Michael and Judy Ng

Serving God Hand in Hand

The familiar sound of the song "Amazing Grace" echoed from the kitchen as Judy strummed the guitar and Michael sang along. It has been their custom to have a time of worship and devotion together every morning for the past few years. Though married since 1984, they are still so deeply in love that those who do not know them might think that they are newly weds.

Judy comes from a traditional Chinese family in Alor Setar. Her family moved to Ipoh when her civil servant father was transferred there. She first heard of Jesus Christ while studying at the Methodist Girls' School, Ipoh. During the Religious Emphasis Week, Judy heard a clear presentation of the gospel. She was also attracted to the warmth and caring attitude of her Christian friends, and they invited her to church. Her interest to know more about God grew, and one day she said a simple prayer to invite Christ into her life.

However, her parents were very angry with her decision. Judy was not allowed to go to church. They even threatened to disown her. Judy recalls, "Hebrews 13:5 was the verse I depended on all the time. I reminded myself again and again that Jesus would never leave me nor forsake me." On her birthday, her sister gave her a Bible. It was a special gift, although her sister's real intention was to wake her up from the "nonsense" she believed in. The Bible became the foundation for her spiritual growth.

A Happy Childhood

Michael grew up in a small and simple family in Malacca. His father was a farmer and they lived in a one-room atap house. From young, he knew that he was an adopted son but he had a happy childhood. He played with his cousins, who were actually his brothers. "They lived nearby and I knew that they were my brothers, but I could accept it." Both his parents were Catholics, and young Michael went to church regularly with them. But during his teenage years he began to doubt the religion his parents believed in. He had many questions, but no answers. It was then that he stopped going to church.

One day in her Form 5 year, one of Judy's classmates passed a name to her. "I have too many pen-pals, would you like to write to this person?" Thus was the beginning of the friendship between Judy and Michael. In her letters, Judy often shared about God and the gospel. "She sent a lot of Christian literature to me. A few years later, one particular article by Oswald Smith about the difference between religion and salvation really touched me and changed my perspective. I then prayed to receive Christ into my life as suggested by the article, " Michael said.

Running Away from God's Calling

Through the I Found It! campaign in the 1970s, Judy got to know about Malaysia Campus Crusade for Christ. She said, "I had a friend, Richard Phan, who served with Campus Crusade, and he challenged me to join the Village and Film ministry. I was studying the book of Nehemiah then, which also challenged me to go into full-time Christian ministry." But Judy's ambition was to become a nurse or a doctor.

While waiting for her Form 6 results, she worked in a clinic in Butterworth. The Lord began to impress upon her to serve Him full-time. But Judy was not ready to give up her own ambition yet, so she gave God a challenge, "Lord, if you want me to serve full-time, send a pastor to talk to me." Judy was attending a brethren church at that time and the church had no pastor. However, there was a pastor who regularly visited the clinic where she worked to talk to the patients. But he had never spoken to Judy before. One week later, however, he came to Judy's hostel above the clinic and challenged her to join full-time Christian service!

Although she had her confirmation from God, Judy was still unwilling to obey God. She quit her job and went back to Ipoh where she became a nursing aide in a hospital. Her first job there was to clean up a dead body. Face to face with the cold body, the Holy Spirit impressed upon her, "Where has the soul of the person gone to?" Knowing that God was speaking to her again, Judy struggled with God, "No! I don't want to be sent to Africa!"

Then came the bad news from her brother, "Grandma has passed away." The task of cleaning her grandma naturally fell on Judy as she was the only nurse at home. Again the Holy Spirit prompted her, "Now it is your grandmother…" Judy would only obey God on one condition--if the nursing college rejects her application, then she would join Campus Crusade as a full-time worker. Judy was confident that her application would be accepted because she had completed her Form 6, more than the minimum requirement. The long awaited letter from the nursing college finally came and to her surprise, her application was rejected!

Full-time Christian Service

In 1979, Judy joined Campus Crusade's Village and Film ministry, and her parents did not object. Judy was one of the first batch of staff that graduated from Malaysia Campus Crusade's Great Commission Training Centre. In June 1984, Michael and Judy were married. Judy left the ministry in order to devote herself fulltime to building a God-pleasing family with Michael. However, she made herself available to help out whenever the need arose.

Michael had his own business, but when his asparagus project failed, a friend introduced him to the insurance industry. "When I look back, I see God's hand on my life. If I had worked in some other profession, I would not be as flexible. But now, after 15 years in this line, I have established myself and I'm able to give more time and energy to serve God. The Lord has blessed my family so much, it is time to return the blessings to others, " said Michael with a smile on his face. FamilyLife Ministry

With their children older now, they wanted to serve God in an area where they could both work together and support each other as a couple. The opportunity came in 1996 through Campus Crusade staff Herbert Tan who encouraged Judy to become an associate staff. She readily agreed. Two years later, when Campus Crusade wanted to develop its FamilyLife ministry, Michael became an associate staff too . He was subsequently appointed as the National Coordinator of FamilyLife.

FamilyLife Ministry

Michael and Judy feel that they have gained a great deal from their involvement with the FamilyLife ministry. Says Michael, "Before we are able to help other couples, we have to learn and equip ourselves on the subject matter." Judy believes that if a couple can practise some of the principles taught in the Marriage or Parenting Conference, it would bring a lot of positive changes in their relationship with each other.

They have conducted many marriage conferences and received much positive and encouraging feedback. Judy recalled how one particular conference helped to save a marriage. She said, "At the beginning of the conference, one couple was seated in separate rows; a knife could cut through the tension between them. When it was time for discussions, they didn't talk to each other. But towards the end of the conference, they were talking, smiling and even doing their projects. From their feedback form, they shared that they were on the verge of divorce, but through the conference, they had decided to give their marriage a second chance." Such feedbacks encourage them to continue serving among couples. Even if they manage to minister to just one couple in one conference, they believe it is worth the effort.

Michael and Judy feel that God has blessed them abundantly, and if He permits, they hope to continue serving in the ministry till they are 70 years old. "I believe the experience we have accumulated through the years can help many more people." This is their desire and commitment to God. For Michael and Judy, when it comes to serving God, there is no early retirement.