SEND! magazine First Quarter 2008: Short Reports

Jammu and Kashmir: New Year Outreach

Last winter, Gospel for Asia Bible college staff members and teachers drove to a snowy village in the mountains for a special outreach to begin the new year. The drive along the narrow and winding roads was tiring, and a few got carsick as well. When they reached the village, they distributed several hundred tracts and Christian booklets. One of the missionaries gave a tract to a man who belonged to an anti-Christian organization. The man was angry, but he kept the Gospel literature. Please pray that he—and the many others who learned about Jesus as a result of this outreach—will receive salvation.

Madhya Pradesh

The Greatest Miracle

Chetana was a successful man. He had a secure government job and made a good bit of money. Then one day he got so sick that he was confined to bed, unable to walk. His illness lasted for two years. Chetana tried all kinds of methods to find a cure—even sorcery. Then he asked his neighbor to take him to see the film that several Gospel for Asia missionaries were showing. Chetana knew that Christians often prayed for the sick—going to them was the last thing he knew to do. The movie was about Jesus and His life on earth. When it was over, Chetana told the missionaries about his sickness and asked them to pray for his healing. The missionaries prayed for him, and that same night Chetana was able to walk again. But the greatest miracle took place when Chetana received Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

Andhra Pradesh

He Never Forsakes His People

After five months of searching, Prajeet was discouraged. Just after getting married, when he would most need money in order to provide for himself and his wife, he lost his job. It was hard to make ends meet, and Prajeet and his new wife, Ruth, were worried.

Both Prajeet and Ruth were Christians by name but did not know the Lord personally. In their time of crisis, Ruth went to a GFA-related church and asked for prayer. The believers gladly agreed to pray—and God answered. A short time later, Ruth was interviewed and hired by a telecommunications company. Both she and her husband testified about God's faithfulness. "Jesus is the living God who never forsakes His people," Prajeet said. Both have put their faith in Jesus and are walking with Him on a daily basis.

Goa

An Even Better Building

With the anti-Christians' threats looming over him, the landlord went to the GFA Bridge of Hope staff members and pleaded with them to leave his building. They would have to shut down or move the center someplace else, he told them. He would no longer be responsible should anything happen to them or the children.

The five Bridge of Hope leaders had little choice but to move out of the building, yet they knew that closing the center was not an option. There were 85 children who needed their love and care and to know the truth of Jesus Christ. So they fasted and prayed for two days. They were discouraged and a little afraid of what their opponents might do, but they asked the Lord for a new facility—no small request, because the building would need to hold all of their students. Only three days later, God gave them a new building-and it was even better than the one they had to leave.

Manipur

They Listened Intently

The elders of a tribal community are some of the most influential individuals in the village, often preventing anyone of a different faith from entering their community. God had told Gospel for Asia missionary Jeremiah to go to such a village, so he prayed for a long time, knowing the contempt he might face.

Little did he know that God had already been working in this village. Two young girls had come to know the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior. Their lives had been so changed that despite cruel words from their neighbors and beatings from their parents, they stood firm in their faith. Later, a widow received Christ as well, and though it meant losing the support and friendship of nearly all her friends, she trusted Him for all her needs.

When Jeremiah first visited the village, he was surprised by the hospitality he received. The villagers cooked food for him as they would for a special guest. The Lord had opened a door for him. Jeremiah spent hours explaining the Gospel to the village elders. They listened intently, their hearts softened to the message.

Maharashtra

First Movie

In communities where the majority of the population is illiterate, a movie depicting Jesus' life is one of the best ways to communicate the Gospel. Two Gospel for Asia missionaries, Rahul and Kanan, traveled with their film show equipment to such a village. While it was still daylight, Rahul and Kanan talked to as many people as they could and invited them to the movie that night.

At 7:30 p.m., once it had grown dark, they began the film. Sixty villagers had gathered; it was the first time they had ever watched any kind of movie. Eyes filled with tears as the people grasped the meaning of Jesus' death on the cross. Two families in the village received Jesus as their Savior that night, rejecting their former way of life and leaving their idols. Pray that they will be a contagious witness of the redeeming power of Jesus to many others in their village.

Karnataka

Insurgency: An Added Challenge

A news story from an Indian daily newspaper this summer told of a 16-year-old boy who was mercilessly killed by Maoist forces before his mother's eyes when he refused to join their cadre. A farmer in the state was also hacked to death when he violated their ban on cultivation.

Small political rebel factions are on the increase in India. Maoists are one such group; they reportedly occupy more than 180 districts in India.

Tensions between Maoists and local governments have put many lives in jeopardy. Gospel for Asia missionaries are often caught in the fighting. The insurgency makes travel difficult—hindering missionaries from taking the Gospel to new villages. GFA missionaries ask for prayer for protection and safety and that God will change the hearts of the insurgents and bring them to an understanding of His saving grace.