Hello brothers and sisters in Christ! Welcome to the third episode of My Hand in His. Today, let us see David’s conversion, his first experience of God’s providence at work and how God prepared his walk in faith.

One day, David met Mr. Goh - a missioner, former gangster and spirit medium – someone with a very similar background to him. David told him his apprehension about becoming a Christian as he fears the retribution from the gods. As a traditional Taoist, to leave his religion was synonymous with disloyalty to the gods. However, his answer to David’s questions dispelled all his fears and clarified his misconceptions of Christianity.

One evening, David went to church to help with the tuition and met a fellow volunteer named Chua Hung Choo. They walked home after lessons and along the way home on Balestier Road, Hong Choo asked David gently, “Have you accepted Jesus as your Saviour?” The question surprised David.

David told Hung Choo that he has been attending the church for six months and was involved in many church activities. He thought that all that qualified him as a Christian. But Hung Choo explained that his involvement in church would not make him a Christian. Hung Choo said, “You have to accept Jesus as your personal Saviour”.

“What do you mean by that?” David asked.

“Man is born a sinner. And we all eventually die because of sin. However, Jesus came to die for us. If you believe in him, He can save you from your sins and make you a child of God”.

When I heard him saying I could become a child of God and have my sins forgiven, I wanted to accept Christ as my Saviour right away. However, I still had a question.

“You mean those lies that I told, and all the fighting and stealing that I did with the gangs can be washed away if I accept Jesus?”

And Hung Choo replied, “Certainly!”

I was thrilled to learn that if I accept Christ, He would forgive me of all my sins and give me eternal life; and when I died, I could go to heaven. I wouldn’t have to face the Ten Courts of Hell. Christ was the answer to all my longings. I told Hong Choo I wanted to accept Jesus right way.

Immediately, they sat down on the pavement by the roadside and under the dim street lamps, Hong Choo led David in the Sinner’s Prayer.

Wow! Having said the Sinner’s Prayer, an indescribable sense of peace and joy immediately flooded my heart. I was like a survivor of the desert standing underneath a cascading waterfall, letting the refreshing streams wash over me. I wanted to sing, “Floods of joy o’er my soul like the sea billows roll, since Jesus came into my heart”. That’s an experience I had never known before I found Christ.

Hung Choo became David’s mentor and friend. Quite often, he took David to his house, which was just a five-minute walk from church, and played his ukulele while they sang together. Hung Choo taught David to play the ukulele and encouraged him to attend church regularly, read the Bible daily and memorise Bible verses. And he taught David to sing gospel songs. At that time, David loved the song I Met Jesus at the Crossroads.

I met Jesus at the crossroads, where the two ways meet

Satan, too, was standing there

He said, “Come this way. Lots and lots of pleasures I will give to you today!”

But I said, “No! There’s Jesus here

See what he offers me

Down here my sins forgiven

Up there, my home in heaven

Praise God, that’s enough for me!”

Jesus set David free from all the fears caused by taboos and superstitions. Since then, David never missed church services and other special rallies. He even went for door-to-door track-giving and shared Christ whenever he met a friend or stranger.

Experience with God

As a widow, David’s mother was the sole breadwinner for her seven children. Her daily wages of $3.50 was far from enough to feed the family. When his school shoes almost fell apart and there were holes in their soles, David did not ask his mother for a pair of new canvas shoes. He decided to ask God for His provision.

One day, David visited his second sister. They are the closest siblings to each other among all. She married a deliveryman through a matchmaker. His brother-in-law earned enough for his family but had no spare cash to spend on other things. However, at the end of David’s visit, he pressed $2 into David’s palm and asked him to keep it.

David was thankful that God surprised him with a gift - he could now afford to replace his old shoes. He immediately bought a pair of basketball shoes for $1.20 and a pair of socks for 20 cents. He then kept the balance for his school recess the next day. Matthew 7:7 says, "Ask and it will be given to you”. Yes, God answered David’s prayer and He supplied more than enough for his needs.

God taught me through my brother-in-law that He could supply my needs, whatever the time, place or amount. This episode motivated me to continue to trust Him to provide for my journey of faith.

When open-air meetings were permitted by the government in the 1960s, his church held open-air meetings every Monday night. 15-year-old David was so enthusiastic for Christ and he involved himself in the organisation of the weekly meetings. He set up the public address system, arranged the chairs and welcomed passers-by at church gate before meetings. Sometimes, he even interpreted sermons that were preached in English into Teochew - a dialect which was widely spoken in the neighbourhood. His passion for the newfound faith prompted him to tell the world about Christ. At the same time, David was prepared to face possible persecution from his grandparents and family.

But God’s work is always beyond our expectation. No one in his family persecuted David, not even his staunch grandparents. David believed they all saw his transformation and perhaps they noticed that his church friends were more respectable than the gang he used to hang out with. Gradually, neighbours and schoolmates started to talk to David again.

In the past, David refused to study. But having been touched by the God Almighty, David totally turned over a new leaf. He soon became a role model to some lower secondary students and the school made him the conductor for the National Anthem during the morning assembly. In his final year, David made himself the top boy in class.

The Baptism

David decided to get baptised and he asked his mother for permission. Surprisingly, she strongly opposed his idea! But, why?

The Chinese basically practise ancestor worship. Many traditional Chinese consider it all right for their children to go to church but not to get baptised. They believe that it might provoke their deceased ancestors and bring disaster or misfortune to the family. The parents then face criticism from relatives and sometimes ostracism from the community. Also, they are afraid that no one would pray for them when they pass away and they would become hungry ghosts. As such, conversion to another religion is tantamount to disloyalty to one’s religion and community. The fear of being persecuted or rejected by the clan and family makes conversion very difficult.

David’s mother told her older son, David’s older brother, about his idea of getting baptised and sought his views. Thank God that his older brother who studied in a mission school and learnt about Christianity was liberal. He asked his mother a simple question: whether it would be better for David to be a Christian or let him join a gang and get into endless fights. His mother, a prudent though illiterate woman, was able to follow his argument and agreed grudgingly. Most likely, David’s mother saw his change ever since he became a Christian. At last, David’s search for God ended with baptism in August 1966.

He read the Bible every day like a love letter from his beloved and prayed often throughout the day. He spent one hour each in prayer in the morning, afternoon and before bedtime. As a result, he had a good understanding of the Bible which enabled him to start teaching for Sunday school six months after his conversion.

Throughout the Bible, the theme of God’s providence is plentiful. I thought at first that I was searching for God. Later, I realised that God had been searching for me, like the Waiting Father, who scanned the horizon daily for the return of his lost son as found in Luke 15: 20.

In his walk in the early days as a real Christian, God sent His anointed servants to accomplish His purpose in David’s life. First, God used Miss Ho Geok Choo, a church pastoral worker to teach David the principle of trusting Him alone. The most beautiful part is her preaching which was simple and clear, often spiced up with humour which listeners could apply in their daily lives. Besides, she also taught David the importance of prayer. She often said in the podium, “If you have problems, you should keep your eyes focused on God”.

With Miss Ho’s leading, David learnt about pastoral care and evangelism. On many Saturdays, she took youths to do door-to-door tracking, invite adults to join church worship, and  invite children to Sunday school and free tuition. Sometimes, after church services, she took them to visit the sick in a hospital on Balestier Road which was known for treating tuberculosis patients.

The team was welcomed by a foul antiseptic smell the moment they arrived. Patients clearing their throats, emptying their nasal flows in their handkerchiefs and spitting into spittoons disgusted David the most. The team gave tracts from bed to bed and shared the gospel with the residents. During Chinese New Year and Christmas, the team brought gifts and food for the patients who readily got up to receive those. But the moment the team gave tracts or started to share the gospel, the patients would turn around and pretend to fall asleep. But David revealed that as a teenager and if given a choice, he would not follow Miss Ho there. He only went because he really wanted to share the gospel with the patients.

David learnt a lot from Miss Ho and she inspired him to see God intervening in crises through constant prayers. God’s provision became a reality in his life from then onward. The training she gave David laid a foundation on his journey of faith many years later.

David met up with Miss Ho again in 2009, after 43 years. He realised that neither of them was aware of God’s providential guidance in using her to prepare him for his pastoral work today: visitation, preaching and working among seniors. God used those days when David tagged along with her on her pastoral work to hone his skills.

Jeremiah 29:11 says “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. God’s plans are surely and always beyond our expectations. In fact, His plans are good for us.

Friends, God is watching all of us every day from above. Be encouraged with David’s testimony as we see his walk from being a teenager to a young adult further next week. Stay tuned.