Burning Passion For Lost Souls by AradhanaThakor

My dad was an ordinary man with an extraordinary vision from God. He was the founder of the Prison Fellowship of Maharashtra and gave his very heart and soul to his prison ministry of thirty-eight years in India. He labored on behalf of his Savior and only lived to carry out this task He gave him till the very end. A restless teenager who had given up on life, he was on the verge of committing suicide in 1973; the Lord went searching for that restless, lost sheep and brought him to His loving fold, for the Lord had a specific purpose for his life. As he grew in the Word, The Holy Spirit made him soft-hearted and sensitive to the needs of others.

During 1980, he prayed, “Lord, you have done so much for me, what shall I do for thee?” He explained this stage in his life, “My heart used to burn within me when I read or heard accounts of various crimes. I used to think if that person knew the Gospel, he wouldn’t have committed such heinous crimes. Whenever I read about a murderer in the newspaper, I wanted so much to meet him and tell him about Jesus! I found myself praying for these criminals, “Lord, lead me please to these fallen people so I can tell them about your love. You are a Sovereign God; please put me in the place where I can contact such men.”

In September 1981, after much travailing in prayer, the Spirit of God whispered, “They’re all concentrated in one place: the prisons. Go and visit them there.” Dad said, “during that time, God spoke to me definitely through Ezekiel 3:7–19, Isaiah 61:1–3, and 1 Chronicles 28:10.”

This was a brand new and exhilarating thought. It was like looking at lofty snow-clad mountain peaks. Their sinister icy cold grandeur was overwhelming, but at the same time, their glory crowned summits were beckoning him! After much prayers and confiding in God, he went to the nearest Yerwada Central Jail, which is the largest in the state, and asked to speak to the superintendent of the prison. “I was terrified,” he confessed. “But when I got to his door, I felt strangely at peace. The Spirit of God gave me boldness.” He told the Hindu superintendent, “God has given me the vision to speak about God’s love to the prisoners.” He boldly suggested that he’d like to hold a meeting and tell the prisoners what Jesus had done for him. The superintendent was impressed and said, “What you are doing is a very good thing! Even I believe in Jesus Christ!” He was asked to file a written application and to his great joy, permission was granted two days later.

On September 8, 1981, the very first meeting of this kind took place in Yerwada Central Jail, Pune. “I was extremely excited the first time. It was the most thrilling experience of my life,” he said, “700 prisoners were sitting there!” He opened his message by asking them, “How many of you have heard of Jesus Christ?” Only 5 prisoners raised their hands. Unafraid and undaunted, he spoke of the unconditional love of God and how much God loved them, right then and there. He told them that God wanted to forgive them. Although He hates sin, He loves the sinner! He sent his only Son to die for our sins and that He came down as a token of God’s unconditional love for us. “It was the first time anyone had told them that,” he said. “About 50 prisoners came forward to accept Christ as soon as I gave an altar call. Some came forward and wept like a child. You could tell that God was speaking to them from that very first meeting.”

During his second visit, he was permitted to go to the solitary confinement block. There was a prisoner there at the time who had received a 46-year sentence. He was not permitted to speak to him but instead quietly placed a Gideon’s New Testament at his cell. The superintendent described him as “One of the most troublesome in the prison.” He was prohibited from mingling with the other inmates. With multiple fights and escape attempts, there was little hope for him. Since there was nothing to do in solitary confinement, he began reading the New Testament like a storybook. For the first time, he realized what a sinner he was. When he read the Crucifixion story, he wept uncontrollably, realizing Jesus had died for his sins. He wrote his powerful testimony in Hindi and sent it to my dad and thereby started to grow in the Lord.

From conducting regular Sunday service every week in Yerwada Central Jail, permission was granted to visit the whole State of Maharashtra: 48 jails! Of course, this came at a price. It took long travailing in prayers, midnight tears, and sacrifices on his part to obtain this permission from the Government. Over the years we have received countless letters from inmates all over Maharashtra. Some of these letters informed us about the transformation in their lives after hearing the Word of God for the first time, or how Jesus answered their prayers and how they are growing in faith. It is just heartwarming to read such letters. During this long journey, I have observed that prisoners are very hungry and receptive to the Word of God. They are often forgotten, despised, and abandoned by their kith and kin. They have to face numerous hardships during their sentence and are constantly overcome by guilt, hate, anger, and bitterness. In this state, when they hear about the love of Christ and His sacrifice for them, their hearts are flung wide open by the Holy Spirit; they repent and weep like a child. Jesus even died for the most notorious and deadly criminals. Oh, could we ever fathom the love of Christ!

I used to be left speechless and in awe at my dad’s enthusiasm in which he served the Lord, especially in the years of his ailing health. He would go in his wheelchair to visit the prisons with the same enthusiasm and passion for souls he had in his younger days. How amazing our Lord truly is! When He tells you to do something for Him, He even provides the desire, power, and will to carry it out till the very end. The Lord kept this wonderful ministry afloat till today. What glorious grace! How beautiful His mercy! God gave my Dad a vision to proclaim His name to the prisoners crying alone in their dark cells, with no one to wipe their tears, and who are tormented by Satan. God turned this vision into a burden in his heart, and later He allowed this burden to ache so deep within him it became his only passion. He would never miss any chance to share the Gospel, and he took advantage of every single opportunity he got. The last and final gospel he shared was at the hospital in which he was admitted with tubes in his neck and nose. Such was my dad, Pastor Deepak Tribhuvan, “a man with a burning passion for lost souls.”

My Savior’s Heart Oh! For Thy love that will not let me be still I come to thee to surrender all my will My broken heart I give thee Make me see what breaketh thee Thou showeth me Thy bleeding heart for the lost Oh Lord! I bow to thee no matter how great the cost

In the early morning hours of August 26, 2019, it pleased His Dear Savior to call him unto Himself. The nudge of the Holy Spirit was too great, and my hands could not stop writing about this wonderful ministry of 38 years. I was led by the Lord to pen down a heartwarming memoir this year in which I have included life-changing testimonies of prisoners. I named it, “Burning Passion for Lost Souls.”

Aradhana Thakor is from India and lives with her husband in Calgary, Canada. “Burning Passion for Lost Souls” is her debut non-fiction book. This book takes you on a thrilling and emotional journey of one man’s burning passion for lost souls behind bars. This beautiful journey is seen through the eyes of a daughter which she narrates in the form of poetry that uplifts and warms your soul. As you go on this journey, you will also experience the unfailing and everlasting love of Christ which is revealed in the life-changing testimonies of prisoners. May you be blessed as you journey on.

She recently published a new book, “Sixteen Letters.” Sixteen Letters written intentionally for a weary traveler in Christ who is journeying towards the summit through its steep craggy slopes, lofty peaks, winding pathways, and deep valleys. Each letter contains heavenly, “manna,” which will nourish and rejuvenate your soul. At the end of each letter there is a beautiful poem written just for you. Upon completion of these sixteen letters, you will find yourself with a surprisingly beautiful assignment meant just for you.

You can connect with her on Facebook @ Aradhana2020 or email at aradhanathakor@gmail.com