The Grace of Redemption

Out of Darkness into Light

The Testimony of Pee Kong Eng

Welcome to our final episode of The Grace of Redemption on Global Reachout.  During this series, we’ve heard the testimonies of a number of people whose lives were dramatically changed when they encountered Jesus Christ.  Today, we’re going to hear the testimony of Pee Kong Eng, a man who was on the road to destruction when he had an encounter with Jesus.

[Music]

“Kong Eng, I don’t know why your father gave you a name that means ‘glory’ when you are such a lazy rascal who’s not interested in studying.”  The teacher’s statement brought a hush to the laughing and babbling of the children.  The little child could not express his hurt, but the teacher’s scathing remark sowed a bitter seed in his heart.

Kong Eng came from a poor family.  His father died when he was young, and his grief-stricken mother had to work day and night to feed her five children.  Like all mothers, her hopes were in her children, but life could be harsh.

“Mother had to get up at 4 AM each day to prepare our meals and do household chores.  Then she would work through the day, holding three jobs.  My brothers and I went astray because of this lack of supervision and guidance.  Although my mother was illiterate, she was a good parent.”  Despite Kong Eng’s tough appearance, he choked back tears while talking about his mother, who died several years ago.

Young, naïve, and self-willed, he did all that he could to satisfy his own desires, and to compensate for what he lacked while growing up.  He would steal, drink, consume drugs, join gangs, and extort protection money.  Such reckless self-indulgence brought him some short-lived pleasure and helped him to momentarily forget the hardships of his childhood.  However, he soon found that his sinful living would drag him into dark valleys where there was no light.

“I was like the walking dead, stumbling through life without any thought about the future.”  Kong Eng discovered that the most lamentable thing in life is not the lack of material wealth, but the loss of hope.

“Jesus is the light of the world.  He who follows Jesus will not walk in darkness but will receive the light of life.”  The pastor made this declaration with passion and fervor, hoping to awaken slumbering souls.  Kong Eng was among those attending the prison worship service.  He was in jail because he had taken part in violent gang fights, and was now placed on detention without trial.  Most gang members quaked at the mention of Criminal Law 55, for it meant they would be in prison for an indefinite period.  It was effective in suppressing the activities of secret societies.  At this moment, Kong Eng’s mind was troubled because all he could think about was when he would be released.

As the pastor made the altar call, Kong Eng was struggling within his heart.  “Should I believe in Jesus and have him save me?”  But he quickly dismissed the idea when he thought about how the other prisoners would react.  They would brand him a turncoat, harass him, and beat him up, and he was not allowed to retaliate if they did.

In 1992, Kong Eng was jailed a fifth time.  He had been persuaded by a good friend to become a drug trafficker.  He tried to stay calm each time he carried out a drug deal, but he always felt edgy and antsy.  Although he succeeded a few times, he shuddered at the thought of receiving the mandatory death penalty for trafficking drugs, and wondered if he should stop doing this.

“One day, an old friend made an unusual request:  he wanted me to deliver a big packet of drugs.  Although my instincts told me that something was not right, I agreed, because the payment offered was too tempting to resist.  I went to the appointed place and looked around carefully before leaving the packet as instructed.  All of a sudden, four narcotics officers pounced on me, and I was handcuffed.  At that moment, I knew I was done for.”

The unbelievable earnings from drug trafficking in the beginning had satisfied Kong Eng’s lust for material comfort and possessions, and he enjoyed life to the full.  But these were insatiable cravings, and soon he became enslaved by the desires of the flesh.  Sin grew and matured, and death was the only end.

How long would it take to die?  Would it end in an instant?  For Kong Eng, the eight months he spent waiting for the court’s verdict was excruciating.  Many in his situation would choose to engage in extreme behavior, since death was certain and there was nothing more to fear.  They would become very aggressive and get into fights and quarrels frequently.  Perhaps they thought this might even give them the courage to face their impending deaths.

“One day, I went to visit two cell mates who were due to be executed the next day.  They stared blankly ahead, and their eyes were dull and lifeless; the enveloping feeling of death was overwhelming and suffocating.  The scene kept appearing in my mind after that, and I had frequent nightmares and woke up breaking out in a cold sweat.  During the day, my hands would clutch my neck unconsciously, and I had the horrible feeling of the hood over my head and the noose around my neck.”  Was this how a man should await death, helpless, and in fear?

On yet another day, Kong Eng witnessed preparation for an execution.  Kong Eng could hear songs of praise from not too far away, wafting through the cold, harsh prison like warm rays of sunshine.  These were farewell hymns sung by Christian brothers who were due to be hanged.  It was like the final dress rehearsal of the heavenly choir.  The Christian brothers were full of hope that when they opened their eyes, they would be in their eternal home, one without suffering or tears…

How could these men sing like this?  How could they sing so beautifully in such gloom and darkness were it not for the work of God?

The moment finally came for his sentencing.  It was determined that the drugs he had on him contained only 13 grams of pure heroin.  He had escaped the gallows!  Still, he was given 23 years and 15 strokes for drug trafficking.  How would he endure the endless months of incarceration ahead?   It would be like a living death.

Kong Eng was filled with anger, resentment, despair, and guilt – all meshed an intertwined like a ball of tangled ropes in his heart.  He would flare up at the slightest agitation, his speech was boorish, and he could not get along with others.

Although he was talking about a run-in he had with a jail mate which happened may years ago, it was clear that he was still affected by it.  “We had a game of Chinese chess, and I was quite prepared to end it with a draw.  But my opponent made a rash move and lost the game.  He also lost his cool.  He berated me with vulgarities, but I would not be provoked into a fight as he was already more than 60 years old.  However, he did not forget.  One year later, I was assigned to work in the garment workshop, and we met again.  He continued to provoke me, and whispered in my ear that I was an informer for the police officers.  I felt insulted, and was blinded by fury.  You can imagine the scene that followed.”

The two gangsters decided to settle the matter gangland style once for all, and they arranged to meet in an obscure corner of the garment workshop.  His opponent came prepared with a weapon.  Before Kong Eng knew what was happening, the man charged at him with a pair of scissors and started stabbing him.  Kong Eng tried to ward him off with a wooden chair, but it was too late.  Blood spattered everywhere as Kong Eng was stabbed in the neck.  He was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance.

“The doctor told me that the stab wound was only two millimeters from my main artery.  I would have died had the scissors gone in deeper.”  Once again, Kong Eng escaped death.  Someone once said that blessings would follow if one survived a major calamity or disaster.  Would Kong Eng really be blessed?

It was the weekly visitation time, and Kong Eng’s mother came to the counter to register for her visit as usual.  She was physically tired but light-hearted and excited.  Although a glass pane separated them, the joy in her smile was apparent.  She couldn’t wait to share with Kong Eng the gift she had received from God recently.

“Kong Eng, you did not listen to me when I reprimanded, begged, and tried to persuade you not to do wrong in the past.  Today, I have accepted Jesus, and I would like you to do the same.  I believe only God can save you.”  Who would have thought that this uneducated mother would be Christ’s messenger in bringing the Gospel to Kong Eng, who was living in darkness and the shadow of death!  He was not one to listen to his mother, but this time he took her words to heart.  He started to attend the prison worship services regularly, and the Word of the Lord gushed forth like streams to transform his wretched and deplorable life.

“Because of the mercy of our God, whereby the sun shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)

 “Much of my life had been spent in deep gloom and darkness, a life numbed by drinking and revelry.  I was like a zombie with neither future nor hope.  But I give praise and thanks to God for his mercy and grace!  The peace and joy I experienced in my heart after I accepted Jesus is the best thing in the world, and money can’t buy it.  I will never return to my old ways, no matter what I’m offered.”

The prison gates were finally opened for Kong Eng.  He chose a way that was different from those of others – he got on the Breakthrough Gospel van to start the second half of life as a transformed man at Breakthrough Missions.

“If you ask my Breakthrough co-workers, they’ll tell you how horrible my temper was when I first came here,” he confessed with some embarrassment.  “I was unreasonable, belligerent, and would not submit to the leaders.  But I studied the Bible, and God helped me overcome these weaknesses.  Although I still have disagreements with others, I thank God for guarding my heart.  I have not had any fights for the past 11 years.”

Kong Eng today is a generous and forthright person.  Whenever he finds time, he will share his life and death testimonies earnestly and tirelessly with whoever will listen – at Breakthrough Café, on public transports, in food courts, regardless of whether the time is favorable or if he’ll have any success.

The name Kong Eng means “bright and glorious.”  Although Kong Eng may not be a dazzling bright light on stage, he is a torchlight among the audience, shining light where God has placed him, and glorifying God, the True light and the source of all light.

Praise God for the amazing work he’s done in Kong Eng’s life.  If you’ve enjoyed listening to the testimonies of Kong Eng and the others from this series, and you want to know more about how God can change your life for the better, we encourage you to contact us at Global Reachout.  Please also come to our website for more programming content.  From all of us at Global Reachout, God bless!