K. P. Yohannan

Dear friend,

What if you were a young father coming home from work to your tiny hut in India, and your three children greet you like this:

"Daddy did you bring us some milk to drink and some rice to eat?"

You take them in your arms and your heart breaks as you tell them sadly:

"Daddy wasn't able to sell any of the sticks I cut in the forest today, so I couldn't buy any food or milk for tonight. But I will try again tomorrow."

That evening, as so many other nights before, you watch your dear wife weeping silently as she tries to put the children to bed with empty stomachs. You are overwhelmed with pain and hopelessness because you have no way to break the cycle of poverty that has held your people captive for generations.

My friend, this is the story of millions of desperately poor families, mostly from Dalit ("Untouchable") backgrounds in India, Nepal and other countries of the Subcontinent.

However. this past Christmas something significant happened for several thousand of these impoverished families: They received very special gifts from our GFA friends that enabled them to take their first step toward a better existence.

Munna, in Nepal, got the exciting news from Pastor Tamang that he was to receive a buffalo for his family. Prakesh, also in Nepal, received two goats. You should have seen the joy and celebration of these two families when they got their farm animals! They were all smiles and so thankful. Now their children have daily milk to drink, and they even have milk to sell so they can buy food with the proceeds.

For them it's an incredible dream come true—something they never thought would happen in their lifetime. And they know it's a gift from Jesus through the love of God's people.

As you are well aware, the mission of Gospel for Asia is to proclaim the Gospel and establish New Testament churches among the most unreached people of Asia. How, then, do buffalos, goats, chickens and other farm animals fit into the equation?

The answer is simple: Many of our native missionaries work among the Dalits-the poorest of the poor who daily struggle for survival and who live in slave-like conditions. It is not only painful to see them suffer, but as followers of Christ who deeply care for the poor, we cannot close our hearts to their distress.

Thankfully, as we have followed Christ's call to share the Good News, He has opened for us several remarkable doors through which we can reach the lost and at the same time serve them and show them God's love in a practical way.

One of these doors is our Bridge of Hope program, where we help educate Dalit children to give them a chance to break the vicious cycle of bonded labor.

Another door is by providing farm animals to enable poor families like Munna's to generate an income to feed and care for their loved ones. As we give these animals to these impoverished people, we also tell them about Jesus and minister to their spiritual needs. As a result, people across Asia are opening their hearts to the Lord.

Today I want to invite you to help break the cycle of poverty for some of these dear families by giving them the means to make a living and at the same time let them know how much Jesus loves them.

We can provide pair of rabbits to a poor family for just US$10, or a pair of goats for US$55, and even a milk cow for US$350!

If you can help us, a gift of farm animals for a poor family will not only be a tremendous blessing for them, but it will help them to understand how much God values them.

As it is written in James 2:5, "God chose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which is promised to those who love Him."

Thank you for your prayers and participation in bringing the love of God near to those that are chosen by Him to become His children.

Your brother in Christ,

K.P. Yohannan
Founder & President