HOW I CAME TO KNOW THE TRUECHURCH

In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I testify.

Looking back, it is truly amazing to see God's plans for me slowly taking shape although I did not know it at the time.

I was born in December 1979 in Belfast, Northern Ireland, and grew up in British society. My parents emigrated from Hong Kong. When I was four years old my family moved to a smaller town, Ballycastle, to set up a business. I started my education at a Roman Catholic school, which was located close by. I even remember being able to say the Hail Mary prayer in Irish! When the teachers told us to pray, I simply spoke the words, but I never thought of their meaning. Here, I first heard about Jesus, God and the Bible.

When we moved into our new house, my paternal grandmother made us all stand together as she prayed. It sounded really strange and my brother and I always giggled away.

When I was 10 years old, my parents sent me to a grammar school 15 miles away.  It was predominantly Protestant.  I forgot about Jesus for a few years.  Then when I was about 14, a classmate invited me to the school's Scripture Union (SU) society.  I remember clearly she said to me that if I was not a Christian I would go to Hell.  Driven by fear I attended the SU.  But I always felt left out as I was the odd one out, who did not come from a Christian family.  With a little Gideon Bible given to me at school, as well as through the SU, I gradually learnt more about God.  As a result, my belief and faith grew in Him.  At the age of 16, I asked Jesus to come into my life and let me become a Christian.

Though I would also pray for my parents, realistically I really could not see my parents ever believing in Jesus.  They never seemed that religious even in their own religions; I was sure they were atheists.  I could not see how I could tell them the "good news" about Jesus Christ being the Savior of all men.  Personally, I saw Christianity as a "Western" thing.  I truly did not think that Chinese people and Christianity mixed!  My relationship with my parents was also not that good.  We did not have much in common because of our different childhood lifestyles.  Also my Chinese was limited and communication was not great.

I always thought that my parents believed in other Chinese religions.  My maternal grandparents had Buddhist beliefs and various statues in their home.  I was not sure what my paternal grandparents believed in.  They did not have statues I assumed that they believed in some traditional Chinese religion also.

What a shock I had when, in the summer of 1997, some deacons and brothers of the TRUE JESUS CHURCH (TJC) came to our home.  I was introduced to them but I was a little shy and just said "hello" and excused myself in a little while I heard a very frightening noise from the living room downstairs.  It was loud and it scared me so much.  I just knew it was religious.  When they stopped I went downstairs, my dad asked if I was okay.  I looked at one of the deacons and immediately asked, "Were you speaking in tongues?" His positive reply astounded me.  To discover also that my dad was baptized when he was a baby in Hong Kong alarmed me further!  I was in a state of minor shock.  I was given some tracts to read about the church.

For weeks after this event I was confused.  I would read about tongues speaking in the Bible but did not understand it!  At Pentecost the apostles spoke in tongues and the crowds could understand them as in their own languages but what I had heard in my experience sounded like gibberish.  It was unintelligible.  Oh dear, I was very confused.  Is this TJC okay or is it a cultic thing?  Why had my dad not told me about it before?  The answer to the latter is that my dad never really had a strong faith.

He later told me that when he went to church as a child he did not realize the significance of it.  He liked it because of the free food – grape juice and bread at communion!  My dad lost touch with the church.  He said that he was contacted by the church before, but was not really that interested as he was going through a difficult time, not long after I was born and my mother was ill and money was tight.

Anyway, I took my queries to the Lord in fervent prayer.

In October 1997, my dad and grandmother were to attend a Spiritual Convocation at Edinburgh, GiffordParkChurch.  I asked my dad if I could come too.  I said to myself that I would see what the church was like and then make a judgement.  I had to give it a go.

I was very cautious the first couple of days in Edinburgh.  So many Chinese people believing in Jesus!  Wow!  They were really nice too.  However, when the Spiritual Convocation started on Monday and I was faced with hours of church attendance - something like 10 am to 7pm.  I started feeling scared.  My dad was so busy with other people. I hardly got to speak to him.  I was pushed from one person to the next and introduced to everyone.  It was almost suffocating.  I started getting quite restless with listening to sermons for such a long period of time also (although they were very good Biblical studies).  And the worst part was the prayer sessions every half hour or so!  A whole building full of people making really frightening sounds.  I looked around at the people in the pews beside me, they shook and groaned.  I asked God to tell me what was going on, to give me help and understanding.  I prayed so hard and my heart wept.  I asked God to show me whether this church and the praying and noise was right or wrong.  At this stage I wanted to leave the church, I wish I had not come.

During the next tea break, I was pushed around and introduced to more people.  I could not stand it much more.  I started crying as I headed to the bathroom and everyone whom I walked past looked at me.  I wanted to stay in the bathroom alone for the rest of the afternoon, but people were knocking on the door.  I had to open it sooner or later.

Thankfully, sister Joanne Chan stayed with me for the rest of the afternoon and evening and I told her everything.  I said how much I disliked the prayer sessions.  We went into the office where we were away from the congregation but still able to hear the sermons.  During the prayer sessions Joanne and I chatted, I asked her questions.  She was very caring.

At the end of the first day of the Spiritual convocation, I felt a bit better.  Before leaving, a deacon asked me if I wanted to pray.  I was not overly keen, but I agreed.  Joanne came as well.  We went into the office and we knelt down to pray.  I prayed "in the name of Lord Jesus Christ..." I was able to hear the deacon and Joanne praying in tongues.  But all I did was keep saying Hallelujah.  I must have said it about 100 times.  The deacon got up and started laying his hand on my head.  It was quite firm and it shook.  While repeating Hallelujah, suddenly my tongue started to flutter and move really fast and I could not control it.  It seemed like I was singing, as the sound was quite high pitched.  I could not believe it, but I was really happy.  Today was the worst day of my life but also the best!  God really did answer my prayer!  So now I can say and testify that the True Jesus Church is right with God, because He has given us the wonderful Holy Spirit.

I was baptized 2 days later.  My mother and brother were baptized 5 months later in Northern Ireland.  We are very determined to live for Him.  With sustained faith in our Lord Jesus, through regular family worship, serving Him, bible reading and prayer, I look forward very much to the Heavenly Kingdom.