Dad suffered a stroke in February 2016. After five days in hospital, he walked out of the ward without aid and with just a slight impairment to his speech.

I had expected him to make a full recovery in time to come. But between 2016 and 2018, he went through many medical procedures. The most severe was a heart bypass in 2017 that saw him hospitalised for more than two months.

With each procedure, he grew physically and cognitively weaker. It wrenched my heart to witness the degeneration day after day.

I cried almost every night. Not just because I felt the helplessness that he felt in being conscious of his degrading physical and mental faculties. But also because I lamented the pointlessness of life in the face of hardship, and questioned the love of God.

Why would a God who loves allow human suffering?

In 2018, dad was hospitalised. Again. This time because of vascular dementia – a result of his stroke in 2016.

Despite the family’s best efforts, he was refusing food and drink to the point that he weighed just 49kg. 

Mr and Mrs Teng at one of their many appointments at the hospital. Mr Teng currently lives in a nursing home.

The doctor advised that it was best to commit him to a nursing home for round-the-clock professional care.

Reluctantly and with a huge burden of guilt, I placed him in a nursing home in Tampines.

Clinging to the Rock with my fingertips

It hit me that the runway to share the Gospel with my dad had been significantly shortened.

The thought that he was not going to be sound-minded enough to understand the Gospel or coherent enough to profess with his own tongue his acceptance of Christ as his personal Saviour, gave me many sleepless nights and tears of grief.

My prayers were long and conversations with God involved many difficult questions. I could not understand how salvation could be granted to the penitent criminal or the terminally ill, but perhaps not to my dad.

It did not seem fair that Dad would be given over to eternal condemnation because he was unable to coherently and knowingly repent.

I went through a year of struggling at the edge of the cliff and clinging to the cleft in the Rock with the tips of my fingers.

I drew strength from John 11 and constantly prayed that just as Jesus had called Lazarus out of his death, He would call my dad out of his dementia.

If God had power over death, then He had power over a dysfunctional brain. I also boldly asked God to grant my dad the ability to declare his acceptance of Christ in a clear and absolute manner. 

“I believe 100%!”

Then an opportunity came for me to invite Dad to my church – Christ Methodist Church (CMC). I asked if he would like to attend the Christmas Hokkien service with me. 

To my surprise, he said: “Okay, ask your mother to attend too, lah!”

And so in December 2018, both my parents stepped into a church compound for the very first time.

Luisa (standing, right), and her parents, celebrating her dad’s 80th birthday, with Rev Vincent Goh and his wife, Shu Yann (middle). It was Mr and Mrs Teng’s second visit to Christ Methodist Church.

During that service, Rev Oh Beng Kee asked those gathered if they knew where they would go when their earthly lives were over. 

My dad’s dementia was held at bay as the message was delivered. He gave his full attention to the speaker.

About a month later on January 26, 2019 – the day before Dad’s 80th birthday – my parents made a second visit to CMC. My care group celebrated his birthday with him before we attended the Hokkien service.

At the end of the service, I pushed my dad, in his wheelchair, to Rev Oh. I requested a prayer of blessing and told him that it was Dad’s birthday the next day.

After praying for him, Rev Oh asked Dad if he would like to believe in Christ.

Unexpectedly, Dad exclaimed loudly and spontaneously in one joyful burst: “I believe 100%!”

On hearing that, Mum, whose salvation I had also been praying for, immediately came forward and accepted Christ as her Saviour.

Luisa (right), celebrating her parents’ baptism with their family members and Rev Vincent Goh. It was her parents’ third visit to church.

What a beautiful birthday present from God our Father!

Just like that, the dark cloud lifted and divine light pierced through.

Dad’s reply to the Reverend was a direct answer to my prayer.

On their third visit to the Hokkien service – three days before Chinese New Year – my parents were baptised by Rev Vincent Goh. It was the happiest day of my life.

A childlike faith

Mum, on the morning after her baptism, went round her neighbourhood wet-market declaring her new status in Christ. She also said that no one should implore her to buy lottery tickets on their behalf ever again. She now advises troubled friends to pray with a pastor.

Today, Dad still resides in the nursing home.

If you were to chat with him, you would not think that he suffers from dementia.

Luisa’s experience in interceding for her parents’ salvation has shown her that God has a reason for every season of suffering. In her case, He was preparing her to edit a book on intercessory prayer, Life of an Intercessor, which was printed in April 2021. Luisa’ father distributed copies of the book to friends at his nursing home.

God has renewed his spirit and body. He speaks with clear reason and points out fellow residents and ward nurses who are “Christian” with great interest.

Once he phoned me from the nursing home and said: “You talk to my friend here! He wants to know how to become a Christian!”

My parents’ faith in God is like that of a child’s – simple and true.

Indeed, as is said in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come”.