Mr. L was a grandpa who was able to get around with a walker when I first met him. Over the past few months his health has been deteriorating, but throughout the time God gave us opportunities to share with him about God's heart.
Language seemed like a huge barrier to me because Cantonese gospel words aren't in my vocabulary and I only knew basic everyday Cantonese words. Most Sunday, I had tried to share the gospel with him and had always started off with "Hey have you ever heard of who Jesus is?" I would try to say it with the best Canto gospel vocab I could think of, but that ended up with him being confused.
One Sunday after the struggle of trying to share, I decided to play an audio track from our church called Sharing the Gospel in Cantonese. After hearing the track, he started talking about his time as a student in Toisan and the different tones he had to learn, which made him laugh to the point of tears coming out of his eyes .
Mr. L grew weaker after that, so another volunteer L and I visited him the first day he was admitted to hospice care. That day I asked him "Do you know that God loves you?" and he said yes. I then asked him if he knew who Jesus is, but he said no. L then told me to share John 3:16 with him. After that I had asked him if he wants to have a relationship with God--"yeah of course!" was his response, and does he know that Jesus came to die for him-"yeah".
The following week L and I saw that his health had worsened. I asked him the same questions again: Does he know that God loves him? Do you want a relationship with God? Do you know that God sent Jesus to die for you? All of the responses we got were yes, but he was still going in and out of sleep. I told him God forgives him and I asked if I could pray for him and he said yes.
Then on Monday night some other volunteers and I were able to get a clearer confirmation. S, who knew Cantonese better, asked if he knows that God loves him and that He created him, or if Mr. L sees himself as someone who sinned against God and that Jesus came to die for him, and finally if Mr. L wanted a relationship with God. All of his responses was a clear yes! Afterwards S got to pray for him and share Romans 8:38-39 and we got to sing "Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus” to him.
The Gospel in Cantonese
