Sisters of Compassion minister God’s love to hurting and impoverished people, including slum residents and widows.

The lines on Magda’s frail face traced the story of a wearisome life. After losing her husband while still a young woman, Magda had struggled to support their daughter, Callee. When Callee eventually married, she was too distant and poor to care for her aged mother. Magda was alone, with no one to look after her, when she became ill.

Unable to keep down any food, Magda grew weak. Seeking medical care produced no results. She turned to traditional rituals and witch doctors but to no avail.

Then Magda discovered the culprit: An evil spirit was terrorizing her.

Distressed by the spirit day and night, Magda performed rituals in an effort to appease it. But her condition only worsened. Magda suffered for eight long years, with no relief in sight. She longed for companionship and comfort, but Magda’s only visitor brought torment and robbed her of any peace.

Peace at the Door

Then four bearers of peace, clad in white, came to Magda’s home. Perhaps she blinked in disbelief, surprised anyone would care enough to visit. For so long she had been overlooked, forgotten.

Magda eagerly welcomed them into her home, but she wondered who the women were and what they were doing in the village.

“We are serving the Lord and humanity,” the GFA World Sisters of Compassion told her. “We have come here to help the poor, children, widows, disabled people and all those who are in need, because Jesus Christ loves them.”

“Are you living here alone?” the Sisters asked Magda. “What about your family?”

Tears began to flow as Magda shared her lonely tale. Hearts burdened, the Sisters comforted Magda with news of God’s love and deliverance.

Deliverance? Perhaps this God could provide the deliverance she needed.

In the coming days, Magda’s new friends continued to visit her, bringing encouragement and prayer. Gradually, Magda’s faith grew.

A Dream Realized

One night, Magda dreamed the evil spirit was fleeing from her body and her home. Maybe it seemed surreal amid her slumber, but Magda awakened to discover a new reality: A peaceful home.

Sisters of Compassion minister God’s love to hurting and impoverished people, including slum residents and widows.

God had miraculously delivered her from the evil that had invaded! Full of peace, Magda felt light and free. Perhaps unsure how to respond to her new reality, Magda went about her daily chores.

Then the second wonder occurred: Magda was able to eat, without vomiting. Magda rushed to share her good news.

“[Jesus Christ] delivered me from the powers of darkness,” Magda said. “I am so happy and excited.”

Now free, Magda has joined the local community of believers and is growing in her faith. She is no longer alone or bound. There is a new light in her wrinkled face.

Thanks to donors like you, Sisters of Compassion can bring hope and deliverance to lonely widows like Magda.

In extremely poor regions of Asia, many people depend on the heat of small fires and sunshine to survive the cold.

Sinhal’s childhood was marred by poverty and trauma. He and his family struggled to survive, staving off hunger and illness any way they could. Yet, above all else, there was one problem that never seemed to go away, hounding Sinhal and his family: the cold.

A Family’s Fight Against the Cold

After Sinhal’s father tragically passed away when the boy was only 9, he and his mother and his two siblings were left to survive on their own. Sinhal’s father had been the primary breadwinner, and his mother had to stop working for health reasons. Sinhal’s small stature limited his working ability, too. What little money they had was from Sinhal’s uncle, who helped them for a short time. However, the uncle stopped sending money when Sinhal’s younger brother found a job at age 13.

The limited funds were only enough for bare necessities, and winter clothes and blankets cost far too much for their meagre income. Because they lived in a rural village, there was no central heating. Every cold season, Sinhal and his family suffered without warm clothes.

The Struggles of a Pastor

When he was a teenager, Sinhal came to know the Lord through a friend. As soon as he became old enough, Sinhal went to study at an independent Bible college. He graduated three years later, and filled with a burning passion, the new pastor went out to minister among the hurting and suffering.

The burden of cold from his childhood remained with Sinhal, and the winter seasons made it difficult to minister. But instead of hiding indoors, he pressed on during the bitter cold, determined to not let it get in the way of his ministry. Sinhal fell ill many times, and he often couldn’t sleep properly during chilly weather. However, in those times he would pray, seeking the Lord and asking for His provision.

The Lord Provides

In extremely poor regions of Asia, many people depend on the heat of small fires and sunshine to survive the cold.

The Lord listened—and He provided. Through a GFA-supported gift distribution, Sinhal was provided with a heavy winter jacket, thicker and warmer than anything he had ever owned. Now the winters would be more bearable, unlike those he previously faced.

“Once I had a thin and old torn cloth,” Sinhal says, “but now because of God’s abundant grace and love, I am able to wear a new and thick jacket and be protected from the severe cold. God has provided all my needs on time.”

Sinhal continues to faithfully serve the Lord, and he is now able to brave the harshest temperatures in safety. Thanks to his warm jacket, he enjoys better sleep and better health, and he can energetically serve the Lord to his fullest capacity.

Thousands of other families and missionaries suffer from the cold in Asia as Sinhal did. Thanks to your partnership, they are provided with warmth in the depths of winter.

Countless children around the world live in constant lack of basic necessities. Their parents or grandparents may do their best to provide, but without even basic education, their futures look dim.

Manisha’s family lived in a dangerous place filled with gangs and drug lords, but it was home—until her father disappeared into custody under suspicions of gang involvement. Her mother frantically sought his release, but tragically, he was never seen again. She eventually suffered a mental breakdown in her grief and was sent to a rehab centre. Home would never be the same.

Grandparents in Place of Parents

Manisha and her brother grew up with their grandparents instead of their mother and father. The elderly couple worked long days in tea-packaging factories to provide for the family. They did their best, but missing even one day of work jeopardized that day’s meal.

Education came and went sporadically from Manisha’s life. Limited resources often hindered her and her brother from attending school, and they could never afford the tutoring they needed to truly succeed in their studies. It seemed they would spend their childhood—and possibly their adult life— hoping for food and financial breakthrough, unless some miracle occurred to give them a future beyond low education and daily labour jobs.

Generosity, Compassion Change Everything

One day, Manisha happened to meet a woman who taught at a nearby Bridge of Hope centre—one supported by GFA friends like you. The little girl told the teacher, Shobi, how her grandparents began raising her and her brother and how difficult it was to get any education.

Shobi grew sad as she listened to the girl’s story. Manisha’s childhood was not one anyone would wish upon a child. Many others around the world have felt Shobi’s same compassion for needy children and have donated toward GFA’s Bridge of Hope Program—which meant Shobi could invite Manisha to come to the Bridge of Hope centre and receive free tutoring.

Thrilled by this generous offer, Manisha went home and recounted everything to her hardworking grandparents. This turn of events was beyond their imagination! If Manisha could receive free tutoring, she would be equipped to thrive in school. And beyond that, Bridge of Hope would give her books, a bag, shoes, stationery, medical care and a daily nutritious meal. Each of those gifts would ease her grandparents’ financial burden and greatly impact the entire family.

New Hope for Life

When Manisha started attending the Bridge of Hope centre, she was woefully behind on her studies. She had missed so many school days in the past, and she found it difficult to adjust to consistent schooling. But her tutors at Bridge of Hope encouraged her, and with diligent study, she slowly caught up on all of her subjects.

Countless children around the world live in constant lack of basic necessities. Their parents or grandparents may do their best to provide, but without even basic education, their futures look dim.

“The Bridge of Hope centre gives me education, food, medicines and school supplies all for free, which is a great blessing,” Manisha said. “Through the care and teachings given here, I have improved a lot in my studies, which would have not been possible without the teachers at the centre.”

Through the holistic care she received at the centre, Manisha’s confidence and character also improved. She began taking initiative at home, helping her grandparents with cooking and cleaning. She embraced character traits such as diligence and respect, and she tried to set a good example for her family.

“I want my other friends also to experience the joy I have found,” Manisha said.

Today, Manisha’s grandparents rejoice to see their 11-year-old girl blooming into a capable, kindhearted young lady. Although trials at home remain—Manisha’s mother is still gone and hard work is necessary to care for the family—there is a new presence of joy and hope in their home. Once again, home would never be the same.

Little Kapil’s childhood has held trauma no child should have to experience— but now, in House of Hope, he is happy, nurtured and thriving.

Every child in House of Hope has a story.

Seven-year-old Kapil had thought his family was just fine, until the day he watched flames climb his mother’s screaming form—flames ignited by his father’s hand.

Neighbours arrived in time to save her life, but not her body. They rushed her to the hospital, where doctors started her on the long road to recovery. While she slowly gained some strength, her husband left.

Because Kapil’s mother simply could not provide for her children alone, one of her neighbours suggested she contact the government authorities for help. Kapil soon found himself in House of Hope, a home for abandoned, runaway and especially needy children.

Kapil is happy to be part of House of Hope, where he receives food, love and care from the GFA-supported staff. All of his needs are met. He has even enrolled in school and has discovered a passion for soccer.

Every child in House of Hope has a story. Most enter the home with heart-wrenching histories. Our desire is to see these children thrive and to minister to their families as well, whenever possible. By the grace of God, we have seen more than 200 children reunited with their families or relatives.

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” —John 10:10

At 6 years old, Vairat has already faced intense hatred. He knows hunger, loneliness, pain, abuse and hardship. He knows what it means to fend for himself. He knows what life is like for an abandoned and runaway child.

Vairat was 4 years old when his father died of tuberculosis. His mother remarried almost immediately, and his stepfather made life horrible for the little boy. Many times he put Vairat in a room, closed the door and beat him without provocation.

“My mother made me leave the house for no reason,” Vairat recalls. “Many times I went out and wandered, and when I returned back, they beat me with the stick.”

Unable to cope with his stepfather’s brutality and his mother’s rejection, Vairat ran away from home and started wandering the streets of a big city. His parents never contacted the authorities or filed a missing-child report.

Taken In and Cared For

After Vairat had been wandering the city streets with other abandoned and runaway children, he was found by the police. They helped enroll him in a Gospel for Asia-supported street children’s home, House of Hope.

In the presence of the caring staff, surrounded by dozens of other boys with their own troubled histories, 6-year-old Vairat now knows what it’s like to be loved by Christ. The staff at the children’s home feed him, clothe him, pray for him and encourage him daily. They even enrolled Vairat in school—something he had never once dreamed of. And he loves it.

The staff at the home describe Vairat as a smart and observant child who is very sweet in his conduct and respectful of others. He happily sings songs about God, recites Scripture verses and prays to Jesus—the One who showed him love through the hands and hearts of the House of Hope staff.

Thank you for standing with Gospel for Asia to see ministries like House of Hope go forward. Through your prayers and support, children who have known hatred, abuse and sorrow are now experiencing Christ’s love.

The following comes from an interview with Darshana, a child living at Gospel for Asia’s House of Hope, a home for abandoned and runaway girls. This interview took place in 2014, when Darshana was 11 years old.

My name is Darshana, and I am in fourth grade. We are five siblings. I am the oldest one. My younger brother is elsewhere. He is in another orphanage. But we four sisters are here in House of Hope. The youngest sister’s name is Hinda. Older to her is Lalana, then Latangi. I am the eldest. I am Darshana.

Children Live with Drunken Father

Before coming to House of Hope, we were staying with my father at home. I don’t have my mother right now. She actually ran away from home. I do not know where she is.

My father is a painter, but he used to drink a lot and used to come home and beat my mother severely. … We also didn’t want to stay with our father because my father used to beat me very hard. … He used to use [a] big cane, and with that he used to beat me anywhere on the body.

We were very small, and we used to play. If we were not doing any work at home like cleaning the house or if we were playing with other children, my father used to get furious, and he used to come and beat me.

Little Girl Flees Father’s Abuse

Darshana grew so distraught with the beatings that she ran away from home. For five days, she wandered the streets alone.

At just 10 years old, Angeline has already suffered the anguish of losing both of her parents.

When I ran from home, I didn’t know where I went. But I walked so far, and I was very hungry. But I didn’t eat anything. I was very sad and upset with my father.

After Darshana wandered the streets for five days, some police officers found her and took her to an orphanage for the night. The next morning, the Child Welfare Committee began investigating her situation and soon stepped in to help. Her brother entered one orphanage, and the four sisters entered Gospel for Asia’s House of Hope.

Sadly, Darshana’s father has no desire to be a part of his children’s lives.

Children Find New Life at House of Hope

I like this place so much, because the way my mother loved us, the way my mother cared for us [is the] same way this staff . . . cares for us. It is like my own home.

The reason I think they love us so much is because they love God. They serve God. Because of God’s love, the staff here, they care for us, and they love us. Had they not known Jesus, had they not loved God, they would not have loved us the way they love us. Nobody would have ever loved us the way the staff here loves us.

From Poverty to Provider

After Darshana’s mother left, the young girl had to drop out of school to take care of her siblings. Since joining the House of Hope, she has been able to resume her studies. As Darshana grows, she plans to learn tailoring, and then eventually become a teacher to help give poor and needy children an education.

So many children could not go to school because of the financial condition or some other problem at home. I want to become a teacher so I can teach those underprivileged children. . . . I want to serve them.

Thinking of or imagining leaving this place hurts me so much. … We [are] blessed here

Thank you so much for your love, prayers and support for the ministries of Gospel for Asia. You are making a greater difference than you realize, enabling us to reach out to precious little girls like Darshana to show them the eternal love of Jesus.

Nandi doesn’t remember why he left home as a young boy, but he can’t forget how much his life has changed since then.

Several years ago, Nandi got on a train and ended up on the streets. Handicapped by polio, Nandi was a prime target for people who take advantage of street children. A man coerced Nandi to beg for him and, after a few years, took him to another city. Along with many other children, Nandi spent his days begging at traffic signals, and at the end of each day, the man would take almost all of their money.

One night, however, everything changed. Nandi was begging as usual when a vehicle ran over him. Seeing Nandi bleeding on the street, the man left him to die. But a compassionate woman brought Nandi to a hospital for treatment. After a few months, Nandi’s wounds healed, and the government sent him to a home for abandoned and runaway boys run by GFA staff.

A New Home

There, Nandi receives shelter, nutrition, education and care. The staff arranged for Nandi to go to a good school, and he is now excelling in second grade, with hopes of becoming a social worker in the future. He also loves participating in cultural dances, skits and sports with the other boys at the home. Through the compassionate staff, Nandi is experiencing Christ’s love—a love that starkly contrasts the abuse and neglect he once knew. He has decided to embrace Jesus’ love, and he wants to remain a faithful member of the Body of Christ throughout his life.

“I am very much grateful to [the] children’s home, which has been taking care of me and providing me education, clothes, food and my daily needs,” Nandi says. “When I remember my past life, when there was nobody to take care of me, I had to beg. But now, the . . . teachers and [staff] take care of me, and that reminds me to be faithful to Jesus and follow Christ forever.”

Through an accident that could have left Nandi dead, God brought him off the streets to a place of safety and hope, and now Nandi worships Him joyfully. With your support, Gospel for Asia is able to provide a loving home for more children like Nandi.

Rashmi, 12, had already lost both her parents, yet her uncle wanted to take away one of the few things she had left. His greed cared nothing about her dignity.

Tragedy Wouldn’t Leave Her Alone

When Rashmi was only 4, her father died, and two years later, her mother got remarried to a man in another village. Rashmi’s mother left her with the girl’s grandparents, never to return. Growing up, Rashmi was deeply saddened that her mother never even came back to find out how she was doing.

Joy crept back into Rashmi’s life in 2008, when she joined Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope. As the young girl made new friends, grew academically and learned about Jesus, her heart filled with hope for a promising future.

But a few years later, Rashmi’s world collapsed from under her again. Rashmi’s father had left her some land, and her uncle Sanjiv wanted it for himself. He thought that if he arranged a marriage for Rashmi, he could easily take the land when she moved to live with her husband. Without Rashmi’s knowledge and despite her grandparents’ objections, Sanjiv found a man willing and arranged a wedding date. On May 29, 2012, Rashmi was forced to get married.

Rescued by Jesus

But after the wedding, Rashmi ran away. For two weeks, she found shelter with relatives in another village.

Meanwhile, the Bridge of Hope staff noticed that Rashmi had stopped coming to the centre. One of the social workers, Philip, visited Rashmi’s home to ask her grandparents why she hadn’t been coming. When they told him about the forced marriage, he was shocked.

Not long afterward, Rashmi returned to the village, and her uncle threatened to take her back to her husband’s home. But Philip stepped in. He and the Bridge of Hope project director brought Rashmi to stay at the director’s home. Then Philip met with Sanjiv.

He explained that if Sanjiv harassed Rashmi anymore, he would file a police case against him. Frightened, Sanjiv left Rashmi alone and let her continue her studies at the Bridge of Hope centre.

Now that the situation has settled down, Rashmi has returned to live with her grandparents, and she is continuing to flourish at the Bridge of Hope centre.

See how Bridge of Hope has touched one girl with the love of Jesus.

He had given Naveen no warning, and now the boy was stranded.

After another long day at work, young Naveen walked back to his home just as he had done since the day he turned 10 years old. This time, however, his father wasn’t there. This normally would have been a relief for Naveen because his alcoholic father had a habit of beating him when he arrived home.

But on this particular day, his father was nowhere to be found. The neighbours later told Naveen his father had sold their house and left with the money he’d made. He had given Naveen no warning, and now the boy was stranded.

Nowhere Else To Go

Naveen’s thoughts went to his sister Rochi, who had moved some time ago to live with her husband. Although she was living in a distant state, she was Naveen’s only hope.

The only thing Naveen could do was try to earn enough money to make it to Rochi’s home. As he travelled, what little money he had quickly ran out. He started begging at a crowded railway station, and things quickly turned from bad to worse.

Naveen started sniffing bleach and smoking with the other children and teenagers at the railway, allowing him a temporary escape from the dark reality he found himself in.

One day the police showed up and took Naveen into custody. They asked him if he wanted to be taken to a place where he would receive food and care. He happily agreed, and they took him to a home for abandoned and runaway boys staffed by Gospel for Asia-supported workers

Hope for the Future

“It was way better than my own home,” Naveen says of the home, where the staff treated him kindly.

He attended evening devotions and morning Bible classes; there, the adults explained stories from God’s Word. He was amazed at the way they cared for each child.

After two weeks of searching, with the help of the police chief in Rochi’s town, Bibek got in contact with Naveen’s sister. She planned to come for her younger brother shortly.

A New Life

When Rochi came for Naveen, he was both excited and sad to be leaving his new friends. He’d grown in every way since arriving at his temporary home five months earlier. His life changed from one of hopelessness to one of joy and freedom because of the love given to him by Christian workers like Bibek.

“I have understood that God is the only answer to all my needs,” Naveen said while waiting for Rochi to take him home, “and I am happy to be known as His.”

Bahula’s stomach growled with the angry pain of being completely empty. It had been days since she had eaten, but that didn't matter to her aunt and uncle. They still expected the little girl to complete all the family chores, and they would still beat her if she didn't.

By now, Bahula had resigned herself to her whole life being a hardship. Her mother had died when she was just three years old, and her father, overcome by depression, died shortly after.

Without their parents, Bahula’s siblings parted ways: her brothers to pursue livelihoods and her sisters to marry. They left Bahula alone, so the girl’s aunt and uncle took her in—but they didn’t have any love to offer the orphan girl.

They enrolled her in school, but they valued her labour too much to let her attend regularly. Even when Bahula did go to school, she struggled to study at home. As years went by, Bahula began to know life only as sorrow and abuse.

Then, her brothers and sisters returned to take her home with them, but they had left so long ago that she didn’t even recognize them and refused to go.

When she was small, Bahula told them, no one had cared about her. Now their aunt and uncle were her parents, and she wouldn’t leave them.

Her siblings, puzzled and concerned that she wanted to stay with her abusive relatives, had no choice but to hope someone else could change Bahula’s mind.

A Steadfast Love

One day on her way to school, Bahula met a tutor who worked at the local Bridge of Hope centre. Sensing the tutor’s kindness, the girl shared her struggles, and the Bridge of Hope staff decided to meet her aunt and uncle.

While there, the staff shared the Gospel with the family and asked them to send Bahula to the Bridge of Hope centre so she could receive a proper education and become a better person. As they spoke with the staff, Bahula’s aunt and uncle began to feel badly about the way they had treated their niece.

As they learned more about Jesus, they began offering Bahula love and affection. Soon, they even let her go to the Bridge of Hope centre and attend Sunday school. Bahula began to thrive in her studies and also learned about hygiene, good manners and the Bible.

Having learned about forgiveness, she reconciled with her brothers and sisters, and now the little girl who had no one is embraced by a loving family—including a Heavenly Father who will never leave her.