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

Death. Abandonment. Shame.

These conspirators had imprisoned Win Nyunt’s life. She lived with a guilty heart that accused her of all her past mistakes and the decisions she had made that only seemed to lead to other bad decisions.

When she endured a barrage of painful events in a span of less than 10 years, she thought all she had to stand on was herself.

Woman Faces Agony of Widowhood

Win Nyunt had heard of Jesus when she was a child and even occasionally attended church, but she never knew Jesus as more than a name. Eventually, she got married and had two children. Sadly, when Win Nyunt was around 30, she watched in helpless agony as typhoid claimed the life of her husband. With her husband gone and two children to take care of, Win Nyunt thought her own life was over. She had no idea how she would provide for and raise her children, especially because she had asthma and couldn’t perform taxing physical labor.

After several years of hardship, a younger man approached Win Nyunt and said he wanted to marry her. Win Nyunt believed this would solve her problem, thinking he would take care of her and her children, so she entered into a relationship with him. Though the two were not married, they began to live as though they were.

Widow Refuses to Abort Her Child

Life took another heart-wrenching turn when Win Nyunt found out she was pregnant. Her boyfriend told her to get an abortion. When she refused, he left her.

“I was so ashamed to be pregnant outside of marriage,” Win Nyunt remembers. “I couldn’t face anyone, and I wished someone would come and kill me because I wasn’t brave enough to commit suicide.”

Sadly, her child was born premature and died after only three days.

Despair engulfed Win Nyunt. She thought life was meaningless, and she felt like the most evil woman in the world. But instead of asking God for help, she tried herself to untangle the twisted web her life had become.

In an effort to ease her burdens, Win Nyunt began selling alcohol to provide for her two children. Although she went to church occasionally, God seemed distant to her.

Landslides Destroy Homes

Then another tragedy marked Win Nyunt’s life. Last August, torrents of rain ripped through many parts of Win Nyunt’s country, flooding the landscape and destroying homes and crops. Saturated grounds slipped from the sides of hills and mountains, tearing paths of destruction through the towns below. Many homes were destroyed in the landslides, including Win Nyunt’s. She, like thousands of others, fled to a relief camp.

There, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor led worship services each night, encouraging the landslide victims through God’s Word. He said God could rescue people amidst their adversities and give them eternal life if they trusted in Him.

The promise of God’s grace overwhelmed Win Nyunt. Her heart touched, she asked God to cleanse her from her sins. She decided to walk closely with Jesus, and from that day on, she stopped selling alcohol.

Widow Finds Love and Acceptance

When Win Nyunt decided to join a congregation led by a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor, the pastor and elders prayed for her. She started attending worship services faithfully and even began coming to Women’s Fellowship meetings—even though she thought all the women would mock her because of her sordid past. Instead, the women welcomed her, glad she had joined their Women’s Fellowship group, and helped Win Nyunt grow closer to Jesus.

“It is a great comfort and joy in my life,” she says.

Because of God’s great love and grace, a disaster that could have pushed Win Nyunt to the edge of hopelessness ended up bringing restoration and healing to her life.

Read about more people whose lives have been impacted by the compassion of Gospel for Asia-supported missionaries reaching out to disaster-stricken communities.