Raising a Crop of Village Missionaries

Gospel for Asia (GFA) pastor Haruto warmly greeted individuals he met while walking about the village, visiting, listening and praying. Though today there were likely more smiles than scowls that greeted him, these neighbors had once been hostile to the pastor. They had scorned him and his message.

Now, Pastor Haruto was a respected leader in the community. Through the transforming work of God’s love, this was a different village than when Pastor Haruto began his ministry. Yet even now, there was much work left to be done, more needs to be met. These were the things that made his heart throb.

A Native’s Return

Pastor Haruto remembers the clenches of hopelessness that once grasped him. He, too, had followed the local religious traditions, finding no true fulfilment in life until a near-fatal sickness sent him on a quest for healing that eventually led him to Jesus.

Healed and delivered, Haruto put his trust in Jesus and became the sole believer in his home village. Soon, his wife, Saundra, joined him, but the couple faced hostility for their faith. Loving Jesus had placed targets on Haruto’s and Saundra’s backs. Neighbors shunned them and tried to stop Haruto from constructing his house; they said Haruto and Saundra had only themselves to blame for any mistreatment they received.

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Learn more about the GFA World national missionaries who carry a burning desire for people to know the redemptive fatherly love of God. Through their prayers, dedication and sacrificial love, thousands of men and women have found new life in Christ.