Rejoice!

Sisters of the Cross are specially trained to uniquely serve communities and share the Good News, often in places with acute physical and emotional needs.

You’ll start seeing a new name for our Sisters of Compassion, who are now called Sisters of the Cross. As their number and reach expands, this change will more immediately identify them as ministers of the gospel in service of Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping them in their important mission!

In one of the hard-to-reach places where we serve, a little girl has come to believe in our Lord’s healing power. Her name is Lyra.

Although her family does not come from a Christian background, Lyra faithfully attends the Sunday school classes run by our Sisters of the Cross. It’s easy to see her heart for the Lord blossoming. She has memorized the songs and Bible verses taught by the Sisters and is eager to share them all with her family—especially her grandmother, Pura.

Your support helped a little girl share the hope of God’s Word!

Pura and Lyra enjoy an especially close relationship, so when her granddaughter told her about all she was learning about God and the Bible, Pura hid these truths in her heart.

One day, Pura fell ill with dengue fever, a viral infection spread by mosquitoes and which can be fatal. Pura’s condition deteriorated rapidly, and soon she was in critical condition.

Through your support, Sisters of the Cross are bringing hope in Christ to many who’ve never heard His name.

Though her world was crashing down, Lyra knew who to turn to for help: the Sisters of the Cross. She shared with them her grandmother’s diagnosis and fears for her health. The Sisters and other children in Lyra’s Sunday school class prayed for Pura and her family.

Our loving God heard and answered these prayers. Pura’s health gradually returned, and amid her recovery, she realized that there really is power in the name of Jesus Christ.

Now, Pura knows the Lord, and she regularly attends Sunday worship services. She continues to learn more about God’s Word at church and at home with her granddaughter Lyra.

What a powerful reminder that God’s Word is meant for all of us, young and old. As the Psalmist wrote, “Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have ordained strength” (Psalm 8:2 nkjv, emphasis added). Although she was just a child, Lyra knew upon hearing it that the Word of God is true and powerful. Her pure heart longed to share this hope with her family, and through His providence, God has made His power known.

Thank you for supporting our Sisters of the Cross and all of the national missionaries, who are sharing God’s love all over the world. You are making it possible for our teams to reach out to people who have never heard His name—and they, in turn, are further spreading the Good News! This domino effect begins with you, and we are so grateful.

Please pray that the rest of Pura’s family will also experience the hope and joy of Jesus and that Lyra and Pura will continue to radiate God’s love for all to see!

Through your generosity, people like Beven and his family have come to know the Lord!

After a long day of work as an auto rickshaw driver in his village, Beven, a married father of five, noticed some tracts sitting in his home. He read and re-read them. He was filled with a hunger to know more about God.

Beven had grown up in a family that worshiped their ancestral gods, but he was never devout. He was looking for something else but wasn’t sure what ...

Then one day, Beven’s wife told him that the same pastor who had given them the tracts had also invited them to a special program. Excited to learn more, Beven brought his family to the event, where GFA pastor Garon shared the Good News of Christ. Beven listened attentively, overwhelmed with wonder at the impression God’s Word made on his heart.

Beven couldn’t stop thinking about what he had heard.

Beven and Pastor Garon continued to meet, building a friendship as Beven struggled with questions of faith. Through continued learning and much prayer, Beven decided to walk with the Lord.

Today, Beven is an active member in the local church he and his family attend. The former skeptic is now a believer. Even though his new faith is not common in his community, he stands firm, boldly sharing the Good News that so profoundly changed his heart and his life.

Beven’s open heart and desire to know the truth helped his family follow Christ!

Your support of national missionaries like Pastor Garon makes it possible to help families like Beven’s grasp the truth of God’s Word!

Your support of our clean water campaign has truly transformed people’s lives by protecting their health.

In the June issue of Rejoice!, we shared that our clean water campaign had raised $150,000 in support from partners like you, making access to clean water possible for about 30,000 people. Praise God!

What difference does a water filter make for people who did not have access to clean water before? “I am really surprised to see the immediate change in the color of water when we pour it in the filter. [It is] pure and so clean,” said one BioSand filter recipient. “Thank you so much … for your concern for us and granting us with this filter.”

A filter recipient named Riesa was relieved that she no longer has to get water at a great expense. She said, “I praise God for this filter because we have been paying 20 rupees every day to get clean water, but today the Lord has blessed me with a BioSand water filter, and I am extremely happy.”

Another recipient, Sallee, expressed gratitude for the way the filter keeps her family’s water supply safe. “The water supply we get is dirty and yellow in color, but we thank God for the filter we have received,” she said. “I am truly happy that we can now protect ourselves from different kinds of sicknesses.”

While Ranjana, Sheela and others send their thanks to us, the real gratitude is for you for providing these simple filters that transform lives. Thank you for making this possible!

Thank you so much for making this possible!

Ross and his wife are longtime GFA World donors with a heart for those who’ve never heard the name of Jesus.

The impact of GFA World is made possible only through the generosity and faithfulness of partners just like you.

One partner, Ross Badgett, doesn’t know how long he has been involved with GFA World. In fact, when asked how long he has been giving, he takes a long pause. Then laughing, he replies, “I have no idea!” (It’s 20 years—we looked it up.)

But when asked why he gives to GFA World, his response is immediate: “The people in the organization have hearts for Christ,” he says. “They are legitimately concerned with helping people get to heaven. They speak the heart of Christ pretty loudly.”

What captured Ross’s heart, mind and passion so long ago remains true today: GFA World is committed to reach people in parts of the world who have never heard of the Lord.

As a believer, Ross takes the Great Commission and the admonition of the Apostle Paul to heart:

“And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:35 nkjv, emphasis added).

“I think people miss that,” he says. “But it’s so true. There is nothing else I could do with my money that gives me the joy, happiness or fulfillment that giving does. We have the same goals at the end of the day, and when I donate, I know the money is going to do what it is supposed to do. It feels great to be able to give.”

“It feels great to be able to give.” —Ross Badgett, longtime GFA World supporter

Gospel tracts are often the first exposure many people have to the Bible.

In June, we asked for your prayers and support as we planned to print and distribute 100 million Gospel tracts throughout the mission field.

A big goal? Yes. But not for you!

With your help so far, funds for 25 million tracts have been provided!

These tracts are often the first introduction that many people have to God’s Word, and—as you read in Beven’s story—the simple act of reading the Gospel in their native language can touch people’s hearts for eternity.

Thank you for responding to the call. We are so grateful for the opportunity to share the transforming Word of God!

Because of you, funds for about 25 million tracts have been provided!

K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan)

Something to Think About!

Approximately a year before his unexpected departure from this world, K.P. Yohannan wrote this article on the power of our eternal hope.

One absolute reality for all humanity—whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, in the center of the public eye or on the fringe of society—is death. All will die; you are dying now, and so am I.

But with that reality, we also have this assurance: all in Christ shall be made alive … and bearing the image of Christ (1 Cor 15:22, 49). 

His Resurrection is hope for us forever and today. Christ’s Resurrection is our hope—and that hope far exceeds any momentary circumstance. Through our faith in Him, we can overcome death as He rose from the dead. This hope is not mere respite in the here-and-now, but it is the guarantee of eternal triumph, glory, rest.

The Apostle Paul was invigorated by this thought!  He lived with undivided dedication, looking forward to the crown awaiting him—the very crown that awaits all those who live for Him.

Because Christ rose from the dead, resurrection for us is guaranteed. So in the end, we can look into the face of death and shout, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55 nkjv).

Keep Christ’s resurrection at the forefront of your life.