Hallelujah, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ I testify.

What I am about to relate is an incident which happened not only to me but also to six other sisters. It is an incident that tells of the great and wondrous love of our Lord Jesus.

In the summer of 1990, about 30 of us went on a Singapore-Phuket-Hong Kong trip for our vacation.

On our last day in Phuket, some of us decided to go for a swim in the sea to cool ourselves from the scorching heat. We were swimming, playing and laughing in the water when one sister called us. Although she was quite far from the shore, she seemed to be in shallow waters. Curious, we decided to swim to where she was. Once we reached her, we were surprised that we could actually stand and decided to stay there. Suddenly a massive wave came and swept away the sand beneath our feet. We could no longer stand. The waves were too strong for us and they kept pushing us further into the sea. Only one sister managed to swim back to shore. Seven of us remained in the waters.

I managed to stay close to four other sisters, one of whom I clung on to, as I was petrified. I held on to her so tightly that I nearly strangled her. Thank God she managed to escape from me and swim safely to shore. I found it increasingly difficult to keep my head above the water as the waves kept pushing me under. I was terrified. I believed I was going to die. Then one of the sisters said, "Shout 'Hallelujah!'" So, with what little breath I had, I shouted as loudly as I possibly could. I desperately wanted to be saved.

The brothers and sisters on shore were looking on helplessly as they could not do anything. It must have been a traumatic experience for them too, to see us out there, on the verge of death.

By this time, I was clinging on to a little sister to stay afloat as neither of us were strong swimmers. The two sisters who were with us, thank God, managed to swim away. However, as they were swimming away from us, I felt disheartened. "Don't go," I thought, "I'll die." Somehow I managed to stay afloat and searched to see where the other two sisters were. To my horror, they were being swept even further away. I shouted "Hallelujah" even louder. "Oh God," I thought, "Please save us. Don't let us die now." At this point, I saw one of our brothers running into the water. "Thank God," I said to myself. But to my dismay, he swam past me, and I realized that he was going to save the other two sisters. Therefore, I shouted even louder. I was extremely afraid. I did not want to die. Thank God that He heard our cries and sent some lifeguards to rescue us safely, while the little sister's father brought her out.

Following the incident, we all gathered in a room to give thanks to our Lord Jesus. Many tears were shed that day; both by the survivors and by those who were not at the scene. Seven precious lives could have been lost, but yet again our Savior lifted His almighty hand and saved us from the snares of death. As it says in Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

This incident not only depicts the daily providential care of Christ, but also reminds us that our lives are short and can be taken away from us any time. We must therefore live a life worthy of the Lord's calling.

May all glory be unto God. Hallelujah. Amen.