Just In Time - Mr. Tong's Story

Having faith in God helps us get through what we’re going through, especially the tough times. Just ask Mr. Tong and his family from Saddleback Hong Kong.
Mr. Tong had been terminally ill for many months. Recently, he accepted Christ into his life, and his family followed his commitment and accepted Christ shortly after. The Tong family was transformed by their commitment. By accepting Jesus’ free gift of salvation, they were given a forgiven past, a purpose for living, and a home in heaven.

As a symbol of their new faith, Mr. Tong and his family planned to get baptized on the last Sunday of February 2014. The Saddleback Hong Kong family cheered on this decision, and the Tong family looked forward to getting baptized as a public symbol of their commitment to Jesus.
The excitement soon turned to fear and anxiety. Monday night before the scheduled baptism, Mr. Tong had an emergency and had to be rushed to the hospital. Due to Mr. Tong’s serious state of health, he had to be hospitalized for several days. On Friday, his condition improved, and the hospital released him. During this difficulty, Mr. Tong and his family had faith and trust in God that He was watching over him and taking care of him.

Unfortunately, on the very next day, Mr. Tong developed a fever of 101 degrees and was told by his doctor that if his temperature rose to 102.5 degrees, he would have to be hospitalized again. When Saddleback Hong Kong’s core team heard about Mr. Tong’s current health situation, they came together to pray for his quick recovery and for his health to be restored.
The next morning, Sunday, Mr. Tong’s fever miraculously went away, and his temperature returned to normal. God showed his power again and performed another miracle that otherwise could have turned the Tong family upside down. The whole Tong family was able to go to church and attend the service. The entire church greeted Mr. Tong and prayed for him and his family.
After the service, the Tong family went to get baptized. When the time came for the Tong family’s baptism, Mr. Tong was the first to go. He climbed up the five foot ladder slowly, all by himself, to get to the baptism pool. As he got in, the rest of the Tong family joined him in the baptism pool. After all the family members publically declared their faith in Jesus, they were individually baptized. In this holy moment, more than 200 Hong Kong members witnessed the Tong family’s baptism and happily cheered and sang in celebration.

This past Monday, Mr. Tong’s illness overcame his body. He passed away. Although full of mourning and grief, his family has great peace about his passing because they know he’s now with Jesus in Heaven. The Tong family has learned a great deal about life and God during this season. The look forward to seeing Mr. Tong again in Heaven, but in the meantime, they are pursuing their life’s purpose with the same faith and endurance Mr. Tong had.

Click here to learn more about Class 101 and getting baptized at Saddleback.