Raymond – The Journey to be The Pastor, The Compassionate Lover of the Poor and Needy
Raymond Koh. A humble, unassuming man who suddenly hit national news when he was rudely and “professionally” abducted on 13 February 2017 at approximately 1050 hours.
Raymond is a man with a heart for the poor. He understands poverty being so poor himself when born and bred in Kampung Jawa, Johor. He has deep empathy with and sympathy for the poor, the widows and the downtrodden – anyone who is marginalised.
Raymond the young boy – Sekolah Kebangsaan Temenggong Abdul Rahman 1961 – 1966
Raymond Koh was born as the fourth child to Mr. and Mrs Koh in Johor Bahru on 2nd November 1954. He has three brothers and five sisters.
His parents and eight other siblings lived in a small two room house Kampung Jawa.
While his father worked to maintain a small sundry shop, his mother stayed at home to look after the children.
Life was hard for the Koh family and Raymond only owned one set of everything, from clothes to shoes including what was passed down from his older brothers.
His Dad Koh Kim Paw was the owner of a small sundry shop and his Mum was a full time homemaker.
His childhood encapsulated that of a typical simple kampung boy – catching “longkang” fish, spiders, insects, swimming in the river, playing with catapults. Inflicted with scratches, sores and even a sprained ankle & a knee injury, he just self-healed with little medical care. They had no toys to play with and made do with what they could find in their surroundings. He only had one set of uniform, pants, shirt and shoes which he had to wash everyday.
He would run to his friend who had the only Black and white TV in the kampung, to watch TV.
With only 5 cents for allowance – to cover his bus, food – and he carefully tied it to his handkerchief and hid it in his pocket.
He described himself as introverted and had to forego lunch with his friends, because he was “malu”, and could not afford to go out. He often skipped lunch and waited till dinner.
Raymond the teenager and the young man ( Maktab Sultan Abu Bakar 1967 – 1971).
He desired to join Boys’ Scouts in High School – but could not afford the scout uniforms. So he withdrew.
When he hit his teenage years, Raymond was involved in the darker side of society mainly ealthy gambling. When he discovered God, he kicked the habit.
Raymond – The Husband & Father
He described his childhood as simple, adventurous, naughty, deprived & would tell stories of his younger days with fond memories. But would not want his kids to go through what he did.
He is a loving and caring husband. He is very spiritual man. He prays and reads his Bible everyday. He is a very simple and thrifty person. He cares for the environment and refuses to use Styrofoam and disposable utensils.
About Raymond’s Mum…
Raymond’s Mum is now still healthy and hearty at 91 years old. She has been described as quiet, humble, self-sacrificial with a cheeky sense of humour. She could crack a light hearted joke or tease her grand daughter: “ Hey, you look fatter!!”
While her husband ran the shop, she tended to her 9 children and lives with her 4 daughters in Johor Baru. She has not been told about her son being kidnapped.
Raymond's Family
Susanna, Jonathan, Esther, and Elizabeth continuously pray for their dear husband and father’s release and await for answers from the Royal Malaysian Police regarding the progress of their investigation into finding Pastor Raymond Koh and bring the abductors and their accomplices to justice.
Susanna Koh
In Pastor Raymond’s absence, Susanna, who was a housewife is now temporarily stepping to fill in the role as one of the directors of Harapan Komuniti. Other than assisting in some of the administration work in Inspirasi, KL, she continues to support the single mothers whom have been stakeholders of Harapan Komuniti through providing groceries and teaching them how to make jewelry.
Jonathan Koh
Jonathan is the eldest son of Pastor Raymond and Susanna Koh. In January, Jonathan founded an IT startup and continues to maintain it alongside his colleagues. Since teaching in Inspirasi, KL, his has developed a passion to educate students in learning, decision making and critical thinking.
Esther Koh
Esther is the second child of Pastor Raymond and Susanna Koh. After getting married in September 2016, Esther has been living with her husband in KL. She quit her job as an accountant in March to assist Susanna, Sri Ram (one of the three directors of Harapan Komuniti) and Selvi (a full-time staff in Inspirasi, KL) with some of the administrative and accounting work, and teaching English, Mathematics and Science to the children that come to the reading center on a bi-weekly basis.
Elizabeth Koh
Since January 2016, Elizabeth has been studying in Massachusetts, USA. She flew back to Malaysia a week after hearing the news of Pastor Raymond Koh. She has been with the family since and lives with Susanna in their apartment. She will be returning to her studies in January 2018.