Skip to main content

I was born in Singapore

My Bible: reasons to believe in the power of the Bible

'I was born in Singapore. I was a gangster. We threatened people, beat people up, extorted money. You graduate to grown-up gangs. It was like the triads. I was arrested on 28 August 1985, for organised crime, carrying an offensive weapon, GBH, ABH.

I had 157 charges against me and was wanted in seven or eight countries. I was a Chinese gang godfather by this stage. On the Sunday morning I went to chapel. It got me out of my cell. I liked it. I wanted to borrow a book from the chapel, but the chaplain wouldn’t let me.

I was fuming. I was cursing the vicar, the bishop, the Pope, the Royal Family and God. Then suddenly, I was on my knees with tears streaming down my face. I heard a voice saying, “Kim, why are you swearing at me? I love you and I forgive you.”

The other prisoners thought I was pulling a fast one. I was put into isolation. The chaplain came and gave me a Bible. The first thing that I did was to talk to my new boss, God. I read Isaiah 41:8-10. It says, “But you, Israel, my servant Jacob, whom I have chosen….I took you from the end of the earth”. That made me feel on top of the world. I had the ten most wonderful days of my life in isolation reading the Bible.

Those verses were wonderful then and are reassuring now. I’m marking 20 years in the ministry. I wanted to share the Bible with other people because it’s like food. You don’t grow without it. It is so important.'

Do you have a story to share? Email [email protected]


More Stories

I had some dark times in my life when I lacked certainty

I had some dark times in my life when I lacked certainty and John 6.37 gave me the thought that I didn’t have to be perfect. I realised that, lo and behold, I wasn’t perfect.

I went through a period in the pandemic of quite poor mental health

I went through a period in the pandemic of quite poor mental health. I had previously been diagnosed with OCD and general anxiety. They were well-managed, but in the job I was in and with things at home, I became quite poorly...

Yesterday, I became aware that I wasn’t really trusting God and his promises

Yesterday, I became aware that I wasn’t really trusting God and his promises. It’s the everyday things that preoccupy me: financial worries, an elderly mother.

I was raised a non-believing family

I was raised a non-believing family. We scoffed at the idea of there being a God when it was brought up at the CofE primary school I attended.

The Bible has always been important for me

The Bible has always been important for me, and I realised that when I was young. Proverbs 3.5–6 is the ethos of my life

I’m a retired dentist, and about 30 years ago I was involved in a project in Romania

I’m a retired dentist, and about 30 years ago I was involved in a project in Romania, to provide dental care for Romanian orphans and support the local health services. It was a special time. There was so much potential...

Want to share how the Bible has impacted your life? Email [email protected]

Read the Bible icon Read the Bible
Open the full Bible