No Longer a Slumdog by K. P. Yohannan

     The nation of India is full of children who will never know anything other than poverty. They were born into the Hindu caste system, beneath the lowest caste. They are less than human, untouchable, unwanted. They are forced to work in fields and factories so they might be able to eat one meal each day. Many are kidnapped or sold into child labor or sex trafficking. These are the slumdogs, living in the slum villages throughout the country. For thousands of years these people, the Dalits and Other Backward Castes, have believed that they deserve this life because of the Hindu beliefs of karma and reincarnation. They barely survive each day, and some don’t. Children die when the resort to eating toxic mud to fill their empty stomachs.

But there is hope! That’s what this book is about. K. P. Yohannan describes the work done through Gospel for Asia’s Bridge of Hope program. Through these centers children all over India have an opportunity to get an education, nutrition, love, support, and most importantly the knowledge of Jesus. In this book, Yohannan share stories of a few of the children who have come to the Bridge of Hope centers. Some of the stories are told in the words of the child, or a parent. The Bridge of Hope program is helping these children break out of a cycle of poverty, illiteracy, and oppression. They are learning that they are precious children of a loving God. The children take this knowledge back to their families and villages and the transformations are incredible! I could go on and on about this book, but you should really read it for yourself because it has the potential to change your heart and your life. Read these words by K. P. Yohannan:

The need is almost overwhelming. The sheer numbers drive us to our knees. But don’t be daunted by the size of the task; you can make a difference in the life of a child… Let’s not let what we can’t do stop us from doing what we can do.

The point? It’s this: sometimes we feel like if we can’t save them all, why bother? Why help one when millions more will still be in danger? But what if everyone thought that way? The children who have been saved by the Bridge of Hope would most likely not be alive, or they would be in bondage as laborers or sex slaves. But you can help one child get out of this life. You can help one child break this horrible cycle. That one child will touch others. The impact of helping that one child has no limits. There are currently tens of thousands of children enrolled in Bridge of Hope centers throughout India. Can you make it one more?

Please visit the section of GFA’s website dedicated to this book. There, you can watch videos of some of the stories told in the book and see a video from the author, and GFA founder, K. P. Yohannan. You can also purchase the book for only $5.

If you’re still hesitant, you can request the book for free by visiting this site. That’s totally free. No shipping charges, no further obligations.

If you’re interested in sponsoring a child through Bridge of Hope, please go to the GFA Bridge of Hope website. Remember that with Gospel for Asia 100% of your donations go into the field. You can read about how they are able to do this on their website.

Words Are Cheap, But the Gospel Is Priceless

 If I told you I have a proven way to help share the Gospel, and all I need from you is a small donation, how much would you expect me to ask for? How much would you be willing to give? $100? Too much? Ok, how about $50? Still no? Well, what about $10? $5? How about $1? That’s it… just $1! That’s all Gospel for Asia needs to produce 200 Gospel tracts to give to their missionaries. These tracts are easily portable, and can be passed from person to person. Think of the lives that could be touched by just one tract! Take a minute to read a few stories about people who have come to know Jesus through Gospel tracts:

http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/one-tract-can-change-a-life/
http://www.gfa.org/send/one-piece-of-paper-begins-a-glorious-new-chapter/
http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/from-a-single-tract-comes-a-desire/
http://www.gfa.org/news/articles/a-gospel-tract-leads-a-witch-doctor-to-jesus/

200 tracts. That’s 200 people hearing the Gospel, possibly for the first time. Now imagine that half of those people pass that tract on, then half of those, and yet half of those. Literally hundreds of people can be reached with the love of Jesus for just $1! Is that worth a dollar? It’s worth SO much more! But it only takes 1… just $1. It’s probably the smallest sacrifice you will ever be asked to make… for something so important.

Please consider donating just $1 to produce 200 Gospel tracts (or even just $5 to produce 1,000 tracts!).

Even Mud Looks Good When You Are Hungry

     According to CNN-IBN, 2 million children die of hunger each year in India. That’s about 6,000 children dying everyday because they don’t have enough to eat. The Times of India reports that, “Malnutrition accounts for nearly 50% of child deaths in India.” It has gotten to a point where children will eat mud when they are hungry. Toxic, chemical-filled mud, making them sicker and sicker. The parent’s of these children have nowhere to turn. They don’t make enough money. If they are lucky, they can afford one meal each day. The BBC interviewed a few people from India. One mother replied, “My son’s name is Suraj, and he’s started eating mud too. What can we do? We eat the mud from the quarry when we feel hungry. Where do we get the money?” she asks. “We usually eat food only once a day. Last night we went to bed without eating anything at all.”

Those of us living in the wealth of countries like America, Canada, England, etc., find it hard to imagine this type of hunger. We find it easy to push it out of our minds because we don’t see it everyday. We don’t see these children begging on the streets. We don’t see these families going to bed with nothing in their stomachs. When we are made aware, we wonder: how can we possibly make a difference? But we must try! Will we ever be able to eradicate hunger and extreme poverty? I don’t know. Can we help at all? Yes!

Gospel for Asia has a program called Bridge of Hope that reaches out to the children and their families. Please watch the following video.

Life-Giving Water for Asia

     By now, it’s no secret that I greatly support Gospel for Asia and all the work they do. GFA has recently started something new, called MyGFA. It’s a way for supporters, like me, to help raise awareness. MyGFA currently has three options. You can start a campaign to raise money for:
1) a bicycle for a missionary
2) a water buffalo for a family
3) a Jesus Well for a village.

I decided that if I was going to go for this, I would go big… so my first campaign is for a Jesus Well. Please visit my campaign page, Life-Giving Water for Asia, to learn more about Jesus Wells, to donate, or to learn more about MyGFA.

Is There Hope for the Women of India?

What would you do if, every day, you were treated as nothing but a possession? What if you were forced to eat last, after your husband and male children, leaving you little food? What if you faced the horror of being burned alive, simply because your dowry is not enough for your new husband… a husband you didn’t even choose? How would you survive if your husband died and society treated you as if you were to blame, making you an outcast and treating you as less than human?

Many women in India don’t need to ask these questions of “what if.” They are living these situations now. They struggle to make enough money to barely feed themselves and their children. Many others find escape the only way they know how… suicide. God has placed a special love in my heart for the people of India, especially her women and children, and I’ve written a couple of posts before about the mistreatment they receive and what is being done in the name of Jesus Christ to help them: Sisters in Faith and Little Girls of India.

Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of the orphans. Fight for the rights of widows. – Isaiah 1:17

All They Ask For is Courage

Please take a moment to watch this short video before reading.

For those of us who live with religious freedom in countries like the USA, these may look more like scenes from a movie… but they’re not. In countries where Islam, Hinduism, and even atheistic communism rule the land, Christians are persecuted every day. Jobs are taken, churches are burned to the ground, people are tortured, and lives are lost. But the people press on. They know that the God they serve is watching, like the three Jewish boys who were sent into the fiery furnace.

If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, Your Majesty can be sure that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.
~Daniel 3:17-18

These Christians who face daily persecution know that God has the power to rescue them, but even if He doesn’t they are faithful unto death. How can we look at these people and not call them heroes? These modern-day disciples are risking their lives to bring the Gospel of Jesus to those who would otherwise never hear it. How can we not pray for them? Especially when all they ask for is courage. They don’t ask for us to come in and bring aid. They don’t ask for us to intervene through politics. They ask us to pray that they will have the courage to be faithful through the persecution, because to lose Christ is worse than losing their lives.

One of the most recent, most horrific events happened in Orissa, India in 2008. Reports are still emerging about continued persecution there.

We must pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
~Hebrews 13:3

For more information on the persecuted church, and to find out what you can do to help, please visit the sites below.
Gospel for Asia: Persecution
The Voice of the Martyrs: Newsroom