Christian Missionary Work Overseas: A Labor of Love
Christian missionary work overseas transforms individuals and communities because it delivers God’s love and His message of hope to those who have not experienced it. At GFA, our missionaries are serious about this mission. They preach the Good News of Jesus and serve Asian and African people groups in poverty-stricken areas. God’s love is demonstrated in ways that can be seen, heard and felt!
Pastor Nantai’s story is a remarkable testimony about the impact of Christian missionary work overseas.[1] During his youth, Nantai rebelled against Christianity. Like the prodigal son, he lived recklessly and abandoned the spiritual foundation his parents had set for him. Then, Nantai became ill. His mother, Zuma, prayed for his recovery and promised to dedicate him to the Lord if he survived. The Lord heard Zuma’s prayers and healed Nantai.
Nantai’s transformation was incredible. He dedicated his life to Jesus, attended Bible college and became a GFA-supported missionary. As a missionary, Nantai shared God’s love with people longing to experience it. It was difficult, and Nantai faced much resistance and opposition, but God was with him, strengthening him during challenging times. Living among the villagers enabled him to understand their struggles and find innovative ways to meet their needs. He established prayer fellowships, youth programs, women’s ministries and Sunday schools. Slowly but surely, people began to see God’s light through Nantai’s sacrificial and selfless service.
GFA World emphasizes the importance of national missionaries, whose work has a special benefit that is very significant in places like Africa and Asia. Like Pastor Nantai, these missionaries work in their home countries. They understand the language and cultural norms of the people they serve and can maneuver through areas that might be closed to missionaries from the West. Christian missionary work in Africa fights poverty, contaminated water and lack of education, and with their cultural insights, national missionaries are the best poised to do this effectively. Likewise, Christian missionary work in Nepal brings God’s love to remote villages where people are isolated, abandoned and forgotten. National missionaries are the heart and soul of GFA World.
What is Christian missionary work? Christian missionaries preach the Good News in a thoughtful and compassionate manner.
GFA-supported missionaries like Pastor Nantai also provide income-generating gifts to assist the poor, teach literacy and help arrange for lifesaving essentials like clean water. Missionaries work to improve the standard of living and share about the Good News of Christ.
Through his missionary work, Pastor Nantai demonstrates the power of prayer and faith. One example of this is his encounter with Kahoni, a woman who had been bedridden for 17 years and tormented by an evil spirit.[2] Nantai prayed for Kahoni’s healing, and God answered his prayer; she was delivered and slowly began to talk and walk. Seeing this miraculous healing, Kahoni’s family and other villagers were drawn to Christ. Another woman, Sachiko, experienced a similar recovery after years of suffering. Miracles demonstrate God’s power and the importance of missionaries who intercede on behalf of others.
Missionaries address both physical and spiritual needs. Bringing Christ to people who experience poverty, hunger and disease is the most important thing for us to do. GFA-supported missionaries implement projects like Jesus Wells for clean water, conduct free medical camps and organize educational programs. Kind and thoughtful acts like these demonstrate God’s love and pave the way for spiritual renewal.
The effects of overseas Christian missionary work are not limited to those who come into contact with missionaries. When a person’s physical and spiritual needs are met, a ripple effect is sent through the entire community. Families become more resilient, children receive hope for a brighter future and villages are united in faith. When the Good News of Christ is seen, heard and felt, it leaves an eternal impact on everyone.
Nantai has continued his mission to provide spiritual guidance and ensure his community stays connected to God’s Word while he maintains his mission to serve people spiritually. The selfless service of GFA-supported missionaries becomes evident through his unyielding dedication to his work, despite all the challenges.
Christian missionary work is a labor of love and faithfulness. Such work demands boundless prayer and faith. GFA-supported missionaries constantly pray to God, trusting in His ability to achieve the improbable. God’s love produces miracles when people share it with others.
You now have the chance to help a missionary in their ministry. Your sponsorship of a GFA World missionary enables you to bring essential hope to individuals who need it. Through prayer, financial support and advocacy work, missionaries can connect with yet-to-be-reached people while distributing essential resources and preaching the message of Christ.
This transformative work needs your participation. Your collaboration of $45 per month helps enable life-changing spiritual development. Partner with us by supporting the faithful work of missionaries in Africa and Asia.
You can make a difference, one life at a time.
Learn more about how to sponsor a family for Christmas[1] “Man Raised from Deathbed to Change Lives.” GFA World. October 2022. https://www.gfa.org/news/articles/man-raised-from-the-deathbed-to-change-lives-wfr22-09.
[2] Ibid.