Grace was her name

This past October, an unusual hush hang over my home. Heavy-hearted, I quietly closed my bedroom door and climbed into the bed, then lay sideways beside my lovely wife. For a long moment, I blankly stared at her as I did not know what to say; I just watched her cry in her pillow. She tried to stifle her weeping, but it was her sorrow that could not hide from my eyes.

After another short moment, I swallowed the lump in my throat and gently pulled her into my arms. In my embrace, as I rubbed my hand up and down her back, she let out her sadness in sobbing, so deep, so loud that it pierced my heart. Her tears coursed down her cheeks and wet my shirt. I knew that what I needed to do was to hold her tight.

Her grief came from the death of her best friend Grace who died of cancer. Ruby and Grace both had attended the same elementary school in Hong Kong. After Ruby had moved to Chicago when she was a young girl, both of them had kept in touch with each other.

Before Grace had been diagnosed with cancer, Ruby had shared with her the Good News. But Grace had been unwilling to accept the Lord. After her illness had inflicted her for about 2 years, Grace had finally put her trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Ruby once again had seized a chance to preach the Gospel at her.

One night in this past October, we received a phone call from Grace’s husband about her deteriorating condition. Then Ruby and I prayed that the Lord may heal Grace, but it was His will to take Grace home.

Grace has at last peacefully fallen asleep in the Loving arms of the Lord. Her pain has gone; her soul is now dwelling in a room Jesus Christ has already prepared for her long ago.

John 14:2 - In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.

1 Thessalonians 4:14 - We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

God's Calling

I was raised as a Buddhist. I worshipped idols and believed that they could hear my prayers and guide me to the right direction.

When I was attending college in Chicago, I continued to burn incense to these gods until one day I realized that these idols made by man were not real. It seems that ‘something’ was leading me to the right way but I did not know that it was God Himself.

In the fall 1986, I took a linguistics class, in which there was an Asian girl named Ruby. She spoke very fluent English without any accent.

One day I approached her and asked if she was an American Born Chinese (ABC).

To my surprise, she replied, “No, I came from Hong Kong.”

“Your English is so fluent that I thought you were born here.” I exclaimed.

Since that very moment, we began our friendship that God had already planned for both of us.

On one occasion, I saw Ruby in one of the cafeterias in the college. I approached her and she asked me to sit down with her. I noticed that she was about to have lunch and that she prayed before her meal. And I had no idea that our conversation that followed was about to change our lives.

“Are you a Christian?” I asked.

“Yes.” she answered without doubt. Then she talked to me about Jesus and church, and invited me to attend her church.

I did not want to get involved with church but did not want to reject her request at the same time. I replied, “Okay.”

The church that she attended was a Chinese church located on the north side of Chicago. There, I met many new friends who showed me the love of Christ. I also got involved in their fellowship and other activities. There was also one friend that I met before; this friend was God Himself…

On one of the sports events held by my high school in Hong Kong, a seminary student approached and talked to me about Jesus. After an hour of discussion, he asked me to invite Jesus into my life. I did without a sincere heart. I attended church, fellowship, and Bible study but did not get anything out of it. In other words, I never grew spiritually. Later on, I forgot all about Christ and Christianity and continued to walk my own path.

“Is God calling me again through Ruby?” I wondered. “The elementary school and the high school that I studied at was Christian. I was introduced to Jesus by a seminary student. Now, Ruby is trying to lead me to God. Is God calling me again? Why me?” I pondered with uncertainty.

Joshua 1:5 says, “…..I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Psalm 9:10 also reads,” Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.”

My Journey with God Began

I still remember the date when I came to USA. It was August 17th, 1983.

After my twin brother and I graduated from high school in Hong Kong, we did not want to continue our education. There was one thing, however, that we really wanted to do: attending cooking school and pursuing our career as a chef. With permission from our parents, we studied Cantonese cooking and became certified chefs. We thought it was our dream come true, but our parents had another plan for us. They wanted to send us to Chicago for college education. We did not agree but they insisted. Knowing that we had to give up our dream and to follow their plan, I wondered if we could survive in a foreign land without our parents’ presence. My brother and I were raised in the way that we always obeyed what our parents said, and that we were not taught how to live independently.

Reluctantly, we submitted our applications to the immigration office. After a series of questions in the interview, I was accepted and granted a student visa but my brother was rejected.

I had a very good relationship with my brother, and we had never been separated. Knowing that I would be going to Chicago without him, we both felt heavyhearted. My parents suggested that my brother needed to go back to school and tried the application again the following year and that I still needed to go to Chicago first. At that very moment, I wondered when I would see my brother again. I did not know that the Lord already had plans for me. Jeremiah 29:11 says, ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”’ Isaiah 55:8 also reads, ‘“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.’

Very quickly, the date for me to leave for Chicago finally came. It was August 17th, 1983. My mother was going with me as my guardian, and we would live with her friend temporarily. After settling down in her friend’s house in Chicago, she would go back to Hong Kong. As my mother and I were approaching the departure gate at the airport, my family including my father, 3 sisters, and my brother, were saying goodbye to us. My mom had tears on her face, and I was holding it back but my heart was very heavy. I turned my head to take a look at my family and felt that my father and my brother had already missed me.

My mom and I headed to the airplane. After a moment, the plane took off, and my journey to the United States of America began. I did not realize that my journey with God also began on that very same day.

My Journeys Made Possible By God: Preface

To most people, a journey is a long trip to some other places. It could be a trip to another country or to a remote area. They would prepare things that would last the whole trip.

To me, a journey is any spiritual experience in which God is the Leader or the Counselor. I trust God that He always goes ahead of me for whatever He wants me to do or for wherever He wants me to go to. What I need to do is to prepare my heart to follow His guidance.

In our journey, He may bring us down to the deep valley because He wants to give us disciplines to train or to mold us to become more Christ-like. No training is easy as it says in Hebrews 12:5-6, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son”.

Hebrews 12:11 continues, “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it”.

Galatians 5:22-23 also say it well, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”

In my stories that follow, you will find that I have gone through different disciplines that God has prepared for me at different stages of my life. I consider all these disciplines or trainings as “My Journeys Made Possible by God”.

What is your journey with the Lord Almighty?

May God use my stories to renew your faith and to guide you through your own journeys. May He also produce in you the fruits of the Holy Spirit. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

In Christ,

Dicky To

My father is still treasured in my heart

This is a more detailed version of 'Post Persecution'.

The wind comes as it pleases, sweeping away everything in its path, but it can never blow away my memories.

I was a Buddhist since childhood. During my freshman year in college, I forsook my belief when I came to realize that it could never fill my ‘empty’ heart with ‘love’ I had been looking for.

When I was a sophomore, I met a girl who led me to Christ, and I knew that I finally found the ‘True Love’ in Christ Jesus. Later on, the girl and I fell in love with each other. At first, my parents were very happy to meet her and to get to know her. Joyous were the moments when they welcomed her and accepted her as my girlfriend. However, unexpected, unpleasant events struck us, like a storm forcefully hitting a town without a bit of mercy.

When my parents knew that my Christian faith became strong and firm, they persecuted both of us, falsely accusing her of making me believe in Christianity and blaming God for taking me away from them. I constantly reassured them that I was still their son and that I loved them. My girlfriend also asked me to show them respect no matter what they said. At that time, what we needed to do was to follow the Lord’s guidance one step at a time.

When the storm died down, another one that was severer immediately followed, crashing my heart. That was when my faith in Christ deepened even more. My parents demanded me to leave her. I kindly responded, asking for reasons. They brought out the same words of persecution once more. Facing such attack again, I quietly prayed within my heart and consulted God for wisdom and strength. Who won the battle? The Lord did. My parents at last came to realize that they could no longer take hold of us no matter what they would do. What a victory! Of course, my girlfriend and I forgave them and shared the Gospel with them.

In 1993, my girlfriend and I were engaged. More than a year later, we were married in the Lord’s presence.

Later on, my father was diagnosed with cancer. To our surprise, he humbly asked us to pray for him. At that very moment, I was moved, for the Lord seemed to be working in his life. After he was healed, he even thanked us for our prayers.

About ten years ago, my father fell, got injured on his head, and was sent to the emergency room. That day, I was working in my office in Chicago, Illinois when the news from Hong Kong reached me. I quietly sat in my chair, lowered my head, and prayed. Tears started welling in my eyes, and I drowned myself in sorrow. My wife at once helped me book an air ticket, and I flew to Hong Kong the next day. On the plane, I asked the Lord to keep my father alive, for I really wanted to see him, to talk to him, and to show him that I really loved him. After I arrived at the airport, one of my sisters told me that my father had already passed away. At that very moment, my heart sank, and I wanted to cry but fought back my tears. I wished he had accepted Jesus as his personal Savior. Only God knows.

To this day, I still recall some joyous moments my father and I spent together.

To this day, I still miss him very much.

To this day, my life goes on with him in my heart.

Too Hard for the Lord?

Dear friends,

It has been more than 16 years since I got my very first job. I still recall how God led me and my wife (then my fiancee) during our hardship.

I was a foreign student holding a student visa. During my MBA studies, I sent out resumes to many different companies. They liked my background but rejected me when they knew that I was not a US resident or citizen. We constantly prayed to ask the Lord to open a door for me but he did not answer our prayers. I continued to send out resumes but did not receive any job offer mainly due to my status.

In the meantime, we were also engaged to get married but I needed a job. Day after day, the Lord still had not answered our prayers. From time to time, discouragement and disappointment came. However, we knew that we still had to hold onto the Word of God (Genesis 18:14, and John 16:24) no matter what happened. With God's strength, we kept praying and I kept submitting my resumes to other companies.

In March 1994 just one week before my student visa expired, God finally opened a door for me.

We have learned that everything is possible with God; nothing is too hard for Him.

Dicky

Trust in the Lord for small or big things

One day at work, as I was trying to open one of my emails, a message like this showed up "You cannot access the email. Another user is using it..." I knew that I owned the email and that I was the only user. Then I tried over and over again but I still could not open the email.

At that time, I was reluctant to ask God to help. Instead, I called IT but they failed to resolve my issue. Then I wanted my co-worker to help because he was very good at fixing technical issue but he was not available at that moment. I rebooted my computer and tried again. The same message appeared again on the screen. I became frustrated. All of a sudden, a soft voice spoke to me, 'Why don't you pray to me?" I knew that it was the Holy Spirit. Then I quietly prayed to ask God to help me. Just right after my prayer, I checked on the email again, and this time it finally opened.

I learned that I have to trust in God and ask Him for help no matter how small or how big our problem is. What we need to do is to talk with Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6 teach us that we need to put our trust in Him and that we should not depend on our own human thinking or effort. Ask God for help when you need Him, and He will listen.

Amen.

Dicky