You may already know the joy of being reunited with a beloved parent.  The realization that it will come, after what had seemed to be final, can bring a portion of that joy.  It’s the same as the elevation from hopelessness to assurance.  It’s a joy that contains a beauty that cannot be expressed.

LIVING STILL
from the life of Gary He

My Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer in June of last year and was sent to the hospital. His doctor told my Mom that he only had about three or four months left.
Since then I fervently prayed for him everyday. My Sunday School class put him in their  prayer list and many contributed to help with the hospital and care expenses. Since then, I often made long distance calls to my family and talked about our Lord with them, especially with my Mom. I found an elder of the local church and a Christian couple to visit my father and explain Christianity to him. After several visits my father came to the Lord, and was soon baptized.
One day when I made my usual phone call to my Mom, her first words to me were, "Your Dad was baptized today." 
I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that. I asked her again and again, and she repeated it again and again. She gave the phone speaker to my Dad and he said,"It's true that I got baptized this morning."  it had happened so suddenly, beyond my expectation, that I couldn't find the correct words to continue our conversation.  Nor could I find words to describe my feelings, because I never actually expected my father could ever believe in Jesus. He had been a stubborn atheist for many years. It was truly a miracle!
Since then, I have encouraged him to pray everyday and ask for God's help and care. Whenever I talked with him through the phone, he admitted that he did pray everyday. After six months passed the doctor saw my Dad again, and said to my Mom," it is amazing that he is still living." (After the diagnosis of lung cancer, the doctor had left for another city for about three months to continue his research work. When he came back and saw my Dad, he was surprised.
 I taught my Mom how to find those verses and encouraged her to read the Bible and those verses to my father everyday, which she did. She told me when she read them to him, he was always quiet and nodded his head in the bed, meaning he understood.
Then one day, when I called my mother, and asked if my Dad was still in the same situation, she said, "Your Dad has passed, but peacefully passed." When he permanently closed his eyes, he was very peaceful. One could not see from his face any sign of suffering from the pain of lung cancer and heart attacks.
The night before (January 24, 2007) I had left for Washington D.C. for the National Prayer Breakfast was the day Dad passed away.
I didn't know how to respond to this news. I knew quite well in my heart where my Dad had gone, and I really had peace in my heart. But I couldn't sleep through that whole night, remembering my Dad.
He was born in November, 1924 in a poor family. He had five brothers and two sisters. He had been a member of the PLA and rejoined in 1949, left In 1957 and went to work for a provincial department. Then for some reasons he was labeled as a Rightist —a bad person, against communism. During those years he was forced to a poor rural area for re-education many times. He had been persecuted for 23 years. In 1980 he was judged rehabilitated and returned to where he used to work and live.
Before my father passed I dreamed of him.  I can’t remember ever dreaming of him before that.  In that dream, he looked much younger, and happy.  I tried to talk to him, but he spoke not a word, but just kept smiling.  I believed God let me see my Dad in a dream since I was not able to return home to see him off.
Now, whenever I think about my Dad, I see him smiling.  That is a beautiful gift of mercy from my loving God.  I Thank and praise God for listening to the prayers of His people, for His mercy and faithfulness.  God is indeed, Love!
I often tell my Mom that my father has gone to a very wonderful place where death will be no more,  mourning and crying cannot be heard and pain cannot exist. He is in the Lord's embrace.
My Mom agreed and she believed God through my father's death. She is not sad but very peaceful.  She knows that he is still living.  God’s promise is true:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  John 3:16 (NKJV)