Samson Raj

Singapore Mission

1986 to 1988

I was born into a good family who taught me the importance of Church going, paying tithes and offerings, taking up church assignments, visiting members and so forth. I was an active Seventh-day Adventist and we as a family never missed church. This was in the late 1970’s. Michael Anthony was my good friend. He was my senior at school, lived behind my house, and we played football together. He was an inspirational leader and it was easy to follow him. Michael received the New Era magazine. Reading articles in the New Era brought inspiration and a feeling of solace to my soul. By this time, Michael and I had desires to be baptized in the church. There were a couple missionaries in India Later, a couple in Goa came to serve. We were invited to Goa to hear the gospel and be baptized. Michael and two others went but I could not go with them. So my chance to be baptized in the summer of 1979 was gone.

Nevertheless, God knew Meanwhile in early 1980 Elder Marion D. Hanks, a seventy serving Asia Area moderator (in-charge of all church affairs in Asia. ) came to India in which Michael and two other friends visited him in the West End hotel on Race Course road. A year after his visit, a couple (Metcalfs) from Australia came first to Hyderabad to serve and then moved to Bangalore to serve as a couple missionaries in 1982. I met with them for church services in Indira nagar.

I went off to Chennai to study engineering. While pacing my things to go I saw the Book of Mormon and that was the last thing to go into the suitcase. While in the hostel, I had time to study and book. For the first time, I prayed to know if the book was true and started to read it. The influence of the spirit was so strong that each time I took the book to read I heard a whisper clearly stating “Believe in these words they are true.” I must have gone till 1 Nephi chapter 11 each time I heard the spirit bearing witness that the book was true. I was so much astonished with the influence of the spirit but then I thought that it might be an evil spirit to mislead that was so much influencing me to believe it. So I folded the Book of Mormon and kept it deep inside the suitcase, never to take it out for a very long time.

Nevertheless, God did not give up on me; he still persisted. I attended church in Chennai at Besant Nagar. We could see the branch from the balcony. Michael returned from his mission to Provo, Utah. He gathered all the kids in the locality and took them to church. In one of my travels back to Bangalore from Chennai, I met Michael and felt again inspired to be baptized. I studied and attended church in Chennai returning almost every month to visit family and church members. I was encouraged to serve a mission. I applied for a mission and was called to serve in India in March 1986. The third missionary from Bangalore after Michael Anthoney and Samuel Jaykar May. Missionaries to serve in India were called from 1985 onwards. I was the fifth missionary in all of India.

I had to give up my Christian Children’s Fund scholarship to serve a mission. I had a very good sponsor who supported my education. I had to give it up to serve a mission. I had to give up my Seventh-day church membership as I was already in a leadership position there and had prospectus to move up further in the church leadership. These were all earthly sacrifices for the eternal blessings the Restored church offers me. It was worth it. And God did not give up on me. He persisted in helping me join the Restored Church. In return I have never let Him down. I have served to the very best of my potential in whatever callings that have come my way. Glory be to God. He knows!

We were the pioneer missionaries in India. Our MTC was in Chennai. The couple missionaries were the trainers. Apart from missionary work our work included strengthening members and working with in actives. Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Coimbatore already had branches. I and my companion, elder Samuel (Newton) opened Delhi for proselyting. There was a mix of English speaking and local language. Our homes were close and attached to the couple missionaries. This helped the couple missionaries to watch over us and as our mission president lived in Singapore. We had companion study with them where we were taught more of the church. Baptisms were performed in overhead water tanks and swimming pools.

Each area that I served had the hand of the Lord in guiding me. In Madras (now Chennai) I was kept safe from a mob. In Coimbatore I listened to the Spirit and put the brakes of my bicycle there by getting saved from an accident. In Coimbatore, we baptised one older and one younger person from Sri Lanka. This young man later served a mission. In Delhi, we strengthened members and baptized one family from Chandigarh, Punjab. Hyderabad city had a meeting house in the couple's missionary home and later in Elder’s home. We missionaries used to travel with the couple missionaries to Tara nagar to hold meetings for two families every Sunday. Hyderabad was a choice place as we had a good harvest.

One day my companion Elder Abel (Babu Manuel Abel, from Bangalore) and myself were walking out to proselytize. As we came out of our home, we were walking on the main road of Prakash nagar, opposite to the old airport. From the corner of my eye I spotted a house with a Christmas star hanging in front of it. I felt inspired and told my companion there is a Christian family here let us go visit them. It was between 5 and 6 pm I knocked and for the first time we met Victor Gutty. He was a young man, maybe 14 years old. We introduced ourselves and he invited us. His mother and sister and younger brother John Gutty were present as we introduced ourselves and shared the restored gospel. We took future appointments and invited Victor to play Badminton with us. This wonderful family joined the church. John Gutty was special. He was 10 years old. He used to take his bicycle and go away the moment we entered the house to give discussions and God chose him to be the first Stake president of Hyderabad Stake. Marvelous are the workings of God.