It was Totally Worth It!

Through our church planting project in Bergen, we got to know Tony, an exchange student from Hong Kong. Being a natural leader, he brought a group of friends to our home for hearty meals and Bible studies. It was then we realized that all these young people grew up in the church but were never baptized.

After we prayed for them, the Spirit prompted us to conduct a series of classes for them to deepen their relationship with Jesus while they are in Norway. We shared the vision God has given us at the end of our first class with them. We were surprised that every one of them had secretly decided that they were not going to go back to church after they returned to Hong Kong, but these classes changed their mind.

Things changed quickly after COVID-19 hits Europe.

Tony became very sick. After three doctor visits, he was diagnosed with pneumonia and his test result of COVID-19 was negative. One Friday afternoon we brought few of our mentorees to visit him, bring food, and pray. The next day, we felt the Spirit’s prompting, so we visited him again with more food and prayers. Tony got a little better but was still very sick. Two days later, an ambulance went to Tony’s residence and he was informed that there was a mistake on his COVID-19 test result, he was a confirmed case. Since we were in close contact with him, our 14-day quarantine began.

In the beginning of the quarantine, we were stressed when contacting the parents of our mentorees. Soon, it turned into a peaceful and joyful quarantine. We remained in contact with Tony through online platforms to encourage and pray for him. Tony’s response changed from “I’m so sick, pray for me!” to “I am so hungry!”

Tony experienced God’s healing and is fully recovered. He is getting ready to go back to Hong Kong because schools are closed until the end of the semester. The best part is that Tony has decided to be baptized!

Our brothers and sisters who are frontline medical staffs told us that it would take a miracle for us not to be infected. We did not know that we are miracles! In exchange for a young man’s dedication to the Lord, all of this was totally worth it!

Praise God that Tony is healed, and that Glen and Ivy were not infected. Pray for Tony as he deepens his relationship with the Lord.