We publish the testimonies of four TGCM brethren and another from a brother who was formerly from TGCM. May these testimonies stir within every reader a passion for the salvation of souls and to do the level best to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ with urgency and dedication. It is incumbent on everyone, who has tasted the gift of salvation, to ponder about his or her commitment to making the Saviour known and welcoming sinners to Him. “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people” (Psalm 116:12–14).
Cayson Chok
I thank our gracious and faithful God for hiding me under the shadow of His wings since I came to The Gethsemane Care Ministry about 15 years ago. The Lord has shown great compassion towards me and blessed me abundantly. He restored me through TGCM, and then called me and granted me the honour of serving Him in TGCM.
I would like to mention five special blessings that the Lord has bestowed on me since I came to TGCM:
Firstly, as Psalm 40:2 says, “He brought me up … out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings”. Therefore, I enjoy great peace in Him.
Secondly, the Lord saved me for His purposes, to do His will, not to fulfil my own desires.
Thirdly, the Lord plans everything for me so that I won’t walk astray. I am here now because the Lord has taken care of me and led me till this day.
Fourthly, He restored my relationship with my family, and helped me to bear a good testimony before my family members.
Fifthly, every morning, TGCM brothers have the privilege to sing praises to our Saviour, and pray with each other before we start our day’s work. That I count as a very special blessing.
Although I face a lot of difficulties and struggles in this journey, God’s Word reminds me that they are trials from God to strengthen and purify me. I believe God is moulding me to be a faithful and stronger Christian. He is the Potter, I’m the clay. So, the only way I can overcome all my fears and troubles, and remain faithful in His service, is by trusting and obeying Him.
As I grow in the Lord, my understanding of His Word also increases. God’s Word is so important to me because it leads me back to His path of righteousness when I stray from Him. His Word also comforts me when I’m in sorrow.
I thank God for Pastor Koshy, Eld Mah and the preachers who come to TGCM every morning to teach us God’s counsels. I am also thankful for the fellowship of our church’s beloved brethren and friends, who have encouraged and supported all of us in TGCM.
Praise the Lord for the 16th Anniversary of TGCM. May the Lord be pleased to preserve and use TGCM continually, in order to reach out to those who are lost in drugs and other vices with the Gospel of salvation.
Raja Krishnan
On March 23, 2015, I came to TGCM. Before that, I was working as a kitchen steward in a 5-star hotel. My work began at 10:00am and would end at 10:00pm; I would work for 24 days before I got 4 days off from work. Sometimes, I had to work in the ballroom for wedding receptions and dinners. After the functions, I would be in charge of getting the ballroom cleaned. Often, there would be a lot of leftover alcohol and beer available for the workers’ consumption. My co-workers and I would get them for our enjoyment. After working in Orchard Hotel for about three years, I became addicted to alcohol. My hands would be shivering if I would not consume alcohol. So, I decided to quit this bad habit and planned to go to a halfway house to get help to recover.
When I called a halfway house by phone to seek help, its chaplain, who was a friend of mine, answered and told me not to go there if I am looking for spiritual help. He told me to consider Gethsemane B-P Church and its Care Ministry if I sincerely desire to return to the Lord Jesus Christ and grow in Him. He then gave me a mobile number to call. When I called TGCM, I was asked to come for an interview. Upon the interview, TGCM granted me admission. And by the grace of God, TGCM became the place where I quit my alcohol addiction.
After a few months of my stay in TGCM, Gethsemane Bible Institute began its classes in the TGCM premises. Though I did not plan to attend the classes, I was told that I needed to participate in the GBI classes as TGCM residents were required to learn God’s Word. I thank God for listening to the teaching of God’s Word as I sat in the GBI classes. I praise the Lord for opening my eyes to see how powerful and profitable are the doctrines of God’s Word! Though I had attended an Anglican church for about seven years before I came to TGCM, no one ever taught me such biblical doctrines like Anthropology, Soteriology, Bibliology and Eschatology. I thank God for the great truths that I learned from GBI in the past years, in addition to the daily hearing of God’s Word in TGCM. Learning God’s Word has strengthened my faith and given me the spiritual understanding to overcome temptations and trials of life.
In 2018, I was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney disease. At first, I was sad to learn about my worsening kidney condition. But the Word of God granted me comfort and encouragement. Today, I am glad to testify that the joy of the Lord is my strength.
I have been in TGCM for six years; the Lord has filled my heart with His divine peace. Oh, how good and gracious is the Lord who helped me to recover from my alcohol problems! The brothers in TGCM are very helpful to me; and I praise the Lord for their kindness to me.
I am glad that God gave me this opportunity to testify of the Lord’s saving, sanctifying and strengthening work in me, and to praise Him during this 16th Anniversary of TGCM. All praise and glory be unto the Lord, my Saviour.
Soh Teck Ern
Born in 1996, I am now 25 years old. On this occasion of TGCM’s 16th anniversary, I would like to give my testimony of the saving grace of Jesus Christ that found me.
My childhood was somewhat normal, growing up as a cheerful child in my parents’ home. I was a fun-loving boy in my early primary school days. However, in my home, I saw my relatives smoking cigarettes, gambling, etc. When I reached Primary 5, I joined some friends who gave me cigarettes to smoke. My friendship circle was not helping me to have good discipline.
I became restless and disillusioned as I entered secondary school. I was least interested in studying and started to skip school. I frequented internet cafes with friends, playing computer games. I began to idolise youths who seem to be fearless and assertive over other youth gangs. I also craved for the thrill of superiority and power. Soon I joined a secret society and was known to be good at fighting. I wanted to show that I can overpower members of other youth gangs. As such, I would engage in violent fights – which soon got me into trouble with the police. The police called me up and served me a stern warning. But I continued to riot among teenagers. Shortly after, I was arrested, sentenced and placed under probation for 18 months. It was in the year 2013. Even then, I would still go to nightclubs and meet with my secret society friends.
However, my heart was troubled. Friendships that I maintained did not help at all. The break-up with my girlfriend led me to sadness and enormous frustration. Around this time, my friends introduced me to synthetic drugs to help me “feel better”. When I entered National Service, my troubles increased. I was detained and charged for drugs and sentenced to detention barrack on Nov 11, 2016. I was locked up in the detention barrack for 7 months and 9 days. Upon release, my life got even worse. Drug addiction continued, resulting in my arrest on July 31, 2018. I was then sentenced to prison for 9 months and another 9 months of probation.
In jail, I met a man named Wayne, who was in a nearby cell. Wayne invited me to attend a religious meeting in prison. It was a Christian meeting. There I met Pr Kelvin Lim from Gethsemane B-P Church. However, I was not very attracted to the Christian faith. Upon my release, I was not a happy person. I did suffer from depression and sought relief by retaking drugs. I also harmed myself by cutting my hand. But I was terrified that the police would arrest me again. To make things worse, I was in need of money. At about this time, I received a call from Wayne, inviting me to lunch. Wayne was very kind to me and offered his help. He also advised me to seek help in TGCM. During this time, Bro Wayne was in touch with Pr Kelvin Lim, and they together helped me come to TGCM.
I first came to TGCM on August 24, 2020, and was accepted into the rehabilitation programme. I stayed in TGCM for about 7 months. During that stay at TGCM, Pr Daniel Lim explained the Gospel to me; the Spirit of God led me to put my trust in the Lord Jesus as my Saviour and Lord. It was on September 1, 2020. I praise the Lord for pardoning my sins and making me a child of God. I was happy in TGCM, growing daily in the knowledge of God’s Word.
However, I was influenced to think of going out of TGCM to find employment. I became impatient to remain in TGCM. In my foolishness, I rejected the counsel given to me by Bro Cayson, and left TGCM on March, 21 this year. It was not wise to leave the loving and caring atmosphere I have received for the past 7 months in TGCM.
After leaving, I looked for a job. But without proper spiritual guidance, I soon approached my old friends for a job. Problems and temptation soon overtook me. I became very frustrated and sank deep into depression. I was back again to drugs. I was admitted to NUH. The Lord worked in my heart to seek Bro Wayne again for help. Pastor and Bro Cayson encouraged Bro Wayne to tell me to return to TGCM, if I am sincere to follow the Lord Jesus. I was happy to hear that TGCM would take me back, and I returned on May 23, 2021.
Since then, I am very grateful that the Lord has restored me to good mind and health. I am happy to be worshipping and learning His Word. My prayer is that the Lord will strengthen and renew me to be an obedient Christian who will be a good testimony for Christ, and a blessing to my family and others. I want to thank all who have prayed for and helped me, as I reside in TGCM and worship in Gethsemane B-P Church. All glory to God, who has loved me and saved me.
David Ng
I praise God for this opportunity to rejoice with thanksgiving on the occasion of the 16th Anniversary of TGCM amid the Covid pandemic.
First and foremost, I praise God for His unfailing Word, which declares, “For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). Truly, thank God for His grace and mercy towards me that delivered me from years of bondage to drugs and to all kinds of vices which brought me to the point of suicide. I thought that taking my life was the easy and the only way out of all my pain and misery. But God, who is rich in mercy, has in His great love hastened to relieve me from my troubles and hide me in the “pavilion” He has prepared for me, i.e. TGCM. May the Lord be highly exalted, for He keeps all His promises to all His people.
I thank God for His faithfulness in preserving me at TGCM for the past 9 years. It is here that the Lord miraculously liberated me from the chains of bondage. Indeed, with God, all things are possible. May the Lord continue to help me to persevere to the end. Not only was I delivered and liberated, but God has also given me an excellent opportunity to grow in His Word and serve Him.
I thank the Lord for His faithful servants, especially Pastor Koshy, Eld Mah, Pr Daniel, Pr Kelvin, Pr Jeremiah and Pr Samson, for their labour of love in sharing God’s Word with us during the morning devotions. Thank God also for the GBI and FEBC that have helped me tremendously in my spiritual growth into a deeper knowledge of God’s Word. The truths of God’s Word have been my guidance, revival and rejoicing as I incline my heart to perform what God has decreed.
I thank God for sustaining TGCM for the last 16 years through work projects, that we may have the honour to serve God with clean hands and pure hearts in generating income for the ministry, as well as through the generous and cheerful giving from His people in their faithful support of the Lord’s work. Truly, the Lord indeed is our Great Provider, both physically and spiritually, to give us all that we need for life and for godliness.
I thank God also for bestowing the wonderful gift of salvation upon my father. I am also grateful that my mother joins him to attend our Chinese worship service regularly. They also join the Chinese prayer meeting and the Seniors’ Fellowship. It’s my constant prayer that God be gracious to save my mum in His perfect time.
I thank God that He permitted me to develop prostate cancer about two years ago, which taught me to be humble and wholly dependent on Him for restoration and for supply of all my needs. I thank God for seeing me through the surgery and relieving me of the burden of large medical bills through the help of the medical social services, and sustaining me until today without recurrence of cancer.
Praise God also for entrusting me with a new leadership role in taking care of TGCM. With new responsibilities come more problems, but I am not facing them alone. I could go into my prayer closet to cast all my cares unto my Heavenly Father, who is able to accomplish infinitely more than I might ask or think. The Lord had helped, protected, provided and guided me for the past 9 years in TGCM; now, I pray that I will serve faithfully and effectively in TGCM with the sure help that the Lord has promised. Truly, “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower” (Psalm 18:2).
Since, according to 1 Timothy 2:4, the Lord “will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth,” I pray that He will be pleased to use TGCM mightily as a channel to save and restore many more drug-offenders. May God also bless the prison ministry undertaken by the preachers and brethren of our church, that more ex-prisoners may come to TGCM and be restored through the Word of God and the fellowship of the church! May the Lord keep the doors of TGCM open! May He remove all obstacles, that more may come to Christ through TGCM and taste His salvation and goodness!
All praise and glory be to God.
Jeremy Mark Ferreira
Finally, I managed to find the courage to share my testimony. On this most joyous occasion celebrating TGCM’s 16th anniversary, I would like to thank God for His grace that enabled me to come forward to testify of His blessings. Particularly for this most blessed ministry of TGCM, which has been an integral part of my life’s restoration back unto the Lord.
This testimony, more an expression of my apology, seeks forgiveness from the Lord, from the church’s leaders and from all members and even brethren outside Gethsemane BPC. The church had lovingly supported me in all my undertakings; the leaders had nurtured me, taught me, and showed me God’s grace. But I failed many times, having succumbed to temptations and left the church.
Despite all these failings of mine, the Lord was still gracious unto me by keeping me safe, blessing me with a wife who has stood by me. He also provided me with a good job. I thank the Lord for convicting me to return unto Him and to follow Him. I sincerely desire to be back in the church and serve the Lord together with all.
I want to take this opportunity to humbly convey my sincere apologies to the church, its leaders (pastors, elders, deacons), and their family members for walking away from the church. Furthermore, I am grateful to the leaders and the brethren for the encouragement shown to me over the last couple of years when I returned. Their show of support, Christian love, and warm welcome stirred a desire within me to be part of the church to serve my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I am delighted to be received back into the church’s fellowship and am looking forward to accomplishing His will and purposes as an active, serving member of the church, together with my wife.
Praise and thanks be unto the Lord once again for His forgiveness, loving kindness, and indeed for the ministry of the Word that helps me walk aright.