Inside Story: Sugar Shock

Sugar Shock

By Andrew McChesney

Oung, a sugar factory worker in Laos, was baptized, but he lost interest in Jesus after about three years.

The pastor visited him at home with an invitation to return to church to worship on Sabbath.

Image © Pacific Press

“Yes, I will come,” Oung promised.

But he didn’t.

When the pastor returned to invite him again, Oung explained that he had missed church services because a friend had stopped by his house unexpectedly.

“I’ll come next Sabbath,” he said.

But he didn’t.

When the pastor returned again, Oung explained that his bicycle had broken down.

The pastor visited many times, and Oung always had an excuse. Church members prayed, and the pastor kept inviting him. But Oung seemed to drift farther away from Jesus.

After some time, he started to drink and cause problems at home. Many times, he beat his elder sister, leaving bruises on her face, arms, and legs. His sister, a faithful church member, finally had to move out of the house, leaving him with his wife and children.

The sister came to church with tears in her eyes. She loved her younger brother. “Please don’t stop praying for Oung,” she said.

One day, while Oung was working at the sugar factory, he climbed a steel ladder to fetch sugar from a giant steel container.

The activity was a normal part of his job. But on this day, an electric wire connected to the steel container malfunctioned. As he reached out his hands to grasp the top edge of the container, a shock of electricity coursed through his hands and body.

The electric current welded him to the container. He couldn’t remove his hands from the edge. At that moment, he thought of his family, his children, and his wife.

Then he remembered God.

“God, please help me!” he prayed.

Suddenly, the electric current stopped, and he fell down to the floor.

Only one thought filled his mind: “God has given me a new life to live again.” He should have been dead, but he was alive. His left hand was burned badly in the incident, but otherwise he was fine.

Villagers couldn’t believe that he was still alive.

Oung told his wife that he planned to recommit his life to Jesus.

“I must go back to church for God has given me a new life,” he said. “I must be a witness for Him because I should have died but I am alive. I must go back to Him.”