GFA World Newsletter

April 2020, Vol. 17, No. 3

In this slum community, many people suffer from severe health problems they cannot afford to treat. Pastor Tarik arranged a free medical camp to provide the care they needed.

Tarik, a GFA-supported pastor, serves in the heart of one of the largest cities in Asia. Looking up from the squalor and poverty of the slums, he can see towering skyscrapers and landmarks, like pristine mountains rising above a murky swamp. The people he ministers to are among the most impoverished and underprivileged.

As Pastor Tarik serves this community, one thing has grown increasingly clear: People’s health is suffering. Heavy pollution, exposed sewage and lack of awareness about hygiene have caused breathing problems, heart disease and many other sicknesses to ravage the community, sometimes resulting in death. Families struggle every day just to survive, and they can’t afford to visit the doctor.

Seeing this need and determined to help these precious people, Pastor Tarik knew exactly what to do: He organized a free medical camp.

An Obstacle Removed

Although medical events had been held in the village before, they had seen little attendance. But a crowd showed up to Pastor Tarik’s medical camp, which was open and free for everyone.

Darasha, who attends Pastor Tarik’s church, was especially looking forward to the camp. Multiple health problems had taken their toll on the man. He suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and epilepsy. Darasha attended the medical camp hoping he would find some form of relief.

At the medical camp, Darasha received the important treatment and medical advice he could not afford elsewhere.

While there, Darasha saw Sisters of Compassion visiting with the attendees, offering a helping hand and gentle smiles. Soon, it was Darasha’s turn to see the doctors.

The medical team listened to Darasha and offered treatment, advice and appropriate medicines to help him combat his illnesses. When they finished, Darasha sought out Pastor Tarik.

“Thank you for conducting such a helpful event,” Darasha said. “Please continue to have [these] events in our area so that many people like me can find a solution to their health problems.”

Around 186 people received treatment at the camp. Many of the attendees expressed interest in learning about Christ, whose love made the medical camp possible. One person told Pastor Tarik they would help the church with any future needs.

Pastor Tarik, several doctors and Sisters of Compassion made the free medical camp possible

“I thank God,” Pastor Tarik says, “for the privilege to be a great help for the people in my neighborhood.”

Many women in Asia had no opportunity to learn to read during their childhood. Adult literacy classes empower women in many ways, from making fair deals in the marketplace to reading God’s Word for themselves.

Delani’s past holds more tragedy than most people ever encounter. As a child, she and her four siblings became orphans. Their subsequent poverty forced Delani to abandon her dream of literacy and marry at age 14. She and her husband happily raised two sons together—until her husband died. At only 21 years old, Delani became a widow.

Then tragedy struck again: Delani’s house burned down. What once provided safety and comfort now lay scattered as charred fragments—just like her shattered dreams. Delani started to despair, even doubting the value of her life.

Rebuilding on Words of Life

During this time of crisis, Delani met a GFA-supported pastor. She learned about her true value, that God gave His life for her and offers her abundant, eternal life.

The news of Jesus changed Delani’s life. She began worshiping with local believers and learning about Christ, and her heart began to heal. But when Delani saw other women carrying their Bibles and songbooks, her long-suppressed desire to read rose to the surface again. Delani ached to read about the Savior she now loved and to learn songs to sing to Him.

Delani

A few years later, Delani’s dream of literacy came true, thanks to partners like you. A GFA-supported literacy class opened in Delani’s church, and she enthusiastically participated. She studied by candlelight at night, poring over her lessons. When neighbors mocked her for studying, she kept her eyes fixed on her goal. She asked God for help, and He granted her understanding.

Today, Delani’s childhood dream of reading and writing is fulfilled. Although waves of sorrow rocked her past, she is now grounded in God’s Word and is walking in new hope for her future.

Maala trotted along beside her mother. The sun warmed her face and back, subtly reminding her of the heat to come in the afternoon.

In Maala’s community, fetching each day’s water from a distant well was a labourious task that involved adults and children alike, making it difficult for children to attend school.

After 30 minutes of walking, Maala presented the small jug she had been carrying and watched her mother pour water into it. Then she grasped her container tightly in her small hands and began the long walk back home, taking care to not slosh out any of the precious water.

At only 3 years old, Maala was already helping her family survive. Her village’s water crisis meant that long walks for water would burden her for the next 13 years.

Choosing Between Water and Education

The families in Maala’s community lived in a rocky, hilly location with few streams or large bodies of water. They couldn’t finance drilling a well deep enough to provide water year-round, so they had to make long trips to a distant well—often three or four times each morning and evening. Maala and the other children in her village regularly helped their mothers fetch water, carrying heavy pots back and forth.

“I used to feel very tired and very exhausted when I got home,” Maala recalls, now in her teens. “But then there was no other option.”

When Maala reached school age, she often struggled to fetch water in time to catch her bus, which meant she missed the entire day of school. But the severity of the water crisis in Maala’s village required families to prioritize fetching water over receiving education—even though education was the best chance for their children to escape poverty.

“Many times, I missed important lessons in the class, which affected my studies,” Maala explains. “During the exam, I would find it difficult because I [had not been] able to attend those classes.”

Working Together to Alleviate Water Crisis

GFA-supported pastor Bharit grew up in this area and later served as a pastor over believers in nearby villages. He witnessed the bickering at the distant water source, the frustration people felt spending so much time gathering water when they had children and crops to care for, the children missing precious school days, and the barren fields when crops dried up.

Bharit told his leaders how the community desperately needed clean water and asked them to install a Jesus Well. The generosity of believers around the world meant Pastor Bharit’s request could be granted, and he began searching for a good location to drill the well.

A believer in Pastor Bharit’s congregation noticed a plot of land that stood close to a main roadway. The landowner, Ojayit, happily volunteered his land for the project.

“I feel very glad and very happy that at least by donating a small piece of land I was able to become a help to villagers,” Ojayit shares. “By letting this piece of land be used for a Jesus Well, actually I’m doing a service to the society.”

Soon, a brand-new Jesus Well started gushing clean drinking water within the village, eliminating the long walk to the old water source.

Thanks to a Jesus Well installed in this community, people now draw clean water nearby their homes, making it much easier for children to attend school.

Jesus Well Changes Futures

Maala was 16 when the Jesus Well appeared on the scene, and her life changed dramatically—as it did for all the children. The new well sat just a few minutes away, so she easily gathered water in time to catch her school bus.

“I don’t have any of the struggles I used to have,” Maala reports happily. “I’m not absent in my classes. … [The Jesus Well] has been such a great help for all the kids.”

Because everyone did what they could to help—Pastor Bharit, Ojayit and those who funded the well—the children in Maala’s village don’t need to choose between education or water anymore, and their childhoods don’t need to be spent commuting for water.

Pastors and national workers listen to people’s concerns and share wise counsel and encouragement with those who may have no one else to turn to.

Torun ignored his wife, Foolan, as he walked out of their home in silence. It had been four months since their last big fight—and since their last real conversation together. Refusing to speak to each other felt almost normal now.

Torun made his way down the road. It was Wednesday, which meant the weekly market would be open. Villagers there would probably talk about his marriage again. The couple’s issues were widely known, but the more advice people gave, the worse Torun and Foolan argued.

Soon, another man appeared on the road. GFA-supported missionary Benoy greeted Torun and, for the third time, accompanied him to the market. Pastor Benoy hoped that by befriending Torun he would be able to help the struggling couple.

Advice from a Friend

As Benoy and Torun walked together, Torun opened up to the pastor.

“If you would come to my home, you would know that my wife and I seldom talk with each other,” he said. “You might get shocked. How is the relationship between you and your wife?”

A smile crossed Benoy’s face as he thought of his beloved wife.

“Quarreling is a common thing among married people,” Benoy shared. “But there is also a solution.”

Benoy explained that although submitting to one another in love is not easy, it is right. Considering Benoy’s words, Torun invited him to come to his home.

A Home of Love, Respect

When Benoy arrived the next evening, Foolan sullenly walked out of the house. She assumed Benoy would take her husband’s side, but instead, he politely asked her to come inside and sit next to her husband. Then Benoy shared words of wisdom and prayed over them, showing respect to Torun and Foolan both.

Torun and Foolan

The couple observed Benoy’s kindness and realized how poorly they were treating each other. Weeping, they knelt together and committed to change their ways.

Thereafter, Benoy continued counseling Torun and Foolan from God’s Word, and the husband and wife grew in their love for each other—and for God. Now, they worship Him together and stand as a testimony to the village of Christ’s restoring power!

Although Ishya (pictured) was solely responsible for running her family’s household from age 11, she received the opportunity to pursue education and a bright future through attending Bridge of Hope.

Ishya gave one final stir to the supper she was preparing for her father and two younger siblings. A day full of chores neared its end, and the 11-year-old knew the next day would hold more chores. Laundry, meal preparation, watching her brother and sister—they were all Ishya’s responsibility.

Desperate for income, Ishya’s mother had taken a job internationally. In her absence, Ishya’s father turned his attention to the bottle instead of to his children. Although Ishya was only in grade school, running the household fell to her. She had to be the woman of the house.

Neglected Girl Becomes Role Model

One year later, staff members from a Bridge of Hope center in Ishya’s area discovered her situation and invited her to enroll in the program. Once Ishya began attending Bridge of Hope, the neglected girl received the care and encouragement she needed to thrive. Although her home life remained the same, her days in school and at Bridge of Hope shone with promise for a better future.

Already hardworking at home, Ishya applied her diligence to her studies. With the help of her Bridge of Hope tutors, she excelled in her lessons. Over the next several years, Ishya’s study habits and character became a role model to other children.

As a result of her hard work and the help from her Bridge of Hope tutors, Ishya received an A+ on her 10th-grade final exam—and a complete scholarship from her school to continue her education.

“She had a strong desire to achieve greater things in life,” says the coordinator of Ishya’s Bridge of Hope center. “Today, she has achieved one of her wishes.”

Ishya’s journey from running her home at 11 years old to now holding a scholarship was made possible by partners like you. Thank you for helping Asia’s children receive the support they need to pursue their full potential! Ishya’s life will never be the same.

When I was around 19 years old, I was in South Asia, along with my mission team. It was summertime, and there were several hundred of us young people gathered together. Our leader, George Verwer, shared with us from Hebrews 4:1–2:

“Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.”

George simply talked about letting go and not striving anymore. “Let it be,” he said. “Don’t hold on to your life. Don’t fight for anything. Let the Lord be God, and there is rest. There’s no strife.” And I never forgot that message.

God is sovereign. No matter what, whether we understand what is happening or not, He is sovereign. We are His children, and He is watching over us. You never need to despair if you know Him because He will never allow anything into your life that He is not in control of. He has a purpose in everything.

I don’t know where you are in your walk with the Lord. But I think the Lord is always looking for us to remain in a place of total dependence and childlike innocence, relying on Him. It’s not about trying to figure out all the answers or being smart or clever. Instead, as earthen vessels, we look to Him and say, “Lord, let it be. I don’t understand all these things, but I can depend on You. I want to be an instrument used by You.”

I encourage you to take a moment right now to offer yourself to Him. God’s not looking for superstars or perfect people. He’s not looking for those who know all the answers. He’s not looking for a bunch of Ph.D.s who can write down brilliant theological explanations about Scripture. He is looking for little children who will turn to Him and listen. Our hope is in Him. Let us be trusting God completely.

So as we read the stories and testimonies of transformed lives in Asia, let them be a reminder and an encouragement—a reminder of God’s unwavering power and love, and an encouragement that through us, through our partners across the globe and through the faithful workers in Asia, He is changing lives for eternity.

Some of this material appeared on K.P. Yohannan’s blog on March 26, 2018. You can find the entire post at kpyohannan.org/2019/08/08/trusting-god-like-little-children/

Rejoice!

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