I never got the chance to meet my own grandpa, unfortunately; my
grandfather passed away before I was born. I don't have any memories of
him and never experienced a grandfather and granddaughter relationships. I
can’t recall the first time I met David, however, before I met him, I already
heard lots of good things about him; it seems every Chinese students called
him grandpa David.
I had more memories of David from December 2015, the year I graduated
from Glasgow University. I lived in his flat before I went back to Singapore in
December 2016. He often took me and many other students to climb
mountains with him. I can’t remember all of the mountains’ names but I do
remember we went to Queen Elizabeth Forest Park three times, Ben Nevis,
the highest mountain in Scotland, somewhere in Glencoe. Because I have
carsickness, I didn’t go with David every time. However, none of the
mountains I climbed with David was easy. I asked David: “why do you like
hiking so much?” Because he went to climb mountains at least 2-3 times a
week, he said “God makes Himself known through His creation – the things
that He made. God said through the Psalmist, “The heavens declare the
glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they
pour forth speech, night after night they reveal knowledge… their voice goes
out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.” (Psalm 19:1-2,
4a). Creation is constantly, 24/7, proclaiming the goodness of God – His
power, His constancy, His divineness, His love for humanity. All we have to
do is look to see it; it’s there for us to discover. People sometimes ask for a
“sign from heaven” or something akin to it – to prove that God is real. But all
they have to do is look at the things God made to “prove it”: The way the
trees and flowers grow, the splendour of the mountains, the raging seas that
(usually) stay in their place, the changing of the seasons. It all declares God’s
majesty to anyone who will listen.
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When I was called to work for Sandyford as student worker in January 2018,
David contacted me and kindly offered me free accommodation. He said “I
believe my flat is the Lord's for his use.” Since then, he was more than a
grandfather to me. I know I am but one among so many who can say “David
was one of my dearest friends”. I admired him, I learned much from him, I
was encouraged by him. I was challenged by him. I appreciated his wisdom
and passion of many years from his ministry to students. I was grateful for
his counsel. And I always had the sense that when he said “I hold you in my
prayers daily” he really did. Even when he was not in Glasgow, he would
send me messages on WeChat and he would pray for me before the
Monday, Tuesday Bible studies and Friday cafes started. There was about
him a genuineness, a modesty, and a holiness that enriched my life and that
of so many others too.
David loved to share the good news of Jesus with students. Over the years,
he had many one-to-one Bible studies with students in Glasgow, and for
those not in Glasgow, like students in Manchester, in Holland and in China,
he would arrange a Bible study with them via phone. And he continued this
ministry right up till he passed away, as the meetings he had planned
showed. I remembered very clearly the day when he passed away on the
10th October 2021, Clarissa was waiting for David to phone her around
8:30am and to do the Bible study over the phone - this was arranged the
night before he went to the Lord. Another student in China, she waited for
David to phone her via WeChat for more than 1 hour on Sunday afternoon.
David was very excited to tell us a good news on Sunday the 2 Oct, that his
friend Yinjun whom David had been in contact with for around 15 years, he
had finally come to faith and his baptism was being arranged for 22nd May
this month. David was so looking forward to attend his baptismal service. On
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the week he passed away, he took 3 students to climb mountains on
Wednesday 6 Oct and came back home around 5pm in the afternoon, still
looking full of life. We always say he was fitter than any of us. Then he went
away in the morning around 9am on Friday the 8th Oct to visit the friend who
had come to faith in the North, and came back home around 7:50pm on 9th
Oct to join the dinner with our minister Ben and his family.
One of my deepest memories of grandpa David is, he always prayed to the
Lord. At Sandyford prayer meeting every Wednesday evening, he always
brought us many names of his family, relatives, friends and students. He
cared for them, he loved them so much and he wanted us to pray for people
who faced challenges and difficulties in life, some were people we never
met. He was confident that God always listens and often provides us with
the answers and guidance we seek. Even when the Lord chooses not to
answer immediately or the way we might have hoped, prayer itself is a way
to find peace. One day I was in his study room, I noticed a very old and thick
notebook; inside the note book, there were all different names; I would think
that this was his own prayer diary over many years. In Philippians 4:6-7 says
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of
God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus.”
David himself said “But in life there are many sad experiences, and through
them we hold on ever more tightly to Jesus and his total commitment to us,
which can never be taken away.” David will be remembered for his
unceasing, unconditional love and friendship with hundreds of international
students, academic scholars and all the people who stayed in his house. I
am absolutely sure he won't be disappointed as he meets the Lord face to
face.