Feature Stories
Mountain Trails No Deterrent for GFA Medical Camp
June 2022 • Article
Remote. Rugged. These two words perfectly described the village GFA pastor Birkley visited. Two years prior, there had been no roads leading into the village. Nestled among a mountain range, the only way to reach the village had been by foot, traveling along paths that snaked up the mountainside. Now, there was a simple dirt road—but the trek was still difficult. So, why would Pastor Birkley lead a dozen men and women to this particular village, so out of the way and removed from everything?
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Timely Help in a Desperate Hour
May 2022 • Article
Since he was a boy, Daito had traveled to other states to find work. That seemed the only realistic option to earn a decent income and provide for his family. But in 2020, after years of traveling, he suddenly got stuck in his village, a place where it was nearly impossible to make a living.
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Miraculous Stories Inspire Young Woman’s Faith
April 2022 • Article
Porsha peered into the mirror once more. An attractive woman of 20, the reflection might have filled her with confidence. Instead, shame surged through her being. A goiter marred her neck, and a tumor marred her right hand.
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Well Halts Family’s Troublesome Stream
March 2022 • Article
Fauna’s daughter was sick again. This time it was Cadee’s kidneys, the latest ailment in a steady stream of waterborne health issues. Once again, doctors recommended clean water along with medication. Once again, the news saddened Fauna’s heart, for they had no clean water to drink. Would their stream of waterborne troubles ever cease?
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Boy’s Lingering Symptoms Invoke Fear
February 2022 • Article
Rahm’s parents examined the red bumps on his skin once more. Brows likely furrowed. Perhaps it was the blistering rash that concerned them most. Perhaps it was the fever or loss of appetite. Perhaps it was simply the fact the young boy’s symptoms wouldn’t go away.
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Pandemic Threatens Family’s Survival
January 2022 • Article
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, GFA pastor Yaphet and other GFA missionaries have marched to the fringes of society to bring help and hope to people in despair, people such as Callon and Sada. Their most demanding adversary? Hunger.
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A Burden Slides Off Preteen Girl's Back
January 2022 • Article
Against an angular backdrop of steep hillsides and spacious valleys, Sahlma waged an uphill battle. A load bore down on her small frame as the girl pressed onward. The preteen shouldn’t have been working as a porter, a physically demanding job that required transporting groceries, sand and firewood up and down the mountainside to people. She didn’t like being a porter. But how else could she provide for her siblings? Sahlma’s life, like her work, was a struggle.
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Goat Shatters Mother’s Cycle of Poverty
December 2021 • Article
Raina sat counting the money sent from her husband, Ander. Like his last paycheck, it wasn’t much, perhaps barely enough to cover their expenses for that month. She looked up from the meager earnings and out to her field. Perhaps if she imagined hard enough, the field would be full of growing crops to sell. But, try as she might, Raina’s imagination alone wouldn’t bring in the money she desperately needed.
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Woman Exchanges Drops of Misery for Sounds of Peace
December 2021 • Article
Another hard day’s work. Another argument with her husband. Another night Dahiana’s five children would go to bed hungry.
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A Trek for Her In-laws
November 2021 • Article
With an hour’s walk through hilly terrain, Raiza had ample time to think. She had been hesitant to make the journey. Would it be worth it for a blanket? Would it just be a thin, unsubstantial piece of material? Would the church even have enough?
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Keeping His Future Intact
October 2021 • Article
The surrounding countryside’s picturesque serenity warred with the turbulent thoughts churning in Neale’s mind. That morning, the 8-year-old had missed his bus to school, unable to afford the ticket. While it may seem a trivial matter, that bus was the only way Neale could make it to school on time, and he wanted nothing more than to go to school; in fact, he needed to go to school.
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Rebuilding a Widow's Life
September 2021 • Article
Medicine failed. Witch doctors failed. And Addi’s body continued to fail. Fever and body aches put him in a perpetual state of decline. Subira, his wife, looked on helplessly as Addi became weaker and weaker.
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In the Trail of Two Wheels
August 2021 • Article
GFA pastor Matai gingerly dismounted his bicycle and stretched his weary muscles as the sun lowered over the horizon. He had traveled many miles since its rising—without any food. Perhaps his stomach grumbled as he caught scent of dinner wafting from his home. He might have exhaled and pushed aside a cloud of discouragement as he at last found respite for the night.
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