When I was at a young age, I heard that my father's godmother was admitted to the hospital for an operation. After that, she recuperates in the ancestral worship place near Pasir Panjang area. We went to visited her quite often after the operation. One day as I was walking around the vicinity, I saw that the apartment next door had a swing. There is a low wall that I can climb over to the swing. I decided to play the swing so I climbed over it often. One day while I was on the swing, an angel like lady walk to me and shared the Christian gospel to me. Not knowing why, after some talk with her, she prayed the sinner’s prayer with me. Salvation is by God’s gift; meaning when God calls you to believe in Him, you will not resist. You will eventually believe if you belong to God. After that, I started to attend church for some time. After some time, I stopped going to church because of parental objection and also that I myself did not have at strong urge to attend church.
However, God was good. He remembers me after so many years. After my ‘O’ Level in my new house; which is my current house, I was staying at home doing something. A lady came and asks me whether I want to attend a church camp. At first, I did not want to. However, my mum finds that I am too quiet and it is not good to always stay at home so she persuaded me to go with this neighbour of mine. Her name is Miriam and she is still in my church now. In the end, I followed her to the church camp. That year, she is the camp mistress; the person in charge of the whole camp. It was there that I heard the gospel the second time. Again, God touch my heart again. I even decided to baptise with Shuhui and Amos. It was at that camp that I met up with two of them. At that time, they are still at young as me. They are not a couple yet. In God’s timing, I started to attend church from then on. As I have told you, I always failed my English in my secondary school, passing it in ‘O’ level, to me is a miracle. I believe God is the one who make it possible.
After a few years, I backslided and did not go to church. However God is good, he sent people to encourage me with cards and visitation. In the end, God bring me back again. My turning point is when I am in the National Service (NS). As I have shared with you the difficulties that I went through, I pray everyday for God to give me strength to go through all the tough training. I even spend time to read the bible even though I feel tired. Why did I do that? This is because the Bible to Christian is a very powerful tool. God can encourage and speaks to you through the bible. Not literally speak to you but what I mean is that the verses that I read will give me comfort and direct my steps in my life. I draw strength from the Bible to endure the hard training in my army days. It is also at this time, my faith in God increase tremendously.
Some time after my NS, I decided to pursue music. God had sent a person, in another church that I have been attending on Sunday morning to teach me. She is a very patient teacher and it was that teacher who had helped me in getting distinction in my Grade 5 practical piano exams. If it were not for God that had made me believe in Him, I would not have known this teacher in church. Well, you might be saying that it is because I am practising hard enough and I have the talent to do it. Let me ask you. I did not even take the lower grades exam; I jumped straight to grade 5. What probability that you think such a person, without the lower grades foundation, can get a distinction in a piano exam? The possibility is very low; I even struggled when I started to learn the pieces. Who make all these things happen? I would attribute all these to God.
After some time, that piano teacher finds that I should get a better piano teacher so I stopped attending her lessons. I prayed very hard to get a Christian piano teacher because I was thinking of serving in the church as a pianist then. I hope to train up for it and even lead in training the choir some day. After I prayed for sometime, aunty Mee Mee, our church pianist got a contact for me. She is my current piano teacher. She had studied degree in piano and church hymns playing overseas. Again God sent another wonderful teacher. She is the teacher who teaches me song composing in Grade 5 theory exam. She also gives me lots of exercise so that I can be prepared for the exams that I took last year. I agree that I myself have to play a part in doing the practice papers. How often can a person that did not take the lower grades theory exam, and jumps straight to grade 5 theory exams can get a distinction? The possibility is very low, as I have shared that the song composing part and other parts like musical terms are not easy to get full marks unless you memorise very thoroughly. I think if you are taking it yourself you will know that it is not easy to obtain distinction not to mention full marks.
How about my life? How has God changed my life? I am actually a very quiet person. When I just came to the church, I don’t usually talk to people, I always wait for people to talk to me first. Even if I talk, I will only say a few words. Some people may find that I am trying to act cool. I am not because I just find that I don’t really know what to talk about and I am not really interested about other people’s business. However, God had changed me. I find that I cannot remain silent as before. I have to talk to people, encourage people, share concern and pray for people. God did not call me to be silence but to witness for Him, to tell people how He has been so good to me.
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