In Myanmar (Burma), a young missionary, Mei, and his family were
forced out of their home by local villagers because they were telling
others about Jesus. They survived in the jungle by eating banana tree
leaves. But they continued to pray for the village and never considered
leaving the place to which God had called them.
Then Mei’s son died. Despite their faith, it seemed a terrible setback.
Yet at the very time their son was taken to be with the Lord, the hostile
village leader had a dream of the child being carried to heaven by
angels. This dream opened a door for Mei to tell the villagers about
Jesus. Within a week, 57 people had received Christ as their Savior,
and a new fellowship had formed in this difficult place.
Native missionaries like Mei
are the very backbone of
Gospel for Asia. It is Christ
in them—their love, their joy, their
long-suffering and their passion for
the things of God—that defines GFA.
These national believers who have
dedicated their lives to reaching the
lost are also God’s way of equipping
the Church for global missions in the
21st century.
Until the mid-20th century,
Western missionaries could freely
share the Gospel in foreign nations.
And although there are still
Westerners serving on foreign shores
today, most Asian nations severely
restrict access by foreign missionaries.
Native missionaries, however, were
raised up from the Christian
movements started by the early
foreign pioneers. They cannot be
barred from their own nations—or
from sharing the Good News with
others! So regardless of the shifting
political or cultural currents, they can
continue to be witnesses for Jesus to
their own people.
GFA supports these indigenous
Christians who are already familiar
with the culture, language and
religion of those they seek to reach.
The people do not see them as
“foreigners,” and they live at the level
of their neighbors, eating the same
food, wearing the same clothes and
sharing the same cultural interests.
Today, believers like you support
thousands of these indigenous
workers serving in 11 Asian
countries. And these dedicated men
and women are sold out to Jesus! In
