Sep 26-27, 2020
From the Pastor’s Desk: Pastor Francis ChanI still remember the summer in my first grade. In order to reward me for successfully admitting to an English elementary school in Hong Kong, my mother gave me a “Green Hornet Car” from the TV series “Green Hornet”. It was only the size of my palm. Yet it could shoot missiles made of orange plastic from the front of the car, and a detector from the trunk, also made of orange plastic. My heart was full of joy because I got a gift that I really wanted! In June 1994, I married Winnie, the love of my life. My heart was full of joy because God has blessed me with a wonderful wife that I do not deserve! In November 1997, my elder son Justin was born. When I looked at the big eyes on his cute little face, my heart was full of joy because God has blessed me with a beautiful son! In September 2018, after many twists and turns, I was finally hired by my home church as a pastor for Cantonese youth, marriage and family ministry. My heart was full of joy because God has opened a position for me to serve him! In the past year or so, I have seen the encouraging development of our Cantonese youth worship AYAYA, the birth of a new Cantonese young couples fellowship (Song of Songs Fellowship), and how I have been able to work harmoniously with my senior pastor and colleagues, and how helpful, encouraging, understanding, and accommodating they have been to me. My heart is full of joy because God has guided and blessed me in my ministry!
Looking back, I felt joyful because in God’s grace, I received his gifts, his favors, his guidance, and his blessings. In other words, I am joyful because God has made my life smooth and has blessed me in my family, my work, and my ministry.
In recent months, I have experienced things that really irritated me and even made me angry. On the one hand, it is because of the horrible collapse on the fronts of liberty, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in Hong Kong. I will not elaborate here. On the other, it is my failure to get a driving license after 2 attempts. I have been unable to drive for more than three months now, and the next road test is scheduled for March next year. Due to the epidemic, this is already the fastest date. This is grueling, to say the least. To start with, I really love driving, and I feel bad when I have to ask my sons to drive me around. As we are now in the fall and winter is coming, we will certainly have more rain and snow, which will make commuting by public transport less desirable. In fact, my family life and ministry life have been adversely affected to a great extent, as my wife does not drive and I was the only driver available when we went out, whether to serve or to run errands.
This grueling situation just triggered my reflection. Do I feel joyful only when things go well, and my heart is grateful for the goodies given to me by God? Poor me! I will end my sharing with my prayer to God, “Lord, please have mercy on me and forgive my superficiality, and my lack of faith. I pray that You will teach me to be thankful and joyful not only in “good” times but also in “bad” times. Thank you, Lord!”