Hokkien Testimony #55

Hokkien Testimony #53

Today we welcome you to the 54th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Mr. Chhoa Seng Kui. Let’s listen now to his Hokkien story. An English summary is also provided below.  

Pastor Lim:

As I look at Mr. Chhoa I can tell that you were indeed a very handsome young man and the girls would be flocking around you. Today we welcome you to our program and look forward to you sharing your story from beginning to end with us.

Mr. Chhoa Seng Kui’s testimony:

When I was young I actually attended the Catholic Church. However, our family followed the local tradition and worshiped idols. My impression of the Catholic Church that I attended was similar to my experience in church today, which is that they sang songs and we listened to a sermon. But no one encouraged me to believe in Jesus. I only attended a few times. I also attended a Catholic school. So we would also recite religious things and pray. At that time in Singapore we were required to study both English and Chinese. This was during the Japanese occupation and my education was delayed, so I didn’t begin school until I was twelve. As Japan occupied Singapore I was afraid of the Japanese. Early on I went to work because of our family finances. However, at work the Japanese would hit me, and I quit and went back home. When things settled down and were more peaceful, I returned to school and studied in elementary as well as middle school.  

From the time that I was very small I enjoyed basketball and it was very interesting to me. I was taller than most around me so that was helpful in playing basketball. I know Pastor Lim also played basketball but most people don’t get the opportunity that I had to play in a more serious league. So when I was in middle school I represented my school in the competition at that time. When I first started playing I was in a private school league; however, later I was chosen to represent our nation. At that time for a young person to have the opportunity to go overseas and play in tournaments was really special. We went to a lot of different countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia as well as others. I played basketball for more than 10 years.

As far as my work I am have served as a supervisor in overseeing work. I married young and have a son and a daughter. Life passes by very quickly, and in some ways as I look back it seems like a dream. Chinese has a saying that talks about us being a young boy and in the blink of an eye we are an old man. I am 76 years old and life indeed passes by very quickly.

So how was I introduced to Jesus? Well my younger sisters and my daughter came to the house and shared with me. They invited me to church and I had the opportunity to hear Hokkien songs as well as the sermon about Jesus. I really liked the Hokkien songs. Actually, my wife accepted Christ before I did and I was okay with that. No problem. So five or six months later I too accepted Jesus. One of the ministers at church led me to pray and accept Christ. As I said, I am 76 and have been retired about 15 years.

Pastor Lim asked me how I could live a meaningful life as a retiree or senior adult. Well I do have some free time during the week and go to church on Sunday. As an elderly person if I sit too long I am uncomfortable. Because I now have Jesus, my life has purpose and meaning. One big difference in my life before and after accepting Jesus is that my heart is more open. Before accepting Jesus I was not an open person. I thought about family issues, our finances, the children, etc. I know every family has challenges, but these were problems for me. After accepting Jesus, I could take my problems to him and not worry about them. As a Christian I felt like my heart was clean.

As a young person I did have girls interested in me, but my parents were the ones who introduced my wife to me. As Pastor Lim mentioned, these few years have been a blessing for me and my wife as we spend time together and worship the Lord. I also know that Christ in my life has brought me peace and joy as well. Even though in life there may be troubles and heartaches, in our hearts we have peace and joy. Of course as a family we all have challenges, but I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about those things because I know we have Jesus. So if we have problems then we turn it over to the Lord.

My heart’s desire is to see my family come to Christ. I am especially blessed because every week my granddaughter goes to church with me.  

Pastor Lim shares:

Today we see how Mr. Chhoa, even in his senior years, has experienced a meaningful life. He shows us that a meaningful life doesn’t come from fame or fortune, but from knowing Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. So of course Mr. Chhoa is older, but he has a peaceful and happy life. Brothers and Sisters you too can know Jesus. Today he can be your Lord and give you peace and joy. Are you willing to accept him? If you are willing, please follow me in prayer, one sentence at a time.

Lord Jesus I thank you. You are my Lord and Savior. Lord Jesus I thank you for coming into this world and dying on the cross for all of our sins. You were willing to give your life for us and shed your precious blood. At this time we admit that we are sinners. We beseech you to forgive us of our sin and use your precious blood to cleanse us from all of our sin. We also invite you to come into our heart to be our Lord and Savior and the Master of our life forever. Lead us, help us and bless us so that our hearts are full of your peace and joy. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

If you have the opportunity I also want to encourage you to attend a church near you. If you do so, I believe that through the songs and message from the pastor you will better understand the truth of the Bible. May the Lord bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #54

Hokkien Testimony #53

Today we welcome you to the 54th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Sister Niu A Chu. Let’s listen now to her Hokkien story. An English summary is also provided below.  

Sister Niu A Chu’s testimony:

I grew up in a very large family. In those days people did have a lot of children to help them work in the fields and around the farm. They depended on family members to help with everything. I was number two in the family and that actually was pretty wild. I had the responsibility of helping with younger siblings. I attended school through the third grade and then I was needed to help with the work. Even though I didn’t advance far in school, God did watch over me.

During this time my father took a second wife, so my mother was responsible for caring for all these children. For me, as far as work, I fed chickens, washed dishes and did other things to help the family. My mother was really great. She was very busy taking care of these ten children. Her ten children are now all grown. I, myself, married very young. I was 20. My husband’s family was heavy into idol worship, and I going along with tradition, I had the responsibility of taking care of most of our religious worship things. My husband really didn’t pay much attention to that. Some people are pretty simple in their family worship, and others are more in-depth. We worshipped many gods, so our practices were definitely more involved.

Some people say that when people worship so many gods, it probably means that they have a lot of fear in their life, and I agree with that. And so we hoped that by worshiping all these gods we would be protected and find peace.

You may wonder what actually brought me into the church. Well, my younger brother accepted Christ, and invited me to go to church with him. When I listened to the pastor and heard the testimonies, I was very touched. So when the pastor asked if anyone wanted to receive Jesus, I raised my hand and gave them my name. However, I really didn’t understand much, so when I returned home I continued to worship idols as I had before. However, my husband had no idea that I had made this decision. I continued to worship idols and didn’t return to church.

Not long after this, my mother-in-law became ill and wanted to hire someone from the temple to come and chant for her. During this time I was busy caring for my family and taking care of the religious rituals as well, but I really had no peace. Before my mother-in-law passed away she just kept going on and on about what we must do. I really was overwhelmed. At home we had so many things related to our worship rituals; however, we that did not involve any eating. The number of things that need to be overseen involving the worship rituals was absolutely overwhelming. As I looked at the way Christians worshiped and saw how simple it was, I didn’t want to follow the family tradition anymore. I was busy caring for family and all that included religious practices and I was very frustrated. I felt I had so much on me. My husband drove a taxi and I also worked each day until late at night.

At this time I found out that my mother accepted Christ and was baptized. I thought that maybe I too should accept Christ. So I made the decision to follow Jesus and be baptized. I looked at my younger brother and mother and was very touched by the Holy Spirit. I just cried. I felt that it was really a great thing to become a Christian. Not long after this my older sister came to my house with one of the ministers from the church and prayed with me. I was afraid but also had evil spirits in me that needed to be removed. I was so afraid but they told me that I didn’t need to fear anything. Jesus would take care of me. So at this time God began to do a work in my life. They prayed for me and I fell down as God removed this evil from my life.

These friends also told me that I needed to remove all the offensive and spiritually unclean things in my house as well. One of the idol statues that I had was Guanyin. She was special to me and my family. However, strange things began to happen around this statue, and so I put the statue aside. I finally gave it to my sister since she still worshiped idols. After giving my sister the idol, things did not go well with her and she was miserable. As I thought about it, I thought that it wasn’t good to give the idol to my sister and then bring trouble into her house. So I took the idol back and gave it to our minister and he took care of it. At that point I really began to experience peace in my heart.

We did continue to worship our ancestors but all of a sudden we also had strange experiences going on regarding this as well. My husband saw this too. From that time forward I did not worship our ancestors. Since my husband had seen this it was okay with him for us to stop worshiping ancestors.

The time was set for me to be baptized on Christmas Eve. I was asked if I had told my husband. Well, I had not told him, and they told me that I must share it with me. If I didn’t share, he might be very angry. So I told him, and he was sooo angry. He started drinking and smoking and said nothing. He didn’t even go to sleep that night. When I awoke the next morning, he was still awake . . . hadn’t slept at all. He just continued smoking and drinking. I just kept praying. I had already prepared everything for my baptism. He yelled at me and told me that I could not go and be baptized. I didn’t answer him.

I prepared food and put it on the table. I prayed to the Lord and asked for help so that my husband would not continue to drink. The Lord filled me with his Spirit and I began to cry. My husband turned and looked at me from a long way off. He ran over to me and tried to console me and told me not to cry. Then he told me that it was okay to be baptized, and in fact, he said he would drive me there. I thanked the Lord, and my husband even drove me to the baptism. He sat up front to watch the baptism and my younger daughter took pictures.

My younger daughter has accepted Christ and I praise the Lord. However, please pray that my husband, our oldest daughter and our son-in-law will also accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. This is my heart’s desire.

Pastor Lim shares:

Today we see how a mother with fear and superstition came to see the Light and accept Jesus as her Savior and Lord. We see how Jesus resolved her traditional Chinese religious practices and freed her from spiritual bondage. In fact her husband even gave his blessing for her to be baptized. This helps us to see that the God we worship is alive and ready to address the issues in our lives. He will solve our problems whether big or small and lead us in our daily walk. This is the kind of God we serve, and he is able to tackle any of life’s problems. We urge you to put your trust in him. Are you willing to put your trust in him and experience this reality and see how great he is? He is able to remove your fear. Are you willing to believe? Please follow me in prayer.

Lord Jesus I thank you. You are Savior and Lord. At this time please forgive my sin. Use your precious blood to cleanse and wash away my sin. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and be my Savior and Lord. Take away my fearful heart and give me peace and joy. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

May the Lord bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #53

Hokkien Testimony #53

Today we welcome you to the 53^rd testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Mr. Robert Lim. Let’s listen now to his Hokkien story. An English summary is also provided below.  

Mr. Robert Lim’s testimony:

I have already been a Christian for 37 years. I started going to church when I was five years old. In “82” I was baptized. My entire family is Christian. I didn’t really share the gospel when I was younger, but I did read the Bible some. However there was a time in my life when I was very ill. I had to be extremely careful or my situation could change and become cancerous. One day when I was in church the pastor encouraged anyone who needed prayer to come forward, and I did. He placed his hand on my head and prayed for me. I fell backwards and I knew something happened but didn’t understand. However, I knew that for the first time I had experienced a miracle. I asked my wife and someone else to go through the same experience, but they did not have the experience that I did. I later went to see the doctor and he told me that I no longer was sick. I was completely healed. I could hardly believe this. What happened to me? I didn’t understand how that the pastor could only pray for me and as a result I was healed.

In 2005 I went to the church and was singing and suddenly I was very moved and began to cry softly but I didn’t know why. At about 10:30 I went home and Jesus spoke to me. It was a voice I couldn’t hear audibly but one that spoke to me and I understood it. Jesus told me that he wanted me to share my testimony with others and he told me what I was to say. This went on for 9 days and nights. Every day during this time when I went into my office I would cry. I finally told the Lord that I would obey him and share my story. After all of this I was finally able to sleep.

I also spent time reading and memorizing the Bible. My wife noticed that I was spending a lot of time in the Bible. I did this non-stop for about three years. The more I read the Bible the more that I understood it. The more I studied the Bible the greater my desire was to spend time in God’s Word. Originally I never shared the Gospel with anyone; however, after this experience each day I looked for opportunities to share my story. It was as though I was digesting the Bible and it was a part of me.

One day I shared the Gospel with my boss, but his response was that he wanted me to show him this Jesus. He wanted to see him. Well, later my boss was seriously ill, and I prayed for him. He went to see his doctor and he told him that he was no longer sick. He was completely healed. So I asked him if he wanted to accept Jesus and he did. So I invited him to go to church with me.

Pastor Lim asked me what benefit I see in my life after reading the Bible every day. Well, I can tell you that I definitely have greater peace. God has also blessed my business as well. My wife and children also have followed in my footsteps and study the Bible. We don’t spend a lot of time watching television. Instead the Lord has our attention and focus. We don’t want to follow after the ways of the world. So this is an encouragement for people to study God’s Word. God’s Word speaks into our hearts and changes our lives. Regarding my business, previously I depended on my own efforts to do my work. However, after being filled with the Holy Spirit, God directs my steps and my business has never been better. I desire for my work and life to reflect God’s Kingdom. As far as my personal relationships, earlier in my life it was like I had a heart of stone; however, now my heart has softened and my relationships with other people have really improved and deepened. Previously my heart was more stubborn, but now that is not true. Before I really didn’t listen to people, but now I desire those closer relationships. Truthfully speaking now I am easily moved and easily cry. That was not true of me before my experience with Jesus.

As Pastor Lim said, God really wants us to be more like children. If we are not careful, the difficult things in our life may lead us to have hardened hearts, and God does not desire this. God changed my heart. Jesus is great. The more we ready God’s word, the softer our heart becomes. We want for our heart to be more and more like the Lord. Before the program today comes to an end, I want to encourage people to be filled with God’s Spirit. This is like a new beginning. We desire to be more and more like Jesus, our Lord. So I want to encourage everyone to daily stay in God’s Word. Psalm 119 is an encouragement for us to study our Bible. If we keep God’s Word in our hearts, then this will transform our behavior and everything else in our lives, and glorify the Lord Jesus.

Pastor Lim shares:

Dear brothers and sisters, today we have heard a very simple testimony, but in actuality it is not simple at all. So if you also place your trust in Jesus, then you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and can experience a changed life as well. If you do place your trust in Jesus, then you can become like a child with a very simple faith and trust. All you need is a simple heart to place your trust in Jesus. To begin this journey you must receive Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to fill your life. If you are willing to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then follow me as I pray.

Dear Lord Jesus, I come before and acknowledge that previously my heart has been as hard as a stone. At this time I ask you to remove this heart of stone and give me a heart of flesh. Please give me a heart that desires to know you. I know your Word is precious if it resides in my heart, then every day I experience new life. As you remove the bad that is in my life, I know that you will fill me with your Spirit. Then each day I can experience that you are Lord, and each day know that you are the real and living Lord. So today please come into heart and be my Lord and Savior so that I will be more and more like You Lord and love even more. Thank you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

The Lord bless you.

Hokkien Testimony #52

Hokkien Testimony #52

Today we welcome you to the 52^nd testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Each week we have different people from different churches share their stories with us. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Sister Peggy Zhan. Let’s listen now to her Hokkien story. An English summary is also provided below.  

Sister Peggy Zhan’s testimony:

Ever since I was a child I had the dream of being an airline stewardess. However my life as a child was not easy. I lost my father at an early age, so things were not easy for my mother to take care of the family by herself. There were 6 girls with an older brother, and that’s a lot of people to care for and support. My father was just in his 40’s and I was 12 when he died from heart disease. I was hurting following my father’s death and on top of that the children really weren’t obedient, so things were difficult. I personally only attended school through my middle school years.  I observed my mother working hard to make enough money for our family, and I wanted to get to the place in my life where I could make money, travel and see things for myself. I wanted to be an airline stewardess, and this was before I accepted Christ. But I had the desire to work very hard and make a lot of money for myself.

When I applied to be a stewardess I praise the Lord that I passed everything and was successful. So the first time I put on the stewardess uniform I felt so special. This is a dream for many young girls to someday be an airline stewardess. Actually after becoming an airline stewardess, many also hope to become someone famous like a movie star or someone like that. I worked in this field for 10 years and saw a lot. There were a lot of people with money who were also around me. One man wanted me to go on a boat with him in Hawaii. I was very frightened and tried to make sure that there were people around me to keep me safe. The truth is that I met many rich people during this time and saw a lot.

As Pastor Lim shared, many stewardesses also get caught up in gambling addictions. Traveling around in this kind of environment includes discos and such places that are very enticing. I was extremely fortunate that even though I traveled through discos and casinos I was not caught up in things like gambling and other such vices. During my time as a stewardess I saw a lot of things. Some families are hurt because of extramarital affairs and other activities such as gambling, etc. I did not want this.

I also had many committed Christians who tried to share Christ with me, but I would turn my back and get out of there as quickly as possible. I traveled through so many countries and saw a lot of things. I also made a lot of money. I really didn’t think about my future. I just was living one day at a time. Many Christians desire peace in their lives, but I just didn’t think about that.

My older sister accepted Christ and was also sharing the gospel with me and I would just criticize her. Before she ate she would pray for the Lord to bless the food, and I would just rush out to get away from her. I w must pray. I am thankful for a mother who is healthy and I began to see how Jesus changes lives. After I accepted Christ my older sister often encouraged me to pray and told me that the Lord would bless me. She said that if I just trusted in myself I would be responsible for what happens. But if I trusted in the Lord, he would bless me and take on the responsibility of caring for me. This good fortune and blessing in Christ can also be shared with others. However, if we just trust in ourselves, we often fail.

As Pastor Lim shared, my husband and I married in 88. I wasn’t really looking for anyone. It was amazing because my husband and I were classmates but had not been in contact with each other for years. I have to say that this was indeed God’s grace for us to reunite. So after marriage I quit my job as a stewardess and God blessed us with two children. I am so thankful for my marriage, a Christian husband and family. Marriage is not an easy thing, but is something that we must work hard to have successful relationships. We must depend on God’s word and his grace. We did not become a Christian family until 2000. Before accepting Jesus, we put all of our trust in ourselves. However, after asking Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, we trust him to direct our lives.

When I accepted Jesus I ran into a huge challenge. I was ready to believe in the one and only true God, Jesus. At that same time I had a physical challenge, and the doctor said that I must have surgery. I truly felt that I should trust the Lord for this so we prayed. At the same time my husband discovered that his gallbladder would have to be removed and he also needed surgery. Following this our oldest son began to run fever. We couldn’t get his fever down, and took him to the hospital. The doctor said that his situation was a bit complicated, and they couldn’t find the cause for his fever. Christians from the church prayed and told us not to be afraid, but to trust in Jesus. Jesus so often in the Bible said this very same thing. However, at this time my in-laws felt we shouldn’t accept Jesus that in fact these health issues were the result of living our local religion. They wanted us to return to worshiping local idols as we had done before. They also wanted us to drink the ash water that they felt would chase away demons and heal. However, we are so thankful for the encouragement of our pastor and Christian friends. This made it possible for us to overcome the challenges we faced and to follow Jesus. We hung on to the phrase “Don’t be afraid, just believe”. As we trusted in Christ our son began to improve. So the Lord brought us through these dark and difficult days for our family. This is much like Moses leading the Israelites through the Red Sea. So as Pastor Lim said, today our family is blessed.

Pastor Lim shares:

Today we have heard this very moving testimony of a woman who desires a beautiful family that wants to live a good and better life. Because this family has Jesus they have been able to live a blessed life beyond what they had asked for or dreamed about. Her family has been greatly blessed. You too can experience this same blessing. All that you have to do to experience this kind of life is to believe in and accept Jesus. At this time I will give you this opportunity to receive Jesus in your heart by following me in prayer. Please pray with me.

Lord Jesus, I thank you. You are my Lord and Savior. At this time I admit that I am not perfect. Please forgive me of my sin. Please come into my heart and be my Lord and Savior. Change my life and my future. Take my hand and lead me out of darkness into light. Thank you, Jesus. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

Dear friends, if you desire to know more about faith in Jesus, I encourage you to go to a church in your community and talk with the pastor or leaders there. They can help you understand more about Jesus and also how to overcome the problems that keep you in bondage.

May God bless you.