Page 70 - Malayan Story
P. 70
MALAYAN STORY
CHAPTER 22 BLESSINGS AND BAPTISMS
Because Sungei Way was not far from us, Percy was often asked to go out and preach and teach there. In
February 1954 we were invited to the missionaries’ home for an evening meal together with Mr. and Mrs.
Yang. Mr. Tang had an interesting story to tell. His son worked in a tin mine. One day he was caught in the
dredge and was pulled out more dead than alive. They called Mr. Yang and when he saw his son, he had no
colour in his cheeks and he felt sure he was dead. He closed his eyes and prayed, “Oh God, please save my
boy, please save my boy.” As he opened his eyes again he saw the colour come back into his son’s cheeks,
and his eyelids moved a little. At the same time his lips that looked as if they were never going to speak
again moved a little as he murmured something. It was not long before he was home again. The wonderful
thing to Mr. Yang was that God heard and answered his prayer without anybody else to help or advise.
Mrs. Yang also had a story of answered prayer. She had burned her idols publicly a week before and while
visiting the home of a friend, she had found the family very downcast because their young daughter-in-law
was seriously ill and had been taken to the hospital. Mrs. Yang said, “I’m going to pray for her”, and then
and there she prayed. Within a week the young woman had been discharged and sent home. Everybody in
the village knew it was Jesus who had healed her.
7 March 1954 was a significant day in the history of the Sungei Way church. Someone made them a tin box
which was covered in white paper and a slit made in the top. This box was placed in a prominent position
and during the service eyes kept turning again and again towards it. Even before the service began, Mrs.
Yang’s small daughter, bright and clean in a pink and white spotted frock, could wait no longer. She ran to
the front and dropped her coin with a joyful clatter into the box.
This was the first time they had ever taken up a collection. The rest of the congregation waited until the end
of the service and, at the invitation, went forward and placed their gifts in the box too. The small son of the
candle maker who lived next door, watched for a moment and then ran quickly out the door and back to his
home. Just as everybody was settling back in to their seats again, he came back flourishing a ten cent piece
triumphantly, ran down the aisle and dropped it into the box. The gifts amounted to $27 and there was a real
atmosphere of “joyful giving” as it was handed over to Ian Morrison of the Bible Society who was visiting
them on that day.
Following the visit of Paul Contento and his team, there were baptisms in a number of villages as those who
had come to the Lord at that time were led on in the study of the Bible and came to realise that the Lord’s
message to them was, “Believe and be baptized.” Most of them had never heard of adult baptism or seen a
service of baptism by immersion, but they felt that they wanted to take this next step in the Christian life
whatever it meant. They approached Dr. Pearce, who agreed to baptise them, but suggested that in future
they themselves should take responsibility for baptising new Christians. So the seed was sown for them to
become an independent and self-propagating church and as this vision began to take hold, they put money
aside for the erection of their own church building.
Sungei Way was the first to have baptisms after the evangelistic team returned to Singapore. We were
privileged to be there on that special day. Percy and I drove out after lunch, taking with us Mr. Lo and
Pastor Lien of the Baptist Church. We all met for a short service at the missionaries’ home which Percy led.
He then read out the names of the four men and six women who had been accepted for baptism.
After the meeting we all got into cars and drove back along the road to where there was a tin mine. Avery
70
CHAPTER 22 BLESSINGS AND BAPTISMS
Because Sungei Way was not far from us, Percy was often asked to go out and preach and teach there. In
February 1954 we were invited to the missionaries’ home for an evening meal together with Mr. and Mrs.
Yang. Mr. Tang had an interesting story to tell. His son worked in a tin mine. One day he was caught in the
dredge and was pulled out more dead than alive. They called Mr. Yang and when he saw his son, he had no
colour in his cheeks and he felt sure he was dead. He closed his eyes and prayed, “Oh God, please save my
boy, please save my boy.” As he opened his eyes again he saw the colour come back into his son’s cheeks,
and his eyelids moved a little. At the same time his lips that looked as if they were never going to speak
again moved a little as he murmured something. It was not long before he was home again. The wonderful
thing to Mr. Yang was that God heard and answered his prayer without anybody else to help or advise.
Mrs. Yang also had a story of answered prayer. She had burned her idols publicly a week before and while
visiting the home of a friend, she had found the family very downcast because their young daughter-in-law
was seriously ill and had been taken to the hospital. Mrs. Yang said, “I’m going to pray for her”, and then
and there she prayed. Within a week the young woman had been discharged and sent home. Everybody in
the village knew it was Jesus who had healed her.
7 March 1954 was a significant day in the history of the Sungei Way church. Someone made them a tin box
which was covered in white paper and a slit made in the top. This box was placed in a prominent position
and during the service eyes kept turning again and again towards it. Even before the service began, Mrs.
Yang’s small daughter, bright and clean in a pink and white spotted frock, could wait no longer. She ran to
the front and dropped her coin with a joyful clatter into the box.
This was the first time they had ever taken up a collection. The rest of the congregation waited until the end
of the service and, at the invitation, went forward and placed their gifts in the box too. The small son of the
candle maker who lived next door, watched for a moment and then ran quickly out the door and back to his
home. Just as everybody was settling back in to their seats again, he came back flourishing a ten cent piece
triumphantly, ran down the aisle and dropped it into the box. The gifts amounted to $27 and there was a real
atmosphere of “joyful giving” as it was handed over to Ian Morrison of the Bible Society who was visiting
them on that day.
Following the visit of Paul Contento and his team, there were baptisms in a number of villages as those who
had come to the Lord at that time were led on in the study of the Bible and came to realise that the Lord’s
message to them was, “Believe and be baptized.” Most of them had never heard of adult baptism or seen a
service of baptism by immersion, but they felt that they wanted to take this next step in the Christian life
whatever it meant. They approached Dr. Pearce, who agreed to baptise them, but suggested that in future
they themselves should take responsibility for baptising new Christians. So the seed was sown for them to
become an independent and self-propagating church and as this vision began to take hold, they put money
aside for the erection of their own church building.
Sungei Way was the first to have baptisms after the evangelistic team returned to Singapore. We were
privileged to be there on that special day. Percy and I drove out after lunch, taking with us Mr. Lo and
Pastor Lien of the Baptist Church. We all met for a short service at the missionaries’ home which Percy led.
He then read out the names of the four men and six women who had been accepted for baptism.
After the meeting we all got into cars and drove back along the road to where there was a tin mine. Avery
70
