Inspiration in the Nations: Lynette from India
By Joy Teague Matienzo
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received came from my friend, Lynette. During a casual conversation I expressed my irritation at having to wash dishes all the time. Her slightly amused response was, “There’s a simple solution. Separate your emotions from the action and you won’t mind doing it.” This advice has come back to me many, many times since then. Why waste your emotions on small things that will only steal your joy? Lynette walks the talk and many lives have been changed by Jesus through her wisdom and example.
Joy: Hi Lynette, please tell our readers where you are from and how old you are?
Lynette: Sure, I’m 55 and from Mumbai, India
Joy: Can you share about where you met your husband and how you ended up moving from Mumbai to Dubai?
Lynette: I met Kevin when he moved to Mumbai for his first job and was living with my grandmother till he found a place. His family was very close to my uncle (a priest in Allahabad) who connected him with us. Our first years of marriage we lived in Allahabad.
After 4 years of marriage we came to know Christ and began serving faithfully in the church there. We were happy, but always felt that God wanted more for us. So in faith, Kevin applied for various jobs in Mumbai, Kolkata and for one in Dubai. He got the Mumbai and Kolkata jobs immediately and we moved to Mumbai.
About six months later the company in Dubai offered him the job. Kevin rejected the offer because he had a good position in Citibank but the head of HR in the Dubai company kept calling him. Even though he had clearly said he didn’t want the job, the HR person, bypassed all their procedures and sent him a visa. We then began to pray and ask if this was from God. It was the end of 1994 and a plague hit the state of Gujarat in India. All international airlines suspended their flights the week Kevin accepted the offer. It would be a few months before he was put on the very first flight to Dubai out of India.
Joy: What were some of the challenges and benefits working as a professional in another country?
Lynette: Dubai has a large Indian population so it was not difficult to settle there. The cost of living was much higher and we quickly realised that his salary that looked good when he converted it into Indian Rupees was barely enough for us to survive. I started working and it was a big challenge that we didn’t have the help and support of family around us. Even though the workforce in the country is mostly expatriate, the United Arab Emirates has very different standards for Caucasians and Asians. Our salaries were lower than white people, we had different lines in the airport at Immigration, phone calls to India were 5 times the cost of calling the UK. In addition, being a strict Muslim nation, it was difficult to find a church. We found a Baptist church but two years later it shut down. Then one day I met a girl at a party that was from Every Nation church. They were renting a hall inside the Anglican church. One would never know about it except through word of mouth.
Joy: Was there a specific incident or word from God to you personally that made you consider moving back to Mumbai to start an Every Nation church?
Lynette: Yes, there was! Over the years we were doing very well in our careers. Kevin was a Product Manager in a large company dealing in office automation. I had a good job in the Government of Dubai and if at all we thought of moving out of the country, it would be to Australia or Canada. A lot of Asians were doing that because the UAE doesn’t offer you citizenship even if you live there all your life. In 2002 we were attending a conference in the Philippines when we clearly heard God say to step out of the boat. The word we got was Matthew 14:27-29.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said.
Our boat was our financial abundance and careers. God clearly asked us who our provider was – the job or Him. Of course, we all know the answer to that!
Joy: How long have you been in Mumbai now and what kind of ministry do you do?
Lynette: For the last 13 years, we have been reaching students with the Gospel. The age group of 15-25 asks the most questions of what they are supposed to believe and is also the least stuck in the traditions of the family.
Our aim is to reach the lost, not make a better experience for the already saved. So our church services and outreach events are largely casual and friendly. We make it easy for a girl in hijab to feel she fits in, as much as a guy who doesn’t speak very good English, or an unmarried couple that are living together. Our church has people from Hindu, Muslim and other Christian backgrounds. In Mumbai the north east Indians are marginalised because they look so different and have a different culture. When word got around that Every Nation Mumbai is a place where they would be comfortable, they started bringing their friends and we have a large percentage of people from there.
We also believe in serving our community. Right from the start, we used every opportunity we had to show love and acceptance to homeless children that lived on the open beach across from one of the college campuses we used to frequent. We moved on to serving girls in an orphanage and then children of sex workers in brothels. Most of these kids have never had people just love them for no reason. We give them a fun meal (noodles are always a favourite), tell stories, get them gifts, sing and dance with them. We have had medical camps for the children in the brothel.
Joy: How have you dealt with the challenge of ministry during the current pandemic when it is not possible to be with people face to face?
Lynette: During the quarantine, our church has been meeting online. We started having our worship services on YouTube, but have now moved to Zoom. When the pandemic struck India, we started 3 days of prayer and fasting. We had our prayer meetings on Zoom for the first time ever. What began as a 3 day prayer meeting went on every day for 14 weeks. We began with about 10-15 people and have crossed 100 several times. People began sending their friends the link and out of that we have begun a Saturday night service with people from 20 different cities in India. We have also had opportunities to provide PPE for hospitals and food for families in need.
Joy: What has been your favorite part about the ministry that you do? What do you find the most difficult?
Lynette: My favourite part is discussing the Bible with unbelievers and Christians. I love making the Word of God simple and applicable for people to understand and obey. The most difficult is raising support (thankfully my husband looks after that) and to begin a spiritual conversation with someone who has no interest in it.
Joy: Is there a scripture that has meant a lot to you over the years or especially at the moment?
Lynette: Psalm 139 has been my favourite scripture since 1993 when I first read it as a new believer. I discovered I was pregnant and wanted to have an abortion because I thought we wouldn’t be able to provide for 3 children. On the morning of the appointment, God showed us this psalm and I immediately knew I could not take a life. From the beginning of this year, God has brought 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 to me over and over again. It is my word for this year.16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit.
Joy: Is there a time that really sticks out in your memory of when you were encouraged by/supported/lifted up by other women in your life?
Lynette: At the conference when I first heard God leading us to return to India and start the ministry, I met a woman who prayed for me. When I told her about my fears she did not try to belittle them, but assured me that God would always provide for us. Since then, I have had the support of many women who have been a shoulder to cry on, someone to make me laugh and many who have encouraged me through the different seasons of life. God has blessed me with great relationships in India and abroad who pray for us and support us emotionally.
Joy: I’ve known your kids since they were young and it’s been amazing seeing them grow up into adults that love God and love people. Can you tell us about what they are up to these days?
Lynette: I have three children – two girls and the youngest is a boy. My oldest daughter is 30 and lives in Australia with her husband and one year old baby girl. She is a lawyer and was working in recruitment and training, but gave it up when she had the baby. I love video calling and watching her learn to walk and talk.
My second daughter is 27 and just got married in January. She has a degree in scientific clinical research and works in a company that provides app based health advice to the lower income group on improving their diets, parenting skills, etc.
My son is 25 and is an Economics and Social Development graduate who works for a foundation providing training and skills to help people with less opportunities become more valuable in the marketplace and become financially secure.
All three of them love God and serve him sacrificially – in the music ministry, generously with their finances and with their time. My son lives on very little so that he can give almost half his salary for missions.
Joy: What is your favorite thing to do on a free afternoon?
I don’t get many free afternoons but when I do, I enjoy sitting at a coffee shop and reading.
Joy: What are some important things that you think people should know about India?
Lynette: India is more famous for its poverty than anything else. We are a rich country with a population that is too big to be properly supported by the economy. I believe the Indian mind is the sharpest in the world and if people had the resources to get the best education and opportunities we would be unstoppable. I love the diversity of our nation – native Indians are of many different races. We have light skinned and blue eyed people in the north, people who look Chinese or Thai, the more well known brown skinned people and even some regions where people look distinctly African. All have coexisted in India for millennia. I also like the fact that we are very aware of our ethnicity and have grown up knowing our ancestry back to the 17th century.
Joy: I’ve eaten your food and it was fantastic! Would you be willing to share a recipe that either you love to make or your family often requests?
Lynette: I love to cook and we enjoy varied cuisines, so my recipes are not always Indian. But here is my mother’s specialty – an Indian cookie called a nankhatai. And after that is my own super easy to make Curry recipe.
BOMBAY NANA’S NANKHATAIS
600 g all purpose flour
400 g ghee (clarified butter)
400 g sugar
Pinch of baking powder
Cardamom powder
Beat the sugar and ghee very well until creamy and the sugar is dissolved.
Add the flour, cardamom and baking powder and mix gently.
Make into small flat cookies and place them an inch apart on a greased baking tray.
Bake at 180 C for about 7-10 minutes until the bottom is slightly brown and the tops have just changed colour.
SIMPLE CHICKEN CURRY
1 kg chicken with bones cut into small / medium pieces
100 g plain yoghurt
A handful of blanched almonds or cashew nuts ground to a paste
2 large onions chopped
Chilli powder, coriander powder, cumin, turmeric, pepper and garam masala
A heaped teaspoon each of chopped ginger and garlic
A few cloves, a stick of cinnamon, 6 cardamom pods
1 large tomato chopped
Sauteé the cloves, cinnamon and cardamom for a minute.
Add the onions and saute till light golden.
Add the ginger and garlic and the spice powders and saute for a few minutes.
When the spices give out a nice aroma and the garlic smells good, add the chicken and salt to taste. Turn up the heat and let it release its juices.
Add the yoghurt and tomato and allow it to cook covered on a low flame till the chicken is almost done (about 10-15 minutes). Add the nut paste and adjust seasonings.
Can be served with rice or chapati/roti/tortillas.
