On August 11, 2009, I saw my mother and me in a box car (a square box with wheels) racing down something like railroad tracks. At the end, the tracks either forked to the left where it was hell or to the right which is heaven, a very bright comforting place.

This testimony is from my son, Aristarchus Huang, 8 years old. He had this dream after we returned from attending two weeks of National Youth Theological Seminar (NYTS) in Hillsborough True Jesus Church from 7/24/09 to 8/9/09. I had taken my 3 oldest children to attend and join in the prayers and listen in on sermons whenever they were able to. I’ve always believed that the prayers at NYTS are really precious (there were about 6 prayers each day), sometimes lasting for 30 min or more each time. 

When we returned back from New Jersey to California, about two weeks later, my son said, “Mommy, I had a really bad nightmare and I can’t forget it.” I had been so busy at work I didn’t get chance to hear him tell me about it until the second week. So here’s what he said about his dream that he remembers (he has a knack for recalling things). Words in italics are my inserts of explanation.  

I could not see but I heard a lot of people (young, old, women, men) who went to the left were screaming, crying, and moaning, becausthey seemed to fall down a dark hole. It seemed like they went down to hell.

There was a lot of wind when we were travelling. At the end of the tracks was a figure dressed in white (Jesus) with a thick book open on a podium in front of Him. I could not see His face but I sensed Him. Jesus was very bright. Jesus was reading a book that was in front of him. I sensed that the book contained what Jesus said and names of the chosen people of God and the other half of it was the bad people. That book recorded the deeds of the person’s life and judging whether that person will go to heaven or hell.

 My mom and I were very scared and praying in the box car as we were going down the tracks. We knelt down in the cart, closed our eyes, and prayed very hard. I was saying repeatedly “Hallelujah!” Then thankfully, our cart was allowed go to the Heaven’s side. It was very bright and light. We came out of the cart and stopped there.

 But while we were praying in the cart, I heard the voice of Jesus telling me how to go to heaven. I did not see Jesus speaking because my eyes were closed and I was praying. The serious voice sounded like it had an echo and it was loud and came from above and all around. The voice had authority to speak.  

These were the things Jesus said for me to go heaven.  It was not in this exact order.

1. Pray a lot. Do not just have the Holy Spirit but be FILLED with the Holy Spirit.
2. Bear Fruit and do good deeds.
3. You have to go to different places to preach the gospel but you don’t have to be a preacher.
4. Love one another—love your neighbor as yourself.
5. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind.
6. Don’t be greedy for money.
7. Don’t get addicted to things, like playing video games or watching TV.
8. Be Baptized and then receive Footwashing.
9. Receive Holy Communion.
10. Do not have any other gods.
11. Do not make idols.
12. Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain.
13. Honor your parents.
14. Keep the Sabbath day. Even on Friday nights, you and your family should go to church. You should only go to the True Jesus Church, no other church, except for the other True Jesus Church places.
15. Do not commit adultery.
16. Do not murder.
17. Do not steal.
18. Do not say things that are fake. Do not lie.
19. Do not be jealous of others.

If you do all these things, you will go to Heaven.

After I saw this dream, I was scared because I think I might not be able to do all the things Jesus said.  It made me want to be good. The dream seemed very real and that was why I was scared. I was also frightened of Hell because I didn’t want to go there.

I felt then that Jesus said not to worry. Jesus was going to help me go to heaven and that praying would help me.  I thank Jesus for letting me see this dream.  May Jesus be praised.

After my son told me this dream, I thought about it often. I really thank God because he answered many of the questions I worried about in my heart.

Worry for My Children

God knows that in my heart I often worried for my children and wondered if they will be able to go to heaven. I often thought how sad it will be if even one of them were in Hell, how they would cry and plead. I cannot bear to imagine the consequences.  

To me Hell is very real. I know because in August of 2007, Aris had his first spiritual dream when he was six years old. On a Sunday evening, after an English fellowship at my house, he started to get a high fever. Then the thyroid glands on both sides of his neck became swollen. At 4 a.m. I took him to the emergency room. After he returned, he had fever for two more nights. On Tuesday night, at 1 a.m., he had a dream of Heaven and Hell.  

He saw our family in heaven, the beautiful roads, animals who talked to each other using the heavenly language, beautiful fishes in a crystal clear river, with many fruit trees by the stream, and a little angel who played with him. He also met our Lord Jesus Christ who talked to him and told him to pray harder for the Holy Spirit. Jesus also picked him up and picked a fruit from the tree for him to taste.  

But he also saw Hell. In Hell, he could hear the tormented voices of the men, women, and children crying. The spirits of the demons surrounded him. He also sensed a burning mansion, heavy smoke, and darkness. He was very much afraid and an angel with a sword appeared and saved him. The most remarkable part of his description of Hell was how Aris described that there were people being tortured. They were being hung on meat hooks, with four or five large palm sized worms gnawing at their bodies. The worms were fat and had no eyes. It had teeth that were layered with sharp teeth like that of a shark. The worms were nothing like he had ever seen in this world. The people were screaming and crying. 

Aris said, “Mommy, it was strange, but the fire burning under their feet did not seem to burn the worms.” I asked him, what kind of people was being tortured? He said that they were mostly adults and bad teenagers. This is just as described in Isaiah 66:24 and quoted by Jesus in Mark 9:48: 

And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind 

I often reflect that if Hell is in fact real, then what should I be doing differently as a mother so that none of them will be left behind? Knowing that I am powerless and full of weaknesses as well, I prayed that each of them will build a strong personal relationship with Jesus.  

When the dream showed that the vehicle actually went to the side of heaven after much persistent prayer, this really comforted me. Though we may be weak, prayer will enable God to help us to get there, even though we may never be fully perfect. As long as we continue to seek after God and pray, God himself will personally teach my children the way they ought to go. 

Keeping Sabbath

When Aris told me that Jesus specifically told him to make sure to have our whole family go to church Friday nights, I was again very surprised that God answered directly a question in my heart. I know that the Sabbath is the 4th commandment of the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20, and is from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday. I always remembered Isaiah 58:13-14 which says, “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day...then you will find your joy in the Lord and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land.”

Even though I wanted to keep the Sabbath by going to church Friday nights, I struggled very much. With five children, it was very difficult because 3 of them were smaller (ages 8, 6, 4) and whenever we went to church Friday nights, they were always be fighting, playing, crying, or falling asleep. At the end we would then have to carry three bodies back to the car and then carry them from the car to the bed. They were getting heavy; sometimes they would cry and scream when awakened—it was very stressful.

I thought to myself, can we just keep Sabbath on Fridays by staying at home? Would God be pleased with that? Didn’t the Bible say, if two or three gather in my name, Jesus will be there with us? But then I thought, then what is the point of going to church? Why wouldn’t we just stay home on Saturdays as well and worship on our own?

But inside my heart, I could sense God wanted me to bring them to church, I just didn’t know if it would be all right to worship at home just for Friday evenings, since it was difficult with little kids in evenings.  I prayed to God about this question. God was aware of my inner struggle, questions, and lovingly answered through Aris’ dream. Aris didn’t know I had this inquiry. 

AdD and Adhd

Prior to going to the NYTS, Aris was diagnosed with a classic case of ADHD and ADD. The illness explained all the problems I had been having with him for two years. In first and second grade, I found that his attention span could not last more than 5 or 10 minutes. He couldn’t sit still and always annoyed his friends and his teachers.  

It seemed also that he was very behind in his school work, and received poor marks. I was very worried that if this continued, he will have to be left behind. It was so painful everyday to help him with his homework since he couldn’t concentrate for a few minutes. There would constantly be cries and struggles as we forced him to concentrate and do his homework. He bothered everyone and all the kids couldn’t stand his high energy and stubbornness. We had thought he was just incorrigible and being “bad.” We would have to hire tutors because I was working most of the time. 

We didn’t know what to do other than to seek God’s help. Even though he was only 8 years old, my husband and I decided that I would take him to the NYTS with me so I can have him pray with me in the prayers. We sought God to heal our son.  

By the mercy of God, He guided us to see what we should do. First, in September of 2009, we switched Aris to another school so he would have a new environment. Then we also gave him some medicine in the morning. My husband gave him low dosages in the morning to minimize any side effects.  So we were aware that the medicine would wear out in a few hours. 

After this dream and our trip to the NYTS, my son Aris somehow seemed to mature. Before, he was quite naughty and hard to push. Starting in September of 2009, Aris began to focus well at school. The teacher praised Aris and said he was one of her best students. When he came home at 3:00 pm, it was very natural for overactive kids his age to run around and not do his homework as before. At the time when Aris should have been physically tired after school, he was able to overcome his tiredness.  Miraculously, Aris would just sit down at the dining table and focus on his homework only, not getting up until it was completely done, sometimes until 6 pm or 7 pm. He would also practice his piano with determination and even do some chores voluntarily. He changed his attitude also. Although there are still times when he would fight with his 6 year old brother, but he was a lot calmer and thoughtful, often helping out much more around the house. He displayed such fierce determination and unusual focus.

We knew that it was not because of the medicine which would have worn out earlier in the day. Often we will skip the medicine to observe the difference. Aris said the medicine did make him focus a little better in the morning, but we found that it was not necessary. So my husband stopped giving him any medicine since January 2010. Aris continues to be responsible and as focused as ever. We hardly ever have issues with him again when it comes to school work. 

We really thank God that at the end of the academic year, Aris scored very high on his tests and was even recommended to enroll in special gifted program offered only at certain schools. From someone who was failing at school to someone that was outstanding, this could only be the miraculous work of God. 

In the spiritual dream of Heaven and Hell when he was six years old, Aris had seen the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus had told him, “I like you. Pray harder and I will give you the Holy Spirit.” Thank God, this promise became true on his birthday of July 18, 2010, when we were in Taiwan.  

After I had testified at a church in Taiwan this testimony, we prayed at the end of the church service. Suddenly I heard him speaking clearly in tongue. He had some movement earlier the same day when a pastor laid hands on him earlier that day, in a 5 minute prayer, but his tongue was not so clear. I remember that he really wanted the Holy Spirit that day. Earlier that afternoon, when I had talked to him earlier about some testimonies, his eyes were red with tears. There were several times through these past 3 years when Aris almost received the Holy Spirit. It really touched me that God waited until Aris’ birthday to give it to him as gift. 

A New Vehicle

Another issue I sought God’s answer in prayer at the NYTS was whether to resign from my full time job and concentrate on being a full-time mother and also doing work for God. I have always been a career woman who had my own business and the full time job.  

I’ve always put my career first and my role as mother and wife last. I am constantly feeling guilty that this is not the way that God intended me to live and that the talents He has given me was meant for His work, as well as the most important sacred work of bringing up godly children that can serve God in the future. I knew that as a working mom, I couldn’t live a simple life and I felt enslaved by money. I couldn’t put God first in my life or seek his Kingdom and righteousness.  

This issue continued to plague my conscience; I have struggled with this choice for the past ten years.  I was often pressed for time, and found it very difficult to keep up with my spiritual life of prayer and Bible. I couldn’t keep myself sane or maintain the gentle fruit of the spirit, or meet my children’s educational, emotional, or spiritual needs. My work sucked the best of my energy, my talents, my time, and my heart; I had nothing left at the end of the day to give to God or my family.  I wondered if I was being too ambitious and being spread too thin. I decided to pray especially for an answer at the NYTS.

With the economy in poor recession, I didn’t know if this career was God’s way of preparing for my family financially in the future. A headhunter recruited me for this position as a director. It was a challenging position all my talents and experience well. But as I worked, I was not happy –it felt like every day I was working for Money. Every day, my boss was asking how much work we completed and how much money we billed that day.  Matthew 6:24 says:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

Because I had been considering what to do with my career, and my constant struggle between working versus being a mother, and the implications of such decision on my children’s spiritual destiny, I often thought about what a sister once shared.

A few months before I attend NYTS, on a Sabbath afternoon at church, a sister from the True Jesus Church in Chicago visited and testified of her own experience in our Adult English Bible Study group. This sister was a very capable business woman. She shared what she had learned from God. She herself once died at the operating table when giving birth to her second child. With her soul out of her body, she pleaded with God to give her a second chance to live. She made a vow to serve the Lord if she was resurrected. God let her come back to life and she has served God ever since, in addition to her job as a single mother and career woman.

This sister counselled us that if you really wanted to serve God, cultivate your spirituality, and take care of family’s spiritual needs; you need to examine the vehicle you are in. If the vehicle in life you had chosen is preventing you and your family from truly following God, then you have to get out of that vehicle. Otherwise the vehicle of our life will take you to the wrong ultimate destination.  You need to move to some other vehicle that will allow us to be in line with our ultimate goal—which is to receive salvation, save more souls, and go to heaven.

Her words stuck in my mind. I pictured a cart with 4 wheels. I deliberated sacrificing my career and switching to a different vehicle. It was constantly in my mind. No one knew that I had this image in my mind.

Therefore, it shocked me when my son told me his dream. God knew that I had gone to NYTS to seek his answer. When Aris said he saw both of us in a very simple four wheeled cart riding through the tracks of life—I was flabbergasted. Why did God choose to show him a dream where we were riding a box shaped cart? I knew immediately it was none other than the “vehicle” that I had so often pictured in my mind. 

Having grown up in a family business as a child, I saw firsthand how being too busy with work made my parents neglect their marriage, children, and spiritual life. Too often I saw my father sigh and wish that we didn’t have such a business to run 24-7. It tied us down from being able to worship God and serve the Lord. I reflected how joyful we all were when we eventually sold the business and the family was able to attend Sabbath together.

I often thought about what that sister said about making the choice to step out of the “wrong vehicle.” I then realized that all along, God had already told me what he wanted me to do. Only God knew what I kept inside my heart, the thoughts that were in my head. He used the box cart to show the answer to me in a parable that only I would understand.

Once I realized how God had chosen to respond to my question, I was struck with not only how much he loved me but also how he knew all the thoughts in my heart. With this dream, God’s message to me was even clearer. He answered me pointedly and directly. He was so kind and patient. He knew how much I struggled with leaving this career. I was greatly shaken; I was grateful and humbled.

Ps 139:1-4

1   O LORD, you have searched me  
and you know me.

2   You know when I sit and when I rise;  
you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3   You discern my going out and my lying down;  
you are familiar with all my ways.

4   Before a word is on my tongue  
you know it completely, O LORD.

I was also concerned how tight we would be financially if I chose to resign. But then I was reassured by His promise to take care of us if we put Him first in our life. So I resigned in October of 2009, staying on part time until the transition to the next person was over.

"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Mt 6:25-33)

I marvel at how much the Lord Jesus Christ knew everything that was in my heart. He knew my anxieties about whether my children will ever make it to heaven.  He knew about my Friday Sabbath night question. He knew about my worries about my son Aris. He knew about my question on my career. He is a God that truly knows everything, all our ways and all our thoughts.

We can always seek God, our ever present help in all circumstances. He is our Savior who truly loves his people and will show his way of salvation to all who seek Him. Thank God for making his will known. May all glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ.

      Ps 139: 23-24

Search me, O God, and know my heart;  
test me and know my anxious thoughts.

See if there is any offensive way in me,  
and lead me in the way everlasting.

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