{"id":772,"date":"2024-12-25T07:33:06","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T20:33:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/?p=772"},"modified":"2026-03-22T07:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T20:28:33","slug":"a-prodigals-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/?p=772&lang=en","title":{"rendered":"A Prodigal\u2019s Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Ching Kwong 60th Anniversary Thanksgiving Testimony \u2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Since I was in my mother\u2019s womb, I have been growing up in Ching Kwong. It has now been 43 years. Growing up in church is truly a joyful and blessed thing!<\/p>\n

From a baby, to kindergarten, primary school, secondary school, university, marriage, and having children, Ching Kwong has accompanied me through every stage. On this not-so-easy journey of life, Jesus redeemed me, and the Heavenly Father has watched over and protected me. Time and again, I wandered, and returned to the Father\u2019s house.<\/p>\n

Ching Kwong is our spiritual home. My parents, grandparents, and in-laws have been gathering here for decades. In children\u2019s Sunday school, my mother served as a pianist, and I joyfully sang children\u2019s hymns with other kids, praising God. We learned Bible stories, prayer, and how to rely on God.<\/p>\n

My grandmother was a very loving sister. She loved her family and also cared deeply for the brothers and sisters in church, serving wholeheartedly. In gatherings, women\u2019s meetings, and various events, she prepared food for everyone and gave her time and money to care for those in need. To me, she was a virtuous woman. She was a great helper and wife to my grandfather, managing the household while supporting him in business and ministry. Together, they raised six children\u2014it was not easy.<\/p>\n

My grandfather\u2019s service in church was a great example to us. He offered back to God what he had received, through giving and serving. He taught us to rely on God, to pray, and to give. When I was young, he would give me money every Sunday for offering, cultivating a heart of giving. He also reminded us to keep the Lord\u2019s Day and not stop gathering.<\/p>\n

My father also served in church, driving the gospel van to bring people to Ching Kwong, helping with sound systems, and doing gardening work.<\/p>\n

Growing up, my parents brought me to many home fellowships. As an only child, I was never lonely. Many church children became my spiritual companions\u2014we played, learned God\u2019s Word, and followed Jesus together, spending a joyful childhood.<\/p>\n

In Ching Kwong, I learned to read the Bible, sing many hymns, and live according to God\u2019s Word\u2014studying well and getting along with others. Many church activities filled my life with richness and joy. I also served in children\u2019s ministry through singing, dancing, and drama\u2014those were the happiest times of my life.<\/p>\n

However, at 13, when I entered secondary school, my heart turned toward studies, and I drifted away from church life. Apart from Sunday service, I stopped participating in gatherings and lost connection with the body. Under immense academic and emotional pressure, I fell into severe depression and harmed myself multiple times. I didn\u2019t even have the strength to attend Sunday service and lived in deep despair.<\/p>\n

Many brothers and sisters from church and school prayed earnestly for me. Eventually, without medication, God used a serious illness to bring me back to life.<\/p>\n

I returned to Sunday services, but still lacked true church life. My life was built on sand, and I continued walking in darkness. At 17, a major incident happened\u2014God disciplined me greatly, and I began again on a new path.<\/p>\n

At 18, though busy with studies, I told myself I needed rest on Sundays and returned to Ching Kwong for worship. God blessed my studies\u2014I was admitted directly into the third year of a UK bachelor\u2019s degree, needing only one year abroad to graduate, saving costs.<\/p>\n

At 20, while studying in the UK, my relationship with God grew the most. I completed reading the Bible for the first time, returned to church life, participated in gatherings, and began serving again. My heart was filled with joy. Though relationship struggles remained, I no longer had thoughts of harming myself. I knew God would help me through.<\/p>\n

At 23, after marriage, I pursued a Master\u2019s degree in Australia. I struggled with marital challenges and frequent conflicts. A pastor\u2019s wife prayed for and comforted me. I became a worship leader, serving as lead singer and pianist, preparing songs and building a new church with the pastor and his wife. From having no musicians, we grew to six pianists and over ten worship leaders. God walked with me through it all. I completed my Master\u2019s and began working in a government job.<\/p>\n

At 26, after pregnancy, I stopped full-time work. Managing childcare, working from home, and housework brought overwhelming stress. Relationship struggles and losing church life led to my second depression. One day, hearing a street musician play \u201cSeek First the Kingdom of God,\u201d I decided to return to church\u2014and I recovered again without medication.<\/p>\n

At 36, I experienced a third episode of depression. I even had thoughts of jumping from a building, but I couldn\u2019t bear to leave my child. I tend to suppress everything and never share my struggles. Returning to church and serving gave me strength. God also led me to healing through exercise.<\/p>\n

At 37, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease with no cure. I couldn\u2019t live in cold environments and returned to Malaysia\u2014back to Ching Kwong. Through God\u2019s leading, my family and I could worship together again.<\/p>\n

At 39, during COVID, I spent three years mostly alone at home. My condition made me sensitive to stress and less willing to interact with others. But I learned to seek help from counselors and doctors. After addressing my vitamin D deficiency, my sleep improved, and I came out of mild depression.<\/p>\n

In December 2022, on my 41st birthday, I was still wearing a mask to protect myself. Though others found it unusual, I chose caution. God used Zumba\u2014becoming a fitness instructor\u2014to strengthen my immune system. I had completed over 500 classes.<\/p>\n

In 2023, I was invited to serve monthly in a fellowship, teaching Zumba. \u201cJoyful Zumba\u201d was born\u2014combining worship songs with dance. Through this, people could exercise and praise God, and non-believers could encounter gospel songs.<\/p>\n

Though I began serving again, I still felt uncomfortable in crowds and feared deep relationships. During times of poor sleep and when my parents were hospitalized, I relied on God. With prayers from pastors and brothers and sisters, my parents\u2019 conditions gradually stabilized.<\/p>\n

In 2024, through YouTube testimonies and sermons, I gradually came out of isolation. When I was too weak to read or sing, I listened. I learned the importance of seeking prayer support. I returned to church, joined online courses, and started serving as a backup singer.<\/p>\n

On August 8, 2024, I marked my 6th year of teaching Zumba (over 600 classes) and 20 years as a web engineer. Only God truly knows my journey. He has never given up on me, but has brought me home again and again.<\/p>\n

Thank God for 43 years in Ching Kwong. May we continue to stand firm in faith, knowing His love never changes. Walking with Him, we can overcome sin, darkness, and the enemy\u2019s schemes, and live a life that blesses others.<\/p>\n

May you and your family also recognize Jesus as your firm and eternal foundation.<\/p>\n

Happy 60th Anniversary, Ching Kwong!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2014 Ching Kwong 60th Anniversary Thanksgiving Testimony \u2014 … \u9605\u8bfb\u5168\u6587<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-772","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-my-journey"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=772"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":773,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/772\/revisions\/773"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/story.sandrasii.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}