On his first visit to India, in 1971, Pastor John DeVries was overwhelmed. The heat, the crowds of people, the stench (which John recalls as a mix of exhaust, urine, and curry powder), the beggars on street corners grabbing at his sleeve – it was a lot to process.
Mission India founder, John DeVries, visiting one of the earliest Children’s Bible Clubs.
An Unlikely Partnership
“God, I will serve you anywhere you want, just please don’t send me back here again.”
So on his flight home to Michigan, John prayed what he calls his “Jonah prayer”: anywhere but there, Lord. Anywhere but India. But the truth is, John witnessed an incredible need on that trip. Not just in the poverty and injustice all around him – but in how immensely untouched by the Gospel India was. And he discovered an incredible opportunity: passionate Christians in India who, despite being radically outnumbered, were motivated to reach their own nation with the love of Christ. John could not ignore the calling God had placed in his heart, and eventually, a beautiful partnership was born.
John’s wife, Atts, holds a baby during one of her first trips to India.