World Missionary Press: Free Scripture Booklets for the WorldMissions Box News was established by Gospel for Asia (GFA) to “highlight the good works of nonprofits from around the world.” Most often we do that by reporting news “that pertains to the hardships of living in this world” to show the needs of people burdened by poverty…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a nonprofit founded in 1979 committed to serving “the least of these” in Asia. GFA supports national field workers who in turn bring the love of Christ to those living in rural and under-served areas. Whether it’s providing the opportunity for a brighter future for a child in Asia…
ORLANDO – “When people encounter Jesus, everything changes” is a theme of The Jesus Film Project. The project began with the release of the two-hour movie in 1979 and the vision to reach everyone everywhere for Jesus Christ with the film and the Gospel message translated into their own heart languages. In the initial days…
TORONTO – If you are hospitalized in Toronto, where this writer once lived, calling for the MAID means something entirely different that summoning a woman with a mop and a bucket. MAID is the new euphemism for euthanasia. It stands for “Medical Assistance in Dying.” A working group at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children published…
FOREST, Va. — Since mid-April, Nicaragua has been embroiled in a civil conflict that has left hundreds dead, thousands wounded and countless missing. But the unrest hasn’t stopped World Help from launching relief efforts to help the people of Nicaragua. Working with local partners, the Christian humanitarian organization aims to provide food supplies and medical…
Soap-and-Water Lessons Bring Health and Help to Some of Asia’s Struggling Poor WILLS POINT, Texas — A simple bar of soap is making a big difference in the lives of people in impoverished communities across Asia. Distributed by Gospel for Asia-supported (GFA) workers, it is the centerpiece of a hygiene awareness drive that improves the…
Widows now have decent roofing; Children can now learn with good school supplies WILLS POINT, Texas —Gospel for Asia-supported Sisters of Compassion delivered gifts to improve the lives of children and poor widows in a remote village in northeastern India. The Sisters of Compassion are specialized women workers trained to minister to the poor. The…
Global Focus Shines a Light on Group’s Efforts to Equip Girls for a Brighter Future WILLS POINT, Texas — This year’s focus of the United Nations’ annual International Day of the Girl Child, emphasizing the need for better educational opportunities for girls under the theme “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force,” brings a spotlight to…
CANBERRA – Can a Christian govern without compromise? The question has been asked many times and in many different circumstances. Perhaps the election of a Liberal majority in the Australian Parliament offers the best answer yet as Scott Morrison, an unabashed Pentecostal and the leader of the Liberal Party has become the country’s new prime…
IZMIR, Turkey (RNS) — A Turkish court has freed the Rev. Andrew Brunson, an American missionary who had been the subject of a diplomatic standoff between the United States and Turkey. Brunson had been under house arrest after being accused of terrorism and conspiring against the Turkish government. The Pastor, who denies all charges against…
ABKHAZIA – SOAR International Ministries is holding special camps for handicapped kids in Abkhazia. Raise your hand if you know where Abkhazia is? Anyone? Anyone? Okay. Let’s try this. Raise your hand if you have ever even heard of Abkhazia. Anyone? Anyone? Abkhazia is a small, independent state on the eastern shore of the Black…
IZMIR – Pastor Andrew Brunson is on his way home to North Carolina after more than two years either in prison or, more recently, under house arrest in Turkey. The Trump administration has been tightening the screws on the Turkish economy for its part in getting Pastor Brunson released. While the diplomatic efforts of the United…
![Dr. Dav id Jenkins, opened the training with sobering statistics and called the opioid crisis "a public health epidemic that is ravaging [America]."](https://missionsbox.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/40542895134_8923a0ca1f_o_d1-230x300.jpg)
DALLAS — The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), together with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Center for Faith and Opportunity Initiatives, provided a free specialized training in opioid crisis response Wednesday, called “The Opioid Crisis: Creating an Effective Church and Community Collaboration and Resolution Response,” before the official start of its…
Before plunging into a spiritual conversation, it is important to build a relationship, even if that means talking to them for a few minutes on topics they’re interested in before you turn the topic of Jesus. First introduce yourself, especially if it’s a total stranger, and then ask them if they would be willing to…
“The history of missions is the history of answered prayer.” ― Samuel Zwemer, missionary to Muslims
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported pastor Naitik organized a blood donation camp on April 12, 2018. The believers in his congregation were excited for this opportunity to bless those in need of blood and to show the love of Christ in a practical way. So when the Nepalese Red Cross heard that a pastor was trying…
FOREST, Va. — Christian humanitarian organization World Help has activated its crisis response program to provide relief to victims of Indonesia’s deadly earthquake and tsunami. This past weekend, the Southeast Asian island nation was rocked by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, which triggered a massive tsunami that swept over the city of Palu. The twin disaster has left at…
NEW YORK – Recep Erdogan is the President of Turkey, one of the most complex nations in the world at the moment. His economy is crumbling, he is responsible for holding a North Carolina pastor in jail on bogus charges of attempting to overthrow the Turkish government, and he has made it clear that he…
Saudi Arabia has made unprecedented strides toward religious tolerance just a year after its young new ruler pledged to bring more moderate Islam to the Sunni kingdom. After a visit to the capital city of Riyadh last week, US officials reported the country has reformed its religious police—once tasked with enforcing shari’ah law on the…
ALGIERS – Rachid Ouali appeared at a hearing in court on August 9, 2018, in the town of Bouira, about 60 miles south of Algiers. He was accused on charges of attempting to evangelism his wife. Rachid is a Christian. His wife is a Muslim. Islam is the official state religion of Algeria. Official estimates…
THAILAND – When Christians wait upon the Lord to open doors, unexpected things happen. When we follow where He leads, we end up in places far different – even stranger sometimes – than we would have had we followed our own plans. That was exactly what happened to Keith and Sarah Neigenfind while beginning a…
PALU, Indonesia – On Friday, September 28, 2018, Icose Mafella awakened with an unsettling feeling that would not go away. A devout follower of Jesus, he knew that he needed to stay calm so that he could hear the voice of God. 140 fewer people died in the Indonesia earthquake that day because he did….
Operation Mobilization USA’s creative Scatter Global initiative recognized for opening doors for Christian professionals in countries closed to the gospel ATLANTA, Ga. – An innovative movement that is breaking new ground in world evangelization through its unique job-market approach for reaching unreached nations has been honored by missions leaders. Scatter Global inspires, equips and places Christian…
ISLAMABAD – The Interior Ministry of Pakistan has given 18 international foreign aid groups 60 days to shut down their operations and leave the country. All 18 agencies had filed appeals in response to an earlier notice from the IM. The first agency to report the news was ActionAid, a Johannesburg-based, international that aims to…
Supplies, encouragement and relief-camp-wedding meal remind flood victims that ‘God has not forgotten you’ WILLS POINT, Texas — With thousands still reeling from the impact of historic flooding, a second major crisis drying up wells and killing helpful earthworms has heightened the need for GFA’s (Gospel for Asia) ongoing relief help in India’s Kerala state….
WILLS POINT – The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was ratified in 1948, seventy years ago. Article 4 of the Declaration says, “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.” A large number of people in the United States – perhaps most…
MANIPUR – Manipur native, Binalakshmi Nepram is the 2018 recipient of the prestigious Anna Politkovskaya Award. The award is presented annually by the organization, Reach All Women in WAR (RAW in WAR) to a woman who has stood up to victims in areas of conflict and who have demonstrated “courage and truth-telling in the face…
INDIA – September 8th was International Literacy Day. With so many days set aside to draw attention to causes, we rarely take a look back to recognize what we have done to meet the needs of the cause beyond memorializing the day. Illiteracy is a significant issue in South Asia and other areas of the…
WASHINGTON DC – People need to be seriously aware that Jesus said more than “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” in Mark 12:17. He also said, “And to God the things that are God’s.” Christians and evangelical churches around the globe are feeling the oppression of officials whose desire is to bring the…
IRAN – Mojtaba Hosseini was arrested for being a threat to the national security of his home country of Iran. His crime was being a leader of a house church group. When he was originally arrested, he was placed on probation and warned to cease his church activities. I wonder what I would have done…
WASHINGTON DC – The International Monetary Fund has appointed India-born Gita Gopinath as its next chief economist, replacing Maurice Obstfeld who will be retiring at the end of 2018. Dr. Gopinath was born in Kolkata in 1971. She earned her BA at the University of Delhi, followed by a double Master’s degree in economics from…
SUDAN – Good news is getting hard to find. It just doesn’t seem to be sensational enough to make compelling headlines. Missions Box News is seeking to change that by reporting the good news that Christians should know. Some exceptionally good news has come out of Sudan over the last several days. Sudan is currently…
INDONESIA – People all over the world have heard the story of Aldi Novel Adilang. Most won’t remember his name. They will remember him only as the Indonesian teenager who was survived being stranded at sea for 49 days in a wooden fishing hut. Most mainstream media has told the story of how the 18-year-old…
SIKSA, Pakistan – The World Health Organization estimates that more than a third of the people in Pakistan lack access to safe drinking water. It is a problem all too common for countries in South Asia and the 10/40 window. The village of Siksa is an example of how things change when clean water becomes…
YANGON – Myanmar, formerly Burma, may best be described a line from Rogers and Hammerstein’s “The King and I” in which the king exclaims, “It’s a puzzlement.” In a recent article, we related the story of a Christian pastor in a small village in the Chin state in northwest Myanmar. The gist of the story…
LONDON – The independent think tank, Overseas Development Institute (ODI) has released a shocking report that indicates that 25% of the world population – 40% of all urban dwellers – will live in slums by 2030. This is only one of the failures to achieve adequate progress on the UN’s list of 17 Sustainable Development…
RANGOON – Most Western people still know Myanmar as Burma – a country somewhere in South Asia. Situated east of the Bay of Bengal, Myanmar borders Bangladesh, India, China, and Thailand. Myanmar, then Burma, was evangelized in the early 1800s by Adoniram Judson who also completed the first Burmese language Bible. In 1950, there were…
Kerala, India, now faces continued tragedy as water wells across the state appear to be drying up. According to the latest news from the flood-affected state, reported by the Times of India “A series of issues including soaring mercury levels, unprecedented dip in water level of rivers, sudden drying up of wells, and depletion of…
ALLAHABAD – The monsoon and post-monsoon seasons are hard on the poor in India, particularly those who work in the fields. A consortium of over 400 humanitarian aid agencies has come together to help during these difficult times this year. The consortium has established grain banks in over 100 villages across northern India in expectation…
Gospel for Asia founder KP Yohannan’s “Revolution in World Missions” has helped spark growth of indigenous-Christian-worker movement. WILLS POINT, Texas—A book first met with controversy but now widely credited with helping change the face of modern missions is marking a major milestone—more than four million copies in print. Since it was published in 1986, Dr….
KIEV – Ukraine (fka “the Ukraine) presents many conundrums. Because of the Russian annexation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, many measurements and statistics must be listed and compared as “including Crimea” or “not including Crimea” – an issue that remains a point of contention for Ukraine. Although Ukraine is the largest nation located entirely…
Congregations across country replicate Denton Bible Church’s Community Garden — nation’s largest — growing fruits and vegetables for the homeless and hungry DENTON, Texas — As fall harvest season approaches, a green-fingered Texas church is teaching other congregations how to be fruitful—literally—just as the Bible says. Churches across the country are replicating Denton Bible Church’s…
SINGAPORE – Matthew and Mark both record Jesus describing the danger of being a rich man. He told those gathered around him that “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25) Jesus was explaining his previous…
KINSHASA – When last Missions Box News reported on the reemergence of the Ebola virus on August 20th, the estimated number of deaths over the previous 10 days had risen from “at least 20” to 55. Yesterday, September 17th, UNICEF issued their latest Ebola Situation Report indicating that the death toll has reached 97. As…
NEW DELHI – Asia Times may have best summarized recent reports about the continuing population growth in India. “Top demographers feel that within three to five years, India will overtake China as the world’s most populous country.” While the population growth rate has been on the decline in China, India’s population continues to advance at…
DELHI – Celebrations were held across India today to honor Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 68th birthday. PM Modi is the MP (Member of Parliament) for Varanasi. His party’s election in 2016 was the first majority party election in India since 1984. He is India’s 14th Prime Minister. Monday, September 17th, actually began an entire week…
GFA (Gospel for Asia) shares example of reconciliation to mark International Day of Peace and inspire more peacemakers to prayer and action WILLS POINT, Texas—As political and religious divisions widen and deepen around the world, GFA (Gospel for Asia) hopes that a simple story of reconciliation and forgiveness will inspire more people to pray and…
SANA, Yemen – “More than 25 percent of children (1.8 million) are malnourished; 900,000 people in the governorate are desperate for food and 90,000 pregnant women are at enormous risk. Families need everything–food, cash, health care, water, sanitation, emergency supplies, specialized support, and many need shelter. It’s heart-breaking to see so many people who need…
LOS ANGELES – Last week, more than 3,000 evangelical Christians and churches became signatories along with Dr. John MacArthur to The Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel. The statement grew out of a series of messages by Dr. MacArthur in which he named the growth of “social justice” as a leading threat to the…
NEW YORK – From 2005 through 2013, it appeared that we were making progress on the global war against hunger. Today, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released its 202-page report on The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. The results indicate that, since 2014, “the war against hunger…
