With Two Ministers in the Family

An Interview with student Fong Chi-keung and his wife Wong Shui-ping

　　One afternoon in June 2006 after returning from Dongguan, Chi-keung sat down with his wife to recall God’s guidance and calling over the past few months. It was on that very day that their search for guidance came to a conclusion. Chi-keung was willing to respond to God’s calling and ready to apply to study in a seminary to serve God as a minister for the rest of his life.

The Family of Three Took an Oath Together

　　Chi-keung explains why that day of decision made was particularly meaningful to him: “That day happened to be my birthday, and I felt as if I was going through a conversion. When my wife and I frankly shared our thoughts with my six-year-old daughter Ngor-sum, she could already understand, small as she was, what it meant and expressed her support for me to study in a seminary in Hong Kong. I felt that our whole family was taking an oath before God!”

　　As early as a junior high student Chi-keung had thought of becoming a minister, but then he went on to become an engineer after university. For eight years, he stayed and worked in the Mainland. During this time, he worked indefatigably for his company and advanced steadily in his career. However, with ever increasingly heavy responsibility, he found himself working endlessly day in and day out. His Christian service, which had already become confined to Saturday, became increasingly hard to manage and even his personal quiet time was threatened. He could not stop feeling alienated from God as he struggled with a sense of spiritual woundedness.

　　Being a minister herself, Shui-ping was keenly aware of her husband’s mental struggles before he decided to quit his job. Feeling the pain Chi-keung felt in the final stages of his spiritual struggle, Shui-ping recalled: “At that time his boss rejected his resignation. He continued to seek God’s will even as he kept managing his busy schedule. He had no time for serious thinking. Even though we were miles apart, I began having the quiet times together with him over the telephone, sharing scriptures and articles from devotional literature. That was usually one or two o’clock in the morning, when he was still busy at his computer. After listening to the scriptures that I read, he was able to renew his strength. As a result, God began doing miraculous things in his life, speaking to him through the scriptures.”

　　“I became all the more eager to pray for him and began reflecting on not giving sufficient support to my husband earlier. In the past, I probably was holding on too much to my own worries. I was worried about the family’s financial situation. Convincing that my life as a minister was so busy, I worried that if my husband became a minister, our daughter would lack parental care. One Tuesday evening, I knelt down to pray, willingly I let go of my worries and submitted myself to God, letting Him be my Lord and guide…”

　　Chi-keung, being away in Dongguan, did not know that his wife had made such a prayer. However, on that same Tuesday night, God spoke to him in a strange dream. The following Saturday in Hong Kong, they shared their respective experiences which confirmed God’s calling. More than two months later, Chi-keung was admitted to study in the M.Div. Program in the Seminary.

Chi-keung’s Father Passed Away

　　In the second semester of his first year at seminary, Chi-keung’s father, who was over seventy years old, died after a relapse of cancer. Chi-keung’s father had developed cancer the year before Chi Keung entered the Seminary. At that time, Chi-keung led his father to Christ and left behind a gospel booklet for him to read. His father treasured the book very much, always keeping it by his side.

　　After coming to Christ, Chi-keung’s father continued to live on the Mainland. After he had returned to Hong Kong for medical consultation, his health deteriorated rapidly leading to his death. Before passing away, his father poured out his heart to Chi-keung, saying that he wished to die on the Mainland to save funeral expenses and reduce Chi-keung’s burden.

　　Chi-keung was deeply moved by his father’s consideration: “I was truly touched. At that moment, I began to realize why Father always insisted on staying on the Mainland. He had always wanted to save expenses and was even willing to spend his last days there. For the same reason, my mother moved to a smaller flat. My parents could not fully understand what it means to study in the seminary and could not express themselves very well. Yet all along they supported us with all their hearts. I am truly grateful to them.”

　　Chi-keung and Shui-ping were worried at first about how to make ends meet, especially since Chi-keung’s parents were getting older. It was hard to imagine how much would be spent on his father’s illness. But when Chi-keung decided to study in the seminary, God gave them peace.

　　Recalling their feelings in those days, Shui-ping said, “According to our estimation, when it came to Chi-keung’s third year at the Seminary, our economic situation might worsen. We prepared to take the final step: sell our flat. Property is a gift from God and we have been willing to give it back to Him. But now in Chi-keung’s third year of study, God’s grace is so abundant that we do not have to sell our flat.”

A Blessed Daughter

　　From the start, Chi-keung’s daughter, Ngor-sum, had also taken an oath. Nine years earlier, her mother had received God’s calling, she first was busy with her studies and then with ministering at church. Her father was stationed for long periods on the Mainland. In these three years, he is back to the family but is busy with his study and therefore unable to be always with her.

　　Chi-keung expresses some guilt, since he and Shui-ping wish to spend more time with their daughter to foster her growth. As Chi-keung sees the need to be a responsible father, he is grateful to see that God has given his wife and him a courageous, independent girl in whom they find God’s abundant grace.

　　Shui-ping is also grateful to God for having a daughter like Ngor-sum: “When she was in primary one and two, she had already learned to finish her homework herself without bothering her parents. Since her parents have not always been by her side, she has learned to treasure the time when we are together so that God allows us to enjoy the quality time that we have. As early as kindergarten, I began to teach her to pray for brothers and sisters in need in the church. Since she was very young, she has developed a heart of compassion and care for others. Although she is just nine years old, Ngor-sum has learned to rely strongly on her heavenly Father and to experience His presence. We thank God for such a mature daughter, despite the fact that she is a small girl who can still be naughty at times.”

The Love of Husband and Wife

　　There is not much leisure time together, since the husband’s and wife’s schedules do not usually match. When the wife is off on Monday, the husband is busy with seminary assignments. While the wife becomes increasingly energetic at nightfall, the husband has already grown tired with no energy left even for a leisurely chat.

　　Chi-keung said, “We still try hard to spare time to be together. For example, on Monday we cannot afford a whole day together but we can have breakfast together or take a stroll after lunch. My wife is an optimistic person, seldom complaining that I do not spend enough time with her. Instead, she always encourages me, telling me wonderful ways that God is moving the Christian brothers and sisters. Sometimes, she just enjoys telling me jokes.

　　When Shui-ping was studying in another seminary, she was busy, up to her nose, and so she could understand her husband’s situation. Just as Chi-keung has said, she could always look on the bright side: “Deep in my heart I wish my husband can be by my side more. I sometimes think: If he were not a minister, will it be better? However, he worked very hard in the past and got promotion, and yet he had no joy in his heart. It is very much different now. No matter how hard he studies, he is full of joy and energy. So long as I see him happy and so long as the whole family is also happy, I am also contented!”

　　Both Chi-keung and Shui-ping feel that on the path of ministry, God puts people together as good friends: a spiritual good friend who is willing to share at all times and give support and guidance.

Going Forward Together

　　Chi-keung will graduate this coming May, and with the coming birth of a second daughter in late April, their family – a family with two ministers – will soon be faced with new challenges.

　　Chi-keung said that he has prepared to go forward. He says, “What God has given us is far beyond our expectation, and I am willing to step onto the path of ministry with hope and faith. I also hope that my wife will continue to minister in the church even when she prepares to give birth to our second daughter.”

　　Shui-ping also expressed her wish not to quit: “In the past the more difficulties we encountered, the more we see God standing by our side. We need to experience God that way; otherwise, our life of ministry will become a pool of stagnant water.”

　　May this family with its two ministers be a source of living joy.