ARLost at SeaSaved from drowning"I could feel jellyfish stinging me, which was extremely painful. In fact, all kinds of fish were hitting against my body. The feeling was extremely scary, but I tried my best to push them away…"On November 3, 1999, Lord Jesus saved Khailashkumar s/o Jeganathan from drowning off the northwest coast of Sabah, Malaysia. He was in the stormy sea 5 miles from the coast without a life jacket for about 20 hours. The Malaysian Navy could not locate him, but God could.I am a Naval
Officer serving in the Malaysian Navy. I would like to testify about the
grace of our Lord Jesus, who saved me from death in the ocean off the
northwest coast of Sabah, Malaysia.
On November
3, 1999, I was on board the KD Lembing naval ship traveling from Kota
Kinabalu, Sabah, to Sandakan. About five miles from the coast, I suddenly
found myself in the tempestuous sea. It was about 11:00 p.m., and worse
still, I was without a life jacket!
The water was
cold and it was raining on and off. The wind was very strong and the waves
were about three to four meters high. I could see the stern light of my
ship a long distance away, and I knew that the crew on board would not be
able to hear me if I yelled for help. Looking around, I saw a light from a
beacon that was miles away on the mainland of Sabah.
For the next
two hours or so, I tried to swim toward the beacon, but I made little
progress because of the bad weather and strong side current. I was unable
to swim very fast because of cramps in both my thighs. Also, I could feel
jellyfish stinging me, which was extremely painful. In fact, all kinds of
fish were hitting against my body. The feeling was extremely scary, but I
tried my best to push them away and continue swimming. The area where I
fell overboard was well known for sharks, and this knowledge was certainly
not very comforting.
After about
two hours, I realized that I could never reach the mainland. The waves
were much bigger now, and because I was already exhausted, I felt like
sinking into the sea. I started to pray, crying to the Lord for help. Each
time I held my hands together to pray I would sink into the water. I was
feeling very drowsy by then and didn't know what I was doing. I was
becoming too exhausted to think of anything. These feelings got worse as
the temperature of the water began to drop.
At one point,
I wanted to give up the struggle. I held my head down in the water hoping
to faint and drown. But I knew that by doing so I would be committing
suicide, which is a mortal sin. I also thought of my father and some
church members in Kampong Koh, and how heartbroken they would be if I
died. I just could not accept the fact that they would be crying for me.
So I kept on shouting "Hallelujah" and pressed on. I also
remembered that the Lord Jesus once asked His disciples, "Why are you
afraid of the storms and the sea, you men of little faith?"
Later, I
don't know what happened, but I seemed to fall into a deep sleep or
something.
The Next Day
The next thing I
knew, it was daybreak and the sun's rays were hurting my eyes. At first I
could not even open them, and the salt water made them more painful. When
at last I was able to open my eyes, I realized that I was in the open
ocean. There was no land in sight. Despite this, I felt very grateful to
the Lord for delivering me from danger and keeping me safe throughout the
night.
I gathered
strength and kept on swimming. Fish were jumping in front of my eyes. They
were Tenggiris fish, with sharp teeth, and I was really terrified! I tried
to avoid them and kept on swimming. Suddenly, I saw a fishing boat pass in
front of me. I tried my very best to swim nearer to it, but none of the
crew could see me or hear my cries for help. After chasing the boat, I was
very, very exhausted. I was out of breath and very disappointed that all
my struggle had been wasted.
After about
two or three hours I saw an island very, very far away, but I did not
think that I could reach it because it was so far away, about fifteen
miles (25 km). Moreover, it was raining and the early morning temperature
was very cold. Still, I didn't
have any choice but to keep swimming in order to keep myself warm. I
realized that I had blisters all over my face and body. The pain was
excruciating. Due to excessive intake and exposure to salt water, my
throat and nose were swollen and hurt terribly. My tongue also felt very
rough, and I could not taste anything.
Finally, I
made up my mind that if I wanted to survive I would have to swim toward
the island. The journey took me from morning till evening. I swam against
the waves, into the waves, and on top of the waves, trying to stay alive.
Hallelujah,
all thanks be to our Most High God and Savior! I reached the island at
about 6 p.m. I was extremely happy and thankful.
As I walked
on the beach, I fell and stumbled along the way because I was very hungry
and thirsty, as well as exhausted and shivering in the cold. I saw a
wooden house with three men outside. They were staring at me, too shocked
for words. I opened my mouth to ask for food and a place to sleep, but no
sound came out. Only then did I realize that I couldn't speak, so I had to
use gestures to make myself understood.
The men
brought me to another location on the island by motorboat. It was the home
of the Ketua Kampung (the village chief), who provided me with food and a
place to sleep. Thank God, I was in good hands.
Giving Thanks
After sleeping
through the whole night like a log, I was taken to a small clinic on the
island early the next morning. There I found out that I was on Banggi
Island, near the Philippines border.
Later I went
to the police station. After making a police report, I made a phone call
to the naval authorities, and after about thirty minutes, a Nuri
helicopter arrived to take me to the mainland of Sabah, to a town called
Kudat. I was immediately admitted into the Kudat Hospital.
After about
three hours in the hospital, I sneaked out and went to Kudat church to
thank the Lord. It happened that Kudat church was having a spiritual
meeting, and I took the opportunity to testify to the brethren there about
how the Lord had saved me.
Looking back,
I know that no one could have survived this whole ordeal at sea without
divine help. In all, I was in the stormy sea for about twenty hours! It
was impossible that I could swim the thirty miles (50 km) to Banggi Island
without God's help. Although the Malaysian Navy had sent five naval
warships, four Nuri helicopters, one seaplane, and two Marine-Police
ships, they could not locate me.
It was
undeniably the merciful and loving hand of the Lord that delivered me from
the stormy sea and guided me to the island of Banggi, just as He had sent
a fish to swallow Jonah and then vomit him onto the shore of Nineveh.
Hallelujah!
May all praise and glory be to the Lord! Amen.