Rejoice!

“Whoever drinks the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” —John 4:14

Johari read the words on the plaque once more: “Whoever drinks the water I shall give him will never thirst” (John 4:14). For about 10 years, these words had greeted Johari every time he filled his container with water from his local Jesus Well. For 10 years, Johari had walked home with the seed of that Scripture still dormant in his heart. Then one day, that seed sprouted and took root.

Before the local Jesus Well, the only sources of water in Johari’s village had been a river, a canal and two springs. During the hot weather of March through June, water dried up, and there wasn’t enough to go around for the village’s 225 households and their animals.

But one of the villagers, Ozias, was a believer who attended a church in a nearby village. He could see that the pastor saw the needs of the people and sought to bring about lasting change. He told his pastor about the water crisis he and his neighbors suffered from. After the pastor visited the village and saw their need for himself, he arranged for a Jesus Well to be installed.

Along with the rest of the community, Johari and his family started fetching their water from the Jesus Well. Every time he approached the well—day after day—Johari would read the verse from John 4:14.

“Whoever drinks the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” —John 4:14

Johari (pictured) experienced Christ’s restoration through being healed from tuberculosis.

Now, a few years later, Johari found himself in great need of hope. He had been diagnosed with tuberculosis, after suffering from an intense cough and breathing difficulties. His condition persisted even after visiting the hospital many times and undergoing lengthy treatment. Johari felt as if his body were experiencing a drought of energy. In his time of need, Johari’s thoughts turned to the verse on the Jesus Well. Was the eternal water Jesus promised available for him, too? Would Jesus heal him of this sickness? Johari called his neighbor, Ozias, to ask for prayer. Johari told Ozias that if the Lord healed him, he would praise Jesus all his life.

Ozias prayed for Johari. Then, Johari visited Ozias’ church, where the pastor and congregation interceded for his healing. Not only that, but Ozias’ pastor began to regularly visit and pray for Johari. Gradually, over three months, Johari felt the Lord healing him until he had completely recovered! Death had been at work in his body, and now Johari embraced Christ’s offer of eternal life. His wife and one of their grown sons also put their faith in Jesus as a result of the miraculous healing.

“Without Jesus, my life was uncertain,” said Johari. “But when I came to Jesus, He not only healed me from my sickness but also gave me eternal water that I will never thirst again. Thank you, Jesus, for Your everlasting love.”

Praise the Lord who offers Living Water to all who ask.

So many of our missionaries are serving in extremely challenging places. They climb literal mountains, encounter malaria-prone regions, endure civil instability and face down wild animals. But their determination continually amazes me!

When I talk with our missionaries, they often ask me for prayer. But even in severe difficulty, their request isn’t, “Pray for the hard things to stop; pray for it to get easier.” Instead, they ask me to pray they can walk further or ride their bicycle longer, that their legs will be stronger and they can reach one more village over the hill that still waits for the hope we have. “Pray for my faith to be strong,” they ask. “Pray for my family.”

They consistently model what it looks like to give up all for the sake of Christ. And their example challenges me to live my life with a passion for Christ so that more people can understand what God has done for them.

These champions of the faith, simple men and women committed to the Lord, share a common vision. They are driven by their love for Christ and their love for the people around them. Like Brother Callum, whom you’ll read about in this issue of Rejoice!, they know what Christ has done in their own lives, and they long for their people to experience the same thing. You and I have the incredible privilege to come alongside these brothers and sisters through our prayer and support.

I count it an honor to be able to link arms with such faithful servants of the Lord, both those on the field and believers like you. I wish you could sit in on the phone conversations I have with our missionaries, or visit their homes, or join their Sunday worship service. You are, in many ways, like those Christ spoke about to St. Thomas: “those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Your faith and trust are one reason I get excited about each issue of Rejoice! and each opportunity to share just a glimpse of the fruit of your life.

One day, not too far from now, you will meet these men and women face to face in heaven. Until then, it is my joy and honor to say, on their behalf, thank you.

Bishop Daniel
President

Marriage for 120 Couples

Child sponsorship staff have been working to strengthen families in Rwanda, where many unmarried couples co-habit. For about a year, the staff in one region counseled couples and held community meetings explaining the value of marriage. Last August, about 120 couples decided to legally register their marriage—a step that can help provide women and children with legal protection and better access to education, health care and inheritance and, ultimately, strengthen their communities.

New Literacy Classes in Nepal

On September 8, churches and Women’s Fellowship groups in Nepal celebrated International Literacy Day by inviting women to join literacy classes! Three new classes opened, and one class resumed. At the celebrations, many women received supplies, such as notebooks and pens.

“I had a deep desire to learn how to read and write, but I never got an opportunity,” shared one woman. “I hope I will be able to read God’s Word by joining the literacy class.”

First Tailoring Class in Liberia

In October, GFA missionaries opened their first tailoring class in Liberia, welcoming 23 mothers to learn sewing and business skills to help them provide for themselves and their families.

“What you have brought is more than training; it is a blessing from God to this community,” commented a town leader.

Goats Distributed in Bangladesh

In November, GFA’s child sponsorship program distributed 60 goats—a pair of goats each—to 30 families. These animals can help families gain steady income and overcome poverty.

A Powerful Youth Festival

November 17–19, youth and young adults in Sri Lanka gathered for a retreat full of worship sessions, practical teaching, fun activities and community meals. The retreat emphasized becoming like Christ through grace.

One attendee remarked, “I have participated in many youth programs before, but this one impacted me on a different level. … The main core of this program was not just about fun; it was truly about knowing Jesus.”

Callum was a once good student with a good reputation. But after he and his parents moved to another village, he changed. Callum fell in with bad company and began smoking and using drugs. His parents tried to discipline him, but Callum continued to live as he wished.

As Callum strayed further from his past morals, his parents embraced the love of Christ and shared this love with Callum. But Callum said to himself, “If I receive Christ, I cannot use drugs, smoke cigarettes, and mingle with my friends.”

Eventually, Callum dropped out of school, began wandering the streets, and smuggling drugs. He rarely came home now. How worried his parents must have been for this son they loved!

Then, one night, during a gang fight, Callum was badly beaten and knifed below the neck. All his so-called friends ran—abandoned him—and left him to die. But in God’s mercy, Callum’s parents found him and took him to the hospital. “If my parents were not there, I would have died on that day,” says Callum. “They took me to the hospital and saved me. Their love saved my life.”

On his hospital bed, he promised them that he would leave his bad habits and obey them.

Shortly after, Callum experienced restoration in Christ. He grew in his relationship with the Lord and attended all the spiritual activities at the local church. His church family and his parents helped him through prayer and other means as he went to Bible college. After graduating, he was sent to minister to a community in need.

“This is my greatest opportunity to serve God.” Callum said. “I want to serve the youngsters who are addicted to drugs and other bad habits. I do not want them to be yoked with bad addiction as I was.”

At first, Callum did not want anything to do with God, but God used the love of his parents so that Callum could begin to understand how much he was loved by his Heavenly Father. If Callum’s parents had not been there the night of the fight, he would have died never knowing this love. But now he gets to share Christ’s love with kids who might be stuck in the same situation he was in. As his parents were a light to him, he is now sharing with others who are suffering without Christ that there is a far greater hope they can choose to embrace.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” —1 Corinthians 15:57–58

Christ won the victory over sin, Satan and death. Now, He invites us to join Him in His work and to participate in that victory. May He give us the grace to be steadfast and to abound! The labor is worth it, and the end is sure.

—Your GFA family

“The love and support … reminded us that we are not alone. Your kindness has given us strength.” —Delon

“You are not alone,” the child sponsorship program reminds families. Delon, a father of four in Rwanda, began experiencing that reality in 2023, when one of his sons joined the program. He experienced Christ’s care as our sponsorship staff came alongside his family with practical help such as food and medical care.

Delon’s family also gained a strong community through the sponsorship program by connecting with a group of 32 other sponsored families in their village. These families encouraged each other in their shared experiences of making a living and raising children, and they built a strong spiritual support network.

That support network became a lifeline in 2025, when Delon lost his eldest son to illness. As grief overwhelmed Delon’s family, other sponsored families and child sponsorship staff members visited them, bringing food and financial help, as well as comfort and encouragement from God’s Word. Together, the staff and families reminded Delon’s family that God was with them.

“The love and support from the [other sponsored families] and [the child sponsorship program] … reminded us that we are not alone,” Delon shared later. “Your kindness has given us strength, and we now see hope even in our pain.”

Thank you for coming alongside families like Delon’s. Your kindness gives them strength. Your love reminds them they are not alone.

From the Archive of the Founder, K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan)

What will it take for you to be able to pick up your cross daily and follow Jesus? The Lord may ask us to do something that opposes every grain of logic within us. Our emotions may rise up in protest against it. Those around us may do their best to convince us to look back. The only way we will have the strength to do what God asks us to do is by keeping our eyes on Jesus!

I pray that you will be willing to pay the price in order to follow Jesus.

It is for those more than 2 billion souls who have not heard the Gospel that we must live. It is for them that we must give up the comfortable life this world offers us. For them, we must be willing to live a life that people misunderstand, willing to walk away from all that we could accumulate on this earth and be content with what the Lord gives us. While you are on this earth, make it your life’s ambition to take as many souls as possible with you to heaven.

God will give you the grace to live this life as He calls you. In the light of eternity, the battle is really not that long. I pray that you will look beyond the cross, beyond the pain and sacrifice, and see Jesus waiting there for you. The joy that awaits you is far greater than any price you have to pay.

“It changed the trajectory of the whole rest of my year.” —Gabrielle

It started with a postcard. As her church’s office manager, Gabrielle received church mail, including the postcard announcing GFA World’s Set Apart retreat. The event for young adults interested her, but she ignored the nudge and let the retreat pass.

The next year, however, Gabrielle found herself hurting emotionally and needing a restart. This time, when she saw the retreat details, she registered. “Even though I grew up in a Christian home, I was actually at a really low place when I came to Set Apart,” Gabrielle remembers. “… I had lost a sense of who I was in Christ.”

At the retreat, Bishop Daniel encouraged attendees to just show up and let God meet them. Gabrielle took the advice to heart, intentionally fellowshipping with others and participating in rhythms of prayer and worship. At first, the stress she’d been experiencing hung over her, but as she persisted in showing up, she could sense God meeting her and feel her heart settling in.

Throughout the week, she was refreshed by conversations and new friendships, especially with GFA staff. And when one of the speakers shared specifically on who we are in Christ, Gabrielle knew the message was for her. “[God] really did just meet me where I was,” she shares.

By the end of the week, Gabrielle returned home feeling joyful and free. “It changed the trajectory of the whole rest of my year,” she says.

Gabrielle now plans to attend her third Set Apart retreat in June. “I would say ‘just do it,’” she encourages anyone considering the retreat. “… I regret not listening to the nudge to go, because I would have gained a whole other year of friendships and growth and freedom in my spiritual life. … Be intentional and come.”

“This race was long. The battle was tough, but I didn’t give up. … Yes, it was worth it all. I see Him waiting for me with my reward in His nail-pierced hand.”

—K.P. Yohannan, from his poem “The End of the Race”

Through your prayers, God is sustaining national missionaries and believers in their congregations as they face trials, holding fast to a faith more precious than gold for the sake of Him who loves us (see 1 Peter 1:6–8). Thank you for persevering in generosity so more people can hear of Christ. May He continue to encourage you until the day when you stand before His throne alongside all the men and women who will come to know Him through your faithfulness.

—Your GFA family