On Wednesday, October 2, around noon local time in Jakarta, Jesus Our Lord came to take Oom Hein to his eternal home.  I happened to have arrived the day before but that Wednesday I had a class to teach, so, I planned on visiting him on the day after.  Not knowing that he’d already passed, I contacted his caregiver, Nendah, to make an appointment.  It was then she told me that Oom Hein had passed just a few hours earlier.  Rest in peace Oom, in the arms of Jesus.

Nendah told me that for the past few days Oom Hein was already getting weaker; he mostly slept. That morning, he managed to get up and had breakfast; afterward, he went right back to sleep. She later became worried because Oom Hein seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep and was unable to respond.  So, she immediately called his nephew who directed her to call an ambulance.  On the way to the hospital Oom Hein slipped into eternity. That breakfast was to be his last meal on earth but that evening, he had his first supper with Our Blessed Lord in the Upper Room, with Tante Anne.

On Thursday, October 10, I attended Oom Hein’s funeral service, ministered by GKI Gunung Sari, his place of worship before he became too weak to go anywhere.  His body was cremated but his spirit was in the presence of Our Blessed Lord in the heavens, where he had always wanted to be ever since Tante Anne preceded him years ago.  To him death was merely a door to his new home. While on earth he opened the door of his heart to Jesus Our Lord to come in and dine with him. Now, it was Jesus Our Lord who opened the gate of heavens for Oom Hein to come in and dine with Him.  God calls His children home in His time and in His way; and we can never know when and how He will do that.  But this is what we know: It’s always the right time and the right way—and for the right reason: So, we can be with Him to enjoy His goodness and beauty forever.

Pastor Paul