Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
About GFA
Ministries
Free Resources
Social Media
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Pinterest
- Twitter
- Youtube
Archives
FREE NEWSLETTER

Home
Evangelical
Gospel for Asia Helping to Move Poverty Out of the Picture

Gospel for Asia Helping to Move Poverty Out of the Picture

Last updated on: November 3, 2022 at 9:21 pm by GFA Staff Writer

Gospel for Asia Helping to Move Poverty Out of the Picture 2022-11-03T21:21:21+00:00 GFA Staff Writer

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

WILLS POINT, TX – Gospel for Asia (GFA World) founded by K.P. Yohannan, which inspired numerous charities like Gospel for Asia Canada – Discussing the desperate poverty that still afflicts millions upon millions worldwide and the hope that lies beyond through gifts of hope.

Tavish’s father died when he was just a small boy. His death not only created a hole in their family unit, but it plunged them into a state of financial crisis.

Young Tavish and his mother cultivated the land they owned, leaving the boy with no opportunity to go to school. Their survival was dependent on his toil—his situation mirrored that of more than 200 million children worldwide who are involved in labor.[1]

Tavish worked alongside his widowed mother. Like this woman in Sri Lanka, Tavish’s mother labored in fields to keep her family alive.

Much of Tavish’s childhood consisted of trying to make ends meet, but he came up dry. Sometimes crops didn’t produce enough, and this caused one financial tragedy after another.

When Tavish grew older, he married, and he and his wife were blessed with two children. Tavish continued to labor in fields around his village with barely anything to show for his backbreaking work. It was as if all his efforts were one single drop in the midst of a vast ocean of needs and wants.

Faced with a Difficult Choice

Though Tavish was doing all that he could by working multiple jobs, he felt helpless to provide for his family and mother. He never gained ground on their desperate poverty. He was then faced with a difficult decision: Stay in their village and watch his family starve, or deprive his children of education and a stable home to keep them alive.

Tavish and his family, like many in his region, traveled to a neighboring country to live and work for six months out of the year, in sugarcane fields.[2] The conditions were primitive—no toilet facilities, no home, no privacy and no school. The future for his children looked as bleak as his own childhood. The toil of poverty slowly stole away Tavish and his family’s peace and joy.

Tavish (not pictured) worked from the time he was a young boy. Because of his family’s poverty, he missed out on school. He worked hard to provide for his family, but all his efforts seemed like a drop in the ocean.

Hope in the Midst of Crisis

It was during the off months of the sugarcane fields that Tavish encountered a glimmer of hope through a message of peace. Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Naimish visited Tavish and his family one day to ask if they needed prayer and to offer encouraging words. Tavish shared his life story, marked by desperate poverty and hardship, with the man of God.

Pastor Naimish could see the family was burdened by the weight of survival. He shared with them about the One who gives hope and new life to weary souls. Tavish and his family felt truth penetrate their hearts.

Faith in Jesus began to anchor the family, while a hopeful future stretched before them. A peace that poverty had stolen swooshed in as new life began to change Tavish and his family. The God who clothes lilies and keeps His eyes on the sparrow was taking care of this family, and they started trusting Him to provide in their lack.

A Gift that Changed the Future

The following year, Tavish was invited by Pastor Naimish to attend a Gospel for Asia (GFA) Christmas gift distribution program. Through the love and care of people across the globe who had provided gifts through GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog, Tavish and his family received a cow.

As the cow grew, the family’s joy grew along with it. It was providing more than four liters of milk a day, and they were able to make and sell ghee, a type of butter, each month. The profit they made from this liberated them from needing to face the harsh conditions of desperate poverty.

Because of this, Tavish’s children were able to get a consistent education. Their future not only blossomed full of new life, but their new source of income also paved the way to escape poverty through education.

After Tavish received a cow through GFA’s Christmas Gift Catalog, his family’s financial status improved greatly! They become doubly blessed when their cow gave birth to a new calf, providing more hope for their future stability.

The family’s joy doubled as their cow gave birth to a calf, and the income from these two cows relieved burdens the family carried for many years.

“We came to know the true love of Jesus in our lives,” Tavish said. “He has removed all our burdens and sorrows.”

You can be part of delivering families from poverty’s grip by providing an income-generating gift, such as a cow, for a family in need. Give a gift of hope, and help blaze a path toward a promising future and a chance for new life!

Source: Gospel for Asia Features, Moving Poverty Out of the Picture

Learn more on Gospel for Asia’s Special Reports on:

Click here, to read more blogs on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Click here, to read on the topic of desperate poverty on Patheos from Gospel for Asia.

Poverty Alleviation

Abject Poverty

About Gospel for Asia

Asian Missionaries

Asian Missionary

Below Poverty Line in India

Extreme Poverty

Generational Poverty

GFA

GFA Christmas Gift Catalog

GFA World

GFA-Supported Missionaries

GFA-supported Pastors

GFA-Supported Workers

How to Reduce Poverty

Poverty Cycle

Poverty Facts

World Missions

Previous Post

December 16, 2020

Far-Fallen Man Finds Faithful Friend in Gospel for Asia Pastor

Next Post

December 21, 2020 COVID-19 ‘Feeds Growing Evil’ of Human Trafficking, Says Gospel for Asia

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category About Gospel for Asia Bishop Daniel Children's Education Clean Water Daniel Yohannan Disaster Relief GFA World Guest Writer Humanitarian Services Inspiration Leprosy Medical Ministry Mission Support Team Modern Slavery National Missions Poverty Alleviation Powerful Prayer School of Discipleship Special Report Spiritual Growth Uncategorized Women's Issues

Select a Month April 2026 March 2026 December 2025 September 2025 June 2025 May 2025 March 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who told God, "I am slow of speech and of tongue"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Aaron Isaiah Samuel Moses