Warmth to Body and Heart
A smile lights Pastor Chepta's face as he prepares for a full day of proclaiming the Good News and encouraging new believers. Much of his travel today will be on foot, and he will be exposed to cold winds that are not uncommon for Nepal's winter months . . . but the jacket he is wearing warms him inside and out.
Even with optimal health, Chepta would have found travel in such conditions grueling. Three years ago, having just undergone surgery, he knew exposure to the harsh climate would take an even greater toll on his weakened body.
Preparing to continue ministry after his surgery, Chepta wondered how he would cope with the freezing weather. But then he received an unexpected blessing and a gift of love: Thanks to the prayers and support of a caring GFA friend in the West, Chepta's leader was able to provide him with a warm jacket. By the following winter, Chepta had fully recovered from his surgery and could look back with gladness on a year of ministry. He wrote a three-page letter full of gratitude.
"If I didn't have the jacket," he expressed, "my survival through the winter would have been very difficult."
That "survival" is a tangible need for thousands of GFA missionaries like Chepta. Many travel several miles each day-often walking mountain trails-to reach remote villages with the Gospel. And the knowledge that others still need to know of their Savior's love spurs them on, even in harsh winter weather.
It is Gospel for Asia's goal that all native missionaries working in cold-weather regions such as Nepal and North India be blessed with adequate warm clothing.
On a practical level, warm clothing equips missionaries to continue ministering full-time in the winter months. Rather than having to cut their days short and huddle inside their homes for warmth around small fires or heaters, they are freed to focus on ministry.
Clothing packets are distributed according to greatest need, and good quality items are bought locally at moderate cost so the Gospel workers blend in with their culture.
It is a wonderful thing, says GFA's Nepal director, for these missionaries to receive winter clothing.
"It brings encouragement to their life and ministry," he comments, "because they feel they are backed up by people who are caring and praying for them."
This winter, you can provide warm clothing for missionaries as they labor to reach villages with the Gospel! Go to www.gfa.org/winterclothing to learn how.
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