his absence brought HIS PRESENCE

I have been so occupied the last 10 weeks. I concluded 2006 with my family and kickstarted 2007 with fireworks, celebrating the lunar new year in style with fireworks (not crackers!) in Beijing. Much as gone into the 10weeks and it would be injustice just to let a great testimony pass without sharing it with you who is reading this right now of all that has happened (well at least in brief) during christmas 2006.

Going back to Singapore during christmas was a planned holiday. We had originally planned to go back to do so much...kickstart golf sport with a 4-lesson session, catch up with everybody in church, enjoy continuous lunch, coffee, dinner, suppers and roti-pratas catchup sessions with everybody back home with a roundup of attending ryan & andrea's wedding. In between, what was most important was to visit my grandfather who has been critically ill since late october. While we prayed and believed God for a miracle but at the same instance, we are just as mentally prepared for the Lord to do what is best deemed fit because we know that regardless of what the outcome maybe for grandfather, God knows the best. Indeed His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts supercedes ours. Grandfather passed away on christmas eve, 24th Dec 2006 and went back to be with the Lord in Heaven....To comfort my mom, I told her that grandfather had found favour in God's eyes so much so that Jesus wanted him to be in heaven celebrating christmas with the angels....until today, i believed that was more than a comfort, that was the truth.

I vividly remembered receiving a call from my mom at work at about 1225pm and the moment i heard her trembling voice, i knew exactly what she was about to say. There was tremendous amount of tension, stress and everybody was apparently grieved. Some handled it at their stride but there were many insensitive exchange of words which unfortunately I became a part of in one of the conversations. However, all things worked together for good....by applying God's grace and wisdom in those situations helped and things turned around. By withholding our opinionated criticisms, extending grace and forgiveness, i am amazed at how it was able to resolve all unhappiness and conflicts in the family. My distraughted aunt came to me at the 3rd day of the wake to apologise but more than that she being an unbeliever gave the Lord the glory , believing that the Lord has given us the wisdom to know how to handle the situation most rationally and in love instead of being judgemental. For that, God deserves the praise.

The dialect church pastor from Church of Singapore (COS) touched my mother and her 8 siblings so deeply simply by being there every night at the wake. He did not just conduct another regular funeral service but he demonstrated his pastoral love and genuine care by going the extra mile ... from finding a columbarium for the ashes placement to reaching out to my uncles, aunties and cousins who were there individually by spending time fellowshipping with them nightly. And because they were all so ministered and touched by the ministry of COS, all of them attended the first service in Jan 2007. What a phenonmenal start to the year by spending the first sunday of the year in church, as a family. I don't know about you but I was so blessed just thinking about it even right now. My first uncle who is the most hardened and staunched taoist gave his heart to Jesus after the 2nd weekend service and as I am writing this blog right now, he is preparing to give his conversion testimony in church tomorrow at service. We were thrilled just celebrating his salvation. Now there are 4 of them saved...my mom, aunt betty, uncle lawrence and first uncle, I believe all my other uncles and aunties will come to know the Lord very soon. Act 16:31 is coming to pass very soon. Praise the Lord

Yeah and before i forget........... to those who came to my grandfather's funeral wake...thanks so much. Your presence meant so much to me, joshua and my family.

Grandfather may be absent today physically in our midst but his passing away brought God's presence into the family. That in itself is something we can rejoice despite us missing him deeply. Having shared all, what can i say but God is good all the time & all the time, God is good.