SEND! magazine Fourth Quarter 2007: This New Life I Have Is for Him

Nepal

'This New Life I Have Is for Him'

After years of dealing with a mysterious illness that no one could diagnose or cure, Kaushal was growing weaker—and losing hope in his religion. One night Kaushal had a dream in which a man told him to find a church and ask for prayer. The next morning, Kaushal told his family about the dream. Because Kaushal couldn't walk, his wife went in search of the church. A few hours later, she found the church and a Gospel for Asia missionary.

When the missionary heard Kaushal's story, he and the church members began to intercede fervently. Over the next five weeks, Kaushal's health slowly improved until he was completely well. Convinced of the power of Jesus, Kaushal received Him as Savior, and today he spends all his energy telling others about Jesus.

"I have very few days left to live on this earth," Kaushal says. "I want to offer these days for Christ. This new life I have is for Him."

West Bengal

Fellowship and Motivation

The 400 women who gathered together had many things in common, but the main unifying factor was their love for Jesus Christ. They were members of Gospel for Asia-affiliated churches in Bhutan and the Himalayan foothills on the borders of Sikkim and West Bengal, India. For three days, Gospel for Asia leaders and their wives taught the Word of God and challenged these women to share the love and truth of Jesus Christ in their communities.

Special music and cultural dances, coupled with prayer and Bible study, made a beautiful meeting that glorified God and encouraged all those who attended.

Manipur

A Conversation Leads to Life

"This isn't true," Kinbohn thought to himself.

"There is no life after death," he explained to the missionaries. "All gods are the same. This Jesus is not the only true God."

But Gospel for Asia missionary Jang and his friend Noah were not discouraged. In love, they kept explaining the Word of God to Kinbohn. Slowly his interest increased, and when they told him that Jesus was the Savior all men needed, God worked in Kinbohn's heart. At the end of his conversation with Jang and Noah, he confessed his sin and received Jesus Christ as Lord of his life.

Kinbohn's life has totally changed. He has thrown away all the charms he had worn to ward off evil and has stopped worshipping the deities to whom he had so long given his allegiance. And Kinbohn's choice to follow Christ has made a great impact on his community.

Punjab

Faith Took Root

Somya Nitha and her husband had been married for five years, but they had no children. After taking her to doctors and trying everything they could to find out what was wrong, her husband's family started to blame her for her barrenness.

In the midst of Somya's despair, God sent a Gospel for Asia missionary to visit her. Seeing her tears and hearing her struggle, the missionary told Somya to believe Jesus, because He could answer her prayer and turn her sorrow into joy. These words of faith took root in Somya's heart. Over the next few weeks she continued to pray, and soon she conceived. As a result of this miracle, Somya and her entire family came to know the Lord Jesus. Today all of them are worshipping the Lord at a nearby GFA-affiliated church.

Madhya Pradesh

The Chief Changed His Mind

All day long, GFA missionaries Arun and Binod had handed out Gospel tracts in a village and invited people to come and watch a film on the life of Jesus that night.

But just after they had started showing the film, the village chief and several other men from the community interrupted it, shouting and cursing. Eventually they forced Arun and Binod to stop the film. That night the two missionaries stayed in the home of a nearby pastor and fervently prayed that God would change the hearts of the men who opposed them.

At 10 the next morning, the village chief arrived at the pastor's door. He apologized for his cruel words and asked the two missionaries to show the film again at the center of the village. He promised to publicly declare his support and protect Arun and Binod from further danger.

That night, 200 villagers came to watch the film. After it was over, a number of people asked Arun and Binod for prayer and expressed their desire to learn more about Jesus.

Maharashtra

Prayer and a Mother's Perseverance

Pradem was not only despised by his community because of his low caste, but any bit of human dignity left in him was destroyed by his mental illness. Pradem's mother tried to take care of him, but he often spent nights sleeping along roadsides or in rice paddies. He also wandered around town doing crazy things. The doctors his mother took him to could not help.

When his mother heard that Gospel for Asia native missionary Lakshman was visiting her village, she thought this was their only hope. So she took Pradem to a service Lakshman was conducting.

While the believers worshipped, Pradem started jumping and acting wildly. But the disturbance did not stop the meeting. Instead, the believers gathered around Pradem and started praying for the Lord to heal him. The Lord answered, and Pradem's mind was restored. At last, his mother had found an answer for her son—and they both found hope for eternity when they started attending the church service regularly.

Himachal Pradesh

Film Show Turns Riotous

James and several other Gospel for Asia missionaries travel from village to village showing Man of Mercy, a film on the life of Jesus. But on this particular night, things were not going well.

After the missionaries had spent their day inviting people to attend the showing, many had come to see and were quite excited. Films are a special treat, especially among villagers who live far away from big cities.

But when the projector would not play, the already agitated crowd turned riotous, shouting their frustration and blaming James and his team.

The missionaries prayed for the Lord to somehow work this situation for good and calm things down. Soon another villager brought her personal projector and let the team use it. The villagers were able to see the film about Jesus that night, and the team rejoiced in God's intervention.