Chen Liying, Melody
I had no knowledge of Jesus Christ until I came to Singapore. It was in late December of 2009. When I was in China, I followed my grandparents and parents in worshipping idols in temples. They would pray for good results for each of my exams and asked for good fortune for me. To me, it didn’t mean anything at all. I believed in science and believed that human beings evolved from monkeys. I did not have a good impression of Christians or people from other religions. I thought in a high-tech society, nothing is impossible and humans can make everything possible. So there was no need to depend on those gods, and I didn’t even know if they really existed or not.
I was a bad child in the past. I bickered with my mum or even shouted at her when she asked me to do housework or when she did not allow me to buy expensive and fashionable clothing. I hated being her child and complained a lot of my bad fate. Last time, we could not communicate with each other and the thing that made me happy was to see her angry face. But my attitude changed after becoming a child of God…
I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Saviour and Lord on 7 March 2010 in YCKC. It was a Sunday morning. Mentor Shirley asked me about the evangelistic Chinese New Year concert which I had attended the day before. I shared my feelings with her, and told her I was touched by the singers and the whole environment. I was touched by their testimonies of the wonderful faithfulness of God. It seemed like this God was the best friend that you can talk to and I wanted this friend. I wanted to be a person full of love and thanksgiving, and I saw this in Christianity.
When Shirley asked me if I admitted I was a sinner and if I wanted to accept Jesus as my personal Saviour, I realized that I did not fully understand what sin was at that time. But my head just kept nodding! How amazing it was! I become a child of God, without realizing it, the moment I accepted Him. I know all these happened, that I did receive Christ, as when I look back at my diary, it reflects the joy and excitement of the day when I received Christ.
However, I didn’t have a complete understanding of Christianity in the first few months. I still doubted and struggled with whether there was really a God. My family strongly opposed my belief in Christ. But I thank God for providing mentors and sisters-in-Christ who always encouraged me and prayed for me. And the love of Christ really strengthened me to trust Him completely and even changed my attitude toward my mum! Now, before I start a communication with her or during the communication, I will pray that God may give me a soft tone and peace. I found that I have really become more patient with her and can stop bickering with her. I can chat with her happily now, and I also found that I love her more and more.
I’m so grateful that I’ve received a wonderful gift from God to be His child. In Him, my life is so abundant and I don’t feel any fear or loneliness, but instead, I have the peace, joy and love deep in my heart. Because “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” (Psalm 119:105)