For Zi On- who lived as a blessing to so many (Delphine Tan)

I remember his smile. I remember his laugh. It had been two years since I had heard from Zi On. The next thing I know, he has saved a life and in the process, lost his own. When I first heard the news, the search for him was still continuing. These searches have ended today.
This verse has since entered my mind:

GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS-Jn 15:13.
I find great comfort in the fact that he has left us because of his innately good nature. He had a choice and he chose to show love and compassion. I hope that Uncle and Aunty Kerk will find comfort in the fact that this is a mere temporary seperation and they are bound to be reunited in due course.

I hope that none of us will regret anything that may have transpired throughout the time Zi On was here with us on earth, especially his loving family. Things that may seem to have been "mistakes" may be blessings. Zi On would not have become the man we all know if those "mistakes" had not occurred. We have to trust that our God is a mighty one and everything has come to pass according to His plans and not due to our fallibililty. God’s ways are higher than our ways and His plans are perfect for us.

I truly hope that the girl, whose life was saved will turn to Jesus and come to know him.
I know he will find peace and joy in heaven. May his act of love bring many to the Lord.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life.
My prayer is that many will hear of his story will realise that like that girl, they will drown unless they are willing to rely on Jesus who, out of love, died for them.
Below is a devotional from the RBC that I hope may encourage you:

December 12, 2007

Grief Is Messy
READ: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. —1 Thessalonians 4:13
The film We Are Marshall tells of the November 14, 1970, plane crash that took the lives of most of the Marshall University football team, the coaching staff, and many community leaders of Huntington, West Virginia. Seventy-five lives were lost in the crash, which devastated the university and the community. Through the composite characters of Paul Griffen and Annie Cantrell, the film dramatizes the aftermath of the crash. Their stories intertwine because Griffen’s son, Chris, was Annie’s fiancé. When Chris died, their lives were plunged into a year of pain that seemed unbearable. Why? Because, as Paul told Annie, "Grief is messy."
He was right, grief is messy. All of us grieve at one time or another—including those of us who are Christ-followers. For the believer, however, there is something beyond the tears, pain, and loss. There is hope.
Writing to a church family who had seen loved ones taken in death, Paul acknowledged the reality of grief. But he challenged them not to "sorrow as others who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). Loss and death are part of life, but believers can face them, knowing that Christians never say goodbye for the last time. We can comfort one another (v.18) with the hope of the resurrection and a future reunion.
—Bill Crowder

The Lord has promised to prepare
A place in heaven above—
A home where we will always be
With Him and those we love. —Sper
Because Christ lives, death is not tragedy but triumph.