s hair was neater, her clothes were cleaner, her nails were trimmed. The application of soap changed the way others might perceive her, while her new perception of herself helped her apply herself fully.

GFA-supported Bridge of Hope centers provide a quality—and fun—education for many children like Dhruvi (not pictured) who would otherwise not be able to afford schooling.

Through her time at Bridge of Hope, Dhruvi developed a passion for study. She eagerly spent extra time going through her books, and with the help of her tutors, she excelled.

“Now I consider myself to have the necessary qualities to be a successful lawyer,” she declares. “I am a confident speaker who can argue a case with efficiency and potency.”

Through Bridge of Hope, Dhruvi has discovered she can help better the lives of those around her—both her parents and her community—and she is working diligently to see that goal accomplished.

“My goal is to study well and support my parents,” Dhruvi says.

Dhruvi’s parents are very grateful for Bridge of Hope.

“The Bridge of Hope staff have disciplined Dhruvi with great values and [have taught her] to keep good hygiene,” her parents express. “We rely on and are thankful for the fresh food, which is safe and nutritious; the basic needs provided to our daughter; and all the support for her education.”

GFA-supported Bridge of Hope centers provide a quality—and fun—education for many children like Dhruvi (not pictured) who would otherwise not be able to afford schooling.

Thank You!

Thank you for your prayers and support for GFA and for children enrolled in GFA-supported Bridge of Hope centers. What a blessing to know our lives are part of helping little ones excel!

“We are truly grateful to you all for enrolling our daughter in Bridge of Hope,” Dhruvi’s parents say. “Now she is able to pay more attention to her studies and do the best that she can. Thank you, Bridge of Hope, for helping my daughter.”

And thank you, GFA partner, for helping to care for children as our Lord taught us to. May the Lord bless you.

Akhila’s mouth had uttered lies and half-truths. It had passed on things her ears heard, things that weren’t meant to be shared with others. It had spoken with manipulative intent, poking, prodding and provoking others.

But today her mouth did something different: It read aloud the Word of God.

God’s Word in the Mouth of a Whispering Wife

Akhila had spent most of her 23 years as a gossip and busybody, always seeking to get something from people. She wasted her life on the idle, fleeting pleasures offered by the world.

But when she met a GFA-supported pastor, she learned about Jesus, prayer meetings and God’s Word. She took a copy home to read, and her mouth found something new to do.

Reading the Word aloud became a daily habit. The more Akhila read, the more God moved in her heart. She also attended prayer meetings with the pastor and other believers.

‘At the Door’

One day, Akhila’s eyes lingered on the words she had just read aloud: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock.”

Something stirred within her. Her eyes reverently traced the letters, and she continued, “If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

She had never heard anything like it.

As Akhila meditated on the Messiah’s words from Revelation 3:20, passages like John 3:16 came to her heart as well—a verse familiar to many but new to her: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

As God’s Word caressed her soul, Akhila made a decision: She opened the door of her heart to Christ, and she’s never been the same.

Using Her Mouth for God’s Glory

Akhila doesn’t strive to find satisfaction through gossip anymore—she has found that which satisfies her soul. And today, the mouth that once worked to hurt and malign others now seeks to build them up through prayer. Akhila’s life has been transformed, and it’s all by the power of God working through His Word, just as He said He would.

Sweat dripped down Ekansh’s body as he dug a shovel into the ground. Earth begrudgingly gave way to his labors. But despite the difficulty, Ekansh and several others labored with joy. They had prayed for years without seeing any hint of change, but now God’s answer was impossible to miss, an answer that had started long before they ever moved a shovel full of dirt.

When You Are In Need

Ekansh was among the many who endeavored to crowd into a small mud-and-tile house for Sunday worship. But when it was hot, people didn’t always want to go. In fact, many believers didn’t make it to every service because of the extreme temperatures. Without the consistent teaching from Scripture and times of corporate prayer and worship, these men and women struggled to grow in their walks with the Lord—especially those who were illiterate or didn’t have a copy of the Word to read on their own at home. The people depended on the fellowship for growth and encouragement, but the fellowship struggled to meet in the summer heat.

The rainy season was no better, as the small house leaked water onto the heads of the worshippers, dampening clothes and spirits alike. It’s easy to romanticize house meetings in rural places or church meetings under a tree, but this was no picnic.

With Great Rejoicing

So the people prayed. They and their GFA-supported pastor, Brijesh, asked God to provide them with a piece of land and supplies to build. And He did. He put it on the hearts of people in the congregation to give what they could, and He moved in the hearts of men and women around the world to contribute the remainder.

When the congregation found out God had answered and they could go forward with construction, they got very excited and broke out in spontaneous praises to God!

From February to October, the congregants labored together. Some donated materials like sand and bricks. Others, like Ekansh, helped with the physical labors of digging out the foundation and levelling the floor. What they couldn’t provide, the donations of others supplied. And for anything they couldn’t build, hired hands did instead.

In October, with the cutting of a ribbon and much rejoicing, the new building was inaugurated.

And for a 25-year-old man named Sidak, who watched all this unfold, the start of this church building marked the start of a change in his life, as well.

A Blessing for All Who Come

On the day of the building’s dedication, Sidak decided to show up. He hadn’t been invited by any human hand, but God drew him there that day. As Sidak watched the ceremony, listened to the teaching and heard the songs and prayers, peace settled into his heart. Since that day, he started attending the worship services, where the peace of Christ made a permanent change in his life.

But Sidak and Ekansh aren’t the only ones who have been blessed through this building. Many others now have the opportunity to attend services, regardless of the weather. Rain or shine, believers can gather to grow in their relationship with the Lord.

Many individuals, like this GFA-supported worker, greatly desire to see churches built so people can worship God freely.

Neeharika doubled over, retched, sputtered and watched in horror as blood came out. Over the next several days, the pain and the stress of her illness made it difficult for her to think straight. Her hope wore thin.

But then there was a knock at the door, and her pastor, GFA-supported pastor Ganaraj, walked in.

“During my visit, . . . Neeharika told me about the sickness she had been suffering with since many days,” Pastor Ganaraj recalls. “She told me she was suffering from vomiting of blood, and due to this illness she was physically very weak and mentally stressed too.”

Pastor Ganaraj cared deeply for the people the Lord had entrusted in his care. He made it a habit to visit families from his congregation to see how they were doing, to pray for them and to encourage them from the Word of God.

“In order to get healed of this sickness,” Ganaraj says, “she had met doctors and took medicine, but she did not find any improvement in her health. She also spent a lot of money. Her family tried their best and made several attempts to bring her healing, but all their efforts failed.

“After having shared with me all of her troubles, she requested me to pray for her healing. I took the prayer concern seriously and prayed for her healing.”

After Pastor Ganaraj’s visit, Neeharika decided to attend worship services regularly and spend time with other believers. She also began praying to Jesus more often, trusting in Him for her well-being.

“The Lord indeed saw her faith and answered her prayers,” Ganaraj declares. “Now she is completely alright!”

Praise the Lord! God continues to move in the hearts and lives of His children, and your prayers for pastors like Ganaraj enable them to minister to people in need, often at just the right moment in their lives. Thank you!

It was early in the morning, and excitement filled the air—Vacation Bible School (VBS) had finally commenced! There had never been any activity like this in Ketaki’s village before, and the seventh grader was about to gain a new perspective on life.

Old Stories, Young Hearts

The theme for the VBS program was “Run to Win,” and the purpose was to impart to children the importance of having a goal in their life—something some of the children in Ketaki’s village may have never considered. Throughout the programs, Ketaki and the other children were prayed for, encouraged and inspired to grow and pursue their dreams.

As they—and other children across many nations—learned lessons from the Bible, like the story of King Jehoshaphat, who relied on God’s strength and found victory in his struggles, many children recognized how God can carry them through their own difficult circumstances when they rely on Him and His strength. Other children were inspired by the story of Joseph, who persevered through many years of hardship and never stopped trusting in God.

A Few Days to Inspire a Child Forever

“I am blessed personally through this program,” shared 14-year-old Ketaki. “Through this program, I learned to give priorities to my studies. I have an ambition to become a well-known nurse in the society as well as in my community, and I took the decision to move forward, relying on God’s strength.”

Proud mothers and fathers could hardly contain their joy to see their children growing in the knowledge and fear of God. They expressed their gratitude to the teachers who set aside their time to patiently teach their children. As VBS came to a close, people in Ketaki’s village were already talking about and wondering: When can we have another one?

It can be difficult, sometimes painfully difficult, to be different. Anyone who has faced any peer pressure, which I think everyone does from time to time, knows this.

The people of Israel, after so many years of being governed by judges, turned to Samuel and said they wanted a king to be like all the other nations around them. You can read the sad story in 1 Samuel 8. God heard their request, and He essentially told Samuel, “Let it be. It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me.”

In our world, living a different life for Christ is a perpetual conflict. Everything around us keeps grabbing us and striving to gain our attention, our time and our focus. It happens through emails, websites, sports, music, TV—everything. Even our friends and relatives, despite their best intentions, can pull us away from our devotion to Christ. They may say things like, “Don’t be crazy,” “Take care of yourself” or “You’re going off the deep end.” So many things around us try to hold on to us, to change our focus to ourselves, to have us be part of this world. But it’s a personal choice we must make to commit ourselves to Christ and say, “I belong to my Lord—body, mind, soul and spirit—both now and forever.”

I think about the early Christians in the book of Acts. They stood out and faced all sorts of pressure, difficulties and persecution for their faith. But if you reread Acts, which I’m encouraging everyone to do right now, it’s amazing to see how God was moving in their midst. It is good for us to see how these Christians lived in the very beginning of the Church. They asked God continually to have mercy on them, and they also found grace. Not only were they not afraid of being different for His sake, but they found grace to boldly proclaim His name daily.

I want to encourage you, even in the face of all the pressures of this world, to take some time to be with Christ. The only thing you and I need to do is hang on to Him and remember we are His.