Changed Lives: Rajes' Story

We were desperate to find out the truth and then one day something really strange happened...

I was born in Singapore into a traditional Hindu family. My father was an orphan having lost nearly all his family duing the Japanese occupation, and he was brought up as a Christian by British missionaries. The missionaries had rescued my father and he accepted Christianity as just another part of the rescue package. But my father still followed the Hindu traditions. His marriage to my mother was arranged and they had a Hindu ceremony.

My mum went to the Hindu temple every week. When I was nine, I remember asking her why she followed the rituals. She didn't seem to know and that made me really frustrated. I found the temple a very frightening place. I didn't understand why people prayed to statues or why there had to be a priest.

My parents' Christian friends moved closer by. I saw them reading their Bible and I decided to start reading my own children's bible. I found it really exciting and used to hide it in textbooks and secretly read it at night. When I read the story of Adam and Eve, a light was suddenly switched on inside me. I realised that this was where the truth lay and at the age of 11, I accepted Jesus into my life.

PRAYING

My father didn't mind me going to church because of his own background, but I knew that my mother did and I always felt like the odd one out with my brothers. I was sad that we couldn't go to church as a family and I remember praying that when I grew up I would be able to go to church with my husband and children.

My father died when I was 16 and after that I wasn't allowed to go to church anymore. It was a really difficult time, but I never doubted that God was there for me.

In 1988, the door opened for me to come to London. I started working in Marks and Spencer to pay for my studying and met a colleague who also wanted to find out more about God. We searched around and tried a local group, but it didn't answer our questions.

We were desperate to find out the truth and then one day something really strange happened. We were standing outside Bond Street Tube and a man in a dog collar walked past. We stopped him and spoke to him. He didn't know where I lived, but he immediately told me about a church that was just around the corner from where I lived in Islington. I started going to the church where I met and eventually married my husband.

I know that I can trust God. He has a plan for my life and there is a reason why I am here. God's amazing forgiveness means I can live my life completely free from regret. Jesus is real. He is here right now and we can get to know him as our friend.

"My mum went
to the Hindu
temple every
week. When
I was nine,
I remember
asking her why
she followed
the rituals. She
didn't seem
to know..."