Rejoice!

Instead of going through pregnancy alone and afraid, Kesia knew that she had a whole team of people on her side, offering regular checkups and support.

Medical camps provide free checkups, medicines, medical advice and prenatal ultrasounds to communities in need.

At 24 years old, Kesia was pregnant with her second child—and already, she felt an all-too-familiar anxiety: What if complications arose for her or her baby? How would she know what to do? Where would she turn for help? The closest health center was a 40-minute walk away.

And what about when she went into labor? Sometimes, women in rural villages couldn’t reach a clinic in time and gave birth on the way instead. What if that happened to Kesia?

She felt alone. Vulnerable. Forgotten. Kesia could only hope that this pregnancy would go as well as her first one and that she and her baby would be alright.

Yet Kesia was not forgotten. Child sponsorship staff in her community had seen the need for medical help: Only two health centers were available for the 35,000 people in Kesia’s area. While local officials had also mobilized traveling health workers, the sheer size of the population made it difficult to reach everyone in need. Additionally, many community members, including Kesia and her husband, struggled to afford medical care even if it was available.

Wanting to come alongside the community and hard-working health officials, child sponsorship staff began organizing regular medical camps in Kesia’s community. The camps focused specifically on children and pregnant mothers, offering free checkups, medicines, medical advice and even prenatal ultrasounds.

Although Kesia still had to walk a long distance to reach the camp, it provided her with free, regular, quality care and specialized attention that began to change the way Kesia felt about her pregnancy. No longer did she feel unrecognized and alone during a crucial time of life. The sponsorship staff and medical professionals offered guidance throughout her pregnancy, encouraging her to participate in sessions on nutrition, hygiene and safe pregnancy practices and teaching her how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and recognize warning signs.

Instead of going through pregnancy alone and afraid, Kesia knew that she had a whole team of people on her side, offering regular checkups and support. And on March 27, Kesia gave birth to a healthy, beautiful baby girl!

Today, Kesia is grateful to the people who made medical camps possible for her and other women in her community.

“Thank you so much,” she tells them. “Before, we used to go to the health centers and spend a long time, but [the] free medical camp takes a short time.”

Because people like you helped reach out in compassion to people like Kesia, children can now grow up stronger and healthier, and mothers can know that they are not alone.

Thank you for helping to provide medical care in Jesus’ name!

Some years ago, I saw Christ’s tender mercy on display while visiting a leprosy colony. Among people cast aside by society, I watched Sisters of the Cross dress wounds, pray for people, encourage them, serve them, care for them and feed them. These servants of God were not outsiders but family, part of the community. People had such love and respect for these Sisters that they told me, “The angels are coming to help take care of us.”

The precious people in this community had experienced something far beyond simple aid or medical care. Through the hands of our missionaries, they had felt the gentle, life-giving touch of the Good Shepherd.

Whether He met a large crowd or one lonely individual, Jesus consistently demonstrated His love in practical and tangible ways. He knew that part of His purpose on earth was to embody the Father’s love so the world could know Him.

Our missionaries practice what Christ modeled. Their compassion, tenacity and love for their people is unmistakable. In this issue of Rejoice!, you’ll see our faithful brothers and sisters emulating the Good Shepherd. They are feeding the hungry and comforting hearts weighed down by sorrow and sin. They embrace the hurting and guide souls to the Source of life. Day after day, our missionaries tend to people’s physical and spiritual needs—and as a result, lives are transformed by God’s love.

Ultimately, the Good Shepherd laid down His life for His sheep, and our brothers and sisters live that out too, pouring themselves out for the sake of the Gospel. We can follow their example, whether through our daily prayers, living generously, showing forgiveness or extending a gentle word of life to those around us.

Thank you for your sacrifice to help bring God’s lovingkindness to many people across Africa and Asia.

In His footsteps,

Bishop Daniel
President

A Man’s Testimony Leads Others to Faith

Jesus healed a man who was suffering from a particularly painful medical condition. Full of gratitude, this man and his family embraced Christ. His testimony spread throughout his village and brought other families to faith as well! As a result, in February, a new mission station was established in this community to shepherd the new believers.

A Church Building Successfully Completed

After more than 25 years, a group of believers has successfully finished their church building. Though they laid the foundation in 1998, the project stalled due to local opposition, limited resources and other challenges. Despite the difficulties, they continued to meet for prayer, Bible studies and worship services outdoors and in believers’ homes. Finally, in October 2025, they completed construction and began gathering in their new church!

Poor Widows Receive Blankets

“After my husband left me, I took care of my two kids and found it very difficult to buy warm clothes,” shared one widow. “But today, I am thankful to Jesus and the [pastor] for providing us with a blanket.”

It can be challenging for widows who can’t afford a blanket to stay warm. In response to this need, a church in a remote area of Asia showed love to 20 widows by gifting each of them a blanket.

Chickens Distributed in Sri Lanka

In December and January, child sponsorship programs distributed 4–5 chickens each to 196 families in Sri Lanka. Families receive training in how to take care of their chickens so the poultry can become a sustainable source of income.

“While rations are temporary, these chickens provide a permanent way to fund my children’s education,” shared one recipient.

New Child Sponsorship Programs in Liberia

In January, GFA started two new child sponsorship programs in Liberia. These centers will combine compassionate services, such as support for children’s health and education, with spiritual care for a holistic approach to transforming lives throughout the community.

Pastor Valen and his congregation embraced Neymar, providing him with food, medication and shelter near the church.

Pastor Valen was on his way to church one Sunday when a skinny, poorly clothed elderly man approached him asking for alms. Like the Good Samaritan in Jesus’ parable, Pastor Valen was moved with compassion. The pastor asked the man about his family, but the man could only tell him that he had been utterly rejected by his loved ones. The rest of the details were blurry.

Perhaps the elderly man was too frail and hungry to remember anything else. Neymar had started begging when he’d become too weak to support himself any other way. Cast out by his children, he had wandered alone from village to village, finally settling in Pastor Valen’s community.

It had been two days since he’d last eaten. At age 66, his already-suffering body must have been pushed to its limits. And no matter how far he had wandered or how many bus stands he had sheltered under, he hadn’t yet left behind the anguish of being rejected by his own children.

Hearing the pain in Neymar’s words, Pastor Valen could tell that the elderly man desperately needed help and love. Pastor Valen shared Jesus’ love with Neymar and invited him to the church for food and shelter. But Pastor Valen also knew that, like the wounded man in Jesus’ parable, Neymar needed not just immediate help but also ongoing care and love.

The pastor discussed Neymar’s situation with his congregation, and the believers leaped into action—here was an opportunity to show a neighbor Christ’s love in both word and deed. Together, the congregation embraced the elderly man as if he were their father, providing medication, food and a shelter near the church.

As Neymar experienced Christ’s love in action, his sorrow gave way to joy. He started attending church with the believers, participating in fellowship and prayer, and soaking up the love and kindness of his new family. No longer defined by rejection, Neymar embraced the love of the One who, through His people, had embraced him.

Thank you for coming alongside believers like Pastor Valen and his congregation as they seek to be Good Samaritans in their communities. Through your partnership, Christ’s love, lived out, is transforming lives!

“He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.”

—Isaiah 40:11

Christ shows compassion to those experiencing need, hardship and pain. As the Good Shepherd, He leads them to His streams of living water. We praise Him that more communities in Africa and Asia are now experiencing the Lord’s goodness and guidance as He leads us to serve Him.

—Your GFA family

Through the child sponsorship program, Dorus received the medical care he needed, and his family found hope and joy.

For Naisi and Nemet, the birth of their second son, Dorus, should have been a time of joy; instead, they worried about the future. Naisi had given up her daily wage job to care for their first son, and Nemet struggled to meet the family’s basic needs.

Now, with another mouth to feed, they sank further into poverty. Then, when Dorus was 3 years old, they realized he couldn’t walk due to severe swelling and pain in his legs.

If Dorus was not treated, he would never be able to walk, but they could not afford the treatment.

Greatly discouraged, Nemet began to drink and neglect his family, bringing more despair.

During this time, help came through the child sponsorship program. Dorus was enrolled, and the family gained education, food, and medical insurance. Now, Dorus could get the treatment he needed.

One day the staff organized a medical camp. The doctors examined Dorus and told his parents that after leg surgery, Dorus would be able to walk. The staff worked with the doctors to find a way for Dorus to get the surgery.

Moved by their kindness, Nemet said, “You brought rays of hope and light to our darkened life with love and compassion. … Thank you, [CSP], for reflecting the love of God through care towards me and my family.”

Through the service and love of the CSP staff, many, like Dorus and his family, are finding joy seeing that God cares for them.

“He was moved with compassion for them, because they were … like sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).

Matthew 8–9 covers a period of Christ’s intense, nonstop ministry. After days of pouring Himself tirelessly into people who were suffering emotional pain, physical sickness and demon possession, the writer, Matthew, relates that Jesus was moved with compassion.

What do you think he must have seen in Jesus’ expressions that would have been so memorable for him to record this impression so many years later?

Surely, when Jesus saw His own creation—the work of His hands, the people He had made in His own image—being destroyed and abused, it grieved Him deeply. His heart must have felt as if it was about to break. And 30 years later, Matthew records, essentially: “We saw it.”

Our Lord gave Himself completely for others. His whole life is summarized in His mission statement: “I came to seek and save that which was lost” (see Luke 19:10).

Jesus passed on His earthly ministry with the words, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). We are sent into the world to show His love, but we cannot show His love until we have His heart, until we have His compassion.

Source: No Longer a Slumdog, pp. 77–78, by K.P. Yohannan (Metropolitan Yohan)

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” —Proverbs 3:6

Tony and Kelly trusted God’s direction when they combined their honeymoon with a job interview at GFA—and they haven’t looked back.

Tony and Kelly, GFA staff members, believe Proverbs 3:5–6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” They trusted Him when He directed their path in practical but unexpected ways to join GFA staff, and they don’t regret it.

It started in 2004, when Tony and Kelly were dating. One day, Tony saw a GFA brochure on the church bulletin board. He donated toward Gospel literature and sponsored a national missionary. Later, he and Kelly read K.P. Yohannan’s book Revolution in World Missions, and they became volunteers for GFA, handing out copies of the book at events. After getting engaged, they sensed God leading them to join GFA’s staff. They needed to go to Texas for an interview, but they had limited vacation days. So, they combined the interview with their honeymoon!

GFA staff members welcomed them and even hosted a wedding shower for them. But even as the Lord blessed Tony and Kelly’s week at GFA, they knew joining staff would mean leaving comfortable jobs and loved ones in Utah.

“I was worried about friends and family,” Kelly says, “and the Lord said, ‘I’m going to take care of that.’”

Confident in the Lord’s direction, she and Tony accepted the invitation to join staff. Now, 14 years after moving to Texas, they see how God has fulfilled His purposes for them. Tony, who started as a GFA donor, passionately encourages other GFA donors through calls, emails and visits. Kelly draws from her experience in the corporate world to do vital finance and administrative work for GFA. As God has guided Tony and Kelly’s path, He’s blessed them to bless people here and around the world.

Because of your generosity, national missionaries are shepherding Jesus’ flock and establishing churches across Africa and Asia.

“I want to lead them to the One who sees their pain and longs to give them hope.”

—K.P. Yohannan, No Longer A Slumdog

The Holy Spirit empowers us to love God with all our hearts and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Because we love, we can give to others even when it costs us. Thank you for loving those whom Christ died to save. Because of you, the Lord is establishing churches, and national missionaries are shepherding Jesus’ flock. We rejoice with heaven over the souls that have already come and that will come to know Christ through these local churches.

—Your GFA family