From Tek & Goldie: We have a special place for all who have connections with the Malaysia Bible Seminary, so when Un Hui and Becky Tay turned up in Perth for a wedding, although we did not know them personally, we invited them to our fellowship group and heard their remarkable ministry with the Seafarers. Over the years, we have kept up our friendship with them. Here is Un Hui’s recent testimony.
By Tay Un Hui
I had returned home to Sydney after attending Lausanne 4 in Seoul and visiting our Mission to Seafarers Centre in Busan, South Korea. Already exhausted, I had also agreed to preach at Hornsby Chinese Anglican Church on Sunday at short notice because the pastor’s mother died and he urgently needed to make funeral arrangements.
Whilst travelling, I had fallen sick and when I arrived home, I was seriously ill. I had already committed to preach, however. It was a struggle to prepare myself for the Sunday service, but I managed to pull through.
After preaching, I was invited to stay back for lunch. A church member handed me a lunch pack so I looked for a vacant seat. As I approached the table, there were two vacant seats. Instead of sitting on the right, I somehow chose to sit on the left, next to a Chinese gentleman.
No coincidences in God’s plans
After exchanging names and pleasantries, Cai Xue Dong introduced his wife, son, daughter-in-law and mother, and informed me that they were all Christians, but he was not. I was physically tired and thinking of going home to rest but when he mentioned that he wasn’t a Christian, I suddenly sensed a surge of energy in my body.
I asked him, “Why aren’t you a Christian? Please tell me.”
He said that he doesn’t believe in life after death. This belief is known as Annihilationism: the teaching that souls of the wicked or unrepentant will cease to exist after death or after the Last Judgment, rather than undergo eternal torment in hell. “There is no coming back to life like Jesus [did],” he insisted.
I told him, “God sent me here to share the good news with you.” Slowly but surely, I explained the Gospel to him, answering his doubts and unbelief.
At the end of my sharing, I told him, “Today is the day of salvation.” Then I invited him to commit his life to Jesus. His wife, son- in-law, and several church members were listening attentively to our conversation. He paused to process my invitation and then said, “Yes.” I led him to pray the salvation prayer and followed with a prayer for God’s blessing upon his life and family.
I could see he was genuine in his decision – there was joy and excitement on his face.
After praying, Mr. Cai began telling his family members that I was truly sent by God to minister to him. He also immediately requested to have a photo taken at the altar with the wooden cross behind. All of his family members came forward for a precious photo.
I praise God for the beautiful conclusion to this divine meeting and for His anointing upon me, removing my tiredness to usher this once-reluctant father into his Heavenly Father’s family. Furthermore, I have also received the wonderful news that he will be baptised on Easter!
Rev.Tay Un Hui is the Principal Chaplain with the Mission to Seafarers in Sydney, Australia. He has just been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 DCN Australian Shipping & Maritime Industry Awards. His work with the Seafarers was covered by Asian Beacon in 2022.
