A triad member leading an outrageous life with thefts, fights and drugs, who had sunk so low that he has even tried attacking his father with a chopper... It seems hopeless for such a person to reform, but miracles do happen. Mr Kuen Ping-yiu (Ben), a drug addict turned Outstanding Young Person, is a great example.

Ben first tried drugs when he joined the triad society at the age of 12 or 13. After taking drugs, he would get high or even lose his mind and do all sorts of weird things. Once after he took marijuana and pills at the same time, he went out on the street, took off his clothes and sat on the pedestrian refuge in the middle of the road, thinking he was on a Caribbean island!

The Crazy Drug-taking Days
Being despised when he had no money to buy drugs, Ben was eager to make big money and so he started his loan shark business with the funds borrowed from banks and finance companies. He made a great fortune and lived a lavish lifestyle just as he planned, but he had no peace of mind as he always worried about being caught by the police or unable to get his money back.

As a result, he relied on drugs even more to numb his worries. He took more and more drugs, to a point that sometimes he would spend $5,000 or $6,000 a day on buying them!

Once while he was taking drugs, Ben suddenly thought of his family and had an urge to call home, but only found himself get scolded badly over the phone by his parents. Under the influence of drugs, the enraged Ben rushed home, smashed things and even grabbed a chopper and chased after his father. Thankfully, at the critical moment he was stopped, preventing him in time from making any fatal mistakes. After this incident, Ben was remanded in Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre, then transferred to Lai Chi Kok Reception Centre. There, a miracle happened to him.

On that day, there were lots of cockroaches on the wall in the detention cell. Ben, who would not get cold feet for fighting or stealing, was terrified as cockroach is the one thing he feared most. In desperation, he remembered he had heard about Jesus when he went to church with his friend before. He cried out to Jesus for help in his heart, asking Jesus to get him out of the predicament. Soon after he had prayed, he heard popping sounds – the soil pipe had just burst and the entire cell stank so much that the prison police had to transfer him to another cell where there were no more cockroaches. At that very moment, Ben was so astonished to find that Jesus was so real and He did hear prayers.

From a ‘Worthless Youth’ to an ‘Outstanding Young Person’
Jesus not only rescued Ben from the cell with roaches, but also gave him a chance to reform. Ben could have received an imprisonment of 6 or 7 years after pleading guilty in court, but the judge sentenced him to a Christian rehabilitation centre for drug abusers instead. There, inmates are required to wake up early in the morning to read the bible and practise daily devotions. They are also assigned to various tasks, including sometimes the handling of stool. Ben said during those days he had the opportunity to reflect on himself and he would get so remorseful that he actually cried. A life of self-discipline and self-control has been a training of willpower that prepared him to resist the temptation of drugs and prevented him from falling back into old habits as he reintegrated into the community.

After returning to the community, Ben was hired as a general labourer by a social service organisation. Later, he joined an organisation of prison ministry, where he helped prisoners and their families with his own experience. He has also set up a team of rehabilitated offenders that takes up renovation projects. Ben also engages in volunteering at the Narcotics Division to advocate the anti-drug message, and shares his testimonies in various organisations and churches. In 2008, Ben was awarded one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons and Outstanding Volunteers. Jesus has not only transformed Ben’s life, but also brought him recognition from others.

‘With determination, faith and a loving heart, your dreams can be realised,’ said Ben at the Ten Outstanding Young Persons award presentation ceremony. ‘If you deem yourself to be hopeless, no one can save you. However, as long as you’re determined to “be a decent person”, Jesus will always welcome you.’

 ‘Hidden di s c r iminat ion against rehabilitated persons actually exists in the society. Rehabilitated persons must keep their minds on their work and truly repent for others to stop discriminating and reaccept them.’

Full version: http://www.salvationarmy.org.hk/get_doc/file/1357