In this testimony, which the church heard on Sep 4 and 5, Lee Tat Haur and his wife Naomi, both City Harvest Church members, share their experience serving the elderly.
“I first joined City Harvest Church in 1995 but was overseas till 2001 after I completed my studies in Japan. My wife is currently a CHC staff working as a Japanese interpreter and I am an architect. Both of us lead a Japanese cell group,” says Lee Tat Huar.
“During our early days in CHC, we heard so much about Church Without Walls. I remember Pastor Kong (Hee, CHC’s senior pastor) said during one meeting, that we do not need a reason to help those who are in need.
“I started to understand the needs of the elderly especially after the passing of my father sometime in the beginning of this year. My wife and I, together with my siblings, became the caregivers for my elderly mother. Naomi and I found out that the elderly can feel lonely particularly after the passing of their spouse, even when they have other family members or children. So, when we heard about Pastor Kong’s sharing in August, we really wanted to do something to serve the elderly people in whatever capacity we can.”
“Yes, and so we shared with our Japanese cell group about being a part of Church Without Walls. Our members were so excited that we can contribute something to the local community even as foreigners in Singapore and despite language maybe being an issue! Without further delay, we signed up for the house cleaning project together as a cell group,” Naomi, Tat Huar’s wife, added.
TOUCHING THE LIVES OF THE ELDERLY
“We went to a one-room rental flat in Toa Payoh for the first time. Dialect service staff, Justin brought us to Madam Chua Teng Yoke’s flat. Mdm Chua is already 83 years old. We greeted her but she speaks only Hokkien, which Naomi and I do not understand. We are thankful to Justin who helped us interpret!” Tat Huar continued.
“We learned that although she has a son, her son seldom visits. She has been living alone in that unit for about 30 years. Five months ago, she had a fall and fractured her right arm. She was just discharged from the hospital just a few weeks ago. So, her arm is still weak, and she cannot carry heavy things or do any household chores like mopping the floor. Before cleaning her house, the three of us laid our hands on her to pray for her healing. She was very happy. I swept and mopped the floor, wiped the furniture while Naomi gave the bathroom a thorough cleaning. We cleaned up the dirt and dust that had accumulated and made sure Mdm Chua has a clean home to live in. To us, what we did was just a simple task but Madam Chua was very touched and kept thanking us in Hokkien—’kam sia, kam sia’, which means ‘Thank you!’.”
Naomi giving Mdm Chua’s bathroom a thorough cleaning.
Naomi shared, “After that first house cleaning, we shared our experience with our Japanese cell group members and encouraged them to learn simple Hokkien through YouTube so that we would be able to communicate in simple Hokkien with Madam Chua the next time. I have also started to learn “li ho”, “wa e mia si Naomi”. We thank God that He has given us this opportunity to touch people’s lives in this way. Our Lord Jesus said that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Truly if we avail ourselves to His command, both of us really felt that we were so blessed and could spend a very meaningful Sunday afternoon.”
