autumn 2011 gfa update
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8/3/2019 Autumn 2011 GFA Update
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Preparing for Takeoff Autumn 2011
4571 Trenton-Oxford Rd. Hamilton, OH 45011 (513) 519-4540
www.gfa.org/ht/bedu
Bethany DuVal
In my last newsletter I asked you to pray for
church meetings, so this fall was full of them.
They ranged from five minutes to a full hour.
Some were planned months in advanced; others,
well, taught me to think on my feet and pray
quickly. At each one, I met great brothers and
sisters in Christ, and was excited to see some of
them truly catch the vision for what God’s doingin Asia through national missionaries. And, by
His grace, I’ve yet to go blank at the podium.
Dear Friends, It’s an odd feeling, that mix of joy and panic you get
when a pastor asks you to give a presentation
approximately three hymns from the moment.
Wow! A presentation, just for walking through the
door , you think. Thanks, God! And then, as the
pianist keys up for “What a Friend,” it hits you:
God, what do I say? How long should I talk? Ten
minutes? Five? How do I look? Which stories should
they hear? Why did I wear such un-missionary
-esque
shoes? I’m going to get up there and forget
everything I know about Gospel for Asia!
In October, I headed up to northern Indiana to connect
with old college friends and their churches. I knewgoing in that they couldn’t support me as congrega-
tions, but I did receive individual gifts and many new
members for my prayer team! During the week, I
stayed with my sister Melody in Goshen, and got to
share with two small groups from her church, too.
At home, my pastor connected me with a long list of
pastors within our Southern Baptist association. Seven
of them invited me to speak, and several look likely to
produce congregational or individual financialsupport. Please pray, as I continue to build
relationships with these churches, that God will
develop their passion for the billions of lost people
in Asia, and give a clear calling to join me in reaching
them. This holiday season is especially critical as
churches set their budgets for next year. Pray that God
will keep me on their minds!
Here and There
35%$ 763 out of
$ 2130 per
month.
Support Raised
Pledge online at gfa.org/ht/bedu or
send in the form attached to my
prayer card. Together, we can
reach Asia!
My freshman year roommate , Amanda, invited me
to speak at her church as my first stop in Indiana.
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he grew in Christ, his character improved—and his
parents noticed. His obedience brought peace to their
home and softened their hearts toward Christ.
God had more in store, though.
As part of GFA’s Christmas
Gift Catalog, Devak received
his own rickshaw. When the
villagers saw the new rickshaw
and recognized the genuine love
these other believers had for
Devak’s family, many of them
changed their attitudes toward
the Gospel, too!
Now that he doesn’t pay rent to
work, Devak can provide for his
family. And whenever anyone
in the village gets sick, Devak
takes them to the hospital. Best
of all, because of the tangible
kindness shown them, and the
visible change in their son, Devak’s parents have
changed their minds about Pastor Dhumal. They now
welcome him into their house and listen as he shares
the Gospel with them.
This year, God will write thousands more stories like
Devak’s. Please join me in prayer that God will
change hearts through every rabbit, sewing machine,
and fishing net our missionaries give away.
As Christmas gets closer, GFA’s home office is
full of activity in getting the word out about our
Christmas catalog and processing the resulting
donations. Every year, our
supporters buy gifts to liftfamilies out of poverty
(chickens, weaving looms,
rickshaws) and assist
missionaries in their ministry
(bicycles, generators, Bibles).
These gifts open people’s eyes
to Christ’s love and soften their
hearts toward Him:
The people of Devak’s village
were strongly dedicated to their
traditional religion and scorned
Christianity as a cultural
contaminant. The son of two
devout followers of the
village’s religion, Devak was
no exception. Still, he
struggled with day-to-day life. His parents are
sickly, and he earned a meager salary as arickshaw driver. To make matters worse, like
most rickshaw drivers, Devak rented his
rickshaw—and had to pay for repairs.
But one day, Devak met Pastor Dhumal and
heard the Gospel for the first time. As Devak
continued to study the Word, he was invited to
attend a Bible camp. There, he chose to follow
Christ, but his father was furious when he found
out. He discouraged his son from attendingchurch and adamantly opposed Pastor
Dhumal’s visits to their home.
Through this hard time, Devak stood firm,
finding encouragement from his pastor and the
local GFA-supported Bible college students. As
On the Field
Bethany DuVal | 4571 Trenton-Oxford Rd. | Hamilton, OH 45011 | (513) 519-4540 | [email protected]
Thank you for joining me in this work. God isdoing great things through your prayers, and
I thank Him for each one of you!
God bless,
Bethany