Jesus healed his insomnia.
“I pointed at the Bible and said, ‘Jesus! If You’re real in this world, You cure my illness. If You let me sleep, I will trust You,’” said Teddy, who went to sleep right away even before he completed his sentence.
From that day onwards, Teddy had no trouble sleeping, his suicidal thoughts disappeared, and there was an unexplainable joy in his heart that would cause him to smile. He forgot all about the prayer until his wife advised him to see the doctor because she noticed he had been smiling to himself, a lot.
“So I thought to myself, ‘This world actually has Jesus. It’s impossible to have this coincidence because I have had insomnia for six to seven years, I have never experienced this before,’” said Teddy.
Teddy Hung Hon-yee
Biggest Triad Gang Leader to Pastor of Ex-Triad Members – Teddy Hung
Teddy Hung (right) sharing his testimony in the dinner held by the FGBMF Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship (FGBMF).
A gang leader of 14K – the second largest triad in the world with 25,000 members across the globe – Teddy Hung Hon-yee had made his wealth from running gambling rooms, bars, casinos, and online gambling sites.
On 15th of April, more than 500 people came to listen to Teddy Hung in a dinner event held by the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship (FGBMF), at the Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33.
Teddy shared how God turned him from one of the biggest gang leaders in the world, to now a pastor of a church consisting of ex-triad members in Hong Kong.
His life was equally colourful as well, with a wife, four mistresses, and seven girlfriends who were the top Hong Kong actresses and models then. Wherever he went, he would have a few cars following him.
“I want to introduce my background to you, not to boast. But I want to tell you that it is impossible for me to believe in Jesus,” said Teddy.
He could not stand even at the mentioning of the name Jesus. Any gangsters under him who said this name would earn themselves a beating. So, they were careful of this name.
“I said to them, ‘You are in the triad. Who are you to qualify into Heaven? Are you out of your mind?’” said Teddy.
But 12 years ago, the Lord sent a multitude of theologians to Hong Kong to interview him. They asked him to believe in Jesus, which upset him.
“I strongly rebuked them and said, ‘Don’t convert me! You don’t know how much income I’m earning. The god I am worshiping is better than Jesus. If you want to save others, save the other gangsters,’” said Teddy.
So, he allowed the theologians to come into his clubs to share the gospel, even promising his protection over them lest they will be hurt. And in those two years, a stream of pastors and missionaries came to share.
“But the first person they want to preach to is me! I said, ‘You have preached to the wrong person!’
“But they said, ‘Bro Teddy, you value loyalty. You are the big boss. You will influence many of those under you to trust Jesus. If you trust God, many will accept Him,’” said Teddy who accepted their reasoning.
So, he agreed to follow them to church. The first church he was brought to was a Charismatic church, where he saw everyone speaking in tongues. Teddy thought Christianity was a cult, and warned the pastors never to invite him again.
But God did not give up. He used over 200 pastors to take turn in calling him. Every time his phone rang, it was about Jesus. Agitated with their calling, he called some of the pastors to gather in his office.
“I said to them, ‘Do you have a problem? You are so educated but your behaviour is worse than a gangster! Why are you forcing me to believe in Jesus? You are too much!
“You take turn to call me and you don’t let me sleep. If you continue to do that – do you know who I am? – I will do something to you!’” said Teddy.
Just when all the pastors agreed to not bother him, a pastor stood up among the crowd and asked Teddy, “Would you come to church one more time?”
“I told him, ‘If all of you agree to stop calling me, I agree to go to church one last time. I dare your Jesus to do something on me!’” said Teddy.
He fell asleep during the church service. After that, the pastor invited him to his office and asked him what he thought. Teddy warned the pastors to never call him again. But before he left, they gave him a Bible, to which Teddy began insulting them.
“I said to the pastors, ‘My business is so big. We talk about planning and strategy, not like you – it’s like you’re playing a game with Jesus,’” said Teddy.
He stormed out of the room but his wife who was with him politely took the Bible and placed it by the bed, even though she was not a Christian.
The pastors did not bother him. But as he approached 40 years old, his guilt conscience suddenly struck him although his business was prospering and thriving.
“One day, when I walked out, I saw so many addicts and I got scared. I realized I just became the demon head. I alone had harm so many lives,” said Teddy.
So, he immediately closed all his harmful businesses though it was too late because he had been in this business for more than a decade. It already spread around the world.
Because his guilt conscience was too heavy, he had severe depression and insomnia. He travelled around Asia to meet the best doctors. But none could give him a cure for depression. Because of prolonged insomnia, Teddy started to think about committing suicide.
One day, while he was about to commit suicide, he suddenly noticed the Bible placed beside his bed.
“I pointed at the Bible and said, ‘Jesus! If You’re real in this world, You cure my illness. If You let me sleep, I will trust You,’” said Teddy, who went to sleep right away even before he completed his sentence.
From that day onwards, Teddy had no trouble sleeping, his suicidal thoughts disappeared, and there was an unexplainable joy in his heart that would cause him to smile. He forgot all about the prayer until his wife advised him to see the doctor because she noticed he had been smiling to himself, a lot.
“So I thought to myself, ‘This world actually has Jesus. It’s impossible to have this coincidence because I have had insomnia for six to seven years, I have never experienced this before,’” said Teddy.
Convinced of Jesus’ existence, he called the pastors whom he threatened and apologized to them. He said, “This Jesus is greater than the gods I worshipped. I will trust and accept Him.”
But life gets interesting after Teddy accepted Christ. His business started losing money. And because his triad members had a share in the business, they begged him not to believe in Jesus.
“They said to me, ‘Big boss, we have followed you for decades and we can see how much money you have made. But we have never see you smile. Now that you are losing money every day, why are you still smiling?’
“I did not understand why I was smiling as well. So, my triad members thought that I was going nuts, which added to my pressure. For one year, they begged me to leave Jesus,” said Teddy.
He finally decided to quit Jesus after one year of losing money. Throwing his cross away – which was the souvenir from his church for his salvation – Teddy cursed Jesus and flew to Thailand. There, his triad members welcomed and celebrated for him for leaving Jesus. They partied with him day and night. Yet, although he was exhausted, he could not sleep for even one hour.
“I know that Jesus is behind my insomnia. So, I picked up the cross again and when I buckled it back to my necklace, I immediately went to sleep,” said Teddy.
When he woke up, he took a plane and flew back to Hong Kong, to meet his pastor.
“I said to my pastor, ‘If I believe in Jesus, I die. If I don’t believe in Jesus, I also die. I accepted Christ for one year now but I am nearly bankrupt! If I don’t accept Him, He used insomnia to threaten me. I don’t want this kind of love!’” said Teddy.
The pastor asked him if he would allow his son to do his business, to which Teddy said no, for the risk of imprisonment. Likewise, as the son of God, Jesus did not want him to continue his business for the risk of going to Hell.
Thanking his pastor for his wisdom, he decided to follow his pastor back to church and see where Jesus would lead him.
But the next three years were miserable. During that period, he was still supporting his mistresses and girlfriends, whose large expenditure involved luxurious hotels, branded goods, and expensive dresses. He also felt responsible for the gangsters and staffs working under him. So, he would struggle with Jesus. Whenever Jesus closed one casino down, he would open another.
“I said to my pastor, ‘If this Jesus only wants me to go Heaven and does not care about my women and triad members, He’s not a good God. God will not teach me to desert them. If Jesus is this type of person, I don’t want this God,’” said Teddy.
Because of his faulty perception, his life did not change. He disliked studying the Bible as well because the more he read the Bible, the unhappier he got – every page seemed to talk about Hell.
After three years in church, he decided to quit following Jesus the second time. Teddy said to Jesus that he could not leave his worldly affairs of supporting his women and triad members, so he decided to go to hell.
Shutting the alarm clock that he usually set to go to church, he was suddenly gripped by fear. Covered in goose bumps and bursting into cold sweats, he leaped to the bed and asked his girlfriend to tightly wrap him in a blanket and hold him. But the fear was much to bear. Teddy knew that Jesus was behind this, and he asked his girlfriend to set the alarm clock for church. His Presence returned and Teddy became calm.
“I said to Jesus, ‘Jesus, You are God. I am man. I cannot fight You. I go back to church,’” said Teddy who stayed in church for another three years.
At the end of six years after he accepted Christ, God closed all his casinos and businesses. Bankrupt with no strength to leave, he decided to quit Jesus the third time by committing suicide.
“I told Jesus, ‘Jesus, I finally figured it out. Actually, You are not saving me. You are playing with me. You are tricking me. Because I cursed You, You took revenge on me!
“You closed all my businesses and did not give me new ones. I have battled with You for six years now and I know that I could not fight You. But I would not let You play games with me any longer. Now, I am going to commit suicide,’” said Teddy.
He cursed God more severely this time because he knew that it would be the last time he could. After that, he sat down to write his suicidal note to arrange his family’s affairs.
When he put down his pen, Jesus spoke to him in an unmistakably recognizable, soothing yet powerful voice. Jesus told him that if he committed suicide, one of his sons would rise up and kill the family. Teddy knew what God said is true, knowing the hatred of this son had on his promiscuity. So, he left his suicidal note and went to sleep. When he woke up, he knelt down and thanked God. And God told him to sit in front of a big cross, hanging in his living room.
He sat down and closed his eyes. And something changed in him. For the past six years, he would argue with Jesus. But this time, when he closed his eyes, he was gentle in addressing God, like a son to a Father.
“I said to God, ‘Father God! Please don’t blame me for not reading your Bible. The Bible is so scary! If I follow you, I can’t do anything. You bind me so tightly. What can I do?’”
“God said to me, ‘You rascal son, close your eyes and follow Me!’” said Teddy.
When he closed his eyes, he was taken up alive to the entrance of Heaven. There, he saw many people whose expressions were empty. Jesus told him that they are waiting for God to judge them. “Jesus said to me, ‘Those who obey my Word, I will allow them to get here.’ But if one is filthy and dirty like you, how can you get in? Look down and see,’” said Teddy.
He looked down towards Hell and saw many dark and deep tunnels of different lengths. The more sin one commits, the longer the tunnel a soul would be placed in and the more one suffers. At the end of the tunnel – the body, soul, and spirit – would explode and cease to exist.
“I asked God, ‘Father God, why those who sin more, die later?’ And God replied, ‘Down there, they would want to die faster, even one second faster. You go down and feel it,’” said Teddy.
But even before God completed His sentence, Teddy knelt down and clung to His robe. He sobbed and thanked God for bringing him up to Heaven. Teddy promised that he would study the Bible every day even though he feared studying and obey God in everything He says.
“Heaven is a place that’s beyond description. The beauty was fantastic. The happiness was manifold with joy unspeakable. You had to scream with joy there!” said Teddy.
Jesus rebuked Teddy for his false definition on loyalty. If he chose to continue his business, he would only bring his triad members to hell. The most important thing is to ensure their eternal destiny. That is the meaning of true loyalty.
When Teddy returned from Heaven, he enrolled himself in one of the biggest theologian universities in Hong Kong. He also went to his pastor and opened a special church, tailor made for the gangsters in Hong Kong.
“Because I have been in the triad for forty years, I know what is in their hearts. Gangsters are really scared of coming to church and hearing about Jesus,” said Teddy.
The Lord gave him a vision to start a chain of triad-member churches all over the world. And he has already started his first international church in Taiwan. In his church, every service is designed to be a concert performance, with free lodging and meals for the members. Upon acceptance of Christ, a group of pastor would verify their genuineness of faith. And they would be led to do a franchise business as a platform to leave the triad world.
“So, this is what Jesus want me to do. Had I think of this by myself, I will enter the mental hospital. With man, it’s impossible. But with God, everything is possible,” said Teddy.
With more than 100 people in his church now, all of his members are former triad gang leaders. Teddy has also left all his businesses and triad members all at once.
He also left all of his mistresses and girlfriends. They accused him for being a conman, refusing his money for the break up. But after observing Teddy’s changes for the next six years – him remaining single and faithful to his one wife, him closing all his businesses, and him not having any cars following behind – all but one accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, with two even going to the Bible school!
All of his children accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as well, having witnessed his enormous change.
“So, your change in Christ is extremely important. The Bible said that you could bring the whole family to Christ. But if you don’t change, you will be a stumbling block to your family because they cannot see the power of God in you,” said Teddy.
Lastly, Teddy shared that Jesus Christ is real, and there is no other way but only through Jesus Christ that we can go to Heaven.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
After Teddy’s sharing, more than 75 people in the dinner accepted Christ. Praise the Lord! If God can change one of the biggest gang leaders in the world to now a pastor of ex-triad members, take heart and have faith. God can change you too and those you have been praying for, who seem impossible to change.
Guests touched by Christ in the dinner and accepting Him as Lord and Saviour.
'I destroyed people, shattered families'
“I pointed at the Bible and said, ‘Jesus! If You’re real in this world, You cure my illness. If You let me sleep, I will trust You,’” said Teddy, who went to sleep right away even before he completed his sentence.
From that day onwards, Teddy had no trouble sleeping, his suicidal thoughts disappeared, and there was an unexplainable joy in his heart that would cause him to smile. He forgot all about the prayer until his wife advised him to see the doctor because she noticed he had been smiling to himself, a lot.
“So I thought to myself, ‘This world actually has Jesus. It’s impossible to have this coincidence because I have had insomnia for six to seven years, I have never experienced this before,’” said Teddy.
Teddy Hung Hon-yee
Biggest Triad Gang Leader to Pastor of Ex-Triad Members – Teddy Hung
Teddy Hung (right) sharing his testimony in the dinner held by the FGBMF Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship (FGBMF).
A gang leader of 14K – the second largest triad in the world with 25,000 members across the globe – Teddy Hung Hon-yee had made his wealth from running gambling rooms, bars, casinos, and online gambling sites.
On 15th of April, more than 500 people came to listen to Teddy Hung in a dinner event held by the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship (FGBMF), at the Oriental Pavilion, Jaya 33.
Teddy shared how God turned him from one of the biggest gang leaders in the world, to now a pastor of a church consisting of ex-triad members in Hong Kong.
His life was equally colourful as well, with a wife, four mistresses, and seven girlfriends who were the top Hong Kong actresses and models then. Wherever he went, he would have a few cars following him.
“I want to introduce my background to you, not to boast. But I want to tell you that it is impossible for me to believe in Jesus,” said Teddy.
He could not stand even at the mentioning of the name Jesus. Any gangsters under him who said this name would earn themselves a beating. So, they were careful of this name.
“I said to them, ‘You are in the triad. Who are you to qualify into Heaven? Are you out of your mind?’” said Teddy.
But 12 years ago, the Lord sent a multitude of theologians to Hong Kong to interview him. They asked him to believe in Jesus, which upset him.
“I strongly rebuked them and said, ‘Don’t convert me! You don’t know how much income I’m earning. The god I am worshiping is better than Jesus. If you want to save others, save the other gangsters,’” said Teddy.
So, he allowed the theologians to come into his clubs to share the gospel, even promising his protection over them lest they will be hurt. And in those two years, a stream of pastors and missionaries came to share.
“But the first person they want to preach to is me! I said, ‘You have preached to the wrong person!’
“But they said, ‘Bro Teddy, you value loyalty. You are the big boss. You will influence many of those under you to trust Jesus. If you trust God, many will accept Him,’” said Teddy who accepted their reasoning.
So, he agreed to follow them to church. The first church he was brought to was a Charismatic church, where he saw everyone speaking in tongues. Teddy thought Christianity was a cult, and warned the pastors never to invite him again.
But God did not give up. He used over 200 pastors to take turn in calling him. Every time his phone rang, it was about Jesus. Agitated with their calling, he called some of the pastors to gather in his office.
“I said to them, ‘Do you have a problem? You are so educated but your behaviour is worse than a gangster! Why are you forcing me to believe in Jesus? You are too much!
“You take turn to call me and you don’t let me sleep. If you continue to do that – do you know who I am? – I will do something to you!’” said Teddy.
Just when all the pastors agreed to not bother him, a pastor stood up among the crowd and asked Teddy, “Would you come to church one more time?”
“I told him, ‘If all of you agree to stop calling me, I agree to go to church one last time. I dare your Jesus to do something on me!’” said Teddy.
He fell asleep during the church service. After that, the pastor invited him to his office and asked him what he thought. Teddy warned the pastors to never call him again. But before he left, they gave him a Bible, to which Teddy began insulting them.
“I said to the pastors, ‘My business is so big. We talk about planning and strategy, not like you – it’s like you’re playing a game with Jesus,’” said Teddy.
He stormed out of the room but his wife who was with him politely took the Bible and placed it by the bed, even though she was not a Christian.
The pastors did not bother him. But as he approached 40 years old, his guilt conscience suddenly struck him although his business was prospering and thriving.
“One day, when I walked out, I saw so many addicts and I got scared. I realized I just became the demon head. I alone had harm so many lives,” said Teddy.
So, he immediately closed all his harmful businesses though it was too late because he had been in this business for more than a decade. It already spread around the world.
Because his guilt conscience was too heavy, he had severe depression and insomnia. He travelled around Asia to meet the best doctors. But none could give him a cure for depression. Because of prolonged insomnia, Teddy started to think about committing suicide.
One day, while he was about to commit suicide, he suddenly noticed the Bible placed beside his bed.
“I pointed at the Bible and said, ‘Jesus! If You’re real in this world, You cure my illness. If You let me sleep, I will trust You,’” said Teddy, who went to sleep right away even before he completed his sentence.
From that day onwards, Teddy had no trouble sleeping, his suicidal thoughts disappeared, and there was an unexplainable joy in his heart that would cause him to smile. He forgot all about the prayer until his wife advised him to see the doctor because she noticed he had been smiling to himself, a lot.
“So I thought to myself, ‘This world actually has Jesus. It’s impossible to have this coincidence because I have had insomnia for six to seven years, I have never experienced this before,’” said Teddy.
Convinced of Jesus’ existence, he called the pastors whom he threatened and apologized to them. He said, “This Jesus is greater than the gods I worshipped. I will trust and accept Him.”
But life gets interesting after Teddy accepted Christ. His business started losing money. And because his triad members had a share in the business, they begged him not to believe in Jesus.
“They said to me, ‘Big boss, we have followed you for decades and we can see how much money you have made. But we have never see you smile. Now that you are losing money every day, why are you still smiling?’
“I did not understand why I was smiling as well. So, my triad members thought that I was going nuts, which added to my pressure. For one year, they begged me to leave Jesus,” said Teddy.
He finally decided to quit Jesus after one year of losing money. Throwing his cross away – which was the souvenir from his church for his salvation – Teddy cursed Jesus and flew to Thailand. There, his triad members welcomed and celebrated for him for leaving Jesus. They partied with him day and night. Yet, although he was exhausted, he could not sleep for even one hour.
“I know that Jesus is behind my insomnia. So, I picked up the cross again and when I buckled it back to my necklace, I immediately went to sleep,” said Teddy.
When he woke up, he took a plane and flew back to Hong Kong, to meet his pastor.
“I said to my pastor, ‘If I believe in Jesus, I die. If I don’t believe in Jesus, I also die. I accepted Christ for one year now but I am nearly bankrupt! If I don’t accept Him, He used insomnia to threaten me. I don’t want this kind of love!’” said Teddy.
The pastor asked him if he would allow his son to do his business, to which Teddy said no, for the risk of imprisonment. Likewise, as the son of God, Jesus did not want him to continue his business for the risk of going to Hell.
Thanking his pastor for his wisdom, he decided to follow his pastor back to church and see where Jesus would lead him.
But the next three years were miserable. During that period, he was still supporting his mistresses and girlfriends, whose large expenditure involved luxurious hotels, branded goods, and expensive dresses. He also felt responsible for the gangsters and staffs working under him. So, he would struggle with Jesus. Whenever Jesus closed one casino down, he would open another.
“I said to my pastor, ‘If this Jesus only wants me to go Heaven and does not care about my women and triad members, He’s not a good God. God will not teach me to desert them. If Jesus is this type of person, I don’t want this God,’” said Teddy.
Because of his faulty perception, his life did not change. He disliked studying the Bible as well because the more he read the Bible, the unhappier he got – every page seemed to talk about Hell.
After three years in church, he decided to quit following Jesus the second time. Teddy said to Jesus that he could not leave his worldly affairs of supporting his women and triad members, so he decided to go to hell.
Shutting the alarm clock that he usually set to go to church, he was suddenly gripped by fear. Covered in goose bumps and bursting into cold sweats, he leaped to the bed and asked his girlfriend to tightly wrap him in a blanket and hold him. But the fear was much to bear. Teddy knew that Jesus was behind this, and he asked his girlfriend to set the alarm clock for church. His Presence returned and Teddy became calm.
“I said to Jesus, ‘Jesus, You are God. I am man. I cannot fight You. I go back to church,’” said Teddy who stayed in church for another three years.
At the end of six years after he accepted Christ, God closed all his casinos and businesses. Bankrupt with no strength to leave, he decided to quit Jesus the third time by committing suicide.
“I told Jesus, ‘Jesus, I finally figured it out. Actually, You are not saving me. You are playing with me. You are tricking me. Because I cursed You, You took revenge on me!
“You closed all my businesses and did not give me new ones. I have battled with You for six years now and I know that I could not fight You. But I would not let You play games with me any longer. Now, I am going to commit suicide,’” said Teddy.
He cursed God more severely this time because he knew that it would be the last time he could. After that, he sat down to write his suicidal note to arrange his family’s affairs.
When he put down his pen, Jesus spoke to him in an unmistakably recognizable, soothing yet powerful voice. Jesus told him that if he committed suicide, one of his sons would rise up and kill the family. Teddy knew what God said is true, knowing the hatred of this son had on his promiscuity. So, he left his suicidal note and went to sleep. When he woke up, he knelt down and thanked God. And God told him to sit in front of a big cross, hanging in his living room.
He sat down and closed his eyes. And something changed in him. For the past six years, he would argue with Jesus. But this time, when he closed his eyes, he was gentle in addressing God, like a son to a Father.
“I said to God, ‘Father God! Please don’t blame me for not reading your Bible. The Bible is so scary! If I follow you, I can’t do anything. You bind me so tightly. What can I do?’”
“God said to me, ‘You rascal son, close your eyes and follow Me!’” said Teddy.
When he closed his eyes, he was taken up alive to the entrance of Heaven. There, he saw many people whose expressions were empty. Jesus told him that they are waiting for God to judge them. “Jesus said to me, ‘Those who obey my Word, I will allow them to get here.’ But if one is filthy and dirty like you, how can you get in? Look down and see,’” said Teddy.
He looked down towards Hell and saw many dark and deep tunnels of different lengths. The more sin one commits, the longer the tunnel a soul would be placed in and the more one suffers. At the end of the tunnel – the body, soul, and spirit – would explode and cease to exist.
“I asked God, ‘Father God, why those who sin more, die later?’ And God replied, ‘Down there, they would want to die faster, even one second faster. You go down and feel it,’” said Teddy.
But even before God completed His sentence, Teddy knelt down and clung to His robe. He sobbed and thanked God for bringing him up to Heaven. Teddy promised that he would study the Bible every day even though he feared studying and obey God in everything He says.
“Heaven is a place that’s beyond description. The beauty was fantastic. The happiness was manifold with joy unspeakable. You had to scream with joy there!” said Teddy.
Jesus rebuked Teddy for his false definition on loyalty. If he chose to continue his business, he would only bring his triad members to hell. The most important thing is to ensure their eternal destiny. That is the meaning of true loyalty.
When Teddy returned from Heaven, he enrolled himself in one of the biggest theologian universities in Hong Kong. He also went to his pastor and opened a special church, tailor made for the gangsters in Hong Kong.
“Because I have been in the triad for forty years, I know what is in their hearts. Gangsters are really scared of coming to church and hearing about Jesus,” said Teddy.
The Lord gave him a vision to start a chain of triad-member churches all over the world. And he has already started his first international church in Taiwan. In his church, every service is designed to be a concert performance, with free lodging and meals for the members. Upon acceptance of Christ, a group of pastor would verify their genuineness of faith. And they would be led to do a franchise business as a platform to leave the triad world.
“So, this is what Jesus want me to do. Had I think of this by myself, I will enter the mental hospital. With man, it’s impossible. But with God, everything is possible,” said Teddy.
With more than 100 people in his church now, all of his members are former triad gang leaders. Teddy has also left all his businesses and triad members all at once.
He also left all of his mistresses and girlfriends. They accused him for being a conman, refusing his money for the break up. But after observing Teddy’s changes for the next six years – him remaining single and faithful to his one wife, him closing all his businesses, and him not having any cars following behind – all but one accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, with two even going to the Bible school!
All of his children accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as well, having witnessed his enormous change.
“So, your change in Christ is extremely important. The Bible said that you could bring the whole family to Christ. But if you don’t change, you will be a stumbling block to your family because they cannot see the power of God in you,” said Teddy.
Lastly, Teddy shared that Jesus Christ is real, and there is no other way but only through Jesus Christ that we can go to Heaven.
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
After Teddy’s sharing, more than 75 people in the dinner accepted Christ. Praise the Lord! If God can change one of the biggest gang leaders in the world to now a pastor of ex-triad members, take heart and have faith. God can change you too and those you have been praying for, who seem impossible to change.
Teddy Hung Hon-yee says that in his prime in the 1970s he supplied much of the heroin in Hong Kong.
As a top boss for the 14K triad his turf stretched all over To Kwa Wan, running the gang's gambling rooms, opium dens and go-go bars. He had more than enough power and money and wasn't even 40.
Sitting in a makeshift office - converted shipping containers overlooking a vacant lot in Yuen Long - Hung, now 61, looks back on the path that led him to organised crime boss.
Wearing a simple, dark-green jacket and faded blue jeans, Hung looks mellow but spirited. His face is lined and occasionally he needs a magnifying glass to help him read.
He recalls the road that took him to prison, to managing one of the city's biggest nightclubs and to where he is now - a servant of God, he says, who wants to make up for the pain he caused.
'I realise what I did was horrible,' Hung says. 'It destroyed many people and shattered many families.'
While Hung says his days as a triad have passed, the police are not convinced, last month naming him a Tsim Sha Tsui faction leader of the 14k and arresting him during a sweep of the area.
He was charged with resisting an officer and will face court on January 20.
The way Hung tells it, his immersion in the drug trade came along as if by chance.
'In the early 70s, a customer of a nightclub that I supervised came to me for help after he found a huge package of heroin in his warehouse,' he says. 'He said his Thai partner had smuggled it into Hong Kong but the expected dealer had been arrested in the US.'
The customer asked him if he could distribute the heroin, Hung agreed. When he discovered how easy and quickly the money rolled in, Hung turned his focus to trafficking, quickly becoming one of the largest drug dealers in Hong Kong.
He met a woman, they married and had two sons.
Hung says he should have been safe from authorities. He was paying off the police, but he hadn't factored in the increasing power of the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Police arrested him in 1984 for trafficking, even though he says he was out of the business by then.
He spent the next 14 years in prison: 'Every hour was unbearable.'
It was a dramatic rise and fall for the son of an immigrant. Born in Chiu Chow in 1948, Hung was the middle of seven children of a Kuomintang warlord. His early childhood wasn't a happy time, he says, as he was often bullied because of his family's political background. When Hung was 10, he and his mother sneaked into Hong Kong, where his father had already moved some of the family to a place in Happy Valley.
Hung was enrolled in an international school, which his father thought would give him a more 'sophisticated' education than a Chinese school. 'I was sent to a Fatima International School in Tsim Sha Tsui,' he says, but he was a poor student.
Life outside school was a different world altogether. Hung's father worked at Nam Pak Hong, a famous trading house, exporting Chinese herbs. With his military and business connections, his father's network of acquaintances stretched wide, with some involved in crime. Some of the men promised his father they would 'look after' the boy. One saw in Hung the potential of 'a rising star in the gang'.
By the time Hung was in his mid-teens, he had been put in charge of 'many activities'.
Hung said he was able to rise up to senior level in the 14K within a short time. Many of his peers trusted and respected him for using tact and brains, rather than governing with his brawn.
Hung was released from jail in 1998, but the moment was bittersweet. 'I long anticipated my release, but when I stepped out of the prison my bliss lasted less than half an hour,' he recalls. 'At that moment I suddenly felt old and that my life was draining away.'
He says he tried to escape his depression by losing himself in pleasure. He became manager of the notorious '348' disco in Yau Ma Tei, the largest in the city at that time and a popular spot for celebrities.
'In 348, I was able to meet all kinds of women,' he says. 'And I was totally oblivious to my wife's pain; she had squandered her youth waiting for me while I was in prison.' His marriage fell apart when one of his mistresses confronted his wife.
The disco was closed years later following a series of crackdowns by police for operating without a licence. It was during this period, Hung says, that he began to turn to Christianity.
One of Hung's friends at the time was a former head of World Vision Hong Kong, a Christian non-governmental organisation. As a favour, he agreed to meet some visiting theology students who wanted to question him about his life choices. 'In 2001, I received a group of 20 or so theology doctorate candidates in my office at 348 disco. One of them asked me how I wanted people to remember me after I die,' he says. 'At that point I broke down crying.'
Hung says he has reconciled with his wife and has big plans for his latest venture - a chain of reputable massage parlours. One is up and running in To Kwa Wan and another two are in the works. He has plans for 200.
Apart from making a profit, Hung says he had not forgotten his mission to serve those in need.
Each parlour will set aside some sessions to provide free treatment for the elderly and chronically ill.
And he hopes to employ former inmates who he says deserve a second chance. 'Most employers will not trust these people, and many ex-convicts have trouble adjusting to the outside world.' he says.
It remains to be seen what direction Hung's life will take.
The Reverend Samuel Lai Chun-moon, of the Fuk Lam Church, said triad members who held steadfastly to their faith were few and far between.
But the former drug addict nicknamed the 'Temple Street pastor' is willing to give credit where it is due.
'The Teddy Hung that I know is serious about his faith, but he's under great pressure,' he says.
Lai dismisses the suggestion that Hung might be using the church to gloss his reputation.
'People from the underworld usually do not take advantage of the church or religion. What material gain can they make from believing in Jesus? Nothing, and they even have to offer donations.'
Hung says his ambition does not stop with the massage parlour.
'My next goal is to set up centres to help marginal youths,' he says.
Hung's eyes still flash a slight menace when he grows animated. But then he says that if his projects work, 'let God receive the credit'.
Teddy Hung: Crossing From Darkness Into Light
Former triad leader of the notorious 14K in Hong Kong, Teddy Hung shares his story of love, chastening and redemption.
His is a story of God’s love and redemption. It tells us that time is never an issue for God when He disciples someone; and it is never too late for anyone to come back to Him.
At the age of 15, Teddy Hung joined a triad. During the 1970s and through the ’80s, he became the most feared triad leader in Hong Kong with businesses that involved drug-dealing, gambling dens and discos. He had four wives and a host of girlfriends, each one a top model or actress in Hong Kong.
As he grew older, he began to see how his gambling dens were causing families to break up and his drug businesses had forced youngsters to start stealing and engaging in other illegal businesses. He started to despise himself and soon slipped into depression. His nights were restless and he started having suicidal thoughts.
“It was very strange that I would have suicidal thoughts because I’ve always hated people who kill themselves. I felt that they were wimps,” said Hung, in one video testimony.
Doctors could not cure his depression or insomnia and he was perpetually in a bad mood. A group of pastors tried to reach out to him but he rejected their invitation outright, declaring that he “hated people who talk about Jesus.” He would curse and swear at others who tried to preach the Gospel to him, boasting that “I am prepared to go to hell.”
Knowing that he would not attend a church service, those same pastors invited him to a Crossover concert by Sun Ho, which was held in Hong Kong in 2002. This was one in a series of concerts throughout Asia by Sun in which she performed pop songs from her hit albums; she would then share her testimony in the middle of the concert, and at the end of the show, her husband, Kong Hee, the senior pastor of City Harvest Church in Singapore, would give an altar call. This simple routine saw tens of thousands receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
At the end of the Hong Kong show, Hung found himself at the front of the stage, saying the sinner’s prayer led by Kong.
That very night, Hung said a prayer to God saying “If You are real, heal me of my insomnia and I’ll believe in You.” That was the first night in many that he had a full night’s sleep. That experience taught him that God was indeed real.
SEVEN YEARS OF CHASTENING
“In the past 10 years, I have had many experiences of God, but two of them changed my life,” Hung said in an interview with City News.
After becoming a Christian, his gambling dens started losing money. He was worried but remembered the words of another ex-triad leader who also became a Christian: “We gave our lives to Jesus, Satan is obviously unhappy; he won’t let it come easy for us.”
Hung also found it hard to give up many bad habits. He decided to “apply for two years leave” from God and went to Thailand to establish more gambling dens. When those gambling dens also lost money, and the Thai government banned all gambling dens, he found himself furious with God.
“I took my cross pendant off and decided not to follow Jesus anymore. The next few nights, I couldn’t sleep a full hour! A few days later, I put on the necklace with the cross again, and I fell asleep immediately. I freaked out when I woke up. This God is formidable!”
Feeling really confused and frightened, Hung went back to his pastors in Hong Kong. “What kind of God is this? When I believe in Him, He causes me to lose all my business; when I don’t, He doesn’t let me sleep!” he complained.
“My pastors said to me, ‘Taking two years of leave was what you wanted, not what God wanted. Would you let your children go into illegal businesses like you are doing now? He loves you and that is why He wants to lead you out of it.’”
This marked the first time Hung understood the love of God.
“But I still found it hard to let go of his businesses and women. My gambling dens give jobs to thousands of people; and if I let my girlfriends go, they would have no one to protect them. This was my biggest concern; I thought I needed to be loyal to them.”
In the years following, he struggled with the same problems, refusing to give God full control of his life. Three years ago, he finally met with God in a powerful way.
“There came a point I decided to end my own life. I told the pastors I was going to kill myself and nothing could stop me. I went home to write my will but just when I was done, God spoke to me. I ended up tearing away the will and falling asleep.”
When Hung woke up, he knelt down and for the first time prayed to God, calling Him Father God. That afternoon, God brought him up to the Heavens and he experienced the harsh sufferings of hell and the extreme joy in heaven.
“The suffering in hell was so much that it was unbearable; but the joy in heaven was indescribable,” Hung said.
That experience changed Hung’s life forever. “I realized how foolish I was to hold on to all the things in the world when eternity is so real. I used to think that if God wants me to abandon my brothers, girlfriend and children, with no one to look after them, then God is not a good God! But God said to me ‘If you continue in this business, you will only drag your brothers and all your girlfriends down to hell. If you cannot bear the suffering, do you think they can? I am the Creator of Heaven and earth and I decide what happens to My people; there is no need for you to worry about them, just pray and commit them to Me and I will take care of them. Their wealth on this earth is not as important as where they go after they die.’ Having experienced heaven and hell, I know for sure that I can’t let my brothers and wives go to hell.”
BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING
Hung closed down all his businesses and left all his wives and girlfriends. He enrolled himself into Bible school. Today, at the age of 64, he is a legal businessman and has started a church that caters specially to triad members.
“When I finally let go, I began to see that He will take control. I was so worried about my wives and girlfriends, but now, all except two of my wives have given their lives to Jesus!
“The experience also made me realize that no one can save the triad members from the wrath of hell other than Jesus. And when one triad member is saved, his whole family will begin to see the change in him and know that this Jesus is real and very powerful. They too will come to God.”
No one knows the business of the triads and the needs of the triad members better than Hung , who led the triad for so many years. Therefore, no one could share Jesus with them the way he can. He developed a system to reach out to them effectively.
Instead of holding their worship meetings on the weekends like the mainstream churches, Hung chose to hold their meetings on Tuesday nights.
“We hold meetings on Tuesday because the triad members will be busy with the horse-racing and football betting on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; and at night because triad members only come alive at night, they are usually sleeping in the daytime,” he explained.
Hung shared that reaching out to triad members requires a step-by-step process. The church would reach out to them by helping them find a living and teaching them to do legal business. “It is useless to tell them about Jesus but not solve their problem of finding a job outside of the gang,” he said.
The church meetings are structured in a way that there will only be 15 minutes of preaching. “If we preach anything longer than 15 minutes, the triad members will think it’s a torture and not come back. They won’t understand the preaching anyway, so instead, we get people to share their life-changing testimonies so that the attendees can get a glimpse of the love of God. We also use more contemporary music for praise and worship.”
After three months, the preaching of the Word will increase to 30 minutes and one year later, the preaching will extend to an hour. “When they ‘graduate’ and become a real disciple, they can move on to the mainstream churches, because our church caters specifically to triad members.”
At the end of this interview, Hung summed his salvation experience into one sentence: “Don’t be afraid to let go of what you have: God wants to take away the bad things to give you the good; and when He gives, it will be a hundredfold.”
Teddy Hung: Crossing From Darkness Into Light
Former triad leader of the notorious 14K in Hong Kong, Teddy Hung shares his story of love, chastening and redemption.
His is a story of God’s love and redemption. It tells us that time is never an issue for God when He disciples someone; and it is never too late for anyone to come back to Him.
At the age of 15, Teddy Hung joined a triad. During the 1970s and through the ’80s, he became the most feared triad leader in Hong Kong with businesses that involved drug-dealing, gambling dens and discos. He had four wives and a host of girlfriends, each one a top model or actress in Hong Kong.
As he grew older, he began to see how his gambling dens were causing families to break up and his drug businesses had forced youngsters to start stealing and engaging in other illegal businesses. He started to despise himself and soon slipped into depression. His nights were restless and he started having suicidal thoughts.
“It was very strange that I would have suicidal thoughts because I’ve always hated people who kill themselves. I felt that they were wimps,” said Hung, in one video testimony.
Doctors could not cure his depression or insomnia and he was perpetually in a bad mood. A group of pastors tried to reach out to him but he rejected their invitation outright, declaring that he “hated people who talk about Jesus.” He would curse and swear at others who tried to preach the Gospel to him, boasting that “I am prepared to go to hell.”
Knowing that he would not attend a church service, those same pastors invited him to a Crossover concert by Sun Ho, which was held in Hong Kong in 2002. This was one in a series of concerts throughout Asia by Sun in which she performed pop songs from her hit albums; she would then share her testimony in the middle of the concert, and at the end of the show, her husband, Kong Hee, the senior pastor of City Harvest Church in Singapore, would give an altar call. This simple routine saw tens of thousands receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
At the end of the Hong Kong show, Hung found himself at the front of the stage, saying the sinner’s prayer led by Kong.
That very night, Hung said a prayer to God saying “If You are real, heal me of my insomnia and I’ll believe in You.” That was the first night in many that he had a full night’s sleep. That experience taught him that God was indeed real.
SEVEN YEARS OF CHASTENING
“In the past 10 years, I have had many experiences of God, but two of them changed my life,” Hung said in an interview with City News.
After becoming a Christian, his gambling dens started losing money. He was worried but remembered the words of another ex-triad leader who also became a Christian: “We gave our lives to Jesus, Satan is obviously unhappy; he won’t let it come easy for us.”
Hung also found it hard to give up many bad habits. He decided to “apply for two years leave” from God and went to Thailand to establish more gambling dens. When those gambling dens also lost money, and the Thai government banned all gambling dens, he found himself furious with God.
“I took my cross pendant off and decided not to follow Jesus anymore. The next few nights, I couldn’t sleep a full hour! A few days later, I put on the necklace with the cross again, and I fell asleep immediately. I freaked out when I woke up. This God is formidable!”
Feeling really confused and frightened, Hung went back to his pastors in Hong Kong. “What kind of God is this? When I believe in Him, He causes me to lose all my business; when I don’t, He doesn’t let me sleep!” he complained.
“My pastors said to me, ‘Taking two years of leave was what you wanted, not what God wanted. Would you let your children go into illegal businesses like you are doing now? He loves you and that is why He wants to lead you out of it.’”
This marked the first time Hung understood the love of God.
“But I still found it hard to let go of his businesses and women. My gambling dens give jobs to thousands of people; and if I let my girlfriends go, they would have no one to protect them. This was my biggest concern; I thought I needed to be loyal to them.”
In the years following, he struggled with the same problems, refusing to give God full control of his life. Three years ago, he finally met with God in a powerful way.
“There came a point I decided to end my own life. I told the pastors I was going to kill myself and nothing could stop me. I went home to write my will but just when I was done, God spoke to me. I ended up tearing away the will and falling asleep.”
When Hung woke up, he knelt down and for the first time prayed to God, calling Him Father God. That afternoon, God brought him up to the Heavens and he experienced the harsh sufferings of hell and the extreme joy in heaven.
“The suffering in hell was so much that it was unbearable; but the joy in heaven was indescribable,” Hung said.
That experience changed Hung’s life forever. “I realized how foolish I was to hold on to all the things in the world when eternity is so real. I used to think that if God wants me to abandon my brothers, girlfriend and children, with no one to look after them, then God is not a good God! But God said to me ‘If you continue in this business, you will only drag your brothers and all your girlfriends down to hell. If you cannot bear the suffering, do you think they can? I am the Creator of Heaven and earth and I decide what happens to My people; there is no need for you to worry about them, just pray and commit them to Me and I will take care of them. Their wealth on this earth is not as important as where they go after they die.’ Having experienced heaven and hell, I know for sure that I can’t let my brothers and wives go to hell.”
BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING
Hung closed down all his businesses and left all his wives and girlfriends. He enrolled himself into Bible school. Today, at the age of 64, he is a legal businessman and has started a church that caters specially to triad members.
“When I finally let go, I began to see that He will take control. I was so worried about my wives and girlfriends, but now, all except two of my wives have given their lives to Jesus!
“The experience also made me realize that no one can save the triad members from the wrath of hell other than Jesus. And when one triad member is saved, his whole family will begin to see the change in him and know that this Jesus is real and very powerful. They too will come to God.”
No one knows the business of the triads and the needs of the triad members better than Hung , who led the triad for so many years. Therefore, no one could share Jesus with them the way he can. He developed a system to reach out to them effectively.
Instead of holding their worship meetings on the weekends like the mainstream churches, Hung chose to hold their meetings on Tuesday nights.
“We hold meetings on Tuesday because the triad members will be busy with the horse-racing and football betting on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday; and at night because triad members only come alive at night, they are usually sleeping in the daytime,” he explained.
Hung shared that reaching out to triad members requires a step-by-step process. The church would reach out to them by helping them find a living and teaching them to do legal business. “It is useless to tell them about Jesus but not solve their problem of finding a job outside of the gang,” he said.
The church meetings are structured in a way that there will only be 15 minutes of preaching. “If we preach anything longer than 15 minutes, the triad members will think it’s a torture and not come back. They won’t understand the preaching anyway, so instead, we get people to share their life-changing testimonies so that the attendees can get a glimpse of the love of God. We also use more contemporary music for praise and worship.”
After three months, the preaching of the Word will increase to 30 minutes and one year later, the preaching will extend to an hour. “When they ‘graduate’ and become a real disciple, they can move on to the mainstream churches, because our church caters specifically to triad members.”
At the end of this interview, Hung summed his salvation experience into one sentence: “Don’t be afraid to let go of what you have: God wants to take away the bad things to give you the good; and when He gives, it will be a hundredfold.”
| Founded | 1945 |
|---|---|
| Founding location | Guangzhou, Guangdong, China[1] Mainland China, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and South Africa |
| Territory | Los Angeles, California, Santa Ana, California, Long Beach, California |
| Ethnicity | Chinese, Filipino, Cambodian, Vietnamese[2] |
| Membership (est.) | 20,000-25,000 |
| Criminal activities | Drug trafficking, counterfeiting, illegal gambling, bookmaking, arms trafficking, arson, fraud, prostitution, human trafficking, identity theft, money laundering, extortion, murder, illegal immigration, kidnapping, hacking, racketeering, home invasion robberies[3] |
| Allies | |
| Rivals |
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