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…
KARNATAKA – Chief Minister of the State of Karnataka introduced the first statewide universal healthcare (UHC) program in India. The first phase of the program was initiated on March 2, 2018. Ultimately, when the program is entirely implemented, over 10 million households, regardless of income, will have some form of access to healthcare. Chief Minister…
Developing a broader awareness of various global water crises during the month of March has been prompted, in part, by the UN’s Annual World Water Day on March 22nd. Gospel for Asia has contributed several articles intended to bring attention to the drought in South Africa, the meeting of the World Water Forum in Brasilia,…
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…
KENYA – DOOR International and its partners will hold a Sign Language Scripture Celebration on June 9th to commemorate the rendering of Bible passages into four different African national sign languages This is not the first celebration of this kind that DOOR has been able to hold. In 2014, DOOR partners and pastors gathered to…
American pastor Andrew Brunson has been in prison for 18 months in Turkey, accused of ties to an American terrorist. Pastor Brunson had been in Turkey for 20 years before his arrest, in which he was charged with plotting with terrorists for a coup, according to Fox News. He’s also been accused of helping a Kurdish…
CAPE TOWN – Officials have deferred what was once considered the impending Day Zero for Cape Town water supplies from July 11th until an undetermined date in 2019. The news has left the public and much of the news media scratching their heads and wondering why. As far as anyone can tell, nothing has changed….
WILLS POINT, Texas – Gospel for Asia has just released a significant Special Report in conjunction with the international observance of World Water Day on March 22nd. If we take anything for granted, it is water. Like the air, it is always there. With water being so commonly available, why would there even be a…
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…
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…
CAPE TOWN –The water crisis in South Africa continues unabated. Officials have declared a state of emergency, but that is, arguably, because of the danger not only to the citizens but also because of the rising and potential damage to the economy. Moody’s, the international credit rating agency, estimates agricultural production in the Western Cape…
March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s really an odd holiday because very few people understand that man whose name the day is supposed to commemorate. In fact, the day is, for many, a celebration more than a commemoration. Ask the average person on the street what St. Patrick did, and they will likely tell…
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…
WILLS POINT, Texas – “Child marriage is one of the most worrisome problems in Asia. Boys and especially girls, who are supposed to play, learn and live a free life are married off at a very young age, and this not only affects their freedom but also takes a severe physical and mental toll on…
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…
GENEVA – A group of five NGOs met with UN officials on 06 March to discuss the recent case of four Malaysian Christians requesting changes on their national identity cards. The federal court in Sarawak refused to rule on their appeal on 26 February (see “Malaysia High Court Dismisses Christians’ Appeal”). The meeting took place…
ETHIOPIA – The Consortium of Christian Relief & Development Associations (CCRDA) has awarded Bethany Christian Services for submitting the top “Best Practices” idea for NGO work in Ethiopia. Bethany Christian Services has been operating in the U.S. and around the globe since 1944, “Striving to be the hands and feet of Jesus for children and…
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…
PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea – Prime Minister Peter O’Neill declared a state of emergency on 01 March after the remote highlands of Papua New Guinea were hit by a massive, 7.5 magnitude earthquake on 26 February. Aid workers from Australia, New Zealand, China, Israel, and other countries around the globe have been rushing to…
WILLS POINT, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) has published an authoritative article about the seemingly endless global problem of violence against women. The euphemism of “domestic violence” used in America does not begin to describe the depth of persecution that women suffer in many other countries around the world. For many women, “the greatest…
PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa – The world has been watching as the possibility that Cape Town and other cities in South Africa have been preparing for Day Zero when their public supply of potable water will no longer be available. Amid the preparations, residents are taking mandated precautions to avoid the impending disaster. Many are…
KOLKATA – Air India has launched a series of events aimed to salute to International Women’s Day. Today, 04 March 2018, the airline announced that it had operated its Kolkata-Dimpur-Kolkata flight with an all-female crew, including flight attendants, pilot, and co-pilot. Captain Akanksha Verma and Captain Satovia Banerjee piloted the Airbus 319 on Flight AI709….
KUALA LUMPUR (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – The government of Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued a statement this week to draw attention to a new form of child exploitation that has been emerging and growing in Southeast Asia. The Australian government announcement “discourages short-term, unskilled volunteering orphanages (overseas).” The problem is not with…
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…
BRUSSELS – The European Parliament warned Pakistan last week that the renewal of its favored status trade deal would be dependent upon the government’s release of a woman, Asia Bibi, who has been held on death row on a blasphemy case since 2010. Prior to adjournment, however, the parliament voted to continue to extend economic…
CAPE TOWN (28 February 2018) – For the second time in a month, the feared Day Zero for the water supply for Cape Town has been moved back. In our previous article on the South African water crisis published on February 16, we reported that Day Zero – the day when Cape Town would no…
WILLS POINT, Texas – Gospel for Asia (GFA) is drawing attention to the United Nations’ 11th Annual World Day of Social Justice (WDOSJ) during February, 2018 by producing a Special Report: Seeking Justice and Defending Human Rights Wherever Poverty and Oppression Exist. The theme of the WDOSJ this year is “Workers on the Move: The…
HULENE, MAPUTO, Mozambique – At least 17 people died, and numerous others are missing following the collapse of garbage landfill in Mozambique. Many of the dead had been residing in a slum village at the lower perimeter of the garbage pile that is three-stories tall. Early reports include accounts of failed attempts to close the…
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…
HERAT, Afghanistan – “HALO works with countries emerging from conflict, securing weapons and disposing of unexploded ammunition. It paves the way for infrastructure to enable economic development and it underpins international stability and security. By hiring men and women from the mine-impacted communities, HALO’s approach directly lifts our staff’s extended families and communities out 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…
CAPE TOWN (13 February 2018) – The South African government today declared the three-year drought and the subsequent water crisis a national disaster. Rainfall this week raised a glimmer of hope for a nation of people who have been facing an impending ‘Day Zero.’ That is the day the city’s water taps are predicted to…
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…
NEW JERSEY – A U.S. District Judge has issued a temporary restraining order preventing a group of Indonesians currently in the United States and scheduled for deportation time to legally fight their deportation. The ruling was granted following a lawsuit initiated by the ACLU. The Indonesians, who are currently “on release,” have sought relief because…
Sudan is ranked as one of the top five countries in which Christians face the most significant persecution. The war-torn country has been named “A Country of Particular Concern” by the U.S. State Department since 1999 due to the persecution of Christians and widespread human rights issues. After South Sudan seceded in 2011 after one…
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….
HOLLAND, Michigan – Audio Scripture Ministries (ASM) records and distributes audio Bibles to indigenous people in oral cultures. Because many of these people don’t or can’t read, ASM records the Scriptures in their native languages so they may hear the message of God’s love. In India alone, where 60 percent of the 1.2 billion people…
When Christians today think of well-known pastors or missionaries, they mention names like Billy Graham, Jim Elliot, David Livingstone, Hudson Taylor, Joel Osteen, Matt Chandler, Rick Warren or John Piper. Most people would not list George Verwer nor would they even recognize his name. As it turns out, that’s probably just the way George Verwer…
NEW DELHI – January 26, 2018, marks the 69th annual celebration of Republic Day in India. The date commemorates the ratification of the country’s constitution in 1950 when it gained independence from Great Britain. The Constitution of India superseded the Government of India Act under which the nation had been governed since 1935. One of…
WASHINGTON – Earlier this month, we reported that confirmation of President Trumps nominee for the position of U.S. Ambassador-at-Large, Kansas governor, Sam Brownback had been stalled in the Senate. The president had nominated Brownback in July 2017. The nomination expired when Congress adjourned for the holidays without voting on the matter. President Trump resubmitted Brownback’s…
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?…
ORLANDO, Florida – Wycliffe Associates has a goal of translating the Bible into every language by 2025. During 2018, the organization expects to begin translations in 600 languages, a task that was once unimaginable. Wycliffe is embracing advances in technology previously unavailable to translators. It was not all that long ago that translation of the…
GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan – A visit to India in 1971 led John DeVries to pray, “God, I will serve you anywhere you want. Just, please, don’t send me back here again.” At the time, DeVries did not realize that what he was seeing was the Lord’s way of opening John’s eyes and heart to the…
By Greg Henshall from FEMA photo library – public domain via Wikimedia Commons WASHINGTON, DC – The Trump Administration has revised the language in FEMA Relief Fund rules to include local churches. The action follows a lawsuit filed by three Texas churches damaged during Hurricane Harvey. The three Houston-area churches filed a complaint in federal…
MEMPHIS, Tennessee (Commercial Appeal) – Church Health, a medical clinic with a Christian mission, operates the Perea Preschool in the poorest of poor neighborhoods of North Memphis, Tennessee, where 90% of the population lives below the federal poverty level. Using Abeka teaching materials, the preschool introduces three-to-five-year-old children to basic educational needs and how to…
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…
