Prem

About a month and a half ago I walked down to Rajpur to try and find a taxi driver. I was trying to find one that I felt good about and would be able to come pick me up from the orphanage on a pretty regular schedule. The "taxi stand" is right in the middle of Rajpur. Everybody parks their taxis and stands there all day just waiting for business. I walked up to a group of guys and explained to them where I wanted to go. Most of them just stared at me. Right as I was beginning to think this was going nowhere, a guy stepped out in front of everyone else and started speaking English. Good English. He introduced himself and said he would be happy to take me. So I went with him.

It's a good 45 min drive out to the orphanage which creates lots of good conversational time. I started asking him where he grew up, if he had a family, where he lives etc. We ended up talking the entire way there. His name is Prem, and he is such a sweet, happy, funny little guy! Always has a smile on his face. Very, very joyful. He is married and has two kids. A son, Ashutosh, 5th grade, and a little girl Nandini, 3rd grade. They live right in Rajpur and their kids go to Moravian Institute. I've been taking public transportation (always an adventure) out to the orphanage and then he comes and picks me up at the end of the day. We've created a great friendship. I've loved getting to know his family a little bit too. His kiddos are fun and his wife is super sweet.

Prem has been teaching me Hindi, which is awesome! He makes me use it, and always says "Buddy (that's what he calls me) do not be afraid to use what I teach you around me. I promise I will not laugh, only correct nicely." I told him I don’t care if he laughs 'cause I probably I would too, but that he for sure has to correct me :) He's very forgiving that's for sure, because I know I completely butcher sentences sometimes.
He told me that he learned all of his English doing business with foreigners over the years as a taxi driver. That's pretty impressive if you ask me-his English is really good.

Over this past month or so we've had some really neat conversations in the car. When you have that much time, opportunities just come up naturally. We've had lots of different conversations about Jesus. I've gotten to tell him what I believe and why I believe it. He's asked me straight up when and why I decided to "become a Jesus follower." He asked me if I was baptized and why, He's asked me why Jesus is so important to me. Talk about huge open doors to walk through! We've been very open with each other about what we believe. I've had the opportunity to explain to him that to me, having a relationship with Jesus is what it's all about, not necessarily all the "religion" that goes with it. It's really sad because foreign "Christians" over the years have brought a bad name to the Rajpur area. Everyone seems to think its all about what you do. You just have to be good enough. It's about the rules and the regulations, not about the love and the relationship.

No one can argue with you when you're talking about what Jesus has done in your life. He asks all kinds of questions about me, my family, why I decided to come to India, etc. which always seem to lead to Jesus. It's been cool.

I asked him last week what he believes. His answer was interesting to me. He said- "buddy, my family is Hindu 100%." He meant his extended family. It was interesting that he didn't really claim it personally. He did, but not completely. He said that his family has always been Hindu, so he grew up that way, therefore he is now Hindu. He is certainly not a devout Hindu, but he claims it when it comes to the important stuff. He's tied to it because his family believes it. I know that he believes it too, but I think deep down in His heart he knows there's something more, he just hasn't found it yet.

On the days that I don't go to JoyBells, I'll usually stop and have Chai with him on my way back down the hill from Chayah at the taxi stand while he waits for business. Learn some Hindi and just hang out.

Both he and his family have become great friends, and I'm excited to keep getting to know them better and better. I went over to their house yesterday to hang out with them and also meet his extended family, which was so much fun! Drank LOTS of chai, ate many a samosa, and had a great time getting to know that family better. They're all so kind and welcoming. It's my goal to spend quite a bit of time with him and his family. I'm trying to be really intentional with them. It's my prayer that they will come to know the truth of Jesus and the love and forgiveness that He offers. My heart wishes more then anything that they would come to know what it's like to be set free. The way only Jesus can do it.