When Teddy Chong was seven, his father suffered a stroke. Though the elder Chong survived, he could no longer work. The responsibility of being the sole breadwinner fell to Teddy’s mother.

An only child, Teddy often had to take a bus to the market stall at which his mother worked so as to help her.

“The bus route would take me past a church. And I would always see church-goers on Sunday mornings.

“I would see families walking into the church – a man, a woman, two small kids. They would all be well-dressed and would look very happy going in .

Teddy (right) always wanted to have a family he could go to church with. When he married Hwee Suan (left), his wish was fulfilled.

“I would think: How come my life is always so sad? Early on a Sunday morning, it should be time for me to sleep in but I have to wake up to help my mother at the market.”

Although his family was not Christian and neither was Teddy, he wished in his heart that, when he grew up, he would have a wife and children to go to church with .

Teddy, Hwee Suan, Bella and Becky at a family holiday. Bella and Becky now work abroad.

Nearly 20 years later, God would grant him his heart’s desire.

Jesus the Rock

When Koh Hwee Suan was in her early 20s, her younger brother passed away unexpectedly. He was the only son.

“My parents were totally devastated.”

As the oldest child, Hwee Suan took on the burden of helping the family heal. But she was struggling with her own emotions as well.

“I saw my whole family crumbling. So I knelt down and asked Jesus to help me.

“My colleague had told me that Jesus is the Rock. This was the seed that was planted in me and I held on to it.”

For the next few years, the family grappled with grief. Socialising was the last thing on Hwee Suan’s mind. Colleagues would invite her to church, hoping that she could find solace in the Christian faith.

“Sometimes I would go. Sometimes I wouldn’t.”

It was her boss who took matters into her own hands. She kept a close watch over Hwee Suan and, along with her husband, conducted Bible study lessons to help her better understand Christianity. The couple would also take her out for meals.

Eventually, Hwee Suan got baptised and, after visiting a few churches, ended up at Hinghwa Methodist Church. At that church, she joined a cell group.

“That was how I got to know Teddy.”

Teddy had become a Christian in his teens and had already been attending the cell group for some time.

A prayer and a dream

For a year, Teddy and Hwee Suan were just friends. Being five years his senior, she never considered dating him.

But after spending her early 20s trying to heal from the loss of her brother, Hwee Suan, by then 27 years old, was ready to think of a life partner.

“I prayed to God, ‘Give the man a vision that I’ll be his wife. That will be the right man for me.’”

Not too long after, Teddy had a dream.

“Usually when I have a dream, I can’t remember it when I wake up. But this one, when I woke up, I could remember it.

“I dreamt of Hwee Suan. She was my wife and she was doing housework in my house. I woke up sweating.”

Unsure of what to make of it, he asked Hwee Suan: “Do you know how to interpret dreams?”

Then he shared his dream with her.

Said Hwee Suan: “I was shocked. I had been treating him like my brother because he is younger than I am.

“But I was like: This is what I prayed for!”

So Hwee Suan struggled, troubled by what seemed to her to be a large age gap. As she sought God, He gave her confirmations.

“I started to see news reports and articles about women dating younger men. My friend also started to date a younger man.

“To me, it was confirmation from the Lord. To God, there is no such thing as men must be older, women must be younger.”

So they agreed to give the relationship a try.

Said Hwee Suan: “We both felt that it was from the Lord. He had the dream and I had the prayer.

“We said we would obey and follow the Lord’s arrangement.”

God will see us through

As they dated, they found that they were comfortable with each other. Within six months, they decided to get married.

Said Hwee Suan: “I remember telling him, ‘It’s from the Lord and I’m not fearful about it. The Lord will see us through.’”

Teddy agreed: “He will direct our path.”

The couple has been “praying and trusting the Lord” ever since.

When they tied the knot, Teddy was just 24. He had barely begun working as a financial planner.

“We were very poor during the first few years. Somehow, the Lord still provided.”

Hwee Suan and Teddy firmly believe God brought them together.

That faith would see them through as they started an office supplies business together.

Faith in God also saw them through SARS – business dropped by 80% but God gave Teddy a chauffeuring gig that made up to almost 80%. Eventually, in faith, they followed a vision God gave Hwee Suan to start a shepherd’s pie business.

The couple has been running The Shepherd’s Pie since 2007.

Today 15 years on, the Chong are owners of The Shepherd’s Pie.

“We wanted to tell people this is the Shepherd’s pie. It’s the Lord’s pie.”

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