Arun and Anjana and their sons are commissioned in South Asia for ministry in Canada.
Parallel Journeys of Faith SOUTH ASIA / CANADA | Mark JH Klassen
“When our calling shifts, can we listen to what God is saying?” asked Sarah. After living and serving in South Asia for five years, Sarah and her husband, David (not their real names), were called to reposition themselves and serve from a new home base in Canada. “I was reluctant,” she said. “It did not feel like a ‘call’ at the time, but more like something was being taken away from me.” When new visa regulations prevented them from being able to remain full time in South Asia, the missionary couple returned to Canada in 2016 and their ministry focus shifted to global training. “In one way, it was clearly an end, but it was also a new beginning,” said Sarah. “God began to shift my focus to ministry within our Canadian city, which is home to a large South Asian community, predominantly Punjabis. Suddenly, God was giving me opportunities to disciple new Punjabi believers.” For Sarah, the faith journey had Biblical precedence. “I thought about Abraham and what it says in Hebrews 11:8, ‘By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.’ Sometimes, a call comes in stages as we let go of one thing and allow God to shape a new season in our lives.” As the new season began for Sarah and David, they recalled an idea that had surfaced several years earlier as one of Multiply’s key partners in South Asia, John Sankara Rao, 6 | witness
visited Canada. John had posed the question: “Why not send a missionary from South Asia to Canada, to help the churches reach out to their Punjabi neighbors?” The idea waited for God’s timing. In 2018, when David and Sarah were on a trip to South Asia, they were speaking to a large network of church planters and shared about the great need in Canada for the Gospel among the Punjabi people. “We spoke openly about the opportunity,” said Sarah, “and, in our hearts, we prayed and asked God if one of the workers in this network could be sent to help meet this need.”
“Sometimes, a call comes in stages as we let go of one thing and allow God to shape a new season in our lives.” One of the church planters that they met was Arun, a leader within the network. “We observed how Arun’s life reflected humility,” recalled Sarah, “how he passionately led worship, and how he demonstrated mature ministry skills.” It was evident to Sarah and David that God had blessed Arun and his wife, Anjana, and their ministry. They learned that the couple was involved in planting fifteen house fellowships and in raising up leaders for these fellowships among the new believers. They also learned that those leaders had, in turn, started many more house churches within the region, and that Arun was providing oversight to several of them.
