Touch a Life is more than just a feeding program for hungry children; it is a ministry that changes the entire family’s lives, as the testimony below demonstrates.
By Noel Solomon
Touch a Life is a blessing to many children. One such beautiful kid has a wonderful testimony. Her name is Andrea, and she is a regular in the program. Her enthusiastic involvement drew my attention, so I will share her story.
Andrea was born to Arokiya Raj and his wife Maria. She is nine years old, healthy, and moderately built. Her mother also used to attend the program. She is happy her child is enrolled and wants to enroll her second child, a little boy.
Her father, Arokiya Raj, was born in a Roman Catholic family on January 15, 1985, at Sengi Village, Villupuram, in Tamil Nadu. His father is named Mr. Arul, and his mother’s name is Annammal. He also has an elder sister and an elder brother.
His father was a farmer, and his mother was a homemaker. His parents were not able to give him a proper education as their family’s financial situation was not so good. But with great difficulty, he was able to study up to the 8th grade in the village school.
He was not so good at studies, but because of his family situation, he was not able to complete his 8th grade after his parents stopped him from going to school.
He started to search for a job and found a two-wheeler mechanic job and joined there as a daily laborer. He left the job because the owner was a drunkard and would hit him, usually without any reason. Through one of his friends, he found a job in a hotel as a maintenance worker. He was contracted to stay there for one year and then return home.
Years passed by, and he went to one of the cities in Tamil Nadu and worked there for a couple of years, earning money to send to his parents. They were happy and started to praise God. As he was working and earning money, his friends took him to parties and marriages, where he was forced to take alcohol with them. He gradually became an occasional drinker at the age of twenty-three. Though he was born in the Catholic faith and attended the church regularly, he had no experience of Salvation in his life. Most of the time, he skipped church without his parents’ knowledge. Once, his family caught him while drinking and tried to correct him, but all their efforts were in vain.
Later on, after a couple of years, his parents wanted him to get married. They found a lovely girl for him, a relative from Bangalore, who was God-fearing, and he got married according to the Roman Catholic practices. In 2013, life took many twists and turns, and he lost his job. He could not stay there, so he decided to come to Bangalore. Even after marriage, his life did not change. He was searching for a job and settling in a new place, but finding no job. His disappointments led to his addiction to alcohol. This habit led his family to poverty and the beginning of starvation.
His wife, Maria, heard about the Touch a Life program and sent her daughter, Andrea, so that she could have food. Once in a while, the mother also would have food. (The mother would wait outside to pick up her daughter from the program, and seeing her pitiful condition, the TAL staff would invite her to have food also.)
The Raj family’s kitchen
Maria loved hearing the prayers and Bible stories the TAL staff gave to the children. Hearing them made her want to know more, so she also began attending church services. Maria, Andrea, and even their small son began to pray for Arokiya to change his life and be a blessing to their family. Hearing their prayers encouraged him to attend church. In a short time, he realized how sinful his life was and that he needed God very badly, so he started to attend services regularly.
God’s word, shared by the pastor, gave him strength, and he believed those were powerful, encouraging words from God. He understood the importance of having God in his life. Gradually, his life changed. He confessed all his sins and accepted Christ as his Savior.
God has blessed his family with two children: his daughter Andrea, who is nine, and his son Joshua Daniel, who is two. They stay in a small rented house with a hall, a small room, and a kitchen. There is also a small space to take a bath. The toilet they use is shared by two nearby families in the same building.
Arokiya testified, “I thank God for the Touch a Life programs. Through the program, my wife gave her heart to Christ, and through her prayers, my life changed. I also surrendered my life to Jesus. Though we struggle in everyday life, the TAL program is a blessing to my children, who attend daily. We, as a family, praise and thank God for all the deeds in our life.”
This story was written by Noel Solomon, whose father, Babu, is the Final Frontiers/Touch a Life Director for the Bangalore region of Tamil Nadu, India.
