About Me
I am Peter(40) (Pullaiah) from India, saved at the age of 16. I was born and raised in a Hindu (untouchable Dalit) background but saved by God's grace. The best example of “Untouchable” in the Bible is in Mark 1:40-42 (40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”41 Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.) People treat us in India like a person with leprosy, our living area is also outside of the cities, and it is particularly true for the Dalit community. Basically, in India, so much in your everyday life is defined by the caste system. Village means caste, caste means village. Higher caste people are not allowing us into their homes, or to their temples and we cannot sit with them. Our community is called “Dalit”.
Dalits, also known as "Untouchables," are members of the lowest social group in the Hindu caste system. The word "Dalit" means "oppressed" or "broken". A Dalit is actually born below the caste system, which includes four primary castes: Brahmins (priests), Kshatriya (warriors and princes), Vaishya (farmers and artisans), and Shudra (tenant farmers and servants).
Indians believed that people were born as “Untouchables” as a punishment for their misbehavior in their previous lives. As an Untouchable, you could not ascend to a higher caste within that lifetime; Untouchables had to marry fellow Untouchables. If you are a “Dalit, and you like higher caste people, they will kill you, these are things that are still going on for Dalits.
When did you hear about Jesus Christ?
When I was in 6th grade (Telugu language Medium), we had a story about Mother Teresa. In that story, she told about the Lord Jesus Christ. It was the first time I heard about the Lord Jesus, at the age of 12. I thought to myself, ‘Oh Jesus is also God, I never knew Him.’ I visited a church in my village. I told my father I went to church, but my father rebuked me, telling me that Jesus is not our God, we have other gods (so many idols in India). So, I did not go to church because I obeyed my earthly father. My father is against Christianity.
How did you come to faith?
When I was 16, I failed 12th Grade. I was working night-time as a marble stone maker. From my house to my work place, it was 6 kilometers. Every evening I was walking to work and I was working at night. While I was coming and going, I saw the Bible quote written on the street walls like this: John 14:6 “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”, Luke 5:32 “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” These scriptures were written in Telugu language. I read that scripture while I was going to my work evening as well as when I was going home.
I heard the gospel!
There was a Christian family near my house, and I had some work with them. I went to their home, that day was May 21st 2000. My neighbor shared the Gospel with me. I confessed as well I repented of my sins. I put my faith in Christ. He gave me the Bible in my native language. Every day, I read the Bible in secret, because I was so scared of my father. I was going to church without my father knowing it. I kept my Bible hidden in my shirt while I was going to church. After 3 years, I was baptized. Finally, my father got the information that I was following Christ. There were so many arguments between me and my father, I said to my father, whatever you do, I would follow Christ. I was mocked by friends and relatives, they are still teasing me because of my faith. I don't care, I shared the gospel with my cousins, relatives and friends. Leaving things in God's hands. In my village, we have a Brethren denomination church. I grew up in that church.
