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“My day starts with a scooter drive on a rough, hilly road. … My office, in the library of the school, sits on a cliffside with a river raging with this season’s muddy, monsoon rains rushing below, and on the other side of the river gorge, I can see the mountains on a clear day.”
This description from a staff member of a typical morning paints a vivid, idyllic picture of our school in South Asia. The school grounds are beautiful, and the students there thrive in an atmosphere that fosters creativity and a love of learning—unique for a region where rote memorization and corporal punishment are the norm.
Of course, both the beauty of its setting and the impact the school is making today didn’t just happen by chance. Everything about this school was brought into being by people who said “yes” to God’s leading.
As they work to shape the next generation into capable, intelligent, and compassionate adults, their own stories reveal a God who masterfully orchestrated their steps and invited them to play a part in His long-term plans for redemption.
Khemraj
Khemraj joined the school team as principal in the early stages back in 2014. The school hadn’t opened yet, and the team faced challenges acquiring all the necessary permissions to move forward. As a native to South Asia, Khemraj played an instrumental role in conquering those obstacles as he was better able to gain favor with officials granting permissions. Finally, nearly two years after Khemraj came on, the school opened its doors to students. (Pictured: Khemraj at a staff Christmas party)
Long before that, God had been preparing him for this role.
Khemraj was born into a large Hindu farming family of the highest caste in his village. Schools were an uncommon opportunity for children there, who relied primarily on family teaching, but Khemraj’s parents were different. They saw the value in education, even though they didn’t get the chance to go to school themselves, and sent Khemraj and his brothers to school from a young age.
As part of the Brahmin caste, Khemraj’s family expected him to become a Hindu priest. When he was old enough, he started attending courses for that purpose, but abruptly decided to quit and moved to the city for college.
“Looking back, I know that God was working, but at the time, I did not have any explanation,” he said.
While working at a hotel to pay for college, he learned English to communicate with the foreigners passing through. He met missionaries who introduced him to Christ, then met his wife while she stayed at the hotel on a mission trip.
After marrying, finishing school, living in the U.S., and starting a family of their own, they began prayerfully considering returning to South Asia for missions. That’s when they found Love Justice and saw the plans for a school just a few hours away from Khemraj’s family.
“I used to have a recurring dream of standing in front of a big crowd of young people and sharing,” Khemraj said. “Now I get to do that every week.” (Pictured below: Khemraj encouraging the students at assembly in 2017.)
Hillary
Hillary joined the school in 2019 and currently works as an instructional coach supporting young teachers. She, too, has a compelling story leading up to this point, showcasing God’s hand. (Pictured: Hillary with a student at the school's Winter Mela)
Originally from Ohio, Hillary followed a fiancé out to Abu Dhabi. The couple broke off their engagement, but Hillary fell in love with teaching instead and stayed there ten years.
In 2015, her church in Abu Dhabi did a mission trip to South Asia, and everything changed for Hillary.
“God really gripped my heart for [the country] while I was here,” she said. “I would weep and pray and weep and pray.”
A young teacher she met on the trip invited her to come observe her classroom and give feedback, and Hillary saw firsthand the challenges the country’s education faced. The teacher’s first-grade classroom was too crowded for her to walk around and help any child individually, so they had to copy from the board and figure things out on their own. Hillary began to dream of how she might use her teaching skills to help teachers in South Asia.
Then she started having recurring dreams of South Asian faces, and in some dreams, she heard words in the country’s native language too, though she didn’t speak the language at the time. Once she wrote down what it sounded like to her in English letters and asked a local friend what it meant. The words she heard in the dream were a formal invitation to come.
Later, the school put out an ad targeting Christian teachers in a neighboring country, since they don’t typically have visa problems there. Hillary’s friend received it and passed it her way, and thus began this season of her life.
Anneke
Anneke is a newer addition to the school, having joined in February of this year. She is from South Africa and teaches art, develops curriculum, and works in student wellness. Her story of coming to the school likewise shows the unmistakable thread of God’s gentle direction. (Pictured: Anneke taking pictures of kids' presentations at the school's art camp)
Anneke’s husband passed away in 2012, and her children are married with kids of their own in other countries, so Anneke began thinking about what else she might do with her life.
“I just thought, I don’t want to sit and drink tea and eat cake. I mean, I’m really healthy and strong, and I have lots of energy,” she said.
In 2017, she did five high- altitude treks solo in South Asia, staying with village families along the way. She thought it odd when years later at a prayer meeting, someone who didn’t even know her background pointed at her and said, “Maybe you’re going to [South Asia].”
In 2023, Anneke attended a course for missionaries at the encouragement of one of the other ladies at the prayer meeting, and shared her heart for South Asian people with one of the presenters.
“He said, ‘Is it because of you I get all these emails? There’s this organization that’s looking for people like you,’” Anneke recalled.
That organization, of course, was Love Justice.
(Pictured above: Khemraj, Anneke, and Hillary)
Following the call
These three testimonies are only the beginning of the story, because each of these individuals is now playing a part in God’s plans for the children at the school they help lead.
Anneke is working to build confidence in the kids so they can tap into deeper creativity, and she loves to pray for them. Hillary is living with 11 older girls ages 18–23 who are transitioning out of the programs, and they share a weekly family dinner, Bible study, and women’s health class together. Khemraj encourages the kids every week at their assemblies through Scripture, advice, and affirmation. Altogether, this school has served and shaped over 500 children.
“I tell myself that we are investing in the next generation. Some of those we may never fully be able to see, but the difference that’s going to multiply is…” Khemraj trailed off. “We are just planting seeds in that regard.”
What are the callings that God has placed on your own life? If you’re reading this, chances are good you have a heart for our work already. Is He inviting you to take the next step?
Here are some potential next steps. See if any of these feel right for you today.
- Learn more about our children’s programs.
- Explore opportunities to join our team via jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities.
- Host a fundraiser—we have an easy online platform!
- Sponsor a child for $100/month.
- Give to support our work at the button below.
*All data and statistics current at the date and time of publishing. Last names and some locations excluded for privacy and security purposes.
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