one graphic designers journey to change a generation

Stephanie Thomas is serving Christ through the ministry of Gospel for Asia. 3.1.12
Daya, age 8 Daya, age 11 Daya, age 15
whos that girl
Daya is enrolled in our Bridge of Hope program but Ill
get to her story in just a second. Its entirely possible that
I have been remiss in informing you that Gospel for Asia
has a child sponsorship program. Te heart of everything
GFA does is to foster a community of believers in areas of
the world where Christs name was never
before known. . . but there are many ways we
get therethings like clean water projects,
disaster relief, literacy programs and child
sponsorship. We call this sponsorship
program the Bridge of Hope.
Dont other ministries do
that?
Yes, but Gospel for Asia takes a unique
approach. It is a fact: Whether healthy
or sick, rich or poor, people face eternity
without Christ if they do not know Him.
Terefore, our highest goal is to share Gods
love to these children and their families.
So its not just about meeting the physical
needs of the child, nor is it about breaking
the cycle of poverty, illiteracy, superstition
and ultimately the bondage of the caste
systemalthough the BOH centers are
accomplishing these things. Ultimately, its
about sharing Gods love for these children.
Second, we take a big picture approach. Each child we
educate is part of an extended family. As these boys and
girls begin to understand Gods love, expressed to them
in very practical ways, they take the message home to
fathers, mothers, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents.
In addition, parent training sessions are an integral part
of the Bridge of Hope program. As a result, hearts and
homes previously resistant to the Good News are now open
to the witness of national missionaries like never before.
When someone sponsors a child through Gospel for Asia,
their love and care reach far beyond just one individual. As
hope is extending to the sponsored child, that same hope is
passed on to many others.
why are you
exploiting this
girl?
A beggar woman stood with a child in her
arms, asking for something to eat. Te cook
demanded she answer the question. He
knew many beggars carry small children
to entice larger handouts. Tey use this
tactic only to pocket most of the money for
themselves.
Te child in her arms was her granddaugh-
ter Daya. It was now just the two of them,
fending for themselves, begging at bus stops,
train stations and shops. Tey stood eye to
eye with a cook who was hesitant to give a
handout to another adult he thought was
exploiting a helpless child.
But to his surprise, the elderly woman broke down in
tears and began pouring out her heart. Te cook was moved
with compassion when he saw truth of her situation welling
up in the eyes of the grandmother. He invited her to enroll
Daya in the Bridge of Hope center, where he could cook the
young girl meals for many years to come.
For about $1 a day a
child in Bridge of Hope
receives:
Knowledge of Jesus
love. The child learns
Bible verses, stories
and songs that clearly
present the Gospel.
Quality education.
Learning to read and
write is the key to a
future of hope for your
child.
A daily meal. For
some children the meal
they get at the Bridge of
Hope center may be the
only food they will eat
all day.
Medical care.
Periodic checkups
are supplemented by
teaching children habits
of good hygiene.
Daya joined the Bridge of Hope center wedged between a
railway station and a slum. Having lived much of her life in the
slums, she knew little of hygiene and came to class in the same
dirty clothes each day. She stuck out as the poorest of the poor.
Its been more than six years since Daya joined the Bridge
of Hope center, and her life has been completely transformed.
Today Daya wears the clean dresses she and the other girls are
given as their uniforms. Shes not begging on the streets. Shes
not in bonded labor. Shes not enslaved in a brothel. Shes not
helpless.
Daya has hope for her future. With the education she receives
at the Bridge of Hope center, she has done well academically
and wants to become a teacher. But most importantly, today
Daya knows Jesus.
What a blessing it is to be a part of
transforming lives such as Daya and her
grandmother. I hope you are encouraged
that as you support me, you are also
supporting this transformation, which
we are seeing over and over in thousands
of young boys and girls lives. Tank you again for supporting
me and allowing me to be part of this amazing work.
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
JOINING MY SUPPORT TEAM IS EASY AND FUN
SENDMONEY.Just keeping it real. I gotta eat, and you can help make that
happen. MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO: Gospel for AsiA, id #6319 in the memo
AND MAIL TO 1800 Golden trAil Crt., CArrollton, tX 75010.
Itseasytodonateonlinejustgo
to:GFA.ORG/HT/STTH
Thank you
and God Bless,
Stephanie
support level
Iseemtobeholdingsteadyat43%
If you would like to read
more about the amazing
things God is doing through
our Bridge of Hope program,
go to gfa.org and order K.Ps
newest book.
Newsupportersjustfelloutofthesky!!!Whichseemsappropriatesincethatswherewe
directedourprayers.Threeofthemintotal.WhatissuperawesomeaboutthisisIlost$300of
supportinJanuary,butwithmythreenewsupporters,Ididntactuallyloseanything.Godis
sogood.Sothankyoutomythreenewfriendsandtothoseofyouwhohavebeensofaithful
tosupportmethroughtheyears.
P
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WHATS HAPPENING
How am I behind already? At the frst of the year I was
going to be militant about writing my newsletters and blogs,
about washing my dishes every night before going to bed
and working out. I am still training for a 5k run at the end
of this month, but not as diligently as I should. (I think
subliminally Im trying to sabotage myself. You know, if I
do horrible this run, it wont be hard to do better next time.)
I havent been doing real good with the other things on the
list either. I think its because Ive been having too much fun.
For one, I couldnt stay pet-less for long. In February, I
went and rescued myself a friend. It wasnt suppose to be a
rescue mission. I rescued Murphy from the Purrfect Cat
Sanctuary that might have been my frst clue this was no
ordinary animal shelter.
Tere wasnt much tranquility about this sanctuarynot
even for the animals. Te smell alone was something I have
never before experienced. It was a typical 3 bedroom house
with a tiny yard, one elderly woman, 6 chickens, 2 dogs and
80 cats. Yes 80. All but one of them had claws.
Because Murph was clawless, he had some substantial battle
scars from his time at the sanctuary. Tey are healing
nicely.
God gave me an interesting little fur friend. Murph likes
to sit in the bathroom sink, he catches plush toys in the air,
and he bites. Yup, hes a biter. Not in an angry way at all. Its
usually when hes purring on your lap, about nine seconds
afer you say Awe, what a sweet kitty. . . chomp. So we
are both still learning how to live with each other. Despite
the biting, hes a good pet and I think Ill keep him Im
defnitely not sending him back to that sanctuary!
IGOTTHECAT
ONTHEBOX!
Murphy has such
a common look to
him; his doppel-
gangers appear
everywhere, even
on a cat scratcher
I already owned.