Last week, we heard about the Polar Story – an amazing story of how a family business can last 94 years!

Kate managed the business for about 20 years. On business and personal trips overseas, she would have divine appointments. Now, these are not prearranged, pre-planned trips. Instead, the occurrences seem to coincidental, except they happened so frequently they cannot be mere chance.

Re-tyrement

Kate is now about 82 years old. Although she’s currently retired from business, she is re-tyred – renewed to do even more for the Lord. Since 2008, the Lord has led Kate to travel to 10 countries and she’s still counting! We believe the Lord’s hand is upon her. How does the Lord lead her? What can one expect on these adventures? How I wish I could share more of Kate’s stories in her golden years, but we don’t have much time so today, we shall hear just two of these many remarkable stories.

Philippines

Kate chanced upon some cheap Singapore-Manila return flight tickets. Because this was such a good offer, she and her friend Gillian booked the tickets immediately – 3 months in advance. Besides a rough plan to meet up with their missionary friends there, tour Baguio City in the cool hills and visit the beautiful beaches and caves on Palawan Island, they didn’t have any concrete itinerary.

Then a Korean missionary in her home cell group told her of a visiting pastor who needed a place to stay while in Singapore. Kate’s home was always open to visiting missionaries so 2 weeks before her trip to the Philippines, she hosted Pastor Jong. As it turned out, Pastor Jong, besides having other leadership duties, was also in charge of 20 small churches in Baguio and Palawan! When he found out Kate and Gillian were going there, he offered to organise their trip.

The Korean missionary and another cell group member also joined in the trip so in 2 weeks, their team of 4 flew to the Philippines. In Baguio, they visited the small churches and attended a retreat for pastors and missionaries of those churches.

Kate was suddenly invited to share. Caught off guard, she asked God, “LORD, you must speak through me. I am not prepared!” God immediately gave her a message to encourage and exhort the Christian workers about God’s faithfulness and our faithfulness to Him.

Pastor Jong also arranged for them to go to Sombrero Island with 16 Korean hairdressers. Every year, these hairdressers would make time to serve God together. More than 30 people travelled in 3 flimsy boats to Sombrero Island. As it is quite common in Asia, safety was not top priority and the boats were overloaded with people. And no life jackets. Could the thin boats last the 45 minutes of choppy waters? Or would they capsize?

They reached the Island safely. Everyone helped to unload their lunch of rice, Korean kimchi, Malay fried anchovies and watermelon for more than 30 people. On the beach, under the shade of trees, the hairdressers set up chairs for to do their work.  Pastor Jong’s team shared the gospel with those having their hair cut or permed. That day, 37 island residents received Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.

Kate has many, many such stories – people she ‘happened’ to meet. One chance meeting would lead to another; one casual chat would lead to another; one situation leading to another, one person leading to another.

Even her book would at times ‘happen’ to be translated – whether she was in Korea, Vietnam or Cambodia. On quite a few occasions, people with whom she just made friends, would offer to translate and/or edit her book.

India

Kate and four friends, including Abigail (a Singaporean whom Kate met in New Zealand), went on a mission trip. They visited Chennai, Bangalore and Mumbai.  Abigail sensed that her role was to pray over everything – their plans, the people they would meet, places they would visit. She was also to listen closely to the Lord and to ask Him to show them His way.

In Chennai, Kate was asked to preach for 20 minutes at a very big church. It was so crowded that half the people sat on chairs while the rest sat on the carpet. Before service began, a thin, small woman suddenly bobbed up and down, up and down from her seat. She stared at Kate angrily, her eyes looking devilish. Kate sensed that the devil was trying to distract and upset her. Silently she prayed. Later, not one but three ladies dragged the woman out from the church.

That was not all! Just before she was about to begin, Kate was told to shorten her message from 20 to 10 minutes. She’s the guest speaker! Kate sensed that the devil was at work again. Silently, she prayed for the Lord to take over. Then she opened her mouth. Bible verses, her personal testimonies, just spilled out – the words and thoughts pouring out rapidly, clearly, forcefully – like a leaking barrel! She spoke of Jesus who is all-powerful, Jesus who is all-present, Jesus who is all-knowing. She carried on until she knew that Lord had finished His message through her. And she was most surprised at her own boldness!

From Chennai, the team travelled to Bangalore and Mumbai. In Mumbai, Kate was invited to speak to a group of pastors, church workers and missionaries.  Abigail was prompted by the Holy Spirit to make a cross, but she didn’t know why. Still, she obeyed the Holy Spirit in her heart. The next day, Kate told her she needed a teaching aid for her message. Guess what it was? You’re right – a cross! Now Abigail understood! Immediately, led by the Lord, she went into the garden and easily found two bamboo sticks and a piece of string to make a small cross!

Another teaching aid that was needed was some clay. But you know, sometimes when you need something, you simply cannot find it. The only soil she found was sand which crumbled easily in her hands. But somehow, at the very last minute, she managed to find, at the entrance of the church, damp, sticky clay that she could make into a lump.

Her third teaching aid was a plate. She needed a plate to illustrate the story of a Scottish pastor who spent years serving a church without seeing any growth. And very few people appreciated him. One Sunday as always, the offertory plate was passed around. A young boy took it and stood on it. He explained he was deeply touched by the pastor’s life. And as he didn’t have any money to put on the plate, he offered himself to the Lord. That young boy grew up to be a pioneer missionary to South Africa.

Now how was Kate going to get something that looked like an offertory plate? Well, as always, the Lord prepared and provided. Kate’s interpreter ‘happened’ to give her a gift – a beautiful tray!

And what were the teaching aids for?

Well, the cross has two bars, right? The vertical pole represents God’s relationship with us. The horizontal bar stands for the relationship between us and the people around us. Both relationships must be right and strong.

The lump of clay represents us. We are useless until and unless we hand our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, the Master Potter, who can mould, shape and fire us to transform us to be His good and faithful servants.

The offertory plate or tray is to encourage the pastors, church workers and missionaries to continue to be faithful and not to be disheartened even if they didn’t see any fruit of their labour. Like the Scottish pastor, who lived his life faithfully to God’s call, despite the tough church he was in, you never know who you might touch.

Epilogue

Everywhere that Kate goes, she takes every opportunity to share her personal and business stories of God’s faithfulness, grace and mercy, and the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Whether in big churches of 2,000 people, small churches of 200 or even that one porter who sat with her while waiting for her hotel room to be prepared, Kate would always share about what God had done in her life.

She has shared and preached in English, Mandarin and even in Cantonese on which she relies heavily on the Holy Spirit. Other times, she delivers her messages with the help of a local interpreter.

Whether she delivers prepared messages or impromptu ones, she is always open to God’s leading and ready to do His bidding. She knows she can rely on Him for everything. She has been to big cities like Tokyo and Hyderabad, or small towns like Sangubashi in Japan and Ruian in China, to hill stations like Shillong in India and beaches like Sombrero Island in the Philippines. She has spoken to pastors, church workers, missionaries, students, children, prisoners, ex-prisoners, prostitutes, Hmong refugees and their families. An Indian couple from India who went with her on a trip to India testified that God used her even in places where she did not preach – through her book.

Kate says, “I believe the key is to put God first and foremost in everything you plan or do. I never know what to expect on every mission trip I make. I only know that God would guide me and enable me to do whatever He wants me to do. It is amazing to see how He works in and through us. We are just to do what we can and help the poor and the destitute, reaching them for Christ.

While our good works cannot save us, how we treat those in need is an indicator of how genuine our faith is.”

It had always been Kate’s wish that she and Dick would serve the Lord together. But this was not to be when he died. Then a good friend wrote her a card to say, “… though Dick is no more with us, yet God has through him given you both a beautiful and wonderful story to tell. And that in your special way – you are both serving Him together.”

Indeed, through Kate’s book,  which has already been translated into 13 languages, both she and Dick can testify to God’s goodness, serving Him together all over the world.

Kate asks, “What is YOUR story? What is the Lord saying to you? Set aside a quiet space to listen to His still small voice. What is holding you back? Money? Career? Family? Freedom? Success comes not with a change of jobs. It comes with a change of life, a change of heart, and a change in the way you look at the world.

Discover the way God has wired you so that you can use your story for Him. The days are short! Let us partner together in serving our Lord JESUS CHRIST, making Him known, proclaiming the gospel whenever there is an opportunity. All we need to do is to sow the seeds and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Indeed, the second half of our lives can be even better than the first. He loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life that will allow you to do what you like and what you are good at. He simply loves to make our otherwise ordinary life into an extraordinary life for His glory. Amen.”

We have come to the end of Kate’s Sweet Memories, Sweet Success. In it, we have seen the heart of God, His love for those He has called and how He works in a life yielded to Him and His purposes. If you have enjoyed the stories, let us know your thoughts on this social media platform. Thank you so much for being with us!

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