A Letter to My Parents on Completing 40 Years of Ministry

Dear Mummy and Daddy,
As I was editing your story, I was overwhelmed with emotion. It’s not as though I hadn’t heard your story before — I’ve heard it so many times that I probably know it by heart — but reading it again now gave me goosebumps and filled me with such deep gratitude for both of you.

Thank you for your obedience to the Lord 40 years ago.

It couldn’t have been easy. We struggle sometimes to obey God even in small things, yet you obeyed Him in the big thing. You entrusted your uncertain future into the hands of the God who knows the beginning from the end, and because of your “yes,” generations have been impacted.

Thank you for not giving up when ministry became hard. Thank you for continuing even when people disappointed you, betrayed you, misunderstood you, and hurt you deeply. I saw those years. I saw the tears, the weariness, the sacrifices, and the burdens you carried quietly. And yet, somehow, you continued to love and serve those very same people with grace.

Looking back now, I often wonder where I would have been if I had not grown up in Dehradun. I don’t really know. But what I do know is this: it has been an absolute privilege to walk alongside you and witness firsthand a life poured out for the Lord and for His people.

Thank you for allowing us to serve alongside you from such a young age — for taking us to Raipur and Kandoli for Bible clubs and tuitions, for letting us help with Sunday school, for letting us partner with you in the ministry in whatever little ways we could. Thank you for letting us interact with village children, sit among people from every background, and watch the Gospel at work in ordinary, everyday moments.

We saw people come to Christ. We saw broken families restored, weary hearts comforted, and lives transformed by the love of God.

We never lived in luxury, and yet we were deeply happy. You taught us contentment. You taught us to hold things loosely and share whatever we had — whether it was food, clothes, chocolates, or simply our time and space. In our home, very little truly belonged to us unless we hid it away somewhere.

We grew up in a home where the fridge was always full, and the table was always expanding. Someone was always dropping in unexpectedly, and extra plates were constantly being set out. As children, we didn’t always enjoy it in the moment, but now we understand what a gift it was.

Honestly, I never fully understood how you did it — and still don’t. Now that I have a home and a family of my own, I realize how difficult it really is to constantly open your doors to people. To host when you’re exhausted. To cook enormous meals every Sunday. To give up privacy, rest, and convenience over and over again. To welcome people in, when all you want is quiet.

And yet, you never turn people away.

I can only say it is by the grace and strength of God.

Today, my own children get to witness the same open home and servant-hearted lives that we grew up watching. They see you the way I once did. Maybe they don’t fully understand it yet, but one day they will — just like I eventually did.

Thank you for your “yes,” Mum and Dad.

I have been richly blessed because of it.

You have been an example to me in more ways than you know. Not because you were perfect (I know you were not!), but because I have seen God use you in spite of your imperfections. I have watched Him strengthen you in your weaknesses, sustain you through every season, and faithfully provide for every need. I had a front row seat to both the joys and the costs of ministry.

And today, while we honor your 40 years of ministry, ultimately we celebrate the God who called you, sustained you, and remained faithful through it all. We praise the Lord who kept His promises every step of the way.

To Him alone be all the glory, honor, and praise.

Love you both,
Shiphrah