A Story from the Tsunami
Today a friend of mine sent me the following story of survival in the Tsunami. I think it speaks for itself:
It is definitely a blessing from the Lord that I could still write this
email and wish you all A Happy New Year.
It has been almost 13 days since the bad episode that almost took my
life. Ever since I returned, and since The Sun news paper carried the
news of our survival, I have been getting calls and sms wishing for my
speedy recovery. I have to admit that I have not been responding to any
calls as I was/am still recovering.Most of all, I personal want to thank all of you for your encouragement.
The whole experienced has been shocking but if anything good that has
come out of it, is that my personal faith, walking with the Lord has
definitely soar higher and that he has spared my life to live again. I
am better, my injuries are nothing, just some cuts and bruises on my
head and leg through broken glasses and the knock against the glass
door. Unfortunately others have not been so bless. The pictures on
papers and TV gave a clearer picture of the death and destruction,
indeed all of it was not a movie but it was the actual scene which took
many life away…..Therefore, to those who have been contacting me, I am taking this
opportunity to write and tell you my experienced. You will also hear me
mentioning about Jesus and how miraculously HE saved me and my sister
from death. Please note that this is my personal experienced which I
have encountered during the tragedy. All glory to Jesus.25TH DEC 2004- 8pm…
The night before the incident around 8pm, both my sis and I were walking
down the streets. I had this sudden urged to sing a Christian worship
song which I
have not sung for a long long time. So as I was walking I sang the
chorus over and over again. During our walk, my heart felt uneasy. I
told my sis of
my uneasiness and that she had asked me to pray in tongues to the Lord.
I did just that. Looking back and realising the lyrics of the song, I
now
understand how merciful God is because HE tried to prepare/ warn me
about the tragedy.The song entitled STILL
‘Chorus’
WHEN THE OCEAN RISE AND THUNDER ROARS
I WILL SOAR WITH YOU ABOVE THE STORM
FATHER YOU ARE KING OVER THE FLOOD
I WILL BE STILL KNOW YOU ARE GOD.26TH DEC 6.00AM…
We were supposed to check out from one hotel and check in to another at
12.00pm on 26th Dec 2004. There were no reason for us to wake up so
early
since it was our much deserved holiday but on that 26th Dec 6.00am (both
my sis and I which were sleeping on a separate bed) we felt as though
someone was waking us up. I thought my sis woke me up to pray as she
normally would but I thought, “can’t be” as it was still so early.
Little that I know, she felt it too and she had the same
thought. I then opened my eyes and looked at her and realised that it
was not our own doing. We were not scared, and concluded that the Lord
wants us to wake
up to pray. So we did just that and later check out way ahead of time.9.30am-10.00am…26th December 2004
We dragged our luggage and walked along the street towards the hotel. We
arrived the next hotel around 9.45pm. Soon as we handed our check in
slip to the
receptionist, we saw people were running frantically away from the beach
towards the hotel. The moment we turned our head and look in front, we
saw a
huge big 30ft high wave came crushing through the glass door of the
reception. It was so scary as the height of the wave covered the blue
sky, the whole area were darken.We were inside the reception area, there were no way to run as the wave
crashed mercilessly towards the glass door. We could hear loud noises of
the shattered glass and in a split second the reception area was filled
with the sea water. The water rose to our neck and we were swept against
another glass door, the glass shatter and threw us out of the reception
area. We both were clinging on each other, the water swept through us
and we went under the water. My mind went blank, I gulped some sea
water-that was all I could remember.
Somehow, somewhere in the middle of it, as everything happened so fast,
we managed to cling on a wooden pillar. At the precise moment, all we
could do was to just pray. I left everything on earth at that point of
time, my family, my love ones, my business, my friends,everything…
There was nothing I can cry to except to GOD and I did just that. I took
out all the knowledge that I learned during my bible class called Deeper
Life Seminar conducted by Pastor Vernon Falls. I remembered
that he always told us to pray in tongues if and when were are in
trouble. That were the only knowledge that I have and can used then.We were looking at the disaster, trying to comprehend but it was chaos.
Cars were crashing thru the building, gas tank were leaking, roof were
tumbling down,
people were screaming, dead bodies were everywhere. All I did was pray
and pray and all I know was to hold my sister tightly to me so that we
will not
separated by the strong wave. Approximately seven minutes later the
second much stronger wave came and swept us again. I am really amazed
that I
didn’t cry nor had any panic attacked at the time. I still know what to
do. In fact, there was this Thai lady who were clinging onto my sis so
hard
because she can’t swim, she were screaming away. In time like that, I
don’t know how I can still think, I raised my voice at the Thai lady, so
that she could hear me and asked her to stop screaming and don’t be
panic. I told her to calm down and just pray. I saw how she hold on to
my sis and was worried for my sis incase her weight
might pushed my sister under the water. So I said, “don’t scream, don’t
be panic and don’t hold her so tight, Is okay, everything is going to be
fine”
She calmed down immediately and followed exactly what we asked her to
do. My sister has always been very strong in her devotion with the Lord.
She knew
that she has to safe the Thai lady by asking her to accept the Lord as
her saviour. I knew you think it is crazy to do so in times like that,
but in
Christianity, we believed that eternity life begins in heaven and that
we believed that when you accept Christ as your Lord and saviour you
automatically go to heaven. And because of that, my sister knew our
situation then was life and death and that she feels that if anything
should happen to the Thai lady at least she will end up in heaven. It
was really amazing it crisis like that, my sis could lead the The Thai
lady into prayer to accepted Christ. The Thai lady accepted Christ there
and then and she joined us to pray loudly crying to the Lord, commanding
the sea water to calm down and stop the wave from coming, in Jesus
name”.
Our prayer felt stronger when the three of us prayed in agreement.After the second wave, we took the risk to swim across to a staircase.
When I was up at the balcony, the whole disaster hit me, only then I
started to
cry and the fear was overwhelming. There were about 20 foreigners were
at the balcony, everyone were in shocked, people were crying and blood
were
everywhere. My sister only suffered some bruises while I had a deep cut
on both my feet. It was painful but the shock was unbearable. I could
not take my eyes away from the sea, worried that the third wave will
attack us again. At the balcony I was still holding on to a pole, while
my sister went around praying for others,
telling them that Jesus will kept us safe from harm. I knew she meant
well, she doesn’t care about her own safety she know if anything happen
to us we will go to heaven BUT she is more concerned for the others, she
also want them to go to heaven. She kept telling them about Jesus and
she prayed for all of them. She prayed in Jesus name to break and bind
all the fear in them. I noticed, some foreigners appreciated her and
accepted Christ there and then while others were more calm after the
prayer.She doesn’t allow me to cry and she told me to kept praying in tongues
and worship the Lord and I did nothing but just that. Later when she was
next to
me, I then asked my sister in my chocking voice “Can I sing a worship
song”? She looked at me helplessly and said ” ok you sing to the
Lord”…Tears kept flowing down my cheek, I sang,”when the oceans rise
and thunders roar, i will soar with you above the storm, father you are
King over the flood, I will be still know you are God” Right after I
sang that song, my sister looked at me and quickly said ” That’s right!!
That is what God is trying to tell us. He is the Kind over the flood and
he is asking us to be still and know that He is GOD and he will overseas
the whole situation.” June continue saying ” God was trying to prepare
us before the tragedy that is why he gave you the song to sing last
night and that is why he woke us up earlier this morning so that we
could leave the room if not we would have been trapped” I listened
attentively, nodded my head, still crying and agreed that everything she
said make sense. The sudden feeling of God’s presence and his greatest
love just flows
in my heart and immediately I had a peace and fear just left me. I felt
the Lord was telling me “Don’t worry, everything is going to be over and
the wave will
not come near you anymore” True enough, there were no third wave, the
sea water subsided, the rescue team began to search and rescue all of
us.The ambulance took me to the nearby hospital as I was badly cut and
could not walk. There were no “after shock” nor 3rd tidal wave but the
town were
in chaos. The hospital that we were at were in chaos condition. They
could not treat me but only offered me a bandage. We walked out of the
hospital to find a pair of
scandals as my scandals were swept away by the wave. As we were walking
to look for a shop, my sister realised I cannot walk and I was still
bleeding due to the deep cuts. She asked me to wait for her, while she
proceed to look for a shop to get me a pair of scandals. While waiting
for her, people were again seen running towards me. The police were
making some announcement in their local language. I could not
understand. I thought I lost my sister, but thank God she came out
looking for me and we found each other in the midst of people running
for their life. We asked one of the locals and we were told to run to
the mountain as there
could be an “after shock” and the possibility of a greater damage. I
felt the tense again, we walked as fast we we could but we have no idea
where to. Later, we stop
a van and the driver drop us near a hill top. We reached the mountain
and we saw a bungalow belong to a local. There were many foreigners
seated along the road side. My sister told me to find a quiet place so
that we could pray. We found this little corner at the side of the
bungalow. We seated and started to pray. The place we were resting
overseeing the sea. I hated the sea then. I never thought such a
beautiful and peaceful place can turn out to be so ugly, so fierce, so
merciless. I was angry at the sea-deep in me I know it was the devil’s
work. The devil choose the holiday season to kill many innocent life. I
just could not leave my eye looking at the sea, crying and praying at
the same time. I was feeling very insecure and worried of another
attack.About 30 minutes later, the owner of the house came out and asked us if
we wanted a drink. I knew we look miserable and dirty, in our wet shorts
and
t-shirt, dirty sand on our hair, we looked and felt like a refugee. At
that instant I really know how it feels to be one. My sister had earlier
said to
me, should we need to notify anyone, it has to be someone who can pray
and intercede for us. So I asked if I could call our Pastor, and she
agreed. We
both walked toward the house entrance and asked the owner’s permission
to used their phone. We were blessed that we still had our passport and
money
as we stuff those in a waist pouch. We knew that we could pay the owner
on the telephone charges made by us. I believed it was the favour from
the Lord,
the local owner not only allowed us to used their phone, they even
offered us to take a rest in their place. They told us to shower,
provide us with dry
cloths, gave us food to eat, provide us with new blankets, and even gave
us mattress and pillow so we could be more comfortable. We were the only
2 among
many foreigners that were given such treatment by that owner. The rest
victims were waiting and camping along the roadside.The 2 hours after shock never came..and time passed we were still
waiting. It was already 6pm. The locals told us that the airport is
opened.
My sister was feeling uneasy, she felt that we should leave the island.
But we wanted to hear from the Lord. We knew God can give us
instruction. So we prayed in agreement and pray in tongues. Again I felt
the Lord was saying something to me. I felt that the Lord is saying we
will be flying off that night itself. If I were to used my mind to
analyst, I knew it is impossible as everything is in chaos and we can’t
even call the airport. All the telephone lines were
dead. In my mind, even if we were to reached the airport, it is near to
the sea and what if another attack hit, we would be facing what we faced
earlier. Being up in the mountain is not the safest place to be either.
Should there were an after shock, the mountain will give way and causes
another major collapse. I obeyed what I feel the Lord said to me and
told my sister. My sister then prayed to the Lord and said,
“Lord,if it is your will for us to leave the island tonight, Pastor
Vernon will call the house..and that will be the confirmation” We
continue praying. At 11pm, the phone rang and it was Pastor Vernon. June
asked Pastor and told him about our plan. Pastor mentioned that during
his prayer he also felt the Lord wanted us to leave the island as soon
as possible. That was the confirmation and we asked the owner’s son to
take us to the airport immediately.We reached the airport at 12.30am. There were only a handful of people.
None of the victims were seen in the airport except June and I. No body
knew what
happened to us and we proceed to asked if there were any tickets to
KL.There wasn’t obviously but the lady told us there is a plane leaving
to
Bangkok in half an hour time. We looked at each other, we were very
surprised and quickly purchased 2 tickets to Bangkok. We arrived Bangkok
airport at 3am. I noticed that the flight that we were in was a delay
flight from Phuket which was meant to fly off at 7.45pm. I had a
disbelief look and
deep in me I know that the Lord must have waited for us to board the
plane.Again I was totally amazed with the Lord’s timing and his plan for
us to leave the island. Again I had learned another lesson from the
Lord. When HE gave you instruction, don’t think how, just do it.
Everything is possible according to HIS will.We both returned safely to KLIA at 12.00pm on 27th December 2004.
HE is truly an awesome GOD and HE is alive and HIS words are real. I
don’t regret going through the disaster as it has make me a stronger
person, and my faith in the Lord has definitely soar higher…..higher
than the tidal wave for sure.Thank you all for your kind concern, your sms and your calls. God Bless
you always.Chung Eng Lee
Note:I haven’t been able to verify the authenticity of this story but I believe it to be true. I was not able to find references to an article in the “Sun” newspaper but I was able to find references to a Pastor Vernon Falls although I’m not sure it is the same one.
Update:After reading thew comment below I was able to find the original source to this story
