We Belong to the Lord

3rd January 2007, Wednesday

“For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord (Romans 14:7-8).”

For the last few days, I have been busy taking care of domestic and organizational matters regarding Rev Li. I am grateful to Father God for the three days of holiday. It has allowed me some emotional down time. However, because I had to write an article in memory of him to be published in a commemorative booklet, my tears would flow non-stop whenever the scenes of the past were replayed. Close brothers, sisters and colleagues have been invited to contribute to this booklet, expressing their thoughts and remembrances of him. Because of the limitations of the size of the booklet and the short deadline, we could not accommodate all those who love him; however, you can express your feelings towards him through the blog or email me. The Mission to New Arrivals is planning the memorial service, so please refer to the Home Page of the Ministry.

As I was going through his pictures, I found that Rev Li was a very joyful person. He was only less cheerful in the past three months of pain and sickness. God’s timing is perfect. Rev Li used the last three months to settle all relational matters with regard to family and friends, to express his vision to the church - his choice of God’s presence and His glory and most of all, to fulfill his last wish which was the dedication of the Fan Ling village school which the Lord had directed him for the development of the next generation. Indeed, he has lost much sleep over the struggle for this school during the three months of July to September.

For us, the most precious time was the three days of Christmas home-leave (23-25 December) that he was able to spend with us. That was also the last time he was home. In the following three days, he had repeatedly experienced times of great intimacy with the Lord. On the last day in the final hour before he left us, his breathing became quick and shallow, but he was determined to persevere until he could see his children who were on the way one last time, then he expired peacefully.

Mrs Li

email: kinwli@gmail.com