Pardesi Jana Nahi

The culture and people of India are unique an intriguing, a nation of beauty, mystery and poverty. Yet even in the midst of continual problems it is a culture given to hospitality and friendship, a nation I hopefully will have the opportunity to visit one day.

Those that travel to India are told once you have been there a part of you stays there until the next visit. The phrase “Pardesi Jana Nahi” means foreigner, don’t go. There is a bond they believe to both the land and people. Many stories have been recorded of missionaries being buried in the land they so faithfully served. Whether natural causes or martyrdom the foreigners literally became part of the land after making the spiritual investment. For anyone that has done either a long or short term missions trip the common thread is they feel like they left part of themselves there in the land.

Regardless of what dialect Pardesi Jana Nahi comes from the concept of “foreigner, don’t go” is echoed across the world. So in the end what is goal, for all of us to become missionaries? Not hardly, it is definitely not for everybody, but you can become invested whether to journey to the land or not.

Our missionaries need to be bathed in prayer and they need our financial support. These are two things they need on a continual basis wherever they might minister. Make these investments and make a missionary trip if you can and the more you become involved the more you will understand what they mean when they say “foreigner, don’t go!”