ORLANDO, FL — Wycliffe Associates, an international organization involving people in the advancement of Bible translation, is ready to begin Scripture translation for 10 languages in an undisclosed nation where the government fiercely opposes Christianity and evangelism is illegal. There are 150 language groups in the country, and Christians from 10 language groups there want…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report on the aftermath of acute gender imbalance: Discussing the horrendous reality of 100 million missing women worldwide. One of the stunning stories from Scripture tells about the uninvited woman who crashed a VIP party at the home of an important religious leader. This is a…
WASHINGTON — With its particular focus on China’s oppression of religious and human rights, an independent watchdog group has decried in its annual report the state of religious freedom across the globe. The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, a bipartisan organization created 20 years ago, concludes in its Monday (April 29) report that “innumerable…
International relief organizations are responding to an increasingly devastating humanitarian crisis after a tropical storm and powerful cyclone tore across Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi. Current estimates confirmed by President Filipe Nyusi indicate that some 1,000 people may have been killed in Mozambique alone. “Officially, we have a record of more than 84 dead but everything…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report on the global clean water crisis: Discussing the crucial quest for access to clean drinking water. The widespread lack of clean water is a crisis we can’t ignore. The statistics are mind-numbing. 502,000 people die each year from diarrhea—caused by unsafe drinking water.[1] 2.1 billion…
The Syrian Civil War has been an epic crisis as the Assad regime attempts to retain its rule whilst ISIS rebels and others seek to wrest control as part of an attempt to establish an Islamic caliphate. About half of the Christian population has disappeared from the country either by death or diaspora. Yet, despite…
GAFFNEY, SC – The closure, censure, and prohibition of churches, whether as congregations or as church buildings has become a regular theme in news from countries around the world. It is reasonable to expect the trend to continue and, eventually, to overflow into the home of the free and the brave. This writer, having once…
WILLS POINT, TEXAS – World Toilet Day was November 19, and the chances that you celebrated the day are probably quite slim. Neither is it likely that you even discussed the matter at the dinner table that day or three days later on Thanksgiving—even though having functioning toilets is something that the Western world should…
MUMBAI – The supply of clean water is a world-wide issue. Access to and availability of clean water is so common to American households that we rarely think about it. Turn on the tap. Out flows safe, clean, potable water. Even when Gospel for Asia (GFA) and other NGOs explain the need for clean drinking water…
The first step in any advance in any realm of our human experience begins with an awakened awareness. Psychologists tell us that we can’t help someone until they realize that they need help. That is why it is difficult to help an addict who says, “I don’t have a problem.” They have yet to come…
KOLKATA – The International Drug Policy Consortium (IDPC) released a 138-page report on October 21, 2018, entitled, “Taking stock: A decade of drug policy.” The report used data supplied by the United Nations compiled to evaluate its progress of its 2009 Political Declaration and Plan of Action on Drugs. The news on drugs is not…
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…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report: Hope to Overcome the Challenges of Widowhood Written By Ken Walker of InChrist Communications Accounts of the humiliations, insults and indignations suffered by widows worldwide would make anyone cringe. Gulika, a widow in Asia, experienced helplessness after the people in her village turned their backs on her after…
WILLS POINT, Texas — GFA (Gospel for Asia) has issued an urgent appeal for help in responding to some of the worst flooding in almost a century that has claimed several hundred lives and displaced nearly a quarter of a million people in southern India. Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers have already begun distributing emergency…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report on Mosquito Netting and Malaria Prevention Combat a Parasitic Genius Written By Ken Walker of InChrist Communications Fighting Malaria. Though eradicated in many developed nations, malaria still claims thousands of lives around the world. One victim who survived this mosquito-borne disease compared its chills to “lying down between…
VIENTIANE – The constitution of the nation of Laos guarantees its citizens freedom of religion. Specifically, it recognizes their “right and freedom to believe or not to believe in religion.” In addition, Laos is “a state party” to the seven core international human rights treaties under which they are obligated to “respect, protect, and fulfill…
AGRA, UTTAR PRADESH – The Taj Mahal has long been synonymous with India. It has been the nation’s number one tourist attraction, attracting millions of visitors and generating an average of $4 million USD revenue per year for the government. It is now possible that the site may lose its international status as the spirit…
WASHINGTON, DC – Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council and anchor of the daily radio broadcast Washington Watch, has been appointed to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) upon the recommendation of Senator Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. The appointment was announced on Monday, May 14, 2018. Perkins earned a BS…
Regardless of economy, nations worldwide face need for better sources of clean water, providing opportunity to show God’s love and care: GFA (Gospel for Asia) article WILLS POINT, Texas—Best known for its work helping the underprivileged in poverty-stricken parts of the world, GFA (Gospel for Asia) is spotlighting a universal crisis that unites all nations:…
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…
BEIJING – The People’s Republic of China released a white paper today entitled, “China’s Policies and Practices on Protecting Freedom of Religious Belief.” A title like that might encourage Christians about the prospects of sharing the Gospel in mainland China. However, this may be a classic example of not judging a white paper by its…
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…
CHENNAI – President Ram Kath Kovind announced that India will begin soon offer vocational training services to more than 500,000 survivors of human trafficking. The program follows an anti-trafficking bill approved by the cabinet on February 28, 2018. Observers expect the bill to be easily passed by parliament. That bill includes measures that deal with…
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…
From neglect of small girls to dowry violence and abandonment of widows, GFA (Gospel for Asia) highlights ‘silent suffering’ in region. NASHVILLE — While much of America is caught up in the “#MeToo” movement, a new report by GFA (Gospel for Asia) is spotlighting the scale of the daily horrors faced by women around the…
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…
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…
On Nov. 12, the deadliest earthquake of 2017, reaching a magnitude of 7.3, hit the border of Iran and Iraq. The death toll has topped 530, while 8,000 more people have been injured. “On Tuesday, Iranian officials called off rescue operations on the grounds there was little chance of finding more survivors from the quake,”…
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 Foj333 For years, there was a civil war between the Colombian military and the FARC, a rebel guerilla group. It finally ended in December, when the government and FARC agreed on a peace deal between the two groups. CNN reports, “Colombia’s Congress has approved a historic peace agreement that will lead to the…
Photo by James Gordon Last October, Calais in France, a refugee camp started transferring children from ages 14 to 17. There was some dispute over the ages of these supposed children. The Telegraph reports, “The Home Office insisted it had ‘verified’ the ages of all the refugees and that all of those who were brought…
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 Wesley Fryer Last April, China passed a law clamping down on NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations). This is so the government could start having more oversight in these organizations that started on January 1 of this year. Part of it, is an effort to keep Western influence out of China. Per The New…
A HIV Vaccine is being tested by scientists. Right now, those who are infected by HIV must take a pill. Millions of South Africans are on treatment for the illness. Per CNN, “But the government [of South Africa] estimates that more than 3 million South Africans are on antiretrovirals: the highest figure in the world…
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…
By Nadavspi In-between the beginning of 2016 and the end, a land a little smaller than the state of Florida was recaptured by Iraqi and Syrian forces. Per Newsweek, “This means ISIS lost control of almost 18,000 square kilometers (6,900 square miles) over the last 12 months, bringing the totality of the landmass it holds…
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….
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,…
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…
By Laban66 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10403927 The Vladimir Putin-led Russian government recently passed sweeping anti-terror legislation that reduces all citizen’s rights to privacy while potentially infringing on the right of Christians to engage in missions. “It could stop missionary activity to anybody but representatives, registered organizations and groups,” said Joel Griffith of…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
Targeting boys as young as 11 years old, both the Myanmar army and opposing rebels continue to recruit and even kidnap children for military conscription. Recent pressure from the United Nations and non-government organizations has resulted in the release of some children though recruiting continues. Recruiters target boys in rural and urban areas when the…
When Category Five Cyclone Winston struck the Fiji island of Yacata on Saturday, Feb. 20, with 185 mile-per-hour winds, this South Pacific nation of about 100 islands suffered widespread death and destruction, particularly in its remote areas. Christian aid organizations like Church of the Nazarene and regional governments are scrambling to provide food, water and…
The egregious act of slavery, particularly for sexual exploitation, has grown at alarming rates globally. However, governments, non-government organizations and Christian ministries like the Dalit Freedom Network and Passion Conferences are now actively challenging the offenders and offering hope to victims. Everlyn Chumbow, in her contribution to CNN says this: Should you feel compassion? Yes….
