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our message
Testimony - Tony Hewett
My name is Tony Hewett and this is my testimony which I trust the
Lord will use to bless many Chinese as the Lord has given me a
great love for you.
When I was a young boy on the farm I used to
look up into the night sky and wonder 'where does the universe end'?
I would put a limit on it then I would think well there must be
something beyond that, at that time I believe I was searching for the meaning of
God and creation and who He was.
My family has had a long involvement
in the Air Force and so I joined at sixteen, as my whole
ambition in life was to be a fighter pilot. When I turned nineteen I
heard the gospel for the first time although I had attended church I never
knew Christ, it was then that my life was completely changed and for the
first time I experienced the Lord in a very personal way.
I asked Him what He wanted for my life and about two days later I received a very
clear direction that I was not to be a fighter pilot and very shortly
after that He laid on my heart a Love for Asia, this was about 46 years ago.
At that time there were very few Asian people in Auckland so I used to
visit the ships coming to Auckland with Asian crews and over the years
many came to know the Lord in a very real way. One day I received a
phone call from a Japanese ship, the purser told me he had two
Japanese Students from Kansai University and would I look after them,
they were on a goodwill Mission around the world . Both were Zen
Buddhist's and did not like coming to church.
They travelled around
New Zealand for six weeks then came back to Auckland and contacted
me again, a short time after that they both became Christians, and our
Pastor encouraged them to stay in NZ for one year so they could be
trained in the Bible.
They returned to Japan and started meetings in
the City Hall, Osaka and from there the little Group grew into a church
and today they have around 650 Christians. Later the Lord put on my heart
the need to hold an Asian evening for the Chinese once a month and
this grew and developed until the Church decided it was time to start
a Chinese Church with a Pastor and Chinese Translator so those finding
English difficult could understand clearly the Ministry from the
Bible.
From that we have seen it grow to about 140 every Sunday morning
and we have been most encouraged to see so many experiencing
the Hope of the Gospel and the assurance of Eternal Life now they
know in their hearts there is no fear of death for Jesus said 'because
I live you shall also live'. My earnest prayer is that you may desire
to know Him and to experience His great Love for you
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