Church Members Work to Restore Devastated Indian Coastal Fishing Communities WILLS POINT, Texas – Believers Eastern Church announced the launch of a statewide rehabilitation program for the victims of Cyclone “Ockhi” in the Indian state of Kerala. The cyclone was the most intense originating from the Arabian Sea since 2015 and the first in nearly…
KNIFE RIVER, MN – FARMS International has established successful agricultural evangelism programs in Haiti, Cuba, Ecuador, Thailand, The Philippines, Moldova, Bangladesh, Nepal, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Thailand, Vietnam, and the state of Nagaland in Northeast India. The organization recently announced that it is expanding its unique approach to doing good in the name of Christ to…
Global Clean Water Crisis – a Special Report by Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Written By Karen Burton Mains The “Blue Marble” photo of Earth shot from Apollo 17, the last of NASA’s Apollo missions as the rocket ship was hurtling toward the moon, wasn’t the first satellite image of our planet, but it was the…
No one would disagree with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that “Health is . . . essential to development. Good health improves learning, worker productivity, and income. As such, health contributes to economic growth.” There is a logic here. People must be healthy to be productive. Good personal and community health are necessary, not only…
How should we pray for overseas missionaries and pastors? I want to pray, but what do they need? This is a question that often crosses our minds when we hear of the adversity facing those who serve the Lord in areas that are volatilize and prone to hostility. Tamang is a pastor in South Asia who…
Diarrhea. Just say the word out loud and watch people cringe. It is so sickening that no one wants to hear about it, let alone have it. One of America’s most trusted healthcare websites, WebMD, says, When you have diarrhea, your bowel movements (or stools) are loose and watery. It’s very common and usually not…
What if every day you turned on your faucet and risked becoming seriously ill from drinking the water? That is a question posed on the website of Water for Thirty Thousand. It is a question that needs to be asked of all of use in the Western world. We take water for granted whether it…
MOTIHARI – Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the featured speaker at the celebration of the close of the centennial celebration of Champaran Satyagraha on April 10 in Motihari. 20,000 Sanitation Ambassadors (Swachhagrahis) are expected to attend. Half of the ambassadors will be from Bihar. The other 10,000 will come as representatives of other states….
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…
Several billion people around the world live without sufficient access to clean water. Over one billion people lack water supplies. Another 2.7 billion find water scarce for at least one month of the year. Read Gospel for Asia’s Special Report on The Global Clean Water Crisis here. A 2014 survey of the world’s 500 largest…
SHILLONG, MEGHALAYA – Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) is a state-owned telecommunications company with headquarters in New Delhi. It is the 5th-largest provider of mobile telephone provider in India and the largest service providing both fixed and broadband services in the country. Last week, P.G. Nirmal, the general manager of the BSNL telecom district in…
THIRUVALLA, KERALA, India – Believers Church Medical College Hospital gave new life to a one-year-old Indian boy and restored hope for his anxious parents when the medical staff at Believers Church Medical College Hospital (BCMCH) successfully performed a complex surgical procedure to repair a large hole in the boy’s heart. Aksar’s parents, both day laborers…
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…
BRASILIA – The World Water Conference opened this morning (March 19) in the capital city of Brazil. An estimated 40,000 people, including 15 heads of state, are expected to attend to discuss the growing crisis with the world’s water supplies. Thursday, March 22nd, is World Water Day. Brazilian President Michel Temer opened the conference with…
“Water is life, and clean water is health.” — Audrey Hepburn Clean, pure water. It really is the stuff of life. And it’s such a non-issue in the Western world. When you need a drink, you turn on the tap. But for millions of men, women and children living in India, access to clean water…
For most who read this article, the thought of water evokes images in the mind of a thirst-quenching drink. If we spend a few minutes pondering the world of water, we might think about idyllic, picturesque lakes and streams. Some will think of water’s life-giving qualities. Those who are familiar with the Bible might reflect…
KERALA, India – The ability to access sources of clean water is a global problem. It is day-to-day problem for about 1.9 billion people. It is a problem that can become personal very quickly. From small villages to major metropolitan areas, water authorities also face the issue of how to provide access profitably. Although controlling…
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. — The U.S. Dry Cleaning Corp., doing business as Tuchman Cleaners, an Indiana dry cleaner chain and World Help, an international humanitarian organization, have formed an unexpected partnership to fight global poverty. Tuchman Cleaners, who has 24 stores in Indianapolis, has joined forces with humanitarian aid group World Help to help develop impoverished…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report on the Open Defecation Sanitation Crisis Written By Karen Burton Mains For much of my adult life, it has been my privilege to hang out with the “renegades” of Christian missions, that relief-and-development crowd that rushes to help during natural disasters, struggles to alleviate the suffering and abasement…
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Steven Goldstein announced to that the United States embassy will open in Jerusalem on May 14 this year as the nation of Israel celebrates its 70th anniversary. Moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a campaign promise made by presidential candidate Donald Trump….
CHENNAI, INDIA – They work in brick kilns, quarries, fisheries, fields, forests, and factories. They look like any other laborers. But they are different. They are slave labor. According to an International Justice Mission (IJM) Fact Sheet, 40.3 million people are held as forced-labor slaves around the world. Twenty-five percent are children. Nearly half of…
“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…
Gospel for Asia (GFA) highlights need for more toilets to cut avoidable death toll, in the first of challenging series looking at major social issues affecting people in Asia. WILLS POINT, Texas—Missionary organization GFA (Gospel for Asia) is calling attention to a usually ignored, delicate subject at the heart of much of its caring work—a…
On Super Bowl Sunday, in a commercial by an alcohol beverage company, Matt Damon promised that if people purchased a chalice, $3 of the $13 purchase would go to benefit communities in need with clean water for five years. Stella Artois is doing this in partnership with Water.org. NPR released an article on February 2…
KATMANDU – At four minutes before noon on April 25, 2015, Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter about 48 miles northwest of the capital city of Katmandu. It was the worst natural disaster to hit Nepal in more than 80 years and the deadliest day in the region’s recorded history….
Texas-based nonprofit GFA (Gospel for Asia) constructs more than 10,000 toilets and sanitation facilities throughout Asia. Open defecation, though rarely addressed, is still a pressing issue for those living below the poverty line in Asia. According to the World Health Organization, over 650 million people in India alone do not have access to a toilet….
ORLANDO – Pioneers, a global missionary outreach ministry, was established in 1979 by Ted Fletcher, former National Sales Manager for the Wall Street Journal, and his wife, Peggy. That same year, Pioneers supported its first missionary, Ruth Wright, in Nigeria. In 1980 Pioneers sent its first missions team to Papua New Guinea. Along the way,…
JERUSALEM – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence assured the Israeli parliament today that “In the weeks ahead, our administration will advance its plan to open the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem – and that the United States Embassy will open before the end of next year.” The U.S. decision to begin the move of the embassy…
The Western world has traditionally held the word “missionary” in high esteem, largely unaware that leaders of Eastern nations have often regarded the idea skepticism. That skepticism has grown over the past century, following the end of World War I and, even more so, since the end of the Second World War. Why the disparity?…
WASHINGTON – Earlier this week, during his visit to India, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told reporters that the United States would be moving its embassy to Jerusalem much earlier than previously anticipated – “Much faster than people think, within a year.” President Trump’s affirmed in December that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel and…
Dr. KP Yohannan has been crisscrossing the globe for the past 40 years, challenging the Body of Christ to discipleship. His call to a radical lifestyle—with an all-out commitment to Jesus—has left its impact on nearly every continent. To the Church caught up by the tidal waves of compromise and self-preservation, Yohannan’s life message is…
AUSTIN, Texas – Where exactly is the mission field? It’s wherever there is a need. It may be in India, or it may be in Indiana. It might be in Thailand or it might be in Texas. It could be in Asia, or it could be in Austin. According to a study from the University…
KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A group of more than 30 researchers from six countries is preparing to create the first detailed images, maps, and monitors of earthquake-prone regions of Asia. The project will cover 435 square miles of an onshore subduction zone that is an extension of the one the caused the 2004…
For more than 11 years, Gospel for Asia has published a Christmas Gift Catalog filled with opportunities for people in the West to be involved in helping transform the lives of families in Asia who live in poverty. Since that time, more than 1 million families have been helped and many reports about how Gospel…
Nearly 80 million people in the U.S. workforce are paid on an hourly basis. About 700,000 who are currently paid the minimum wage of $7.25 per hour will be getting an increase as 18 states raise their minimum wage effective January 1, 2018. Minimum Wage Increase The federal minimum wage has remained at $7.25 since…
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…
Last year in Tamil Nadu, India, six men attacked and killed a Dalit man in broad daylight for marrying a woman of another caste. Marrying outside your caste is unheard of and goes against traditional norms in India, which is why they killed a Dalit. Many times, Dalit cases will go unresolved in court. This…
“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 His Early Life…
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 Ekta Parishad In India, many people come for tourist reasons. Per BBC, “Their husbands come from all over the world, but mainly countries with a large South Asian diaspora, like the UK, the US and Canada.” The motivation for these husbands is not love but to get rich through their dowry. Dowry is…
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 Larisa sklar giller Last Friday, Israeli forces set up metal detectors at the entrance of the Dome of the Rock. Palestinians got upset about this and started to violently protest. Per Fox News, “The anger is over Israel’s decision to leave metal detectors at the entrances to the Temple Mount/Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in…
Photo by Gospel for Asia The death toll in Assam, India has reached 69 people due to flooding. Per FirstPost, “The death toll in the Assam floods climbed to 69 as four more deaths were reported on Tuesday, while nearly nine lakh [one hundred thousand is a lakh] people remained affected in 16 districts.” In…
Photo by Paudarco In Nepal, a new Prime Minister was elected last August. He is a Maoist, a person who adheres to Communist party tenants. His name is Pushpa Kamal Dahal. Per The Indian Express, “Nepal Maoist chief Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is all set to become the Prime Minister for the second time…
Photo by Indian Navy In late May, Sri Lanka monsoon rains began and soon after that, flooding and landslides. Many villages were set off from relief teams being able to come in. In one village, the villagers told The Guardian, “‘All access to our village is cut off. A landslide took place inside the village and…
Photo by Sumon Mallick Not only did Cyclone Mora cause massive flooding in Bangladesh, it also caused mudslides which took the life of over 140 people. Rescuers are having difficulty getting to these areas because of the mud. Per The Hindu, “Rescuers struggled on Wednesday to reach villages hit by massive landslips that have…
Photo by Ziaul Hoque Cyclone Mora hit the coast of Bangladesh on May 30, displacing hundreds of thousands of people. Per AccuWeather, “More than 500,000 people have been displaced by the former Cyclone Mora which brought heavy rain and damaging winds to western Myanmar and Bangladesh on Monday and Tuesday.” After landfall, at least six…
Sri Lanka is facing their worst floods since 2003. In it, over 200 people have been killed. Per The Indian Express, “The death toll in Sri Lanka’s floods has climbed to 202 with 94 people still missing in the country’s worst torrential rains since 2003 that displaced nearly half a million people. The Disaster Management…
Henry Martyn was a missionary to both India and Arabia between 1806-1812. Through his sharing of the Good News, many people were challenged in their thinking of Jesus. Early Life Henry Martyn was born on February 18, 1781 in Cornwell England. Henry was picked on at school and the teachers had to assign another student…
The Zika-related malady of microcephaly that has plagued Brazil and much of the Americas is now in Thailand where two babies recently born there have the birth defect, marking Asia’s first reports of the condition. While not all pregnant women infected with Zika deliver microcephalic babies, researchers say Zika is one of the leading…
