A South Asian taxi driver said he learned first-hand that “It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell” (Matt. 18:9).

Sapru, 48, was an atheist and communist who never believed in Jesus Christ. However, his wife Blessey was a Christian who prayed in earnest for her husband — although he didn’t know it at the time. Sapru said if he had seen her praying or reading the Bible, he would not have allowed her to do it. Still, Blessey prayed for his repentance, he said in a testimony published on the Bibles for Mideast website.

A full-blown alcoholic, Sapru got drunk one night and beat Blessey severely. He left, driving away in the taxi he used to support them. In his inebriated state Sapru slammed into a truck, sustaining severe injuries. His left eye came out and was totally destroyed, he said. “I saw death face to face.”

As doctors operated on Sapru, Blessey hurried to the hospital and, along with some missionaries and Pastor Paul of Bibles for Mideast, she began praying fervently over her husband. She prayed that God would not only save her husband’s life, but give him back “as a new creation.”

While under the knife, Sapru said, he had a near-death experience in which he was not allowed into heaven. He firmly believes that Blessey’s prayers kept him from hell. Jesus didn’t allow him to go to hell, he said, but held Sapru “in His mighty nailed hands safely because of my wife’s intercession.” He said he saw his wife praying and crying. In that moment Jesus said to him, “Go, be saved and be baptized and live for me with your family.”

He found out later that during the surgery his heart had stopped beating. “The doctors thought of declaring my death,” he said. “But after a few seconds I started breathing.” He heard the doctors say, “Thank God; now he is alright.”

At that time Jesus once again spoke to Sapru, saying, “It is better for you to lose an eye than to have … both eyes [and be] thrown into hell. Let it be a testimony of yours for witnessing [about] me.”

Within a few days of accepting the Lord as Savior Sapru was baptized and began “witnessing [about the] Lord Jesus Christ along with Bibles for Mideast, along with my family.” Meanwhile, his Christian employer supplied another taxi for Sapru to drive so he could continue to support his family.

Missing an eye doesn’t bother Sapru. “[Jesus] loved me, so that He did not allow me to go to hell with both eyes. Praise the Lord for His wonderful love!”

For Sapru’s full testimony, click here. For more on Bibles for Mideast, click here.