Over the course of my life, I have gone through a lot of ups and downs. Yet God has crowned them with His grace. His uncountable grace follows me all the way.
I almost died when I was four months old. My bowel was filled with blood and the doctor couldn’t do anything. My grieving parents thought l wouldn’t live long and brought me to be baptized. After baptism, God sent ‘an angel’ who diagnosed my sickness and prescribed an herbal cure, which I took. It was a medicine wrapped with a small dried longan. God saved my life in His way.
At 22 on April 4th 1977 I married my sweetheart by Rev Lau Ngo Kee. Many thought it was an unlucky day as it sounded deadly in my dialect. But it was the happiest day in my life. The pastor blessed us and gave us a Bible and a Hymn Book as presents. These gifts became the most precious gifts which helped kept my faith through my spiritual journey. God preserved my faith!
After marriage, I moved to Dalat with my husband and family. It was a poorly facilitated area with no water and electric supply. I needed to adjust a lot. There was no church as well .So I had to depend on myself to keep my faith strong.
In 1993, my family faced a crisis and we were penniless. We had five children who needed to be fed and I grabbed the Lord’s hands trusting His promises, that He would supply enough for us, just as the birds in the sky and the flowers in the wild.
Thanks to the Lord for He is faithful. Nothing is impossible for Him as He opens ways in the wilderness and streams in the desert. He would surely open a way for me. And He did by helping me to do something which I was not skilled, photography. At first I knew nothing about it but I bravely took up the challenge to earn bread and butter for the family with the limited funds we had to start a photo studio. Later God led me to other professions and He faithfully sustained all our needs to date.
God Realized My Dream
In 2009, my mother died, l looked up to the heaven and l saw a bright star. I looked at the star and wept to the Lord saying, “I am an orphan now as I have no parents in this world, and I only have you, my everlasting heavenly Father, be a Father to our family too.” At that time we had family crisis and disharmony among my siblings and spouses. A miracle happened during the encoffin ceremony. The pastor told a story about chopsticks which would be easily broken if they were not bundled up. Strength came with unity. Strangely, those in disharmony in the family started hugging and crying, asking for forgiveness. I believed the Holy Spirit had touched their hearts.
After the burial, the whole family promised to gather every year on the 3rd day of Chinese New Year as a family reunion. This tradition has been kept since and around 130 members would gather to share the blessing of God. God intervened and made it whole!
Many years later, my youngest son became the black sheep of the family causing me much grief. I was so worried about him, not knowing when he would cause trouble again. During these dark days, the words of God were my comfort and strength. I read Devotional “The Daily Bread” to give me light for the day. I prayed hard for salvation to come to my family too. I believed God has a plan for my family.
Thanks be to God for He hears my prayer. My youngest son came to the Lord eventually. He was freed from the bondage of sin and became a changed person. My family also took a change after seeing the changes in my youngest son. From self-centered people we now turn to God and become more devoted Christians.
I also started family devotion and we sing, read the Bible and pray together. For years it has been my dream and it comes true now. The salvation of my youngest son rebuilds the spirituality of our family.
Psalm 34:8 said “Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. “ You can truly trust this promise!
By Teng Mee Hong (Dalat MPC, Bintulu) Translated by Christina