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2. Post a quote for three consecutive days (1 quote for each day).
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Tag Archives: encouragement
Love at the Library
The moment he walked into the library, he had her attention. She had seen him a couple of times before. He would sit at a particular table and spend the next couple of hours reading the same book. One evening when he left the table for a brief moment, she walked by on the pretense of going over to one of the bookshelves nearby. She paused beside the table and looked down at the book. It was a reprint of German Atrocities: A Record of the Shameless Deeds. She went back to her table and sat down just minutes before he returned to his.
One evening when she went to the library he was already there. She saw him look up and their eyes met before she turned and went over to the book shelf nearby. She skimmed through the shelves until she found the book she wanted. She took it out and went over to a table. She placed her handbag on the floor beside her and opened the book. She tried to read it but couldn’t concentrate. Unable to resist, she raised her eyes and was startled when she saw him staring at her. He had removed his reading glasses and they dangled from his hand.
This was a critical moment. Everything was banking on her response. And there were two ways she could respond. She could quickly look away which would give him the wrong message that she wasn’t interested or she could return his stare. Summoning up all the courage she had, she held his gaze. Something told her to smile and she did.
It seemed that this was all the encouragement he needed. He closed his book, put his glasses in his shirt pocket and got up from the table.
As she watched him approach, her heart began to pound. He was so gorgeous. She couldn’t believe that he was joining her. All these weeks, she had watched him, daydreamed about him and now here he was standing in front of her with his hand extended. He was smiling. “Paolo Cinelli.”
She stared into his dark brown eyes as his fingers closed around hers in a firm handshake. “Jessica Williams.”
He pulled out the chair opposite her and sat down, placing his book on the table. He didn’t open it. He was looking at her. “For a long time I have wanted to come over and talk to you but you always seemed so engrossed in what you were doing. I didn’t want to disturb you.”
She closed her book. It was pointless keeping it open now. “I didn’t think you noticed me,” she said. “You were always so absorbed in this book. Is it very interesting?”
He glanced down at it. “It is. I like to read books and watch documentaries about World War II.”
“I won’t mind borrowing it when you’re done with it.”
“You can, on one condition” he said. “Have dinner with me tomorrow.”
She stared at him. “So, this book belongs to you?”
“Yes. I like to read it here in the library because it’s quiet and it gives me a chance to relax after a busy day.”
“I can understand that.”
“So, will you have dinner with me tomorrow?”
“Yes.” She wrote down her address and number on a sheet of paper and gave it to him.
“I’ll pick you up at seven.”
The library was filling up now and a couple of people sat down at the table with them. He leaned over and asked in a low voice, “Let’s go somewhere else where we can talk and enjoy the fresh air at the same time.”
“That’s a good idea.” She got up and put the book back on the shelf. She grabbed her handbag and they left the library.
It was a beautiful evening. The sun was still high in the sky and there was a gentle breeze. He turned to her, “Let’s grab something to eat and find a spot nearby. They stopped in a nearby fast food restaurant and got a couple of burgers and milkshakes. They retraced their steps back to the library and sat down at one of the tables outside to eat.
They spent the next few hours talking and getting to know each other. The time went quickly and when it started to get dark, that was when they decided that it was time to go. “May I give you a ride home?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, thank you.”
“Thank you for a lovely evening, Jessica,” he said. “I had a good time.”
“Me too.”
“I am looking forward to our date tomorrow night.”
“Me too.” She smiled as she fell into step beside him. Yes, she was looking forward to their dinner date tomorrow. What a glorious day this turned out to be.
Source: British Library
Loving the Unloved
For I am the LORD who heals you – Exodus 15:26
I read this story and was so touched by this young woman’s love and compassion for others who were experiencing what she once experienced. When a leprosy patient cried out, “Don’t open my bandage!”, Sakshi revealed her own hands and feet which clearly showed traces of the disease. She assured the patient the disease was not as result of some sin. Many people who have leprosy believe that some sin in their lives is the cause. Sakshi once believed this too.
Sakshi was a teenager when she found out that she had the disease. As the eldest her younger siblings used to look up to her until she got leprosy. They abruptly withdrew from her and wanted nothing more to do with her. Friendless and rejected, Sakshi became depressed and hopelessness drove her to attempted suicide. Thankfully, her father saved her and encouraged her. He told her that she was a precious child and urged her to strengthen her heart through the pain and hardship.
“So my papa was becoming so much a comforter to me and he comforted me and even my brother and sister, they used to hate me, and they don’t want to talk with me, they were not in home at that time when I was doing all these things,” Sakshi shared. “So my father, he saw me and he pulled me from there, and he made me understand everything, and after that I became ok.”
After speaking to her father, she gave up trying to end her life but was still experiencing loneliness and it didn’t help that people were blaming her for contracting the disease. This is similar to what Job himself experienced when he lost his livestock, possessions, servants and children and was covered in painful boils. He was blamed for what happened to him. His friends offered him no comfort and told him that he must have committed some evil for all these things to have happened to him. He was all alone but he clung to his faith in God and God healed him and restored his losses.
Unlike Job, Sakshi had some support but it didn’t stop her from worrying or believing that she had done something to contract the disease. As time went by, her condition grew worse. One of her fingers bent in an awkward position and when she experienced terrible pain in one of her legs, the doctors encouraged her to amputate it but she was afraid to do so. And it was around this time that she met a few Gospel for Asia supported missionaries who encouraged her and prayed for her. They told her about the about the love of the Healer and Sakshi began to pray in faith and ask Jesus to heal her own body. And her prayer was answered. Jesus healed her!
After she experienced complete healing, Sakshi decided that she would dedicate her life to serving the Lord and helping others. She attended Bible college and served in leprosy ministry after graduation. She made it her mission to reach out to the shunned and the rejected. “Nobody is there to comfort [the leprosy patients] and to give any kind of encouragement. Nobody wants to love them, hug them or to come near to them to dress them.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God – 2 Corinthians 1:3, 4
“By seeing them, I am thinking that I will fill the gap,” Sakshi said. “I will give that love, which they are not getting from their grandchildren and daughters… I will become their daughter, I will become their grandchildren, and I will help them and encourage them and I will love them.” With the love of Christ flowing through her, Sakshi touched the untouchable and despised by doing simple things such as helping them with housework, giving them hugs, washing clothes and combing hair. She showed them the love of God and how precious they were in His sight. He has not forgotten them. God used her testimony to give them hope. He does not cast people aside because they have leprosy. When Sakshi cried out to Him in faith, He heard her and answered. He intervened when she wanted to end her life and through her father, He spoke “words of life into her weary soul”.
January 29 is World Leprosy Day. You can make a difference in the lives of those who are suffering from this disfiguring disease by helping the Leprosy Ministry to share the love of Christ and the Gospel. We hope to see more people like Sakshi dedicating their lives to serving Jesus and bringing others to Him. Be a part of the ministry which reaches out to people who will hear, perhaps for the first time, about a kind and compassionate Savior who is not afraid to touch and hold them. He loved the unloved.
Show mercy and compassion everyone to his brother – Zechariah 7:9
Source: Gospel for Asia
Love Came Down
He left the glory of heaven to come into our world. He was willing to rearrange His life so that He could come here and live and walk among us. He traded in His majesty for our humanity. He left His home to come to a place where He had nowhere to lay His head. He left the adoration of the angelic host to come to a world that did not know Him and to His own who did not receive Him.
He left everything to come into a world that was plunged in darkness, filled with sorrow, sickness, hurt, violence and pain. Why? Why did He come? Would you come to a place where you would be rejected, unappreciated, opposed and despised? He did. Would you reach out to people who are always trying to trap you and challenge everything you say or do? He did. Would you wash the feet of the man who would betray you and share bread with him? He did. Would you forgive the man who denied three times that he knew you? He did. What about those who spat on you, mocked you and wanted you dead, would you forgive them? He did.
Why would Jesus subject Himself to such improprieties? It’s simple. Love. He did it all for love. Love for the Father and love for us.
Love filled His heart as He walked the streets, touching, healing and ministering to people. Love filled His heart as He drove the demons out so that the person was in his right mind again. Love filled His heart as He gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk and the dumb speak. It was love that filled His heart when He touched the leper instead of just speaking the healing. His word was just as powerful as His touch but He chose to touch the untouchable.
It was love which prompted Him to forgive the paralyzed man because He saw the man’s true need. Everyone saw his physical need but Jesus saw his spiritual need and He responded to it. It was love that made Him encourage the widow of Nain not to weep before He touched her son’s dead body, giving him life again.
It was love that broke down barriers when He offered salvation to the Samaritan woman at the well and healed the daughter of the Greek woman. Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans (John 4:9). There was animosity between the two groups. And women were not highly regarded. In fact, when a Jewish man started off his day with prayer, he thanked God that he was neither a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. Gentiles were seen as in a very unfavorable light. They were seen as unclean or common (Acts 10:28). It was unlawful it is for a Jewish man to keep company with them or go to their homes. So, these two women had two strikes against them–their nationalities and their gender. Yet, to Jesus these things didn’t matter. He loved them and wanted to offer them what the world couldn’t.
It was love that made Him call the woman with the bleeding problem, “Daughter” and offer her words of encouragement. He wanted to assure her that her faith had made her well. And it was love that made Him look up at the despised tax collector up in the tree and invite Himself to his home for food and fellowship. It was in love that He reached out the unreachable, the unloved, the discarded, the neglected and the undesirables. His love knew no boundaries, no barriers. It was freely given but not always received or returned.
It was love for you and me that made Him endure the insults, the whipping and finally the Cross. He bore the indignity of being nailed to a tree between two thieves, treated like a criminal although He had done nothing wrong. Yet, He did all of this so that believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life and that the world through Him might be saved.
Love came down to save a perishing world.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself – John 12:32
Sources: John 1, 3; Christian Courier
Finding Joy in Jesus
The LORD has appeared of old to me, saying: “Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you – Jeremiah 31:3
Imagine you are a South Asian woman. Every day is a struggle and a challenge to survive. All you know is oppression from the day you were born until the day you die. As a girl child, your birth is not celebrated. You feel unwanted and are constantly reminded that you should have been born a boy. You are neglected, mistreated, abused or abandoned. As a young girl, you are abducted and forced into a life of prostitution which increases your risk of dying from AIDS.
If you are a widow, you are blamed for your husband’s death. His family and your community shun you and you are forced to fend for yourself. You are forced into an inhumane existence. You are completely alone, with no one to support or care for you. Life is too hard. There is no help. There is no hope. Only despair, misery and pain. What’s the use? Tens of thousands of widows end their lives just to end the pain.
If your dowry is not enough, your husband can douse you with kerosene and set you on fire. I have read horror stories of women being set on fire by their husbands or in-laws because of their dowries. A woman’s life is not worth anything. It’s hard to believe that there are countries where it’s not safe to be a woman. It can even be fatal. Women who survive infanticide because of gender are forced to live in a society which denies them rights to equality, respect, education, etc.
Being a woman in South Asia is unimaginable and unbearable for many and it is not surprising that the suicide rate is up to 21 times higher than the world’s average. Life for these women is a never-ending cycle of misery, hopelessness, degradation and rejection. These women need to know that there is hope. They need to know that there is a God who values them. To Him they are precious. They were fearfully and wonderfully made in His image.
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you – Jeremiah 1:5
Imagine the joy these women will have when they hear about Jesus for the first time through Gospel for Asia’s ministries. Help them find hope and joy in a Savior who loved them so much that He gave His life for them so that one day they could spend eternity with Him. They need to know that they are worth a price far above rubies. They need to know that although there might have been silence in their homes on the days they were born, there was a joyful noise in heaven.
Women missionaries have been bringing the message of love and hope to the women of Asia. It is crucial that women minister to women because of the Asian culture. Women are more comfortable around other women. Gospel for Asia has trained, dedicated women missionaries who are willing to risk their lives to share the love of Jesus Christ with millions of women who still need to hear the Good News. These heroic women missionaries are willing to risk persecution, beatings and imprisonment because they are passionate about giving hope to women who have lived in despair for so long. They want to offer hurting women healing and encouragement. They want to bring the Savior’s light and love into their dark and uncaring world. Many Asian woman have had their lives transformed but there are still so many who are still waiting.
Weeping may endure for a night, But joy comes in the morning – Psalm 30:5
Help Gospel for Asia send more missionaries to those who are perishing without knowing about Jesus and His love. Find out how at this link. Help bring joy to a woman in Asia.
Source: Gospel for Asia
A Mother’s Hidden Legacy
Naomi was a Christian. She grew up praying to Jesus as a Friend and reading the Bible so that she could get to know Him better. So great was her love for God that it was natural to believe that when she had children, she would pass on her faith to them. However, things didn’t turn out quite as she expected.
Naomi’s parents arranged her marriage and although the wedding was held in the church and followed all the Christian traditions, her husband was of a different religion. Can you imagine being in Naomi’s shoes? You were raised to love the Lord. You look forward to going to church and worshipping Him in His sanctuary with others who share your faith. Then, one day, you are forced to stop going to church because your husband won’t allow you. And to make matters worse…your husband is an alcoholic.
Shortly after the wedding, Tarak’s alcoholism reared its ugly head. He had a steady job as a truck cleaner but spent the money he earned on drinks or cigarettes. As a result it was a struggle just to have the bare necessities. The struggle only increased when they had Oppilmani and Sadhya, born two years apart. Now Naomi had two growing children to feed not to mention providing them with clothing and education. Overwhelmed, she was compelled to reflect on her life before she got married. With a penitent heart she began to pray.
She didn’t tell Tarak that she repented of her neglect of God or that she was praying for the family’s restoration. She didn’t tell him that she was praying for him–that he would stop drinking. Can you imagine how hard it must have been for Naomi to keep these things to herself? How she must have longed to tell her family about Jesus and how only He could help them. Then, hope came in the form of Gospel for Asia Pastor Zaafir when he came to their village. God heard her prayers and He sent help.
Naomi began to speak to Pastor Zaafir frequently and began attending church again. As she grew in the Lord, Pastor Zaafir helped her to enroll Oppilmani and Sadhya in the local Bridge of Hope center. This proved to be a blessing for the children. They excelled in their studies and learned about Jesus. How it must have brought joy to their mother who had dreamed of telling them about the Friend she had since she was a child.
The joy was short-lived, however. Tarak’s animosity returned and he began to verbally abuse his wife when she attended church and insisted that the family follow his religion. In the wake of this new wave of opposition Naomi attended church less but refused to stop going altogether. All the while she continued praying for her family even as they were about to face a crisis…
…pray without ceasing – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Tarak’s years of drinking and smoking finally began to take a toll on his health. What began as asthma quickly turned into something very serious and unmanageable. How terrifying it must have been for his family when he began vomiting blood. He couldn’t eat anything. However, the waves of nausea and the vomiting didn’t stop Tarak from continuing to drink alcohol. Within a few days, he was taken to the hospital where doctors determined that he had a serious lung infection. If he didn’t have an operation he would die. What was the family to do? For years Tarak had spent his income on alcohol. There wasn’t enough money for the operation.
Naomi and the children, went home, bracing themselves for a future without her husband. The children continued to attend the Bridge of Hope center but it didn’t take long for the staff to notice that something was wrong. When they inquired, Oppilmani told them about his father’s condition and that the family couldn’t pay for the surgery. The staff offered words of encouragement and hope. They assured the boy that Jesus could solve his problems and then they decided to visit the family.
The coordinator of the centre went with two social workers and GFA’s pastor Bahurai to the family’s home where they saw an alarmingly thin Tarak who looked much older than his age of 35 years. The group shared God’s Word and encouraged the family to ask for His mercy. The Lord spoke to Tarak’s heart and the father confessed his wrongdoings to God. From that moment on, there was a transformation. Naomi no longer faced opposition from her husband and she was free to regularly attend prayer meetings. She, the pastor and other believers prayed for Tarak’s healing. He began to recover slowly and he opened his heart to the God who was healing him.
Tarak no longer insisted that his family worship his god or protest his wife’s church going. Instead he brought the children to church. It took a life-threatening illness for Tarak to know the true God.
God had answered the prayers of a mother who had known Him all of her life. She had turned back to Him after she was forced to neglect Him–knowing that He was her only Source of comfort, hope and deliverance. God heard the prayers of a wife who wanted her husband to stop drinking. He heard the prayers of a mother who wanted her children to worship the true God and go to school. He heard the prayers of a woman who wanted to free her family from their struggles.
The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective – James 5:16
What a wonderful end to this story. A man once opposed to wife’s God had embraced Him. Oppilmani and Sadhya who once worshipped a traditional god was now worshipping the Creator. They will continue their family’s legacy by raising the next generation to serve the God who had brought them hope amidst adversity. As for Naomi, she watched the Lord do amazing things for her family. “Jesus turned our trouble into happiness,” she said, “and we are ever thankful to Jesus.”
You can help to do amazing things for other families like Naomi’s by sponsoring Bridge of Hope children. Your sponsorship will open the door for children to share Christ’s love with their families. If you are interested in learning more about Bridge of Hope visit this link.
I will be glad and rejoice in Your mercy, For You have considered my trouble; You have known my soul in adversities – Psalm 31:7
Source: Gospel for Asia
Investing in A Child
One sponsor can have an enormous impact in the life of a child in Asia through GFA Bridge of Hope! Their prayers, love and encouragement can make a difference in the lives of children who are constantly derided and told they are worthless by their culture – Gospel for Asia
Nothing is more wonderful than giving a child hope for a bright future. You can do so by sponsoring a boy or a girl. In Asia, parents struggle to provide for their families. Their children grow up illiterate, uneducated and taught that they are worthless. More than 20 million of boys and girls are forced into child labor and prostitution so that they can support their families.
Thankfully, Gospel for Asia is turning these terrible situations around through their wonderful program, Bridge of Hope. Children are educated and nurtured. Families experience Jesus’ love. So far, the program has helped over 74,000 children and thousand of families have come to accept Christ as their Savior.
Watch this video of a Mom as she explains why she sponsors three children.
Bridge of Hope sponsorship is not just about giving money to support a child in Asia—it’s much, much more. If you decide to pour into a child’s life, you are making a direct impact on the lost in Asia. Your child will have food, clothes, education, and most importantly, your child will learn about Jesus’ love and share it with his or her family and the surrounding community – Gospel for Asia
Read how sponsorship has made a difference in the lives of Daya and Nibun. As you read their stories, keep in mind that it takes only $35.00 a month to give a child everything he or she needs–such as school supplies, a daily meal, medical check-ups and the opportunity to attend a Bridge of Hope center. 100% or your sponsorship is sent to the field to support your child.
A child could benefit so much from attending a Bridge of Hope center. The boy or girl you sponsor will learn Bible verses, stories and songs that bring the Gospel to life, learn to read and write, receive a healthy, balanced meal, medical care and learn the habits of good hygiene.
Do you know that when you take care of a child’s physical needs you are also breaking the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, superstition and the bondage of the caste system? And your love and care of this child will extend to his or her family because the child will take the message of God’s love home. Sponsoring a child will bring hope to the family and even the community. The Gospel will penetrate hearts that resisted it at first. You will make it possible for parents to be in the training sessions which are an integral part of the Bridge of Hope program. You will provide the child and his or her family “a future here on earth and one for eternity”.
I encourage you to prayerfully consider sponsoring a child. Help to bring the message of salvation to a child who has not heard of Jesus. You can change a life forever. Invest in a child today.
As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country – Proverbs 25:25
Source: Gospel for Asia
