By Teresa Lim
“Before you marry, open two eyes After you marry, close one.” – Jamaican Proverb
How did you end up being a pastor’s wife?’ someone asked me one day.
That question brought me back to Gladys Alyward’s book, The Small Woman. I was given the book for Christmas when I was fifteen. Gladys was a remarkable woman missionary who served with the OMF.
Her ministry to the Chinese people was an inspiration to me. I had wept as I read about her passion for the Chinese people, her courage in speaking up to the Mandarin leaders, and her unwavering faith in the Lord. I knelt down beside my bed, eyes puffy with crying, and said to the Lord, ‘She’s not even a Chinese! I’m Chinese! Send me!’ But God had other plans.
On 1st May 1978 I met Tony at a parachurch organization while volunteering to help out with some work there. He was seated beside piles ands piles of books. He wore a white and blue checked shirt and white trousers. He introduced himself with a disarming smile and asked for my name.
‘Teresa,’ I answered politely. He held on to my hand. ‘Teresa... what?’ he asked. ‘Chen,’ I replied. What did it matter what my surname was, I fleetingly wondered.
 I had been praying for a husband. My pastor had preached many sermons on love and marriage. He had implored us the young people, ‘Start praying for a life partner now. Don’t wait until you get involved. It’ll be too late then. You won’t want to listen to God anymore.’
‘How wise,’ I thought to myself. Seated in the front pew Sunday after Sunday, I resolved to do just that. I determined to marry with both eyes open. During that time, I came across a poem, ‘The Man J Want’. The poem was written by a teenage girl looking for a husband and it was expressed as a prayer to the Lord. My heart resonated with every word.
“Dear God, I pray all unafraid
As girls are wont to be
I do not want a handsome man
But make him, Lord, like Thee.
I do not need one big and strong
Nor yet so very tall,
Nor need he be some genius
Or wealthy, Lord, at all;
But let his head be high, dear God,
and let his eye be clear,
His shoulders straight, whate’er his fate
Whate’er his earthly sphere.
And let his face have character,
A ruggedness of soul,
And let his whole life show, dear God,
A singleness of goal,
And when he comes as he will come
With quiet eyes aglow
I’ll know, dear Lord,
That he’s the man
I prayed for long ago. |
 The poet’s name was Ruth Bell. She later met and married Billy Graham.
On 1st May 1978, I met Tony. He was praying about being a pastor. I wanted to go into fulltime Christian service. Suddenly China seemed so far away.
I married Tony and became a pastor’s wife. I did not go to China. But eventually, years later, China came to me in the form of hundreds of students. That was when I taught them English in college.
Note: This is a sneak page of a book Tony and Teresa Lim are writing. Watch out for its soon release!
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