[:en]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

Santy and I wish to thank you for your love and generous gifts to Eben and Yemima. The wedding went well; God blessed us with a wonderful evening and beautiful weather. We couldn’t ask for more. We’re also glad to see familiar FIBC’s faces: Lisa, A-Chin, Tony, Oom Hein, and Kim Jones, who flew from Sulawesi to attend the wedding. We’re grateful to them for their presence.

In the midst of this festive time, there were also a couple of poignant moments. A colleague in ministry who just lost his wife a couple of months ago came to the wedding. He and his son drove for more than 5 hours from Jember to Malang just to share in our happiness. A personal church friend from Jakarta also came—and he just lost his wife a couple of weeks prior. Both were grieving but decided to set aside their grief to share in our joy. I was touched.

Another touching moment was meeting a fellow minister at a hospital in Jakarta. He had lost so much weight; the disease had mercilessly ravaged his body. But, he did not lose the joy of the Lord. His face was still all-smile; when he saw me, he opened his arms as widely as he could to embrace me. He, then, told me that some nights ago he was in so much pain that he couldn’t sleep. He prayed all night long. When morning came, the pain was gone—lifted up by his prayer. His testimony really touched me.

But, there’s something else that touched me—looking at his wife’s attending to his needs 24/7. The room has three beds and has no sofa, so at night she sleeps on the floor, on a stack of blankets. But, she doesn’t complain; she looks at her husband and she looks up to Jesus. Yes, only by looking at those we love and looking up to Jesus can we pass through the darkest night of our lives.

Pastor Paul[:id]THE SHEPHERD’S CORNER

Santy and I wish to thank you for your love and generous gifts to Eben and Yemima. The wedding went well; God blessed us with a wonderful evening and beautiful weather. We couldn’t ask for more. We’re also glad to see familiar FIBC’s faces: Lisa, A-Chin, Tony, Oom Hein, and Kim Jones, who flew from Sulawesi to attend the wedding. We’re grateful to them for their presence.

In the midst of this festive time, there were also a couple of poignant moments. A colleague in ministry who just lost his wife a couple of months ago came to the wedding. He and his son drove for more than 5 hours from Jember to Malang just to share in our happiness. A personal church friend from Jakarta also came—and he just lost his wife a couple of weeks prior. Both were grieving but decided to set aside their grief to share in our joy. I was touched.

Another touching moment was meeting a fellow minister at a hospital in Jakarta. He had lost so much weight; the disease had mercilessly ravaged his body. But, he did not lose the joy of the Lord. His face was still all-smile; when he saw me, he opened his arms as widely as he could to embrace me. He, then, told me that some nights ago he was in so much pain that he couldn’t sleep. He prayed all night long. When morning came, the pain was gone—lifted up by his prayer. His testimony really touched me.

But, there’s something else that touched me—looking at his wife’s attending to his needs 24/7. The room has three beds and has no sofa, so at night she sleeps on the floor, on a stack of blankets. But, she doesn’t complain; she looks at her husband and she looks up to Jesus. Yes, only by looking at those we love and looking up to Jesus can we pass through the darkest night of our lives.

Pastor Paul[:]