All-day-Friday
I know it's only Saturday but since I have time now, I thought I'd better that advantage of that. Yesterday was Friday (obviously because today is Saturday) and well, let me just tell you what's been going on.
Friday morning around 3:30am (yes, that's 3:30am), my mum and I got a phone call. It just happened that my grandmother (mum's side) has been hospitalised and from later phone calls and checks, had a liver tumour removed and discovered that cancer had developed and spread. I'm not sure on the medical details but in short the doctors have said there's not much they can do. She had been quite ill already before but nothing quite as serious as this.
As you can imagine, it was very hard to go back to sleep after that kind of phone call and I spent most of the followsing hours in prayer... worried, anxious prayers but I Praise God for the confidence we can have in Him and His sovereignty and so, he granted me sleep and I managed to sleep for an extra half-hour before having to get up at 6am to leave for my first class. (Psalms 127:2) It's amazing now to think that I survived the whole day! I didn't even get a headache but just felt tired here and there. I say worried and anxious because my grandmother is not a believer. In fact the only other Christian that is related to us is my dad's dad. My dad's side, however, has been a bit more open to the gospel and have turned mostly to Catholicism which, at least is "closer" to the truth whereas my mum's family has stayed in their Chinese religion and can be very stubborn about their beliefs. This is one reason my mum is most anxious about her mother.
Since that first call, she has made several calls to various friends and family at home, whom has graciously visited my grandmother on my mum's behalf and tried to share the gospel with her. As I mentioned, she is quite a stubborn person so unfortunately, it didn't get very far. I am slightly encouraged, however, to have heard that one of my youngest cousins (who we just found out last year is autistic and struggling to get into a school for A levels) on my mum's side had been keenly listening to what my friend and her pastor had to say (by the way, Jonathan, if you're reading this, it was Aunty Fong Meng who went to visit my grandmother with your pastor). I think it was especially hard because the dialect spoken as very different. Strangely and very sadly enough, we cannot seem to find anyone who speaks Hokkien who can share the gospel with her in her own language.
My mum and I have also been discussing when she'd be able to go back to Singapore since it's quite hard to get away with so many things happening here and my dad being away in Greenland.
Anyway, my day carried on as "normal" as it could be and I was forced to put those thoughts out of my mind whlie doing maths (yay...). I was thinking about skipping OCF but I had actually invited two friends (Jing and Anastasia) who are both from Russian but Jing is originally from China instead, to join me for dinner followed by OCF. I was NOT about to pass up the opportunity of finally being able to bring both of them. I was TERRIBLY encouraged by the presence alone of Christian fellowship and, although I thought I was going to accidentally fall asleep, I really felt during the time of worship especially that the Holy Spirit was just doing something amazing... and those of you who were there, maybe, could see that by the time we got to the Bible study, I was pretty much hyper more than zombie. Just adding a little bit to what was said, yes, SO often I don't FEEL like doing SO many things but I think an aspect of Faith is doing something not because you FEEL like doing it but because you KNOW it's RIGHT to do it. My dad has this phrase that freedom is being able to "do what is RIGHT not what you LIKE", which I know is not the same thing but seems so much more alike in that sense.
Just looking at the blur that is the last couple of paragraphs I think I must stop here. As a conclusion of sorts, I feel that this situation, as hard as it seems, is such a great way to be able to learn about God's grace and goodness. Especially now that I think about the numerous people that I know of who are going through similar struggles (I just wrote to an email to a friend who is going through almost exactly what my mum is) and how I can relate so much better to them now because I can understand what and how they must be feeling. I guess it's times like these that as a body of Christ we can uphold one another in prayer and support, almost like seeing God's body in motion and God's hand above it all. Praise the Lord! I truly hope and pray that MANY MANY good things will come out from this as He promised in His most precious word. (Romans 8:28) This verse is so much more real this way.
Thank you so much for all your prayers. Please also pray for my other grandparents who are not doing well physically and also for my mum's family that maybe through this. they will be touched by the people who visit my grandmother on my mum's behalf. Pray also for the working our of when my mum will be able to fly back and just all those little details. 'Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.'- Psalms 31:24
Because He is Lord,
Debbie
