Comfort for a Hurting Family - 10/21/04
Imagine yourself growing up with an alcoholic father. Even the meager income he makes as a taxi driver is squandered on his addiction, leaving your family with little money for household needs. You, your siblings and your mother live in fear of approaching the drunken man, lest you be met with one of his fits of rage. Worse yet, you have nowhere to turn for comfort: Your family adores and worships an unresponsive god.

For Pushpa in India, this harsh reality was a part of daily life. Her family lived in despair and restlessness. Thankfully, their story doesn’t end there. Their lives were forever changed one day when—for the first time—her mother, Sunita, met a Christian. The weary mother’s heart was stirred when she heard about Jesus, a responsive God who offered hope for life. Could it be? she wondered. She had never heard anything like this before. Continuing to listen, Sunita felt herself drawn by God’s divine love and joyfully received Christ as her Savior.

She couldn’t wait to get home and tell her family about this Jesus who saves and comforts. When they heard the wonderful news, they also received Jesus into their hearts—all of them except her husband. Sunita, Pushpa and her other children began living as people transformed by God’s sustaining power. Jesus could be trusted even in their situation, they realized. “My family has experienced security and peace in the Lord ever since then,” Pushpa expresses. Together they would pray and read the Bible. They were able to attend church and experience the love of fellow believers as well.

Pushpa especially wanted others to experience Christ’s love. “In time, I learned of the need for perishing souls to hear the Gospel,” she says. “The Lord gave me a burden for the lost, and I heard His call to ministry.” Pushpa enrolled in a Gospel for Asia Bible college to be trained for full-time evangelism among the unreached.

Give praise to the Father for how He looked with compassion upon this hurting family. Pray for their ongoing growth in the Lord and for the salvation of Pushpa’s father.


Saved from Death - 10/21/04
Ishwar only wanted to die. Life was no longer worth living. But just when he was ready to end it all, someone returned to visit—and to pray.

Ishwar had lost his younger brother to illness. Even the many deities his family worshipped brought them no comfort. A pastor came to the funeral and, with a heart of compassion, told them of Christ’s tenderness toward the brokenhearted. But the grieving family showed little interest. Again the pastor visited and shared about the hope found in Jesus. This time, he gave Ishwar a New Testament and encouraged him to read it daily.

Two days later, tragedy again struck in Ishwar’s family when his mother died from an incurable disease. Unable to deal with his grief, Ishwar decided to end his life. Killing himself was the only way out, he reasoned. But just in time, the pastor returned with words of hope and comfort.

Ishwar began to seek out this man of God, who related truths from the Bible and prayed for him. Through their friendship and the study of God’s Word, Ishwar saw his need for a Savior and received Christ. “The joy of knowing the Lord personally was incredible,” Ishwar wrote, “and He filled my heart with His peace.”

Ishwar eagerly became involved in a GFA Believers Church, where he experienced fellowship with other Christians. His commitment did not come without a price, though. "Soon persecution arose from my family," Ishwar remembers, "and they drove me out of the home. But my Savior stood with me, and He became my refuge and strength.”

Filled with a passion to serve Christ, and compelled by His love, Ishwar sought the Lord's direction. God called him into ministry and opened the door for him to enroll at a GFA Bible college. He thanks God for saving his life—and for calling him to take His message of hope to others.