Testimony

I’m glad to be able to share with you my experience with the Lord Jesus.

It goes back to my childhood days when I was in Primary school. I used to have a teacher who taught me about Jesus and his Word almost every Sunday for a couple of years.

During my childhood, my mum was sick and my dad had to engage Chinese mediums and Malay mediums (Bomohs) to get rid of the evil spirit from my mum and my home. Usually, when the medium came to my home, all the family members had to gather in my parents’ bedroom to pray. I was exposed to God’s teachings then so I insisted on staying alone in the living room to pray to the Lord. My prayer was: “Get away Satan, Jesus Christ is here!” which was what the teacher taught me.

My relationship with God strained day by day due to family objection and also, I moved on to Secondary school and was very much involved in many school activities that I began to pray less and less. Until one day, I prayed to God that I will only return to Him if He shows me the Truth. Since then, I stopped praying daily. I was about 13 years old then.

As I started work, I began to worship the “Chinese gods” in temples.

When an ex-colleague was distressed about her job, I brought her to my regular place of worship, the “Waterloo Street Goddess of Mercy” temple to pray. While we were there, I introduced her to a lady fortune teller situated outside the temple, to ask her to arrange for prayer for protection of enemies for my friend. The fortune teller wrote the personal particulars of my friend on a set of incense papers and then passed them to a lady medium. She then led us to a HDB shop house opposite the temple to pray. The prayer process was burning the set of incense papers with the lady medium chanting in chinese, a prayer for protection of enemies for my friend while my friend kneeled and worshiped in front of several “Chinese gods”. At the end of the chanting, my friend had to take off her sandals to beat the set of incense papers. This action signifies “Thrashing of her enemies”! I worshiped this once before end of each year because I was told it was called “Payback” for the year of blessings and it will also protect me from enemies in the following year.

I had an overseas colleague who enjoys visiting places of worship. One day, when she was in town, I brought her to almost all the Chinese temples in Singapore for worship. It also happened to be the day of Thaipusam so we went to an Indian Temple in Little India to watch the Thaipusam preparation. We saw the male worshippers piercing their tongues, cheeks, and bodies with some sharp objects to enable them to carry their Kavadi.

I also followed my friend to worship at Novena Church occasionally and attended other Christian churches for friends’ weddings and baptisms.

One day, my friend tried to preach to me about Christ. I remembered how sarcastically I was by telling her I know more about Christ than her and even told her that if Her God is so Almighty and that if she dies and goes to Heaven, then she should throw a ladder down for me to climb up.

In my mind for about 27 years, I was not against anyone praying their own gods as my belief was everyone is praying to the same God in accordance to their customs.

In addition, I committed sins without realising that they were sins. Even though my conscience told me they were wrong doings, I just shrugged it off without feeling guilty about it.

In fact I was actually wondering aimlessly without direction since I was about 13 years old. However what I’m going to share with you next has actually transformed my life.

It all happened in HongKong when I was working there.

On Sat 22 February 1997, I brought my two sisters who visited me in HongKong to the famous “Wong Tai Sing” temple to pray. At that time, I had just discovered I was pregnant (though I was not married – another sin which I’d committed without realising it was a sin) so I also prayed for the well being of my child.

However, I caught a virus on Tue 25 Feb 1997 while in Seoul. I had to finish my work so I persisted until my return to HongKong on Fri 28 Feb 1997. That night, I called my only friend in HongKong whose wife coincidentally works in a hospital. I told him of my plight and I was getting weaker and losing energy each day. I did not go to the hospital that night as I thought my suffering was due to morning sickness (first time I was pregnant so I had no experience) so I told him I could wait till next morning.

On Sat 1 March 1997, I was finally hospitalised in HongKong, diagnosed with a virus attack and a fever of 39.5 C. I was already 5 weeks pregnant and to protect my unborn child, the gynaecologist could only prescribe me a maximum of 2 panadols. My left hand was also put on “intravenous drip” as I was not able to take in much food orally. On the day of my hospitalisation, I had already lost 5 kg. in the last 5 days which affected my speech and walking as most of my energy had been drained so I was completely bed-ridden.

On the 3rd morning (just past midnight) of my stay in hospital, I encountered a few Caucasian spirits. I was confused then that I asked these spirits to help my recovery. I wanted to share what I saw with someone so I made an overseas call to a friend. Instead she told me, “Regine, you should pray to God”.

A short while after I hanged up the phone, the same Caucasian spirits appeared again. This time, I suddenly remembered my childhood prayer “Get away Satan, Jesus Christ is here!” and I kept praying this sentence. The spirits disappeared after a couple of minutes. I was too exhausted then and I fell asleep soon after.

The morning when I woke up, I had forgotten how Christ had helped me overcome the ordeal of getting rid of the spirits. My condition had still not improved and my fever still remained at 39.5 C.

On the 1st hour of my 5th day stay in hospital, something happened that changed my whole life. I saw a bright white light with the following visions appearing consecutively:

1st vision - Jesus Christ standing with open arms
2nd vision - Christ standing in the water
3rd vision - Christ climbing a mountain
4th vision - Christ squatting down and lots of white sheep moving towards Him
5th vision - A lady carrying a baby
6th vision - Angels with wings flying
7th vision - Jesus Christ appeared again and slowly his vision became smaller like a portrait

The visions were so bright and so white that they seemed like paradise. Instinctively, I knew that Jesus Christ is the TRUE GOD and I automatically confessed out of my breath: “Thank you God for forgiving my sins and taking me back. You are so wonderful to give me another chance. My child and I accept you as our Saviour from this very moment.”

All this time, He did not speak to me but I could feel his presence as my right hand kept raising automatically towards Him. The visions ended with both my hands clasped together on my chest (in prayer) even though my left hand was on “intravenous drip”. After that, I experienced a complete peace all over me that was never felt before in my life. Also, I felt that I have recovered.

When the nurse took my next temperature, my fever actually dropped from 39.5C for the first time since my hospitalisation. The gynaecologist and the nurses even commented that I was cured miraculously. My condition improved day by day. I even told the gynaecologist to change the hospital registration of my religion to “Christian” instead of “Nothing” which was what I told the nurse on the 1st day of my admission to the hospital. On the 10th day, I was discharged from the hospital.

I joined Grace Baptist Church through my ex-classmate. I also joined a Caregroup, formed with some members of the church. In 1998, we studied a book titled “Experiencing God”. One of the units in the book mentioned “God has his own timing”. I certainly agree with it as He had chosen to answer my childhood prayer when I most needed Him.

Thanks to the Lord’s mercy and grace, my sickness had not affected my daughter. She is going to be 10 this year.

In December 1999, I shared my experience with a colleague visiting from China. Later in early 2000, she wrote to me that she believed in Christ. I was so happy for her and I shared the joy with another Christian colleague. My colleague asked me if I had led her into saying the “Sinner” prayer. I did not understand what it was until she said the prayer. Only then did I realise that I did say my “Sinner” prayer on the day I saw the vision of Christ without realising that it was the “Sinner” prayer. It took me more than 2-1/2 years to understand what I had prayed was the “Sinner” prayer.

During Chinese New Year 2000, I shared my testimony with a widow whose late husband was a pastor. After my sharing, she asked if there was a waterfall behind the vision, “Christ standing in the water”. I was so joyful with tears that the Lord Christ led me to someone who had experienced the same vision as me. She had seen the same vision numerous times, the 1st time when she was a child praying in a church and many times while playing the piano. She also told me on that day, that the vision of “Christ standing in the water” was Christ was cleansing my sins and that was why I experienced the beautiful peace.

There was once when I shared my testimony, a person commented that she does believe in Christ but this does not mean she needs to go to a Church to show it. What she said was to some extent correct as each of us has our own unique and personal relationship with Christ. It is not the religion. We can pray to Him at anytime and anywhere.

The reason why I go to Church is to hear more about His Word, doing worship and praise, and to have fellowship with God-loving people. I find these activities help in my spiritual growth. Five days of working in a secular world is really tough to live Christ-like. It is not going to the Church that will make one holy. It is our own relationship with Christ that matters most and this involves prayers, hearing His Word, and living Christ-like.

I know it is not easy for some of you to believe what I’m sharing today and may even think that my encounter with God may be just a hallucination. But I KNOW Christ Is Real which is why I have this passion in me to share my experience with as many people as possible irrespective they are believers or non-believers. I know our Lord Christ will help us if we call upon HIM.

I know it is difficult to reach out especially to non-believers, including my family members as it too takes me almost 27 years to return to the Lord however, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD.







I like to conclude by sharing a few verses in the Bible:

John 20:29

“Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

So what do those believers who have not seen but believed, have? Yes, they have faith.

Some people after hearing my testimony may have the wrong perception and will choose to wait for the Vision of Christ. But each one of us is unique so Christ works in us differently.

Even though I have seen the Visions, I have slackened in my faith so many times. Yet, the Lord is forever faithful. I am indeed much thankful to the Lord for His grace and mercy and for leaving His message in John 20:29.

Often I heard people mentioned that the Bible is God’s living word. Now I understand what it means. This message in John 20: 29 is so alive in me today.

His message in 2nd Corinthians 5:7 affirmed that it is faith not sight that we walk with Christ.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight”.

So now you may ask how do we have faith?

Romans 10:17

“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”

The word of God is the Bible, God’s living word.

In conclusion, I like to share a message in the Bible, which has always been dearest to my heart since childhood:

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

I pray for the Lord’s grace, mercy and peace be with you in truth and love.

In Jesus Christ precious name. Amen.

Regine

Dated : 5th March 2007
(Today, coincidentally is my daughter, Christy and my 10th anniversary of salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ)