No Word To Describe 2020

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

20/01/2021

No Word To Describe 2020 

2020 was an eventful year. The Washington Post asked the reader to use one word or phrase to describe it (www.washingtonpost.com/2020-in-one-word). I was toying with the idea to attempt to respond before the end of the year but in vain. COVID-19 Pandemic and the US Presidential Election must be the topmost events of 2020. Regrettably, I have found no right word or phrase could describe it.  Now, it’s the third week of January 2021. I wonder why not many people talk about their New Year resolutions?

If what says is true that future/current will always be part of today’s cause, I can freely talk about 2020 and its impact upon us when we are ushing into the New 2021 and thereon. Suddenly, I need to revisit the Epiphany Sunday worship service that I attended at the Tokyo Union Church the 06/01/2019 to talk about 2020. The sermon was with the title of ‘One Church‘, by its Senior Pastor Symington.  Briefly, he expanded the spiritual significance and the root of ‘Epiphany,’ and it’s ‘to see ‘or ‘get a new view.,’ or ‘to experience. 

‘Scriptures are reading of Matthew 2:1:12  spell out the Magi’s pilgrimage,  a none Jew to receive God’s Vision; Ephesians 3:1:12 elucidate how Apostle Paul, a ‘Jew of the Jews’ to be able to claim as ‘the prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles.’ The pastor further stated that if Christians had ‘limited views of our God; if churches have polycentric natures, then we have different  Christianity.’ ‘And God’s love is for all people; all Christians must be transmitters of God’s grace to the world,’ as the ‘One Church’ for Christ. 

I made it to thank Pastor Symington for his message the next day, in his office. I didn’t realise that he was about to retire from the church and return to South Africa soon. The same year we went back to Tokyo for 2019 Christmas. It was emotional; worship service no Pastor Symington preaching. We rejoiced to be home to attend our Vision Sunday to embrace the theme of 2020, ‘Time and Space.’ The whole of 2020 we were called to see HIS attributes, and know that HE transcended ‘Time and Space’ in whatever HE wills to accomplish.

It would be out of people’s minds to say that the same nature of transcended ‘Time and Space’ to the Coronavirusspread how a small bug could globally affect people’s lives, works and travels. It has been off-putting to see the frightening case reports that last for so long. I had my Epiphany in May 2020, to see the Fear of Fear the repercussion of the COVID-19, in people. I also saw humans’ contagious sinfulness as ramifications of all safety measures governments are trying to manage the pandemic, such as travel restrictions, social distancing and mask-wearing. 

I shared my thoughts in my piece of ‘The Invisible Epidemic.’ I switched my posting to draft when the book study on Genesis started in September. I did the book study before. But why BSF (www.bsfonline.org) scheduled Genesis for the calendar year of BSF-2020/2021 amazed me.  My Senior Pastor, Joseph Prince, has always cautioned us to pay extra attention to anything mentioned in the Bible for the First time. ‘God speaks nothing into existence.’ As I ponder God’s Creation, people would have no excuse for not knowing God (Romans 1:20 NIV).

After the fall in Genesis 3, the Oneness between man and God was fractured. It is for natural men to reckon the plague of ‘Fear/threat of death and Guilt for life.’ The Bible pronounces the First murder case; First bigamy. What God saw as written in Genesis 6:5b that  “every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.” In chapter 7-8 was Noah’s Ark and the First Flood. In Genesis 9 was about God’s First Covenant with man, the Rainbow signal the promise the Salvation of humanity. 

Noah didn’t become sinless after the Flood. The entire Old Testament is the history of human sinfulness. When people killed all God’s Prophets, HE sends His Son to die, to bring peace to the world. Finally, I had the validation to put up my rewrite on 01/10/2020. We know nothing about Noah’s life inside the Ark for over a year. I know that God didn’t send us the COVID-19,

but HE hasn’t stopped the pandemic since the first report case of Coronavirus was January 2020 in Wuhan, China. 

And reports from The Strait Time, the Singapore local newspaper, “The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus is still accelerating at an alarming pace, with the world crossing the grim milestone of two million fatalities on Saturday.” (Jan 17 2021). If indeed, the spreading of Fear and Sinfulness of man is more harmful than the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to be still and to know that HE is God (psalm 46:10 nkjv). Top with the global Vaccine confusions, what is the correct remedy to fight the virus? Can our life be the same again after we are COVID free? 

As for the US Presidential Election saga, I have to go back to 2016 to comment about it. If running a country is for the government-run, it runs the business, and it is refreshing to have a businessman to run for the Office. With a tested, proven track record, Mr Trump certainly fit the bill. His first principles that he elaborated in his book ‘The Art Of The Deal (2004)‘ is to ‘Aim High.’ He managed to win prayer supports from various Christian groups. We do have a prayer answering God, and later many Christian leaders gain direct access to the Oval Office.

Trump  had a keen eyes upon the Jewish communities, especially in the city of New York. Although the Jews are minority in the US, but they had achieved a historic reversal of financial power and fortune in America and around the world. During the 2016 election, one of Trump’s campaign promises was to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which he pronounced as the “eternal capital city of the Jewish people.” It says God to Abraham that “I will bless those who bless you, and will curse those who curse you.”. 
genesis 12:3 kjv

All Christian leaders were on fire to believe that God will bless America, as long as the US President can give what the Jewish people want. Finally, the campaign was a history. On June 1, 2017, Trump, none like any former US Presidents in US History, boldly signed a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act. Trump is not a practice Christian. It has become the deep obsession of Trump’s administration, and thereon that his supports to identify him with Cyrus, a heathen king and deliverer of the Jews, as God’s ‘Chosen One’ for the USA Today. 

The four years of Trump’s administration is about coming to an end after the 2020 election. It took months for him to concede the result. He probably failed to realize that only God can speak nothing into existence. He can’t say nothing was proven to be ‘an existing  fraud.’ God is sovereign.’ It was by God’s Grace, to allow him to be up in the US Capitol Hill for four years. Whether he likes it or not; it deems wise for him to take heed on the last principle that he lists in ‘The Art of The Deal’ and is to ‘Know When To Fold when his time is up.

When I was totally devasted to see the clips of US Capitol Hill riots on YouTube 6 January, 2021. Below, I saw the link, live from “St. Peter’s Basilica, Holy Mass presided by Pope Francis for the solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.” I am not about to change my religion, but like to remember that we were still in the twelve days of Christmas celebration. It is perfect to allow the spirit of reverent to open my heart to worship my dear Lord of God, Jesus to welcome for the year of 202, in His love and safe keeping. 

Psalm27:8 njkv

When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”

The First Time Ever

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

30/11/2020

It would ever stir up ripples in our deep emotions whenever we think of things that ever happened to us for the first time, in our lives. Like many people would never forget about their first loves. Those heart-rending poetries;  songs with enchanting lyrics, even the romance didn’t end it as happily ever after. There are two significant events in 2020 that would probably be the First Time for many to encounter, or to witness, globally. 

Would people ever puzzle how a vision of a small bug as COVID-19 that has affected the normalcy of people’s daily life, works, travels, regional and global economics for nearly a year? No one knows when this pandemic would put to an end. The First time, I witnessed a sweet virtual church wedding for our young lady friend, and parents were devastated for not giving their beloved daughter a proper wedding. It cut my heart twice when I couldn’t travel back to Hong Kong to see my beloved aunt for the last time, and to attend her funeral, respectively.  

The 2020 US Election, First time in the modern history with its highest turnout rate ( as estimated 161 million), and people around the world tuned to watch situations of how voters to cast their ballots. It is the First time, for Americans, and the world to witness a Black Woman, with Asian ethnic DNA to possibly become the running mate for the US president. And the First time, Mr Biden is 78 years old, and age doesn’t matter. While Americans still wait for the winner,  Trump falsely declared himself the winner. The election saga brought back many of my ‘ First Time’ encounters with the US. 

It was nothing that I would be dreaming of, but in late 1970, I had my first  White Christmas, in Chicago, where my uncle David and his family lived. The First time, I ever saw many beautiful homes with Christmas trees, decorations, and lights on the driveways in the neighbourhood of Deerfield, Ill., which non like any gigantic gingerbread house that was on the shop window. Archie and Gerald, my other two cousins, flew in from Lincoln, Nebraska for the school break. Every day was a train ride for three of us to the city, downtown. My eyes First opened to Skyscrapers like the Water Tower Place; the 110-story Sears Towner, then, and is now the Willis Tower and many praiseworthy, award-winning architectures that animate the entire city. Festivities, Christmas Carols and the dazzling displays of merchandise inside the shops and department stores.

The First time, I walked into the Lord & Taylor, to do my First Christmas shopping. The store was huge in area as a small town to me, and I found it hard to pick a necktie for my uncle, out of, if not one thousand, but hundreds of choices. Then I was curious what would happen when the arrival of the new merchandise for the coming seasons? Of course, my First time to have the deep dished pizza for lunches was unforgetable. It has set the tone for me since, especially after I become a Christian that Christmas must be in a cool place. God has been gracious to us. We had only a few of our Christmas in Tropics. If it were not in the US, it would either be in Japan ( mostly in Tokyo with less flying times from Singapore), Taiwan or Hong Kong. The most memorable one was our Vatican Christmas, in Rome, 2013. We attended Pope Francis’ First Christmas Eve mass and Christmas day benediction to the world from St Peter’s Basilica, as the New Pope.  From there on, whenever, we were in Tokyo, we would attend the Christmas Eve Midnight Mass in the Catholic church for the spirit of reverence.

In early 1984, I returned to the US and for my advance education, as planned.  The most significant, life-changing First time happening for me was to allow Jesus to be the Lord of my life. My First set back, according to the student consul, after the evulation, according to the ‘ 1985 Calendar’ that I needed to make up  a little over 100 units of general education, Classes such as  ‘Political Science 201.’ Besides knowing the ‘Check and Balance System.’ First time, I heard that the philosophy of  US politics is to run  the country like running a business. And Class as ‘Logic 101,’ to learn how to think critically. In my entire being, I was in a hurry to get into the next level. Still, every day, in the campus was like me into a candies store. My American dream is to have US$1 million in my bank account, so I can take classes from one Major to another.

There was cross country tension in trade, especially with the garment exports into the US from many Asian counties. Thus, I choose the US Textile, Apparel and Apparel Related Industries as my career emphasis in my studies. Researches involved in the ‘US Textile Quota System,’ ‘ Place-Of-Origin, Labelling Laws in Garments,’ and ‘MFA (Multi-Fiber-Arrangements).’ I had the chance to look at the ‘US Tariff Schedule on Textiles,’  and to soak up the air of the campaigns on ‘Clothing Made-In-USA’ movement. I worked very hard to put up a term paper that expounded the dilemma in ‘US Apparel/Apparel Related Quota.‘ It was by God’s power,  I Aced+ the report, and I had one year of internship with one of the top five Textile companies at its LA branch office. Finally, the ‘Clothing Quota System’ ended on January 1 2005. 

I struggled with my time management when programs on ‘Retail Management’ and ‘Fashion Merchandising’ were made available. Miraclously, with the flexibility of the US school system, I got approval to do it and was allowed to take 18 units/per quarter on-campus. It pained me deeply when the news on Lord & Taylor, America’s oldest department store went into Chapter 11, in August, 2020. With my hectic schedule, it was only by God’s Grace that I was able to find times to watch the 1984 Olympic on TV, Dudley Moore in Concert, Live, in Hollywood Bowl. As a movie bug, I couldn’t complain that I was in the center of Hollywood with more movies and mini TV series that I could watch. I daily tuned into Mr Peter Jennings (1938-2005) world news, and ‘The 60Minutes+ Interview’ on weekend. (https://www.cbsnews.com/60-minutes/).

For the First time, every Sunday was a 45-minute drive, one way, for me to attend church at the famed Crystal Cathedral (a towering glass megachurch, has become a Catholic church now). Soon, I learned that God’s church is not about a building, and settled for a smaller, Word-based church. With the triple dosage of God’s grace, that I had another White Christmas and the New Year Eve countdown in Time Square, in the City of New York for the First time in my life. Later, I moved to the Bay Area for the First time  to help out my late cousin, David with his business for less than a year, before I head back to Asia for work. It would be an injustice not to bring up San Francisco. But I instead let an old song, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco” that not only later become one of the ‘Song Of The Century, and also resonate ardently till today, to allude. 

Every year, I made a point to go back to Los Angles for emotional reasons before I was married. Arthur and I were able to have a few of Chicago, and New York revisits from Singapore after we married. He has never keen on the rapid driving in Los Angeles, and San Francisco is more a sensible place for us. Best of all, Archie, my cousin lives there. In 2008, it was our First Time, to witness the Bush/Obama Presidential Election. We saw Archie, and an architect spent a lot of times on the ballot paper before he went to the voting booth, the next morning. It was absolutely a fantastic, educational experience that would stay in our memories forever. But deep inside, we both puzzled how people would know how to vote if they didn’t understand what’s in the ballot paper? 

As I was looking back and I sincerely felt America in the 1980s was God-glorifying to have President Reagan had a prayer in support of a constitutional amendment that would allow voluntary prayer in public schools (‘Reagan’s Remarks On Prayer‘ – May 7, 1982, The NY Times ). As for the US “War on Drugs,” Mrs Nancy Reagan, the first lady, would ask the children, ‘Just to Say No To Drug.’ Critical thinking, although President Reagan was a Republican, it was him as a prayerful president, it would be an over gernalization or a fallacy to conclude that Republican as the political party is prayerful.

With all of my unforgettable, splendid First Time, happenings, I thought that I would always hold America dear to my heart, as long as I have ever lived. However, with the epidemic of Sino-Phobia sentiment in the minds of American people; when people, wouldn’t let go of their assumptions either on their conscious or unconscious level that they are more superior to any other ethnic race. And it seems rightful to hate or bully people for the colour of their skins. I have to say that for the First time, I have had my misgivings in America. In reflection, the following scripture comes to my mind, it is not about America, or anything at all, it is all about HIM.

Psalm 16:2 reads: “I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'” (NIV)

I would leave you with Roberta Flack’s song, on her 2002 concert – ‘The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face/,’ that I would assume it as the Face of Jesus.

First Time Ever I Saw Your Face –

I thought the sun rose in your eyes  
And the moon and the stars were the gifts you gave  
To the dark and the endless skies ..’ 

http://sweetsoundtrack.com/Movies/robert-flack-in-concert-2002

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face – YouTube

The Invisible Epidemic (rewrite)

Featured / Kay Loke / Leave a comment

01/10/2020

updated from 31/05 and 14/06/2020

I was stunned to what says WHO (World Health Organization) dated May 21, 2020, that the number of the confirmed COVID-19 case reached Five-million, worldwide. Later, from theGardain, UK (www.thegardain) that ‘the COVID-19 is affecting almost everything that’s happening on the planet at the moment.’ The statement inspirited me to post a write-up on 31/05/2020. However, I put it back to the draft, a few days later. I know that God didn’t send down the COVID, but did it make it a criterion for a miracle that mirrors the same process of how Jesus miraculously feeding the 5000 with the microscopic means ( 2-fishes and 5-loaf-of bread) with COVID pandemic? It is difficult for people to understand God’s will and God’s way, if they don’t have the faith.

Let us go back and take a good look from the beinning. The World Health Organization told us that  COVID-19 is a family of virus. Now, woefully, months later, people around the world are still asking the same questions like how long the virus can survive on the open? How does the contagion work? Would warm temperature help ward off the virus? All countries still face the same challenge from day one. Such as ‘The Testing of the COVID-19,’ the scared supplies of Test Kits (www.cdc.gov). All the public health systems are too crushing to cope with demands. Ether people died before they reach the hospital, or died in the presence of their loved ones at home, or died alone at nursing homes. www.oecd.org. 

We saw horrific and graphic news coverages in the first quarter of 2020. Many cities such as New York or cities in Italy all toils with the death tolls of COVID-19 because all funeral homes and churches overflow. Clinically, some symptoms are treatable, but no specific treatment approved for it yet. Finally, it says that Coronavirus has different species so that the safe and affordable vaccine would need times to test and validation. Most of all the affected countries have implemented the recommended preventive measures such as mask-ups, social distance, washing hands, quarantines, and travel restrictions, yet, the spread of Coronavirus and the spike of the death toll without ceasing. Considering the pandemic that no Test is available for all, no drugs to cure-all, the vaccines are still in the embryonic stage, is that our immune system what are left for us to fight for this virus?

It says that the old life-style died hard. Long before people become more aware of the importance of exercises and balanced/nutritious meals, we heard the eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt tests positive for COVID-19 after partying in Jamaica. And Bolt is not the only Olympic gold medalist tests positive. Many young people have gone into the same path. By God’s mercy that not all who test positive would end it up in ICU beds, and not all of infected resulted in death. It is why many countries have toyed with the decision to lift the social distancing, travel restrictions and other recommended preventative measures either for social or economic reasons. The most significant global challenge is how to have a safe return to school for children.

At first, I saw a broken window, and the word ‘ONE’ like a repeatedly audible voice to me. I meditated on what it meant if that’s “Oneness ?’ Or ‘is it One Step at the time?’ At that point, the copy of the Bible come to the mind that puzzled me a great deal. Next day, I couldn’t believe with my own eyes to see the reruns of the world news covered ‘President Trump stands in front of Church holding his Bible after threatening military action against protesters.’ I assumed that holding up the copy of the Bible must have been President Trump’s conviction in the given situation that he has faced. It’s the validation of my vision. The Bible is God’s Word, God’s Word is intangible because of what it signifies. The Word is tangible, because it become flesh, and that’s alive and active. 

I ponder deeply on that is it for me to dive deep into the Word again? Or for others to take it on? God is forever faithful. With no coincidence, and by chance, I have been in my third week of Bible studies on the book of Genesis, under the structure of www.bsf.com, International Bible Study Fellowship. In the third chapter of the book is about ‘The Serpent’s Deception” that attributes to our sinfulness nature and in the fourth chapter says how human race has suffered fatal consequences. The studies have affirmed my assumption that the spirit of Fear and the Sinfulness of human that spring from the Coronavirus is the invisible pandemic, which is probably more lethal and destructive than the spread of the Coronavirus.

The danger of the widespread misinformation, which was a great deal of truth merged with an element of untruth. There was also in those fabrications that gave the power to deceive. People would share it and send it without reservation. Eventually, it would be like the contagious pandemic. A special report from the BBC Trending might give us a perspective. The title reads “Coronavirus: The seven types of people who start and spread viral misinformation” – (https://www.bbc.com) 4 May 2020, by Marianna Spring. Take, for example, that racial injustice/racial discrimination has unmasked in every aspect of American life for many decades. During COVID-19 pandemic, with ‘Floyd’s killing,’ the ‘open window effect‘ has triggered the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement to protest against all racially motivated police brutality.

It has made the general public sentiment of ‘white supremacist,’ ‘anti-immigrant and ‘ hate crimes‘ escalated. In Asia, the Anti-government riot had shaken Hong Kong for months since June 2019. The rioters smashed a few of the central subway stations, occupied the airport. It were showing no signs of dying down, but, by the grace of COVID, the level of the violence scale down a bit, but didn’t die down. It presents threats that the protests would carry into the year 2020 and beyond. In Thailand, we saw young people openly and boldly vent their grievances on the street of Bangkok to protest against the leader of their country. for months. What went wrong with the world that we live at now? Immediately, the following scripture come to me“ The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9 NIV)

Fear is a kind of emotional disorder that is never from God (2 timothy 1:7).  However, after Adam sinned against God, the fear of death cleves the entire world. The fear due to the impact of the COVID-19 would be too long to list. And let us profile how emotional the spirit of Fear factor into the financial and business world. As the case search upsurge, a sense of panic attacked the Wall Street 2020 stock market crash on 09/03/2020, the Black Monday. With the OIL Price saga (http://Opec.org), and the anticipation of wars consumed people. In this present darkness of the pandemic, people are fearful of this virulent diseases, fearful of death or simply paranoid. We saw the news that people were hoarding and clearing up things on the shelves in supermarkets, especially toilet paper. Why toilet paper, Is hoarding psychology of Fear?

According to the case tracking update via http://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/ of 29/09/2020, the total number of the case was 33,872,971, and the total death toll is 1,013,146. With unprecedented speed, it says that there are probably more than hundred COVID Vaccine developers across the world. They are joining in contests with hopes to become the first to bring one to the market to lighten the global crisis. Would the safety issues of the Clinical Trials and Immunisation be able to allow people to Fear Not to inject into their bodies? Even after a vaccine is approved, it confronts other challenges when it comes to production, distribution and pricing that also includes the decision of which populations should get it first. Many vaccines also have to remain in a perpetual stage of regular study due to the complexity of the COVID-19. 

The COVID-19 has affected the world too disruptive for too long. Where do we stand and when the spread of this virus is going to end? People naturally would zero into the development of the Coronavirus, and hoping the Vaccine would be available without being delay. However, as the Coronavirus has evolved, the pervasive of the sinful human nature and the spirit of Fear spreding like any epidemic are not only more destructive, but also an impossible human condition that would be able to find cure within human sufficiences.The entire Bible has introduced God’s Love to His followers. Jesus is Love. His love endures forever, either for the multitude of 5000 or 5 million or the whole world population as Oneness. For God So Loved (John 3:16).

It says that ‘His perfect love drives out Fear (1 John 4:18).’ As we reflected on the process of how Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the 5000, with insignificant means. The multitude took the pain to go and follow Jesus to a remote place with One heart, and in One spirit listened to His teaching intently. They kept distancing with others with no unpleasantness as what Jesus told them to (Luke 9:14). After all, we have had only One planet to be at, we have had only One humankind, and we all have had only One life to live. Now, the Coronavirus is the common enemy of the entire world. We need to believe that HE will miraclously stop the pandemic in His times and in His ways, with or without the Vaccine. However, the Vaccine for the the Invisible Epidemic is His redemptive love, whenever we call upon His powerful Name, and walk with Him.(Genesis chapter 4-7).

Although HE didn’t send down the COVID to test us, globally, the Coronavirus has held us all still for a long time. Is it possible that God wants us ‘to be still and know HE is God? (Psalms 46:10),’ and’ to exalt Him to be the desire of all nations? (Haggai 2:7)?’ Finally, I am moved with tears when I heard the ’50 Countries Affected By COVID-19 Represented in One Song‘ on YouTube singing ‘Amazing Grace‘ in 50 different languages, but sang in ONE Song to glorify His Name. HE is at work. As like how HE prepares, in advance, the fish/bread to feed the 5000, and how HE was invisibly behind Noah to construct the ark (Genesis 6) and HE has been amid the pandemic with us since the first outbreak. I have taken more than four months to keep up with the ramifications of the COVID, and I don’t feel like to have another dose of a rewrite when the second wave of infections outbreak is happening in Europe. 

colossians 1:13 kjv

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

The Miracle

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

Reworked from posts 17/05/2020

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. Job 5:9 (NIV)

I was not in the right frame of mind to put anything up for a while, and it is handy to blame it because of the disheartening Coronavirus pandemic that spread over more than 200 countries globally. Thankfully, before I sink into deeper procrastination, a short article of ‘ Being An Example of HIS Message’ was before me on the morning 10/03/2020.  A few days later, the ‘Feeding of the 5000 with 2-salted fishes and 5- loaves of bread,’ which was one of Jesus’ miracles that reported in all four Gospels (1) came to me. I thought a ‘miracle’ is what the world needs to end the pandemic, but how and when it ends, my thoughts would never be HIS thoughts. The key word of the story was ‘Feeding.’

Then Sunday came, Pastor Prince, in His usual 45-minute long sermon, I heard him mentioning of ‘the ‘feeding of the 5000’ (2). As it came from the pulpit so it must not be coincidental. And in the following two Sundays, I heard Pastor Prince talking the same story briefly again plus the miracle of turning water into fine wine at the wedding (John 2:1-12) in two of his sermons as well. God definitely wanted my attention through repetitions. Before I started taking the initiative to do anything, I had a nasty fall and injured myself severely. The evil one was predictably wicked. But my God shielded me from a concussion, except the ugly bruises on my face. 

Either for adult Bible studies or church Sunday school class for pre-schoolers, the ‘Feeding of the 5000’ is a familiar story for all Christians. People can find the narratives of this one-off miracle in four gospels in the New Testament of the Bible. It would help people what to expect from Jesus, the God of miracles. The event miracle unambiguously reported on how HE used 2-fishes and 5-loaves-of-bread to feed a multitude of 5000 people that they followed Him, on foot from cities into a remote place, where Jesus was at, and they stayed with Him till the time was late in the day and feeling hungry.

As Matthew  (matt 14:13-14), profiled Jesus’ emotional and physical need for a rest after healing many, and a place to pray alone in the time of mourning over the death of John the Baptist. So, that’s the ‘Why.’

Noted in Mark ( mk 6:32-33) that Jesus asked His disciples to take a boat ride with Him to a quiet place to get some rest; noted also, that some of the crowd outwent them and that’s the ‘How.‘

In (luke 9:10 kjv) , Luke gave the listed a solitary place near Bethsaida as the ‘Where.‘

In John (john 6:4 niv) reported the time that Passover, a feast of Jews was near’ that’s the ‘When.’

In (Luke 9:14), Luke, as a medical doctor, gave an account of ‘What’ Jesus said to HIS disciples, ‘‘Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each,” is it the distancing?

If one must pick one book on the event, to me that would be the book of John (john 6:1-14 summary). In open dialogues, John wrote how Jesus ingeniously asked Philip, one of His disciples, at first to verbalise a humanly impossible situation that’s to feed the 5000 with limited resources, in a remote place and was getting late during the day. Then, Jesus asked Andrew , Simon Peter’s brother, the other disciple to bring Him the two salted fish and five loaves of bread that belonged to a little boy to be His means to perform the miracle after HE looked up to Heaven, broke and distributed the bread, first to His disciples and to the crowd of 5000 people.

Although Jesus needed rest and time to be alone with the Father in prayer and mourning; HE was genuinely compassionate toward the crowd and seeing them as sheep without a shepherd. HE healed their sick and taught them things concerning the Kingdom of Heaven. The silver lining of this miracle was two folds. The salted fishes and loaves of bread, which a little boy would naturally bring along for food, to travel to a remote location with the multitude. In the end, the common food items become the supernatural means for Jesus to feed the 5000 men and woman miraculously.. The way Jesus broke and distributed bread to the group after HE looked upwards, akin to the Last Supper in the Upper Room with His disciples.

The entire process of the event would make memory bred into people’s souls when HE went up to Heaven. Most importantly, Jesus was at all times One with His Father, either in grief, prayers or in thanksgiving. Jesus used this extraordinary event to give a grounding in teaching His disciples and us that HE would never be constrained by ‘Time and Space.‘ We also learn, in Matthew 14:20 – ‘after they all ate and were full, and the disciples took up 12 basketfuls of broken pieces that were leftovers‘ that HIS provision would always exceed what people need because HE is the God who provides. 

Let’s turn to look at our current situation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Scientists, doctors and researchers still don’t have comprehensive scientific knowledge on this vicious virus, from the first quarter of 2020 till as of now. It has infected millions of people globally that need healing. People need strength and comfort to face and mourn for the passing of their loved ones who died of the virus. The public health system, almost in all jurisdictions, are desperately in need of protective gears, ventilators, hospital beds, medical professionals, and Testing kits, not to mention the timely arrival of the safe vaccines or antibodies. Are we in a humanly impossible situation that needs for God’s mercy? Or how can we be still and know that HE is God (Psalms 46:10) who would tell us what to do so that we can live out from His message?

Habakkuk 2:3a ….KJV

…..Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

1.(Matthew 14–Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6–Mark 6:31-44; Luke 9–Luke 9:12-17; John 6–John 6:1-14). 2.https://www.josephprince.com/ncc-sermons

五福临门 – Wǔfú línmén

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

五福临门 – Wǔfú línmén

23/02/2020

2 Corinthians 8:9 NIV

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

This year, we decided to celebrate the Chinese New Year , also known as the ‘Spring Festival ( 春节 Chunjie) in Taipei, Taiwan. I didn’t remember when the last time I was in Taipei for the festival, but I looked forward to the crisp cold air, the festival spirit, and to be able to be with our loved ones. On our second day in Taipei, the news headline all over the world was on the Coronavirus broke out in Wuhan, China rendered us all speechless.

I knew that I can’t  afford to miss church service on Sunday, 19/01/2020, in the crisis like the virus outbreak. For Arthur’s better listening and comprehension, we planned to attend the English service, but I misread the worship schedule, so ended it up we were in the Chinese worship service. The weather was terrible, and it was pouring, and it was dry and warm as we walked into the church building. People were all masked up inside the sanctuary.

The announcement said that no handshaking and hugging in greeting with others. I glanced at the bulletins, the sermon title read as 五福临门 (Wǔfú línmén). Wow! Wow! the sermon was not only perfectly tailored for the occasion, I immediately thanked Jesus that it was also the topic for my next posting. Customary, when the Chinese New Year is forthcoming, most families would put up the red paper on the doorpost with the  calligraphy of 五福临门 on it.

Many Bible scholars have written books, Ministers have given out sermons trying to point people, more so for Christians to see the Hebrew God in the ancient China. As an ethnic Chinese, a Christian, I have always reckoned that the Chinese traditions and value systems are very familiar to the teachings of the Old Testament. For thousands of years, the word 福 (Fú) is always with people’s good tidings in mind. It’s a blessing with prayers wishes, and efforts.

Land, a parcel of land, represents the pictograph of its root meaning, whereas the ‘Five Blessings’ signifies the ideograph of its root. Little did people know that in 500 BC, in《尚书 – Shangshu》, which is China’s oldest compilation and collection of imperial essays already articulated the list of ‘Five Blessings.’ Intriguingly, its earliest book titled “Book”. The contents have centred around the rules of virtue, ancient codes of moral, graves and culture (1).

According to the Google translation, it says only as ‘Five Blessings, however, literally, it actually says that ‘Five Blessings are knocking at people’s  (your) door.’ The senior Pastor Wong (王) of the Taipei Grace Baptist Church, urged us to quieten our hearts and read scriptures from the Gospel, Luke 5:12-16 before listening to his message. The story is far too familiar, yet I puzzled how the passage would expound the ‘Five Blessings?’  

Luke 5:12-16 NIV

12 While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell face down and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.”
13 Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man.  “I am willing, He said “be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. 
14 “Do not tell anyone, “Jesus instructed him. “But go, show thyself to the priest, and present the offering Moses prescribed for your cleansing, as a testimony to them. 
15 But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.
16 Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray.

The sermon was in Chinese, Pastor Wong drew a chart and also used simple, and understandable phrase as the homiletic to expound each of the five verses that directed us to ‘turn our eyes upon Jesus’ as Blessings

  1. 陪伴 (Péibàn) that  means accompany, I thought of the scripture from Gospel of Luke 22:27 b – Jesus said ‘But I am among you as one who serves. And Jesus was in the crowd.
  2. 有心 (Yǒuxīn) that means set one’s mind on something, or willfully. in the scriptures, Jesus was willing and ready to heal.
  3. 有力 (Yǒulì) that indicates powerfulness. Not only Jesus was willing to heal all, HE had the divine power to heal.
  4. 放手 (Fanshǒu) that implies to let go, it says that Jesus walked away from the scene and to go to the wilderness to pray.
  5. 圣洁源头(Shèngjié Yuántóu) that denotes the source of the Holiness. Pastor Wong said that Jesus’ healing virtue enables us to be in touch (接触- Jiēchù) the source HIS Holiness.

Pastor Wong cited a few passages of scriptures to talk about the ceremonial cleansing and offerings from the book of Leviticus. And he also quoted 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 to expound the Redemptive Grace (代贖的恩典). It’s a spirit-led sermon, and it’s also an invitation for an in-depth Bible/cross cultural study. I wasn’t sure that Pastor Wong trying to relate the ancient Chinese Five Blessings (五福 ) with the redemptive grace in the Bible times?

Grace in the Hebrew is numeral Five. If Christians familiar with Pastor Joseph Prince‘ teaching that Grace is not a notion, it is a person. If we said that Jesus is the personification of Grace, then can we boldly say that we see the Chinese Five Blessings (五福 ) in the mirror of the Gospel thousands of years ago? And Jesus is more than just Five Blessings to the Chinese.

A week of an eventful holiday finally come to an end. I have had a lesson of ‘let go‘ with me. There is a new Bible study on the book of Acts awaits for me to go back. Due to the virus situation, we had two more weeks of class break. Although I knew what I supposed to write, a little drudgery, a little daydreaming and too much on the Tube, I had a hard time to put my acts together.

In His mercy, a few Bible verses during my devotion have shaken me to turn to HIM in prayers. I have finally charged up, very happy to see my patients, although the number of them was down. I was slow with my new phone, and I know that I have to learn it by using it. The first time, we had to use Zoom meeting for group discussion via the internet, and it went well.

In HIM, there is no coincidence, the first few chapters of the book of Acts are all on Apostle Peter, John, the Church and the descending and baptising of the H

ly Spirit at Pentecost. And all Christians probably would know that the Greek ‘Pente‘ is  Five.’ HE is awesomely faithful whenever we are faithful! Numeral ‘Five‘ again.

1.《尚书》记载，五福乃指一曰寿(long life)，二曰富(rich)、三曰康宁(peace)，四曰攸好德 (good virtue)、五曰考终命(life with a good finish/an end)。后来因避讳(to avoid a taboo)的原因，“五福”有了些许变化。

东汉的哲学家桓谭在《新论·辨惑第十三》中把最后一福的“考终命”改为“多子孙”，因此“五福”是指：“寿 (Shòu–Long life)、富贵 (fùguì- Rich and Honor)、康宁 (kāngníng – Health and Peace)、好德 (hǎo dé – Good virtue)、子孙众多 (zǐsūn zhòngduō – Many offspring) ”。

The Five Blessings originally listed in 《尚书 – Shangshu》read as : 1. Long life, 2. Rich, 3. Peace, 4. Good virtue, and 5. Life with a good finish or with an good end). However, a few centuries later, in order to avoid a taboo, 桓谭( HanTan), philosopher substituted the last blessing with子孙众多 Zǐsūn zhòngduōNumerous offspring/Descendants/children

ps according to the lunar calendar, today is the last day of January 2020

福 Fú- Blessings

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

26/01/2020

Yesterday, according to the Luna calendar was the first day of the Chinese New Year. Traditionally. this is the primary festival celebration of the year for all Chinese speaking people around the world, including also the Korean and Vietnamese.

The greetings of ‘Kung Cai Fai Chai‘ has found in the Western dictionary, and the most familiar written word for the occasion is the Chinese character of ‘福‘ that sounds ‘Fú,’ which means ‘blessing,”fortune,’ or ‘simply good luck.’ As a noun, it represents the Chinese ideograph and often pictographs.

The etymology of the word is fascinating, it includes two parts that are ‘礻,’ and ‘畐,’ And ‘礻‘ is the radical of the word in the Chinese dictionary. Each part has had its distinctive connotations that invoke other than its primary and literal meaning:

‘礻’ – pronounce ‘shi’ simply means ‘to show.’ and ‘畐’ has a Chinese numeric ‘one (一)，the Chinese word of mouth (口) and the character of land, field (田). And the ‘one mouth’ is not about potation, drink but it denotes ‘one parcel of land.’ It’s not hard to image, what a great blessing/fortune in the agricultural society if one who had a piece of land to show off in any farming community.

However, I had no intention to expound the root meaning of the word any longer and deeper, but wish to the spiritual significant of it in the Bible. Without being presumptuous or starting to pray for wisdom, one of the most heartwarming hymns ‘Count Your Blessings,’ immediately come to my mind. My heart’s desire was to find the perfect scripture in the Bible to validate the word of ‘land.’ And in HIS mercy, here below are what landed on me :

Deuteronomy 28:8 NIV

‘ The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and everything to which you put your hand, the LORD, your God, will bless you in the land HE is giving you.’

Leviticus 26:4,5,10
‘Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit…

As the new year celebration continues that the same shall go to your blessings (福)。

Stayed Tune!

‘The Good Doctors’

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

14/01/2020

The rating of ‘The Good Doctors’ is on fire worldwide according to ABC network, and it has been into its 3rd seasons. Thankful to the smart TV recording feature, I have not missed one episode, and it enables me to watch a few of the moving episodes more than once. As a TCM practitioner, I have had keen synergy to watch medical drama series other than documentary. I love ‘The Good Doctors,’ a medical drama series, which the writers have made it incredibly attractive about life, joy, team works, friendship, family, love, heartbreak and so forth for a superbly intelligent, exhilarating TV series.

This is an ingenious adaptation of an award-winning South Korean TV show of the same title. A few of Asian casts in it. I was able also to grasp some of the Asian value systems and mentalities that were subtlety in the dialogues. All the ‘good doctors’ in the show are surgical residents surgeons, and Dr Murphy ( Freddie Highmore) has Autism savant disorder. I don’t know how shall autism be truthfully shown. Still, I like to watch how Murphy has difficulties to pick up social cues in his dealing with other doctors, his patients and even with his girlfriend. His performance is a natural for that role, so that it has become the real Autistic behaviour for me to consider.

I esteem especially the researches that have done behind the scene on technical aspects in the ORs. It has weighted on Murphy to come out with many insightful diagnoses, untested surgical procedures, an Autistic person, can definitely be a skilful good doctor to save lives. I wonder would the real Surgeons in life watch the show and think of some of those surgical trials that are on display? It brought warmth to my heart to see forgiveness at the end of a long stringent, dysfunctional mother/daughter (Dr Brown) relationship. To be able to see how the tie of an abusive father/son (Dr Murphy) ended and to see how a reconciliation took place in a broken marriage (Dr Park).

Without showing any graphic bed scene, how one-story sent out the dumbfound warning on the devastating emotional consequence over a one-night stand affair (Dr Brown), with embarrassment, shame and quilt Brown plays out so well on her grave, inner emotion. A few stories, so familiar, few of overachieved lady Dr and professionals who chose to follow their career paths over love of their dream (Dr Lim, especially). It’s elating to see stories of how good doctors making peace with their past (Dr Glassman and Dr Murphy). A scene of how a church Pastor’s reflection on the faith-healing/modern medicine and death. And the corollary, we saw how the good doctor has to deal with his quilt and self-condemnation when his patient died on his table (Dr Melendez).

One of the most profound stories is how a wife refused to doubt her once an alcoholic husband, even the test report said otherwise. It led two good doctors to run further tests. In the end, it was the wife’s faith that saved not only her husband’s life but also a lesson for good doctors to take into their hearts. That’s for good doctors to be mindful on possible human error or oversights on medical screenings. The last episode before the 2019 holiday season would make all the viewers in the world on a high expanse that’s whether or not Dr Murphy would be ready for sex? I suspect with a little certainty of my sixth sense that Murphy would break Carly, his girlfriend’s heart.

It’s intriguing for me to note that being a Murphy’s flatmate, the writers didn’t use ‘Leah (sound the same),’ but ‘Lea‘ to name her, did they know the root meaning of Leah as the name of Jacobs’ wife, in the bible? I have yet had so much to share of how much I have enjoyed to watch the show and I highly recommend people to find a way to watch it. We can’t knock success, can we? If all good things on earth are from above (James 1:17 NIV), then, in this case, the success of this medical TV drama can only prove one thing for me that my Saviour lives.

James 1:17 NIV

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

‘The Silent Night’

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

31/12/2019

Once again, like many years in the past, we are in Tokyo during the year-end on holiday, and we have never missed out on the Tokyo Glee Club performance in the late afternoon of Christmas Eve in the Imperial Hotel.

It’s Japan’s Ivy League University students choir singing the Christmas Carols. Knowing that Christians are less than two per cent of the total population in Japan, I delighted that they are bringing out the spirit of Christmas, year after year.

The first time, I have moved into tears by Christmas music in front of a crowd and felt heavy on the fact that Christmas is all about baby Jesus who was born to die for the world, till I was off when they started to sing ‘The Santa Claus Coming to Town.’

This year, I have the other part of the family members were an entourage with me to Tokyo, like many pre-believers, after Glee Club, dinner, no one appeared keen to attend church with us.

Arthur and I are not catholic, but we both captivated by the reverence inside the Catholic church, and we wanted to make it to the midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The message was short and was about how to reach out to other people in love without relying on social media.

The most beautiful thing was that we sang a few of the Christmas Carol ss hymns in the mass. When the closing hymn, ‘Silent Night, ‘ was singing, the part of the lyrics ‘sleeping in heavenly, sleeping in heavenly peace, ‘ was actually singing into my soul.

I wonder is it too far fetched for people to conclude that spiritual root possible to have been the contributing factor for sleeping disorders? I need more wisdom and spirit of discernment to be able to expand on it further.

On Sunday, we went back to Tokyo Union Church for worship service. I was extremely emotional, first of all, I have missed the former senior pastor who has gone back to South Africa and the theme of the sermon was on how to love our God with all our whole beings, and I knew that I have failed flat on this.

The saving grace was the closing hymn of ‘This Is a Day of New Beginnings, that not only lifts me up again, also enables me with anticipation to usher into 2020, for I am deeply thankful.

The hymn reads :

‘With the spirit’s daring, step from the past, and leave behind our disappointment, guilt, and grieving, seeking new paths and sure to find Christ is alive and goes before us to show and share what love can do….

‘

A Story On Sleeplessness

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

12/12/2019

A Story of Sleeplessness

Recently, many friends shared with me on their struggle with their chronic sleeping disorder (at least for two weeks). Week after week, most of my patients come to me for treatment for their various physical pain, and I only found out that most of them also have problems with either falling or staying asleep at night. Many clinical conditions such as ‘the post Menopause syndrome,’ or the ‘Endocrine disorder,’ and so forth would affect our sleep. No one would be able to rest well if they suffered from any form of physical pain. 

Empirically, a TCM physician, can treat clinical pain condition along with the sleeping order. So, before I start the acupuncture, I would ask patients that ‘there is anything that bothering you?’. People seem to have tongue tight to answer my question for my Insomniac diagnosis, but they knew what is bothering them emotionally. Before scientific finding confirms the root cause of the Insomnia, people would accept emotional disorder could be one of the reasons for Insomnia. I would share a story as below to help people to evaluate their emotional state and also let’s see what ‘THE GREAT BOOK’ has to say about it. 

The Story

There is an old blacksmith who lives in an old part of town. As no one wouldn’t come to his shop for custom ironware, so he sold iron axes, iron pots and a few other iron products in his old blacksmith shop. He sits near the doorway, and he put all of his iron goods outside the door. He didn’t bother to close the door at night. Business was not good or bad; he earned enough to get by. Most importantly, he led on an undisturbed life. 

When people walk by the old blacksmiths’ door, they will see the old blacksmiths lying vivaciously on his bamboo chair with a radio in his hand and a purple teapot on a small wooden table next to him. One day, an antique dealer passed by the old street and spotted the purple sand kettle next to the blacksmith. He carefully examined it and decided that a famous maker made it in the Qing Dynasty. The dealer immediately made an offer of 100,000 yuan wanted to buy the sand teapot. 

The old blacksmith was stunned and then turned down the offer, for his grandfather had left the pot. The three-generation of their grandfather drank from this pot, but after the dealer left, the old blacksmith lost sleep for the first time in his life. He had used the teapot for sixty years and had considered it was an ordinary teapot, and now someone wanted to buy it with a hundred thousand dollars. 

He used to lie in his chair, and drink his tea, and put the pot on the table with his eyes closed and now he would sit up and see if the pot is still there. It makes him very scratchy and restless. What is more intolerable is that when the town know that he had an expensive antique teapot, they asked if there were other treasures in the shop. Some people even wanted to borrow money from him. Soon, then  the antique dealer paid him another visit and offered 200,000 and more on open negotiation, for his teapot.

Immediately, the poor old blacksmith’s life turned upside down, and not only he couldn’t sit still during the day, but also had a problem to sleep at night. He finally called in a crowd neighbour, took the hammer and smashed the purple teapot to pieces in front of the crowd. Finally, the old blacksmith’s day gradually calmed down, and gone back to sell his iron wares, lying down in his bamboo chair listening to the radio and drinking his tea. No more sleepless nights, the End

I have to admit it  honestly, that I admired the old blacksmith’s courageous move to smash the teapot. Can we conclude from the story than what falls on the ground was not all the broken pieces of the antique teapot, but the endless contemplation of greed, desires and infatuation? We easily allow situations or people in the world to rob off our joy and peace that usually results in sleep deprivation, knowing that not sleeping well and not sleeping enough whatever the reason, will affect our health and a general sense of well-being.

This year, I had a chance to study the life of King David in the Old Testament of the Bible. I concurrently study the book of Psalms that gives evidence of him as the man who after God’s own  heart. When he fled from his son Absalom, he openly articulates how his anxiety that affects his sleep while full confidence in the Lord for untroubled rest, even during his trying period;

Psalm 6: 7-8 JPS

I am weary with groaning; every night I drench my bed, I melt my couch with tears. My eyes are wasted by vexation, worn out because of all my foes.

Psalm 3: 6

I lie down and sleep and wake again, for the LORD sustains me.

Psalm 4:9

Safe and sound, I lie down and sleep, for YOU alone, O LORD, keep me secure.

The Closure

/ Kay Loke / Leave a comment

05/12/2019

Proverbs 5:21

For the ways of man are before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings -NKJV

I thought that I was led to pray a prayer of relinquishment, and yet I still had my self-indulgent despair over the Hong Kong situation. No wonder that’s what it says that ‘the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Currently, I am having the term break from Bible study class, and I wanted to take a short trip to Hong Kong in spite of the stun travel warnings.

Then, it started when Mike, my cousin, told me that my 86-year-old aunt was going to be baptised on December 2, 2019, after her sinner’s prayer last year, during my visit. Mike decided to fly back to attend the baptism. As for me, I wanted to spend time with her. I voiced my heart’s desire to Arthur, and I took his OK as the Divine clearance for me to take up the trip.

People told me that I should travel during the week, as most of the actions are over the weekend. Immediately, I told my 86-year-old aunt that I will be with her from 13/11/19 to 15/11/19. Little did I know that my stay would be too short to be able to enjoy any sweet deal on airfare. And every Monday, I have had duty call at the clinic.

Shortly before I log on to search further, my sister, Beatrice called from Taipei to inform me that our cousin passed away and survived by his 90-year-old mother, and the funeral was on 13/11/19. Flying to Taipei become my pressing need. It’s by God’s grace that I managed to have a ticket that combined commercial and redemption travel. Best of all, the clinic even approved my last-minute leave application for Monday, 12/11/19.

Without taking God’s protection for granted, I travelled with the bible passage of Psalm 91 and asked my friends to pray for me with Psalms 91. Finally, on Monday, 12/11/19, I was in transit in Hong Kong airport on my way to Taipei. I couldn’t envision on the day when twenty thousand of demonstrators occupied the entire airport that affected thousands of flights.

It probably due to the travel warnings, the airport didn’t’ strike me as one of the busiest airports in the world. It was a short flight, and I was in Taipei for less than 24 hours. The funeral was a Buddhism ceremony. Glory be to my dear Jesus that HE redeemed the time for me to be able to bring comfort to my aunt in Taipei who was in the deep grief of loss her only son.

After Taipei, I arrived in Hong Kong the evening on 13/11/19, ‘In His Time.‘ The minutes I stepped out the Hong Kong immigration checkpoint, the first time in my life, I saw uniformed police and barricade at the arrival hall. I was fearful of what if there were some degree of confrontation with the violent rioters, and I also was not sure about the airport transfer.

There was many empty taxis in front of the taxi bay. People warned me not to initiate any conversation with the cab driver as people in Hong Kong are very divided. With quite several detours due to the roadblock; the streets was nearly empty. No drama nor trauma, finally, hugging, teary eyes and late dinner were on the table; thanks be to my almighty God that I was home safely.

The uniqueness of my aunt’s place is the living room that has a cross-harbour view. All the Christmas lighting decorations would be on usually, before the Thanksgiving Weekend, later it would change to be in tune with the theme of the Chinese New Year. I was saddened to note that the lighting on the other side of the harbour front was not as illuminating as it has always been.

In attempt  to prepare my aunt to exercise her newfound faith, I urged her to go out to sample some restaurant foods together; asked her to accompany me to do a little bit of shopping and take a stroll in the park that she had not done that for months. The TV coverage was all bad news such as how the rioters vandalising shops and hollowing out bricks from the surface of the streets

Time flies, on Friday, 15/11/19, the day that I schedule to fly home, I woke up very early and felt led to visit my other aunt who is in her early 90’s and has been half bed-ridden for many years and needs two helpers to care for her. My cousin, Lynn, was on a trip. It meant a world to me when she could remember me and call out my name. I have always had her salvation in my mind, and her heart has always been hard to move.

I manipulatively reminded her that my uncle was promoted to glory before he died, so I told her that she could only rejoin him in heaven if she accepts Jesus as her Lord over her remaining days on earth. Still not moved a bit, so I started to feed her breakfast, read her pause and ask Jennifer, her helper about her physical conditions playing a little bit of doctor with her.

With a deep sense of urgency, I asked her again, and she finally nodded her head, wanting to accept Jesus. It’s the Holy Spirit that I started to weep so hard in front of her. Both helpers being Catholics also moved to tears. And they told me that they have kept the rosaries in my aunt’s bedroom and have been praying for her salvation.

Then, Jennifer told me that it’s easier for me to take the bus down the hill, provided if the bus is running, then get a cab to wherever I need to go afterwards. I kissed my aunt and said good-bye. The minute I walked out the main entrance of the building, bus #19 was coming down from the top of a hill. It took less than a half-hour. I was home with my 86-year-old.

She urged me to leave her place as early as possible as the rioters are totally unpredictable. I was moved to open the Bible to Proverbs Chapter 15 ( 15/11/19) and asked her to read it together with me. I told her that there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, and I challenged her to read one chapter of Proverbs a day. She was all set for her baptism.

The car ride to the airport was uneventful. As I looked around, the damage may seem beyond control, yet, I remembered one of the news that’s on how spontaneously keep ordinary people with cleaning efforts, picking up debris on some of the major streets. That’s the spirit of Hong Kong. After all, there are millions of people who call it home. And many people in Hong Kong continue to carry on with their lives in the midst of the chaos.

In reflection, it was a hit and a run kind of trip for me to travel both to Taipei and Hong Kong. It’s indeed a purpose-driven journey. God is faithful, in Hong Kong, I was far away from the war zone, in Taipei, I didn’t expect people stunned to see me travelling afar to be at my cousin’s funeral; it’s not for the departing, but for my aunt, who is advance in age and grieving.

Separation has always been painful, but both of my beloved aunts are in God’s loving care for eternality. My encounter with Jesus enables me to have a closure on my anxiousness over the situation in Hong Kong, knowing that the violence is going to continue, but my God is faithful and in control of all things on earth. I was born there, used to live and work there. Hong Kong would always take a special place in my heart, still is a beautiful city by any standard.