On Feb. 7, more than 300 children in South Sudan were released from being child soldiers. Al Jazeera news network reports, “The 311 children, including 87 girls, will now begin reintegrating into their communities, the UN mission in the country (UNMISS) said in a statement on Wednesday.” These children lost their innocence at a very…
SANFORD, Florida – The acclaimed apologist and distinguished defender of the faith, Dr. R.C. Sproul, has gone home to meet the Lord whom he loves and served for more than 60 years. He passed away just two months shy of his 78th birthday. Perhaps best known for establishing Ligonier Ministries, he was gifted with a…
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…
Nursing homes have become a new mission field in China. Traditionally, the Chinese people have considered that placing elderly people in nursing homes indicates that their children are failing to support their aging parents. However, with a changing demography and the growing Chinese economy, “senior care services are called ‘a sunrise industry serving the elderly…
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….
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…
WASHINGTON, Dec. 29, 2017 /The White House / — President Donald Trump issued a proclamation designating January 2018 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The proclamation calls upon “industry associations, law enforcement, private businesses, faith-based and other organizations of civil society, schools, families, and all Americans to recognize our vital roles in ending…
“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…
A Hindu woman, Anita Masih, traveling to Delhi with six other Christians, stopped in Mathura at the request of her sister Valmiki. She had asked the group to pause on their journey to come to her home to pray for her sick husband. While the Valmiki was gathering water for her guests, a mob of…
Mon Nov. 13, 2017 – Gospel for Asia Thrilled to be part of Boo on the Bricks in Wills Point, Texas, Gospel for Asia makes a good impression on the community it knows and loves. Creating a reason to enjoy the season together, community members in Wills Point, Texas gathered on Saturday, October 28th for…
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,”…
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 GIAHS Initiative In the Philippines, the Catholic Church opposes birth control. In the meantime, President Duterte is pushing for more free access to birth control. Per Fox News, “President Rodrigo Duterte mandated free birth control for women in an effort to decrease poverty rates in the country and help economically stricken communities. Duterte…
Photo by James McCauley Iraq’s Christians and Yazidis have tried to come back to their homes, only to find them taken by Kurds. Fox News reports, “‘For months we’ve been receiving numerous reports from Assyrian Christians and Yazidis that Kurdish forces are using the fog of war to seize land that rightfully belongs to…
The United Nations is doing an investigation to see whether the treatment of the Rohingya amounts to human rights violations. Per CNN, “Tens of thousands of members of Myanmar’s Muslim minority have left in this fashion, and their treatment may amount to ‘crimes against humanity,’ warns UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee.” About 70,000 people have…
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 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 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…
Heretiq In early April, Syria dropped chemical weapons on its own people. Even though no one knew who did the attacks, the United States government and other world leaders blamed President Assad for the attack on civilians. Some leaders called it a war crime. Per CNN, “World leaders expressed shock and outrage Tuesday at reports…
Photo by TSGT. MARVIN KRAUSE In 1994, the Rwandan Genocide started. On April 6, a plane carrying the then-President, a Hutu. The Hutu extremists blamed a Tutsi rebel group, which started a slaughter of the Tutsi. Per BBC, “Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsi rebel group the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and immediately started a well-organised…
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 Srithern In the summer of 2016, there were confirmed cases of the Zika virus in Florida. Five of these were non-travel related cases. Per Fox News, “Florida Gov. Rick Scott said Tuesday that the state has confirmed five new non-travel related cases of Zika, including one in the Tampa Bay area, though officials…
Photo by Unknown CDC employee People are returning to their homes in northern Nigeria after Boko Haram raided in 2014. One of the farmers hid under maize crops with the rest of his family. Per CNN, “Jafiya Nuhu, a 52-year-old commercial farmer, hid under maize cobs in his farm with his wife and two children…
There has been resistance in Italy to migrants trying to enter the country from Libya, despite pressure from the European Union to allow those migrants to enter the country. Part of the reason Italy doesn’t want to allow Libyan migrants to enter the country, is to keep smugglers from coming in. Per Fox News, “Italy…
Photo by Steve Evans In May, the Myanmar government held a peace talk with ethnic minority groups in the country. They hoped to find common ground between the military and the minority groups that were trying to defend themselves. Per Fox News, “Representatives from Myanmar’s ethic rebel groups and the government gathered in…
Photo by McKay Savage Last July, an Indian woman who had been gang raped in 2013 was once again raped as she was returning home from college last July 13. Per CNN, “All four alleged perpetrators in custody appeared in court Sunday, where a magistrate ordered them held for at least three more days. It’s…
Photo by Punya On April 25, 2015, a massive earthquake hit Nepal, creating destruction to buildings around Nepal. This killed thousands of people nationwide. Per Fox News, “Nearly everything was lost on April 25, 2015, when a terrifying earthquake shook the Himalayan nation, killing more than 9,000 people and toppling nearly a million homes…
Photo by Oshomah Abubakar Between April and June of last year, a recession hit Nigeria. This was partly caused by low oil prices, which Nigeria depends on for importing to other countries. BBC reports, “The price of oil has fallen from highs of about $112 a barrel in 2014 to below $50 at the moment.”…
Photo by McKay Savage There has been an epidemic in India and it’s not a sickness. By the thousands each year, housewives are killing themselves. It has been higher than India’s suicide rate since 2017. Per BBC, “The rate of housewives taking their lives – more than 11 per 100,000 people – has been…
Photo by Diliff Former-Prime Minister Theresa May called for the Parliament to vote on Brexit in January and whether the UK should go ahead. CNN explains, “British Prime Minister Theresa May committed to placing a final Brexit deal to a vote in both houses of the UK parliament, as she outlined for the first time…
Photo by Sandrine Dole In Cameroon, 5,000 people have been freed from Boko Haram. This includes women and children. Per Fox News, “More than 5,000 people, including women and children, have been freed from extremist captivity and at least 60 Boko Haram fighters have been killed by Cameroonian and Nigerian soldiers in operations since the…
Photo by Christiaan Briggs Iraqi refugees have returned to their homes in the Nineveh region. Yet, what they discovered deeply grieved them. According to Fox News, “There were gasps, followed by tears at a small church in northern Iraq as a group of Christians returned to their parish Sunday to find that everything had been…
Photo by Rexness In late March, Cyclone Debbie hit New South Wales, Australia, causing flooding. Per BBC, “In many towns floodwaters are continuing to rise after the category four cyclone saw some areas experience three times their average monthly rainfall on Thursday alone.” Several towns were declared disaster zones. News.co.au explains, “Several flood-affected northern NSW…
Image by NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan In early February, there were avalanches in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which killed over 100 people. CNN explains, “At least 156 people have died along the Afghan-Pakistani border after three days of heavy snowfall caused a series of deadly avalanches Sunday.” The deadliest avalanche was in a village on the…
Photo by Ben Bowes In March, there was flooding in Colombia which devastated Mocoa, a capital city of one of the states in Colombia. Per ABC News, “Colombian authorities scrambled to deliver aid and return basic services like electricity and water to the wreckage of Mocoa, a city of 40,000 people devastated by floodwaters…
Photo by Simon Williams / Ekta Parishad In 2013, India passed the Sexual Harassment laws, which promised to protect women in the work place. The Economic Times explains these laws, “India’s law against sexual harassment at the workplace was passed in 2013, laying out processes that need to be followed in organized and unorganized sectors.”…
Wed April 19, 2017 – Gospel for Asia Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers provide disease-prevention systems and lessons to improve health, offer hope in World Water Day effort WILLS POINT, Texas—Fresh water sources are freeing impoverished families in Asia from sickness and disease. GFA (Gospel for Asia)-supported workers dedicated new Jesus Wells in series of…
Photo by Sardaka When former-President Obama was in the White House, he promised the Australian Prime Minister that America would take in 1,250 refugees every year. The Federalist explains, “We entered the picture, nonetheless, in 2016. The Obama administration struck a deal with Turnbull’s government to take the refugees into our country.” Prime Minister Turnbull…
By Mugchee On Sunday, February 19, six tornados touched down in San Antonio and Austin. According to KTRK, “At least six tornadoes hit parts of San Antonio and Austin area, damaging dozens of homes but causing no major injuries.” Not only was there tornadic activity, but also flooding in San Antonio. Fox 29 San Antonio…
In Latin America, there has been an increase in the number of women asking for abortions due to the spread of the Zika Virus. In most Latin American countries, abortion is illegal. CNN reports, “In Latin American countries, where abortion is highly restricted if not downright illegal, pregnant women are seeking abortions at significantly higher…
By Athanasius 77 In December, just a few weeks before Christmas, a Coptic Church in Cairo was bombed. At first, the authorities had no idea who was responsible for the attacks. According to Fox News, “The Islamic State [ISIS] claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed 25 people. They also alleged that the…
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…
More than 700 million women living today entered into forced marriages as children under the age of 18, according to a landmark report by Save the Children called Every Last Girl. The current rate of marriage worldwide for girls under 15 is one every seven seconds. These teenaged and pre-teenaged girls are not falling in…
GOSPEL FOR ASIA-SUPPORTED WORKERS OFFER HELP AND HOPE TO NEEDY COMMUNITIES TO MARK REPUBLIC DAY As India celebrated its national heritage recently, some of the country’s neediest people were given help and hope by teams supported by Gospel for Asia (GFA). Hundreds of Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported workers in different locations went out into their…
In mid-October of 2016, 21 Chibok schoolgirls who were kidnapped were returned to their hometown by Boko Haram. CNN reports, “The 21 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapped and released by terrorist group Boko Haram were reunited with their families amid tearful scenes on Sunday.” It was a joyous celebration for many of the parents, yet it was…
By Farhan from Karachi, Pakistan – Are they independent – Karachi Jail, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4292206 Pakistani Christian Asia Bibi, who was sentenced to death for blasphemy, has had her appeal before the nation’s supreme court delayed pending a new hearing, after one of the judges recused himself from the case. The Bibi case has…
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…
South Africa’s Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba withdrew the visa exemption of controversial American Pastor Steven Anderson calling the American an “undesirable person.” This is an unusual move, as Americans typically receive entry visas from South Africa without problems. Gigaba acted following input from South Africa’s LGBT leaders who objected to Anderson’s endorsement of the…
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…
