About a year and a half ago, a few friends and i went to Bintan Island during the December holidays for a short vacation. Upon our arrival at Bintan Lagoon Resort on the buggy, i saw a sign stating that a church was having their short R&R trip there as well. Oh, all right, cool, i thought.
The next morning when my 3 other friends and i went down for the complimentary buffet breakfast, the place was brimming! We did however find an empty table near a family of 6 and settled down. All 4 of us decided to go grab food at the same time, leaving our only belonging- a camera (we just thought it was safe) by the seat against the wall, and under the table cloth.
No one would know that table is taken unless he lifts up the cloth; there were no reserved sign nor anything else on the table either.
No one would know that table is taken unless he lifts up the cloth; there were no reserved sign nor anything else on the table either.
I was then the first out of my friends to return to the table with my breakfast. As the seating area was a level beneath the food section, i could see everything clearly while the people below would not actually be looking up unless they wanted to.
Just as i was taking my first few steps down, I saw the man from our nearby table standing and waiting as his family prepared to go. Very casually and thinking that our table was empty, he reached out and grabbed a napkin from one of our seats for his own use (considering his own table was messy with children and all).
I did not feel anything as i knew it was a complete overlook, cos NO ONE would know that the table is taken since everything was still untouched save for the camera under the table cloth.
I did not feel anything as i knew it was a complete overlook, cos NO ONE would know that the table is taken since everything was still untouched save for the camera under the table cloth.
However, a few seconds later when i reached the end of the steps and standing by my table with a plate in my hands, this man looked at me and started apologizing profusely and with all sincerity.
“Oh gosh this is your table! I’m so sorry, i didn’t know this table was taken and i took the napkin! Im sorry, please, let me get a waiter to replace it.” There was a few seconds of fluster that filled this man’s face, but it only serves to tell me how genuine he is.
“Oh gosh this is your table! I’m so sorry, i didn’t know this table was taken and i took the napkin! Im sorry, please, let me get a waiter to replace it.” There was a few seconds of fluster that filled this man’s face, but it only serves to tell me how genuine he is.
And all i could manage to say was “It’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok.”
When really deep down, with a man of stature towering over me AND apologizing to me this way, all i wanted to say was,
“it’s all fine, Pastor Kong.”
“it’s all fine, Pastor Kong.”
This experience is etched in my mind forever. And i mean forever.
When no one is looking, and when no one would blame him, this man watched his own actions and lived a life of virtue.
He didn’t know I’ve been a member of his church since i was 11; he didn’t know i was baptized in his church; he didn’t know i’ve spent my saturday evenings in church so much that i would feel like a fish out of water if i was anywhere else; he didn’t know the table was taken.
You would say “it’s just a napkin!” and oh, am i glad you said that!
Because it is exactly that, a napkin, that impacted and caused me to be utterly speechless. If a man who would apologize profusely and i could see something almost like panic flush his face over a napkin, what else can i say about his faithfulness in things and people?
When no one is looking, that’s when our true character is on display. And i happened to be “God” overlooking literally from the steps above.
This is the man i know from afar, and this is the man that i would trust like its family. And when its family, nothing else matters other than the fact that i am standing there together, all through.
This is the Pastor Kong i know, the man who has walked the narrow way to path a road for us behind. And im writing about a man, as real as us, but has definitely sacrificed more than most of us did for anyone.
The church houses and trains up more people so that someone holds onto my hand, holds my wounds, before the medicine and healing came. These are the ones who merely administrates and guides us the way to recovery while we, ourselves, discover and make a decision for a better life. Can we put a value to their sacrifices?
Most importantly, these are perfect strangers who held my hand.
Thank you Pastor Kong. For leading and training people to touch even more. Because right now, I cannot deny the resurrection if i have been risen from the dead.
Yang,
E495
SOT Team 3, 2012
“Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.” 1 John 4:11-12