It happened just outside my house, the condo next door. Perhaps an act of nature....the dried casuarina seed (rather huge) dropped and smashed onto the ground. I was 2m away. Could have hit my head if i was at that spot then. But it shouldnt be painful except for a rude shock to start my day!
I was on my way to visit Heng Sau's mom who is stricken with terminal cancer and is now in hospital. She has barely 2 months or so to live and so decided to make my way there.
Next was the Semi-D just next to the Eng Kong coffeeshop. This house has lots of lovely plants and flowers and i always see the owner (uncle & aunty) busy planting, watering and tendering to their plants. Today was a whole lot different encounter. Someone... i dont know who (cant tell from outside) splashed a pail or basin full of soapy water onto the pavement!!!! It was a splash from my height and it came out of the wooden fence. The wooden pieces were about an inch apart but still the water came through and it would have made anyone soaking soapy wet!!!! What was that person thinking? Washing rugs? Washing clothes? Washing floor? WHAT??? I didnt get a good look coz i was just 3-4m away. Why couldnt he/she pour the dirty water into their own drain? Why pour thro the gaps between the wooden pieces and onto the public pavement? I could have ended up drenched...not by the rain tho. Hmmm....i changed course. Walked on the road instead and will remember to do just that the next time i walk this path again. This is the sure path to take to get to the bus stop of the feeder bus 173.
Thank God for protecting me :) Tho not danger danger type but still, i am thankful.
And so i reached Tan Tock Seng at about 12.15pm. She was fast asleep on the armchair. Looking at her made my heart saddened. Tho i may not know her well, but i know she is suffering. My hospital trips are always so full of sadness coz it is here you get to see the reality of life..... nearly all the old and sickly are dying everyday. It is a fact. Heng Sau's mom and dad came to my 20th dinner last year and heard the gospel. They have been resisting but i heard the mom has accepted recently tho sometimes she would not want to hear anything about God. Her son gave her this chanting chime and placed it at her bedside table. Heng Sau is not sure if her mom is genuinely saved and so she requested for some elderly folks to visit her. My dad went, the new Pastor in Pandan Mandarin and sis Yu Lian & husband. He reported that she didnt want them to pray nor do anything but later on relented and they prayed for her. And so, with all these info, i prayed for God to enable to bring His Word to her. I didnt want to wake her up and make her listen to me. Decided to wait by her armchair. No other chairs to sit and didnt feel good to sit on patient's bed.
Someone came. I didnt know her but she smiled at me. Then we started talking and she asked if i am Heng Sau's friend. She is her sister alright. The eldest and we started talking about their mom and life. I didnt know what is her background but i felt compelled to reach out to her coz i believe there is a purpose for me to be there today. Not that i can do miracles but there is something i can do for my Lord. We talked and I prayed secretly for wisdom to bring in the right time. Our conversation seemed to flow the way i desired and i almost felt like the incident where our Lord Jesus was with the woman at the Samaritan well... i felt i had reached the climax to nail in something. Hahaha... then i realised she is a Christian!!! It wasnt an anti-climax! To me... it was rejoicing. Yes... it would certainly be much rejoicing if one soul comes to believe and yes, i thot it was one of the most "easiest" time for me to present Gospel coz opposite party was a willing listener and responsive.... but hey, i am not "deflated" then. Why? Because i remember Heng Sau telling me she is the only Christian.... dont know if i heard wrongly the last time, but it is good to hear she has another sibling believing in the Lord! Her church is in Sembawang.. some Grace thingy. Her husband has passed away and she is now with her only daughter who has graduated from Multimedia thingy (i think poly) and looking for a job.
Whoa....our conversation then went into discussing about mom's spiritual condition. And i also took the time to encourage her in her walk with God. During those moments, i thought if i didnt get to speak to her mom, at least i speak to a soul and can encourage someone's faith. 2 nurses came to interrupt us and said they needed to put aunty back to bed. Aha... now i can talk to her coz she would be waken up for sure!
I didnt have much time left and i felt i should not have arranged for something after the hospital visit. It should not be a rushed matter and so i will be more aware of this when i next plan any hospital visits. The nurses took quite a while. We talked further and she told me her mom would always say she is tired whenever they wanted to tell her about God. When the screen was drawn away, i faced her......first time after one year has passed. What a change.... truly.... her hands are swollen (from the setting of drip), her eyes sunken and she looked rather listless. Has a tube out from the nose (for sucking out dirty stuff from stomach... stomach CA) and many drips and tubings. Her mouth is dry and lips cracked. But she opened her eyes big when she saw me. She couldnt remember me at all....not for the times i visited Heng Sau at her home nor the dinner one year ago. Her daughter told me she couldnt even remember what happen in the day itself and so i was slightly comforted. Oh well.... i dont need anyone to remember me but i thot it would be a good way to start the conversation. Trying to reach out in Cantonese is really really hard lah. She soon lost interest and seemed to wander far away in her thots. Heard the children will be bringing her to see a chinese sinseh (out of hospital for a half-day leave) later. She longs to go home and see chinese doc and a hospice has been arranged and waiting for the necessary transfer plus bed availability. I prayed much for wisdom... thanks to Amy & Eld seah & Eld john leong who prayed for me.
Finally, i had to make a move and oh boy... needed to pray for her..... i wanted to coz it made no sense if i went away without even praying for her! And it has to be in cantonese!!! The last time we had the TBC gathering of old friends, Heng Sau prayed so so smackingly well in this dialect (dont play play with her coz she attended the Cantonese bible seminary in HK!!) and i know i can never pray like this, not even 10% close. Die die this time i need to do it. ARGH..... i prayed, i fumbled a bit. Some words dont know how to pronounce and on the spot did the Chinese-Cantonese literal translation thingy. God knows and i think aunty knows also....hee hee... Nearly laughed when i tried to say those words but whew... thank God for good composure and control of laughing gas. Her sis even said a loud amen after that. Thank God for enabling.
Watching her sitting and lying in hospital bed reminded me of my mum and others who had gone ahead to glory land or to eternal hell fire. I understand truly how one feels when one is stricken with something awful.... it is like having dark rings thrown round you and you have to fight so hard to get out of it, albeit only managed to get over one layer. There are many more layers to go and if you are driven by a bitter spirit, it is forever going to conquer you and leave you faithless and unthankful, before you finally sink thro the hole in the middle. Each of us has a time bomb within us. Some ticks faster than the rest but all going the same way. Not many people realise this and some live lives to enjoy just for the moment. How sad it is to lose one's soul forever and gain the whole world!
Sometimes i forget about people dying round me and so i thank the Lord for constant reminders. And just yesterday, i typed the scores for this song in YF songbook. It is so apt to describe the lukewarmness of the 21st century Christians.. esp Singaporeans, all within our comfort zones!
"Strike in me a flame, Lord, this is my desire,
Life is not a game Lord, set my soul on fire
Give me eyes to see Lord, help my heart to feel
Do a work in me Lord, fashion something real.
Hate is all around Lord, men has gone his way,
You have come to save us, help us walk Thy way;
Show me how to love Lord, people everywhere,
Send it from above, Lord, Your love I can share.
Move within my heart, Lord, start this very hour,
Conquer every part Lord, work with mighty pow'r;
You for every soul Lord, died upon the tree,
Let me share this goal Lord, setting people free!"
May God revive us. Revive our flagging spirits and let us be like the Christians in apostolic times, "turning the world upside down"!!!!
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