Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Updates & Reports from the Mission Field

In late July, heavy monsoon rains inundated many parts of West Bengal, India. The resulting floods killed 50 people. When open sewer drains contaminated the floodwaters, people fell prey to diarrhea, skin diseases and other waterborne illnesses.

On August 17, Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers in West Bengal hosted a free medical camp for flood victims in a community that was struggling even before the floods hit. Many residents are widows who work as beggars while their children seek additional income by scavenging through trash and selling whatever they can find.

Many different people, including four pastors, a Sisters of Compassion team and five doctors, worked together to make the medical camp possible.

Nearly 200 people came to receive checkups at the medical camp.

Volunteers measured the patients’ weight and checked their blood pressure. Then the patients had a free visit with one of the five doctors present.

Many of the people at the medical camp could not have afforded a doctor’s consultation fee. One 60-year-old woman at the camp had been suffering from stomach pain for months but hadn’t visited a doctor because of the expense. She and many others expressed their gratitude to the church for the free medical care.

Read more about recent flooding in South Asia, and find out how you can pray for relief efforts.