Dozens of people line up to receive prayer from ministers at an inner healing retreat, as the worship music plays softly. It's one of about a half dozen healing retreats run in various locations by Hub and Spokes International with Cleansing Stream Ministries in Hong Kong. Eufemia Lui, a pastoral counselor and founder of HSI's Hong Kong office, speaks and teaches the group of about 80 people on how to receive healing from childhood hurts and broken relationships and other topics related to healing.
Later she explains, "I can't heal a fly if I tried. Yes, the miracles are from God. I don't do this out of my own wisdom."
Eufemia, who exudes a tranquil demeanor, says she and the other ministers rely on prayer and revelation from the Holy Spirit for the bulk of the ministry work. "If I can help that person I'm praying with to connect with God and that person can himself or herself come to that place to ask to receive, to interact. That's where the healing happens," she said.
Another counselor at the retreat is Nelson Seah, an athletic banker in his 30s from Singapore. "I was bad news, I was angry, manipulative, bitter, bullying. Liar basically," Nelson said.
Nelson is one of 4 siblings in a family where dad was seldom home and his mom struggled to pay the bills. "Because I was the naughtiest, so I got the brunt of most of the beatings and the hittings. She would hit us with anything that she could find. The cane, a shoe, an iron hanger, the wooden pole, her fist, a belt," he explained. "I tried all those things that people normally do to go out to numb their pain, including getting engaged in all sorts of wrong relationships. Doing things that decent human being wouldn't do. I suffered a lot of emotional hurt and emotional trauma."
Coming to work in HK, Nelson joined The Vine church which referred him to the healing retreat in 2007. "People pray for you and you receive the love and when the healing comes, you just feel calm, the kind of inner peace that no one else could give you," said Nelson.
Eufemia, also the Director of Ministries for CSM in HK says, "In our retreat, he was able to really overcome the pain, the hang-ups that came from all those difficulties. It's just shortened that whole process a lot. Normally, the process could take a long time for him to have the breakthrough that he had.
In November 2008, Nelson married Yilan, a former co-worker of his in Singapore. "Anyone who can get married to me and stay married to me alone that is a miracle. Because knowing who I was in the past, I don't think it was possible for anyone to put up with a person like me," he said.
A prayer counselor for over 20 years, Eufemia prays one-on-one with each of her clients. She has counselled hundreds of people since the 1990s. She claims 90% of them report a positive change. "I would pray and ask God, show me what the root of the problem is. Supernaturally, I would get a revelation and I would pray for that person," she says. "Often times people would start crying, they would say, How did you know that? I would tell them. I didn't know that, but God knows that. He knows you and is using me to tell you He loves you and cares about you. What often ensues is the miracle of a changed life."
And if you don't get healed? Eufemia says "It's not because God does not want to heal us or cannot heal us. We help people to seek the Lord for a deeper understanding of how God wants to lead the person to experience healing. Often times, once the person understands who God is, and what is blocking the healing, the issue can be dealt with effectively. Our role is to walk with the person to discover God's solution for them."
The National Institute for Healthcare Research in the US, among others, have studied the effects of prayer and across the board the impact is positive on both Christians and non-believers. "It's pretty consistent, that prayer does help in physical healing," said Eufemia.
On a day-to-day basis when she's not leading healing retreats, Eufemia and her husband, clinical psychologist Dr. Gerald Lui, minister to clients out of their Hub and Spokes International office in Tsim Sha Shui (http://www.hubnspokesltd.com). Their ministry vision is to bring holistic healing to individuals, communities, the Chinese community and to nations, especially mainland China.
You can read more about Eufemia Lui's ministry at Cleansing Streams http://www.cleansingstream.hk/
Eufemia's husband Dr. Gerald Lui is also an adjunct professor of counseling at the China Graduate School of Theology.
Jung Y. is a news anchor and documentary film producer based in Hong Kong.
