GFA World Newsletter

December 2022, Vol. 19, No. 7

Something happened in Riva’s mind and heart as her eyes scanned the words of a Man whose wisdom changed lives. As she read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, she learned of the God who taught people to love their neighbours, to forgive, to turn from sin. … Could this God change her life—and the life of her husband?

‘Coincidence’ Leads to Friendship

Riva and her husband, Pezi, had two children. Riva worked as an orderly in a school while Pezi worked as a truck driver to make ends meet. Pezi was often gone for days at a time, and the days he spent at home were not joyful. He was addicted to alcohol and fought with his wife whenever he was home.

Then, one day, a chance encounter made Riva question if things had to be this way. As she walked home from work, she and a man began talking. She discovered the man, GFA pastor Davin, lived only one kilometer from her. After Pastor Davin told Riva about the God he served, a God of love, she explained the sorrows her husband’s addiction had caused. Hearing this, Pastor Davin prayed for Riva, and hope welled in her heart. Maybe things could change in her family. She invited Pastor Davin to her home, and he prayed for Riva’s family. Before he left, he offered her a New Testament and encouraged her to read it each day. He also invited her to visit his church.

“We will pray, and God will change your family situation, especially the life of your husband,” Pastor Davin said.

But would Pezi’s life change?

The Power of Prayer and God’s Word

Riva had faith—or curiosity—enough to start reading the New Testament, hungry to know what answers it held. Soon, Riva started joining Sunday worship services and evening prayer meetings at Pastor Davin’s home. She also attended Women’s Fellowship meetings, and faith sprouted as she heard other women talk about all God had done in their lives. Eventually, Riva made a life-changing decision: She put her complete faith in Christ.

With her life now in His hands, Riva prayed for God to intervene in her family, too. Pastor Davin and his wife frequently visited Riva to join her in prayer.

One day, when Pastor Davin and his wife went to Riva’s house, they met Pezi—but he wasn’t in a state to be met. Maybe Pezi slurred his words. Perhaps he smelled of liquor. Whatever the clue, Pastor Davin quickly noticed Pezi was very drunk. Pastor Davin challenged Pezi’s out-of-control alcohol consumption.

“It is harmful to the body,” Pastor Davin said. “God has made our body perfectly well, and He dwells in us, but if we drink alcohol and smoke, then those things destroy our body.”

He prayed for Pezi to overcome his addiction and for God’s peace to reign in the home.

Instead of being hostile or defensive, Pezi listened to the pastor’s words. He also accepted Pastor Davin’s invitation to visit church with Riva the next day. When he did, a miracle happened.

After talking with Pastor Davin, Riva (pictured) began to hope her husband could find freedom from his addiction.

“[For the] first time in life, I experienced some kind of peace,” Pezi told Pastor Davin. The pastor encouraged Pezi to visit again and offered him a New Testament, suggesting he read the Gospel of John.

Pezi did read it, and his life began to change as God’s Word transformed his heart and Riva, Pastor Davin, and the whole church prayed for him. Within two months, Pezi was sober.

Joy finally reigns in Riva and Pezi’s home. The couple and their two children are following Christ and growing in His love.

“I was addicted to alcohol for three years, but God helped me and has transformed my life,” Pezi says. “I do not know how I got rid of it, but I know one thing: that God has changed my life.”

The power of Scripture was instrumental in making this transformation possible. Thank you for providing copies of God’s Word to share hope with people in desperate need of new life!

Pastor Lewys had been threatened. Stop your work, the villagers had said. Don’t continue your ministry in our village, they had advised. But he would not stop, nor could he.

Persevering Despite Opposition

In 2014, Pastor Lewys went to a village with around 55 families, most of them non-Christians. The villagers were stubborn in their ways and held strongly to their traditional practices. But that didn’t deter the pastor. He visited the villagers’ houses, stopping by to offer counsel to broken families and pray for any illnesses. In every encounter, Pastor Lewys did his best to demonstrate Christ’s love to all, whatever their need. Some people did not appreciate his acts of compassion, and they told him to stop. But the pastor could not.

Three years of faithful ministry had seen but a few of the villagers accept Christ as Savior, but this didn’t deter Pastor Lewys. The pastor and his small but growing group of believers prayed continually for the village and for a church to be established there.

God answered their prayers.

The Lord Provides

Eventually, Pastor Lewys’ burgeoning fellowship expanded into 20 believers. Then, after Pastor Lewys shared one Christmas about the reason Jesus came into the world, five more believers joined the growing fellowship. As their number grew, the believers needed a much larger space to meet.

The entire congregation gathered supplies and came together to build their own church building. Constructed of bamboo and tin sheets, it was not intended to last forever, but it was theirs.

“I am happy and thankful to Almighty God for helping us to have a church,” Pastor Lewys said. “Some people tried to stop my ministry, but … [I knew] that the Lord will help me to do a remarkable thing one day. Today, His plan has been fulfilled. Praise the Lord!”

Taya’s childhood had been one of uncertainty and poverty. Despite her parents’ hard work, they did not earn enough money to properly provide for their family. And Taya suffered because of it.

A Family’s Struggle to Provide

Taya’s father worked for a local metal company while her mother worked odd jobs as a housekeeper. Recently transplanted from another area, the family rented a single room. Rent, plus all the accompanying bills, drained much of the family’s income. Though the girl and her brother attended the local school free of charge, this provision did not ensure she received the supplies and guidance she needed to succeed.

Taya was worried; her parents couldn’t afford the food or the school supplies she needed to properly grow and succeed. No matter how hard her parents worked or how hard they tried, they never earned enough. The entire family felt discouraged. Would Taya ever receive the materials and food she needed to grow?

She would.

A Helping Hand

By the grace of God, when Taya was 9, her family received an invitation to enroll her in GFA World’s Child Sponsorship Program. It was through this program that the girl took her first steps on the journey to a better future.

The most pressing needs Taya and her family faced were regular meals and school supplies. Through the program, Taya received a warm, nutritious meal every day and any school supplies she needed. Food, books, writing implements, notebooks—it was all provided for free.

But what touched Taya’s heart the most wasn’t the supplies she received but the care she felt. The staff poured love and guidance into each child in the program, including Taya. They wanted to make sure that every single enrollee under their care understood that they were loved and cherished. Taya was surprised to know that there were people who had such a heart of kindness and love, who helped those in need. She was lucky, Taya thought to herself.

Taya (pictured) has become an exemplary student, and she dreams of one day being a social worker.

The Power of Inspiration

Home visitations became part of Taya’s routine. Staff would swing by from time to time to check in with Taya’s parents, to see how they were doing and if the family needed anything. The visits made Taya feel like she was part of their family, too.

When special events occurred at the program, whether handwriting or dance competitions or programs aimed at raising awareness for certain issues, Taya was actively involved. As the years passed, Taya matured and became a leader for the younger children.

One year, Taya’s hard work earned her the title of best student of the year. Taya graduated from school with high marks, earning the praise of her teachers. It is to the child sponsorship staff that she credits her success.

“I am very much grateful to the [child sponsorship program] teachers for teaching me many things, like the importance of study and leadership,” Taya says. “The teaching and family environment [of the program] helped me to continue studies.”

Encouraged by the child sponsorship program staff’s love and care, Taya desires to be a social worker, just like the staff who encouraged her and visited her family. She knows there are so many children who desperately need the help she received as a child—and she wants to give that love back.

“I have a dream to be a social worker,” Taya states. “… I want to work with the kind of institutions [that] are working among the needy community.”

Tahiya’s house was silent. Perhaps tears rolled down the widow’s cheeks. She had no one to talk to, no one to care for her. Her days were full of sorrow and toil.

Tahiya’s husband had succumbed to a prolonged illness 10 years prior. She lived for a time with her son and daughter-in-law, but the daughter-in-law made life difficult for Tahiya, mistreating her and finding fault in everything she did.

Heartbroken, Tahiya had sought comfort from her deities, but found no solace or joy. Tahiya resigned herself to accept that there is no true happiness in this world.

Lonely and poor, Tahiya began working in a tea garden. Perhaps she sought companionship as much as an income. Perhaps it also offered a distraction from her troubles. But these things did little to fill the void in Tahiya’s heart. Life seemed cold, empty and hard.

Pastor Provides Comfort

GFA pastor Damek, serving in the area, heard of Tahiya’s situation and pondered how he could help. He began to regularly visit Tahiya, encouraging her and praying for her. Pastor Damek took on the role of a son, showing Tahiya love and kindness.

Tahiya took comfort in the pastor’s visits. When he spoke from God’s Word, Tahiya felt joy within her soul, perhaps for the first time in her life, and she urged him to continue praying for her. Pastor Damek explained to Tahiya that Jesus loved her and was watching over her. This comfort became vital to Tahiya—especially after her son and daughter-in-law decided to move out, leaving her alone.

Meanwhile, Tahiya began occasionally attending church where she enjoyed the music and fellowship. She began to understand that Jesus was a loving and merciful God. Yet she wasn’t fully convinced He was the only God.

A Joyous Sound

Then came an unexpected gift with an “oink.” Aware of Tahiya’s needs, Pastor Damek had arranged for her to receive a piglet as part of a GFA Christmas gift distribution. Tears filled Tahiya’s eyes as joy burst through her heart. She couldn’t believe the tremendous kindness and concern displayed by this gift. It drew her closer to the Father and built her confidence in Him.

With deep gratitude for the blessing and love represented by the piglet, Tahiya began attending church regularly. A year after receiving this tangible gift of love, Tahiya told Pastor Damek she wanted to love and serve the Lord her remaining years. His love had turned her sorrow into joy.

Spending time in prayer for the lost world is not an easy thing. It takes energy to focus our attention, meditate and ask the Lord to give us faith. It expends not just our time but everything in us, engaging our hearts that God may bring about a different world. That is extremely significant.

Thank you for joining with us in prayer for God to prosper the work of our national missionaries, like Pastor Lewys and Pastor Davin. As it says in Matthew 7:7, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

Whatever the Lord has for us to pray for, I can assure you, He will answer.

When I was a young man in ministry, my co-workers and I had world maps spread out, and we were praying for different countries. People talked about Albania. (Back then, I had no idea where that was.) They said that the country claimed that not one Christian lived there. So I prayed for Albania. I didn’t have great faith. But God knew that the little prayers, even ones prayed without understanding, have huge impact. Today, it’s amazing what the Lord has done in that country, as well as in many nations where we work, through prayer.

I ask that you continue to pray that the Lord will open doors and provide resources to take the Gospel to many who haven't heard it. “The night is coming when no one can work,” as the Scripture says in John 9:4.

I think in many places the window of opportunity to share the Gospel is closing. We need to pray that the Lord will give us the means and resources to reach people who haven’t heard before it’s too late. Our prayers are significant. As the year comes to a close and the nights are long and dark, let’s ask God to enable brothers and sisters in Asia and Africa to bring His hope to many.

May the Lord bless you and your family this month as we remember how Christ came into this world to bring light into darkness and make us alive in Him.