Alice Wong had a reputation for being a troublemaker during her childhood.
Born in Limbang, a small town in the interior of Sarawak, Malaysia, Alice spent her primary school days picking fights, playing truant and exasperating her teachers.
“I was very naughty. I beat other students up all the time and even vandalised my teacher’s car,” she said with a sheepish grin.
However, the young Chinese-Lun Bawang girl displayed an extraordinary talent in badminton.
At 13, she entered Malaysia’s elite sports school in KL and went on to play for the national team.
However, after a man from her village was murdered in Kuala Lumpur, her father grew concerned for her safety and brought her home after 1.5 years.
Seeking her place in this world
Lost and without a clear sense of direction, Alice found herself constantly chasing the next ‘cool’ thing.
She didn’t know it then, but she was looking for a place to belong.
Her path led her to vaping and drinking. With a fiery temper, she often found herself in pub brawls, clashing with both strangers and friends.
“I was vaping up to 30ml of vape juice a day,” Alice shared. Anything over 10ml a day is considered heavy use.
With her natural charisma and larger-than-life personality, she introduced her friends and university peers to her lifestyle.
After finishing her studies in Kuching, Alice returned to Limbang in 2020.
A few months later, the pandemic struck, and like the rest of the nation, Alice’s life was forced into lockdown.
The power of love and acceptance
Although Alice was raised a Christian, her faith and relationship with God never felt real to her.
She had stopped attending church, so when she was asked to help with live-streaming, she doubted that her home church would accept her.
“When my friend Jacklynne asked me to help with live-streaming, I said, ‘You know my life, everything’s on Instagram. How can I attend, let alone serve in church?’” she recalled.
Jacklynne responded, “God can change anyone, even you. Just come.”
At BEM Bandar Limbang Church, Alice discovered love, hope, and a safe space. She was welcomed with warmth, enthusiasm, and sincerity by everyone.
She remembers thinking, “This is what it means to be a family in God.”
A desperate prayer
For three years, Alice helped BEM Bandar Limbang and other struggling BEM churches to transition online.
In 2022, she even managed the livestream of a BEM event that was broadcast across Sarawak.
Although she felt closer to God during this time, she couldn’t break free from her habits of drinking and vaping.
She had also entered a new relationship. “It was toxic. I’d cry every day for weeks, trying to figure out what I’d done to upset my partner,” she recalled.
The relationship consumed her life and mental health, leading her to cry out to God.
“Without thinking, I prayed, ‘Can you get me out of [Limbang] and bring me somewhere new?'”
Little did she know, God was about to answer her prayer.
Why are people here so happy?
Several months later, Alice moved to Miri to work with her uncle.
It was January 2024, and it felt like the start of something new.
“My friend Tricia, who lives in Miri, got really excited when she heard I was coming. She wanted to bring me to her church,” Alice said.
When she stepped into Cornerstone Community Church in Miri, she was floored.
“I asked Tricia, ‘Why are people here so happy?’ I couldn’t make sense of it,” she said.
One Sunday, the sermon was about how the Israelites remained in bondage by clinging to their past lifestyles, despite having been set free from slavery.
Alice felt something stirring inside her.
She prayed, “Is it time for me to return to Your presence? I want to come back to church, stop my life of sin, and leave my past behind. King of Glory, enter my life, my community, and my world.”
Her conviction was so deep that when she got home, she threw away all her vapes. Her desire for vaping and alcohol had vanished.
She then opened the Bible app and began reading.
“I cried and cried, filled with regret over my past choices. ‘I want to be more like You,’ I told Jesus. ‘I want to use my talents to bring others like me, broken and shattered, back to You.'”
But not everyone believed her transformation was genuine.
Friends invited her to pubs and challenged her to drink or vape.
“I was able to say, ‘No, thank you,’ and order a Coke,” Alice said simply.
She joined the ABC Badminton Club, a social community formed by church members.
“Then I joined a cell group, Breakthrough, where I found hope. These days, I’m always telling God, ‘Thank you for giving me this church as my home.’”.
Leading others back to God’s family
News of Alice’s transformation spread like wildfire among the BEM churches in Sarawak.
Now, she’s hearing stories of how her testimony is changing lives.
“People my age who knew the old Alice are intrigued; some are turning to God again, returning to church, breaking bad habits, or distancing themselves from toxic relationships,” she said enthusiastically.
The 26-year-old credits her mother, who prayed faithfully through Alice’s turbulent years, saying, “Lord, if I cannot change my daughter, I surrender her to You.”
She also honours her friends; Jacklynne, Rebecca, Yvea, Wendy, and Cheryl (pictured in this article’s cover image), who showed her what it truly means to be accepted in God’s family.
Years ago, pastors and family members had told her she was a born leader.
“I used my leadership gift wrongly back then, but I believe God wants me to serve Bahasa-speaking Christians and reach out to friends who’ve left the faith or been hurt by the church,” she shared.
Her face radiates with joy as she reflects on the prayer she now offers every night.
“God, if You’ve given me the gift of leadership, show me how to lead people back to You.”
This article was first published on Salt&Light.
