Dear brothers and sisters,
For so many years, I only heard of Tawau; and now I see her with my own eyes. Praise the Lord for the strong presence of Jesus there at the third largest town of Sabah. Church of different denominations like Anglican, Roman Catholic, Calvary, Basel, Baptist and SIB really make their presence felt there! There are about 40,000 Chinese and the church attendance of Chinese is about 5,000. There are a lot more fish to be caught. Besides, there are a great population of Indonesians, Malays and local indigenous people living there.
My Mission
For the first time I was there. In the past I read much about her in the newspaper only; and heard of people going there and coming from there. Lots of Sarawakians worked there and settled down. Many of them become successful and own businesses and properties. Some who are committed Christians really make a difference for Jesus by taking up church leadership positions in different denominations.
I was invited to be the speaker for the Sabah Provisional Annual Conference East District Methodist Junior Youth Fellowship retreat speaker. I preached on ‘Living Together With Love’ in mandarin to 24 creative, active, sociable and exciting junior youths. I shared about my love story with the first girl friend and the last girl friend, both the first and the last is my wife. I shared about how I trusted Jesus in my relationship with my girl friend. I encouraged them to do likewise. I preached about how to love one another in Christ; emphasizing on admitting our wrongs; and how to ask for forgiveness. I also emphasized very much on building all our Christian characters on love. They were challenged to practice those Christ like characters in their daily lives. I enjoyed fellowship with the youths in our private conversations.
I pray that Jesus will raise many pastors, missionaries, God fearing professionals, church leaders and impactful leaders in society from this group of young people.
I also preached in the morning and night services at Holy Grace Methodist church on ‘Preaching Christ and Him Crucified’ based on 1Corinthians 1:18-25. I challenged them to focus on the sacrifice made by Jesus on the cross and learn from Him to make sacrifices so that others also learn to love Jesus like us. I enjoyed the great fellowship with Rev Sia Howe Ding and church leaders. Praise the Lord I was able to be at Rev Sia’s house (parsonage) and prayed for the family; and also prayed for his church members also. When we met over meals and fellowship, we shared some humours and mutual encouragements.
Meeting Brother Pau, Husband of My Late Teacher, Sister Lau
I got the chance of my life time in meeting my primary school teacher’s (late sister Lau) husband, bro Pau Kiew Kiong. The last time I met him was when he dropped off his wife at school when I was primary one! Now, after more than 40 years we met again!
This is a great family who serve Jesus as a family. (Brother Paul confessed that after she left, they really felt they missed serving God as a family. This showed the strong bond they had as a lovely family. This act touched me very much as I need to learn from them) When I was in Primary One, I was taught by late sister Lau. I remember she was real strict, committed and serious in her teaching. I was really scared of her. There was one time I said a bad word in class, and she heard it. She ordered me to go and wash my mouth in the toilet. I was made to be aware that speaking bad words is unacceptable.
Eventually, I met her after so many years in early 2000 during an East Malaysia Methodist Conference at Sibu Masland Methodist Church. I was sitting next to her and I recognized her. I immediately told her I was her student and I was a pastor then! I believed she was encouraged as she smiled and shared with me how she was serving in the ladies fellowship. After reading the 21st Anniversary magazine of Holy Grace Methodist Church, I also discovered she and brother Pau were very committed to Jesus in the church. I am also very encouraged to know the couple has also produced a pastor, their son, who is ministering in Singapore with his wife.
What a chance I experienced in meeting my late teacher’s husband, Brother Pau. We had 2 meals together and we did not discover my student-teacher relationship with his wife. He did share about how his pastor son missed his mom but I never linked it to my teacher. I knew she passed away in the Methodist Message. Only after brother Lee Sui Muk (who brought me to see churches, key buildings and housing areas of Tawau; and this is my wish coming true), the LCEC chairman of Holy Grace, showed me his testimony in the 21st anniversary magazine, then, I saw her picture in the cover page, then, I started to ask for the name of my teacher’s husband. And they said it is bro Pau Yew Kiong (in his 60s) whom I did not realize in my 2 earlier encounters over the meals. He is so cheerful, humorous, committed to church ministry (a church leader and ministering to senior brothers and sisters); and all the time encouraging and challenging me to serve in Tawau! He always tried to link our conversations to getting me to serve in Tawau. As we talked about it and other things, we laughed and laughed. He even apologized to me if he had hurt me in any way. I said it was not at all as I knew it was all his sense of humour.
Brother Pau and family are moving on happily with life and ministry despite the loss of their beloved wife and beloved mother. I pray that Jesus will continue to bless them with good health, strong faith, love and joy to serve and live for Christ.
Holy Grace Methodist Church
Praise the Lord for the 200 strong congregations who built the church since 1983. So far, they have planted 3 Mandarin churches and 1 BM preaching point far and near. They have produced 2 pastors who are still very much serving Jesus. They are running a kindergarten with about 70 children. Though this is not a huge congregation, they are trying their best to be faithful to Jesus in making disciples and to be good stewards to God’s resources. They faced the great challenges of great mobility but the faithful pastors have always done their best with the church leaders and lay people.
I pray that Jesus continues to empower them to reach out to the lost both among the Chinese and the indigenous people of Tawau; and especially among the poor, marginalized and the outcasts.
A Faithful Disciple of Jesus,
Pastor Law Hui Seng
(KK, STS, 20th August, 2012)
Posted By Teresa Han
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