In November 1995, Madam Yang was admitted to the hospital with fourth stage breast cancer. Despite undergoing cancer treatments for the past two years, nothing seemed to have helped.  She was at the terminal stage and was just waiting for time to pass.  Slowly, the disease worked its way to infect the lungs and spinal cord, and she became paralyzed from the waist down. Though her life seemed almost over, Madam Yang's  journey to know God was just about to begin, despite having been a staunch Buddhist for over 30 years.  Her youngest son, Hom Tai, who had been a disciple for two years, reached out and shared his faith with her.

Madam Yang was hesitant at first but decided to give herself a chance to know Jesus, since she had heard so much but had never had a chance to study the Bible.  In fact, she had opposed her son when he wanted to become a disciple.  She was very happy to see many disciples, in particular the group of sisters from the church who consistently visited her in hospital.  The disciples sincerely reached out to her and made her feel loved and cared for.  However, after two months, she decided to stop studying the Bible because of objections from other family members.  She also had intense pain in her spine and all over her body as a result of the disease eating its way to her nerves and had to take morphine several times to ease her misery.

God was still working to reach out to Madame Yang.  After persevering much and with time running out, the sisters refused to give up and together with her son, continued the Bible studies with Madam Yang three months later.  Amazingly, despite much pain and lack of concentration, Madam Yang was ready to accept Jesus and be baptized.  This time, however, the hospital would not allow immersion in the hospital pool.   The disciples creatively covered her bed sores with tape to avoid infection and used the bathtub as a baptistery.  She was then lifted up on a bed sheet by a few brothers and immersed into the water as a disciple on the 26th of April 1996.  On the 4th of July 1996, the Lord finally decided to call Madam Yang back home to heaven.

As I looked back last month, remembering that seven years have passed since the memorable day when my mother was baptized, I was deeply grateful to God and the church for her salvation.  It was indeed a miracle to witness and be part of her conversion.  I never believed my mum would respond though I had prayed for her since I became a disciple because of her initial persecution.  Now whenever Mother's Day comes, it reminds me of the purpose God has for giving us memorable moments and that God works harder for us despite challenges.  This Mother's Day will bring me back to the level of gratitude for my own mother and for God who provided her in my life.