By Karissa Martin
He’s been
away from his biological family for the past five years, but Joseph Sharon, 28,
has found support through his church community.
“I’ve lived
all of my life with my family,” said Sharon of his 24 years in Hyderabad. “For
me, moving from my family was a big change, so there’s loneliness most of the
time, and, also, there’s a part of you that has been missing.”
Sharon
moved to the U.S. from India in Aug. 2007 to pursue his Master of Divinity
degree at Moody Theological Seminary. He said that it has always been a dream
of his to attend Bible college in the U.S.
Thousands
of singles relocate to the United States every year, many of those from India.
According to the Office of Immigration Statistics, in 2010, 69,162 residents of
India relocated to the United States.
Growing up,
and still today, Sharon’s father, Samuel Devraj Perumal, was a pastor. The
whole family, including his mother, Grace Perumal, and younger brother and
sister, Joel and Deborah Sharon, were very involved in the church community.
“We are like
seventh generation Christians,” said Sharon. “That’s very rare in India.”
After
obtaining a bachelor’s degree in computer applications and a master’s in
information technology, Sharon said he decided it was time to pursue his dream
of coming to the U.S. However, his relationship with his family could not be the
same as in India.
“They used
to know everything about my life,” Sharon said of his family. “I don’t interact
with them so much now, but they’re very curious to know what’s happening in my
life,” he said.
Due to the
culture that Sharon grew up in, he said that it has been really hard for him to
be away from his family.
“As the
oldest son you actually are responsible to take care of your family, so you basically
live with them all of your life…the people that you love and that you take care
of,” he said. “That’s been a hard struggle,” Sharon said of being away from his
family.
Though his
family can’t be with him all the time, they have still been able to see his
transformation over the past few years through talking with him on the phone
and his occasional visits back home.
“We feel
more maturity in his attitude, thinking, and life style,” said his father in an
email.
This growth
would not be possible without the support he’s received from his church
community.
When he
arrived at Moody, Sharon said that he got involved with the church right away.
He said that a church family is very important to him to stay connected with
his religion.
“It would
be really hard for me to be able to, especially, address the spiritual needs
for myself,” Sharon said. “It’s not that I cannot live without a church family,
but I think it would be very difficult to relate to people that you are not
spiritually connected with.”
Sharon is a
member of the Armitage Baptist Church near where he lives in Logan Square.
Sharon said that he has made close friends and found a mentor, Pastor Steve
Laughlin, in this church community. Laughlin met Sharon in Aug. 2011, and
Sharon soon joined the small church group of young men led by Laughlin.
“They
really love each other; they’re really well connected,” said Laughlin of the 12
to 15 young men who attend the small group meetings each week. “It’s really
become a really good group of guys. They’re all pretty serious about their
faith, and they’re pretty serious about supporting each other as well.”
Laughlin
said that Sharon has made strong connections at Armitage by initiating gatherings
after church as well as throughout the week. During a recent weekend, he even
went camping with some of the young men in the congregation. Laughlin said that
Sharon has really made himself a part of the community.
But, after
Sharon graduates from Moody in May 2013, he said that he plans to return to
India to make use of his education.
“I’m going
to go back to India to teach and train pastors as well as to raise the next
generation of Christian leaders in India,” Sharon said.
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