See God’s amazing power through GFA’s reports from the mission field. Several field reporters cover multiple countries in South Asia to bring you news, inspirational stories and prayer requests that will enrich your life.
Through Gospel for Asia supported national missionaries, thousands of villages are hearing of Jesus’ name for the first time, and experiencing His love. But for these Good News bearers, life is not always easy.
Jarbai spent a typical day catching fish and crabs from the local river to sell at market. Her son worked as a daily laborer, supplementing the money from Jarbai’s daily catches. While meager, the earnings they pulled in were just enough to survive—at least until the COVID-19 pandemic. Hunger Amidst Crisis To prevent the spread of the coronavirus, many countries […] Read more »
Pastor Surin noticed a woman sitting among the congregation as he led the Sunday worship service—the same woman who had been wandering around the village for some time. She was crazy, people said. Now, for the second week in a row, she had come to Pastor Surin’s church. He decided he needed to meet her. Unraveling a Painful Story As […] Read more »
Sadness and frustration hung over the family like a dark cloud. Dadgar, father to Ravalnath and father-in-law to Ratubai, lay in bed, cancer ravaging his body. Doctors had given up on the aged widower, but his family had not. They had taken Dadgar to various temples, offering alms and sacrifices for supernatural healing, but none came. Battle Against Cancer Amongst […] Read more »
What began as a small indulgence slowly enveloped Baharupa’s life. The 55-year-old farmer and father of three felt pressured to drink the alcohol given to him at the many village-wide celebrations. But again and again, he ended up drunk. Even with his acquired addiction, Baharupa made sure to take care of his wife and sons, but there were some things […] Read more »
When people looked at Lajita, they saw a teenage girl who refused to speak and who acted like a child. However, when God looked at Lajita, He knew the deep struggles she had been through, and He saw a beautiful girl whom He loved. Traumatic Events By age 17, Lajita had lived through many difficulties. She lost her father at […] Read more »
Sickness plagued the village. Too many lives had been lost already, and as Jany mourned the loss of her husband, she feared she would also lose her daughter. The villagers did not know the cause or the cure, but they knew something had to be done to fight the mysterious illness. When the doctor was unable to provide a medicinal […] Read more »
Foul words flew from Saloni’s mouth shaped like arrows pointed at her father, Laksh. Hot with anger at his young teen’s continual insolence, Laksh put his foot down and disciplined Saloni. But receiving the consequences of her actions only drove Saloni into sullenness. The 13-year-old withdrew, refusing to eat for an entire day. Laksh tried to talk with his daughter […] Read more »
Utsang sat atop the bus and ordered the driver to stop. The other passengers stared at Utsang while he shook uncontrollably. Then they jumped to his aid when he tried to kill himself. Something was terribly wrong. Unexplainable Depression One year earlier, Utsang had said goodbye to his wife, Sreva, in their remote village and moved to a large city […] Read more »
An old, tattered net is all that separated 71-year-old Bhranti from the mosquitoes buzzing outside her home. Any one of those pesky insects potentially carried a historically feared disease: malaria. Danger All Around Malaria killed more than 400,000 people worldwide in 2018.[1] The World Health Organization considers mosquito nets among the most important measures taken to combat malaria.[2] Insecticide-treated mosquito […] Read more »
A group of villagers huddled around a large hole, peering into the darkness. Feathers. Again. They let out a groan—not in grief over the dead chicken, although it was a loss for someone’s flock, but because it meant their well was contaminated. They gathered buckets and emptied the well late into the night. All that precious water wasted because of […] Read more »
Keeva’s stomach pains would not go away. For a long period of time, 34-year-old Keeva had battled with acute stomachaches. The wife and mother of five knew exactly what the issue causing her pains was, but she couldn’t do anything about it. The Source of Sickness A single well was the only water source in the village. The dirty water […] Read more »
Cahel’s diagnosis came back: The 28-year-old man had type 1 diabetes., which requires patients to take insulin injections quite frequently—something Cahel could barely afford. Debilitating Disease Cahel lived with his wife, Abani, and their young son in one of Asia’s numerous slums. Before Cahel was diagnosed with diabetes, he worked as a factory laborer, earning enough to provide for his […] Read more »
Biju loved his peaceful life in the rural farmland of his family. He grew up devoted to the traditional gods of former generations and passed on this heritage to his three children. His family was not rich, but they were happy. Biju’s peaceful life was marred when he started to notice an odd feeling in his fingers. He ignored the […] Read more »
Niket gazed wearily up the road, hoping he wouldn’t have to wait much longer for an auto rickshaw to come along. It had been a long day, and he just wanted to get home. A few minutes later, he heard a motorcycle approaching. When the bike came closer, Niket saw the driver wore a bag slung across his shoulders and […] Read more »
World Leprosy Day is commemorated each year on the last Sunday of January. The aim of the observance day is to raise awareness about leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) and its cure. For many Gospel for Asia-supported workers and pastors, the day is also an opportunity to show God’s love and care to people who are often marginalized by […] Read more »