STORIES OF CHANGE
True stories of transformation that speak of hope, healing, and redemption.
Shaun Evans’ journey to freedom began in a dark and unlikely place: Joondalup Mental Hospital. Tormented by hearing voices and suffering through countless sleepless nights, Shaun faced a terrifying diagnosis of schizophrenia.
For eight years, beginning at age 18, Shaun tried to fill a deep void in his life with addictions ranging from marijuana and hard drugs to gambling tens of thousands of dollars. Desperate for relief, he eventually turned to “New Age” spirituality and healing frequencies, but instead of finding peace, he found himself hospitalised within two weeks. While sitting in the hospital, he was consumed by the terrifying thought that he was facing “Judgement Day”, a concept he previously had not even been aware of, and that he was going to Hell as his past mistakes replayed in his mind.
The turning point came a few days after his release. Standing in the pouring rain at the back of his house, Shaun threw his arms out and cried, “Lord I’m sorry. Forgive me of my sins.” In that moment, he felt an overwhelming peace and sensed a weight lift off of him.
After Shaun posted about his experience on social media, a friend invited him to a service at The Potter’s House. During the service, Shaun felt his heart pounding and knew God was convicting him. He responded to the altar call and prayed a prayer of repentance.
Today, Shaun testifies that God has set him free from torment and addiction, filling the void he had tried to satisfy with “nonsense” for so long. He now lives with the assurance that God has great things in store for him and that Heaven is his home.
To look at Tony Hoang today, a dedicated husband, father, and Pentecostal Pastor in Western Sydney, you would never dream he was once a notorious enforcer in the violent street gangs of Cabramatta. His journey from a prison cell to the pulpit is a testament to the redeeming power of God to turn a life of destruction into a message of hope.
Born to Vietnamese refugee parents who carried the trauma of war, Tony grew up in a home marked by financial stress and volatility. Despite his parents working hard to build a new life in Australia, the home environment was unstable; his father, unable to express his own pain, was often physically abusive and verbally cruel, often telling Tony he was “dumb as a dog” and “stupid”.
Feeling isolated after his siblings ran away from home, Tony sought belonging elsewhere. The turning point came in Year 7, when he was bullied for wearing hand-me-down clothes. Something snapped inside him; he fought back violently, deciding that day he would never be teased again. This resolve led him down a dark path. By age 13, he was dealing drugs, carrying weapons, and had joined the notorious gangs that ruled Cabramatta.
For a young boy from a broken home, the gang offered a twisted sense of brotherhood and respect. Tony quickly escalated from a street dealer to a major player, making between $7,000 and $10,000 a week by the time he was 16. However, the cost was high. Behind the money and the street reputation, Tony was crumbling. He was expelled from four schools, spent years in and out of Juvenile Justice centres, had witnessed machete and gun attacks, and watched friends die or disappear into prison. By age 21, the emptiness became unbearable. Depressed and feeling he had no way out, Tony attempted suicide.
His family found him unresponsive in his room. His sister remembers screaming, begging him, “Tony, don’t do this to us,” as they tried to wake him. Tony survived the attempt, but he knew he was living on borrowed time. Desperate, he went to a church when no one was around, fell on his knees, and cried out to a God he didn’t know. He prayed a simple, honest prayer: “If you died for me to live like this, then I don’t want to live. But if you are real… please just give me a sign”.
The very next day, while walking through the streets of Cabramatta, a stranger handed him a flyer. It read: “If you’re looking for a sign from God, here it is.”
It was the black and white answer he needed. On February 8, 2004, Tony gave his life to Jesus and never looked back. The transformation was radical. He went home, cleaned out his room, threw away his drug paraphernalia and gangster rap CDs, and began plastering his walls with scriptures. His friends thought he was crazy, and his family was initially confused by his intense new faith, but the change was undeniable.
Mercy was born in Japan to Japanese parents, but she was raised in a hippie community where she grew up speaking English. Although her parents believed they were living correctly, their lifestyle was immoral and devoid of biblical truth, leaving Mercy feeling confused and rebellious as a teenager. She eventually left home to pursue a life of her own, which was characterised by partying and drinking.
At the age of 24, Mercy became pregnant, and the subsequent separation from her boyfriend plunged her into deep depression, fear, and anxiety regarding her future. Living alone with her son, she felt directionless and isolated, smoking and drinking heavily every day while crying out to a God she felt was far away. When her son turned one, she reunited with her boyfriend, and they moved to Australia in search of a better life.
Mercy found work as an apprentice at a tattoo studio in Medina, at a bikie clubhouse, before eventually moving to a studio in Mandurah. While she aspired to be a successful tattoo artist and enjoyed the social environment, deep down she hated her life. She used alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes to drown her inner sorrow and numb the bitterness she felt about her past. Terrified that people would see her as a “loser,” she kept her guard up and pretended to be happy on the outside.
Change began when her boyfriend started attending a small church, The Potter’s House,
located right next door to her tattoo studio. Although Mercy initially felt bitter toward God and
refused to go, she noticed a genuine change in her boyfriend that sparked her interest. She
eventually attended a Sunday morning service, where the words of the Bible began to melt her
hardened heart. Realising that she needed Jesus, Mercy prayed a prayer of repentance, asking
Him to rescue her and become her Savior.
The transformation was total. A year later, Mercy and her boyfriend were married by their
pastor, and they have since added two more children to their family. Mercy has been set free
from her addictions to alcohol, drugs, pills, and cigarettes, and she no longer struggles with the
depression and anxiety that once defined her. She now lives a new life in Jesus Christ, driven
by a desire to tell others that God loves them and wants a relationship with them.
