This Tuesday morning, I climbed up as usual to the eleventh floor to chat with Jagan in her office until half past eight. I asked her where she had bought the autobiography because I would like to have the book of my own. She recommended the Christian bookstore "Su Fes" which was nearby.
"Is it within the walking distance?"
"It's not far. But that shop is in a one-way street. If you drive from here, you'll have to make a big turn. Since you like walking, just use the direct way."
Then she drew a map for me to indicate the location. After my core office hours at 3pm, I headed towards my destination on foot, leaving behind the map. Walking up flights of stairs was not a problem to me, let alone strolling along two streets. It was easy to locate "Su Fes" inside a complex which I had passed by several times before with my car.
When I pushed the door and stepped into the bookstore, there were only a shopkeeper and a boy in school uniform. I wandered around without a strong intention to buy any books, until I stopped in front of a rack of Chinese books at a discount of 80%. It was next to the counter. The lady sitting there said to me, "These are good books at a very low price. They're worth buying."
After glancing through all the titles, I pulled out a book which had attracted my attention. Next, I requested the shopkeeper to get me a Bible in a version which I felt would definitely serve my evangelical missions a lot but that I had not been able to obtain from another Christian bookstore last year. Then, I also acquired a copy of Rick Warren's best seller "The Purpose Driven Life", which was often mentioned in the emails I had received lately. When all the books were placed at the counter, I felt that those were the ones God wanted me to read in the following weeks.
"This is the first time I come here."
"Is it?"
"My colleague introduced me here. She is one of your customers."
"Where are you working?"
"The Yayasan building on the Hang Tuah boulevard. I only have classes in this city campus on Tuesdays. Most of the time I'm teaching in Alor Gajah..."
"..."
"Have you just known our Lord?"
"Actually I had been knowing the Lord since I was small. But only last year I started to get serious with Him. God was very patient to wait for me to repent."
"God must love you very much!" A broad smile spread over her face.
"Yes! Are you free to listen to my story?"
"Sure! I'm always glad to learn how others were saved."
This kind of joy is universal in God's family. Brothers and sisters in Christ never get bored with one another's testimonies. We are always excited to learn how God, by treating each of us as a unique creature, has touched our hearts in all different ways.
So, I summarized my life with the Christ in a few minutes.
"God really loves you very much!" The lady seemed to be impressed by my sharing.
"Now my main concern is my mother." I also told her about the encounter with XM with Mum's presence last Saturday.
"Some people will truly seek God when they're close to death. My mother-in-law was saved by the Lord when she was very sick. She was not a believer at that time. You know, sometimes when we pray, we hear God's voice. One day, while my husband and I were holding our hands together to pray for her healing, both of us suddenly heard "Malaya University Hospital". It was very clear from God. The next day, we rushed my mother-in-law to the specialists there in Kuala Lumpur and she was completely healed. She was so grateful that she knelt down to thank God and believed in Jesus. Now more than twenty years are over, she's very healthy. God has His own timing. We're just to be patient."
"I always pray for her. I can see that God opens her heart more and more."
"Don't preach Jesus so much to her, but live Jesus' preaching by honouring her and treating her well, so that she is the one to be curious to find out how good our God is."
"I agree with you. Now I don't argue with her to make her angry. I think she sees how God has tamed my hot temper. Once she even told me that she could accept my God, but she wasn't able to give up the ancestor worship."
"Just let her know little by little that we only worship the greatest God who is above all. God wants us to treat our parents with good food when they're alive, not when they're gone. When I was small, my mother gave me Dumex milk powder. Now she's old, we buy the best milk powder for her to drink. A tin costs seventy over ringgits, much more expensive than the one for children. But as long as that can keep her healthy, we don't mind the high price. Some people are stingy with their parents when they're around. After the elders die, then only they spend a lot of money to buy things to worship them..."
"..."
It was going to be 5pm. During more than one hour of our conversation, nobody else entered the bookstore. When I finally planned to settle the payment, customers began to enter.
"Thank God I didn't disturb your business just now. People are coming now when I'm leaving."
"Don't worry. God knows when to send people."
"Nice to meet you and know your shop, Sister SY. I'll come again. God bless you!"
"Su Fes" was in Melaka since seven years ago, and I, more than five years ago. This year, God had arranged the right time to send the sparkle between us.
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