I was born in a Christian family to Mr. A.Balasundaram & Mrs. Mary Renjithabai in Palliady at Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, INDIA on 21st March, 1974. While I was studying in 8th standard, Evangelical Union conducted a camp at Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu, and there I committed myself to the Lord for Ministry. After that I did not know what to do further. When I joined the college, slowly I went into the worldly way by smoking, watching movies, using drugs along with my friends. And I got addicted to alcohol also. At that time my interest grew in the Film Industry. So I went to Chennai to study a diploma course on Film Technology.

 

At that time the situation in my family warranted my return to our village.  There a tragedy happened that changed my life totally. My elder brother’s brother-in-law and mother-in-law were murdered due to a political rivalry. Only the younger brother-in-law escaped. He and I, along with our gang committed ourselves to murder those who killed them. But when we planned to murder someone, he would be dead someway or the other – by accident or by committing suicide. So God didn’t allow us to murder anyone. In the meantime, the opposition gang grew in strength and plotted to kill us. My mother did not know anything about my worldly life. She always wanted me to be with her. But when she came to know about the evil design of these people to murder me, she asked me to flee from there just to escape death.

 

After 15 months, again I came to Chennai and joined the Film industry as a Script-Writer.  While I was working there for one and a half year, my father asked me to return back home. So I returned home. At this time a man of God came and talked about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ's Calvary Love. At that time when I saw Christ, I realized that I was very far from Him. So with tears rolling on my cheek I repented for my sins, confessed the same to the Lord and accepted Christ as my personal Savior. And God changed my life completely. I left all my  sins by God’s grace.  At that time in our village there were many false doctrines in the Christian circles. One Sis. Helen (Kukna Bible Translator) told me not to believe anybody’s doctrine, but to read the Bible. She said, “Only the Bible is the Truth.  Bible will guide you and show the right path”. So I started reading the Bible regularly without listening to any of such doctrines.

 

The Lord spoke to me that “Since you have the Bible in your mother tongue, you are growing in your spiritual life and walking in the right path without listening to such false doctrines. What about the people who do not have the Bible in their own languages?” So I felt it very necessary to make available the Holy Bible to those who do not have it in their mother tongues. If the Bible was given to these people, I felt, only then they could walk in the truth without being caught in the snare of false doctrines that militate against the truth of the Word. If the people who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior do not read the Bible themselves and, instead, merely depend upon some teachers/pastors, they may fall into deception or grave error.  After that God gave the burden to translate the Bible in the languages which do not have the same. Initially I hesitated, because I did not believe I was capable of undertaking this glorious work. Again God spoke to me, “I do not need your knowledge or wisdom. I just need you. Commit yourself.  I will mould you and use you for My glory.” So I committed my life for the Bible Translation Ministry according to His will.

 

After getting training by Dr. Alaichamy Paul and Dr. Mrs. Christeena Paul, ORBIT, I went to Madhya Pradesh on June 2000 to learn Hindi and then to Dahod, Gujarat on August 2000 and to learn Gujarati.

 

I got married on 29th January, 2001 to Jeya Sudha Mary, D/O Mr. S. Dhanapaulraj and Mrs. Suganthi Paulraj (JESUS REDEEMS BRANCH OFFICE - NEW DELHI- http://www.Jesusredeems.com). Sudha had also committed her life for God’s work. Before marriage, Sudha was working in JESUS REDEEMS - HEAD OFFICE in Tamil Nadu. After marriage she also committed her life for the translation work. Now we have two children. The eldest one is John Steve, 4 yrs old and youngest one Joan Steffi, 1 yr old.

 

We both went as cross cultural missionaries with the burden to translate the Bible in the Bhilodi language. After learning Gujarati, the State language, we started learning the Bhilodi language since August 2001. Residing in Kalikuvi, a small village located in the central part of Dahod District, Gujarat, we analyzed Bhilodi language and also understood their culture. After finishing the phonemic analysis of Bhilodi language in the month of October 2003, we gave a script to the language. After completing the grammatical analysis of the language, we started translating the Bible since November 2004. Moreover, we have given written form to the oral Christian songs in Bhilodi.

         

Then God led us to form the organization as ‘LIFE GIVING WORD’ to do the Bible Translation ministry in many unwritten languages in India. And by His grace and guidance, the registration was completed on 5th August, 2005.

 

It is our dream to translate the Bible in many other unwritten languages in India through LIFE GIVING WORD Ministries. We need your prayers for my family and ministry.