I went to Pastor Ma's wake on Wednesday. It was an experience man.. Hahah, it's just 2 blocks away from my new house ehh..and it's where Pastor Lia grew up and where Lynette they all used to play when they were younger. So cool~~ I didn't know! HAHA. Ok. Anyway, me and Peijun took cab down from Paya Lebar cos we were afraid to be late... hahaha.
The service, atmosphere, everything was absolutely great.. We worshipped with the songs Emmanuel and Amazing Grace. It's beautiful. I've never really worshipped at a wake before. The last christian funeral I attended was my grandfather's. And I wasn't really christian then. Hahhs. (see my sec1 blog: http://trueblueme.blogspot.com, 12th and 13th April post, maybe 9th April if you want.) It's something new. And I'm feeling so hopeful yeahh.. I've never really thought deeply about the assurance of going to heaven until Pastor Lia talked about it last weekend, the day after Pastor Ma passed away..It really made me cry, and this girl from TJC who came to church and was sitting beside me, cried too. It's a very thoughtful and emotional topic yeah? Jesus came to save us and He paid for our price of sin, so that we may have eternal life in heaven. Thank You Jesus. :))
During the funeral service, the pastor (whom I don't know) was really nice, spoke meaningfully, and with some funny bits. We even laughed lar. But it's alright, we got hope YEAH! A christian funeral is not an eternal goodbye. It's a temporary farewell, just like sending someone off at the airport. We feel sad for not seeing the person maybe for some years, but we know that we will see that person again one day in heaven. I believe that.
The video of Pastor Ma's memories is truly awe-inspiring. It's everything about her - her smile, her grandmotherly-ness, her passion for Jesus, for learning to read the bible even though she is illiterate. She's a great woman of God, so humble but powerful. Although I'm not close to her, I know that I will really love her a lot if I'm her grand-daughter or simply just by knowing her. I'm glad I attended the wake. Something just changed in me I guess.
So many stuffs have been happening the past week. I've been learning.. alot alot. And thinking alot. I am going to make it happen man..not gonna wait for this to end..I'm gonna make it happen. Hais. What with so many things going on in my life, in school, in church, you know, PW and stuff, I still love my life alot. All the challenges. They are actually quite meaningful and fun. Without them, I would never learn how to live life. And my life would just be so mediocre and boring. Hahhs. I wanna smile more. (:
Yesterday during contact time at school, some Paralympic sports people came for an interview sort of thing. Our teacher asked them questions, very sensitive ones, like about how they are discriminated for being handicapped, all that. It's very eye-opening. I saw how they tackled those questions. Eric, with his simplicity and really simple sense of humour, just blew all of us away. Eric is paralysed from chest down. And he is a christian. This is the line he said that really surprised and impacted me:
"My church is still praying for me up till now. So, if you see me walking on the streets one day, don't be surprised."
Silence. And then we clapped for that. Wow. Such a man of faith yeah? Seeds are being sown in school. The TJCians just loved what he spoke about. So many other things. (:
I like to confide in Ying Loo. She's a great listener. Hahhs. I didn't really know whether to tell her or not. But I gave in. Hahah. Ok. I think I'll feel much better. And I wish I was a better listener. Heh. Ok. You guys... Know this: I'm praying for you.