How Beautiful Are Those Footsteps That Accompany Others

Before my March sabbatical leave was over, I was moved to visit the faces that appeared in my personal prayers. I drove alone in this journey of north Peninsula. How this trip came about? I really can’t figure it out either. After crossing the East-West Highway to East Coast and approaching 2,000 kilometers mileage, I found that the people I had deliberately visited all the way were friends who were on the verge of death, suffering from terminal diseases or receiving hospice care. All the way, I listened to their stories of how they had fight against stubborn diseases, or how they had to make adjustment in lives in order to cope with issues of life and death, I was glad the I had obeyed to the prompting of Holy Spirit to visit them, otherwise I’ll miss those golden moments of heart-to-heart sharing and in return my sharing with them the “chicken soup for the soul”.

On my way back, when I reflected and reorganised my thought on friends and co-workers’ journey of tears and grace, it’s not hard to notice that these warriors of life have some (or at least one) angels by their side. These angels can be spouses, children, relatives, or not blood related friends like pastor, CG member, medical worker, or even a food deliverer who shows up regularly. Perhaps these angels may not know that, their presence and companies, the time they spent which they took effort to arrange, had left a mark of grace in the lives of those who were battling with illnesses. All these seemingly insignificant actions such as offering meals, hospital visits, praying and caring for patients after vomiting have deeply touched my friends who have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. I believe that these acts of kindness and silent company also touched Abba Father in heaven!

During this trip, I inadvertently invited several teachers who participated in the 7979 after-school  Companionship Class to dinner. As they casually talked about the time they spent with the children, I noticed that their eyes were full of love, and sparkle with tears. They told me that they still keep in touch with those children who had graduated and left the class for secondary school. They shared their children’s transformation from no interest in learning to study hard, from profanity to humility and politeness, from being afraid to dream to dare to talk about “their future is not a dream”. There was one Companionship Class teacher, he even told me that last year he visited a community of refugees that hit by a flood, when he saw how helpless those children were, he immediately had a vision to set up a cross-cultural Companionship Class. In 2022, the BM version of Companionship Class was indeed born.

Working together with partner churches since 2012, HISTEAM has entered its 10th year of launching of Companionship Class for under privileged children. The initial intention was hoping that urban grassroots families who could not afford to send their children to tuition centers could send their children to nearby 7979 Holistic Care Station. These under privileged families were not only financially stretched, but also do not have the time to accompany and guide their children in their studies, as they live from hand to mouth. The two years of lockdown and movement control caused by this long pandemic did not hold us from accompanying the under privileged children. Many Companionship Classes also switch to online class in line with the lockdown SOP. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and respect to all the volunteers who have taken on the role of teacher for Companionship Class. Thank you for your years of quiet dedication and company. For this decade, you have benefited thousands of children and their families. God will remember!

Behold, how beautiful and good are the footsteps that accompany!
Heavenly Father! Whether I’m at the highs or the lows,
Thank you for being there and staying with me all the time.
Holy Spirit please empowers me to do the same for those you have led to me.
Amen.