Great People.

Everyone knows about Titanic sinking. But who knows certain people in the ship, who were so great and selfless that they gave up their lives to save others? Yea, now I wanna tell you all about this great man. Whose name is John Harper. John Harper was a Christian since 13 and he started preaching when he was 17. That is my age lah means like example I would be preaching now. And his church is like 500 people, which is considered many in that time. I think that is very impressive already lah. Imagine Joyce Goh, preaching and having a church of 500 strong. Thats awesomesauce. Hahaha oh yea and John Harper had a wife and a daughter. His wife died very early, leaving his daughter and him. He and his daughter went on Titanic to sail the ocean blue. The people thought they build a ship that no water could go through. But the God almighty hands said the ship will never land, it was sad when the big ship went down. Okay it's a camp song. But so suit the mood now right? I mean same topic what. Then that very fateful day, the Titanic, which was known to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg and it started to go down down down.

When more water came in, people started getting the lifeboats. But many people refused to leave the Titanic, because they thought it would be safer staying in the ship than sitting in a tiny boat in the middle of nowhere. They also paid a lot of money to get on board and like you know if you stay in some suite in a 5 star hotel, maybe got terrorist attack you also think you will be safe? So they refused to leave. At that moment, John Harper put his 6 year old daughter (fondly called Nana) on to the life boat that was around. He could have gotten onto the boat easily, as many people didn't want to get on board. But he kissed his daughter on her forehead, and told her, "Sweetie, I need to stay here. But I will see you again some day." Then their boat went off. And he remained there, determined to get people saved to come to know Jesus before they die, so that they can go to heaven. So he went around, asking people if they are Christians and if they are willing to accept Jesus, so that they can go to heaven. Even as the boat sank, and like 1000 over people were stranded in the middle of nowhere, some even without life jackets, he was busy swimming around and trying to get people saved. So that they will die and go to heaven.

There was this particular stubborn guy, who refused to be saved and rather stay there hanging onto this debris. John Harper asked if he would like to accept Christ and he said no and so John Harper took off his life jacket and handed it to him, telling him he would need it more than he does coz when John Harper dies, he knows he will go to heaven but the guy is not saved so he won't. Therefore he threw his jacket there with the guy and went off to another person. And he came back to the guy and the guy accepted Jesus into his life. Then only ONE single life boat No. 4 came back to save the people, saving 6 people before leaving. And the guy whom John Harper gave his life jacket to went on the boat, and therefore saved his own life. Thus he was telling his story to everyone and he really teared because he never met such a man before.

I am also very touched by how this man is so selfless that he puts others really before him, even willing to sacrifice his own life. How many of us can do that? Man are all selfish by nature, like how the boats could fit 65 people, but one of the boat only had 12 people in it and they left off. All beacause the people in the boat were panicking and all they cared was for their dear lives. If you ask me now, like if me and my friend were to be kidnapped in a room, and the kidnapper said he will only release one of us, I really don't know what will happen. It's really a big sacrifice when you actually give up your life to save someone else's and I really admire John Harper for his courage and bravery and selfless love for people. I wanna be someone like that in the future, where I will think about people before thinking about what benefits me the most. To learn to put myself in other people's shoes more. :D hehehe now I sound like some cheem knowlegable person right? K ciao!

With love,
Joyce



John Harper and his daughter Nana.