Gospel for Asia

Going on outreach is an integral part of the training of a Gospel for Asia Bible college student.

The entire student body from Gospel for Asia’s Jammu and Kashmir Bible college broke off into four teams recently to share the love of Jesus in their state.

Two teams ministered in areas where most of the people were Muslim. This Muslim population treated the students well and responded with love toward them. The student teams visited homes and distributed Gospel literature.

One man showed a special interest in the Gospel. As he asked questions, the students could tell he was earnestly seeking to find truth. They shared about Jesus, prayed for him and gave him a New Testament.

On the other hand, a ministry team in another area of the state faced opposition and threats from some shopkeepers. In spite of that, they were able to distribute dozens of Gospel tracts. They also shared the Gospel personally with some young people who were playing cricket. The players listened intently to the message, and one young man, 19, asked the location of a local church so he could attend.

The final team ministered with much love among patients in a local hospital. They listened to the patients, prayed for them and shared from God’s Word. They also handed out sweets and were able to give away some New Testaments.

These students ask for prayer as they continue to prepare for full-time Christian work among the unreached. Pray, too, that the Lord will move in the heart of each person who heard or read about Jesus through their outreach.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

The children in a Delhi-area Bridge of Hope center march to share the good habits they are learning.

By marching through their town with homemade signs, 98 Bridge of Hope children and their Gospel for Asia workers hoped to save lives.

The poverty and discrimination in this Delhi, India, village does not make life easy. But there is a more prominent danger facing each child growing up there—the Bridge of Hope staff could not ignore.

“The most serious problem in this village is the unhygienic conditions they must live with,” a GFA correspondent wrote. “Because of the lack of cleanliness, serious sicknesses are common in this village.”

In many rural Asian villages, clogged drains, dirty roads and a virtually nonexistent sewage system breed abundant malaria and typhoid cases, among other diseases avoidable with basic health care.

The unhygienic conditions in many Asian villages threaten lives, especially young ones.

GFA Bridge of Hope center workers, besides providing tutoring and sharing the love of Jesus, do their best to introduce children to healthy ways of taking care of themselves. For many little ones in Asia, it is the first time they have learned these things.

In an effort to introduce more people in the village to hygienic habits that could save them from disease, the Bridge of Hope workers organized a special “ parade.” The children received caps and matching sweatshirts, and they marched through the village with signs about the lessons they had learned. It was a great success, as many villagers came out to see the children and read their signs.

Please pray that the villagers will practice these potentially life-saving habits and that their curiosity will be raised about these people who care about them so much. The Bridge of Hope workers desire to reach the entire community with the love of God and simple ways to relieve their daily suffering.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

GFA missionaries have seen God restore sight to many blind people.

Ujesh was surrounded by reasons that he should not be blind. He had grown up in a village in Jammu & Kashmir, India, where thousands of pilgrims came to worship a goddess revered in his religion—a goddess believed to provide blessings and contentment. Beyond this, his father, Sojin, was a government doctor with many friends in the profession. When Ujesh lost his sight at the age of 15, many of these doctors did their best to help him, but it was fruitless.

Ujesh had little hope until, one day, a young man told his father about Gospel for Asia missionary Khamal. When Sojin brought Khamal to his home, however, a conflict sprung up.

Sojin and Ujesh learned about the Lord at a GFA-related church like this one.

“We do not want Christian prayer in our home!” Ujesh’s mother and siblings shouted. But Sojin had listened to Khamal’s message and believed in Jesus. He started faithfully attending Khamal’s church services.

Soon, Ujesh joined his father in going to church. But at the beginning, he scoffed at the Christians’ service. Still blind, he only went to please his father.

But Sojin’s faith in Christ was strong and real. He kept praying and believing, and the Lord miraculously restored Ujesh’s eyesight even before the young man believed in Him. The miracle literally opened Ujesh’s eyes, and he finally saw that Jesus was the one true God.

Pastor Khamal asks for prayer for Ujesh, who is now enrolled in a GFA Bible college. Pray also that the rest of his family will decide to follow Jesus.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Protestors are shown outside Gospel for Asia’s Sri Lanka Bible college. The college is being falsely accused of being a front for the Tamil Tigers rebel group.

A politician leading a campaign to shut down a Gospel for Asia Bible college in Sri Lanka remains in police custody and was expected to answer charges against him Tuesday. Winton Appuhamy, an elected member of the local provincial council, was arrested early Sunday morning after attacking a security guard at the college. The security guard is still in the hospital.

Appuhamy contends he is acting out of a patriotic duty, falsely claiming the school is a training camp for the Tamil Tigers rebel group.

The Tamils are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka with roots in India’s Tamil Nadu state. A small percentage of Tamils are members of the rebel group fighting to carve out an independent Tamil state in the north of the island, claiming they are victims of discrimination. The ensuing civil war between the Tigers and Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese majority has lasted more than 20 years.

A cease-fire agreement in 2002 ended when fighting resumed in 2005. Today, bombings, kidnappings and other armed skirmishes are everyday occurrences across the island. The UN estimates that 70,000 people have been killed and more than 465,000 others have been displaced by the fighting.

Students in the GFA Bible college, training to become missionaries to their people, come from both Tamil and Sinhalese backgrounds.

Lal Vanderwall, Gospel for Asia’s Sri Lankan ministry leader, says that despite the ongoing tensions, many Sri Lankans are choosing to follow Jesus. This had led to some unwanted attention for GFA-related churches in this country where Buddhism is the official religion.

“Accusing Christians has become more common than ever,” Rev. Vanderwall laments. “We have more Bible college students this year than ever, and our churches are growing faster than ever before. There are so many good things happening here that I am convinced this is all spiritual warfare. But we know that the Lord is on our side.”

In addition to the outright violence against Christians, there is increased pressure on churches in Sri Lanka. One pastor had to be moved for his own safety when the local Buddhist monks threatened him after he baptized 47 new believers. New laws making it illegal for church members to gather after 10 p.m. have forced cancellation of their monthly all-night prayer meetings. The churches no longer feel safe having national gatherings or events.

The police are investigating the recent incidents at the GFA Bible college, and a prominent national official is scheduled to visit the campus this week to lend his name to the school’s credibility.

Meanwhile, Rev. Vanderwall says he is more committed than ever to sharing the Good News in Sri Lanka.

“In spite of all these things, we still believe that if people don’t hear the Gospel, they will go to hell. So it is still our responsibility to tell them,” he said.

He asks for continued prayer for the country, especially for safety and strength for the Christians. He also asks prayer for an end to the civil war and for those who are leading the fighting to come to know Jesus.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Dalit (“Untouchables”) are the poorest of the poor in Indian society.

The government of India further stalled a Dalit civil rights case that has been tangled up in the Supreme Court for three years. In early March, the court referred the case to the National Commission for Backward Classes for yet another opinion. This decision came in spite of the fact that every constitutional authority in the country has been found in favor of the Dalits (“Untouchables”) in the case.

The case, filed by India’s Center for Public Interest Litigation, challenges a law that strips Dalits of their affirmative action benefits when they become Christians or Muslims. India’s government sets aside a certain percentage of government jobs and college admission slots for Dalits. The intent of this law is to help Dalits, who have been oppressed by the caste system for centuries. Even though the caste system is now illegal, its practices are deeply ingrained in the country’s social structure.

The loophole limiting Christians and Muslims from receiving the benefits hinges on the fact that the caste system was created by the country’s traditional religion. Since Christianity and Islam do not espouse the caste system, many politicians and citizens alike say that anyone who converts to one of these faiths does not need government assistance. Rather, it should be reserved for those who stay faithful to the country’s prominent religion.

People are classified as Dalit (“Untouchables”) from birth. With this designation, their place in society is forever cemented.

In announcing the latest development in the case, the court explained that Dalit Christians and Muslims legally fit the description of people who are classified as “backward caste” in some states.

This is the third government committee to review the case. The Supreme Court has also suggested that the Dalit reservations should be increased from 15 percent to 50 percent. In light of this, some officials say the case needs to be re-examined by the government agencies involved.

The government denies postponing a final decision on the case. Rather, they say it is simply a matter of following the due diligence demanded by the constitution. Critics say that the government did not take nearly as long to grant the same privileges to Sikhs and Buddhists.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to conduct another hearing on this case in late March.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Gujarat, India

Nawal Kishore Sharma, the governor of Gujarat, India, rejected an amendment to an anti-conversion bill that was primarily aimed at Christians. The bill is commonly used to keep Dalits and other low-caste members from choosing to follow Jesus.

Although the original bill was approved in 2003, rules for its execution were never framed, so it remained dormant and was never officially enforced over the past five years.

This most recent amendment, passed in 2006, is the Gujarat legislative assembly’s attempt to put the law into practice by finally nailing down the bill’s details.

“The provisions of this amendment bill violated Article 25 of the constitution, which guarantees to all citizens to freely profess, practice and propagate any religion,” said Governor Sharma. “The bill should be reconsidered for suitable amendments so as to bring its contents in conformity with the constitution.”

The amendment would have included Jain and Buddhist religions with the Hindu religion, while people choosing to convert to Christianity or Islam would have to seek government approval. Governor Sharma disagreed with these terms and sent the amendment back to the assembly for revision.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Christians often contribute much of their time to helping build their new church.

Jharkhand, India and Nagaland, India

Gospel for Asia missionaries in two Indian states, Chandra in Jharkhand and Khota in Nagaland, recently faced opposition and threats as they tried to construct church buildings.

A group of people threatened Chandra and a member of his congregation after they laid a foundation for his building. The group of nearly 60 villagers told church members they will face “dire consequences” if they persist with construction in their village in Jharkhand.

Chandra and his congregation began construction on the church’s foundation in late February. Just days later, a group of people from a nearby village approached them and told them not to build the church there. Chandra delayed any more work until two days later, but soon the group came again—this time, with nearly 60 angry villagers.

Khota hopes to build a church like this one in his home state of Nagaland, India.

After destroying the work done so far on the church building, the mob threatened Pastor Chandra and the Christian who donated land for the church.

This is not the only recent incident of opposition to constructing church buildings. Just a few weeks ago, GFA missionary Khota in Nagaland, India, was making plans for a building in one of the 20 villages he has reached with the Gospel. But when the village head learned about it, he told Khota not to build—and not to come back to the village for prayer meetings. However, the Lord softened his heart, and the village head allowed Khota to return for meetings.

Both of these pastors request prayer for God to provide for them to have buildings for their congregations. They especially ask for prayer that those who are behind the scenes stirring people up against the construction will come to know Christ.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Sri Lanka

The volatile situation at Gospel for Asia’s Sri Lanka Bible College is escalating as a local elected official and a small group of Buddhist monks are falsely accusing the school of being a front for a Sri Lankan terrorist group, the Tamil Tigers. The Tigers are fighting to divide Sri Lanka along ethnic lines.

On Saturday, March 15, the elected official attacked a school security guard who was on duty about midnight. The official, who was carrying a gun, severely beat the guard and threatened to return to the campus and rape the women. Earlier in the day, this man and the monks staged a protest at the school carrying banners and placards. The Sri Lankan media covered the protest.

After the midnight attack, the elected official filed a police complaint against the security guard, but the police arrested the official instead. The politician told police that he was acting out of patriotic concern for his country.

On March 2 a group of students from the Bible college were attacked while on their way to worship at a nearby GFA-related church. The militants responsible for that attack say their ultimate goal is to close down the Bible college.

Gospel for Asia’s leaders in Sri Lanka ask prayer for the safety of the students and staff at the Bible College. They also request prayer that God would intervene in this injustice and stop this kind of violence against His children.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.

Assam, India

Gospel for Asia missionary Haresh Kujur was released unharmed by a militant group that kidnapped him March 1.

Haresh is a village leader, and the kidnapping was politically motivated rather than being an act of anti-Christian extremism, according to GFA’s correspondent in Assam.

GFA leaders in Assam ask for continued prayer for the safety of Haresh, for his family and for the members of his church.

This article was originally published by Gospel for Asia. To learn more about Gospel for Asia, click here.