This month, during this Advent season, you will read the reflections of four Harvest Bridge ministry leaders in South Asia as they talk about hope, peace, joy, and love.

These are small excerpts of their full messages. We encourage you to read the complete transcripts or listen to the podcast recordings of the leaders sharing these reflections directly with you by visiting our blog at harvestbridge.org/stories/ or by searching “Harvest Bridge” on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. From all of us here at Harvest Bridge, we wish you a Merry Christmas!

“God gives me hope and His word inspires me to worship and testify what He has done in my life, and His people around the world, around my community and where I do ministry, and people they are praying for us, encouraging in times of difficulties… The women come [to the medical clinics] with pain, but they have a big smile when they get little treatment, some medicines, or some surgery…. At the beginning of the medical camp, I say, ‘since I am Christian, we love you, and Jesus loves everyone. That’s why we come to your village to do ministry’…. It’s like living testimony.

They are like single women, single mothers, abandoned by the family and [are] widows. After coming to Christ, they got some hope in Jesus, and they share the gospel. They share happiness through Christ, and it’s really exciting. And people find hope in these ladies’ lives. From my struggling, I can say, if I didn’t have hope in the Lord Jesus… how would my life be, I cannot imagine. So I can request my friends and the people I meet, if they trust in Him, if they have hope in Jesus, He will never forsake them, and He will never put them in shame.”

“God gives me hope and His word inspires me to worship and testify what He has done in my life, and His people around the world, around my community and where I do ministry, and people they are praying for us, encouraging in times of difficulties… The women come [to the medical clinics] with pain, but they have a big smile when they get little treatment, some medicines, or some surgery…. At the beginning of the medical camp, I say, ‘since I am Christian, we love you, and Jesus loves everyone. That’s why we come to your village to do ministry’…. It’s like living testimony.

They are like single women, single mothers, abandoned by the family and [are] widows. After coming to Christ, they got some hope in Jesus, and they share the gospel. They share happiness through Christ, and it’s really exciting. And people find hope in these ladies’ lives. From my struggling, I can say, if I didn’t have hope in the Lord Jesus… how would my life be, I cannot imagine. So I can request my friends and the people I meet, if they trust in Him, if they have hope in Jesus, He will never forsake them, and He will never put them in shame.”

“The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusted in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, and with my soul, I will praise Him.” (Psalm 28:7) Sometimes, when things look so hard, we allow the circumstances to dictate our joy. Even though we face many difficulties and hardships, I teach my people to have joy in Jesus Christ. I am exceedingly glad that we are never told in the Bible to rejoice in our circumstances, which are constantly changing. But the Bible told us that we have to rejoice in God who never changes. Happiness is typically a more fleeting emotion, often depending on a particular moment or event that brings a sense of excitement. But the fruit of joy, which we found in the Bible, is more than that. Joy is beyond our circumstances and beyond our thoughts. It is found only in Jesus Christ. It doesn’t depend on any circumstances.”

“John 3:16 says God gave His only one son. He loves the world. God’s love is a very big love. I am showing that God is in me. The gypsies are treated like animals, they are untouchable. But I am hugging the people, and I am kissing the children. It shows the other people she’s doing this because of God’s love in me. The people are complaining like “gypsies are not clean”. But in my sight, it’s not like that. So God covered everything. God’s love, God’s love covered everything. I had an experience on a bus. The bus driver stopped because he said that he cannot take the gypsies. I said, I am sitting with them because of love. You can join me. Then it slowly happens. I am teaching that you can love others. Love is unconditional….Our God’s love is very pure, it’s unconditional love. I see the unconditional love in all the gypsies now, because God is living in their hearts.”

*Names changed for security