BY MARYBETH HORSTMAN
Imagine walking through a crowded city in a foreign country. You’ve been there for a while but haven’t once heard your language. Then, a single word or phrase drifts through the people and, for once, you understand.
Language connects people in powerful ways, which is why John Paul (JP) Sundararajan and Audio Scripture Ministries, a Bible translation ministry, put in countless hours to bring God’s word to people in their own languages.
Sundararajan’s journey to this position took him halfway around the world from Bangalore, India, to Northwestern College. As a fourth-grader, he dreamed of becoming a medical missionary and worked toward this goal with tenacity. As he approached high school graduation, Sundararajan said he applied to various medical schools in India as well as a teeny tiny private college halfway across the world because of family ties. In the end, however, due to financial reasons his best option was the place half a world away; NW. He said he was hesitant but went anyway. While at NW, he discovered that God had plans for him outside of the medical field.
Upon graduation from NW, Sundararajan decided to go to Western Theological Seminary. While there, he began leading a youth group that flourished more than he could have imagined.
Then, God put another twist in his plan. Sundararajan said he was called back to India, where his experience as a youth director wasn’t in high demand. However, there was a huge need for tech support. At that time, Audio Scriptures in India only had one floppy disk Bible and a room full of ancient and problematic computers.
“God, these people don’t need me, they need tech support,” Sundararajan said he remembers thinking.
But God had sent him, so he got to work.
There was a lot of work to do. All over India, families and tribes have their own languages, spoken only by those nearest and dearest to them.
When Sundararajan first arrived in the U.S., people would always ask him one question: “What language do you speak?”
“Well, my brother and I speak English to each other, but my parents speak a dialect only my family speaks,” Sundararajan would sat. “If you speak this language, we’re related.”
This phenomenon creates an opportunity for God to become even more personal. Even though it can take 30-plus years to fully translate the Bible into another language, Audio Scriptures’ mission is to bring the word of God to people across the world in their own languages. So far, they have reached 26,000 families. For many tribes, this audio Bible contains the first – ever recording of their language.
Sundararajan said he loves what he does because he “gets a front-row seat to the greatest show on earth.” Then, after he has witnessed God at work, he comes back to the U.S., and travels to Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota, Michigan and beyond to tell people what God is doing, and illustrate God’s work through powerful stories.
People often wonder if Sundararajan exaggerates his stories to make them more interesting, but the reality is, he said, “If I told you stories like they actually happened, you wouldn’t believe me. I have to distill it for educated people because they’re so skeptical.”
These stories hold great power, yet they are often so simple. One woman, kicked out of her house because of her faith, slept in the trees. During honey season, bears would harass her, but her faith allowed her to look these creatures in the eye and say, “I know your Creator. You can’t hurt me.” Imagine being able to give this woman a Bible and seeing her face as she listens to God’s word in her own language.
Married with two children and living in Michigan, Sundararajan simply wants God to use him.
“I’m just an average guy,” Sundararajan said. “I look at myself as not being especially gifted in any way. I’m just an average guy who’s available. I don’t take credit for the ministry; I’m privileged to join God in what he’s already doing.”
Sundararajan said he never separates his life and his ministry. His life and God’s plan form a beautiful dance to an eternal rhythm.
