Walking through the Valley of the Shadow

Hope and Comfort Assured
By Goldie Chong

Discussing death

Around the dinner table with friends from the Melaka Full Gospel Businessmen’s fellowship, the topic of funerals stirred up a lively discussion. Kristen Low related when her mother-in-law was dying she helped her to peacefully depart with the assurance that Jesus was holding her hand, leading her to heaven. Kristen further related how she helped other dying friends walk through their last moments by singing to them the comforting song “Hold my hand”.

Kristin sings in Hokkian dialect while holding the dying one’s hand, “O Lord, come and be with me…I am lost and don’t know where to turn. Come and hold my hand…I can hear you outside the door…please come in and hold my hand and comfort me.”

Deathbed baptism

Dad in hospital with mom

Goldie related how when her siblings were called back to Hongkong to the father’s deathbed, she explained again the way of salvation to him, asking if he understood, was he willing to be baptized.

Previously when the issue of baptism was brought up he would insist that he was already baptized.

The fact was when he was a student boarding in a Christian school, those who were Christians would

attend church on Sunday and afterwards be allowed to go home for the day. Because he wanted to go home, he got baptized.

Now that he understood what salvation was he readily agreed to be baptized again. An amazing transformation took place in him the next day when I visited him in hospital. Not only in demeanor but in attitude. Previously when I suggested reading the bible together or pray, he would say, “you read, you pray”. But now he initiated, “let’s read the bible, let’s pray.” What was more wonderful was he got up from his deathbed and got on the plane to join us in Perth! He attended church every week and lived almost a year before he went to heaven peacefully in his sleep. *

Needed ministry

We encouraged the FGB folks to provide a much needed service of conducting funerals for those who were not members of churches or who have not attended church. Very often the pastor would be reluctant to conduct it for them. It is at the time of their need that the family would appreciate having someone organize a Christian funeral. The story of Watt Neo# is an example of how goodwill was generated for Christians. We hope this needful ministry would be taken up by someone.