When the Gospel is the Practical Solution

December 7, 2022

If you’ve been around international missions or development work for any period of time, you’ll inevitably end up in the debate around spiritual or practical concerns.  And it’s a valid one:

Do we invest our time and resources into sharing the Gospel?  Or is it more prudent to invest in relief and development, ensuring vulnerable communities have what they need in hopes they’ll hear the Good News at some point through our work?  

We’re happy to solve this quandary for you this month at GCA! 

The answer?

YES!  Both!  

Both are important.  At GCA, each of us is compelled to share how Jesus has impacted our lives.  Each and every staff member at GCA has a personal story (if not MANY stories) of how God has come to rescue us.  Jesus’s love is real and deep and personal for us. 

AND we are deeply convicted of the value of practical support and meeting the needs of our friends and neighbors.  For us, it is just as important to fill bellies as it is to fill hearts. 

Then there are other times where the Gospel IS the practical solution.  Let us show you what we mean…

Our Crisis Response Team recently received a call about a vulnerable young woman and her infant daughter.  They arrived to a very undernourished baby and a very unloved mama.  

This young woman had struggled throughout her own childhood, often feeling disconnected and unsupported from her parents.  This led her to an early marriage where she often felt overlooked and not cared for.  When she became pregnant, her husband began a pattern of betrayal that continued after their daughter was born.  She then faced circumstances many mothers do, but can still be such a source of pain and even shame.  She struggled to breastfeed her young daughter as she faced severe mastitis and even bleeding when she tried to feed her baby.  

Faced with her inability to sustain her baby herself, she began working, leaving her baby with her grandmother during the day.  But as the local economic situation worsened, she continued to have less and less work available to her. Her struggles persisted and intensified. 

This is when we met our new friend.  GCA began providing the right kind of formula for her baby: not the basic, sweet-tasting one, but the rich, full of nutrients one.  While this began to help her baby grow, the hole in her own heart remained.  This led to her to remarry unbeknownst to our team.  

When we met her new husband, we were initially discouraged.  He seemed slow to understand her needs, and maybe even unwilling to change to love her better.  He too, had endured a difficult childhood and brought those wounds into their new marriage with him.  One night, after a big fight, she asked him to sleep elsewhere. 

Our team began to pray for their marriage, and work with them both separately and together.  During one of our visits, the team shared the Gospel and about how much Jesus loves them.  The husband immediately brightened, and said he wanted to know “that Jesus.” 

Our next visit?  

Instead of harsh realities, we were greeted with fresh smiles and joy.  The husband even shared with our team that they are no longer fighting. Week after week, we have seen the fruit of the Good News in this family’s life.

You see, sometimes the Gospel is the practical answer.  As we walked with this young couple, we saw the Good News smooth out years of rough edges that a man and woman had endured prior to being married.  Where they didn’t quite know how to love or receive love well from each other, Jesus made a way.  They are now being strengthened every day, working together to care for their daughter...even today able to step off of GCA’s support as they are able to purchase food for their daughter themselves.  

The Gospel is Good News for this family.  Jesus is Good News for our GCA team, and He’s Good News for you.  Reach out to us if you’d like to learn more.