DAY 35 GFA Challenge. Oppressed because they were born women

Looking for a movie to show at church? One that’s filled with all sorts of things that we don’t want to think about or talk about in church? Sounds counter-intuitive, but there are some things that need to be talked about, and things like sex trafficking, bride burnings and girl infanticide are among them. No this isn’t the latest Hollywood movie, it’s been around for a few years so it’s not going to be on the list of Oscar nominations.

             

   I’m talking about Gospel for Asia’s film “Veil of Tears”.  The movie points to a society that oppresses women, oppresses them simply because they’re women.  The horrors described in this film shouldn’t be happening, but they are, and silence on the part of the church is a sign that we don’t care, and to those who are experiencing this oppression and who don’t know about the love of God, our silence is seen not as apathy but as approval.

                We don’t want to hear about this type of crime, and we certainly don’t want to talk about it, but crime against women happens. A family arranges a marriage for their daughter. The dowry is agreed upon and paid, but then instead of ‘happily ever after’ the groom’s family decides that the dowry isn’t enough and demands more. If the demands aren’t met, the bride is abused, tortured, even sold into slavery so that she can make up the difference. And the groom keeps the dowry. Serial engagements and dowry payments are a lucrative way to make a living.

                Girls might be seen as a drain on the family income, and so they can be sold or bartered away. Sometimes they are just left to die, and in this day of modern medicine which allows us to tell the gender of an unborn baby, lots of abortion decisions are made based on that one factor.

                We can ignore what is happening, and shut out the conversation, or we can step up and face the crisis, and in doing so bring hope to millions of women who are suffering because of their crime of being born female.

                Yes, it might seem like an overwhelming problem, and we wonder what one person might be able to do. The good news is that Gospel for Asia is already on the ground, sharing the GOOD NEWS, and there are ways that individuals, families, and faith communities can help.  Start by watching “VEIL OF TEARS, and then go HERE for some suggestions as to how you can help. (And by the way,  you can help even before you’ve seen the movie.)

GFA Day 34. Women need to hear the Gospel too.

In many parts of the world a male-dominated society is the norm. Women are treated as second (or third) class citizens, as objects, as conveniences. They are forced to do the menial tasks that men don’t want to do, they are expected to ‘be available’ when the husband is feeling amorous or ‘needy’. They have children and whether or not the man wants to be a father, she is expected to care for the children. Education is not important, they may never learn to read, they don’t have the same rights that men might have.

Not a happy life for many of the women in parts of Asia.

And unfortunately, the lack of equality often extends to hearing the gospel. In a male dominated society, it would be inappropriate for a woman to visit with a male missionary, and female missionaries are often discouraged (for safety reasons) from visiting some of the areas where the gospel is still widely unknown. There are few churches in these areas, and women might be discouraged from attending, or forbidden to attend, or just completely unaware of the church’s existence. If you don’t know how to read, you can’t just pick up a bible and learn about Jesus: that is if there were a bible available in a language or dialect that you could read, and assuming that after feeding and clothing your family on less than a dollar a day, you could afford to buy one.

And that’s where Gospel for Asia can help. GFA trains women missionaries, and helps them minister in some previously unreached areas. Women missionaries can talk to the women who are suffering in so many different ways, and who so desperately need to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ. GFA missionaries undergo three years of training, and to date over 2000   female missionaries have a passion for reaching women with the love of Jesus.

But their training, and their ongoing support, has a cost. For $30.00 a month you can support an woman missionary, a trained, native missionary who can, with your help, impact thousands, and change lives fro eternity. Click HERE to learn more about sponsorship

GFA Day 33: Pray for Women's Fellowship in Asia

Here in the US we take a lot of things for granted. We’re used to seeing female politicians, female military officers, female pastors and female lay leaders in our churches. But In parts of Asia, women aren’t always allowed to do a lot of the things that they do here. The thought of a group of women gathering to pray together is unheard of in parts of the world. Why? Because of gender bias, yes, but also because it’s never been done before.

But thanks to GFA’s Women’s Fellowship, thousands of women are getting together to study God's word, and to pray together. They’re memorizing scripture, reaching out to other women, and honoring the God who saved them in ways that just a short time ago were unknown to them.              

              

Women’s Fellowship is reaching out to women- among the most unreached people in much of Asia, and God is at work in the lives of these women. As you pray today, and this week, why not pray for these women, who may not have the same opportunities that we have in the USA, but who still are responding to God's love. They, like us, have needs, wants, and desires. And they, like us, are often confused about how a loving God could let things happen.

FOR YOUR PRAYER LIST:

-          Women’s Fellowship: the needed support to be able to continue to mentor, disciple and love women who are coming to faith.

-          The participants in Women’s fellowship: that these women, many who are first generation Christians would mature in their faith.

-          Women’s Fellowship leaders: Several are the wife of a pastor or a missionary, and they are in need of God's guidance to lead their groups and point women toward Jesus.

-          Godly Mothers and Wives: that God would be with these women as they deal with all the normal things happening in families, remembering that in many of the poor parts of Asia, there is an epidemic of drug and alcohol abuse and financial crises. Help them point their husbands and children to a path that is God-honoring.

-          Pray the number of women participating would grow: that more women would find WF as a means of Hope and Support.

-          Health Care: pray for healing from physical diseases as women learn basic hygiene skills.

-          Literacy classes: pray that through these classes women would learn, and be empowered in such a way that they can better support themselves and their children. 

GFA DAY 32 The Power of Prayer

Sister Mary suffered from debilitating pain and couldn’t find a cure. A vast amounts of money wasn’t enough to buy a cure, and eventually she planned to kill herself. But on the night she expected to find death, she found new life. Jesus came to her in a dream, and she gave her life to Christ.

Mary could have done like many people do, commit to going to church—when it’s convenient, but she decided that she would truly follow Christ. She shares His love throughout the community praying for the needs of individuals, families, and villages. Many of her prayers have brought about physical healing. But even more importantly they have brought spiritual healing. 

In an area where black magic is the norm, where superstition rules, Sister Mary’s prayers have brought about healing, transformation, and changed hearts. God can use your prayers too. 

                                            Why not start today by praying for: 

+Widows. The treatment of widows in South Asia is unimaginably horrific.
+ Abandoned Children. Countless children in Asia have been discarded and abused, but they are not forgotten.
+ Asia’s Youth. Did you know that 40 percent of India’s 1 billion people are under the age of 18?
+ National Missionaries. Everyday people who love the Lord and rely on Him for help as they give their lives to further God’s Kingdom

.

To see more ways to pray for South Asia visit

            GFA has provided a short video (about 8 minutes) about Mary’s prayer ministry and the effect that it has had  on the people within her expanding circle of influence. Watch it HERE

GFA Day 30 Unequally yoked, and the power of prayer.

Naomi, a woman in south Asia had grown up in a Christian home, worshiping God, going to church, and looking forward to raising her children to know Jesus. But her parents forgot their Christianity when it came time to arrange a marriage for their daughter, and the groom was not a believer.  

Yes the wedding was in a church, but the marriage was far outside the church. Tarak refused to let his wife attend church services, and the things she knew best, prayer, bible reading and attending worship were forbidden, and hidden. Naomi knew that it would take a miracle, or extreme courage on her part to be able to pass on her Christian faith to her children.

In addition to being antagonistic to his wife’s beliefs, Tarak had something else going on: he liked to drink—a lot. As his alcoholism progressed things got worse for the family. He made money working, but spent most of his pay check on booze and tobacco. Usually there was not enough left for the basics, and when two children were born into the family, things got worse.

Finally Tarak’s poor choices caught up with him. He got sick and needed an operation. As is often the case with alcoholics, there was no money for the needed medical attention. Naomi and her children resigned themselves to a life without dad. 

But as Tarak was drinking himself to death, Naomi had returned to church, and the children had been enrolled in a Bridge of Hope school. One day Tarak’s son shared with the staff what was going on with his father. Some staff members came to the house and shared the gospel with an emaciated and obviously dying Tarak. 

At that point something changed, and his animosity toward Christianity left. Naomi was allowed to pray, to read her bible, and to go to church.  At church they prayed for Tarak’s healing, and healed he was. Now Tarak is a committed Christian, he brings his family to church, and his son and daughter have the hope of continuing the family legacy: raising each generation to serve God.

Yes they were unequally yoked, but prayer is a powerful weapon, and the grace of God is exceedingly great!

GFA DAY 28 Kalavati wanted to be like everyone else

            When I was reading Kalavati's story, I had to stop and think what it would have been like to make my son, at the age of 8 work beside me as a day laborer just so that we might have the possibility of two meals a day.  Imagine a childhood that doesn't include being a child, imagine a child having to assume adult responsibilities in order to survive.

                                                                                

                Then I finished reading the story.  This young girl's life was totally disrupted when her father started suffering from mental illness. That's bad enough in anyone's life, but from out western  perspective, it gets a little strange.  "One day someone performed witchcraft on him, causing him to become mentally disturbed".

                A mentally ill father who eventually disappears for over a year, and when he is found is still obviously ill, not enough money for food let alone medical care for Dad and education for the children, and a host of other problems eventually lead Kavati's mom to seek work in a nearby big city. (Actually the neighbors made the decision for her, since the ill husband was often violent, she was forced to relocate). She worked long hours and young Kalavati worked beside her, but even that wasn't enough to ensure 2 meals a day.

                The day came when Mom had had enough and decided that death was the only alternative: she was planning on taking her own life.  But about this time some Bridge of Hope members started visiting the family. Even when told that this family didn't believe in God, they kept going back, and their gentle presence made a difference. They were able to help the mom find a job, they helped find medical treatment for the dad, and finally Kalavati is allowed to be a child again. She is enrolled in a Bridge of Hope school, and now when she works alongside her mom, it's because she wants to do so.

GFA DAY 27: Pray for the Widows

        Depending on their worldview, some people tend to see things differently than other people. Let’s talk about widows. 

       The Bible, in both Testaments, has admonitions to care for widows. Frequently the admonitions are in the context of justice- care for those who due to their circumstances need extra help. It’s not a blanket statement that says that if you’re a widow the church has to take care of you. Those who can care for themselves should, and if there are believing family members, the responsibility falls on them before the church should be expected to assume the burden.  The Psalmist tells us that God is a ‘defender of widows’ (Ps 68:5), and in Deuteronomy (14:29) we read that the widows will come and eat and be satisfied.

       In the New Testament there are also references, Paul, writing to Titus, says that family members should put their religion in to practice, and one of the ways they can do so is by caring for widowed mothers and grandmothers. The Apostle James took it one step further: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”(James 1:27)

       In our country there are many widows who live fulfilling lives after the death of their husband. They have a pension or continue to work. They might volunteer in their communities, or travel. Sure they miss their husbands, and they have to change their life style. Some don’t like being alone and so they remarry. Others take advantage of the many social programs available in our society. The point is they aren’t shunned as they are in some societies.

       In parts of Asia a widow may be blamed for her husband’s death and even abandoned by her own family! In addition to losing her husband, there is often collateral damage involving a loss of self-respect, security, dignity, and hope.  A widow is often seen as unlucky, and might even be blamed for the death of her husband. She is cursed! 

       She may be evicted from her home, even by her adult children and left to beg in the streets to make a living. No wonder so many contemplate suicide- they want to end the shame, a shame that is obvious because widows don’t wear colorful saris, they wear a plain white one, and so everyone knows about their situation. And no one wants to be around someone who is cursed, who brings bad luck. 

       As Gospel for Asia-supported workers minister among these widows, providing them with food, clothing, and education for their children and sources of livelihood in Jesus' name, these precious women discover that love and hope did not die with their husbands after all. You can further impact their lives with your prayers: 

GFA Day 26 When Disaster strikes

Over the last few days much of the news has been about Hurricane Matthew and the devastation it caused in Haiti, in Cuba, and along the southeastern coast of the US. We won’t even get into the political circus, or the creepy clowns that also get their fair share of media coverage.

Hundreds, perhaps even thousands dead in the wake of the storm; millions of dollars in damage to real estate and infrastructure; and comparisons and reminders of the last storm, the last earthquake. But we tend to remember those things that impact us directly, or are at least close at hand. Not once as I saw coverage of Matthew, did anyone mention Cyclone Phailin, one of the biggest ‘natural disasters’ of 2013. It impacted millions of lives as it destroyed more than 800,000 homes in the Indian states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.  More than ¾ of a million homes lost.  

Just a couple of weeks ago we had a tornado touch down near where I live, the first in 17 years. It wasn’t anything like tornados that impact other parts of the county on a regular basis, nowhere near as devastating as Hurricane Matthew, and certainly not as horrific as Cyclone Phailin. Unless of course, it was your house that was destroyed, your roof that was blown off, your house that was picked up and slammed down a block away. Unless of course it was you that barely escaped being crushed by a giant tree crashing through your roof, or slashed by broken glass, or pelted by flying debris. The cleanup continues, and insurance adjusters have been kept busy.  It was bad, but it certainly could have been much worse.

Luckily for some of the families who lost homes to cyclone Phailin there was help available.  Compassion Services teams are still at work, rebuilding homes, sharing the gospel and offering hope. It’s a long, ongoing process. As of January of last year, over 140 homes had been rebuilt by Gospel for Asia teams. They provided food and comfort. But there are still people whose homes haven’t been rebuilt. Help during and after natural disasters is one of the things that is available thanks to contributions from generous GFA supporters.

What would you do? Where would you turn if disaster struck and everything you had and depended on was suddenly gone? Food for thought! 

GFA CHALLENGE DAY 25 Real Life Hero

And then I heard the voice of the Master: "Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?"

I spoke up, "I'll go. Send me!" 

(Isaiah 6:8 from THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language © 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved.)

Real life heroes do exist. We read about them in the newspaper, hear their stories told by TV and radio reporters, and sometimes we see the Hollywood version of their stories at the local movie theater. Yes, they certainly exist.  Unfortunately we usually only hear about the flash in the pan heroes: the fireman who risks his life to save the family pet. Captain Sully who safely landed his plane in the Hudson River, Todd Beamer who 15 years ago proved himself a hero on United Airlines Flight 93 which had been hi-jacked as part of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

But what about everyday real life heroes like Nitya Balji. A real household name, right? Everybody has heard of Pastor Nitya. If I were a real spin-master you would be nodding your head in agreement, acting as if you knew of this man. But he isn’t internationally famous, he hasn’t won a Nobel Prize for his work in the slums. You probably don’t know the name, but Pastor Nitya is a hero.  

This is a man who dreamed of a shack by a sewer. He probably didn’t understand the dream at first, but then he realized that God was speaking to him. God needed someone to go to the slums, and do ‘for the least of my brothers…” God needed someone to minister to the poorest of the poor, and was asking “Whom shall I send?” Nitya responded: "Send me,”

And he went. He stepped into the slum, millions of people, people that God loves, living in deplorable conditions; abuse evident at every corner, begging the norm, hopelessness and despair, alcohol abuse, no chances for education, sanitation lacking, and in the middle of this, Pastor Nitya knew that he was at home. This place was where he had been called to serve.  So he moved to the slum and dedicated his life to serving in that forsaken place.

He started with the children. They soon shared God's love, the love that Pastor Nitya had shared with them, with their families. And now there is a thriving fellowship. Hope where there had been despair.

We look at the slums and wonder how they could exist, how people can survive in those conditions. We might not be able to imagine it, but for many people, (up to a billion by some estimates, and projected to double within the next generation) it is a way of life from which they see no chance to escape.

Gospel for Asia sponsored pastors and missionaries bring a new light and a new life into the slums. As they serve, they educate children, open schools, teach women job skills, offer addiction counseling, and above all share the Love of God with people who are desperate, without even realizing it, to hear the gospel. Watch a film clip of Pastor Nitya’s story HERE and pray about how you might help Real Life Heroes minister to the poorest of the poor. 

GFA DAy 21 Hope Comes to the Slums

Sometimes we need to put things in perspective.  That 3 year old car you’re thinking of replacing because it’s so old--many people in South Asia can’t afford the air freshener that you change every couple of months. The freezer that doesn’t hold everything you bought when the local store had a big sale, believe it or not there are people who don’t even have ice for an ice-chest. That job you hate, or won’t even apply for because it’s “beneath” you-- imagine working long hours for a dollar or two a day, and when you can’t find even that kind of demeaning work you resort to begging, scavenging, or even prostitution.

And housing? Do we even want to go there? In Salt Lake City the news last week was “Operation Diversion” a way to clean up the parks where drug deals are a daily event and the city’s homeless population tends to congregate. Some were arrested, some were offered rehabilitation opportunities, and still others were asked to move on. But that’s just a few hundred people. What do you do when tens of millions are living in areas that quickly become slums- one room shacks with no insulation, the stench of human waste because the streets are being used as toilets? Garbage is left in the alleys to decay, and with such poor sanitation everyone is susceptible to disease. One room shacks, no bathrooms, cardboard walls—now tell me again why you don’t like your house, or your neighborhood.  

But even for those living in the slums there is hope. Not because they can see the sun, not because they leave flowers at a shrine and hope the ‘luck gods’ will make their lives better, but because of Jesus. Almost 20 years ago Gospel for Asia started a ‘slum ministry’.   (I’ve seen something similar in the ‘dump ministries’ in different parts of Mexico) Pastors and members of “the Sisters of Compassion” go into the slums and minister in many ways: they pray and they listen; they teach classes for adults and tutor children; they provide toilets, water filters, and winter clothing. And often are able to provide income-generating gifts that help break that cycle of poverty. And most importantly they share the gospel of Jesus Christ. The share the hope that believers have, they share that these slum dwellers can also receive God's mercy, and above all the hope that Jesus, crucified and resurrected, will one day return to bring His people home.

To find out more about the slums of South Asia, follow this link .

GFA DAY 20: When God Sends a Sewing Machine

       I have been volunteering with a family of refugees who were recently resettled in my area.  One day one of the older kids asked me about a sewing machine.  He said his mother knew how to sew. I wondered where he had got the idea that they needed a sewing machine, and thought to myself that they must have seen one while walking around in a store,  and that was what had prompted the question.  I wasn't able to do anything about it at the time, and the question didn't come up again, and then suddenly, the Mom started talking about sewing.  Another volunteer had an extra sewing machine, so she donated it, and brings her own machine with her and the two women sew and talk…a great way to learn another language by the way is by practicing while you are doing something you like doing. For this lovely refugee lady, her love of sewing has also led to a job.

       All that to say that we all have those days when we don't know what to do or how to manage, and some people worry each day about how they are going to survive.  And even in those difficult situations, we can be sure of God's promises.  We can be sure that God answers prayers--sometimes in ways that we don't expect.

       Lalita is a widow in an Asian country. She lives in an area that often sees widows as symbols of bad luck--why else would her husband have died. It's bad enough to be widowed when you're advanced in age, and have adult children who can look out for you; but what do you do when you're young, and your children haven't even reached their teenage years?

       That's the position in which Lalita found herself. Widowed, with two small children. She worked hard to provide for them, but often there wasn't enough to feed them. Lalita would cry out to God, would beg God for help. And finally it came, in an unexpected way. Gospel for Asia has resources to do some things that go far beyond offering a handout: they do their best to also offer a hand up. As Lalita told a relative who pastors a GFA sponsored church about her situation and her prayers, the     Pastor told her not to worry, her needs would be met.

        People like you donate to GFA and some of those donations are used to purchase sewing machines. For just  $85.00 someone like Lalita gets a sewing machine. With that machine she is able to work, to earn a living, to buy food and clothes for her children, and just as importantly pay the tuition so they can attend school. As we have learned in the US, education goes a long way in helping to break a cycle of poverty.  You can watch Lalita's story here and see how you can help offer that hand up that so many people so desperately need. 

GFA Challenge Day 18: Entering Filth and Fertile Ground

The other day I walked into a storage area and noticed a strange smell. Not horrible, just strange. At home last evening my wife made a comment about a strange smell. Not horrible, just strange, and not even strong enough that I could smell it.  

We shower every day, we use deodorants and antiperspirants, and as if that weren’t enough we pour on perfumes and colognes. Most houses have at least one can of air-freshener, or one of those things that gets plugged into the wall and sends out a puff of freshness every few minutes. Our cars have air fresheners, we put baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors; even garbage bags are especially treated to mask odors. And don’t even get me started on pet odors.

We’ve dummied down our sense of smell to the point that even natural odors are too strong, and therefore offensive.  And then there are places like Punya Basti which is described like this: Imagine living in a town where the air is full of stench, everything is covered in filth, violence is rampant, and there is no electricity or running water. Then the question is asked Now imagine choosing to live in this town in order to share the Gospel with the people there. Could you do it? Would you be able to stick it out?

We recently saw some slums in that same part of the world, and the stench was pretty disgusting. But we could escape it by traveling just a short distance, to an entirely different part of town, one that was probably, in part, designed to appeal to American tourists: no garbage, no smells, and the brief moments in slums and squalor were orchestrated to give us the sense that we had truly experienced that country.  And I ask myself would I be willing to live in the stench and squalor? Would I stay there to be able to share the gospel? I want to say ‘yes’, but often the mind is willing but the flesh is weak…I just don’t know.

And so we go back to Punya Basti. The GFA pastor there was having trouble ministering to the women, so he asked for assistance from Sisters of Compassion. Women didn’t know how to clean cooking utensils and so there was a lot of illness. Personal hygiene was poor, so there was a lot of illness. Modesty was not high on anyone’s priority list, and in an area where alcohol abuse was rampant among the men, women were often put in compromising situations.

Prisha, one of the Sisters of Compassion agreed to come to Punya Basti, an area that she had heard about, because she was willing to serve. The area had such a poor reputation that the pastor offered to have her lodge in a neighboring town so she would be safer and have more comfortable accommodations.  Prisha refused, knowing that if she were to have any ‘street cred’, she would need to be available, to be present, in the town. There were many challenges, but Prisha, and eventually 7 other Sisters became part of the village, but the transformation wasn’t that they became more like the villagers, but rather that the villagers became more like Christ.  There are over 1,000 residents of this squalid village, “Filth and Fertile Ground”, and today the majority are Christians. The women are learning healthier habits, children are going to school, and the villagers see the missionaries as members of their families.

There is still lots of work to be done in Punya Basti, and places like it. Filth exists, but in the midst of that filth is plenty of fertile ground. Could you numb your senses? Would you even be willing to try? It makes a difference.

GFA Challenge day 16: DAYA's STORY

GFA CHALLENGE DAY 16: Daya’s Story   

     

     Maybe it hasn’t happened to you yet, but it’s happening more and more frequently in places around the world. Yes around the world, in South Asia, in Europe, in Africa, in Mexico, and even the United States (I saw it in NYC just last month, it happens here in Utah all the time).  Young children are being exploited. Yes they’re being forced into the sex trade, they’re being forced to work long hours in horrible conditions and for very little pay, but those are other blogs on other days.

    

      Little children are being put on display, not to ‘show off’ how cute the grandkids are, but in an attempt to tug at your heartstrings. Tug at the heart strings and loosen the purse strings. Around the world children are being exploited in this way in order to ‘earn’ money which doesn’t go to feed or shelter the child—it goes for drugs or alcohol. It goes for gambling or prostitutes, it goes toward whatever vice or perceived need the adult might have. But it works. People who would never give a beggar in the street a second glance, can’t bear to see a child in need, and so they give.

     But more and more people are stopping to ask “why are you exploiting this child?” And sadly we have become so accustomed to seeing children being exploited, that heartstrings are untouched, and purse strings remain closed. Our default position becomes one of disbelief, and instead of compassion we feel anger towards anyone who would exploit a small child.

     Exploitation is not always the case, at least not in the way you think. In Daya's case she had been exploited, but now her grandmother was taking care of her, trying to keep her safe, warm, and fed. Unfortunately Grandma needed help providing even the least minimal provisions for her granddaughter. One day someone took the time to ask "why are you exploiting this child?" The answer broke his heart.  

     Shortly thereafter Daya was enrolled in a Bridge of Hope Center where she had a lot of obstacle to overcome. Thanks to the caring staff she has grown into the remarkable young woman that God intended her to be, and today at 15  She knows Jesus as her Lord, and has escaped many of the evils that so many young girls are plagued by. 

Read her story, and see how you can help HERE. 

GFA Challenge Day 15: the Persecuted Church and Wrongful Imprisonment.

Thanks to improved DNA testing, we've been hearing lots of stories about people who were accused and convicted of crimes that they didn't commit, and for which they have spent years in jail. We want to cry when we hear about people who have suffered for so long because of a mistake or prejudice or lack of a convincing alibi.  And the only consolation is that if these people were railroaded, at least there was a legal system in place which ensured that resources in place at the time were used in making those decisions, (as misguided and off track as they might be)

But there are certainly places with the misguided accusations, convictions and punishments are done on purpose.  Ask Pastor Samuel, who falls into this category and whose imprisonment lasted 8 years.  It seems like an intentional mistake, which caused a family separation and more turmoil than one cares to deal with.

We claim persecution here because somebody gets offended by our cross jewelry, but in some parts of the world persecution is real. But the question is not about persecution. We all have issues and struggles, the real question is what do we do with those things for which we seem to be suffering. Pastor Samuel decided to put his trust and faith in the Lord, and that served him well during his 8 years of captivity.

The question is, how would you deal with something like that. Would you put your faith in God, your trust in the Lord.  And please, take a minute to think it through. What all might be involved? Most Christians would like to say that they would definitely trust Jesus. Some would but some might have doubts along the way.

So I'll ask again, if you were in this same kind of situation, do you think you would be able to respond with the same kind of trust as Pastor Samuel?  (and I'm not even asking you to tell me your answer, just to consider a game plan for some day when, because of  circumstances beyond your control, you might be in a similar situation

GFA Challenge Day 14: Missing and Exploited Children

We’re had our favorite TV shows interrupted, we’ve gotten the incessant texts, and we’ve heard it on the radio: the Amber Alert that tells us that a child is missing, and usually that foul play is involved. But in some parts of Asia, missing children are a part of life. They are forced into child labor, they are used in the sex industry, and they are missing from the streets where they sit day after day begging, hoping for at least enough coins or bread so that they don’t have to go to bed hungry—again.

Worldwide 150 million children (about half the population of the United States) are estimated to be involved in Child Labor. In Asia and the Pacific, that amounts to 1in 10 children between the ages of 5 and 17.

And once again we have to deal with the fact that so many children are losing hope, rape for profit, and long hours in the sweat shop: the pain never seems to go away. And because these missing children incur expenses, they never seem to be able to escape the growing debt. They are fed, sheltered, transported to the work site, clothed, and the costs, highly inflated, means they have to work even longer hours, entertain more men, to pay back the ‘loans’.

But there is hope. Gospel for Asia, and many other agencies are working to halt this exploitation. They are working to stop the trafficking. They are working to provide safe environments for abused children to learn to escape the horrors of their pasts and to move on, through education, therapy and the love of Christ, to a better life.

The problem seems overwhelming, but there are ways to help. It starts with you, it starts with prayer, and it starts with your contributions. You can help save a child.

GFA Challenge Day 13 Buildings

I worship in a church building, it’s 90 years old, and has its faults, but it’s an officially recognized church building just like many that were built in that time frame. 

  Other buildings are much more modern (and have nicer amenities) and they are also church buildings. During the summer, there are churches which meet outside – cooler and marks their presence in the community. Or maybe they do ‘church in the park’ once during the season.  In places like Guam or some places in Mexico or Hawaii, a bonus for the church is to be able to meet on the beach.

Nobody says a thing, it’s just a church being the church. People applaud their creativity, and admire their attempts to draw people in or to provide a beautiful setting for worship. And besides these churches have a church building. Maybe it’s a store front, but it has seats and an altar, and everything else needed for a church to be a church.

When my church holds an event outside, it’s considered evangelism and outreach, and nobody thinks twice. But there are churches all over Asia that don’t have a building. They meet under trees to provide shade from the sun, and some sort of shelter during the rainy season. And the Church of the First World slams these Third World churches for not really being a church.  –They don’t have an organ or piano or keyboard. Where are the hymnals, or the big monitors so people can sing along? Where are the racks for the Bibles? Where is the church? And by church we mean building. We forget that the church is the people. See how some people plan to worship 4 minute video clip but might have their plans changed during the rainy season. 

But a building, a place to meet does make a difference. In South Asia a church provides a safe and comfortable place to meet, to worship, to pray together.  Churches in the US have multi-year capital campaigns to get the money for fancy new buildings. In Asia a church building can be built for anywhere from 10-40 thousand dollars depending on size and location. But let’s say a building costs $11,000.00. That’s still a multi-year campaign for some of the poorest of the poor, but something that’s very doable with the help from others. These buildings are more than just a convenient place to meet. A church building is a center for loving fellowship and a Launchpad for reaching the community.

In many parts of the world, a church building seems like an investment that is totally out of reach, but that building serves several purposes: It helps the community see Christs’ worth. People make a sacrifice to honor Him.  People in the community (non-believers) know that there is a place they can go to seek answers or to find someone to pray with and for them. The building can be a hub for ministry activities throughout the week and so discipleship of believers is supported.And the building might not look anything like we expect. 

Would you travel, in stormy weather to meet under a tree, and perhaps have the worship service, flooded out? Probably not. Americans like to be comfortable. So do people in the poorest parts of Asia, and we have opportunities to help. donate here

GFA Day 9: Touching the Untouchable. Dalits have a chance

Back in the days of the Old Testament, at least among the Israelites, anyone with leprosy, probably a generic term for skin diseases, was responsible not only for staying outside the camp, but also shouting “unclean” when nice people – those without a skin disease- might approach.  We might put people in an isolation room today if they have an infectious, contagious disease, but the hospital also provides gowns and masks so that people can approach.

That’s not the case in many parts of Asia today; there’s a Hindu caste system in effect for over 3,000 years which keeps people in bondage. Hundreds of millions of people, the Dalits, are still considered the untouchables: they are despised, viewed as sub-human and treated like dirt. In many places they are still given the lowliest of jobs, and excluded from ‘polite society’. Education is usually not an option, and they live in slums, vast tenements with others of the same caste. Granted since the time of the British Raj, the system is starting to change – slowly, but still it’s changing. But for millions and millions of people it’s too late. Yes their children may someday have opportunities, but many of the older people will never learn to read, will never leave their tenement housing, will never be able to change from something they’ve always known to something which has always been off limits.

In Jesus’ time the caste system was already being practiced, and Jesus was already teaching that even the lowest of the low deserved justice. Ten men with leprosy asked for mercy and he healed them (Luke 17:12-14). Another man with leprosy said “if you are willing, you can make me clean” Jesus touched him, and the healed him (Matt 8:1-4), Jesus sat and talked with the Samaritan woman (John 4), and he healed the daughter of the Canaanite (Syrio – Phoenician) woman (Matt 15: 21-28 or Mark 7:24-30).

The apostle James (2:2-4) would later write that the Christian community shouldn’t show favoritism.  ‘Judges with evil intent’ is how he describes those who would offer the rich man the best seat in the house, and then suggesting that a poor man could sit on the floor.

Today people from Gospel for Asia are starting to minister to the Dalits. They’re teaching adults to read and in doing so give their children an education and a future. They touch the ‘untouchables’ with the love of Christ. They establish relationships and fellowship with ‘the least of these’ (read another passage from Matthew: the parable of the sheep and the goats, Matt 25: 31-45 to put that in context). And best of all they share the message of God's salvation and redemption with a people who have always been told that nobody wants of loves them!

Today the untouchables, the Dalits, are learning what it means to be loved. 

GFA 7 Our daily Bread

       I remember going to my grandmother’s house on baking day and enjoying the smell of freshly baked bread, and my dad would tell me how Gram used to bake bread a couple times a week, the surprise is that in such a large family that she only had to make it twice. But you get into a routine, and figure out something that works.

       Baking bread has gotten so much easier. Go to a department store or kitchen goods store and by a breadmaker. Get a boxed mix, through in some water, put it in the breadmaker, hit the on button (or set the timer) and you have freshly baked bread at dinner time.

  

       And most people, me included can’t even be bother doing that. We head to the grocery store, and buy the occasional loaf of sliced bread for sandwiches, or different kinds of bread, including Indian Naan off the discount rack.  But not everyone has that luxury. My mother-in law in Spain used to go shopping every day- or send one of her daughters to the store. Down stairs out the door and down the street, making several stops- butcher, baker, fruits and vegetable stand. Every day there was a routine for caring for the family, fix and eat breakfast, start preparing for the main meal served mid-afternoon, clean up, and perhaps make another run to the store, to make sure everything needed for supper was available

       In northern India many women still spend a large portion of their day in the kitchen. They bake a lot of ‘Chapati’ -bread, a staple of every meal, sometimes the meal. Up to three times a day they mix flour, salt, water and oil, let the dough rise, separate into small balls, roll it out, fold it, roll it again, and finally bake over a wood stove. Probably delicious, but time consuming.  One of these days I’m going to try to make Chapati, but it won’t be over a wood fire.

       In this country we’re used to all the modern time saving conveniences that offer women the opportunity to go to school, to hold down a job, to have time to take the kids to the park. It’s not that way in some parts of the world. Women spend a good portion of their days inside a small basic kitchen. Sometimes we go camping and cook over a wood fire, but that’s for fun, not out of necessity.

       We’re used to modern, we’re used to time saving, we’re used to convenience. How would you like to cook every day in a kitchen like this?

       Gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "Give us this day our daily bread"

GFA Day 5 of the Challenge These women deserve respect!

       Growing up I was often told to be a gentleman, to respect women, to never hit a girl, and many other things that were perhaps the right things but for the wrong reasons. It is right to respect women, to treat them well, and not hit them, but not because they’re the weaker sex and so need a man to take care of them. Nevertheless, some of those habits remain, and that’s a good thing. But that’s in our country and in our culture.

       In other cultures, women are often seen as 2^nd or even 3^rd class citizens.  Gospel for Asia shares a movie called Veil of tears (watch the trailer) that shows how women are treated in many cultures.

       Widows are shunned because they obviously bring bad luck or their husbands wouldn’t have died. Baby girls are often seen as a curse rather than a blessing, after all a boy will become a man who cares for his parents, but a girl gets married and cares for her husband’s parents in their old age.

       In many communities comprised of the lowest classes, drug and alcohol abuse is rampant among the men, so if they are able to find work and make a little money it often goes to feeding their habits rather than feeding the family. The women are left to do the best they can –with whatever it takes. Because they often have do violate their moral code to provide for their hungry children, men lose respect for them, and they are treated even worse.

       In many parts of Asia, the poorest communities are filled with women who have no hope. And then they meet Jesus, but it’s often difficult to introduce their husbands to the Savior. Pray for these women, who do  the best they can with such limited resources. Pray that through the grace of God the men of their communities will start seeing them as children of God and learn to treat them with the love, respect and honor that they deserve. After all, their daddy is the King, so each of these women is a princess. 

No Longer 'Alone in the Crowd"

       Feeling alone when you're surrounded by people--it's not a pleasant feeling. 

     

       It happens to alcoholics who sit in bar after bar looking for that special connection with a real person, but only finding it in a bottle. It happens to the introvert who attends event after event, always staying on the fringes, the outside, looking on but not being a part of. It happens to the church hopper, the person that tries church after church looking for something, but never staying long enough to find it. And it happens to those who, through no fault of their own, are placed in difficult situations. They all lose hope. They lose all hope.

      

       But there is a cure, a remedy for hopelessness and some lucky people find it, or it finds them. God is still at work calling people to him, calling peoples too him.

       You see, the cure is not a pill or a shot. It's not a session with one of the TV therapists, or a talk show hostess who invites people to share their sad story and then gives them a package of things, usually including a $izable check,  that are meant to solve the problem. No, the solution is not a thing, it's a person. A person by the name of Jesus.

  

       Shiuli's parents arranged her marriage, a common practice in some parts of the world. At 14 she was a bride, by the age of 21 she had three children. She was also a widow.  A lingering illness stole her husband from her, stole a father from her young daughters. A difficult situation for anyone to be in, but it gets more complicated.  To find work, Tarun had earlier decided that he and his child bride would move to the Capital city of Katmandu, a city of 700,000 people. With her husband working, and she staying at home to care for the children, and then, when he got sick, her husband, she had no time to make friends. Tarun died, she had no family nearby, and no friends to whom to turn for help.

         It looked like a hopeless situation, and then it got still worse, one of her daughters got sick, and died. Hopelessness. 

         In Nepal, as in several other countries in that area of the world,  there are several religions to choose from, and Shiuli decided to try them all, but nothing seemed to help, there was still no hope, until some missionaries stopped by and talked to her about Jesus. I don't know if Hinduism was one of the religions she tried, but I've often said that it's fairly easy to talk to Hindus about Jesus, they quickly accept him as another of their many gods, they'll pray to him for some things, but they have other gods to whom they regularly pray for prosperity, good health, good luck, good jobs, and well you get the picture. 

          But these women missionaries made an impact on Shiuli, they talked about being followers of Jesus and invited her to join them. They shared the hope of the one, true, and eternal God, and at long last this hopeless young woman was able to find hope. She has found companionship, and in Jesus has found what she was looking for.  As part of a GFA church she has friends, fellowship, and community. She's growing in her faith walk, and she's no longer alone in the crowd. Read more about Shiuli's story here.

       A caveat here is that there are thousands of women like Shiuli, arranged marriages are only a part of it. Some of these women are widowed, divorced, or abandoned. They have children to care for, and because of cultural taboos they often can't or won't speak with male missionaries. Shiuli was lucky enough to ave women missionaries, with God's help find her and introduce her to Jesus.

       Pray for more women to be called to the mission field in Nepal. Visit  Gospel For Asia's  website for more information on other ways in which you can help.