Greetings!

My name is Paul mahendran. I am a volunteer Missionary from S'pore. I am serving God in Mindanao,Philippines at present with my wife. Both me and my wife are pioneering a Bible Training Centre and also a Children Home Ministry for the Less-advantage children in Tagum City,Davao,Minidanao,Philippines.

I am very blessed by your site as i am teaching my students to start small groups in their respective churches or cell groups.Ps attached is my Testimony and hope to hear from you. Pls uphold us in prayers for our Bible Training centre needs of materials and study bibles. Also for the needs for our Children Home Ministry.

God bless and will study your teachings and bring to our students.

In His Love
paul M
MY TESTIMONY OF HOW I MET JESUS AND HOW GOD LED ME TO THE PHILIPPINES
From Prison To Mission

Greetings In Jesus Name,

Praise Be To God! My name is N.M.Mahendran (Paul). I was born to a Hindu family. I have 1 sister and 3 brothers. My father was a drunkard and gambler. There was always trouble in my home and my mum used to go to all the religious groups to pray so the my father would change his ways. At the age of 11, my mum came to know the Lord Jesus and thru prayers, my father accepted the Lord and was transformed. There was peace in my home from then onwards.

The problem started when I was in my secondary school. I started to play truant and mixed with a secret society group. From there on I became very violent and rebellious at the age of 13. I was involved in gang fights and was arrested for a gang fight when I was 15 yrs old. At time I was also involved in drugs and became addicted and could not concentrate on my studies. Thus there was always unrest in my home because of me. I used to follow my family to church until I was 13. I stopped following them and was rebellious to my mum and dad. I was put under Police supervision at the age of 15 and could not leave the house after 7pm. At that time, my Police officer recommended me to join the Army Boys School so that at least I could have a future. I decided to join the school but later found out that most of the guys who joined this school were like me. I was still involved in drugs and gang in the school and was caught for drug consumption at the age of 18. That was in 1978 and from then onwards my life was in and out of prison for drugs and gang fights for 18yrs.

All of my family had given up on me but my mum alone would visit me each time and always had hope in Jesus to deliver me from this bondage. Each time I came out from prison, I always made a decision to change but it never lasted long. Prison became my first home for the past 18yrs. I almost gave up but because of my Counselor, Ronnie Tan whom I met in the Prison Christian Chapel and in whom I could trust as I saw the love in him to help people like us.

It was in 1990, my last imprisonment for drugs, that I was tired of this life and decided to join a group of inmates for a Bible Course. My intention was to just pass my time but as I studied the word of God for almost a year, I believe the Word was working and convicting me and giving me hope to change. Upon my release in 1996, I decided to change but it lasted for only a month and I went back to drugs. I was very down and my only solution was to continue trafficking drugs till I end my life in death or suicide. I took the second option and was smoking and popping tablets to overdose. I was in a room and I could feel death was so near and an eerie voice telling me to die the only way. But at the same time, there was a still small voice crying JESUS, JESUS! The last thing I knew was telling Jesus to please save me .Then I just went off. The next morning, I found next to me a lump of tablets and I could sense that the atmosphere was peaceful. The thought that came to me was to call Ronnie Tan. I did that and Brother Ronnie Tan asked me to see him at once. I obeyed and from then onwards, it was a road to recovery thru God using him as a vessel for my transformation. I repented of all my sins and decided to walk with God. With the help of Ronnie, God started to work in my life and I gave up drugs, renounced my involvement with the gang and walked with God.

During that time of my transformation, I shared with many members of the church which I was attending with Ronnie. But each time when I went home, I could not read the Bible and often felt sleepy but I could watch TV and stay awake. I told this to Ronnie and we prayed. It was at this time that I attended one of the lunch fellowship meetings at the Metropolitan YMCA that I met Douglas Koh. After someone prayed for me I felt a rushing wind throwing me down on the floor. Suddenly, I began to manifest demonic attacks and became violent. Douglas suggested that I undergo a deliverance session. I agreed and as a result of that ministry, God started to break all the bondages that had tied me for all these years. I went thru 7 session lasting 30 hours with Douglas, and Ronnie and Nelson Ng assisting him. Then I came to know the truth. My demonisation was the result of my involvement in a blood covenant with my gang, occult practices, gambling, keeping talisman for protection, and the many tattoos (including a huge cobra) on my body, worshipping idols for protection and making allegiance with the gods of gambling. There were so many things that God showed me of my past: unforgiveness, stealing, telling lies, sexual immorality and so many other vices in my life. AS I was being ministered to, all these spirits as well as the spirits of rejection and violence and others were evicted. During this time of the deliverance session, God revealed His Mighty Power and I began to see visions of how the Cobra was strangling my neck and there was a chain from my head to the leg. I was crying for help as it was choking me. I remembered vividly, as my counselors were speaking in tongues and praying, I saw a mighty fire burnt the chain. It started from the head to the toe and it was consumed in the fire. I felt a great relief and started to confess all the sins that I had done as the Holy Spirit convicted me. That was the breakthrough in my life.

After the deliverance, I enrolled in Tung Ling Bible School for the School of Mission (SOM) course. There God started a deeper work and I just knew that He was calling me to serve Him. After praying with my cell members and Ronnie, I followed a Pastor friend who was my classmate to Papua New Guinea. It was the toughest place for me to stay as it was very primitive. I stayed among the Yakuman tribes. Their forefathers were head hunters. To be frank, the prison where I spent 18years was better in terms of hygiene, food and safety. I almost gave up but as I was crying and praying for God’s guidance, the same still small voice told me “ Wherever I send you, My Grace is sufficient for you. That was the turning point in my mission work and I knew God had a plan and a calling for me to bring the Good News to the less advantaged people in this place.

Thru God’s grace, I managed to stay for 2 years pioneering a Bible training centre. Our mission was to ‘Win Build and Send’ the students to their own tribes. During those times my only support were from my ex-cell members who helped me as God led them. I became a tent-maker cutting trees and selling them to meet my needs and the ministry. In this place God started to prepare me for His work and mission .It was a tough time staying there for 2 years but it was a joy to see people being touched and healing taking place. Thru His grace He used me to be His vessel. I was also working with some Filipino missionaries under Foursquare Gospel and they invited me to go to their place in Mindanao, Philippines.

After my stay in Papua New Guinea for 2 years, I came back to Singapore for a rest and to see what was the next step that God was leading me to. After praying with the same group, they had peace for me to go to the Philippines as I was invited to speak at a church that was holding a convention for their Pastors. God provided me the airfare thru my ex-cell members but it was only a one way ticket. I remember I left for the Philippines with only S$300. My prayer in the Philippines was that God would open doors for me to work with a tribal group and also the vision that God had put in my heart to ‘Win – Build – Send’ those who are trained and have the calling to bring the message to their own groups.

God opened doors for me to meet a Pastor from Mindanao. After learning that he needed help as he was working with a tribal group called the Mansaka and the Mandaya at Pantukan,Davao Oriental, I was excited. We prayed together and I visited the tribal site and the Holy Spirit prompted me that this was the place for me to start the Bible and Mission training centre. Starting from scratch and with nothing we prayed for God’s provision. Likeminded Christians in Singapore donated and that is how we started. Today we are bringing the Good news and making disciples and sending them to the harvest field. It has been six years since I came to Pantukan and Tagum City where we have 2 extension classes.

I am married and have a 7 year old son .God has been marvelously good to me since I stepped out in faith and obeyed His high calling. “God’s work done in His ways will never lack His supplies”
Praise God thus far what He has been doing in Pantukan and Tagum City. I believe, with His guidance and likeminded Christians, we can win Mindanao for Jesus.
At present , both me and my wife are pioneering a Bible Training Centre in Tagum City, Davao and also a Children Home Ministry under Renewal Ministries care centre. It’s a home for the less advantage children from the streets , to broken homes and churches. Pls pray for us as we are also very tight in the budget as a volunteer and tent-maker missionary. Pray that God will open doors to link us to like-minded Christians and also favor from foundations to help us in the ministry of the children home and our training centre.

May God Bless YOU Richly.
Paul Mahendran
Renewal Ministries Care Centre Inc
Tagum City,
Davao,Philippines.