Hokkien Testimony #37

Hokkien Testimony #37

Today we welcome you to the 37th testimony in our Hokkien Harvest series. Today Pastor James Lim interviews Sister Li Wen Lan and Sister Hong Yue.  Let’s listen now to their Hokkien stories. An English summary is also provided below.  

Sister Li Wen Lan and Sister Hong Yue’s testimonies:

Pastor Lim: Today we are excited to welcome these two women to come and share with us. If you listen closely to Sister Li you will quickly discern that she is not Hokkien but she loves to hear Hokkien spoken, and when she speaks she combines Hokkien with her Teochew language. Today, Sister Li, we greet you with peace. I understand that you are 91 years old. So we know that trusting in Jesus is not just for young people but for the elderly as well. We are also privileged to have Sister Li’s younger daughter-in-law, Hong Yue, with us today. We look forward to hearing both of you share with us.

Sister Li Wen Lan: I actually came to Singapore through China and Japan. During this period of time we had almost nothing to eat and were very poor. So when we came to Singapore life was so much better for us. In Hokkien there is a saying that talks about how quickly in the blink of an eye that our children change into adults. All of my children are grown and married now. And it was my daughter-in-law who shared Jesus with me.

Sister Hong Yue: So why did I share Jesus with my mother-in-law? I saw her in need and struggling. She was not happy, and I wanted her to know Jesus. Seeing her like this brought me to tears, but I also prayed for her. As Pastor Lim mentioned, if someone is going to share Jesus with an elderly person they need to first of all pray about it, because God begins to do a work in their heart to prepare them. It’s like a farmer who first of all breaks up the soil so it is ready for planting.  My mother-in-law also told Pastor Lim that I am a good daughter-in-law, and I think it is very essential to be a good witness before people. So thankfully she had a good opinion of people who believed in Jesus. She felt that there was a difference in those who are Christians and those who are not yet believers.

Sister Li: It was my daughter-in-law who actually prayed with me to receive Jesus. Every day I was miserable and hurting so much. My bones just ached and I depended on Buddhism to help me. Some people told me not to believe in Jesus. However, Jesus came to me in a dream and I wanted to believe and be baptized.

Sister Hong: Of course when I heard that she wanted to accept Jesus, I was thrilled. She told me that she was leaving Buddhism and wanted me to contact the pastor so she could be baptized. I told her how much Jesus loved her. I also shared about baptism and the worship experience at church. She came with me to church. Then the pastor wanted to come and visit us and talk with my husband as well. When he spoke with my husband, he told the pastor that whatever made her happy was fine with him. My husband did object at all.

Sister Li: So last year on Christmas Eve I was baptized and many of our relatives attended the baptism.

Sister Hong: After trusting in Jesus her life changed. Prior to this she was so discouraged and downtrodden, but after accepting Jesus there was a definite change. Her heart was full of joy — and in every area that she struggled in there was a definite change. She even slept so much better. That was a gift from Jesus to allow her to sleep peacefully. Previously she was miserable and unable to sleep well. So this was indeed a blessing. Even her old friends commented that her appearance, her face, was not the same. She was different and had a glow about her. As Pastor Lim mentioned, God opens our heart.

Sister Li: In the beginning I had no idea how to pray, but I know a little more know. So Pastor Lim asked me to show him how I can pray now. Well, I pray . . . “Lord, help me. Thank you for my children and grandchildren. Cleanse my heart and help me. Help me also to sleep peacefully.” And I know that some day after I leave this world, I will go to Heaven. I pray for peace for my family. I know my work is not done here yet, so it’s not time for me to leave. As Pastor Lim reminded me, it is an opportunity at this time for me to share Jesus with my children and grandchildren. Then when the time is right, Jesus will take me home to Heaven.

Sister Hong: In sharing Christ with our elderly family members, it is important to pray, be patient AND to also live out a good testimony in our daily lives.  As Jesus said, we must also love one another. So LOVE is very important.

Pastor Lim shares:

Today our program has come to an end. However, after hearing today’s story I am sure you agree with me that belief in Jesus is not just for younger people, but for the elderly as well. So salvation is also for people such as our grandmothers or mother-in-law. We must fervently pray for them. I know without a doubt that we are all of value and precious in God’s sight, and he doesn’t want any of us to perish. So we need to pray more, love more and have more patience. This will enable us to share Christ even more effectively with our family and friends.

May God bless you.