Two Presbyterian pastors are on trial in the Republic of the Sudan on charges of waging war against the state, espionage, and undermining Sudan’s constitutional system. Each faces the death penalty if convicted. Sudan is holding two others, Czech aid worker Petr Jasek and Darfuri human rights activist Abduelmoneim Abdulmawla, on charges…
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…
The newest nation in the world, South Sudan has been in a civil war in 2013. Not only have thousands of people been killed, but crops have been destroyed. South Sudan has had to call in aid agencies to take care of its people. According to The Guardian, “About half of the nation’s 11 million…
John Wesley was the co-founder of Methodism along with his brother, Charles. John rode thousands and thousands of miles around England on horseback in order to spread the Good News to the common people. John Wesley and the rest of the English crew were afraid of the storm on the open seas. John Wesley was…
Introduction John Paton was a man of courage. Like his father before him, John Paton was strong in his faith and worked among the cannibals of the New Hebrides, which is the modern nation of Vanuatu in the South Pacific Ocean. Early Life John Paton was born in 1824 in Scotland. His father was devoted…
Introduction Throughout Jesus’s life, he met and healed lepers. He had compassion for them, because they were the outcastes of society. There was and is a stigma attached to leprosy. Christians continue the work of Jesus by caring for those who have leprosy and bringing healing to them. The Disease of Leprosy Leprosy is a…
LEEDS, Ala. – More than 900 wildfires torched about 200 acres in central Alabama, affecting homes and businesses and creating poor visibility on Interstate 20. The blazes produced plumes of smoke so thick they were visible on weather radar. Fed by a drought throughout the Southeast, the fires destroyed more than 100,000 acres in Alabama…
The migrant camp known as “the Jungle” is being demolished, even as Calais’ mayor warned the refugee crisis is not over. Protestors and police clashed as orange jumpsuit-clad workers tore down makeshift shelters in the camp. But Calais Mayor Natacha Bouchart warned this will do little to resolve the refugee problem. “Migrants are continuing to…
TOKYO – A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook western Japan, damaging homes and injuring seven people, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The Oct. 21 temblor struck west of Osaka near the city of Kurayosh, about 430 miles west of Tokyo. According to Japan’s meteorological agency, the area also experienced a 5.0-magnitude aftershock. No tsunami risk resulted….
Ivan Marquez of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia—People’s Army, also known as FARC, said in September that unless the government offers amnesty to his guerillas, there will be no peace. The guerrillas have battled the Colombian government for 52 years, this the longest lasting civil war in the Americas. FARC is a Marxist-Leninist movement…
In the midst of a devastating civil war, Christian ministries continue to report thousands of Syrians are turning to faith in Christ. Numerous Christian groups and relief organizations are on the scene serving the Syrian war victims, and their work is having a dramatic impact. Indigenous missionaries are working up to 15 hours a day,…
Introduction Brother Andrew’s real name is Andy van der Bijl. Brother Andrew lived for adventure. When he was younger, he never knew of the adventures he would be having as an adult. Never in a million years, would Brother Andrew think he was going to smuggle Bibles into a restricted country behind the Iron Curtain….
Introduction Gladys Alyward, standing at 4’10” was a small woman who did extraordinary things with God’s strength. Aylward was a determined woman. The China Inland Missions thought she was too old and would be unable to learn Chinese, but, Alyward would be a missionary to China no matter what anyone else said. No one would…
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…
WILLS POINT, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) joins with the international humanitarian community in commemorating today’s International Women’s Day. Gospel for Asia (GFA) partners will be offering special assistance to women in the areas where it serves in South Asia, celebrating the success of women and underscoring the wide gaps in gender equality that…
WILLS POINT, Texas – Responding to requests for help, Compassion Services Teams supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) recently visited poor areas in Sri Lanka to supply school children with book bags filled with school supplies and other items needed to continue their education. They also helped equip a particular school with much-needed musical instruments…
WILLS POINT, TX – The Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope Ministry has assisted struggling families in Asia by providing 2,300 sewing machines in March to graduates of its vocational training centers. The 280 centers across the region provide students with work skills to improve their employment and economic opportunities. “Escaping from poverty often…
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…
WILLS POINT, Texas. – Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) recently distributed some 33,000 mosquito nets to guard against insect-borne diseases, including yellow fever, malaria, dengue and Zika, to commemorate World Mosquito Day. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers held a variety of events to distribute the nets, including distributing 9,000 nets to students living…
When Khaled Omar, a Syrian Civil Defense White Helmet volunteer in Syria, rescued a 14-day-old baby boy from debris following a Russian air strike, the world cheered and celebrated his heroism. The “miracle baby”, after being buried for 16 hours, was safe at last in Aleppo. “I thought I was being delusional because I was…
WILLS POINT, TEXAS — Gospel for Asia (GFA) is celebrating World Radio Day on Feb. 13, acknowledging the value of a technology that brings the message of Jesus Christ to millions who may wait years to meet a Christian ministry worker in person. “We believe that everyone should hear the message of hope in the…
George Muller was originally a thief. Through his conversion, God made Muller a man of great faith and prayer. It just goes to show, that God can use anyone for His glory to be made known, even a thief. Early Life Muller was born in Prussia (modern day Germany) in 1805. His father was a…
WILLS POINT, Texas —Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Sisters of Compassion recently 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 items they supplied included school supplies for the children and tin…
The new Myanmar government led by Aung San Suu Kyi is starting peace talks with ethnic groups they had been war with when the military was in power. Both the UN and China are helping Myanmar with the peace talks. According to Fox News, “Officials in Myanmar say United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will…
Wed Oct. 12, 2016 – Gospel for Asia (GFA) The gift of a goat, bicycle, or even a blanket can make all the difference for people across the globe. WILLS POINT, Texas — Gospel for Asia (GFA) is launching its “Forgotten Christmas” campaign this year to encourage and show Christians how to make an eternal…
CC BY 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1620441 Scores of Cubans recently fled the island nation on chartered flights to Central and South America, then trekked across Mexico to reach El Paso, Texas. The refugees were fleeing the repressive Cuban government en route to the U.S. where federal law treats them as legal immigrants. The Texas Tribune reports…
Christmas is a joyous time. It is accompanied by Christmas trees, Christmas carols, Christmas gifts, etc. Yet, we can get so caught-up in consumerism, that we become stressed and not focused on Jesus at that time. Many people (over 2 billion) have not had the opportunity to hear of Christ’s first coming for even one…
A relentless monsoon season has claimed an estimated 100 lives in Nepal and India while displacing more than 1.2 million people, according to government estimates. Water-induced landslides crushed buildings and caused many of the deaths. In one area of Nepal, rescuers were pulling bodies out of the debris and immediately handing those bodies to their…
As the world focused on Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics, prostitutes as young as nine years old poured into the city in hopes of cashing in on the influx of tourists and money. Prostitution is legal in Brazil, and so rampant that child prostitutes regularly work the 262 truck stops on the 2,800-mile…
The 167 million “untouchable’ Dalits of India continue to face widespread abuse and discrimination with little hope for their human rights, according to the Dalit Network. This abuse and neglect has happened for 3,000 years as the rest of India view them “only to be slaves, to be broken and crushed.” In Chandigarh, a 21-year-old…
Myanmar called an annual report issued by the U.S. State Department “sad and regrettable” after being named among the worst human trafficking offenders. Along with Iran, North Korea and Syria, the report cited Myanmar’s negligence to meet “the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.” Reuters reported that Myanmar’s ranking, which got downgraded from the previous year,…
Rwanda’s rainy season has caused higher than normal landslides that the nation’s disaster relief officials say have mostly claimed the lives of children among the 53 dead. Between January and April, landslides killed 67 others Rwandans. Rwanda incurred one of history’s greatest genocides in 1994 when 800,000 people died in about 90 days as rivals…
Sri Lanka’s heaviest rains in 25 years have caused massive mudslides resulting in about 63 confirmed dead and up to 200 missing families buried in 50 feet of mud. Officials estimate that 200,000 people have left Colombo, the nation’s low-lying capital, while 400,000 have fled to state-run relief camps. Deforestation meant to create more farmland…
Long-time missionaries Harold Nichols and Randy Hentzel died in April, apparent victims of a robbery attempt and murder in Jamaica. In June, Jamaican police arrested one man and were seeking a second suspect for questioning. Nichols and Hentzel were part of the US-based TEAMS for Medical Missions and had been in Jamaica since 2002. The…
Following months of speculation, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has confirmed that the Zika virus can cause microcephaly in newborns, a condition that leaves the brain underdeveloped. Scientists are finding multiple mutations of the virus, which leaves open the possibility of other health outcomes. “The Zika virus has undergone significant genetic changes in the past 70 years,”…
Recent studies of U.S. deaths show that suicide has increased significantly since 1999, affecting mostly middle-aged white males. Thirteen out of every 100,000 people committed suicide in 2014, the last year data is currently available. Only black males saw a decrease. Middle-aged men saw a 43 percent increase in the last 15 years. While males…
At least 42 Killed, Millions Affected in Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Nepal WILLS POINT, Tex. – Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) are distributing supplies, including food, mosquito netting, hygiene products and blankets, to villagers fleeing widespread monsoon flooding across certain parts of Asia. The monsoons have killed more than 42 people and driven millions…
“Among many who sought to deter me, was one dear old Christian gentleman, whose crowning argument always was, ‘The cannibals! You will be eaten by cannibals!’ At last I replied, ‘Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by…
In a report from Brent Swails and David McKenzie of CNN, titled “Kidnapped to kill: How Boko Haram is turning girls into weapons,” they outline the very reason why young girls are choosing to become used a ‘suicide bombers’. In the report, this startling statement is made, “Young girls fighting to strap on a bomb,…
The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a crackdown on foreign-funded nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) fearing undue influence on public policies by outside activists. The new criteria also calls for foreign-funded consultants working within the government to resign by December 2016 if they have worked for three or more years. Most affected thus…
An estimated 500 African refugees drowned off the coast of Italy when smugglers recently forced too many people into one boat, according to the United Nations. This incident occurred about one year after the worst refugee drowning incident in April 2015, when 800 people died on their journey from Libya to Europe. Reports of the…
“People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives… and when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted.” ~ Nate Saint ~ Nate Saint was…
What started in Brazil and quickly spread to most of the Americas has now appeared in Vietnam where two women have reportedly been infected with the Zika virus. One is a 64-year-old woman and the second is 33 years old and eight weeks pregnant. Government health officials have quarantined the families of each. Zika is…
With 91 of India’s major water reservoirs registering lower-than-normal at about 29 percent capacity, the world’s second most-populated nation is facing its worst water scarcity in a decade. Making the challenge even more critical is that 66,093 rural Indian villages only have access to contaminated water. In West Bengal state, the declining water levels of…
WIDESPREAD DROUGHT AFFECTS 330 MILLION ON SUBCONTINENT WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) is calling on the world to pray for those experiencing a drought, aggravated by rising temperatures. More than 300 million are affected. The Indian government has noted that nearly a quarter of the country, more than 250 districts, are facing…
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,…
WORLD HEALTH DAY EVENTS SHOWCASE TIPS TO IMPROVE EVERYDAY HEALTH WILLS POINT, TX – Workers supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA) held free health seminars, distributed vitamins and gave away mosquito nets to hundreds of impoverished villagers and workers in Asia earlier this month on World Health Day. The seminars were part of an effort…
After years of civil strife between Muslims and Christians in the Central African Republic (CAR), TeachBeyond is bringing stability for children even as reports of sexual abuse by peacekeepers gain more attention. Families of more than 100 minors have registered complaints about the U.N. Peacekeepers. “We must face the fact that a number of troops…
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 recent violent death of a 16-year-old rape victim again brings focus to India’s crisis of sexual assault against women. The assailant, who also set the teenager aflame before fleeing, was allegedly her 20-year-old boyfriend. Cultural norms in India make the reporting of sexual assault taboo. However, more rape victims are reporting their assaults and…
