We were expelled from East Africa, so we arrived as refugees in London
My name is Ram, and this is my story of food and faith
When I was growing up, I grew up in a Hindu family, but we were also worshippers at the Sikh temple
And the school they sent me to was a Muslim school
So I had these three faith traditions very much part of my childhood upbringing"
But the one faith that was really, not quite formally taboo, but never looked upon kindly, was the Christian faith"
I started reading this book, 'Good News for Modern Man', and as I read it, I must confess that I got to the Book of Revelation, chapter three, verse 20, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock
If anyone opens the door, I will come in "and eat with him and he with me
Now that really meant a lot to me
Food is something I was brought up with in the different cultures I was brought up with
Food was the point of engagement
I haven't come across that kind of expression of a god who eats with me
And I said the very simple prayer, got on my knees, and accepted Jesus as my saviour
My first non"
vegetarian meal during the week, I decided to try roast beef and Yorkshire pudding at the canteen"
So I went and got it, and sat down, and a Sri Lankan friend sat across from me, and he looked at it, and he said, "Your name is Ram, isn't it"
I said, "Yes"
He said, "You are from a Hindu family, Hindu background"
What are you doing eating roast beef and Yorkshire pudding"
Roast beef
I said, "Oh, I must tell you, I've accepted Jesus, "and I've read the Bible, and the Bible says "if you pray over your food and give thanks, "you can eat anything
When I then told my mum that I'd become a follower of Jesus, she looked shocked, she looked amazed, she couldn't comprehend that this kind of switching was possible
But I suppose what I found was so precious and so special, I just kept at it
And if I fast
forward to today, over 50 members of my family have become followers of Jesus
To take that bold step of inviting somebody in, say, "Come and see me, let's have this meal together," and using food as a means of communicating, once they start, once they engage over a meal, a meal is a very special and precious time to engage, interact, and build relationships with integrity, and let it take its time
