SIS. Ann Tan’s testimony on the salvation of her mum

My mum was admitted to NUH’s A&E on the 17/2/06 (8pm+) because of sudden chest pain.  She has been OK all these while except for high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  When my house phone rang at around 4am (18/2), Eric and I knew something serious has happened.  I broke down immediately upon hearing the news and asked the Lord for a second chance for my mum - a second chance for her to be conscious and hear the Gospel yet once more.  The Lord is merciful.

My mum underwent an operation at 7:30 am and ended 5 hours later. By God’s grace it was a successful surgery.  She was transferred to ICU thereafter. 

When she was unconscious, we shared the Gospel with her and urged her to call upon the Lord if she felt any pain or was fearful.  My concern at that point of time was whether could she hear us, and if so, would she understand and do it?

A few days later, and still in ICU, we were glad to see all the tubes on my mum were removed.  Now she could respond and talk.  Our hearts were so happy and my doubts turned to joy when we heard her first profession of faith in God.  When we asked her whether she talked to Jesus, she replied in Hokkien that she did call upon the Lord to help her and to make her strong. (“Wa ko ya sor bang zuo wa, ho wa yong yong.”)

I am grateful to the Lord for His grace.  He has been good to me and now He also has shown His goodness to my mum.  My heart was really touched when Mrs. Tan, from the Chinese Ministry, visited my mum in hospital.  Despite her age and having to care for her husband, she would constantly checked on the progress of my mum.  She would arrange a time for someone to look after her husband while she visited and shared the Gospel with my mum.

One day, after my mum was transferred to the normal ward, Mrs. Tan visited her.  She read to her John 3:16 in Mandrain and shared and encouraged her in Teochew.  I supposed it drew the two persons closer when the conversation was in the same dialect that they are familiar with.  All of sudden, it seems like they had known each other for a long time. When Mrs. Tan asked my mum to pray with her, she readily agreed.  God's grace was upon her once again, her spiritual eyes were opened and her heart was ready to act upon it.  My mum was saved on 28th February 2006.  Praise the Lord!

Once, my sister visited her and jokingly encouraged her to be strong and get well soon so that they could have a round of  “mahjong”.  My mum immediately responded with a “No” hand gesture. Then she said, “I already believed in God.” (“Wa seng ya sor, ba sai bua keow.”)

Subsequently, she would uttered some very encouraging words in Hokkien like, “I'm going to personally tell the family doctor when I get well that it was God who saved me, it's Him who gave me another life.”  Just recently, she even reminded me that it is God who helps me to take care of my children, and not by my own strength. 

I witnessed God's power and grace upon my mum, someone who was stubborn and never admitted defeat, and yet when she was converted, became a different person.  (2 Cor. 5:17: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”)

Indeed, nothing is impossible for the Lord.  The Lord is faithful and He will preserve all that belong to Him. 

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I write to thank God for His mercy and grace, and the church members for their fervent prayers and concern for my mum’s ordeal. I also want to thank all who loved and encouraged me during this period of time. 

Now that my mum has accepted the Lord as her Saviour and is waiting for full recovery, my prayer remains that she will honour her promise to know God.

My parents stay with my brother who is idol worshipper.  He has expressed his concern that there would be conflicts in the future, if both our parents get too devoted in their new-found faith.  He was not convinced of my mum's conversion as he thought that she was not in her right frame of mind back then when she confessed her faith in God.  He is definitely concern that my dad will eventually be converted also.

Satan will not sing “Hallelujah” when a soul becomes a citizen of heaven.  My dad is a peace loving person.  He loves his wife very much and will surely accompany her to church if she desires to.  On the other hand however, he does not want to upset his son either. 

The greatest concern at the moment seems to be the health of my mum; everybody is waiting and hoping that she will get well really fast.  Indeed, by God's grace, her recovery is speedy.  She can now walk by herself, sleep well and has improved her appetite.

We are very prone leave God aside in good times.  Now that everything is fine, the issue of getting to know God seems to quiet down.  The Holy Spirit convicts an individual of eternal damnation; now the fruits will show the real faith in God. 

My life-verse is Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”  We only know where we stand and how much we have learned when we put our belief into action. 

If life is as short as a handbreadth, if our greatest concern is for our unsaved loved ones to know God, then let us bring the Gospel to them while they are still healthy and living. Would all our loved ones be given a second chance on their deathbed?  Every one of us expires into eternity in different ways; we may not have a second chance to beg the Lord for them.

A thankful heart,

Ann Tan

April 2006