Gospel for Asia

Tommy and I had the privilege of being in Texas for a week earlier this month. We attended a missions conference put on by Gospel for Asia (GFA). This organization focuses on sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with some of the most unreached people groups in Asia, especially India.

I love this organization for several reasons. First, 100% of all funds that are donated to GFA go directly to the field, nothing is taken out for administration purposes. In addition, GFA seems to really live out the word of God. The organization is not flashy; they don't have the edgiest promotional films, the leaders dress modestly, and the selection of GFA merchandise they do offer is available to anyone (they only suggest reasonable donations- a very different approach than Christian bookstores, who seem to horde the good news by their pricey purchases). Through these and many other practices, you can tell that everything they do is about pursuing the Lord and making his name known as opposed to making their name known. Finally, I thoroughly enjoyed the humble simplicity demonstrated at the conference. Tommy and I didn't come away from the conference with any huge new spiritual revelations or knowing more Greek words. Instead, we came away refreshed by an organization and its people that humbly serve the Lord. The messages were simple, yet refreshingly authentic. The call to action was humble and not guilt-laden. The work was God focused not us-centered (what we can do), for God works more in spite of us than through us.

GFA has two main programs you can help sponsor. First you can sponsor a native missionary in Asia. These men and women already know the language and are willing to live and work in the poor conditions of most of Asia. They travel and live in some very harsh environments both spiritually and physically. Second, you can sponsor a Dalit child. The Dalits are the untouchables of India. They are not even part of the caste system as they are considered sub-human. They perform the most menial jobs and live in extreme poverty. They are also subject to all sorts of abuse including rape and murder simply because of their status (or lack thereof) in society. When you sponsor a child you will provide them with clothing, food, an education, medical care and most importantly the message of Christ. With an estimated 300 million Dalits currently, there are 160 million child laborers (starting at age 4) and 90 million hungry children every day. Somewhere around 95% or more (I apologize I couldn't find the study that was done on this) of all Christian money marked for missions is going to people groups who are already reached (Asia contains many of the unreached people groups in the world). This fact really challenged me to think how I give of money that the Lord has blessed me with. We are our brother's keeper even if they are half way around the world!

I have added some links on my page so that you can explore GFA's site for yourself. Enjoy!