Ah Soh knew in his heart that his birthday was important. He would be 50 years old. His friend came into his tiny one room flat. Ah Soh was not the kind of person to host a party. He did not have the money!
For him, whatever little money he earned as a coffee shop assistant was just enough to make end meets. On some of the occassions, he could not even meet his end meets. On such occassions, he needed to seek financial and material help from his church. Fortunately for him, his church members were still quite ready to help Ah Soh tide through his difficult moments.
Ah Soh wanted to be a pastor. He wanted to preach for Jesus so much, so much. But he was not born during biblical times. In those days, anyone could be a pastor. Peter and most of Jesus' disciples were uneducated people!
In Singapore, a person needed to attend a bible college to be able to preach, officially. Ah Soh could not be a pastor. He was not smart in his studies. He failed his PSLE. Going to a bible college was an impossible dream for him.
Still, Ah Soh wanted to tell his friends about Jesus. All his uneducated friends. All of them who spoke Hokkien like him. All of them who could not speak proper english. So he saved up his money, little by little. He cut down on his food. He wore the same clothe, year after year, without buying new ones. He walked to his church instead of taking buses. He tried his best to cut down on his transport cost.
Finally, he had just enough money to host a birthday party. And that was what he did.
"Ah Soh, happy birthday!" His friends greeted him one by one. When all of his friends were in his house and they were done with eating, Ah Soh got them to sit in a circle. He spoke about Jesus passionately to his friends. He spoke on and on, ignoring the occassional mockeries that came from his unbelieving friends.
His friends left his home, seemingly unchanged and unmoved. But in Jesus' eyes, unknowingly to Ah Soh or the church in Singapore, Jesus saw a pastor. This pastor was uneducated. This pastor could only speak in Hokkien. This pastor did not win a single soul. This pastor preached only 1 sermon during his entire life for Jesus.
Still, in Jesus' eyes, he saw and smiled at pastor Soh.
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My writing is mostly from a Singapore Christian perspective, and the setting of my story is usually in Singapore.
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- Chong Shipei
- Some says God is real, some says God is not. Some asks me, "Dear XXX, do you think God is real or not." I laugh and I smile, and I give them no answer, what a foolish question to ask me, when God talks and walks with me, everyday of my life. I am puzzled by the people, looking at them, I stand amazed, why are people trying so hard to prove or disprove someone that is just beside me all the times. True, I cannot see His face. True, I cannot touch His hands. But I thought I can feel His heart beating every single moment of my life. When I am sad, I feel He is sad. When I laugh, He laughs with me. When I am scared, He says, "Hush, don't fear." When I am bad, He is not afraid to discipline me. But no matter what, God is just there besides me, like a Father, like a brother, like a friend, a master and a husband, every moment of my life. And I think I know Him even if I do not see His face, I can feel He is there with me, every moment, indeed!