Along the backpacking routes of Himachal Pradesh, in a country where approximately 95% of the population remains unreached by the gospel, we found ourselves surrounded by people from a different nation where a similarly high percentage have not yet recognised Yeshua as their Messiah.
Each year, thousands of Israeli backpackers make their way to India, many after completing their military service. After carrying the weight of all they have experienced, India becomes a place to decompress or search for greater meaning. For some, that means exposure to Hinduism, Buddhism, New Age spirituality and other practices; for others, it offers space to breathe, wander or find temporary escape in the party scene.
Massah India is an opportunity for young Jewish believers to go on a three-week trip to serve, share their faith in Jesus and build relationships with fellow Jewish believers. Our group of eight, representing the USA, Canada, Israel and South Africa, immersed ourselves in the slow daily rhythms of the backpacking culture, with friendships forming naturally along the way. Conversations that began with a simple, ‘Where are you from?’ allowed us to share about the diversity of our group, most of us sharing a Jewish heritage and brought together by our belief in Yeshua. At times, that alone sparked a curiosity that naturally led to conversations about the gospel.
By God’s grace, the unhurried pace of backpacker life created space for connections to deepen over coffee, games of chess, many butter chicken curry dinners and hikes to waterfalls.
There are so many stories I could tell, but one in particular stands out:
On the day we arrived at our first stop, Manali, we met Tamir*, a secular Israeli whose father is religious. He soon became a friend of the group and even joined us for one of our daily devotions through the Gospel of Mark. As we read and discussed the passage together, he mentioned that his father would be deeply upset if he knew he was studying the New Testament. So, when we later offered him a copy to keep for himself, we were not surprised when he declined.
Three weeks later, in Dharamshala, a town nearly ten hours from where we had first met him, Tamir unexpectedly crossed paths again with some of our group.
‘Do you still have that New Testament?’ Tamir asked – this time, he took it.
Tamir’s story is but a glimpse of the ways the Lord was at work in the hearts of those we encountered.
After about 25 days in India, I landed back in Johannesburg full of praise, deeply moved by the openness of so many secular Israelis to speak about Yeshua and freshly aware of the privilege of witnessing God at work far beyond what we can understand, drawing people to Himself and making His name known among the Jewish people and the nations.
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.