When we got the news, we rushed over to Xinzhuang Hospital. I got a little tetchy when there was a little miscommunication that delayed us for 20 minutes, but we got on the road eventually. It’s my fault though - I really need to get a car. At the hospital, we found Shuzhen, Wenying and Jinmu’s mother kneeling before his body in the mortuary, weeping, praying and singing hymns.
We comforted the three of them, telling Mrs. Li, that Jinmu was sleeping, and would be awakened again one day. Shuyuan and Qionglin turned up, and then Jinmu’s brothers arrived. They are all hardened market traders, and their mother is a typically tough and traditional Taiwanese battle-ax; but they all agreed to ask the church to organize the funeral.
I got tetchy again, when one older brother in our group took control of the situation - standing right in front of me on a couple of occasions, and once even asking me to sit in another seat so he could talk directly to Suzhen. I could have handled it, but probably not as well as him, so I calmed down, and watched what he did, so I could learn for the next time. Even he stepped over the line a few times with Mrs. Li - she snapped at him when he said the ceremony would be “simple”, saying she had money and she didn’t want to send her son off in a cheap way.
At the morgue in the No. 2 Funeral Parlor, we went through the paperwork and prayed again as Jinmu’s body was put into storage. This time the body-bag was open. Shuzhen again said he looked at peace; but when I saw his corpse, it was like looking at the sum of all the violence the alcohol had done to his body, added up and presented as one final total at the bottom of the page. As we prayed, it came to mind that Jesus had died for him, and endured all that suffering and more for the forgiveness of his sins, and for all of us who abuse and pollute our bodies and minds in different ways, but no less destructive or painful to Him.
The next day Lena went with Shuzhen and her mother-in-law to tidy up Jinmu’s place and make some other arrangements. In the car, Mrs. Li blamed Shuzhen for abandoning Jinmu, and letting him drink himself to death. Lena said Shuzhen just let her finish scolding her, even though tears were running down her face, and then patiently explained her side of the story. She’s quite an amazing woman. Especially considering Jinmu’s family were the first to sign all his assets over to them, and break other ties with him, when he started gambling as well as drinking. It would have been easy for Shuzhen to throw that one back at her mother-in-law, and it would have boiled over into a huge fight. But she instead she stayed gentle, meek and mild, which must have taken a lot of strength.
The date for the funeral is Sunday, February 13. I’m organizing and hosting it - so I have my chance to take control now. I just pray that I don’t make a holy mess of it.
I’ve been seeing Haoyuan regularly, and last week I brought a couple of brothers - the Guos - from the neighborhood. He’s doing very well. Still asking questions, but you can tell from the things he asks that he’s going in the right direction.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with our sprits!
