IN the month of May, after the Easter proclamation of the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, many churches celebrate the love and commitment of parents. At the end of March, MTS has just graduated exactly a hundred Short-term Missions School students, the campus was silent when they left. As the end of the semester is drawing near, an untold tension filled the air as the theological students strive to complete their assignments and preparing for the exam. Amelia’s death broke the silence. Her death came like a sudden drop of a stone in the calm water and the ripple effects were far more than we could imagine. We bid farewell to the eldest daughter of our third year M.Div. student Samuel Ting on May 15. Each of us has tasted again the reality of the sting of death. The whole community grieved and mourned: the pain of losing a daughter, the tearful eyes and the overwhelming of emotions, the unspeakable pain in the hearts, and unanswered theological questions occupied our mind. These were the effects of the reality of the stings of death!
In our mournful reflection and prayer, MTS community experienced God’s work among us. He has allowed us to taste of His power to overcoming death. Through the departure of Amelia, God has allowed us to experience His sustenance and perfect peace (Is.26:3), to truly love and serve each other, to willingly seeking God’s will through fasting and praying, to let go of our self-will and to submit to His perfect will, to treasure our friendship and familial relationship, to deeply reflect and reaffirm the calling God has for us to serving Him full time. Amelia is just like a sweet delicate bloom experiencing a sudden attack of illness; God in His sovereign might has uprooted this little delicate “flower”, planted her in His eternal care, and she is well! In our limitedness, we grieved and cried out in pain, yet we do not lose hope. Together with Paul, the reality and hope of Jesus’ resurrection have allowed us to declare our victory over death: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? ……But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15: 55, 57). This too is the ultimate victorious proclamation and hope of our theological education in Christ to all the people.
Rev. Dr. Khoo Ho Peng,
MTS Principal