Sadhus, holy men, perform rituals and offer prayers for others. |
When Gospel for Asia missionary Devadas came to Bhavani’s door, he found a man who was alienated from his family and abandoned by his wife.
Bhavani was a well-known sadhu, an extreme devotee of his goddess—the goddess of destruction. But destruction seemed to describe the way his life was turning out. Bhavani had spent years doing sacrifices, prolonged fasts and ceremonies for other people. But he realized he was serving a silent, powerless goddess and had nowhere to look for hope.
When Devadas shared about Jesus, Bhavani grabbed onto the message. Turning from his goddess-worship, he determined to follow Jesus.
“No matter what happens to me, I will not leave Jesus,” Bhavani declared.
And his new hope has drawn attention. Many of the people in his village had depended on the sadhu to present their requests to the goddess. As these people saw the sudden and great change in Bhavani, they were astonished. The news spread, and about 20 of the villagers have expressed interest in finding out more about Jesus.
Devadas asks for prayer both for Bhavani and for himself, that they will be able to lead people to Christ through Bhavanis’s story.