Moments to Remember

Posted on September 23, 2007 | Filed Under Testimonies 

Moments to RememberMemories. They have a way of becoming very precious when one loses a loved one. My father died of end stage renal failure in 2003.

Coming to Singapore at a young age from the province of Swatow, China, life was far from easy for my father. His father died early from opium smoking, and as the eldest child, he took the responsibility of supporting his mother and three siblings, and subsequently, a wife and seven young children. Starting out as a fishmonger, he later became a fish merchant. “F”, as he is affectionately referred to by his three sons and four daughters, survived the Second World War, hiding in a large drain, and narrowly escaping being shot by Japanese soldiers.

Fond childhood memories include receiving a pair of black patent leather shoes (identical ones for my sisters too) from one of his business trips to Hong Kong. This non-verbal gesture of his thoughtfulness and care left an indelible mark on me, an eight-year-old girl then.

What were the best things F ever did for me? Two very significant ones - granting me permission to be baptized in April 1974, and, walking with me down the isle (the first time he stepped into a church!) and giving me away in marriage in May 1980. I am forever grateful to him for these precious moments in my life.

What was the best thing I ever did for F? Giving him the gospel message together with Joshua, and praying with him during the critical moments in his life. Six months before he passed away, Joshua was able to share the Gospel message with F in Teochew (the best Teochew Joshua ever spoke in his 23 years as a son-in-law!).

I had asked that God would allow him to spend his last days experiencing the joy of salvation. God was at work in ways beyond our human efforts. We believed God has wrought salvation in F, having observed the spirit of joy and peace in him, as compared to a depressive mood in earlier months.

God had been gracious and merciful. F received excellent medical care in his last days, breathed his last peacefully, and departed into the Lord’s presence gloriously. I thank God for these and many precious moments to remember of a dear father.

by Ruth Lim-Chua

The writer and her husband Joshua have been associated with the Navigator ministry during the foundational years of their Christian lives in the 70s and 80s. Joshua was trained by a Navigator alumnus, Richard Soo, and for almost 20 years, their church (formerly known as Toa Payoh Bible Church) had used the Navigator materials for their follow-up program. Joshua is one of the pastors in this church, now known as The People’s Bible Church.

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