A Chinese face. An Indian name. An adopted child no one truly wanted, Indyrany Kannaiya grew up timid and lost. She was often left to fend for herself. One day, she came home from school hungry, only to find the pot of rice she'd cooked that morning filled with ants. Through tears, she gulped the insect-infested grains down.
When she reached Form 6, Indy left her hometown of Kemaman, Terengganu, for Kuantan. She became a teacher because of her teachers, Mr. Yap Kok Keong and Mrs. Lily Yap. Over home-cooked dinners and unhurried conversations about God and the Bible, Indy found the love and care her heart yearned for. "Many of my questions on identity and sense of belonging were answered when the Lord found me," she remembers.
The years rolled by, and Indy was content.
But a gentle tugging began, by others and then God Himself, to step out of the classroom for a little office: Teachers' Christian Fellowship (TCF) Malaysia. She struggled for years, but eventually yielded. She was 35 when she began her journey with TCF Malaysia, and for three decades she walked every day from her apartment to the office, a short walk between two blocks.
Along the windows and entrance are plants of all shapes and sizes. Their bright, varying shades of greens glow with life. Indy would care tenderly for the plants, watering them daily and beaming with joy whenever new shoots appeared. To cultivate life became her call.
"I committed to serving for one term (three years), but the three years became 30," she said with a gentle smile. Looking back, it was no sacrifice. Although there were days both lonely and difficult, the opportunity to walk with hundreds of Christian teachers through their struggles, heartaches, and isolation was what she was made for.
Last year, Indy handed the reins over to the next generation. But she knows this is still her lane, to faithfully walk alongside Christian teachers. She has never fallen in love nor desired marriage, but she has found her family. She has lifelong friends who've stood with her through thick and thin. She has 'children' (teachers she journeyed with from the start) who now call her Mama, 'grandchildren' who call her Poh Poh Indy.
"I feel so loved," she says simply as she reflects on her life. I look at this giant of faith, armed with a tender heart and the wisdom of lived experience. She radiates warmth in every word she speaks, and brings peace into the room.
Once lost, now found. Her cup runs over.
