A  21^ST CENTURY JOB

Though known for his explosive nature, Pastor Lee Sian Chong, a straight talking,-no nonsense man is nonetheless well liked and well loved among the people in this sleepy fishing village located off the eastern coast of an island where many of our ancestors hailed from.

Ps Lee is generous to a fault and his loud but yet kind countenance belies a wealth of experience that speaks of the goodness of God in his life.  These days, he gives away money and he lends freely.  However he is no Santa Claus but rather he is a spirit led born again Christian who knows only too well, the futility and frailty of riches in the wrong hands.  He has “learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want”  (Phil 4:12) for he now knows that Christ is the content of his contentment.

The only son in a family of 6,  Ps Lee whose father was the lay pastor of the local church  had in his youth, no inkling of what the inside of a church looks like.  He was also disdainful of Christians, thinking them to be idealistic, not too different of people from the previous political era of his country.   He believes in self and helping only thyself.

Armed with this “self-made” ideals, Ps Lee struck out on his own and ventured into the seafood business in 1985.  His business grew and he acquired one boat after another until 1999, when he was the proud owner of 4 boats .  That same year, he even grew rubber trees and plunged a substantial amount of money into this venture.  Pastor Lee was well on his way to becoming what is in his rationale, what a person should be – a “self-made” millionaire.  

The enemy comes in like a flood……….

However, all these came to a crashing and abrupt end when in the same year, disaster struck, one after another.

Pastor Lee’s father passed away.  The funeral was very, very well attended by people whom he was not even acquainted with and who introduced themselves as “people from the church”.  They showed him love and gave unconditional support and help in the whole funeral arrangement.  Pastor Lee was touched and intrigued……..intrigued enough to visit the church the following Sunday.  To his surprise, there were barely only 20 or so elderly people in the church. Where have all those compassionate people at the funeral gone?

Moved by an unexplained feeling within him, he began to use his business and social standing to influence people to go to church.  He was even emboldened to speak at the pulpit though what he spoke of then, he could not for the life of him, recall.  The church was that time embarking on a church building project with the help of some overseas funds.  Pastor Lee immediately initiated fund raising projects and then even undertook the shortfall himself.  The church moved into the present premises in the year 2000.

Just about that time, Ps Lee was presented with a seemingly irresistible offer to extend his fishing grounds to a region off the coast of a neighboring country.  Unbeknown to him, no such fishing right was granted.  He invested 5 fully staffed boats.  Three of them with a total of 75 crew members were subsequently arrested by the governing authorities of the country whose fishing ground they had encroached upon.  The case went all the way up to the central government and a warrant of arrest was issued for him.

At home, the family members of the captured fishermen came daily to his house to demand his immediate action to help in the release of their husbands, sons and fathers.  They cried, they shouted, they threatened suicide and even bodily harm to his family. They demanded financial assistance and refused to leave each time, without some money in hand.  Finally, they cursed and ridiculed the God whom Ps Lee had believed in. 

For 9 months, Ps Lee had to bear this financial burden plus the monthly 30,000 RMB overseas maintenance of the 75 men in lock-up. On top of that, he needed another 1.8million to make good and retrieve the 3 boats though in the end, the boats were never returned.  There was also no new business as everyone steered clear of him. Overnight, his total business collapsed and he was almost declared a bankrupt.

Physically, Ps Lee was experiencing great deterioration in his health.  His blood pressure shot up, sugar diabetes set in and mysterious huge painful boils appeared all over his body almost overnight.

I will praise the Lord……because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.  Ps 16:7-8

Ps Lee was in deep despair.  He could not understand why all this is happening to him.  Did he not just become a Christian?  Did he not help in the church building project? Did he not “encourage” people to attend church?   Why has God not seen all these, his good works?  Surely God will see and remember and reward him?   He ranted, he cried, he even cursed the day he stepped into church.

Daily, however, another group of people visited him.  They were those compassionate people who showed him love and support when his father passed away.   Now they showed the same love and support to him.  They encouraged him with words of wisdom, love and life.  Slowly but surely, his cries became softer and softer until it turned into praise.  Praise for a God who in the midst of all his troubles, was still there in the form of these people.  Though business associates deserted him, these God-sent people did not. 

Ps Lee began to seek his Heavenly Father and His ways with a renewed fervor.

H learned that riches in kind is slippery.  Money slips all too easily through one’s hand and though at that time, money would have been the answer to all his trouble, it just could not buy back his lost confidence in mankind, starting with SELF.

As he slowly began to trust God for and in everything, he strangely developed a compassion for others and he began to give.  Once, he had only 200 RMB in his pocket but then he gave it all away when he encountered another person in need.      

Even in darkness, light dawns for the righteous………Ps 112:4-9

After nine long months, there was hope that the 75 fishermen were to be released.  However in securing their release, Ps Lee needed more than 300,000 RMB in expenses.  Right about that time, someone approached him with a boat to sell.  In all, he needed   about 700,000 RMB both for buying and repairing the boat and for the release of the men.  Where was he to get the money?

Praise the Lord!  Miraculously money poured in.  His relative in Singapore loaned him 150,000 RMB and though of bad credit standing, the bank offered to loan him another 150,000.  The rest of the shortfall was fully met in no time.  To this day, Ps Lee could not explain how or where the money came from but it sure did.

The 75 men were released and reunited with their families, the warrant of arrest was withdrawn and he was once again a proud owner of a newly bought boat 

I will repay you for all the years the locusts have eaten………Joel2:25

Indeed, just as Ps Mark had prayed for him in January 2006, Ps Lee’s restoration is now full with even much more left over. 

Ps Lee lost 3 boats in the year 2000 worth a total of about 300,000 RMB.  Today he has 4 boats and the value of the latest one he bought is more than 600,000.  His debt of more than one million RMB is cleared and he now lends to those genuinely in need.  The first time he visited the needy students in the Sponsor-A-Child’s Education program, he had 3000 RMB in his pocket but returned home with barely 100 left.  He gave it all away when he saw the need.

Physically, his blood pressure returned to normal, sugar diabetes is under control and all the boils disappeared.  He now boasts of a much smoother and clearer skin.

Personally, his relationship with his wife improved.  His two sons who are averaged in studies, both secured places in prestigious university and school and his daughter finished her diploma study and is awaiting God for a job.  Even those around him are blessed.  His father-in-law’s business of which his wife is managing, also prospered.

These days, he is constantly looking out for someone to share his testimony with, giving all glory to God.   The peace he experience gives him such joy as he seek the Lord first in all facet of his life even during the increasingly few times when he lost his temper.

The membership of his church now stands at 300 and he has taken over from his father as the pastor-in-charge.

Truly, all the blessings of Deuteronomy 28 is seen so clearly in his life and as the Lord has said to him, “Now, a borrower not, but a lender be”

Praise The Lord!

———————————————————————————-

TESTIMONY

CONSTRUCTION OF LI MING CHURCH, HAINAN

MYSTERY & MIRACLE

Li Ming Church in Jia Chi, Qionghai, Hainan conducted its first Sunday service in 2001 at its present premises with a congregation size of about 50 people.  By 2004, the congregation grew to slightly more than 100 with occasional attendance exceeding 150 especially on Holy Communion Sundays.  On days like this, worshippers would then have to endure the Summer heat or Winter chill, by sitting on stools placed outside the church.

The church having recognized the need for a bigger premises,  then registered itself as a religiously society in 2002 and immediately embark on a church building plan.  They managed to raise enough fund to buy an adjacent piece of land and started believing for the Lord to supply the rest.

Mystery & Miracle No. 1 – Permission to Build A Church

In the city of Jia Chi, there already exists a 3-Self church and to all intent and purposes, there is not a glimpse of likelihood that permission would be granted for another church to be built within the same city.  However, miracle came in the form of a weighty referral letter from the Secretary of the Religious Bureau of Qionghai, recommending that permission be granted to Li Ming Church even though it does not and will not come under the governance of the 3-Self church structure.

Permission was granted.

Mystery &Miracle No. 2 – Amendment to City Planner’s Master Plan

Before the land was cleared and cut up into parcel lots for sale, there existed a road that curved right, heading into the direction of the main thoroughfare from the city centre.  However, the Municipal office without informing the City Planner, somehow changed the direction of the road to be one heading straight and right through this cluster of new developments.  Regular shaped land parcel lots were then cut up and sold, among one of which was sold to the church. 

Then there came a complete change in the staffing profile of both the Municipal and City Planner Office, with almost all of the previous staff who made the change in the road and sold the land, transferred to another county.  The new City Planner Office refused to acknowledge the change and insisted on a curved road which will inadvertently cut into the church land.  A letter of appeal was filed but to no avail.  The Church prayed and decided to be still and not do anything further but to wait and see the deliverance of the Lord.

What happened next was, the owners of the 2 adjacent plots of land, one of which had already started construction, also appealed.  These two land owners are big time companies based in Beijing and very naturally, they placed substantial pressure on the City Planner Office to acknowledge and approve the change.

Approval was granted.

Mystery & Miracle No. 3 – Permit for Construction Plans

The architect whose remarks the title of this testimony, “Mystery & Miracle”, is attributed to, was very, very taken by surprise when building approval for the church construction was granted within a year.  According to him, this is simply not possible and even now, in his office, there are plans for building construction that were submitted more than 2 to 3 years ago, still awaiting approval.  Apparently the normal time frame taken for approval to be granted can sometimes be as long as 3 to 4 years. 

He said it right.  It is indeed a Mystery and a Miracle.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Unless the Lord Build His house,

We labor in vain.

Amen

All Glory unto the Lord.

Report by;

Helen Tan

Hainan Island Mission