Chapel services at Paya Lebar Methodist School helped Dr Rachel Rajagopal, a Singaporean Christian from a Hindu background, to understand the message of the gospel and at the age of 13 she accepted Jesus as her saviour.
Nearly two decades later, when she was part of a discipleship group with 11 others led by her church leader, Dr Rajagopal understood that she also needed to make Jesus Christ her Lord.
Changed priorities
Her priorities shifted as she placed Jesus as her absolute authority and God began to open doors for further education – starting with short certified courses, leading to her gaining a masters degree in Education and Intercultural Studies from Singapore Bible College.
Prior to this change in her life Dr Rajagopal had been in various professions, including in the Singapore Armed Forces where she was a lieutenant and for six years a platoon commander, training female recruits. She was also a staff officer in both the Navy and Joint Operations and Planning. In addition, Dr Rajagopal has a DMin from Tabor College, Adelaide, Australia, and she spent ten years with Biblical Education by Extension, Korea, training pastors and leaders before God spoke to her clearly and brought further significant change to her life.
In 2012, Dr Rajagopal founded Faith Ablaze International Ministries (FAIM) in obedience to God’s leading, but ‘with fear and trembling’. She had only God’s words to hold on to: ‘Cling onto me and I will lead you’ as she travelled to the nations, relocating to Honduras, Central America. FAIM is an intercultural team of volunteers from Africa, Asia and Latin America. They use discipleship, leadership and evangelism seminars to spread God’s Word and invest their lives in the next generation of pastors and leaders, so that people are equipped to live Christ-centred lives for God’s glory. Rachel describes them as ‘a small outfit with a big heart for the nations’. The FAIM team are on a wonderful journey following God. Recently, they were able to share the gospel on the radio in Ghana and Uganda and they also have a large social media presence.
Dr Rajagopal said: ‘We truly believe in the Great Commission and hope that we will be daily blessings to thousands with our God-given gifts’.
