Most mornings Scott Smith begins his workday the same way many truck drivers do: waking up before sunrise, climbing into his truck, and preparing for the long miles ahead. But for Smith, those early hours have also become a meeting place that stretches nearly halfway around the world.

For months now, Smith has spent his mornings on WhatsApp calls with a man he has never met in person, leading Bible studies while driving the Kentucky, United States, highways. On the other end of the call, more than 8,000 miles (almost 13,000 kilometers) away in Maharashtra, India, Prakash Patil[*] listens, studies, and teaches others in his community what he is learning.

“It all started with a simple message,” said Smith. “[Patil] reached out and said, ‘Hello, brother. God bless you and your family. Please pray for my ministry.’ ”

Beginning the conversation

The message arrived through Facebook. Patil, a Christian preacher working in a region where Christianity represents only a small fraction of the population, had been introduced to Smith indirectly through Jayah Shah, an Indian national who previously attended the Leitchfield, Kentucky, church, where Smith is a member. Believing the two men would connect, Shah shared their Facebook information.

“She was right,” said Smith. “When [Patil] asked me to pray for his ministry, I wanted to know more, and he told me he taught children in his community about Jesus.”

Smith said the timing of the message stood out. He first received it while attending the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference camp meeting in 2025, where days of sermons and fellowship had already focused his attention on mission. When Patil reached out asking for prayer, Smith followed up almost immediately, calling him later that same week while camp meeting was still underway.

During one of their earliest conversations, Smith, who learned about the Sabbath through personal Bible study in 2016, asked Patil whether he was familiar with the biblical teaching. Patil was not, and he asked Smith to teach him.

“That was all I needed to hear,” said Smith, adding that the moment reminded him of the Ethiopian man in the Bible who asked for guidance as he studied Scripture.

Studying on the road

With a 10-hour time difference between Kentucky and India, the two began regular Bible studies during camp meeting and continued them afterward, with Smith calling from his truck in the morning as Patil listened from his home late into the evening. The studies often lasted more than an hour, and within a week and a half Patil reached a conviction that reshaped his personal ministry.

“When I first began studying the Bible with Brother Scott, I didn’t understand the beautiful truth about the Sabbath,” said Patil. “I was eager to learn what it meant and why it matters for prayer and worship. As I studied Scripture every day with Brother Scott, I came to understand its purpose and blessings, and I knew I needed to share what I was learning with my people.”

Smith said he was struck by how quickly Patil responded to what he was learning.

“He had a large sign made with Exodus 20:8 on it, ‘Remember the Sabbathday, to keep it holy,’ and had it hung inside his place of ministry,” said Smith. “I was impressed.”

Smith said he encouraged Patil to take the next step by sharing Scripture even more broadly.

“I told him, ‘You know what you need to do? Go back to the printshop',” said Smith. “I told him I would send him Bible verses to print in English, Marathi, and Hindi, and hand out. But he told me he couldn’t do that because of persecution in the area.”

Serving in a vulnerable place

According to Patil, his ministry operates under constant caution. In his region openly evangelizing among adults can bring serious consequences, and distributing printed religious materials can be dangerous. Because of those risks, he and his wife, Meena, have focused much of their outreach on feeding children in their impoverished neighborhood, many of whom come from Hindu or Muslim families.

“There are limits to what we can do publicly,” said Patil. “We must think carefully about every step, so we serve families in ways that bring help without creating danger.”

Through the children, Patil has seen faith begin to reach entire families. Parents initially send their children because they know food will be available. Over time, as children return home talking about what they have learned, parents grow curious and begin asking questions themselves.

“Today we are seeing great blessings and growing in the Word,” said Patil. “It is a small beginning. Sometimes I struggle to answer people’s questions, so I fast and pray for guidance, and I see how God continues to help us, including through Brother Scott, who also provides guidance.”

In addition, each Saturday the couple prepares a warm vegetarian meal for adults in the village who come hungry. Along with the food, they share prayer and Bible lessons. In his village, Patil said, eating every day is considered a sign of wealth.

“So I may be poor with food,” said Patil, “but I am rich in Jesus.”

As Smith learned more about Patil’s ministry and the challenges it faced, he decided the situation was something his own congregation needed to hear. After learning of Patil’s story, the Leitchfield church members agreed to provide support by helping fund meals, school supplies for the children, and items needed for worship.

Continuing the work

About six months after Smith and Patil first connected in November 2025, donations from members of Leitchfield church made it possible for Patil to purchase a Communion set and host a shared meal for his community. Later the group traveled about an hour to the nearest Seventh-day Adventist church, where six people from Patil’s community were baptized.

“I know [God] is changing lives and there is rejoicing in heaven,” said Patil. “My family and the people in my church have understood the blessing and truth. That day [of the baptisms] reminded me that God is with us.”

Leitchfield church members continue taking weekly offering to support Patil’s ministry, and as of January 2026 four members of his community continue to study the Bible in preparation for baptism.

Sometimes after Smith’s long workdays and hours of driving, he will arrive home, put on a suit, and tune in as a guest preacher for Patil’s Bible study group. He said the experience has reinforced his belief that God works through those who are willing to respond.

“I’m nobody,” said Smith. “I’m just a rusty old nail on the wall that I pray people can see a picture of Jesus hung on. . . . I didn’t go looking halfway across the world [for Patil]. He came looking over here. He knocked on the door. All I did was open it.”

The original article was published on the Southern Union Conference news site, Southern Tidings.

[*] The name has been changed for safety.