If Paul the Apostle had not been the first to pen the words, "For me to live is Christ and to die is gain," they certainly could have been attributed to MA Thomas because he lived and died that way!

Born in 1936, Dr. Thomas graduated from Hindustan Bible College in 1960. Although he was offered the opportunity to work for Campus Crusade for Christ, Asia, he rather decided to go to a hard place and be a missionary. His friends urged him not to go to Kota, for no Christian had survived there for too long. But he was determined to give his life for Christ. He said, "If I reach Kota and win one soul for Christ, it will be worth it." So he and his very pregnant wife, Ammini, boarded a train headed for Kota with very little funds in their pockets.

When they arrived, they rented a small one-room, metal garage. That shed served as their home and church. Dr. Thomas began immediately passing out tracks and sharing the Gospel. In a short time, two new believers were ready for baptism. From that small beginning in 1960 until today, the story of MA Thomas and Hopegivers International is one miracle after another!

The focus of his life was to take in orphans off the street, clothe them, educate them, care for them, and evangelize them. When old enough, they would enter the Bible College. After obtaining graduation, they would be sent to the field to start a new work in a new place. This process was repeated over and over, thousands of times. It did not come without costs. Dr Thomas endured many trials and persecutions, even imprisonment and beating. Some pastors of Hopegivers have even been martyred for their faith. Dr. Thomas lived without any possessions and died the same way because he gave all he had to the orphans, students, and pastors. Through it all, God richly blessed the work.

Today, as a result of his life, there are literally hundreds of orphanages, schools, Bible colleges, leper ministries, and churches scattered throughout India and the 10/40 Window. The ministry of Hopegivers, which Dr. Thomas oversaw, has planted over 30,000 churches!

He really did live to Christ, and without a doubt, when he saw Jesus on Sat, Dec 4, he knew then more than ever, death is really gain! His life could be summed up in the words that his son Samuel always says, "To God be the Glory, great things He has done!"

In God's gracious providence, I was given the awesome privilege to meet, work with, pray with, visit, and know personally this wonderful, godly man! He seemed to me to be a modern-day Apostle Paul. He was and remains a spiritual hero. God used him profoundly in my Christian walk to strip away the nonessentials and focus my eyes on Christ, the Gospel, and the lost! I am a better believer and pastor because I knew him. More than that, I love him, and I anxiously await the day when I will join him in joyful singing around the throne of God!

For a short film on MA Thomas' life, click here.

To get involved in Hopegivers' ministry to orphans, students, pastors, and churches, visit their site: hopegivers.org.