Wong Li Yuet-Sim
I came to Canada in 1965. In 1978, I rented a room to an international student named Chin Kwok Wah. He asked me whether I was happy, and I answered, “No.” My son, at age five, died on the way to Children’s Hospital due to his allergic reaction to the medicine when he got an injection. Life is not in our hands. My son’s death made me see that life is short and without hope. It is not perfect even when we have wealth and family.
Chin suggested taking me to the church. So, he drove me weekly to the church for almost two years. Then, a song I heard in the church touched me deeply. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” How much needless pain do we bear and tears shed when there is eternal value in Jesus. So, I accepted Jesus in the same year (1978). After my conversion, the Holy Spirit moved me, and I was passionate about sharing the gospel with others. I want my relatives and friends to get this everlasting assurance and hope of eternal life.
During the past two years of the pandemic, I did not forget to share the gospel. I continued to pray for my gospel vision for unbelievers. I also invited brothers and sisters from my small group to pray for gospel ministries. I sincerely trust in the power of prayer because the work of God can soften hardened hearts. The testimonies of the conversion of three older adults I share below show us what a wonderful Lord our God is. He works in different people at the low points of their lives so that they may receive His great salvation.
Li Chan Fung Yee: An older woman who looked at the sky
Sister Li came to Canada in 1996. She is an older woman from my village. I invited her to go to fellowship and other meetings of the church with me. After hearing the word sometimes, the gospel and hymns touched her. Yet, due to her financial burdens and the need to make ends meet, she did not have time to attend church. She had to walk for more than an hour to work every day, only to make minimal earnings. She had to work multiple jobs to make a living.
A surprising incident happened in 2007 when she flew to Winnipeg to visit her daughter’s family. She suddenly vomited blood due to her TB disease when she was young. And there, on the plane, she remembered the time she went to church and heard about God when she first came to Canada. Looking out the window at the sky, she realized God’s creation was incredible. Yes, He is the true God. She called me right after she got off the plane and told me she wanted to believe in Jesus. She asked me what she should do to have this heavenly hope. So I shared the gospel with her in detail to ensure she truly wanted to accept Jesus. I told her that she had to confess her sins and repent and receive Jesus to be her Saviour and the Lord of her life. And she decided to believe in Jesus right there on the phone. She repeated after me in prayer to confess and accept Jesus. I brought her to church later, and the pastor reassured her faith. Ever since we were going to church together every week, she even made an effort on her own to take the public transit to church when I could not ride her. God has transformed her life. And her faith in Christ was great. She thirsted for the Word of God and worked hard to remember the Scriptures. She was kind and loving and always wore smiles on her face. She had a very close relationship with her brothers and sisters and was willing to help the younger generations. Last year, she knew that God was going to take her home soon, she gave her brothers and sisters a Bible verse, “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8).
She then rested in the Lord at the age of over 80.
She had heard the gospels only a few times in the beginning, but when she came to a critical point in her life, she thought of the God who loved her and opened her heart to spiritual things. God alone can make this miracle happen.
Granny Leung Po-Po
I have known Granny Leung Po-Po for a long time. She was a Buddhist and even used the Buddhism rituals at her husband’s funeral. And she had been vulgar to me once because I led her daughter to believe in Jesus, who is zealous in serving God. Leung Po-Po became very angry with me. She ignored me even when we ran into each other. But, she began to develop Alzheimer’s disease a few years ago and forgot about past things. She didn’t remember the rude attitude she bore toward me before. After that, we got along well with each other again. This sister has a son who had joined the gang. He was convicted of drug trafficking many years ago and sentenced to over ten years imprisonment. He believed in Jesus later when he was in jail. God has transformed his life too. And he encouraged his mother often to believe in Jesus, but she did not understand. However, the seed of the gospel was in her heart. She moved to Mon Sheong Home a couple of years ago. Since her health deteriorated last year, her daughter asked me to visit her to make sure that she has put her faith in Jesus before she dies. So I went and shared the gospel with her again. I held her hand at the end and told her to tug at my hand if she wanted to confess her sins and accept Jesus to be her savior, and she did. When I asked her to open her eyes as a sign to confirm her decision, she did and looked me straight in the eye. Then I asked her to open her mouth, and she did so. These three actions convinced me that her faith in Jesus was true. Then I invited the pastor to baptize her, and she also partook in the Lord’s Supper. We see God’s incredible guidance in all these.
My elder brother-in-law: Wong Chi Wai
My elder brother-in-law received three surgeries in the hospital earlier due to his old age and health conditions. I visited him after his surgeries and took that opportunity to share the gospel with him. I explained to him the gospel in detail. I pointed out that we are all sinners and need Jesus’ precious blood from the cross to cleanse us of our sins. When I asked whether he wanted to accept the Lord, he tore and nodded his head three times. It is amazing and complex to imagine that he, a big man and my elder, was willing to humble himself before me and made the decision. When I revisited him later that same day, his answer was the same. First, he told me he wanted to believe in Jesus and receive baptism. Then, I asked him why. He told me that when he saw my son die so suddenly back then and that my life was filled with joy and peace after I believed in Jesus and how I served in the church, he felt that this God is truthful and trustworthy. He also thinks he is a sinner and needs salvation and eternal life. That was how he put his faith in Jesus when he still had life and breath.
Thanks to God. He alone can change a person’s life. May all the glory and praise be ascribed to our God who sits enthroned.
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Editor:
He then brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved – you and your household.”
Acts 16:30-31