3rd Oct 2012, by Ezra Chim, CM –
Lord, give me another life! – By Pastor Jani of Gereja Baptis Hosanna, Keningau, Sabah
It is the amazing love and miraculous deliverance of the Almighty God in Pastor’s Jani’s life that touched and changed his life forever that he said without hesitation that “this life I have now does not belong to me.” It was the life given anew to him when he courageous asked the Lord on the 6th June 2006 to give him another life again when his own spirit left his physical body momentarily after a major operation to remove a tumour in his brain.
Pastor Jani, age 32, born a Dusun tribe in Sabah, had an extraordinary encounter with the Lord even when he was six years old in Keningau. He was tapping rubber one day in his own rubber plantation, a vision came to him. In the vision, he saw an “open sky with the Holy Spirit like a dove descending from heaven.” As a young boy, he knelt and prayed a simple prayer and he said “Lord, here I am sent me.” After this event, nothing much has changed but God has been faithful in His calling.
At the age of 15 years old, the Lord begins to work in his life. Pastor John Meli, who was then the pastor of Baptis Hosanna, wrote him a letter asking him to visit the church. He tried to contact the pastor for one whole week every day but could not be in touched with the pastor. And in all his telephone calls, he could hear people praying. This moved his heart even more to attend church and study God’s word. Finally, he managed to contact Pastor John Meli and he stayed with the church till the age of 18.
Then at the age 18, he was the only one selected and sponsored to go to Bible school in Palembang, Indonesia. The pastor had shortlisted three other candidates for the program but in God’s will, he was the only one selected. He graduated from the Bible school at the age of 20.
After graduation, he came back to take over the church. However, the church was in debts with many bills not paid and the church members are very lost and broken in their faith. He had no experience running a church then. During that time, he continued to tap rubber in his own plantation and supported the church with God’s providence. While running the church, he met up with his wife Nelly there and they were married in 2002. Sister Nelly was also a Dusun.
The life of service and sacrifice continues on in Keningau, building the church from a small congregation of around 10 people. And in 2003, the miracle working God showed Himself strong again in his life. Sister Nelly was giving birth to their first son in hospital but the baby was born without any sign of life, not breathing and the colour of the skin was “black”. Pastor Jani turned to his only Saviour Jesus Christ who can help him in his hour of need. He remembered praying fervently near the hospital toilet, seeking divine mercy to help his new born baby. In His great deliverance, his son showed sign of life after half an hour and the baby started crying. Today, his first son is healthy and the Lord blessed them with another son and a daughter soon after. Praise the Lord!
Pastor Jani’s life experience was indeed a supernatural one all the way. Whatever the storm of life may be, he just knows where to turn for help. The trials and tribulations made him grew stronger in his Christian faith.
The recent unforgettable divine intervention was on the 6th June 2006, when Pastor Jani was 26 years old lying in the hospital bed for brain tumour and viral infection of the bones, lung and blood. The operation to remove the brain tumour took around 12 hours while a normal operation is only 8 hours. After the brain tumour operation, he was in coma for two days. Later he was also infected with the deadly viral attacks for three months. The struggle to survive this ordeal seemed lost and beyond hope.
It was in this time of life that he experienced that there is life after death. He explained that his own spirit left his body. He was able to see the nurses, doctors and ICU unit below him. There was no ceiling above him, only open space and he heard the voice of the Lord welcoming him home to heaven. He felt that there was no more pain, no more sorrows and no more tears. He then had the courage to ask God about his family and church members. He asked the Lord to give him one more life to live and he will give his whole life to Him. At that instant, the Lord told him to “go back.” On that eventful day, he woke up and will forever remember the day of his new beginning in the Lord. He was discharged from Queen Hospital, Kota Kinabalu 3 months later.
Today, he and his wife Nelly travelled to many nations to tell of the amazing love of God and the miracle working power of the living Saviour. His church membership has grown to around 100 worshippers and the church is burdened to build a new sanctuary in Batu 16, Sook, Keningau. This new sanctuary which is under construction can accommodate close to 1000 members upon completion. Pastor Jani is walking by faith again that the finances will be provided for in God’s perfect timing.
His heart’s desire is to tell the world that the Lord is an awesome God and He has promised to be with us till the very end of age. Our part is to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Praise the Lord!
Brother Jani is the pastor of Gereja Baptis Hosanna in Keningau, Sabah. His email address – gbhelshaddai@yahoo.com
