BYM ONLINE DESK Blessing English Emagazine March 2020 | Page 12

TRAIL BLAZERS, TREND SETTERS Part 1
Meet the first staff of Blessing Youth Mission Mr. Ponraj Isaac
(The Blessing Magazine Editorial Team
members met with Mr. Ponraj Isaac, the first
missionary of Blessing Youth Mission. The
excerpts from the interview is given below:)
Blessing Editorial Team: Thank you for giving
your precious time for us. Uncle, can you tell us
something about your childhood days and
educational background?
Mr. Ponraj Isaac: I was born in a small village
called, Manalvillai in South Tamil Nadu. We were
two boys. My father was a migrant from Sri Lanka
and life was quite difficult for us. My father
passed away when I was 8 years old. My mother
found it very difficult to give us education. At
times we did not even have food to eat (voice
quivers). But she made sure that I cleared SSLC
(10th grade). During those years I was the only
person to clear SSLC in our village.
Blessing: It must have been a difficult time for
you. How did you come to know about Jesus
Christ?
My mother was my first spiritual influence.
She gifted me the first Bible. The cost of the Bible
during those days was Rs.5/-. It was costly for
our family to afford. Nevertheless, my mother was
able to scrape together two rupees and fifty paise
and asked the pastor of our village for the Bible.
The Pastor graciously gave a Bible to my mother
and she gifted it to me when I turned 10. But film
industry attracted me a lot. I was part of the youth
group who were hero worshiping a leading actor.
When I turned 21, I decided to go to Chennai. It
was there I found Christ.
Blessing: Can you shed more light on your
life in Chennai?
When I first came to Chennai, I worked in a
provision store for some time. Then I prepared for
MPSC (Madras Public Service Commission) exam
and cleared it. I got a job as a Junior Assistant in
the Tamil Nadu Secretariat. It was there I met Mr.
Johnson and Mr. James Victor. They mentored
me and led me to Christ in the year 1965. In the
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