!"# %&"'()")*+ ,-.

/)
1hough, l was broughL up ln a Cod-honourlng Plndu
famlly, l was noL myself parLlcularly rellglous,
performlng Lhe dally !"#$%"&$ chlefly Lo avold my
moLher's dlspleasure. 8uL l dld grow up wlLh Lhe ldea
LhaL Cod, 1he MosL Plgh ('#"%(") +() ,$%-"#) ls an
absoluLely holy belng and Lrue devoLees should also be
showlng Lhls hollness ln Lhelr llves by pursulng a
rlghLeous llfe-sLyle.

0.1234 56") 7/.8 9'.:"-/)
My dlsllluslonmenL wlLh Plndulsm began afLer 1970. l
was Len years old, when Lhe Shrl narayan Laxml 1emple was lnauguraLed on ."&("$/"(0. lL Look
years Lo puL Lhe funds LogeLher for Lhls pro[ecL and so lLs compleLlon was a huge achlevemenL for
Lhe 8ho[purl-speaklng mlgranL communlLy. 1he Lemple was noL a parLlcularly remarkable plece of
archlLecLure, buL lL was 3-sLoreys hlgh and locaLed smack ln Lhe cenLre of busy LlLLle lndla. lL
announced LhaL 8ho[purl people, llke Lhelr 1amll and un[abl counLerparLs had flnally come of age,
and were a compleLe communlLy wlLh Lhelr own space and ldenLlLy. ArLlsans were hlred from
abroad Lo make and lnsLall Lhe ldols ln Lhe Lemple. A chlef prlesL and an asslsLanL were broughL ln
from varanasl Lo preslde over and perform Lhe rellglous rlLuals.

lL was a proud and very happy momenL for us. 8uL lL Lurned ouL LhaL Lhe Lemple became a cenLre for
scandals, scams and slnful depravlLy commlLLed or acqulesced by Lhe prlesLs and offlclals and lL
appeared as Lhough lL was all done ln Lhe very presence of Lhe gods and goddesses. l sLopped golng
Lo Lhe Lemple afLer ."&("$/"(0 of 1973 because Lhe 8lghLeous Cod whom my moLher LaughL me Lo
worshlp was deflnlLely noL Lo be found Lhere.

;.8234 <.6"/'+ =>+?+
Cne day l was passlng by a ChrlsLlan bookshop, whlch had Lhese words dlsplayed on lLs wall1 Cod ls
llghL, ln hlm Lhere ls no darkness aL all." 1he LhoughL LhaL lmmedlaLely sLruck me was, Where can l
flnd Lhls Cod". So l wenL lnLo Lhe shop and asked abouL Lhe capLlon. 1he glrl aL Lhe counLer broughL
ouL a Cldeon's new 1esLamenL and helpfully showed me Lhe place where Lhe verse could be found
(1 !ohn 1:3). Cver Lhe nexL one monLh l read Lhe book cover Lo cover and Lhe Cospel accordlng Lo
!ohn agaln and agaln.

1ogeLher wlLh Lhe verse from 1 !ohn 1:3, Lhe Poly SplrlL llned up Lhese verses for me on a vlrLual
screen ln my mlnd:
Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not
walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." (Jn 8: 12).

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have
the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know
where he is going. (Jn 12:35)

I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in
darkness (Jn. 12:46).

Cod was offerlng hls hand Lo save me from Lhe dlsappolnLmenL and dlsgusL LhaL had fllled my soul
and dragglng me down Lo splrlLual despalr.

l could noL dlscuss wlLh my parenLs abouL Lhe exclLlng Lhlngs LhaL l was learnlng from my readlng of
Lhe new 1esLamenL. So l dlscussed Lhese Lhlngs wlLh a frlend ln school. Pe led me Lo falLh ln ChrlsL. l
confessed my need for a Savlour and asked !esus Lo come lnLo my llfe. My frlend Lhen lnLroduced me
Lo a dlsclpllng group led by Campus Crusade sLaff aL a nearby church.

WhaL a glorlous day, a glorlous year lL Lurned ouL Lo be. l was so happy, so blessed. 1wo years laLer,
when l was ln sLandard 12, l Lold my parenLs LhaL l had become follower of !esus ChrlsL. lf noL for my
slsLer's lmpassloned pleas, l would have been Lurned ouL of Lhe house LhaL very evenlng. l could
conLlnue sLaylng ln my parenLs' house buL Lhe Lenslon wlLh Lhem was always palpable.

,:2&&234 56")
1he followlng year l was conscrlpLed lnLo Lhe army. 1he new envlronmenL was godless. ChrlsLlans
were parLlcularly marked for derlslon. 1here was no Llme Lo read Lhe scrlpLures, no quleL place Lo
medlLaLe or pray, no ChrlsLlan frlends Lo Lurn Lo for splrlLual supporL and no weekly sermons Lo
sLrengLhen my relaLlvely new and now lncreaslngly feeble falLh. Cn Lhe oLher hand Lhere were a loL
of unwholesome dlsLracLlons, organlsed and subsldlsed by Lhe army. l backslld ln my falLh.

When my Llme ln Lhe army was over, l focussed on my adverLlslng [ob wlLh a local newspaper and
hanglng ouL wlLh mosLly non-ChrlsLlan frlends when l had Lhe Llme. l mlssed !esus, mlssed golng Lo
church. l was always busy and LoLally sLressed ouL. My relaLlonshlps were falllng and l had a
recurrence of mlgralne. 1hen ln 1984, ouL of Lhe blue an old acqualnLance from my Leenage years
lnvlLed me Lo hls church.

!>+-./"-2.3
SomeLlme laLer and by pure chance Lhe pasLor of LhaL church meL me ln Lhe 8lble SocleLy book-
room. Pe recognlsed me from my prevlous vlslL Lo hls church and Lhere began a long, frulLful and
splrlLually upllfLlng relaLlonshlp beLween a man of Cod and a confused losL sheep. under hls
guldance and wlLh full supporL from my parenLs l Look bapLlsm on LasLer Sunday ln 1983.

ln 1992 l became a full-Llme worker wlLh Lhe Asla LvangellsLlc lellowshlp based ln Slngapore. ln 1993
l obLalned Lhe posL-graduaLe ulploma ln lnLerculLural MlnlsLry (now renamed ulploma ln Mlsslon)
from Lhe Slngapore 8lble College. When ALl moved lLs offlces Lo AusLralla, l [olned xacL SocleLy
whlch senL me Lo lndla as Lhelr mlsslonary. ln lndla l served under Lhe supervlslon of CperaLlon
MoblllsaLlon from 1997-2002. ln 2007 l reLurned Lo Slngapore and dld my 8.1h aL my alma maLer and
graduaLed ln 2011.

l marrled An[all ln 2001 and now have Lwo
wonderful chlldren, Abhlsha (aged 10) and SaLya
(7).

AfLer reLurnlng from Slngapore, l [olned Crace
8lble Church, as my famlly had become a parL of
Lhe church. asLor kuru asked me Lo preach and
Lhen [oln Lhe mlnlsLry Leam of Lhe church. Cn
Aprll 27, 2014, when asLor kuru reLlred from Lhe
poslLlon of belng Lhe pasLor of Lhe church, he
handed over Lhe pasLoral responslblllLles of Lhe
church Lo 8ev !ohn 1homas 8a[a and myself.