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
Dear Uncle, Aunty & Shiphrah Didi,
Shiphrah Di, your words gave voice to what we’ve all felt for years.
Uncle & Aunty, your 40 years of “yes” to God wasn’t unseen — we saw the faithfullness of God, the open home, the grace after betrayal.
Your life has been a living sermon, and Shiphrah, you honored it beautifully.
We’re blessed because of your family’s faithfulness.
To God alone be all the glory.
God Bless you and your Family
Suraj Massey
Dehradun
Dear Sam Anna and Margaret Akka, praise the Lord!
Congratulations 🎊 in completing 40 years of Kingdom building ministry in Dehradun enabled by God’s immense grace and saturated with God’s love to lead people to Christ and strengthen the brethren in the Lord to persevere amid all the challenges.
Thank you very much Shiphrah for taking the time to write this blog for our heavenly Father’s glory!
I’m an eye witness to all that you have written. GlorytoGod! As I was reading it, I recollected my memory of those few months that I was privileged by God’s grace to travel with Anna and Akka to serve the Lord in Dehradun. I couldn’t control myself but cried when I read through the end.
I’m indebted to you both in Christ for all that you have invested in my life for His glory!
I personally learnt from Anna and Akka, how to bring my daughters in the Lord and I have been prayerfully implementing it till today (in the midst of all my failures and weaknesses). For God’s glory I’m sharing it that they both love the Lord and serve Him along with me.
May the good Lord continue to use you both a great source of blessing and encouragement to thousands 🙏 ✨️!
You’re in our prayers and thoughts dear Anna and Akka,
Kuppusami and family
Pondicherry
Thankyou Shipra for this blog which takes our thoughts back to the day of our marriage on 28th Nov 1988, in Roorkee , when we first time saw your Dad leading a band of children singing Hymns during our marriage ceremony.
Slowly we learnt about the Story of two Godly Sisters who chose to serve our dear Lord , far from their comfortable place in Mumbai , Sister Margaret ( Dehradun) and Sister Lydia ( Siliguri ) along with their visionary husbands.
We were so encouraged to see your parents building up a people for Lord’s kingdom. To take a decision to move away from an easy life with an already organised church in Dehradun to build a spiritual church focused on the Glorious Gospel of Christ, with their sweat and blood over these 40 wonderful years for the Lord.
We are sure , over these years , there will be thousands of young people who would testify about your open home which have nourished their souls and bodies , where everything in your fridge , dining table , bed rooms were shared property of groups of young people who would gather in your home every weekend. And we witnessed it as late as in December 2025.
We are blessed by their relentless service and hospitality time and again whenever we visited Dehradun . Cold winter and hard physical labour over the years have taken toll of their physical health but have added weight to a great eternal reward which our Lord has kept for them.
Their life and dedication for the Lord Jesus is a great example for us and sure for many more couples.
We continue to pray for their Ministry
Neena and George Kuruvilla
Delhi
What a beautiful way of saying Thank you Lord for your faithfulness for the past 40 years amd many more to go. Our dear God has used Uncle and Aunty in a very special way in Dehradun to serve Him and His sheep. I personally found a safe space around your family when I came to Doon to study. You all welcomed me like your own…I will never forget that. Almost all the Saturdays after youth meeting I was at your place. Me and Solo shared some of our beautufil memorable moments of our life with your family, which we always cherish. Uncle and Aunty have a special place in my ❤️ heart. May our Loving God Bless you and continue to use you to share His love.
That was beautifully articulated and I would like to echo the same sentiments. While I didn’t grow up as a daughter in the ‘Thomas’ household, I don’t think anyone could have interacted with your family and not felt like being a part of it. My three years spent in ddun are till today by far the happiest moments of my life. I often remember my time spent with your family on the weekend sleepovers as the highlight of my days there. Leaving ddun was one of the hardest goodbyes I’ve said. Sam and Marg have been a solid rock to me personally and I am so very thankful to God for placing in my life when He did. I’ve been away 25 yrs now and I still sing ‘How great thou Art’ in Hindi ( Sams voice in my head) ! Your undying love and commitment have been living testimony so many. May God continue to bless and flourish you. Love you loads!
Hi Ship,
reading what you have written about your mum & dad brings so much joy to our hearts. We praise our Lord for their 40 years of serviice in the Lord’s ministry in Dehradun. All the ups and downs, yet they soldiered on faithfully.
They both have been a blessing in our lives too.
Your mum is prayer warrior. Jaya could always approach her and your aunty Lydia, and your patee Alfred, with matters for prayers. Your mun always made time to message Jaya with comforting words.
Your dad has a unique way of explaining things from the Bible. We both were very grateful when they came along with your patee, to attend our second son Jason’s wedding. We were so appreciative of the message your dad gave at Jason’s wedding reception. Jason & Melanie were apprecistive too. They felt blessed and encouraged by your dad’s message.
Your mum & dad are very gentle, patient and God loving people. God bless them abundantly and keep them…
We praise and thank God for them. Philippians 1: 3.
Blessings in Christ our Saviou to you, Vijay & children.
Jaya aunty & John uncle
“Someone was always dropping in unexpectedly, and extra plates were constantly being set out”
these lines took me back to a decade from now where a jobless friend of Keren and to Ship Di and favourite guest to uncle and aunty…. I can vividly remember the enormous lunches of chicken and uncle serving me the leg piece and the gigantic mango slices post lunch just for me. What summer days were those.!!! .I just feel it so much now. What an exemplary life your family of four has taught me , can’t even explain. I’d title our friendship as ripples..Ship di please continue writing and Aunty I love you so much …. (To be honest I would always come around lunch time) And still there was food for me..always…..
I love you all so much..
Nady
Shiph,I cried reading this and praising God for children like both of you who though it was not easy ,stood with us,understood us and supported us thru this not very easy but a very fruitful journey.
It is really encouraging for me to read this becoz I often felt I neglected you but your love for the Lord from an early age carried us thru this journey together.
THANK YOU SO MUCH MY PRECIOUS GIRL!