GFA World Newsletter

January 2020, Vol. 17, No. 1

Rupak opened his front door wide to let in the three brightly dressed women. Wanting to honor his guests, Rupak quickly retrieved three chairs for the visitors.

Rupak stationed himself close to his wife and asked the women about themselves. “What are your names? Where do you come from? What do you do?” As the women responded, his expression slowly changed.

“Do not sit in our chairs!” Rupak spat out, face hardened. “Do not come into our home again!”

Saesha, Rupak’s wife, looked after the women as they hurried out the door. God had healed her through these women’s prayers, and she desperately wanted to know more about this God.

Open Doors, Closed Doors

Two weeks earlier, the three GFA-supported national workers met Saesha while she was sick with typhoid and malaria. Wanting to bring Saesha comfort, the women offered to pray for her. At first, she was nervous they were going to cast a spell on her, but when the women explained they would pray in Jesus’ name, Saesha accepted their prayers.

Later, when the women came back to see how Saesha was doing, her husband was waiting with her to thank the women whose prayers had brought healing to his wife. His gratitude quickly turned to anger, though, when he found out what God they served.

After Rupak kicked the women out of his home, they continued to see Saesha, faithfully ministering to her. She invited the women to her home on Fridays while her husband was at work, and Saesha grew in her knowledge of Jesus.

But, one Friday, the women arrived at Saesha’s home to find Rupak waiting for them. He scolded and threatened the ladies and banned them from ever coming to his house again.

Change of Circumstances Causes Change of Heart

For the next two months, the three women prayed faithfully for Saesha but did not attempt to visit her again. They also prayed for Rupak.

Meanwhile, Saesha fell sick again, pain racking her abdomen. Rupak took her to the doctor, who said his wife needed an expensive surgery. Rupak didn’t know what to do: He could never afford the surgery. Saesha implored her husband to call the sisters whose prayers God had answered once before.

Rupak did not hesitate. Desperation for his wife’s healing eclipsed his prejudice toward Christians.

Rupak searched for the women whom he had once wished to never see again. When he finally found the village where they lived, he begged them for forgiveness and asked them to come pray for his wife. The three women left with Rupak, praising God in their hearts. He was already answering their prayers for this family, and they were confident He wasn’t going to stop now.

Afterward, the women missionaries came to Rupak and Saesha’s home every Friday to fast and pray. After one month, Saesha’s pain disappeared. She went back to the doctor, who gave her an ultrasound—and declared her completely healthy.

Women missionaries build relationships with women by regularly visiting their homes, listening to their hosts’ concerns and praying together as the Lord leads them.

The three women continue to meet at Saesha’s home every Friday, praying with her and a few others from the village. While Rupak does not attend the prayer meeting, he has become a fierce defender of the sisters.

“If anyone opposes you here in the village, I will stand for you,” Rupak declares.

Exhaustion hung over Aamaal like a dark cloud. The 35-year-old woman felt nothing but fatigue, frustration and disappointment in herself and her beliefs. Aamaal’s husband, Rajkumar, regularly fell sick. As he was unable to work their farm, Aamaal took on the duty of providing for their two children.

The Worries of a Wife and Mother

Aamaal and Rajkumar sought a cure for Rajkumar’s illnesses, but the family quickly ran out of money. The rituals Aamaal observed failed to protect Rajkumar’s health, and every time her husband became ill, Aamaal’s worry increased. The labor work took a heavy toll on Aamaal, both physically and emotionally. She felt like a failure in trying to find healing for her husband—but she needed to be strong.

A Turn for the Better

One day, the family heard a knock at their door. At their threshold stood GFA-supported pastor Delmar. As the pastor talked with the family, he saw the poverty they lived in and felt the utter despair surrounding the household.

Pastor Delmar began to understand the family’s circumstances. Compassion filled his heart as he listened to the struggles facing the family. There must be some way he could help them.

A Weight Lifted Off Their Shoulders

After multiple visits from Pastor Delmar, along with prayer and encouragement, Aamaal and Rajkumar received an answer. They had been chosen to receive a piglet at a gift distribution!

When Aamaal received her piglet, she was overjoyed and speechless! The piglet would soon provide an income to help take care of Aamaal’s family—a solution to the financial problems facing her and her husband. In the future, Aamaal and Rajkumar could sell the piglet, providing themselves some security in their circumstances.

Because Aamaal’s heart was so touched by the love she and her family had been shown, she wanted to learn more about Jesus, whom she had never heard of before. Aamaal began attending worship services at the church, and as time passed, she began to understand more about Jesus and His incredible love. Soon, Aamaal fully embraced that love—all through the simple gift of a piglet.

A life of uncertainty and poverty lay before Ridhushni, but she was too young to understand. All she knew at 4 years old was that she wanted to play with her friends.

Ridhushni’s father barely made enough as a construction worker to provide for the entire family—then he contracted tuberculosis and could not work. Poverty quickly encroached on the family. Though Ridhushni’s mother desperately wanted all of her children to attend school, her small income meant Ridhushni would probably never get the chance. Instead, she and her younger brother roamed the village, with nary a care in the world.

An Open Door, a Helping Hand

Then one day, the staff of the local GFA-supported Bridge of Hope center visited families in the community to see who else needed help. When they met Ridhushni and her family, the workers’ hearts filled with compassion. Ridhushni’s mother worked hard cleaning houses in order to feed the family, but her earnings couldn’t cover the costs of health care, food and education.

The staff members informed Ridhushni and her family of the benefits the center offers, which included a warm daily meal, medical checkups and an education. Her mother eagerly grabbed the opportunity, and soon, Ridhushni found herself attending the Bridge of Hope center.

Education Inspires Wonder

With no opportunity to go to school, countless children roam the streets of their villages unguarded and unsupervised as their parents work away from home.

At first, Ridhushni lacked interest in attending the program. Never had she been in school; all she had done was play outside with her friends.

But as time passed, Ridhushni realized how fun school could be. Painting, drawing, games, cultural events and other activities all awakened in Ridhushni a sense of wonder and curiosity toward the world. Slowly but surely, Ridhushni changed from a bored little girl to a curious, studious one. Every day, the staff poured their hearts into Ridhushni and the other children, providing words of encouragement and guidance.

With no opportunity to go to school, countless children roam the streets of their villages unguarded and unsupervised as their parents work away from home.

The financial and academic help of the Bridge of Hope program allowed Ridhushni not only to attend but also to excel in the local school. The lessons and encouragement she had received at the Bridge of Hope center helped Ridhushni earn some of the highest grades in her class.

Ridhushni became an exemplary student and also an example to her peers. In celebration of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, she led a group of her friends to clean the schoolyard. The staff of the government school were amazed at this, and Ridhushni told them, “I learned this from the Bridge of Hope center.”

Hope for Her Future

Through Bridge of Hope, Ridhushni gained a future. The lessons she learned and the encouragement she received inspired Ridhushni at a very young age to be like the Bridge of Hope staff and become a teacher. Now, at 12 years old, she has a bright future, not an uncertain one.

“Bridge of Hope is a good platform for me where I am learning many things, which I will never be able to forget, even in the future,” Ridhushni says. “It is truly an opening door for me to achieve anything in my life.”

Millions of children live with little hope for their future as Ridhushni once did. However, thanks to partners across the globe and faithful staff members in Asia, we are bringing hope to those in need. Thank you for standing with us to bridge the gap for these children.

Who was the real God?

The question gnawed at Phyu Myaing’s mind. She had worshiped her god faithfully, but tragedy threw her life into a state of confusion. In 2009 her husband died from tuberculosis, leaving Phyu Myaing alone to care for three children. Three years later, Phyu Myaing’s oldest daughter died while giving birth.

Still reeling from these tragedies, Phyu Myaing met a pastor one day.

“There is a real God, whose name is Jesus,” he told her. “He gave His life to die on the cross and rose again on the third day to give eternal life to those who believe in Him.”

Phyu Myaing felt some distrust and hostility toward Christianity, but she pondered these words, wondering if Jesus was the real God.

Her questions intensified after she fell severely ill and was hospitalized for two weeks. She recovered, but a doubt lingered in her heart: “If I die today, where will I spend eternity?”

Inescapable Truth

Phyu Myaing couldn’t stop asking herself that alarming question. With no answer, her mind was enveloped by a fog of confusion and a fear of death. She wasn’t interested in Christian beliefs, though: Whenever Christians offered her literature about Jesus, she threw it away in front of them.

Phyu Myaing had a similar reaction when GFA-supported pastor Thet Moe visited her home. They talked, and Phyu Myaing took a copy of the Gospel of Matthew from him. After she opened it, she saw it was a Christian book and threw it away, angry. But before she tossed it, a verse had jumped out to her: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).

Phyu Myaing couldn’t stop thinking about those words. As the verse played on repeat in her mind, Phyu Myaing’s heart changed. She wanted to know more about Jesus.

When Pastor Thet Moe’s church held an event for people interested in learning about Christ, Phyu Myaing attended. There, the pastor described how God had changed his life, and he shared key passages from Romans: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), and “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Those words pierced Phyu Myaing’s heart. As images of past sins flashed through her mind like a slideshow, she knew she needed God’s grace through Christ.

Reading a simple New Testament or tract is often a person’s first step toward discovering truth and new hope.

A Burden Removed

Phyu Myaing came back to the program the next day. When it ended, she knelt down, tears streaming down her face. She asked God to forgive her and welcomed Him into her life.

Reading a simple New Testament or tract is often a person’s first step toward discovering truth and new hope.

Phyu Myaing later joined Pastor Thet Moe’s church and became actively involved in the Women’s Fellowship ministry. Now, with the burden of fear lifted from her heart, Phyu Myaing’s life is filled with peace and assurance. This journey of transformation started after she got to read one single verse from a copy of God’s Word. Even when she was angry and afraid, Scripture spoke to her.

Thank you for partnering with GFA-supported workers so they can continue sharing Bibles and New Testaments with those hungry for good news! Through partners like you, more people like Phyu Myaing are finding new life through the transformative words of Scripture.

During my early days of serving the Lord, I traveled all over India with a missions movement team.

In some areas where we served, it was so cold, and we slept outside every night. Thankfully, we had these feather sleeping bags that kept us warm during the night.

I can’t imagine what it would have been like to sleep outside at night without even a blanket! Believe it or not, that’s the situation for tens of thousands of people on the streets in Asia.

I think the Lord gives each of us opportunities on our journey to reach out to others in some way, whether it’s giving someone a blanket, some food or simply a kind word. He wants us to be the hands that show His love in these very practical ways.

God is all-powerful, and we can think that God “doesn’t need me.” But all throughout Scripture, there are so many examples of God using people to accomplish His purposes. God needed Noah to build the ark. He needed Abraham to start a nation and Moses to deliver His people. He needed people to build the tabernacle, to rule, to judge, to fight.

And God has not changed the way He works. He needs us, too. We are part of God’s plan in reaching out to those around us who are suffering. We need to be careful not to assume that He is unable to use us and expect Him to choose someone else. No, He has called us.

It’s easy to feel like we don’t have the power, influence or resources to make a real difference individually. But we must remember that we are part of a body: The hands do one job; the head does another job; and the ears, nose, tongue and little toes each do another.

It doesn’t matter what size part we have to play. We must open our hearts and become involved in the needs of others, whether it’s reaching out to a homeless person on the side of the road or one of the millions of people … who are desperate for water. And as a team working together, we can see great things accomplished.

Thank you for standing side-by-side with us and with our brothers and sisters on the field. Through our efforts, God has already transformed countless lives through His love. May we continue to stand as one body in Christ, bringing His hope to those who so desperately need it. May the Lord bless you!