FOUND MY SALVATION IN PRISON / D. Martin, Changi Prison

On 13 April 2012 my life changed forever. I was living in Johor Bahru at that time and working in Singapore. The day started as usual with no hint of what was to come. I woke up at about 2.45 am. to get ready for work. I said my morning prayers, got dressed and started off for the Causeway on my bike. In my backpack were my passport and personal stuff as well as two black packages. I knew these packages contained drugs but not what kind of drugs or how dangerous they were. I only found out it was heroin when I was arrested and charged. I used to travel daily and my friend (or so I thought) asked me to help deliver the packages to his friend in Singapore. This was the second time he had asked me. Did I suspect anything? Looking back and reflecting, maybe I did have a sense of uneasiness but I took it anyway.

Reaching Singapore, I contacted the guy whom I was supposed to deliver the packages to. Just as I handed him the packages and turned to climb back on my bike, I was surrounded by police and arrested. The other guy was also arrested. The two packages contained a total of 906.4 grams of granular/powdery substance which was analysed and found to contain not less than 35.41 grams of heroin This is when the nightmare began. Till today I remember very clearly the cold steel of the handcuffs snapped on my wrists.  I was taken to the police station and interrogated for hours. The police did not believe me when I said I honestly did not know what was in the packages and I never asked my friend either. Looking back now I wonder how I could be so foolish.

I had already been in prison for 5 years and 4 months pending my trial. The court case was such an ordeal with the endless questions I had to answer. While I was in prison awaiting trial, my mum passed away and my dad and sisters came to visit me. It was heart-breaking for me to see the shock and pain on their faces, especially my dad. They lived in Kedah and had to travel all the way to Singapore to see me. It was seeing them that caused me the most pain and at that moment I wished with all my heart I could have turned back the clock. What I did just did not affect me alone but my family too, the people I loved the most.

I received a life imprisonment sentence and 15 strokes of the cane, and the man I delivered the drugs recived the death penalty. I believe only the Lord saved me from the death penalty. I was relieved that the trial was over but a new chapter of my life was about to unfold. I was taken to Changi Prison to begin my incarceration. By that time, I had already served 7 years in remand pending the trial. As I entered the prison, I was fearful and very apprehensive of what to expect as this time I knew that all hope was gone. As the gates clanged shut, I shuddered as the reality of my situation finally hit home.

Suffering from ADHD (Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder), confinement in prison was very difficult for me. My first few days there were a nightmare. I used to have many arguments with the wardens and inmates and my quick temper would often flare up. It is a terrible thing to have your freedom taken away and being told when to eat, when to sleep and just following the rules of the prison strictly with no choice to make your own decisions. It felt like we were robots moving automatically when the bell sounded and doing what we were supposed to do at that particular time.   

I was born into a Christian family and used to attend Bible class, Sunday service and prayer meeting but I attended all these because my family did and it was expected of me, and besides, it was fun hanging out with my friends. Even in Johor Bahru I was staying with a pastor and used to help him out when I was not working. It was a shock to him when I was arrested.

Looking back now I have seen how the Lord was always with me but I chose not to see him sometimes. I did not have much in terms of qualifications but yet I secured a job as assistant manager at a Coffee Bean outlet in Penang. I worked as a waiter in Singapore’s Regis Hotel too, and while working there, I started my own DJ business. So, during my spare time I worked at private functions and this brought me extra income. All this time I did not really have a personal relationship with the Lord. I made so many wrong choices, hanging out with people I knew were wrong for me. Though I used what I earned to help my family rather than enjoy myself, I have no one to blame but myself for the wrong choices I made that eventually landed me in prison. There are always consequences for the choices we make and now I had to face mine.

As I sat alone in my prison cell, I began to see my past flash before me and all the mistakes I had made, uppermost of all-turning away from God. I began to see how much He loved and cared for me. I began to realise that it was His hand on my life that saved me from the gallows. I repented and asked Jesus to come back into my life. That was the turning point for me. His peace came upon me and I spent hours praying to Him. My life changed in prison and I began to have hope and joy again. I began getting along better with the other inmates and wardens. I started attending services and Bible studies. God has been using me in prison. As others here began seeing the transformation in me, I was encouraged to share with them the Gospel so that they too could turn to Jesus and give their lives to Him. Here in prison, I have so much time to spend in prayer. Perhaps this is why I ended up here so I could find my way back to Him. Perhaps, if this had not happened, I would still be making all the wrong choices and moving further away from Him.

Some months ago, my dad sent me a copy of the Asian Outreach Connections and as I was reading it, I noticed that at the end of each article they asked for prayers. I decided that I could be their prayer partner, so I wrote in to Asian Outreach. I did not really expect a reply but was overjoyed when I got one and they welcomed me to pray for them. I found my purpose and I believe God’s plan for me. Asian Outreach has continued to correspond with me and I have been so encouraged by their letters. They accepted me as their prayer partner and I will continue to pray for the needs of the ministry.

God met me in prison and I rediscovered my love for Him. I attend service on Sundays held by Prison Fellowship Singapore and before the COVID-19 pandemic, I used to attend Bible classes every Wednesday. I also have a job in prison and I spend most of my free time reading the Bible. I know God is doing something in my life and I will keep on trusting Him. He allowed me to be caught and sent to prison so I could meet Him here, and I know He has a plan and purpose for my life. Part of that plan was receiving the Asian Outreach Connections which touched my heart as I read the work in the mission fields. I don’t have to be out there for God to use me as even in prison I can still be a vessel for the Kingdom of God.

HEBREWS 13:1-3

“Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.”