Sister Stories

Transcript (Auto-generated)

Welcome everyone to the sister stories podcast.

This podcast's aim is to marvel at god's sovereignty over each of our lives as women.

And to encourage 1 another by sharing our stories.

My name is Sophie, and today I'm joined by Whelan.

Hi, everyone.

Hi.

So first of all, can you tell us who you are? So I'm waiting.

I come from Malaysia, we moved from Asia to London in 2015.

So with my husband and my son Ethan.

Great.

And what do you do? I'm accountant.

Oh, great.

Okay.

So we're going to be talking about your walk with the lord Jesus and, and and your life freely, but could you start with telling us about your family background? So, So I have to, order brothers and I grew up in, a Chinese belief, Buddhism family.

Right.

Okay.

So that was in Malaysia? Yeah.

That's in Malaysia.

Right.

Okay.

And, yeah, well, can you tell us a bit more about beliefs? And and, yeah, what did you believe as a Buddhist? So it's very common for, the Chinese to believe in Buddhism in Malaysia in general.

And most family, is quite against Christianity, really, and I never, get to know Christianity since I was young.

So I've always brought up to know about Buddhism and and all the teachings of Buddhism and things like that.

Yeah.

Yeah.

What would you say is, the main teaching of and I'm I'm just aware that people might not have to cancel that.

So Buddhism is, a religion that, always ask people to good.

And the belief if you do good, then you will, get something back a reward in a a good.

Yeah.

And they believe in camera system, which if you do good this life, then, you know, next life, you can be human, then otherwise you might be animals or or things like that.

Right.

But I never well, I I probably think, like, how this system work because it's very it's it's almost impossible for human not to make mistakes or not to see or not to lie or or even children, you know, you don't teach them, but there's delay.

So but I haven't really go further to search for other religion at that point of time.

Yeah.

Okay.

So you could see issues with these beliefs, but you were not sure where to.

Yeah.

I mean, there's a child you you probably wouldn't have.

Yeah.

Something that everyone believe in most commonly.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Oh, that's really interesting.

So let's carry on in time, let's say.

Yeah, what could you tell us how you came to hear about Christianity then? So no 1 has ever really shared about the Christianity with me.

I when I grew up, I did hear about, like, my friends in secondary school believe in, Christ and then the whole families against, her.

Mhmm.

So what hap so not until the university, the thought just came into my mind Mhmm.

That I should just, yeah, start reading Bible and and go to church.

It's very weird.

It's a very weird thought.

I don't know where did it come from.

Yeah.

Was there something that prompted you to ask? Yeah.

So I I grew up, and always, quite sketched sleep by myself and and always, quite scared of, anxious of, the evil spirit and and ghosts like that.

Something like that.

So, so I don't have peace with me when I sleep, since young.

So, So when I was in the university, so I have this friend, she had she's a Catholic background.

So she has the Bible and then I never knew about creation of the world.

Never think about the creation of the world.

Never thought about god, never thought about anything.

Yeah.

So when I read the Bible, I read the creation of the world and the earth and and and I I was amazed.

So and then I thought, okay.

I need to go to church.

So I asked a Christian friend to bring me to the church.

Right.

Okay.

Could you tell us a little bit in Buddhism what's what is the teaching about creation or is there is there teaching about that? I don't think that it's a teaching about creation.

Okay.

After world, it's never mentioned.

It's it's all about this prince that left the palace, sacrificed himself, and he died, of hunger, because he saw people suffering.

So there's no resurrection after he die.

So he just die.

Okay.

So that is the that background of the religion.

Right.

Okay.

Okay.

So that's interesting because there's no beginning No.

Of things, even if there's that calmer idea of Yeah.

Of carrying on into the next life.

And Yeah.

That that's really interesting.

That's a little bit contradictory, actually.

Okay.

Sorry.

Yeah.

So, yes, that's interesting that the creation stories struck you that much.

What how did you hear about Jesus after that, or was it just through reading the Bible or through texts? Church and the bible.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

And, yeah, so what I'm I'm curious about your family's reaction to these beliefs and, what they thought about about that.

Yeah.

So it's it's amazing because, so my eldest brother, I that point of time when I was in the in the university, he, he's a he's he's already started working.

And so he, came to know my sister-in-law who is a Christian.

So he started going to church, with my with my sister law, at that point of time, his girlfriend.

So so when I say that I start to go to church and then because he's going to church, my and my father loves my eldest brother.

So he didn't say anything.

So the whole family then, then my mother and my second brother are start going to church with us.

Yeah.

So I was it was it's god's blessing.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I didn't have to go through all those hassle.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Was it just because they saw you going so they thought we'll go with you? Or was this something that, attracted them to Christian Christianity, do you think? So at the beginning, I think they're just going because we are going.

So they just follow us.

Yes.

Yeah.

But my mom truly believe in in god now.

So my my father has kept the cries, but he's not going to he's not keen to go to church.

But yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

Did that come later on then? For your family.

Yeah.

Much, much later.

It's the most recent.

Yeah.

I see.

Okay.

Oh, that's great.

So basically, almost all your family I see.

Is yeah.

Amazing.

That's a great story.

Okay.

Great.

That that's great to know and to see how your brother and you kind of drew them even if it's just following along at the beginning, at least.

And yeah.

Okay.

How long were you in Malaysia for? In your life? Or So I was born there, grew up there.

So my before we moved here.

So it was about so we moved here when I will so About 30, 35 years I was living in Malaysia for.

Yeah.

Wow.

Okay.

So did you go was it a Catholic church or a different dynamic? Also, we So we go to so my brother, we used to go to, like, charismatic church.

Yeah.

Okay.

Yeah.

But then after I got married, I went to Salvation Army.

Right.

Okay.

Oh, wow.

Okay.

So and then you you came to the UK.

What brought you to the UK? Oh, because B likes, UK.

He likes working here and he likes traveling in the Europe.

I see.

Okay.

So so we came here, and and, yeah, we're living here for 9 almost 9 years now.

Nice.

Okay.

And Ethan was born in Malaysia.

Okay.

I'm I'm curious about how you found the different churches that you went to because Cornerstone is not charismatic.

No.

And, and how weather brought to your faith and how that faith is.

Yeah.

I actually prefer of the church does not charismatic because I found, speaking tongue is quite uncomfortable sometimes, because I don't know what they're talking about.

But the teachings are not wrong, though, charismatic church.

Their teachings are still correct based on Bible, and and it's it's just the practice is a bit different.

Yes.

Mhmm.

So, and we brought up in Salvation Army.

So we used to go to.

But we, at that time, when we here, the Salvation Army is in Raines Park, and it's not local.

Mhmm.

And then we moved to everyday church.

Unfortunately, everyday church Kingston closed now, and it was sad to look for a new church after lockdown.

And now we came to Cornerstone, and we liked it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Great.

Yeah.

So, yeah, I wonder if, I wonder how your knowledge of the Bible and of of Christ grew through time.

So you started with hearing about the creation story, and then about Christ.

What did you discover perhaps that you didn't know about god in that in that time.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So it's creation of the world and then, slowly reading the Bible and knowing that, Jesus died for us on cross.

I don't think anyone else will do that.

And god truly love us so much that he like his only son, died for on the cross.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

I guess that's the that's the main the the most important teaching is it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

And, yeah, well, about your time at Cornerstone, is there anything that you feel you've learned in being at Cornerstone? Yeah.

I really like Cornerstone.

I mean, the pruning is the pritches are great.

And most important is the support that I get from Cornerstone Church, to grow in faith and also, the sisters that I've got, like, people like, you know, people like Catherine, people, like, I I learn a lot from Karen, Karen, you know, from Asia.

I and then I I have throughout my, you know, because I just been through a surgery.

So I've got lots of support and and also sharings and prayers from the other sisters.

Yes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Which is, they are really great.

Like, thinking, unis, Joanna, and and they all, and it's really good.

I feel so supported.

And and and, yeah, so I really liked how this church is really get to know the new people and and how, we we feel that we are so involved, at a church, and we're so, close to to the people at a church.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's great.

That's really important as it is.

You need to come come together as a family, really.

Yeah.

So can you if we take things a closer in time.

Can you tell us, a little bit about what you've learned in the last year or so, or, yeah, in your lesson? So, so my health is not great this year.

Been through quite a lot and still going through now.

So at times, I was really low and, so I just keep praying, to god, that he would help me to to through, and meditate his word and and and ask and ask people, for their experience in life and how did they get from storm in life.

And and what are the Bible bureaus that encouraged them, and and learn from from other peoples from church.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay.

That's great.

And I'm sure you felt that he kept you in that in that time, and that you were surrounded by the church as well.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's great.

That's good to hear.

Okay.

Any anything else that you would like to share I just feel when time is difficult.

It's good to speak to other sisters or brothers at the church and ask them for prayers.

Don't go through things alone.

Don't, continue to trust in goal even when it is so difficult, continue to, pray for his healing and and wait for his time, even it is difficult.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That that's a great piece of a piece of advice.

Wanted to ask you as well if you compare what your life was like, as a Buddhist and and all these fears that you had, especially at night, when you were going to sleep, to now, has god addressed these fears? Have have you felt? Yeah.

A piece about this.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So ever since I come to know god, I I won't it has changed me.

Really.

Yeah.

So I don't have that anymore.

Yeah.

Not at all.

Just at all.

Okay.

Oh, that's that's very interesting.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I think, yeah, there's some think that there's always something that draws us to god, isn't there? And sometimes it's something we're afraid of, like, like that.

And it causes you to think.

Yeah.

That's something a bit deeper and actually find that answer.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's great.

That's good to know, actually.

Great.

And, you know, if you had some advice to give younger Christians, what would you say to them? Yes.

So, like, I say just that.

Just just keep just keep sharing.

Speak to people and and don't just go through the problem yourself because many people are going through the same thing, actually.

Mhmm.

So just just pray together and and, you know, yeah, that's, yeah, support and advise.

Yeah.

And even to cry together.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's right.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That that's that's the advantage of being in the church, isn't it? Yes.

Yeah.

Definitely.

Great.

Thank you so much for sharing your story with us, Whelan.

I think this is quite a short episode, but, if anyone has something they want to ask you, or I'm sure they can come to find you and and find out more because this is really interesting to see people from so many different backgrounds and a Buddhist background that we haven't had before on the podcast, actually, and how we can all come to Christ, actually.

Yeah.

And god draws us to him.

Yeah.

Great.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

So that's all for today's episode of sister stories, everyone, but join us again next time.

.