From Buddhist to Christian

Five people make a dramatic change. Roger Govender traces their story.

Helen and Eric Chun, Song and Kim Kha and Lina Lim and Song Kim were all devout Buddhists from South-East Asia. Then they discovered Christ.
“I was searching for something my Buddhist faith didn’t satisfy,” says Helen, whose father still practises witchcraft in Cambodia. And having accepted Christianity’s teachings, she came under intense pressure from her family and friends to relinquish her newfound beliefs. “But despite the pressure and opposition, I continued to search for the real meaning of what life is about.”

She adds, “It isn’t difficult to understand that God can love us unconditionally and that we have been liberated to enjoy the freedom that only Jesus can give.”

Song Kha, a baker, faced his own dilemma. He worked in a seven-day-a-week trade. So when he accepted Jesus and the Bible teaching that the seventh day of the week is to be kept holy, as a day of rest, he lost his job. For Song, the Sabbath—from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday—was more important.
“I’m prepared to give up my work to be obedient to God’s instructions,” he says. “In order to keep sacred His day of rest, I don’t do any work on the seventh day of the week.” These days he works a number of casual jobs to make ends meet. “But I’m happy—I’ve found real peace and contentment.”

Likewise Kim Chun, Helen’s husband. He was also a cook and forced to leave his employment to keep the Sabbath. But, says Helen, who continues to face severe opposition from her family, “I’m still happy to leave Buddhism behind for a life with new meaning. I’m excited to be a Christian.”

Lina Lam, a business management graduate, lost both her parents in Cambodia before she fled to New Zealand. From there she travelled to Australia where a friend—whom she later married—introduced her to Christianity.

For Lina, the burning of incense and lightning of candles was all part of her daily routine—designed to earn the daily blessing of the god she worshipped—until she came face to face with Jesus, with whom she “fell in love.” In Jesus, she felt loved and accepted, so she left her rituals and appeasement offerings behind, replacing them with the assurance, peace and joy that comes from being a Christian.

Her church minister, Pastor Nataniel Periera, studied the Bible with the group and baptised them in mid-2002. “It’s really encouraging to see the joy and happiness these new members are experiencing,” he says. “It was the beginning of a ‘new life’ as Helen describes it—real truth and true happiness can only be found in the God who created the world.”

The transition from Buddhist to Christian has brought about a change in the group’s understanding of God. Their commitment is higher, with different priorities.

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