April 2021

Hokkien testimony #4

April 28, 2021 by HOKKIEN HARVEST, posted in Hokkien Harvest post

Today is the fourth testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Lan Bi-Hoa as she shares her story with us. Below is a summary of Lan Bi-Hoa’s story.

Lan Bi-Hoa’s testimony

Once when I was small I was taken to church by my older sister. However, I didn’t want to return because everything was in English. Our family communicated in Chinese, so I couldn’t understand anything in the church service. So for a period of time I didn’t go to church. However, the next time that I did go back was because my mother passed away. This was such a difficult time for me. I really didn’t understand anything about Jesus. I just participated in the funeral service.

So after I grew up, I made friends with a boy who later became my husband. My husband was not a Christian and worshiped the local gods, so I just followed him. Truthfully, I was more fervent in worshiping idols than he was. He was involved with his business and we were busy with that. We did business with many Teochew people. Actually I myself am Teochew, not Hokkien. (This is a language very close to Hokkien.)

My husband and I worked very hard and both of us spent from 12 to 14 hours a day with the business. Both of us had bad temperaments and could easily lose our tempers, so working long hours was a challenge. And we could lose our temper over even the smallest things. We would start selling in the morning about 9 am and close up shop about 7 pm. Of course we had to not only clean up, but also be prepared for the next day so this extended our work time. So in reality we didn’t complete everything until about midnight each day. It was indeed exhausting. Consequently, it took its toll on my husband and he developed a heart condition.

At that time I was worried. We had 2 children, one in high school and one in higher learning. School fees are expensive and I felt this heavy burden and consequently I developed high blood pressure. I was really hurting. The two of us both were troubled.

Pastor Lim mentioned that people use all kinds of ways to resolve issues. Some people go to watch Chinese opera, some loved to listen to music, and others may go to see movies or do other things. So Pastor LIm asked Lan Bi-Hoa how she and her husband faced these issues.

At this time, I was exhausted and couldn’t even think about what would happen tomorrow. I was just trying to survive. However, one day one of my husband’s customers came to see him and shared the Gospel with him. He told him that Jesus could heal him if he believed, and that simple explanation led my husband to believe. It was very easy for him to believe in Jesus. As Pastor Lim reminded me, we just have to believe and we will be saved. That is true for all of us. God calls us to put our simple faith in him, and we will be saved.

I immediately noticed a change in him. On Sunday he went to church. He had no idea that he was not to participate and take the Lord’s Supper, so he took communion with them and a warm feeling flowed through him from head to toe. He came home and told me about it, and said his heart issues were healed. From morning until night all he could talk about was Jesus.

However, at the time I was not very pleased with him. Here he made the decision to accept Jesus and worship Him, and I worshiped other gods.

Pastor Lim then asked Lan Bi-Hoa how she made the decision to follow Christ.

I observed my husband and saw how he changed into a more loving person. He always had good things to say about Jesus. He also said that God would give our children wisdom and help them in their studies. After I heard this I thought about it and started going to church. However, this was not like my experience when I was a child. This was not in English and I could understand. I was really touched and moved as I listened to the music, and I began to cry. I knew that God was comforting me. Even though I was crying I was filled with the joy of the Lord and His peace. Consequently, I too trusted in Jesus to be my Savior and Lord.

Pastor Lim asked: After you and your husband accepted Christ, what differences did you see in your family?

I felt that God was blessing us. We had more love in our family than we did before. As we sat down as a family to eat together we talked about the Lord Jesus. My husband I also hoped that our children would follow us and accept Jesus as well. I felt that God was with our children, and they both accepted Christ. As Pastor Lim reminded me, the Bible says in Acts 16:31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” We wanted our children like us to have eternal life.

Our youngest daughter also received a scholarship in her studies. This was a huge blessing from the Lord for our family. Through all of this we were able to discontinue our former work that was so tiring and kept us away from our children. God’s grace is sufficient for us.

After we accepted Christ, we began to share with our family and many in our family also came to Christ. Just as was true in our lives, the love of Jesus just worked like a magnet to draw our family to the church and lead them to Christ.

I must say that my older brother and his wife definitely have a unique testimony. People had shared the Gospel with my brother for many years, and he would go to church, but then showed no interest and would not continue. However, I took the initiative to invite him to our Hokkien service. I knew that one of the ladies would be giving her testimony so I thought this would be good for them to hear. They both accepted Christ and from that time forward were in church and very passionate about their faith. So God has indeed blessed our family as we have come to know him as our Lord and Savior.

There is also another part to my story. One night after going to bed, my husband all of a sudden just yelled out waking me from a sound sleep. He felt that he was being attacked by something unclean from his past when we worshiped idols. I remembered John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. God gave us authority as his children because we believe in his name. So I claimed that promise. I immediately raised my hand and prayed for him. I prayed in the name of Jesus that this demon that was attacking him would leave. As I finished praying, my husband was no longer yelling and was calm. He called out the name of Jesus and then slept until morning. Pastor Lim reminded me that indeed Jesus immediately responded to our needs, released him and set my husband free.

A word from Pastor Lim:

Dear friends, after listening to Lan Bi-Hoa’s story, we see that no matter whether you are hurting, or things are not going well for you, or you are ill, or you encounter unthinkable things that you never thought we would have to face . . . Jesus is always there. He is there at every stage of our life. Jesus is there to tackle any situation or problem that we may face. You can experience this life with Christ with just a simple faith. Your life will never be the same.

Pray with me. Follow me sentence by sentence as I lead you in prayer.

Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me and saving me. Lord Jesus, I am a sinner. Forgive my sin and use your precious blood to cleanse my sin. Please come into my heart and be my Savior and my master. Please do not leave me. Give me eternal hope, heal any illness that I have and allow my spirit to be set free. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

Hokkien testimony #3

April 21, 2021 by HOKKIEN HARVEST, posted in Hokkien Harvest post

TODAY PASTOR JAMES LIM INTERVIEWS huang Ai-Fang AS sHE SHARES Her STORY WITH US.

Click below for the Hokkien Testimony #3 audio. An English summary is available below.

Huang Ai-Fang’s testimony

Today is the third testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Pastor James Lim interviews Huang Ai-Fang as she shares her story with us.

Pastor Lim introduces Huang Ai-Fang saying that all of us are born in different places and therefore our environment and experiences are all different for each one of us and have a huge impact on our lives. This is a summary of Huang Ai-Fang’s story:

When I was a child I did go to church, and my impression was that the church was a good place. The pastor and Christian brothers and sisters were genuinely good to me. During that time we would sing and memorize scripture. Our pastor was great and really cared for the children of our church. And as Pastor Lim recalls his early years, it was the same for me . . . going to Sunday School was meaningful and at the Christmas season there were so many special gifts. It was a lot of fun.

Originally my family was not in Singapore, and when there was no more work available where we lived, we then moved to Singapore. I worked at various jobs such as sewing clothing or in hair salons After I found work I also met my future husband and we were married. My marriage was like someone being battered by strong winds and waves. My husband was not a Christian and at that time I was not going to church. He worshiped local gods, and our home was a mess. As it got worse, my husband increased his temple practices and even sought out fortune tellers. As I observed, none of this helped, and things went from bad to worse.

Our finances also were in trouble. Afterwards my husband connected with another woman, and even brought her home with him. On one occasion he hit me and badly injured my head and my sliced my face. I really felt hopeless. As Pastor Lim commented, women do care about their facial appearance, so to be injured in this way was really devastating for me. At that time I was so upset that I felt like taking a knife and killing him, but I didn’t have the courage to do it. Unfortunately, we divorced and the two of them were married. This was a very difficult challenge for me. I hated them.

Later my husband died from cancer, but I just held this hate toward the two of them inside of me. I earnestly hated both of them for what they had done to me. When I was young my father died, so I had originally taken all of my love and given it to my husband. After my divorce and my husband’s death I had no choice but to find work to take care of my two children. I just thought that my husband was no good, so I just tried to put it behind me as though it didn’t matter and turn my attention to take care of my children.

Things got worse. Later my daughter was not well and was diagnosed with Leukemia. I couldn’t handle receiving this news. I could not eat or sleep. At this point I had no idea that Jesus could in any way help me. I didn’t even know how to approach Jesus. However, I did not seek out any local gods to help me as my husband had done. I had no where to turn and even tried taking pills to end my life, but of course I was not successful.

My daughter’s illness was getting worse and she passed away. I was desperate and one day I not only took pills but also slashed my wrist to kill myself. I don’t remember all the details. I had lost all hope.

Amazingly enough when I reached the point in my life where I had nowhere to go, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and told me to read the Bible. I started doing that, and after two months I came to know the Lord Jesus. During that two month period, Jesus healed my heart from all the hurt and took away my 19 years of hate that I had held inside. After that time, my entire life changed and I am so thankful to the Lord.

Pastor Lim also asked Huang Ai-Fang to share how she was able to overcome and deal with the 19 years of hidden hate in her life.

I believe that this was the strength and work of the Holy Spirit. When at church I felt led to go to the platform and proclaim that I was willing to forgive these past wrongs. On my own I would never be willing to do this; however, I strongly felt that this was what the Holy Spirit wanted me to do and I obeyed. I felt that a huge boulder had been removed from my chest. 19 years of hate was gone. The Bible tells us that hate is like poison that lives inside of us or in our marriage intent on destroying us. But when the Holy Spirit gives us the strength we are able to overcome this hate in our life. As Pastor Lim shared, this is like Jesus on the cross forgiving those who crucified him.

So during the two months that I spent in God’s Word, I had a sweet and close relationship with the Lord Jesus. This enabled me to move into a deeper understanding and relationship with the Lord. After I came to know Jesus and returned home, I wanted to tell everyone about Him. I wasn’t timid. It was as though the Holy Spirit gave me the power to share with others because this was something that I must do. As I continue working in the hair salon I have the opportunity to encourage people and share with them. This is all the work of the Holy Spirit. Regarding my former husband and the woman he married, even my response toward her whom I had hated so much changed. I was willing to forgive both of them. I encouraged this woman to quickly make the decision to believe in Jesus.

Pastor Lim shares:

All of us have come from different backgrounds, but many of us have never gone through the bitter experiences that Huang Ai-Fang faced. She went through marriage problems, family dysfunction, 19 years of hate, feelings of hopelessness as well as the attempts to kill herself. However, miraculously when she got into God’s Word – the Bible – her life was completely changed. So even if your problem is bigger than those of Huang Ai-Fang that is not a problem for God. The question to ask is — Are you willing to turn everything over to Jesus and allow him to help you? He will take all of your burdens and nail them to the cross where he died for you and me. This allows you to receive relief from these burdens and be set free.

If you would like to pray to receive Jesus and experience this freedom, you can use your own words, or use the following prayer to express your desire to follow Jesus.

Hokkien Testimony #2

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021 by HOKKIEN HARVEST, posted in Hokkien Harvest post

Today Pastor James Lim interviews Yian-Chhun as he shares his story with us.

Click below for the Hokkien Testimony #2 audio. An English summary is available below.

Yian-Chhun’s testimony:

In the past I worshiped gods, whatever god was around I worshiped it. The reason that I worshiped these gods was to obtain peace, ask for success in my work and ask the gods to bless so that all would go well in my life. However, I did not have peace in my life. Nothing went well and eventually, I drowned my sorrows in alcohol and cigarettes.

One day on my birthday which is also my mother’s birthday, I felt so low that I just wanted to die. For over 20 years I had worshiped idols and begged for help. People told me to chant and recite the words from my religion, but I still had no peace and I was out of work. A friend suggested that the next Sunday we go to church together. I was very determined and let them know that I didn’t want to do that because I didn’t believe in that.

Later in 2004, one morning when I got up I realized that I could not move my right side. In the past I had never experienced anything like this. I could not even raise my arm. I called to my second daughter, but she could hardly understand me. I did not realize that I had suffered a stroke, and my speech was slurred. It continued to get worse. I couldn’t talk. My daughter was crying and phoned her older sister. My son-in-law came and drove me to the hospital. I couldn’t even sleep for 3 days and 3 nights. With the effects of the stroke and no peace in my heart, I just couldn’t rest.

Once again people told me that I needed to chant so the gods could help me. I quickly told them that I had already done this for over 20 years and it did not work. I couldn’t really talk so I just had to point to communicate. They wanted me to worship gods or use the religious beads to chant, but I refused.

Again I was asked to go to church, and I agreed to do that. They also prayed for me and that night I was finally able to sleep. My heart was set free and I was able to sleep peacefully. In the past I had never experienced a time that when I worshiped local gods I suddenly was given this kind of peace. It was amazing that through just one prayer, I began to experience peace. Jesus is indeed the Jesus of Peace. the Lord of Peace. I was so grateful to the Lord for this rest.

After 2 to 3 weeks I was released from the hospital in a wheelchair. I couldn’t walk and required assistance to do the most basic things like going to the bathroom. It was definitely not convenient. I was released from the hospital on Saturday and Sunday was taken to church. At church I heard a testimony and was very moved. I began to cry and I too wanted to receive Jesus. This was my first time to go to church and hearing the music really moved me to tears. After the worship service they led me to slowly walk over to one of the Elders who prayed with me and led me to receive Christ. Wow! I felt so joyful. I prayed and invited Jesus to come into my heart and be my Lord and to forgive me of the sin in my life. I just continued to shed tears.

And what was also amazing was that I could move my arm. My belief in Jesus indeed brought me blessing. When I got home I told my daughter. The next Sunday then she too believed in Jesus, because she saw the difference in my life and what God had done. Then we removed the idols from the house. And you know I didn’t need alcohol or anything like that. God had immediately given me peace and power over my addiction. I accepted Christ on December 14, 2004, my birthday. So now I have 2 birthdays, my personal birth day as well as the day I accepted Christ.

I know that it is difficult for a lot of people to quit drinking and smoking. They go through some very tough times. However, for me Christ changed me and I was immediately freed from those bad habits. The Lord Jesus is indeed real and I am so grateful to him. Because my children saw the difference in my life, they know the difference that Jesus can make.

And I also had another blessing. Because my arm was healed, then I was also able to take care of my grandbaby. So as far as my physical condition, my arms and legs on both side as well as my speech are all great, no problems.

In closing I would like to say a few words. I want to show my gratitude to God. He has indeed blessed me and desires to bless and give peace to any who believe in him. For those of you who have not yet asked Christ to come into your life, I would encourage you to quickly do that.

Pastor Lim acknowledges that just to hear Yian-Chhun speak you know that he has no problems. God has indeed healed his body with a miracle. So God’s salvation has come to Yian-Chhun’s family. We also believe that soon other members of your family will also come to Christ. Christ does bring peace but is also a God through our faith who heals as he healed Yian-Chhun. We are grateful for Yian-Chhun’s testimony. And it is our desire that if you have not accepted Christ into your life that deep in your heart you would know and believe that Christ is waiting for you. He loves you and today desires to give you peace. Invite him into your heart and he will give you peace.

Pray that all in this family will come to Christ.

If you would like to pray to receive Jesus, you can use your own words, or use the following prayer to express your desire to follow Jesus.

Please pray for Yian-Chhun’s family to also come to know Christ as Savior and Lord. We look forward to sharing more testimonies in the days ahead. Feel free to share these testimonies with family and friends.

Hokkien Testimony #1

April 9, 2021 by HOKKIEN HARVEST, posted in Hokkien Harvest newsletter

We are so excited to announce that our Singapore partners are producing a Hokkien audio testimonies to share with you. This is a message from chairman of our Singapore Hokkien Harvest ministry team.

一支草，一点露 “chit ki chhau, chit tiam lo” (For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew.)

Dear Pastors, Leaders of the Church and Brothers & Sisters In Christ,

Shalom! Greetings to you in the Name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Each one of us go through different journeys in life. We encounter both the good and bad. Yet, when we look back, we are able to see God’s fingerprints and ultimately His signature on our lives. Thus, we can marvel at His amazing grace and give thanks for His never ending leading and guidance.

Organized by Hokkien Harvest (Singapore), 一支草，一点露 “chit ki chhau, chit tiam lo” (For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew.) It will be broadcasted every Wednesday. I believe this audio project will build faith in believers and serve as an opportunity for pre-believers to come to know Jesus.

I strongly encourage you to give this a listen and share it with your family and friends.

May God bless you abundantly!

Rev. Gilbert Sng — Chairman of Hokkien Harvest (Singapore)

福建见证集: 一支草，一点露 (1)

一支草、一点露，上帝会照顾

专心倚靠，毋免烦恼，天无绝人之路

福建话见证集收录了很多感人的见证。当中有各种不同的见证，例如病得医治、戒毒、戒烟、戒赌、脱离邪灵干扰、化解仇恨、浪子回头等，真人真事。每一篇都在描绘上帝奇妙的做为。在神没有难成的事！

The Hokkien testimony collection contains many touching audio testimonies shared in the Hokkien language. An English summary is also available at the end of this post. There are various testimonies, such as people being cured of illness, others quitting drugs or smoking, abstaining from gambling, getting rid of the interference of evil spirits, resolving hatred, turning back the prodigal son, etc., real people and real things. Each article is depicting God’s wonderful works. Nothing is impossible with God! #福建话见证集 #新加坡福建丰收 #福建丰收 #singaporehokkienharvest #hokkienharvest #hokkientestimony

For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew. God cares for us.

This is the testimony of Mr. Chong Eng-Hoat. Click below to connect.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! II Corinthians 5:17 In Christ we have a new abundant life of grace.

一枝草，一點露. 上帝會照顧. For every blade of grass, there is a drop of dew. God cares for us. With your whole heart trust Him, don’t worry. God always provides a way out.

Today Pastor James LIm interviews Mr. Chong Eng-Hoat as he shares his testimony. This is a summary of Mr. Chong’s story.

I grew up poor in a bad environment, and as a result I hung around with some rough people. Even when I was young I made many bad decisions, gambled, and was often involved in fights. Consequently I only studied in school through the 6^th grade. I then left school and found work. However, just as when I was younger, I made very bad choices when choosing friends. I wasn’t much afraid of anyone or anything and got into a lot of trouble. I also was aware of the worship of local gods and even used those to take advantage of people. I did a lot of bad things like stealing and getting into all kinds of trouble. Things got so bad and I knew the police were after me and so I hid from the police and escaped to Thailand. In Thailand I also connected with rough people and did a lot of bad things. I was involved in making a lot of bad and dangerous things like weapons.

Some might think that the more I was involved in bad things, the more guilty I would feel. However, the more bad things I did, the more successful I was.

However, I began to feel somewhat weak and decided I would return to Singapore. I did not feel well, and my stomach was badly swollen. So I went to see a doctor and had tests run. The second day I returned for test results, and you could tell it was difficult for the doctor to tell me that I had sclerosis of the liver and there was nothing he could do to help me. When I received this message from the doctor, I felt like I had been given a death sentence. Actually, the doctor told me that I didn’t have long to live.

After receiving that news, I returned home. I love my mother very much and I told her the situation. I knew that I didn’t have long to live. However, my mother said she wanted to pray for me. As she talked about Jesus, I didn’t want to have anything to do with Him. I was a criminal, a person who had done a lot of bad things, and I raised my voice, lost my temper and walked out of the house.

However, I was so down and disappointed and had no other place to go for help. Later, my mother led me to church. My mother asked God to forgive me of the wrongs that I had committed and to accept me. I told God that if He was willing to forgive and heal me that I would give my life to Him. I immediately felt peace in my heart. When I was younger I only entered a church building at special times like Christmas. But this time was not the same. As I entered the church building, people welcomed me and it was like walking into a warm loving family.

When I met the pastor he asked me if I was a Christian, and I told him that I was not. He asked if I wanted to ask Christ into my heart and I told him that I did. Sentence by sentence he led me to pray and accept Jesus as my Savior. And you know what . . . an amazing thing happened, I can hardly describe it, I began to cry out loudly. The pastor comforted me and told me that Christ’s blood had cleansed my sins. I was forgiven. After all of this I was amazed that I was so relaxed. That is how I came to accept Jesus.

After accepting Christ, my health continued to decline. I told the Lord that I asked for His healing and felt that I had been tricked. However, suddenly I heard a voice that told me I would not die and I really felt peace. That gave me hope and I told my mother that I was hungry. At this point in my illness I couldn’t hold any food down no matter what I ate. But believe it or not, when I ate I didn’t vomit up what I had eaten. The swelling in my stomach started going down. I was healed. Later I left Singapore and traveled overseas to study.

So after I accepted Christ, how did my life change? Well, my friend gave me a Bible and I began to read it. Before Christ, I gambled, did so many bad things, used filthy language and was unfilial to my parents. That all changed, and God gave me a wonderful wife and the best family.

After hearing Mr. Chong’s testimony, you can see how God has changed Mr. Chong’s life. Jesus also offers this same salvation to every person. No matter what your situation, Jesus is waiting for you. If you have physical needs or other personal needs, Jesus loves you and desires to be your Lord and Savior.

If you would like to pray to receive Christ you can use your own words, or use the following prayer to express your desire to follow Jesus.

EASTER CELEBRATIONS

April 2, 2021 by HOKKIEN HARVEST, posted in Uncategorized

Some of you already know because I have posted it in several places. We are so excited to see people coming to Christ from the Hokkien community and beyond.

Our SE Asia HH ministry partners have reported that a family of 4 will be baptized this weekend, AND on one of our Hokkien fishing islands a Vietnamese lady who was demonized accepted Christ and was set free in Jesus. They are searching for a Vietnamese Bible and resources for her.

Then we received word that one of our good friends and partners in Taiwan led a men in his 90’s to Christ. Now these are all something to celebrate, right!

Today we also received a report that our Hokkien partners in SE Asia were asked to borrow baptismal robes for 14 new Tamil believers. One church many languages. I just know that brought a smile to God’s face.

Celebrate with us and pray for these church leaders and new believers as they begin their new journey in Christ. Oh believe me, there are other stories that we will share in the days ahead. We wish all of you a BLESSED Easter that will draw you closer to Christ.