Meet Moses and Priya

Moses and Priya, tell us about your family.

We are a family of four. Priya and I have been married for the past twenty years and we have a nineteen-year-old son, Aden, and a 16-year-old daughter, Abigail. Aden is studying Marketing, quite a martial artist, easy going, and looking into modelling. Abigail, on the other hand, is doing her Year 11, quite fascinated with reading books, enjoys nature and art, loves hanging around with her close friends, and is interested in medical sciences. We love our children and appreciate them, as they try hard to be as respectful and loving to us, as much as they can be. Then there is our adorable Siberian husky, Zeke, who keeps us smiling with his legendary howling which sounds hilarious. He is quite energetic and playful and keeps running around the house—this is an entertainment in itself. We currently live in Box Hill and enjoy the company of our friends and neighbours who live close to us. We enjoy socialising by catching up for tea, lunches or dinners, watching movies together, playing fun sports together, and sharing our lives with the community.

What does a typical week look like for you both?

Priya and I both work in IT and, by God’s grace, we both work from home most of the time. It gives us quality time to catch up in during breaks or have lunches together, enabling us to have that work-life balance. This also gives us that extra bit of time to facilitate our kids’ commute to school and university. Some of the best conversations with them are during the pickup and drops, and I find them very valuable. We discuss inter-generational aspects, interests and views, their aspirations, their faith journey, culture, community, world views, politics, sport, and other general things. It feels like we are real friends with them in those moments. Our flexible work arrangement also enables us to catch up with friends and neighbours during weekdays and to have that deep association with them—sometimes in the local parks or cafes and sometimes at their homes.

Sunday is one of the best days we look forward to, because we get to be in church. We’re always excited to know more about Jesus, his life and teachings, and his love towards others. We enjoy singing in devotion and learning life applications from the talks. We are always thankful for all the wonderful things Jesus has given us and encouraged by the compassion he had for everyone. There is a great joy in meeting with our church friends. The fellowship feels like one large family.

My wife also has her own time with her old and new friends in a monthly meet, where they connect and have a great quality time together. I have my own monthly coffee catchup at Rouse Hill with a group of friends from different local suburbs—enjoying and having fun and doing life together.

What do you enjoy doing together as family on a day off?

We love to dine together at a few places for steaks, Korean barbeques, Cantonese food, and Indian Biryani. We always love enjoying a feast of food, family time, and laughter; it need not have any occasion to do it. Sometimes, it’s the other way around: we might cook Thai, Italian, or Mexican food at home. Or we might watch a movie or a television series that the kids want to watch, play cards, and have those light and fun moments at home, together with our lovely husky.

If we have a long weekend, we like to go around travelling to experience nature in scenic local places. We also don’t mind driving interstate, as our country is blessed with so many tourist places and beaches. Some of these places include Hunter Valley, Central Coast, Gold Coast, Snowy mountains, Tatra, Melbourne, and Cairns. We also aspire to travel the other Australian tourist attraction spots in the Northern Territory, Southern Australia, and Western Australia.

What are the things you appreciate the most about living in the Box Hill area?

Priya: We feel truly blessed to be living in the Box Hill area. What we appreciate most is the warmth and kindness of the people around us; the sense of community is genuine and welcoming. The suburb itself is quiet, peaceful, and serene, providing a wonderful environment for family life. Being close to our church is especially meaningful to us, as it keeps us connected in faith and our church family.

Moses: I appreciate that the people in Box Hill area are very friendly. We usually have very good conversations, and these often eventually turn into catch-ups with our families and kids. The community is also very sensitive to others and raises issues where needed. I had a very personal experience where one of my neighbours helped me at an odd hour when I had a flat car tyre. He himself had been attending to a personal family errand, and he went out of his way to assist me. I think this reflects real care and concern for each other and helps to create a good sense of community.

How long have you been Christian, and who was it that first told you about Jesus?

Priya: I have been a Christian all my life, having been brought up in a Christian family. My grandparents were among the first converts in their village and served as pastors, faithfully preaching the Word of God and bringing many to know the love of Jesus. My mother has been a deeply committed believer, and it is through her that the love of Christ was instilled in me from a very young age. I cannot imagine a time in my life when I did not know about Jesus. My mother made sure that my faith was nurtured and grounded from childhood.

Moses: I grew up as a Christian from birth, and my grandfather was an Anglican priest back in India. My personal faith encounter was not until I was seventeen years old as I navigated through life with young friends attending college, playing cricket, hanging out with friends at movies, parties, and other social events. I began struggling to find my life purpose, my successes could not fulfil me, and I could not reason my failures. I was following religion and law, which were only condemning me, rather than a personal relationship with Christ. I came to accept Christ when I was attended youth group and learnt the compassion of Christ—his life and his sacrifice. Life is always challenging, and following Christ was the only thing that gave me an unknown peace, joy, the knowledge that I was loved, and a purpose that none of the worldly things could give me.

What’s something that has encouraged you from God’s word recently?

Priya: We’ve recently been going through the book of Acts, and it’s been really encouraging for me. I’m so grateful to see how God, in His grace, extended his love and the gift of salvation to the Gentiles. Reading about the early church has inspired me, and I pray that God gives me boldness each day to share the love of Christ with others.

Moses: I’ve reading the book of Romans, especially the way it explains that the core of human sin is the cause of our physical and spiritual death. The truth is that God, being a perfect righteous being, cannot abide with humans ,whose nature is sinful. The only way it’s possible be redeemed is for a perfect righteous and sinless person to be sacrificed, to shed blood for the sinful to free them from this bondage and separation from God. The example of Christ, though being the son of God, dying for mortal humans makes me so thankful and full of gratitude. What can I offer in return? My very own my life as a living sacrifice. (Romans 12:2)

What are your hopes for your family?

Our desire is that we love Christ above all, and that we can show his love to all those God has put in our lives. We hope our children model their lives around Jesus, loving, sacrificing, and helping others like Jesus did—whether it be with friends, neighbours, the church family, strangers, or anyone else. That they hold true virtues and values that the scripture teaches throughout their lives. That they faithfully and joyfully serve the Church in every way they can.

And lastly, is there an amusing and/or strange fact about yourselves that you’d be happy to share with us?

Priya: I’ve always enjoyed playing Sudoku since my teenage years, and it’s been fun to see my kids pick it up and enjoy it as well.

Moses: What’s amusing is that I can excel in challenging and complex situations, but I struggle to reason simple things. I’m glad I have a spouse who helps me, although she herself can still handle complex things that I cannot. I seek wisdom from God to give me the balance.

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