GOD’S HAND IN ALL EVENTS

My name is Janey and I am a homemaker. I also make soft toys in my spare time to help supplement the family’s income. The Lord has blessed me with a son, Way. My husband, William is still outside Christ.

God’s Mercy and Providence

By God’s grace and mercy, Way accepted the Lord Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour when he was three. The Lord also blessed Way with the ability to read when he was two. This has enabled him to read the Bible early on. Way and I started attending True Life BPC in 2004 by God’s mercy and providence. He was baptised by the late Rev Dr Timothy Tow when he was eight years old. Way turned 16 recently.

In the years prior to attending True Life BPC, the Lord kept us in the faith through the recorded sermons from Calvary Pandan BPC. Sister Wendy from True Life also sent us the church bulletin to enable us to follow the order of worship, to allow us to worship from home. We also had the RPG as a Bible Study Guide. (These were the years whereby we were forbidden to go to church).

During the period from 2004-2009, we were blessed by the sermons and Sunday School lessons at True Life BPC. God is very good to Way and myself. In 2008, the Lord provided a spiritual mentor in the person of Elder Joseph for Way. Each Lord’s Day after service, we would proceed to Elder Joseph’s home, where he will spend precious time teaching Way through the Shorter Catechism. Indeed, the Lord has blessed us with much spiritual food, to enable us to press on in the faith. Elder Joseph taught Way for a year.

At Berean BPC

In late 2009, due to pressing family circumstances, we had to make the painful and difficult decision of leaving True Life BPC. Nonetheless, we believe that God is sovereign, and continue to trust in His leading. In His grace, mercy, goodness and providence, He led us to worship in Berean BPC from 2010-2013; the church is a comfortable distance from where we live.

God is good. Our prayers have not been in vain, as He opened doors for both of us to serve in various ministries in Berean, including the choir.

During our years in Berean, we kept in close contact with some brethren in True Life. We would also log on to FEBC’s website to listen to each Lord’s Day sermon, to read the bulletin in order to be kept abreast of all that is happening in True Life. We thank God for this technology, which enable Way and myself to remember True Life and FEBC in prayer. We rejoiced when the Lord vindicated Himself on the matter of Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP), in the case between Life Church and FEBC (Ps 126:3)!

Every year, during True Life’s anniversary celebrations, the Lord provided through Elder Joseph, so that Way and I could join in her celebration during lunch. Fellowship was sweet too.

We do thank God for the more than three years of worship and service in Berean BPC. It had been a blessing and privilege to serve. During those years, the Lord also presented many opportunities for me to share the love of Christ with my parents.

Salvation of My Parents

In July 2012, when my mother was recuperating at home after undergoing a knee replacement surgery, the Lord presented even more opportunities to visit my parents, to cook for them, pray for them, share portions of scripture with them, and the love of Christ as they allowed me to care for them. Truly thank God for sustaining grace in those days as I juggled between taking care of my family (Way and William) and my parents. By God’s grace and mercy, my mother’s recovery was both smooth and speedy. Although she is still unable to withstand walking long distances, I am thankful that she is physically mobile. Thank and praise God for His goodness.

In March 2013, when my mother suffered a severe bout of gastric flu, the Lord again gave me the opportunity to cook for my parents and to look into their needs. In the evening after school, Way will visit my parents with me. Sometime in May 2013, the Lord moved Way’s heart to invite my parents to worship with us in church. Praise the Lord for giving Way the courage to do so. Our hearts leapt with joy the moment my parents said, “OK.” When we returned home that evening, we kept praying for a clear and smooth path, that there would be no hindrances to keep them from attending church. God heard our prayers. Not only did He preserve my parents in good health, He also moved my parents’ hearts with the desire to go to church. We cannot help but noticed the excitement and enthusiasm in their voices. Thank God for answering our prayers for them all those years.

Due to my mother’s operated knee, we decided to bring them to Calvary Pandan BPC (after praying). Calvary Pandan is a shorter distance from where they live, and my mother does not have to walk a long distance. On 19 May 2013, my parents attended Calvary Pandan BPC for the first time. On 26 May 2013, it was their second visit to Calvary Pandan. Although I could see that my father was very settled and eagerly following the order of worship, I noticed that my mother was not able to follow as she could not understand English. She shared that it was alright since my father appeared comfortably settled in. I was concerned that she might not benefit or learn due to her lack of understanding.

Way and I committed our concerns to the Lord in prayer. We then suggested to my parents about worshipping in True Life BPC, where both the English and Chinese Services were conducted concurrently. On the first week of June, my parents joined us for worship at True Life BPC, and we have not looked back since. Thank God that my parents could travel to True Life by taxi each Lord’s Day due to the proximity from their home. God is good.

In the beginning, Way would accompany my dad to help him with the Bible text, whilst I would stay with my mother at the Chinese Service. After more than a couple of weeks, we noticed that my parents had settled well in the respective services. Thank God for the brethren in the Chinese Service who have helped my mother settle speedily. It was time for me to return to the English worship service.

During True Life BPC’s anniversary lunch last year, the Lord moved me to approach Sis Jenny Kan to share the gospel with my parents in dialect. (My dialect is not very accurate when it comes to doctrinal issues). Thank and praise God for providing Sis Jenny, who agreed without hesitation. On 9 October 2013, Sis Jenny and I visited my parents in their home. Thank God for wisdom, as Sis Jenny shared with my parents (in Cantonese) the doctrine of original sin, before moving on to the gospel. The Lord answered our prayers by giving both my parents an attentive spirit. After my parents acknowledged and confessed that they are sinners, they went on to recite the sinner’s prayer led by Sis Jenny. My heart rejoiced when I witnessed how the Spirit moved my parents to tears as they received the Lord Jesus into their lives. All praise and glory to God Almighty!

God’s Perfect Timing

On hindsight, we can see God’s hand in all the events that have transpired these years. He is sovereign. In His goodness, mercy, providence and perfect timing, He has brought my parents to the saving knowledge of Christ. He has also led Way and myself back to True Life BPC, that we may continue to take better care of my parents as they grow in the Lord.

Thank God for His salvation, so rich and free, for His enduring mercies, for His grace which is our sufficiency. May He be merciful to my husband, William (Way’s dad) as we continue to labour in prayer for his salvation in God’s time. May He help us to trust Him daily, to be obedient as we wait upon Him. To God be the glory, Great things He had done!

No Longer Anxious

My name is Way Tan, and I am a 16 year-old student. For the last three years, my mum and I have been worshipping in Berean B-P Church. We thank God for the blessed fellowship we had in Berean, and especially for the opportunity to serve in some ministries. Apart from meeting many brethren in Christ, I personally thank God for the opportunity to serve in the music ministry in Berean.

After many years of prayer, I thank God that my grandparents accepted our invitation to visit Calvary Pandan B-P Church. While they were relatively comfortable there, the Chinese and English services were at different times, and my mum and I were concerned that they would be too tired to fully focus. Thus, we brought them to True Life B-P Church, where the English and Chinese Services are concurrent. We thank God that they felt very comfortable with the order of worship and the general characteristics of True Life. Because of this, we decided to settle into True Life B-P Church. We continue to pray for the Lord to enable us to take good care of them as we worship in True Life from now onwards.

“I am no longer anxious about anything, as I realise that He is able to carry out His will for me. It does not matter where He places me, or how. That is for Him to consider, not me. For in the easiest positions, He will give me grace; and in the most difficult ones, His grace is sufficient.” (Hudson Taylor). Janey & Way Tan