I WRITE LEST I FORGET . . .
My Mum’s Salvation
For many years, we’ve been praying for mum’s salvation. She maintained her strong devotion to the many man-made gods brought down by tradition.
The burden grew heavier as she was diagnosed with nose cancer. Within the last five years, she went through radiotherapy for three times and her health dipped greatly beginning May 2004.
During her hospitalization at Gleneagles, we attempted to pray once or twice with her but faced resistance from her. Upon discharge, we suggested that she recuperate at Julia’s home. She was, however, very adamant about going back to her own home.
The turn of event happened two months ago on that particular Sunday morning. Facing the morning east sun, I spoke to God in my devotion and the Lord laid upon my heart the urgency to talk to mum again on her salvation. Concurrently, the Lord also worked on my sister, Julia’s heart to find a window of opportunity to speak to mum. Later, I went to church and met Julia along the pathway to the service hall. Julia spoke that her heart was burdened and added that we ought to find an opportunity to share with mum. There could be no better time than that morning that I said ‘now’. We headed to Clementi and prayed at the car park before meeting mum. We asked the Lord to give us wisdom to speak with our limited Hokkien ability in gospel form and for her alertness to comprehend the need to accept the Lord Jesus.
We headed to her bedroom and sat by her bedside. She was running a low grade fever and her appetite was bad. Her stomach was bloated with discomfort. We asked her if she would want us to ask the Lord Jesus to help her. She replied sternly (with soundness of mind) that if the Lord Jesus Christ wanted to help, He would have done so earlier. Julia answered that if she wanted a favour, she needed to ask personally to show her sincerity and He would come to help. I added, “Mum, the Lord Jesus is waiting at the door knocking and He cannot come in if you do not open it.”
Slowly, mum raised her hand and knocked at Julia’s shoulder. We looked at each other in astonishment and asked mum three times if she wanted us to pray. Mum nodded with affirmation on every count in the presence of second brother, Seng (non-believer). We prayed and left to pick up something from my home.
An hour passed, we realized that mum had not made the personal sinner’s call to receive Christ except to allow us to pray. So we went to her side again. She rang her friend to talk for a few seconds. (That indicated her awareness of things around). We made no mention about the gospel but suddenly mum called out loudly in dialect, “Jesus, Jesus, come and help me, give me good sleep and appetite to eat, better still to go in my sleep!” Her requests were later answered.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.”
We were speechless and we prayed for the Lord’s help to give her peace and comfort. After all these years of prayers and rejections, finally, in her helpless state that mum had come to call upon God on her own accord.
Moments later, I was with her alone and I said something like “thank Jesus who had helped you or who had helped you” that mum stared into my eyes and mentioned in Hokkien,”cui kong, sim xiong sin.” (Confessing with the mouth, believing in the heart). That moment remained vividly in my mind. It was the verse from Romans 10:9. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
I added that mum you know in your heart as Mrs Soh had spoken many times to you. Pastor Tan had also shared that only the Lord could save her as He was the only One who died and resurrected on the third day.
Prior to all that had happened, Mrs Soh had been sowing the seed to mum during her several visits. Then, mum was still very reluctant. Thanks to Mrs Soh for her fervent prayers for mum. She made her way from Shanghai immediately the following day to visit mum when she received our call that mum had asked about her.
That Sunday afternoon, the Lord let mum experienced His peace and comfort. Mum’s fever came down, she slept soundly the entire afternoon. She snored. Appetite gradually grew better and bigger.
In trying to assure her salvation, we asked her who had helped her. She would reply that the Lord Jesus. She also mentioned that her hardest time to past was during the night and she would ask the Lord to help her through the night. On one occasion, when she heard that dad was troubled, she asked to see him and told him personally twice to tell his problems to Jesus and He would help. Bryan and my nephew, Chye (non-believer) overheard the conversation too. Chye shared that he was surprised that grandma would tell grandpa to ask Jesus for help.
She was peaceful and smiled often. My elder sister, Choo (non-believer) did say that mum had become cheerful
The remaining days, she didn’t ask about her man-made gods. Only on a few occasions, when she was pushed out for shower and saw her man-made gods that she asked Choo if she had put the joss-sticks. Such act obviously didn’t please us. We thought it might be good for her to move out of her flat. That move was definitely out of the question as she never stayed out of her flat all these years. Many relatives and neighbours could testify that.
Two to three weeks later, her mental stability deteriorated further. Daily we went to her place to give her assurances from the bible, prayed with her, sang and played CD hymns for her.
A week before her departure, we asked if she would want to visit Julia’s place and she indicated her eagerness to go. We brought her on Tuesday after her check-up and she was very happy. The following day at 4 a.m., she told my niece, Yan (non-believer) that she wanted to go to Julia’s house to stay. She saw Julia at 8 a.m. Mum held Julia’s hand and pleaded to go to Julia’s place to stay. Julia didn’t take her request seriously. Julia asked Choo to confirm with mum and mum instructed Choo to have her things dismantled and thrown away. Mum insisted to stay at Julia’s place. Yet again at 3 p.m. she scolded Julia for bluffing her and asking Julia if she wasn’t willing to let her stay.
We knew she was serious about it and quickly made arrangement to send mum and her bed to Julia’s place. She was very happy and told Choo on the next day that her flat in Clementi was no longer hers and it belonged to someone’s else.. Mum expressed that the current room she was staying in was given by Julia and she knew clearly that she was in Julia’s place when Choo asked her.
Giving up her flat was another indication of her giving up her past beliefs. On a separate occasion, my uncle visited mum two months ago and she said this to him “zhi cai huan bing”. In other words, having being a vegetarian, yet she still suffered such illness. Clearly, she had already lost faith in her belief. My uncle said that he wouldn’t dare share it if I hadn’t told him about mum calling Jesus for help.
On Friday, three days later, her condition took a turn for the worst and we sent her to the hospital. She was in critical state as her Bp dropped to 60/30. They gave her some glucose and put her on drips. She felt better but was admitted for that night for observation. At about 3 a.m. Julia received two calls from the doctors that mum was in Dangerously Ill List. Tears rolled and Julia knelt by her bedside pleading with God. She told the Lord that she was begging that the Lord would spare mum’s agony by taking her with Him the next day if mum was already in His Kingdom. Julia told God that she wanted to claim His promise of Romans 10:13. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord, shall be saved.”
The morning came and we went to the hospital. To our surprise, she was very awake and was able to understand our questions. Julia thought, maybe the Lord said that it was not time yet and needed to work further. We told mum that we would come in the afternoon with Dad and we left. At 2.30 p.m. Ann and Emily came and she was able to call Emily’s name. At 3 p.m. she called for my dad before slipping into coma. Knowing that when a person fell into coma, the sense of hearing might still be intact and not wanting to miss all possibilities, we kept telling her constantly “Mum, we love you, Jesus loves you. You know that the only way to heaven is through Jesus. Though you can’t speak, your heart can call upon Jesus to bring you home to heaven. We want to be united with you there.”
The hurt and need for God brought myself, Julia, Lian Poh and Janice to pray. We asked that the Lord would take mum home peacefully that night. After 8 p.m. Julia’s and my children arrived at her bedside. Each took turns to call her. It was then her heart beat began to drop gradually from 110. She expired at 8.28 p.m. that night.
In retrospect, Joel (Julia’s eldest son) prayed in his heart at 8.10 pm. that if grandma was with God, he asked God to take her home before 8.30p.m. Julia’s prayer was also answered.
The Lord sealed in each one of our hearts the convictions of mum’s salvation in His way and not man’s way. He also laid questions in the hearts of our unbelieving siblings to ponder.
I would very much want an affirmative yes from God that mum is now with Him. The Lord did it in His special way.
I had asked the Lord a week before mum left us that the Lord would grant me an opportunity to affirm my mum’s salvation. It saddened me when she sometimes went back to her old self especially so when she had her beliefs for forty over years. The Lord didn’t give me that opportunity. During my devotion again on that Sunday morning, a day after mum’s departure, I told God that I was upset about not getting the affirmation and asked God to speak to me again through His words. I flipped to Jonah and read chapter 4. God showed me that He sent Jonah the gourd to give him the comfort and Jonah was very thankful. Later Jonah got angry with God when He sent a worm to eat up the gourd. The Lord reminded me that He gave me the comfort when mum called for Jesus and I got annoyed when mum occasionally went back her old ways; without an opportunity to confirm her salvation.
The Lord made me to laugh at myself and reminded how forgetful I was. He has sealed the affirmation in my heart His way.
Mum ‘s prayer was answered and she passed away peacefully. She had no need for pain-killers except for occasional panodol for fever. God was merciful in giving her the relief and comfort.
It might be mum’s pride that she didn’t openly express to everyone that she had accepted the Lord. However, her desire to abandon her home in her last days was evident enough that mum is in God’s kingdom and with many prayers answered that sealed our hurting hearts.
In remembrance of our beloved mum
Clara
Youngest daughter