I was raised in a Peranakan family which practiced ancestral worship. I first heard Christ at the kindergarten. Although I cannot remember much of my time there, old photos of my sister and I participating in nativity plays reveal that we heard the gospel when I was 4 years old. After kindergarten, our next thought about religion occurred in our teens. One significant memory of a sense of loss and fear at the passing of my paternal grandmother left me wondering what has become of her. One moment she was with us, and the next, we have lost her forever.
In the late 70’s, I attended gospel rallies by visiting evangelists. In one of them, I was moved to raise my hand during the altar call because I was afraid to go to hell. But then it soon dawned on me that I had to attend church and tell my parents about my conversion. By this time, my sister Angie had become a Christian, but I resisted any change to my peaceful life to become a Christian. I only wanted to escape hell, so I avoided the Christians. They eventually gave up on me. Little did I know, God has not given up on me.
In the university, I witnessed the conversion of a classmate. He really loved this pretty girl from the Arts Faculty but when he became a Christian, he broke off with her because she was not a Christian. I could not understand his decision but I was struck by the high price he paid for Christ. I was also impressed by the godly conduct of two Christian classmates. One was so meek and kind, cheerful and helpful while being bullied and teased by the others. Another was a lady, before whom, none of the guys would crack dirty jokes, because she is a Christian.
My sister became the first Christian in the family and she shared the gospel with me and invited me to attend church with her. Christian classmates also evangelized to me. Hardened by my previous experience, I rationalized that if God was going to threaten me with hell, I will not succumb to His threats. But God was not done with me.
A few years later, as I was leaving my flat to run an errand, an old lady passed me a gospel tract downstairs. I have not seen this lady before and never again after that. But this encounter got me thinking: what kind of God is this to persistently seek me out? He is not giving up on me. Days of pondering and seeking followed. Finally, I realised it was God’s love that would not let me go. I began to seriously read the gospels until I know Christ and surrender myself to Him.
I started following my sister to Life B-P Church and was baptised on 22 Oct 1989. I thank God for the faithful teaching I received there. My faith has not been always strong but the Lord has time and again proven to be faithful in strengthening me through times of troubles and trials. He had also blessed me with the peace and joy of following Him, teaching me to do His will and to trust in His leading and not my own (Prov 3:5,6).