Gospel for Asia (GFA World) is a leader in tackling critical issues facing the extreme poor and most marginalized people in Asia today, including women’s issues, clean water challenges, leprosy, slums, child labor, plight of widows, human trafficking concerns, among numerous other topics.
Acquiring clean water is a day-to-day struggle for millions of people throughout the globe. But GFA World is leading the way in providing lasting solutions that transform thirsty communities. To date, we’ve installed over 30,000 bore wells, aka “Jesus Wells”, and distributed over 58,000 BioSand Water filters, to provide clean water to 37.5 million people in South East Asia.
More than 70,000 children in Asia otherwise at-risk of growing up illiterate and uneducated are instead receiving a daily meal, ongoing education, school supplies, and medical care through our Bridge of Hope program — all because of Christ’s love. To date, we have helped over 138,000 children, and in 2019 graduated 2,170 students from high school onto brighter futures.
Gospel for Asia points out that there are more than 250 million women in Asia today who are illiterate. It’s impossible for them to help their children with schoolwork, read road signs, the instructions on medicine bottles, understand legal papers, or read a Bible. But through our literacy programs, we taught 59,888 women to read and write in 2019 alone.
For decades, GFA-supported workers in South Asia — one of the world’s most leprosy-endemic regions — have provided physical and emotional support for victims of the disease. Leprosy cases in the U.S. are rare, but this dreadful disease afflicts more than 200,000 new victims around the world every year, mostly in India. GFA has 47 teams working with Leprosy patients through Asia.
GFA World serves Asia’s poorest of the poor in more than 870 slum neighborhoods throughout Asia. That’s an increase of more than 360 slum ministry locations since 2015.
GFA works to combat unjust discrimination, stigma and suffering endured by widows in Asia. We have 40 teams working among widows to bring them hope and tangible help.
Globally, around 736 million people are living in poverty, many of them children. Lacking adequate housing, hygiene, health care and education because they don’t have enough money, they pay a high price: disease, discrimination and, often early death.
GFA’s website tells its story, and its story is vast: To date, we’ve installed over 32,000 toilets built in some of the most underdeveloped areas, including 5,428 latrines with dual-tank disinfection systems were constructed in 2019 alone.
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…
GFA (Gospel for Asia) highlights need for more toilets to cut avoidable death toll, in first of challenging series looking at major social issues. WILLS POINT, Texas—Missionary organization Gospel for Asia (GFA) is calling attention to a usually ignored, delicate subject at the heart of much of its caring work—a lack of toilets. In the…
NEW YORK CITY – Wednesday, 20 June 2018, is World Refugee Day. The day is especially important because there is, as most people know, a global refugee crisis. The crisis is compounded by the emotional and political conflict regarding the status of refugees. More about that in a minute. First, here are some facts about…
ABUJA – The country of Nigeria is an enigma. While, on the one hand, the Nigerian Minister of Health announced today that the country’s efforts to eliminate polio within its borders “are beginning to yield results, considering the fact that we have spent 18 months without a case of poliovirus,” the country stands at the…
by Lou Gutheil, Gospel for Asia (GFA) guest writer “You fathers–if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!” (Luke 11:11-12 NLT) One of His disciples had asked Jesus to teach them how to…
Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported Bridge of Hope centers help campaign for brighter future for youngsters at-risk for child labor in some of Asia’s impoverished communities WILLS POINT, Texas—In a part of the world where many children are valued only for the small amount of money they can earn through long hours of hard work in…
Believers Eastern Church served a hot, nutritious meal to 150 men and women working in a brick factory on International Workers’ Day, May 1, to encourage and show God’s love. Pastor Aapt and the leader of the local Women’s Fellowship, Chadna, led the food distribution. Many of the people in this area serve as laborers…
YANGON – Life goes on as normal for Christians and Muslims in Myanmar, just as life goes on as normal for Christians and Muslims in America. Normal is the operative word because what is normal for them is at the extreme opposite of what normal is for us. We often refer to normal as “the…
GENEVA – June 12, 2018, is World Day Against Child Labor. The annual event is sponsored by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and is intended to “direct attention to the plight of child laborers with the hope of one day being able to end all forms of child labor that may exist in the world…
GFA (Gospel for Asia) leader Dr. KP Yohannan assists in ‘great act of kindness’ supply distributions in wake of severe flooding in Sri Lanka. WILLS POINT, Texas—Gospel for Asia (GFA)-supported (GFA) workers worked alongside Buddhist priests to bring relief to some of those worst hit by the severe flooding that left thousands of Sri Lankans…
One of thousands of women taught to read and write tells how GFA-supported initiative ‘made my dream come true’ WILLS POINT, Texas—It was a dream come true for a 50-year-old woman living in a village in northern India when she wrote her own name for the first time—a milestone made possible by GFA (Gospel for Asia)…
NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania – On 27 April 2018, The National Assembly of Mauritania passed a law that makes the death penalty mandatory for anyone convicted of “blasphemous speech” and acts deemed “sacrilegious.” Human rights experts from the UN, the African Commission of Human and People’s Rights (ACHPR), and more than 20 NGOs have called upon the…
WASHINGTON, DC – Texas Senator Ted Cruz heads the lineup of speakers and panelists featured at the Capitol Hill Policy Day at the Capitol Visitor Center on June 5, 2018. The conference, sponsored by International Christian Concern, will focus on “the crisis of violence in Nigeria brought about by both Boko Haram and Fulani militants.”…
Al Jazeera, a Middle East news station, reports 350 people in the Caribbean and Latin America have been set free from human trafficking between April 3–9, and 22 people affiliated with the human trafficking, such as the ringleaders were arrested by Interpol, an international police organization. The operation was funded by Canada’s government and a…
KARACHI – According to Asia Times, “Pakistan is bracing for a grave water crisis because of climate change and India’s tacit ‘control and management policy’ on the flow of water from the Himalaya-Karakorum mountain range into the Indus Valley.” This site has repeatedly reported on the global clean water crisis, including the Day Zero that…
WILLS POINT, TX – Most people would agree that life is not easy. I know the homeless lady we took to church this week does. I’m sure those who have lost a job or suffered divorce or the death of a loved one do. Because of our own circumstances, it is difficult for us to…
GOA, INDIA – Six young women, all members of the Indian Navy have provided some inspiration for their younger counterparts by successfully circumnavigating the globe in a 56-foot, single-mast sailboat, the Tarini. This amazing accomplishment was the first-ever Indian expedition steered by women sailors – and, it should provide some encouragement for those in a…
SOUTH ASIA (May 23, 2018) – Pakistan and India are being afflicted with intensely hot weather that is affecting residents throughout both countries. Unfortunately, the term “hot weather” does not translate into every American English any easier than if we were reading it in Hindi. The subcontinent has been experiencing temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius….
GFA (Gospel for Asia) matches simple mosquito net distribution with awareness drive to further ‘life and death’ fight against malaria. WILLS POINT, Texas—Malaria may be a thing of the past in many places, but it remains a major public health threat in large parts of the world, prompting GFA (Gospel for Asia) to sound the…
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…
BEIRUT – Horizons International recently introduced its plans for establishing the Middle East Center for World Missions in Beirut. The entire project is expected to take 10 years to complete. The objective is “To build a hub and network that facilitate the mobilization, training, and sending of missionaries from the Middle East and North Africa…
WILLS POINT, Texas – They ran. They jogged. They trotted. They loped. A few even moseyed. A total of 229 runners registered for the 2nd Annual Tiger Supply Run hosted on the campus of Gospel for Asia (GFA) in Wills Point, and sponsored by Russell Memorial UMC and Gospel for Asia (GFA). Participants lined up…
JERUSALEM – News channels around the globe carried live coverage of the official opening of the U.S. embassy in Jerusalem on Monday, May 14, 2018. Although the move of the embassy operations is intended to be permanent, the embassy will temporarily use the U.S. Consulate building until another location can be built or acquired and…
UNANDERRA, NSW, Australia – Dr. Jerome Teelucksingh, who initiated International Men’s Day on 19 November 1999, recently called upon NGOs and national government leaders to celebrate an International Boys Day. May 16, 2018 will mark the first annual International Boys Day. While there is a tendency to emphasize the plight of girls and young women,…
“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…
NEW DELHI – The Press Information Bureau of the Government of India issued separate press releases today concerning the status of the nation’s water supply and its continuing efforts and progress in its campaign for clean water, to provide and maintain clean water nationwide in India. In a nation the size of India, achieving the…
DHAKA – Child marriage is defined as “a formal marriage or informal union before age 18.” Child marriage is widespread in poverty-stricken populations, especially those countries located within the 10/40 window across Africa and South Asia. According to UNICEF, “Worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children. An estimated 12 million…
NEW DELHI – As the world moves on to other matters following World Water Day, the World Water Forum, and Cape Town’s postponement of ‘Day Zero’ until 2019, a global water crisis continues, nonetheless. A crisis already exists for many people in South Asia and there are indications that conditions could get worse before they…
WILLS POINT, Texas – It is no secret that the world is rife with problems ranging from terrorism and wars to hunger and health issues. Many of these and other problems spawn floods of refugees seeking safe harbor from potential harm. Many would consider making a successful journey to a safer place a success. However,…
Gospel for Asia (GFA World) Special Report on the worldwide issue of extreme poverty Written by Palmer Holt of InChrist Communications More than 80 years after George Orwell wrote in his classic Animal Farm that “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others,” his barbed observation on disparity rings ever truer for…
“Yes, the Rich Are Getting Richer, but the Poor Are Getting Richer Faster. And what is driving that process? The Market,” says Daniel Hannan, British Author, Journalist and Former Member of the European Parliament LOS ANGELES — In PragerU’s newest video, As The Rich Get Richer, The Poor Get Richer, British author, journalist and former…
YANGON, Myanmar – The President of Myanmar granted amnesty to more than 8,500 people incarcerated in prisons around the county. The action was, in part, associated with an annual tradition in celebration of the Myanmar New Year. Among those being released are 51 foreigners, eight political detainees, and two Baptist pastors. The two pastors, Dumdaw…
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:…
BANGUI, Central African Republic – Prior to gaining its independence in 1960, this landlocked county occupying the Ubangi and Chari River Basins was part of French Equatorial Africa. Since gaining independence, the county, although rich in uranium, crude oil, gold, diamonds, cobalt, lumber and arable land, remains one of the 10 poorest countries in the…
KHARTOUM – A four-day visit to Sudan in 2015 by VOM missionary Petr Jasek turned into an unplanned 445-day sojourn in prison after the Czech Christian was arrested on charges of conspiring against the Sudanese government. Jasek, shared his experience last week at the McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Virginia. He told his audience that…
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…
With the world facing a clean water crisis, technology companies, governments and NGOs are working to find ways to provide clean water for people in a place where clean water is either in short supply or non-existent. The United Nations even sponsors a World Water Day. While cutting-edge technology is trying exotic methods to capture…
In our Christian life, enduring until the end is what it’s all about, not just starting well. The apostle Paul writes of Christians approaching their life as athletes training for the prize. In order to train to win, athletes must endure the long process that it takes to condition and improve. Sometimes it’s not easy 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…
NAIROBI – Officials in Kenya are serious about cleaning up the country to make it a healthier place. This is especially true in the case of their campaign to become an Open Defecation Free (ODF)region. There are many ways to approach providing more sanitary conditions, but Kenya may be taking a couple of approaches that…
ATLANTA — Free Chapel continues to expand throughout the Southeast and will open a new location in Midtown Atlanta on Sunday, April 8th. The services will be held in a unique setting, at Center Stage Theater, 1374 West Peachtree Street, Atlanta, GA. Pastor Jentezen Franklin will be preaching live from the Midtown campus. Surrounded by…
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…
NEW YORK – April 4th is the United Nations’ International Day for Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, which provides an opportunity for the world to reflect on both the progress made and the challenges that remain in clearing landmines and unexploded ordnance. The vision of the United Nations is a world free of…
ALEXANDRIA – A terrorist attack on two Coptic Christian churches on Palm Sunday 2017 left more than 40 people dead and 125 injured. It also made several men, women, and children widows, widowers, and orphans. One of the deceased was Hanan Dreas, a wife and mother of two children ages six and 10. Her husband,…
Chinese president, Xi Jinping, got rid of term limits, the amount of time a person can spend in office, in the People Republic of China. Once this is in place, the president is able to stay in office as long as he wants. NPR reports, “The move represents a dramatic departure from rules that have…
HAITI – Sherman Balch and his wife Cheryl volunteered to go to Haiti with a group from their church a few months after the 2010 earthquake. That visit became a life-changing experience that led to the founding of Extollo, a Latin word that means “to raise up.” Now Extollo is a life-changing experience for native…
