Asian Beacon

seven men who had prayed for him had
once suffered the same addiction and
withdrawal symptoms as he, and that God
had saved them.
A new beginning
After some time had passed, the leader
at the centre asked Mok if he would like
to accept Jesus Christ. He repeated the
sinner’s prayer after the leader, but about
two-thirds of the way through, Mok began
crying and could not stop. “Even when I
was five years old and my father hit me, I
never cried. But this time, I sobbed for two
hours. I cried and pleaded my guilt before
God. Later, I felt so relieved, like I had put
down a heavy burden. I tasted what the
Bible said, that God will give you rest. Jesus
Christ is indeed the real God,” he shared.
June 1, 1979 marked the day when
Mok was reborn.
The Bible was invaluable to him, but
he had to first learn how to read. “I asked
God for help. I also drew a lot of pictures
to represent the words in the Bible. And I
told myself that I must learn to read, write
and memorise three words a day,” he said.
He was also placed in charge of the kitchen
at the rehabilitation centre. “They love me
because I can cook, whereas they can’t.
And my cooking is good,” he laughed.
When he felt he was ready, Mok prayed
to God for a wife. Three years after he quit
drugs, he met his future wife and was soon
married. Furthermore, his wife’s family was
very accepting of him, despite knowing of
his past.
When he was 37, God gave Mok his
first child. “I kept praying when my wife
was in labour that my wife would be well
and the child healthy,” he said. “When I saw
my firstborn smile at me for the first time, I
started to cry. I told God ‘I made the right
choice in believing in You’.” Mok has three
happy, healthy children whom he described
as “good kids”.
He now heads a Christian non-profit
organisation called Rumah Victory, which
runs 12 homes all over Malaysia with the
chief aim of rehabilitating drug abusers.
In the 25 years of running Rumah Victory,
Mok has seen many lives turned around
from self-destruction and hopelessness
to become wholesome, healthy, and Godfearing.
Ironically for someone who is a blessing
to many, Mok was once considered a
cursed child who would bring bad luck and
misfortune to his family. “Shortly after I
was born, my grandfather passed away. My
family consulted a fortune teller who said I
was born under a ‘cursed star’. According to
the charts, I would bring misfortune upon
my family. My parents never told me. They
went from temple to temple, praying and
hoping to change my cursed status.”
“Only in 2004, when my mother was
suffering from cancer, did she hold my hand
and tell me in tears that she was sorry for the
bad treatment I received. After more than
60 years, I finally found out why I was often
beaten and scolded by my father, why I was
treated with such hostility and animosity,”
he shared.
From gang leader and drug addict to a
leader in the drug rehabilitation ministry,
Philip Mok’s story is a testament to the
Gospel’s life-changing power – that a child
once considered a curse can become a
blessing to so many.
Interview by Liew Wai Li, translation by Sally Yeow.
To find out more about Rumah Victory, go to
www.rumahvictory.org.my
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