Buddhist Monk turns to Jesus ,,,PART ONE

Bruce believed in Buddhism and in 1994 he was ordained as a novice monk. Even though he was relaxed at peace, there were no miracles, or great spiritual awakening in his life. At last he turned to Jesus Christ and his life changed for the better after his conversion to Christianity.
BUDDHIST Monk turns To JESUS Christ
After I finished high school, I decided to find my own identity by researching my Laotian background. I read many books on Laotian history, religion and philosophy. Besides researching my ethnical background I also wanted to find out more about the belief I had been born into. Buddhism with all its rules and regulations was not satisfying me spiritually or emotionally. By the age of 30 the problems in my life were almost crushing me. I thought if I worked harder at Buddhism, I might find the answers.
In 1994 I was ordained as a novice monk. There where several reasons for doing this; to gain spiritual experience and merits, but also to pay respect to my parents, especially my mother. The parents of monks receive honour and status in the community, so by my becoming a monk, I also raised their status. My family and friends prepared the initiation ceremony. My head was shaved and I was dressed in a white robe, which was later changed to a yellow one. The next 3 weeks were spent in a Buddhist temple learning to obey very strict rules.
My day began at 6.00am chanting and praying the TRIPITAKA: the Triple Gems: the Buddha, the teaching and Sangha Monk community. Then I would sweep the floor and tidy up. As a novice monk I had to cook breakfast and lunch. The remaining time was spent washing, meditating, teaching and studying the Buddhist scriptures. Since there is very little written Buddhist scripture recorded, the teaching method is passed on verbally and memorised. Even though I was relaxed and at peace, there were no miracles, or great spiritual awakening.
My conversion to Christianity
I finally left the Buddhist temple none the wiser, or more able to cope with my problems. Yes, for a while in the monastery, away from every day problems I felt at peace, after all I didn’t have to cope with reality. However, I didn’t feel satisfied, nor was I taught how to cope with life outside the monastery.
I didn’t find the answer as a Buddhist monk so I decided to look elsewhere. I spent many months of continually reading books on different religions, including the Bible. Some of my Christian friends even invited me to their church. I also attended a church camp. None of the above however made a difference until on Monday 27th Dec 1999 I met a lady who told me about Jesus Christ. On this day I made Jesus Christ my Lord, Master, Saviour and God.
I met her while visiting my best friend, Zlatko. She listened sympathetically to the problems and struggles in my life, emphasising that ONLY GOD could help remove the burdens from my shoulders. I could not work for my “”Salvation””. As I listened I felt different, warmth had crept into my heart, and finally I said a short prayer to welcome the LORD Jesus Christ into my heart as my Saviour. I didn’t know it then, but found out later, that Jovanka my friend’s wife had prayed intensely in “”tongues”” while I was being witnessed to. God later told her the following: “”Marlies, you think it was your good witnessing skills that led Souk to Jesus! No, when Jovanka prayed in tongues she bound the demon sitting on his head that had stopped him from turning to the Lord Jesus Christ.””
When the prayer was over I felt totally at peace and relieved. I was not even afraid of what my parents might say that one of their children had changed from a religion that had been in the family for centuries. In fact, within a few weeks I told them that no longer did I follow the Buddhist religion, but had become a Christian.
My life changed for the better after my conversion to Christianity. I was taught the basic Bible principles and gradually the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and heart to see and understand the “”TRUTH”” about GOD. I saw miracles, received revelations from God via dreams. Also my prayers were answered. As well as, there was a visitation by the Lord Jesus Christ. One very important change was that slowly God had helped to erase my past sadness, heartache and worries and replaced them with His warmth, healing, love, joy and peace.
During the first 4 years of being a born-again Christian, I learnt how to fight spiritually and to overcome the tricks and temptation of the enemy–satan. Despite my sincere efforts though, there still remained old habits such as laziness, gambling, lust, rebellion, stubbornness, pride and childish behaviour – tantrums. There were also major issues of confusion in speech and writing and depression.