Finding Shelter in Christ

Finding Shelter in Christ
From Gospel for Asia (www.gfa.org)
For Immediate Release
WILLS POINT, TX (ANS) -- The small hut's bamboo poles supported a thin plastic roof that attempted to provide shelter for the family sleeping fitfully beneath its cover. It failed.
Rain dripped steadily through the poorly constructed layers to land on thin blankets below. The waters penetrated the fabric, chilling the form of a man whose sun-darkened skin gave evidence of a lifetime of hard labor.
Vaisak, half-awakened by the rain and still groggy, got up from his cot to lay down under it—seeking some refuge from the rain that kept making its way into his home.
The sound of the storm resounded harshly on his heart. No matter how hard he worked, things never improved. Vaisak ached, knowing he couldn't provide for his growing family.
He wondered if things would ever change.
Just Enough for Rice
When Vaisak was a child, his parents had told him, "If you study, you will not get anything, but if you plow the field, you will get rice."
Vaisak had taken these words seriously. Even as a child he worked hard, never once stepping inside a school building.
He grew up, got married and had four children. Though life was rough at times, they had rice, just as his parents had said.
But then monsoon season would come, bringing the downpour, bringing the rain. Rain that revealed the ever growing gaps in the roof Vaisak couldn't afford to repair. Rain that showed he still didn't have enough, despite his years of hard work.
A New Kind of Love
Not far from Vaisak's home, another man labored and lived: Gospel for Asia pastor Gambheer. He pastored a small church in Vaisak's village and cared deeply for all the men and women nearby, including Vaisak and his family.
Pastor Gambheer often visited Vaisak, encouraging him to taste and see the Lord's goodness, but Vaisak didn't want to listen to his words.
"If you fully understand His love, you will never forget it," Pastor Gambheer told him. "If you believe in Him, He will provide for your physical and spiritual needs."
Pastor Gambheer continued to pray for Vaisak and his family, seeking a way to help them understand God's love. Because someone across the world gave through Gospel for Asia's Christmas Gift Catalog, Pastor Gambheer was able to provide Vaisak with some tin sheets to repair his roof.
Vaisak quickly set out to make a better home for his family.
God Provides Shelter, God Provides Love
As the rains fell and slid down and away from the family resting dryly beneath their new roof, Vaisak considered the pastor's words. He realized it was God who had provided for his physical needs. Then he wondered if God would truly provide for his spiritual needs as well.
Some days later, he approached pastor Gambheer to talk to him about the Lord Jesus.
"What you said before was true," he said.
Vaisak shared his desire to start attending church. Over time, he realized the immensity of God's love, a love he never wants to forget.
Now, just as surely as rain once slipped into his home, Vaisak can be seen slipping out of his doors to share the love of Christ with others.
"I want to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with [my community] and help them to understand the unfailing love of Jesus Christ."
A sturdy roof is something many of us take for granted, yet it can have life-changing effects for a family in South Asia. Read how another "common" gift blessed an entire village (http://gospelforasia-reports.org/2014/11/four-toilets-help-29-families/?motiv=WB21-RB00&cm_mmc=GFAReports-_--_--_-).
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