Lost Pig Comes Home

[JM]

It was an exciting day for a family in Meghalaya, India-an occasion to celebrate. It was the day their lost pig came home! You see, this was no ordinary pig. It represented this family's hope for the future.

Sloping hills, rushing waterfalls and lush foliage comprise the landscape of this picturesque Indian state, often referred to as the "Scotland of the East." Still, many families in this "paradise on earth" live below the poverty line. Lack of education is also an issue, meaning there is little opportunity for people to better themselves.

Such had been life for Urgen and his family. They lived in a small bamboo hut. Urgen's sporadic earnings as a daily laborer were their primary source of income. With the high cost of living in their area, meeting their basic needs was a continual challenge.

Urgen and his family knew the Lord already, but this encouraging answer to prayer helped them to grow even more in their Christian faith.
But thankfully, there is now a Gospel for Asia Bridge of Hope center in Urgen's village. As children receive an education and hear about Jesus, God is already using this center in powerful ways to minister to the hearts of families and to impact their lives.

Urgen's son Clenson is one of the children enrolled at the Bridge of Hope center. Many of Gospel for Asia's Christmas catalog gifts are distributed among families in the Bridge of Hope outreach, which is how Urgen's family received the pig.

A pig may seem an unlikely Christmas present, but in Meghalaya, it is a very welcome gift. The earnings from the sale of its offspring can support an entire family! Urgen's family dearly treasured this animal that was not a pet, but a means of steady income for them.

When their pig ran off and could not be found after a week, the family was crushed. But in their discouragement, the pastor of the local GFA-related church they attend encouraged them to pray to Jesus for their lost pig. As they did, their pig was found and restored to them!

Urgen and his family knew the Lord already, but this encouraging answer to prayer helped them to grow even more in their Christian faith.

GFA leaders request prayer for Pastor Samuel in his ministry and for Urgen's family to continue to grow in the Lord. They also ask for prayer for the complete healing of Urgen's wife, Sulekha, who suffers from throat pain.

[stephaniem]

Pigs have become household pets to some people it really is funny to see someone talking their pet pig for a walk