Of .. dearly departed
Our beloved Pastor Cheng XP passed away on Sunday and I just came back from her memorial service. It was a pretty long one - mainly due to the many testimonies from the various folks whose lives Pastor XP had touched.
Really - a lot of feelings. On the one hand I'm very glad Pastor XP has gone to her eternal rest, she has indeed run the race and fought the good fight. But on the other hand - sigh. I will miss her. I think we all will..
Thinking back, my interactions with her were not the kind where we worked closely together, nor was I in any of her small groups. She was just .. there, at the different stages in my life, and in my periphery throughout. When I first accepted Christ, she was the one who helped me learn and grow more in separate sessions outside of Sunday services. I can vaguely remember this green book with an apple on it, for new believers, that she went through with me. I don't think we ever completed the book (due to my general laziness oops), but she was the one who eased me in and encouraged me to keep the fire burning. My first impression of her was one rather stern individual who was a stickler for things like Bible study, prayer, regularly attending services in dresses and not jeans/shorts/slippers..(Guess which one I chafed at!) Every time she saw me she managed to pull me aside to nag me on one of the above items. I say "nag", but somehow this nagging felt nice and warm, like a family member kind of thing, you know? Although.. nagging was still nagging and hence I'd hide from her at times, especially on occasions when I wore slippers by accident. Over time I learnt to appreciate the things that she seemed to place so much emphasis on (though I never managed to get rid of jeans-wearing and eventually Pastor XP gave up on that too..:x)
Next was baptism class where our late Pastor Lee conducted a series of lessons in Teochew and Pastor XP translated that into Chinese. During this time I had just started working, and the transition from super free student with loads of spare time on hand into drone-bot was starting to take its toll. I was encouraged seeing Pastor XP and Pastor Lee tirelessly conduct the lessons, however, and kept pushing on. And when I ended up in hospital after my thyroid operation, she was the one of the folks who came by to visit. She then provided comfort to my sis and mom when I was wheeled out of the operation theatre with probably a long and bloody gash across my throat. I remember being very thankful that she was around..
Fast forward to some years later.. Perhaps due to the above, Pastor XP became the first person who came to mind when my grandma ended up in hospital. I just hoped that even though Grandma was a free-thinker, she could receive some comfort towards this stage of her life. I rang Pastor XP and she just came, and she came even though she couldn't speak Hokkien. She prayed for my grandma and held her hand, and told her about God. She also comforted our family after grandma had gone.. And the same happened for my paternal grandma some more years later. I again just rang up Pastor XP (over-reliance much) and requested for her to come by.. She had apparently just reached home and sounded tired. She said if she could come by later she would, but this time round she told me to try to share the gospel with my grandma myself. I was fearful and hesitant, but given that Pastor XP might not have been able to come, I tried my best to do as she said. But later in the day, Pastor XP did indeed come (honestly - at that moment, to me she became like a hero).. she again prayed for Grandma, and later attended her wake and shared the gospel with my uncle. Again she provided so much comfort to our family, and years after, as recent as a couple months back, she had still been pulling me aside to enquire after my uncle and family, and to *nag* at me to bring them to church.. :s
The above (wa so long) were just the things Pastor XP had done to touch my life. At the memorial service I heard so many more examples from just a fraction of the people she had helped or worked with. Apparently she has a long personal list of names that she prays for, and I wonder .. perhaps my uncle's name was also on the list. Throughout all these, with her life burning bright like a candle, she was battling cancer that attacked her on different fronts. She triumphed over it twice, but finally succumbed to it this time round. And she really.. never stopped working for God and never stopped loving. Even the unlovely, or perhaps especially the unlovely. The things that she prayed for, according to her brother who spoke at the service, to a bystander seemed even lesser than what she was going through at the time. Still she kept praying, and pressing on.
To me, Pastor XP was really a wonderful woman of God and a great source of comfort and encouragement. I would never know how one person has so much time and effort and energy to help and touch so many lives. It can only be from above I think. XP chuandao, thank you for all your love. You have given of yourself so much.. I give thanks that you are finally be able to rest in our Father's arms after your long and tireless journey..Goodbye.. and see you soon.. :)
Really - a lot of feelings. On the one hand I'm very glad Pastor XP has gone to her eternal rest, she has indeed run the race and fought the good fight. But on the other hand - sigh. I will miss her. I think we all will..
Thinking back, my interactions with her were not the kind where we worked closely together, nor was I in any of her small groups. She was just .. there, at the different stages in my life, and in my periphery throughout. When I first accepted Christ, she was the one who helped me learn and grow more in separate sessions outside of Sunday services. I can vaguely remember this green book with an apple on it, for new believers, that she went through with me. I don't think we ever completed the book (due to my general laziness oops), but she was the one who eased me in and encouraged me to keep the fire burning. My first impression of her was one rather stern individual who was a stickler for things like Bible study, prayer, regularly attending services in dresses and not jeans/shorts/slippers..(Guess which one I chafed at!) Every time she saw me she managed to pull me aside to nag me on one of the above items. I say "nag", but somehow this nagging felt nice and warm, like a family member kind of thing, you know? Although.. nagging was still nagging and hence I'd hide from her at times, especially on occasions when I wore slippers by accident. Over time I learnt to appreciate the things that she seemed to place so much emphasis on (though I never managed to get rid of jeans-wearing and eventually Pastor XP gave up on that too..:x)
Next was baptism class where our late Pastor Lee conducted a series of lessons in Teochew and Pastor XP translated that into Chinese. During this time I had just started working, and the transition from super free student with loads of spare time on hand into drone-bot was starting to take its toll. I was encouraged seeing Pastor XP and Pastor Lee tirelessly conduct the lessons, however, and kept pushing on. And when I ended up in hospital after my thyroid operation, she was the one of the folks who came by to visit. She then provided comfort to my sis and mom when I was wheeled out of the operation theatre with probably a long and bloody gash across my throat. I remember being very thankful that she was around..
Fast forward to some years later.. Perhaps due to the above, Pastor XP became the first person who came to mind when my grandma ended up in hospital. I just hoped that even though Grandma was a free-thinker, she could receive some comfort towards this stage of her life. I rang Pastor XP and she just came, and she came even though she couldn't speak Hokkien. She prayed for my grandma and held her hand, and told her about God. She also comforted our family after grandma had gone.. And the same happened for my paternal grandma some more years later. I again just rang up Pastor XP (over-reliance much) and requested for her to come by.. She had apparently just reached home and sounded tired. She said if she could come by later she would, but this time round she told me to try to share the gospel with my grandma myself. I was fearful and hesitant, but given that Pastor XP might not have been able to come, I tried my best to do as she said. But later in the day, Pastor XP did indeed come (honestly - at that moment, to me she became like a hero).. she again prayed for Grandma, and later attended her wake and shared the gospel with my uncle. Again she provided so much comfort to our family, and years after, as recent as a couple months back, she had still been pulling me aside to enquire after my uncle and family, and to *nag* at me to bring them to church.. :s
The above (wa so long) were just the things Pastor XP had done to touch my life. At the memorial service I heard so many more examples from just a fraction of the people she had helped or worked with. Apparently she has a long personal list of names that she prays for, and I wonder .. perhaps my uncle's name was also on the list. Throughout all these, with her life burning bright like a candle, she was battling cancer that attacked her on different fronts. She triumphed over it twice, but finally succumbed to it this time round. And she really.. never stopped working for God and never stopped loving. Even the unlovely, or perhaps especially the unlovely. The things that she prayed for, according to her brother who spoke at the service, to a bystander seemed even lesser than what she was going through at the time. Still she kept praying, and pressing on.
To me, Pastor XP was really a wonderful woman of God and a great source of comfort and encouragement. I would never know how one person has so much time and effort and energy to help and touch so many lives. It can only be from above I think. XP chuandao, thank you for all your love. You have given of yourself so much.. I give thanks that you are finally be able to rest in our Father's arms after your long and tireless journey..Goodbye.. and see you soon.. :)