WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report – Discussing the misunderstandings and social stigma of leprosy that keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem. Leprosy. For many, a cloud of mystery, fear and shame surrounds this disease. It’s a disease that destroys nerves and deadens limbs to sensations of touch…
World Leprosy Day: Gospel for Asia-supported workers’ hands-on care for sufferers brings practical help and spiritual hope to those still marginalized by long-feared disease. WILLS POINT, Texas — Gospel for Asia (GFA) is spotlighting its efforts to bridge the historic social gulf caused by the disfiguring disease that leaves sufferers disadvantaged and often despised—one outstretched arm…
Modern missions pioneer and advocate, Don Richardson, passed away on December 23, 2018, at the age of 83. In 1952 at the age of 17, the young Canadian from Prince Edward Island gave his life to Jesus Christ at a Youth for Christ rally. In 1962, after graduation from Prairie Bible Institute and Wycliffe Bible…
John Allen Chau remembered for commitment to sharing the gospel with those who have never heard KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, U.S.A. — Leaders, members and friends of All Nations (www.allnations.us), an international Christian missions training and sending organization, are mourning the reported death of one of its missionaries, 27-year-old John Allen Chau of Vancouver, Wash., U.S.A….
JAKARTA – Many Americans assume that measles has been eradicated. The disease that once plagued us as school children is rarely seen in the United States today. A combination of events could change that, beginning with one halfway around the world in Indonesia. Let’s begin by reviewing fundamental data about Indonesia shared in a recent…
ISLAMABAD – Asia Bibi, the Christian woman who had been held on death row in a Pakistan prison for eight years on charges of blasphemy against the Muslim religion, was secretly released during the night of November 7th and spirited away to an undisclosed location. The British Pakistani Christian Association has been in touch with…
Issue of ‘Unfinished’ Magazine Describes On-the-Ground Outreach NORCROSS, Ga. – As the refugee crisis continues to grow, The Mission Society’s magazine ‘Unfinished’ 2016 issue took an in-depth look at the situation’s complexities, examining the issues facing Christians who feel called to help but have misgivings about the process. In the summer edition of The Mission…
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…
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…
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….
Gospel for Asia (GFA) calls attention to plight of widows worldwide who need help to face tragedy and overcome the many indignations of widowhood. WILLS POINT, Texas — More than seven years after the United Nations formally called attention to the plight of widows, millions of bereaved women \still find themselves subjected to abuse, humiliation, ostracism…
In the face of death, Robert Jermain Thomas remained faithful in his mission to share the Good News with people of Korea even though it was not open to the Gospel. Life as a Student As Robert grew up, his relationship with the Lord thrived, being the son of a preacher. At the age of…
TMS Global outlines program to help move congregations from ‘vaguely spiritual Rotary Club’ to strategic outreach NORCROSS, Ga.—A wake-up call to sleepy churches has gone out from missions agency TMS Global, which wants to help revive inward-focused congregations through revitalized faith. The interdenominational organization offers a roadmap to renewal in the latest issue of its…
International Day for the Unreached organizers emphasize need for whole church to respond to Jesus’ Great Commission COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – United by a single goal, the champions of missions to the unreached follow a wide range of paths in taking the gospel to those who have yet to hear of Jesus. The breadth of…
Imagine this: You have a teenage daughter who is brutally raped by a young man. After she tells you what happens, he kills her. Between May 5 to May 13, three Indian girls were raped and burned alive. The first victim was kidnapped by a group of men in Jharkhand while her parents were at…
HOLLAND, Michigan – Would you hang on to your Audio Bible at all costs? Would you refuse to let it go? A representative of Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) recently shared the story of an elderly man, a native of the isolated Nyishi tribe in the far northeast of India. The man is reported to be…
“Blessed is he who considers the poor.” – Psalm 40:17 Wills Point, Texas – GFA (Gospel for Asia) – Discussing the scandals of poverty. Nearly everything about poverty is scandalous. The United Nations Millennium Goals include the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger. Faith-based organizations and other NGO’s, major businesses, and UN member states have…
SEOUL – “Until All Have Heard.” That’s on the header of the Far East Broadcasting (FEBC) website. FEBC has been working to help reach that goal with the Gospel sine 1945. This year, FEBC is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its first broadcast on June 4, 1948. Originally based in Shanghai, the company relocated to…
NEW PARIS, Indiana – An entire container load filled with two million gospel booklets, pamphlets, and Gospel literature recently arrived in Argentina. The literature had been requested by an Argentinian pastor. The items had been supplied free of charge to the pastor and his ministry. He told World Missionary Press, the printer and provider, that…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report on the global problem of violence against women Written By Michelle Jimenez, GFA Staff Writer Geeta, a mother of two, lived in the slums and struggled to put food on the table every day with the meager 20 rupees her husband gave her. That amount equaled less than…
“There is no success without sacrifice. If you succeed without sacrifice it is because someone has suffered before you. If you sacrifice without success it is because someone will succeed after.” – Edward Judson, son of Adoniram Adoniram Judson likely would never be considered as the poster boy for promoting missionary work. He might be…
Sometimes it can be easy to forget the faithfulness of God. Gospel for Asia (GFA) supports thousands of missionaries and pastors each month in Asia. Sometimes these men and women work for years in the same region before they are met with progress. Meet Barasaat, a Gospel for Asia (GFA)-sponsored Pastor who has served the…
HOLLAND – Corniela “Corry” van der Bijl, the wife of the renowned “Bible Smuggler,” Andrew van der Bijl, passed away on January 23m 2018, at the age of 86. She had been the faithful companion of the man the world knew as Brother Andrew for 59 years. The ministry of what is now Open Doors…
World Cancer Day 2018 By Karen Burton Mains When our last-born child, Jeremy Mains, was younger, he used to complain regularly about the privileges of his older brothers and sister. “Why don’t I get to do all the things Randy and Joel and Melissa get to do,” he would whine—frequently. My reply always was, “Just…
HOLLAND, Michigan – Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) records and distributes audio Bibles to indigenous people in oral cultures. Because many of these people don’t or can’t read, ASM records the Scriptures in their native languages so they may hear the message of God’s love. In India alone, where 60 percent of the 1.2 billion people…
When Christians today think of well-known pastors or missionaries, they mention names like Billy Graham, Jim Elliot, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Joel Osteen, Matt Chandler, Rick Warren or John Piper. Most people would not list George Verwer nor would they even recognize his name. As it turns out, that’s probably just the way George Verwer…
The Church tries to build healthy communities in impoverished areas, often times through hand-outs or one time gifts that do not help families out of poverty. By providing work opportunities, the Church can build communities and help eradicate poverty. Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are most often supported by the Church and its congregants in such a…
On Dec. 8, a 6-year-old girl was abducted while she slept beside her family. In the minutes that followed her abduction, she was brutally raped and murdered. It wasn’t until the next morning that her mom noticed she was missing. The rape and murder came as a shock to everyone in India, as she was…
A year ago, the United Kingdom decided to split from the European Union. They’ve been discussing what this split is. Throughout the process, the fate of Ireland and North Ireland has been up in the air, especially with regards to how open the border will between the north and south. This is a huge obstacle…
On World Food Day, Gospel for Asia-supported field partners joined other NGOs around the world to meet the needs of the hungry. As part of the World Food Programme’s goal of #ZeroHunger around the world, many NGOs jumped into action to meet the needs of the hungry, especially in India. Notably, India’s Global Health Index…
Photo by Chensiyuan Starting last December, in Brazil’s summer, an outbreak of Yellow Fever began. Per CNN, “The current yellow fever outbreak began in December, in rural areas of Brazil, and numbers reportedly exceed normal rates for this time of year.” Even though no cases had been reported in Rio de Jainero, they took precautions…
Photo by Tasnim News In February, Iraqi troops were working to clean Mosul of ISIS so refugees could return home. Per CNN, “The commander of Iraq’s Federal Police has said ISIS militant in Western Mosul are looking to cut and run from their defense of the group’s last remaining stronghold in the country.” Their goal…
Photo by Firdaus Latif Pope Francis traveled to visit the Rohingya in Myanmar to see the conditions they live in. There he prayed for them and condemned the violence against them. Per CNN, “Pope Francis prayed for Rohingya refugees during a general audience on Wednesday, decrying violence against them ‘simply because they uphold their Muslim…
Photo by Foj333 In February of this year, Colombia begun peace talks with the number 2 worst rebel group in Colombia. Their name is The National Liberation Army (ELN). Fox News reports, “Colombia’s government and the nation’s second-largest rebel group formally started peace talks Tuesday in neighboring Ecuador, seeking to follow up on the peace…
Photo by www.viajar24h.com Before September of 2013, four men raped and killed a woman in New Delhi. CNN reports, “Police said the men took turns raping the woman, using an iron rod to violate her as the bus drove around the city for almost an hour. Her male companion was beaten as he tried to…
Photo by someone10x On Palm Sunday, Islamic Extremists attacked to churches in two separate cities during services. At least 45 were found dead. Per CNN, “The Sunday strikes, which targeted Egypt’s persecuted and vulnerable Christian minority on the first day of the faith’s Holy Week leading up to Easter, left at least 45 dead, Egypt’s…
Photo by scorpious18 Martial law was passed on May 23 in the Philippines, due to a group with ISIS connections attacking the Muslim city of Marawi. Per Fox News, “Duterte declared martial law on May 23 following a bloody siege of the southern city of Marawi by Islamic State group-aligned militants, the most serious security…
Photo by Dr. Lyle Conrad In Nigeria, an outbreak of Meningitis has killed dozens of people. CNN reports, “A meningitis outbreak has killed 489 people in Nigeria this year, the World Health Organization said Thursday. The country’s Center for Disease Control reported 4,637 suspected cases.” The problem is that there is a shortage of vaccines…
Photo by Unukalhai Venezuela used to be an oil-rich nation, but since Maduro took over, things have been going downhill. Fox News reports, “The once-wealthy oil producing nation has fallen on hard times since Nicolás Maduro took power following the death of socialist leader Hugo Chávez in 2013. A drop in global oil prices has…
Mätes II In February, Romania was planning on passing a corruption bill, which would make it legal for government officials to do corrupt things if it did not go over a certain amount. Per CNN, “The original decree, which would have taken effect in about a week, decriminalized corruption that causes damage worth less…
Photo by הסוכנות היהודית Pikiwiki Israel In January, right before President Trump was sworn into office, a group of international leaders met to discuss the Two-State Solution, or the giving the West Bank in Israel to the Palestinians. Per Al Jazeera, “The [UN] resolution condemns all Israeli settlement activity as illegal and calls upon member…
By Bernard Gagnon (Own work) Since the war hit Yemen, there has been a rising amount of poverty and malnutrition in the country. AP reports, “International agencies have classified Hodeidah among nine of Yemen’s 22 provinces that are a step away from famine. A U.N. report in June said that in Yemen, ‘the highest…
By Adelano Lázaro In late October, Marcello Crivella was elected to be mayor in Rio de Janeiro. Crivella is a devoted Evangelical. According to CNN, “Rio de Janeiro, the city of sunshine and samba, elected a former evangelical bishop mayor in a municipal election that signals Brazil’s politics are shifting right after 13 years of…
In December of 2016, the Brazilian government made a law called the austerity law. The point of the law is to help get Brazil out of the recession they’ve been in. CNN explains, “Brazilian President Michael Temer — who assumed office in late August — praised the move, referring to the bill as the ‘first…
Introduction There are millions of people around the world living in poverty and without the opportunity to earn a sustainable income. Some ministries give dignity to people through providing some people work. For example, Gospel for Asia (GFA) provides farm animals or other items that help people get to work, so they do not have…
Alleviating Poverty By Providing Work Jesus promised we would always have the poor with us. This does not mean we should ignore the poor. But how can we help those in poverty? We should give income generating opportunities to the poor as we’re able to. Items from Gospel for Asia’s Christmas Gift Catalog help provide…
Bangladesh’s High Court on March 27, 2016, rejected a 28-year-old petition to remove Islam from the constitution as the nation’s official religion. The constitutional challenge followed repeated attacks on non-Muslims by Islamic extremists in Bangladesh, the world’s third largest Muslim-majority nation. ISIS recently claimed responsibility for the murder of a Christian convert in northern Bangladesh,…
Jesus said the poor would always be with us, and he was right. Scores of impoverished people have inhabited this globe, suffering from multiple hardships. But there is evidence that extreme poverty — the estimated 1.4 billion people in countries outside the US who do not have access to clean water, enough food, sufficient clothing…
“The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed.” – Hudson Taylor Early Life of Hudson Taylor Hudson Taylor was born in Yorkshire, England on May 21, 1832. His father was a chemist and Methodist lay minister. Hudson was dedicated to reaching China with the Good News…
“Understanding Scripture in a language other than the heart language in which we think and experience emotion is “like trying to eat soup with a fork. You can get a little taste, but you cannot get nourished.” ― William Cameron Townsend Townsend was passing out Spanish Bibles. One day, a Cakchiquel Indian came up and…
