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.
KABUL – On March 6th, Reuters reported that flash floods, heavy rains, and snowfall over the previous two weeks in Afghanistan had taken the lives of at least 59 people and left 5,000 homeless. An article in The Guardian expressed shock and surprise by reporters on the ground: Shock at the unprecedented consequences of the…
What’s the Most Effective Way to Pray? There have been numerous books and sermons that have been published that claim to teach us how to pray. Some stipulate that we need more faith. Others say that we must follow a certain formula. Prayer is God’s designated way for us to communicate and speak with Him….
India and 10 other countries in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for around 70 percent of estimated malaria cases (151 million) and deaths (274,000) globally last year. However, India was the only one of those 11 to show progress in reducing the disease within its borders. The World Health Organization’s World Malaria Report 2018 indicated a 24%…
WILLS POINT, TX – March 22nd is set aside every year as World Water Day. Throughout the month and beyond, Missions Box will feature news, statistics, and human-interest stories that draw attention to multiple facets of the global crisis. This article shares insights into the Top 10 countries where the water crisis is worst. #10…
CARACAS – Venezuela is a country of extreme contrasts. First-time visitors flying into the capital city of Caracas are often surprised to land at the airport at sea level on the southern edge of the Caribbean only to discover that their ride into the city will take them to an elevation of 3,000 feet within…
KIBERA, KENYA – With a fluctuating population of nearly a million people, Kibera is the largest slum in Kenya and one of the largest in the world. It is home to one of the most unusual churches in the world. The Unhealthy Conditions in Kibera Most families in Kibera live in rented 12’ x 12’…
MISSOURI CITY, TX – There is no doubt about it. There is no place like HOME. It’s especially true for people in seven nations in the Middle East. For them, HOME is an acronym for Health Outreach to the Middle East. Health Outreach to the Middle East is a Christ-centered health organization serving in the…
‘Dying of Thirst’ Special Report Says Urgent Action Needed to Combat Deadly Waterborne Diseases and Critical Water Shortage. WILLS POINT, TX — An eye-opening report from Gospel for Asia (GFA), a leading faith-based humanitarian agency, has revealed key new insights into a critical survival issue – what experts are calling a “worldwide water crisis” that…
PLEASANTVILLE, PA – There’s a mansion just over the hilltop from the place where the first functioning oil well in the United States was drilled. That mansion has been described as “A small country church serving a great big God.” The church is located outside of Pleasantville, Pennsylvania, just down the road a piece from…
MIDLAND, TX – March 4, 2019 — ChinaAid has released its 2018 Annual Persecution Report, demonstrating China’s sharp escalation of human rights and religious freedom abuses over the past year and providing key examples. The report, published in both Chinese and English, catalogs cases of China’s oppression of Christians and contrasts them to cases documented…
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good, and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” – Luke 6:45 On the occasion of Gospel for Asia’s 40th anniversary, being celebrated throughout 2019,…
NORTH KIVU PROVINCE – Doctors Without Borders has temporarily suspended its operations treating patients for the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo following armed attacks on two of its clinics. The attacks on February 24th and 27th were described by witnesses as brazen and violent. Buildings and vehicles were set ablaze. After…
KOBANI – Open Doors’ most recent World Watch List noted that, although persecution of Christians in the country at large appeared to have diminished, there was “a spike in violence” against Christians perpetrated by ISIS-backed rebels. Expression of Christian faith are strictly prohibited in areas controlled by radical Islamic forces. Countless church buildings have been…
BRENTWOOD, TN – When we list the needs of the underserved, indigenous, and poverty-stricken people around the world, we rarely include one of their greatest yet most visible needs. Healthy teeth. Picture after picture, image after image we see these people smiling through missing teeth – probably for the sake of the camera. Yet, rarely…
Special report entitled “Seeking Justice & Defending Human Rights” conveys GFA’s concerns about the impoverished in Asia. While welcoming an international day of awareness that turns the global focus on issues keeping millions in grinding poverty, missionary organization Gospel for Asia is year-round helping to bring relief to the underprivileged trapped in that cycle. In…
SOUTH ASIA – World Leprosy Day was observed on 27 January to raise awareness of the truth about what may be the most misunderstood disease on the planet. Having the disease is compounded by the indignities the infected must suffer. People with leprosy who have obvious deformities are relegated to isolated colonies where they are…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) was born 40 years ago when K.P. and Gisela Yohannan felt the call of the Lord on their lives to minister to the people of Asia in His name. Even before His specific calling was clear—and every day thereafter—their commitment has been to walk in the beauty…
FEBC plans record distribution of free radios to share the gospel in countries where poverty and political restrictions keep people from hearing about Jesus LA MIRADA, CA – Christian broadcaster FEBC (Far East Broadcasting Company) has launched a year-long initiative to distribute a record number of its free “missionary radios” to unreached people groups, most…
JACKSONVILLE, FL – The mission of Go To Nations (GTN) is “To serve as a “mission sending organization” which helps the body of Christ to conduct mission ministry by providing the practical and technical assistance necessary to be effective in the global harvest.” Equipping missionaries, local churches, and international ministries to reach the world with…
KUMBH MELA – The Swacch Bharat Abhiyan or Clean India Mission was launched on October 2nd, 2014 as a major government initiative with the goal of making India ‘clean’ by the same date in 2019. When Prime Minister Modi initiated the campaign, he declared that, “A clean India would be the best tribute India could…
STRASBOURG – The European Court of Human Rights has rendered a judgment against Turkey in the case of Altınkaynak and Others v. Turkey. The court ruled that Turkey had violated the rights of a group of Seventh Day Adventists in 2004 when they attempted to register their religious foundation. Although Turkey ratified the European Convention…
Due to Geopolitics and the Declining Economy, Venezuela Finds Itself in the Middle of a Hunger Crisis FOREST, Va. — Venezuela was once considered the wealthiest country in South America. Today, however, growing discontent due to power cuts, food and medicine shortages, the plunging price of oil and political upheaval, has left this nation in…
WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA) Special Report – Discussing the misunderstandings and social stigma of leprosy that keep it alive, despite being a curable worldwide problem. Leprosy. For many, a cloud of mystery, fear and shame surrounds this disease. It’s a disease that destroys nerves and deadens limbs to sensations of touch…
When Christians read reports from nations in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia some may wonder why missionaries have not reached out to the unreached long ago. We can easily operate on a false assumption that the current number of unreached and underserved is an indicator of the past failure of others to go and…
DAVOS – Three thousand world leaders are expected to meet at the World Economic Forum in this Swiss community from January 22nd through the 25th. The theme of this year’s forum is “Trust: The world’s currency.” Immediately preceding the event, Oxfam released a 40-page research report entitled “Public Good or Private Wealth.” Oxfam is an…
WILLS POINT, TX The last Sunday in January is set aside to observe World Leprosy Day. Gospel for Asia (GFA) has released a Special Report examining the problem of leprosy. Across the globe, leprosy charities and partners join together to raise awareness of this disease that many people believe to be extinct, when in fact…
World Leprosy Day: Gospel for Asia-supported workers’ hands-on care for sufferers brings practical help and spiritual hope to those still marginalized by long-feared disease. WILLS POINT, Texas — Gospel for Asia (GFA) is spotlighting its efforts to bridge the historic social gulf caused by the disfiguring disease that leaves sufferers disadvantaged and often despised—one outstretched arm…
CANBERRA – Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison published an open letter this week to “Australians of all faiths.” The catalyst for the letter is the parliamentary debate on freedom of religion versus discrimination against sexual orientation in religious schools and institutions. A Missions Box report published on October 17, 2018, asked the question, “Australia: Can…
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…
FOREST, VA — Every night, thousands of girls in the beach resort town of Pattaya, Thailand, go to work in the city’s red-light districts. Some of them have been taken there from their rural homes and sold into the sex industry against their will. Most of them have no other choice — poverty has prevented them…
SANTA ANA, CA – According to its website, “For over 60 years, Open Doors has worked in the world’s most oppressive countries, empowering Christians who are persecuted for their beliefs. Open Doors equips persecuted Christians in more than 60 countries through programs like Bible & Gospel Development, Women & Children Advancement, and Christian Community Restoration.”…
Contrary to popular belief among many Americans, radio is not a relic of the past. Once again, we are victims of our own isolation and our preoccupation with the ever-emerging technologies that seem to have relegated radio to the recollection of retirees. Then, there is the virtual demise of the once ubiquitous Radio Shack. The…
MANAGUA – Chosen Children Ministries is a faith-based, non-profit organization focused on reaching families and communities in Nicaragua. Its methodology is unique in that the organization has field staff in two locations within the country through which it utilizes teams of volunteers from evangelical churches, schools, universities, and businesses to expand its outreach. Because Nicaragua…
WASHINGTON — The 46th annual March for Life Rally, which marks the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court Roe v. Wade abortion opinion, will be held on January 18, 2019 in Washington, D.C. This year’s March for Life theme is “Unique from Day One” and conveys the message that each life begins at conception. The…
A Special Report published in February 2018 by Gospel for Asia (GFA) revealed that more than 40 million people around the world are currently living in some form of slavery. The report added that 25 million of those are enslaved in Asia and the Pacific. Seeking Justice and Defending Human Rights Wherever Poverty and Oppression…
FOREST, VA — For nearly four years, Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war that has led to one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and famines. World Help is one of the humanitarian groups responding to this crisis. Working with local partners, the organization is providing food and emergency supplies to Yemeni families….
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the leading cause of death in the world in 2018 claimed the lives of 42 million people. That’s more than the number who died from cancer, malaria, HIV/AIDS, smoking, alcohol, and traffic accidents combined. Worldometers estimates that there was a total of 59 million deaths globally during the…
KERALA – In an event unprecedented in India’s history, five million women gathered in a single line along a 385-mile stretch of National Highway 66 on January 1, 2019. The focal point of “the women’s wall” was a response to being prevented from entering the Sabarimala temple even after the supreme court ruled that women…
HENAN PROVINCE – On November 30, 2018, Chinese communist authorities ordered a church in Henan Province to remove its display of the first commandment of the Ten Commandments. The directive came during a regular inspection of a church affiliated with the government-approved Three-Self church movement. Freedom of religion in China has been a consistent and…
For many Americans, Christmas is the “most wonderful time of the year” — but that’s not the reality for millions of refugees living in overcrowded displacement camps across the Middle East. Vernon Brewer, founder and CEO of the Christian humanitarian organization World Help, recently traveled to refugee camps near the Jordan-Syria border to deliver aid…
It has been said that Americans think everyone in the world has access to a copy of the Bible. It would be nice if everyone did. The truth is that millions of people have no access to Bibles—the most important thing they need. One of the first lessons that the Lord taught the children of…
Missions Box News recently published a report about GFA-supported pastors and missionaries who had visited an orphanage in which all 28 boys have lost their parents to AIDS and are themselves infected with the dread disease. The pastors and missionaries undertook this effort to assist and encourage the boys and educate them about the HIV…
LONDON – Great Britain’s Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, ordered a review today into the escalation of persecution of Christians around the world. Current estimates are that 250 Christians die every month as a result of persecution-related violence. The aim of the reviews is to determine what the UK can do aid what is now more…
CHENGDU – Last week Chinese authorities detained Pastor Wang Yi and 100 members of the Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, Szechuan, China.Bob Fu, the president of ChinaAid, said that “the massive overnight attack . . . represents a major escalation of religious persecution in China.”Former U.S. Senator and current U.S. Ambassador at Large for…
LONDON – Sadiq Khan is the Mayor of London, England. He had been a Member of Parliament since 2005. He is also a devout Muslim. However, whether politically motivated or out of sincerity, he has proven to be kind to Christians. Just a few days ago on December 16th, he addressed a crowd of 10,000…
MOZAMBIQUE – When a young African boy saw the unguarded cell phone, he knew it might be his only chance to ever have one. It is doubtful that he even knew how to use one. Imagine his surprise when he played with the buttons and discovered that what he had taken was not a cell…
WILLS POINT, TX – It is important for Christians to understand the concepts of human rights and social justice from the popular global perspective and in the light of the Word of God. It is, in fact, our responsibility to do so because the popular worldview and the Biblical worldview are not the same. The…
Gospel for Asia Spotlights Special Report on the 70th Anniversary of the Declaration of Human RightsWILLS POINT, Texas—To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948, Gospel for Asia (GFA) is spotlighting its special report “Seeking Justice and Defending Human Rights Wherever Poverty and Oppression Exist.”…
OSLO – Dr. Denis Mukwege, a Christian doctor from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was named a co-recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize earlier this week. Dr. Mukwege is a world-renowned gynecologist who specializes in treating the survivors of sexual violence within war-torn regions like his own beloved DRC. Mukwege is the son…
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…
