Tam Ki has been raised from the dead now with a newfound faith in God. He decided to stay firm with the Lord and be committed to his mission. But, how could he strengthen his faith in the Lord as a newborn believer? He started his first step with simple trust in God.

Two months after Tam Ki was raised from dead, Tam Ki met a passer-by on his way and told him to believe in God as that was his usual practice. The man was taken aback, saying even before he preached, the Lord had already chosen Tam Ki. When Tam Ki heard this, he got surprised and asked what the man meant. The man said, “You are a Christian”.

Puzzled as Tam Ki never heard the term ‘Christian’ before, the man explained to him the lifestyle of a Christian. It was then that Tam Ki realised that he was a Christian. This man then introduced himself as Pa Za Mung, a Baptist pastor from Ro. When Pa Za Mung mentioned that Christians must sing songs to worship the Lord, Tam Ki cheerfully replied that he could sing many songs. Pa Za Mung patiently explained songs to the Lord were different. They should be sung in reverence, in praise and worship to Him. Such songs were called hymns. Tam Ki was curious and wondered what a hymn sounded like. Seeing Tam Ki’s enthusiasm, Pa Za Mung offered a visit to his home in Ro the following week to teach Tam Ki a hymn. The following week Pa Za Mung taught Tam Ki “Revive Thy Work, O Lord”. The lyrics were simple and yet meaningful.

Revive Thy work, O Lord; Lord, be with us; By your mercy be with us. Rule over us by your Holy Spirit; Always be with us, Lord, we ask this of You. O, Lord, come down and be with us; Guide us and protect us from above.

As Tam Ki had yet to learn to pray nor did he have any access to the Bible this hymn became an important means of communication with God. And this was the only hymn Tam Ki knew for the next 5 years to come!

One day, sitting by the fire in front of his hut, Tam Ki saw Kee Mana, the blacksmith and an experienced hunter from their village. Tam Ki invited Kee Mana to share the sweet potatoes that was roasting over the fire and said, “May you find favour with God! Worship Him only and you will go to Heaven!” Kee Mana asked, “Who is this God? Is he more powerful than the spirits?” Without hesitation, Tam Ki answered, “Of course! The spirits wanted my life but God took me to Heaven and raised me from dead!” From then on, Kee Mana would drop by often to find out more about this mysterious God. Sometimes, he would bring along his friends. Through Tam Ki’s testimony, three families became followers of the Lord within a year of his conversion. During these gatherings, Tam Ki would teach them the only hymn he knew; the same one stanza and one chorus were sung repeatedly throughout the entire evening. They encouraged each other with this hymn to remain faithful to God in the face of persecution and to resist the temptation of returning to spirit worship, trusting that God would not forsake them.

One evening as they were singing the same hymn, Tam Ki noticed that the mother from the host family was sleeping on a mat. She was pale and breathing heavily. Her husband said she had been ill for a long time. She could not even turn herself on her mat! She was believed to be suffering from the same illness Tam Ki was inflicted with before the Lord took him to Heaven. The family feared that the spirits would take her life. Tam Ki comforted the family. If they believed in God, they would have victory over evil spirits. They sang the hymn throughout the evening. Soon the sick woman had recovered. This amazing recovery had everyone talking. The news spread like wildfire. Many people believed that the gathering where God was worshipped had the power to drive out evil spirits. Soon people were inviting Tam Ki and his followers into their homes to worship God so that their sick loved ones could be healed. Tam Ki shared his Heaven experience with these families. Since they did not really know what to do with the sick or how to pray, they would simply sing the same hymn, “Revive Thy Work, O Lord”, over and over again. Miraculously, the non-believers would get healed. Gradually, more and more people began to be convinced of the power of the living God.

A few weeks after Pa Za Mung taught Tam Ki the hymn, he advised Tam Ki to be baptised. Tam Ki was so enthusiastic about his newfound faith that he wanted to do his best to fulfil all its requirements, even though he did not have the slightest idea what baptism was all about. Pa Za Mung told Tam Ki about a Christian celebration that would be happening in Jon Nam, 50 miles away from Machung where Tam Ki lived. Tam Ki eagerly waited out the few weeks for the time of the meeting and walked from Machung to Jon Nam, a journey of two days on foot. There, he found the believers of the Baptist church celebrating their silver jubilee. Although he could not understand the local dialect, Tam Ki liked the singing and dancing, and decided to stay for a couple of days to attend all their gatherings. On the final day, there was a big crowd singing as they went down to the river. A Saya - the title for a man of status, was immersing the followers in a river. Curious to find out more, Tam Ki asked the person next to him about the meaning of this ritual. The man explained that was baptism, which was performed on those who believe in Jesus Christ. Tam Ki was ready to take part in this ritual. He asked the Saya if he would baptise him. Without reservation, Saya Cieh Ceu agreed. Tam Ki was overjoyed by the experience of baptism. He thought of his wife Thang Shwe and longed for her also to be baptised.

Tam Ki got up in the early hours of the morning to hurry home, determined to take his wife to the gathering there so that she could be baptised.

Thang Shwe was hesitant when Tam Ki explained about baptism. She pleaded with him not to rush mindlessly and she was not familiar with his new faith. She begged for some time to consider this carefully. That led to a heated argument that lasted the entire evening. Having been to Heaven and having seen how real it was, Tam Ki wanted his dear wife to be with him in that beautiful dwelling place with God. He could not bear to part with her in death. Tam Ki wouldn’t take no for an answer and replied, “That’s enough! You are getting baptised or we go our separate ways!”

Before daybreak, he dragged Thang Shwe to Ro. Saya Cieh Ceu had travelled from Jon Nam to Ro the previous day. Tam Ki knocked at the door where Saya Ceih Ceu was staying. He was resting and surprised to see them. Nevertheless, he gave in to Tam Ki’s urgent request to baptise the reluctant Thang Shwe in the cold stream. So she was baptised, even though she did not know God. It was to be another eight years before she surrendered her life to the Lord.

Later in Two Thousand and Two (2002), Tam Ki discovered that Saya Cieh Ceu was the stranger in western clothes who had visited his parents in Machung before he was born. Tam Ki’s mother had told him about the appearance of a mysterious religious man in the village the year before Tam Ki was born. She could not remember his name but recalled that the stranger would “fall asleep” before each meal. The realisation began to dawn on Tam Ki that the stranger was a Christian missionary giving thanks in prayer before eating his food. However, Tam Ki knew of no missionary bringing the Gospel to Machung before his raising from the dead by the Lord in 1973. So he was very curious to find out who this stranger was.

Much later, in Two Thousand and Two (2002), Tam Ki got confirmation that Rev Cieh Ceu from Northern Chin State was indeed the only Christian missionary evangelising in Southern Chin State in the 1950s. He was also the Saya who baptised both Tam Ki and his wife. He had been planting countless Baptist churches while Tam Ki had been planting AOG churches.

Tam Ki finally tracked him down in Kanpetlet. By then, Rev Cieh Ceu was a frail elderly man, worn out by years of selfless labour in the Lord’s harvest field, waiting for God to take him home, ready to meet his Maker. As they talked together, reminiscing about years of service in following the Lord, Tam Ki asked about the villages in Southern Chin State Rev Cieh Ceu had passed through in the 1950s. He mentioned Machung. “I stayed at the high priest’s home for one night. I remember his wife. She was so frightened when she first saw me that she ran out of her own home!” Rev Cieh Ceu had mistaken Tam Ki’s father as the high priest of spirit worship. Tam Ki revealed to him that the couple were his parents. Rev Cieh Ceu was amazed.

Tam Ki’s mother had past her child bearing age and had resigned herself to have no son to carry on the family lineage. The Lord had indeed blessed Tam Ki’s parents with a healthy son following Rev Cieh Ceu’s visit.

Rev Cieh Ceu prayed over Tam Ki, passing on the baton. They both broke down and wept. Rev Cieh Ceu had completed his race, but he resolutely insisted in remaining on his mission field rather than returning to the comfort of his home in Northern Chin State. The faithful servant went to be with the Lord that year. His example is such a wonderful encouragement to Tam Ki.

Tam Ki had been baptized and was eager to find out more about his new faith. What would he learnt to have a Christian life? Please listen to the next episode on the following Thursday. Stay tune and good bye!