Ministries Addressing Physical, Spiritual Hunger in South Asia
by Allie Martin
April 8, 2005
(AgapePress) - Two international ministries are serving in Christ's name in Asia -- one is helping pastors and their families in India and Sri Lanka who were hit hard by December's Asian tsunami, while the other continues to send forth missionaries through its highly effective "native missions" program.Although stories about the devastating tsunami have all but disappeared from secular news organizations, there remain many residents in countries such as India and Sri Lanka who still need basic necessities such as food, water, clothing, and shelter. Dr. Ramesh Richard, founder of REACH International, says much of his group's relief efforts will target pastors and their families.
"This is an opportunity for the harvest," he explains. "Everything that I hear from [people who are] on-site is that God has awakened the conscience of the whole region." As an example, he recalls visiting Singapore recently -- a city that was hardly touched by the tsunami's devastation. "They are asking the question: 'Why did God spare us?' That is the Christian question. The non-Christian question is: 'Why did God punish us?' So we better do our best to seize this moment."
Richard says his ministry has identified more than 100 pastors and churches that will act as agents for long-term rehabilitation in their communities. Many of them, he says, are themselves in desperate need of physical help.
"Pastors who lost people in their churches no longer have people in the churches supporting them because they themselves have lost much," he explains. "So can we do something for pastors? Give them some immediate ... and credible help that will give them influence and platforms?"
According to the REACH International spokesman, an entire community in Sri Lanka can be rebuilt for $2,250, and one in India for approximately $9,800. He describes the rebuilding effort as "a complete, total rehabilitation, putting them on their feet for the next 30 years."
Native Missions -- A New 'Revolution'
At the same time REACH International is focusing on physical needs in that area of the world, Gospel for Asia -- a church-planting ministry -- is concentrating on spiritual needs in Asia by sending hundreds of native missionaries into the field.
GFA, which operates 54 Bible colleges in five Asian nations, recently graduated more than 2,500 Asian students. The ministry's founder and president says the graduates realize they may pay a high price for proclaiming God's Word.
"Many of them are going to end up facing persecutions and beatings, and a few may even lose their very life for preaching the gospel," says Dr. K.P. Yohannan. "[Still[ we are quite excited because Jesus said in Matthew 9 that 'the harvest is plenty, but laborers are few.' And this is answer to our prayer and the prayers of God's people throughout the world and in North America, that we are able to see this kind harvest force going to the mission field."
Yohannan contends that when it comes to sending missionaries to the mission field, all believers have a role to play.
"In Romans, Chapter 10, we read 'How will they go to preach except that they be sent?' And this is where the believers ... in North America come in," he explains. "That not only do we see the desperate need of the lost world in India and other nations, but also we are saying, 'Lord, I want to be a prayer partner, to send these missionaries who are willing to go through our prayers and financial help.'"
More than 14,000 native missionaries trained by GFA are serving and planting more than 12 churches a day in ten Asian nations. GFA says it expects more than 10,000 students for the new semester at its Bible colleges.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
