TRIBUTE:

A tribute is a testament dedicated to building up a person's reputation. 

Something given or done as an expression of esteem.

Something done or created to show thanks or respect.

In this case, a deep show of respect and honor to a modern-day hero; one who gave all or part of their lives to the call of reaching children for Christ.

The explosion was huge.  The sound was louder than the loudest thunder.  Broken glass and smashed concrete were all around and scorching hot fire burned anything that it could.  It was total destruction.  Everyone in the building was killed, including little Po’s father who had been inside when the bomb went off.

The war in Vietnam had been going for many years and the entire city showed the scars of the bombs and the fighting.  It wasn’t safe to live in the city so Po’s mother and father lived in a small village a little ways away.  Po’s father went to the dangerous city to work each day so that he could take care of his small family. 

Two year old Po and his mother Cheryl waited every day back at the village for his daddy to come home.  Po loved his mom and his dad, and was excited because one day soon his mom was going to have a baby and he would have a little brother or sister to play with!  They heard the news of the bombing but they refused to believe that Po’s father was killed.  Po’s mom decided that they would just keep on living in the village, hoping that one day Po’s dad would come walking in with an exciting story about how he had escaped just in time to be safe from the bomb.

One day Po and Cheryl woke up to someone knocking hard on the door of their small home.  It was one of the people of the village.  “Pack up your things quickly!” he said, “Enemy soldiers are coming to the village and we have to escape!”

Cheryl didn’t know exactly what to do. Although there was great danger from the enemy soldiers Cheryl knew that if they did not stay in the village her husband would not know where to find her if he was still alive.  She knew that she had to stay in spite of the danger.

Soon there were strange noises coming from the village.  The sound of trucks, of marching boots, the sounds of the enemy soldiers!  Before long the village was filled with men carrying guns and equipment.  When the leaders of the enemy soldiers realized that she and little Po were planning to stay in their small house they tried to make her leave. “I will not go,”  said Cheryl, “My husband will come looking for me and I will stay right here until he does.”  The soldiers were not happy and they refused to be nice to Cheryl and her little boy, but they allowed her to stay.  Some of the soldiers would come by and play with Po.  He reminded them of their own children that they had to leave behind when they went to war.

One day the captain of the enemy soldiers came to the little house. “You cannot stay here any longer” he said. “The village is too dangerous and you and your son could be killed.  I will arrange papers for you to escape from the country and go to Taiwan where you will be safe.” Just as he said, the captain soon brought official papers giving Po and his mother permission leave Vietnam and move to the country of Taiwan where they would be away from the war.

The next morning Po woke up to a commotion going on in the house.  There was a strange army doctor in the house, taking care of Po’s mom.  “It’s time, son,”  she said to Po.  “Soon we will have a new little baby.”  Po was so excited about the new baby!  Before long he heard the soft cries of a newborn.   As Po went over to his mother she smiled at him.  “Look, Po, this is your baby sister!  Her name is Ping.”

Cheryl knew that she had to get her children out of the village and away from the dangerous war. It was time to move them to the safe country of Taiwan. With the help of the soldiers Cheryl used the papers and the money she had saved and arranged for an airplane ticket to go to Taiwan.  The papers would give her permission to go into the country of Taiwan to live, but Cheryl had a problem.  When she got the papers it was only her and little Po.  Now there was a new baby and they didn’t have permission papers for three people! What would they do when they got off the airplane and tried to get into Taiwan to live?

Cheryl worried throughout the entire airplane trip. She had a plan for when they landed but she didn’t know if it would work. Finally the big airplane landed after the long flight to Taiwan. Po was excited about the great adventure.  He had never flown on an airplane before!

Once they got off the airplane Po and his mother and baby sister gathered their things and stood in a long line of people.  At the front of the line was a stern looking man whose job was to check everyone’s papers and make sure that they had permission to come to the country of Taiwan.  Quietly Po’s mother knelt down by him.  “Po” she said, “I want you to stay right here in this chair and wait for me.  I am going to go through the line and then I will come back and get you.”  Cheryl knew that because she had permission for only two people to go through to Taiwan they would turn her away if she tried to go through with both of her children.  Then they would have to go back to Vietnam to live in the middle of the dangerous war.  Cheryl planned to take her baby girl through the line, leave her on the other side, and then go back to get Po and bring him through.  It was a terrible risk because if she was not allowed to go back she would never see her little boy Po again.  He would be left there at the airport all alone as an orphan and there would be nothing she could do.  But if she was able to go back and get him there was a chance that they would not let her come through a second time, or that they would see that she was coming through with a different child.  Then she would not be able to get to her little baby girl Ping who she would leave on the other side.  Cheryl’s heart was torn as she patted little Po on the head and told him to wait right there for her.

Po waited obediently as his mother took the baby and went through the line.  “Welcome to Taiwan”  said the man as he looked at her papers.  Cheryl went right through without a problem.  Now she had to get back to get Po.  Cheryl noticed a kind looking lady and approached her with a smile.  “I’m sorry to bother you” said Cheryl, “but could you be so kind as to help me? I need someone to hold my baby for just a minute.  I will be right back.”  Cheryl kissed her little baby girl softly on the cheek as she turned away.  She hoped her plan would work and that she would be right back, but she knew that she might never see her baby again.

Quickly Cheryl went back towards the man who was checking papers of the people in the line.  She knew that if she was seen trying to go back across she would be stopped and little Po would be left sitting in the airport chair until a stranger came along.  With her heart in her throat she bent down low and rushed past the line of people, staying hidden from the man checking their papers.  She rushed over to Po and grabbed him in her arms.  With the permission papers in her hand she got back into the line wondering if her plan would work. When she got to the front of the line she held up the papers to show the man who impatiently just waved her through without even looking at her.  He was tired of the long line of people and just wanted to finish his work.  Miraculously Cheryl was now officially in Taiwan with her two children, safe from the war that had killed their father.

Once they were in Taiwan Cheryl had to figure out where she could stay with her little family.  Soon she found a mission that was set up to help people like her, refugees who had fled from the war of Vietnam but had no place to live in Taiwan.  At the mission she was given a bed for her and her children, food to eat, and a safe place to stay.  It was also at the mission where Cheryl started to be taught from the Bible about God, and His Son, Jesus Christ.  She learned how God loved her and that Jesus Christ had died on the cross for her sins.  Cheryl prayed one night, asking God to forgive her sin and to make her His own child.  She felt so good, knowing that there was a God who loved her and who would take care of her and her children.  Although they were safe for now in the little mission home, Cheryl did not how she could find a job so she could have money to take care of her children. 

One day one of the other ladies said to Cheryl, “You can’t take good care of those children. They would be better off if you would leave them at the orphanage and let someone else take care of them. Then you would have a better chance to take care of yourself!”  Cheryl loved her children but she knew that she did not have enough money to buy them food and clothes and take care of all that they would need.  Although her heart was broken she decided that she would take her two kids to the orphanage and leave them there to be raised as orphans. The next day she got Po and Ping dressed up in their best clothes and took them to the orphanage.  After kissing them and hugging them she told them to wait on the front steps of the orphan home.  She rushed away with tears running down her cheeks knowing that she would never see her precious children again.

That night Cheryl couldn’t sleep.  All she could think about was her little boy Po and her little baby girl.  She knew that they would be taken care of.  They would have a chance to go to school and there would always be a doctor to take care of them when they were sick.  Although they would grow up without a mother they would always have simple food to eat and clean clothes to wear.  Still, Cheryl knew that she could not bear to live without her children.  Cheryl had learned a wonderful verse from the Bible.  It is found in Philippians 4:13, and it says “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Cheryl knew that in God’s strength she could find a way to take care of her children.  As soon as the sun came up in the morning she got dressed and ran to the orphanage where she found Po and Ping.  She took them in her arms and promised them that she would keep them with her no matter what.  Even if things were hard they would stay together and God would take care of them.

Soon the mission where Cheryl and her kids were staying had good news for her. There was a church in America that was willing to help the little family to move to America where they could get a new start! Cheryl knew that in America she could find a job and that her children would have good schools to go to and a bright future.  Cheryl could see that God was taking care of her and her little family.

Soon Cheryl, Po and Ping were living in the city of Seattle, Washington.  Po had grown so much and was a wonderful help to his mother.  Every day while she went to work he stayed at home and took care of his little sister Ping.  Even though he was very small he made sure that she was safe and had food to eat.  He protected her and took care of her until his mother came home from work each day.  When it was time for school to start Po eagerly went to school where he made friends and learned to speak English like the rest of the kids.  Po was very smart and as he learned this new language he was able to help his mother in so many ways!  When they went to the post office he could talk to the clerk for his mother.  When his mom had to go to the bank or pay her bills Po would do all of the talking because he learned English so well.  Even though he was very young Po learned so many things about how to do business and take care of a home.  But even as Po was learning so many good things he was also finding ways to get into trouble.  Because he was so smart and clever it was easy for him to get away with things that he shouldn’t do.  His mother started to notice that if she didn’t find a way to help her son to learn not to do wrong things he would end up in big trouble as he got older.

One Sunday morning when Cheryl took her kids to church she stayed behind and talked to the pastor.  “Pastor Johnny,” she said, “My little boy Po is very smart and has learned so many things.  I believe that he has the ability to do a lot of good, or else he has the ability to do a lot of evil.  Because he does not have a father I am asking you to help me to teach Po to do good with his life.” Pastor Johnny smiled kindly and assured Cheryl that he and his wife would do all that they could to help teach Po to do right.

One day that week Pastor Johnny came to Po’s house after school.  “You are going to come with me today Po,” said Pastor Johnny.  “We are going to a special club called Good News Club.” 

At the Good News Club Po learned about many things.  He learned about sin, the wrong things that he did that were against the things that are taught in God’s Word, the Bible.  Po knew that he had sinned, done things that he should not do.  Po learned that God’s Son, Jesus, died on the cross for his sin.  When the teacher prayed at the end of the Bible lesson Po prayed to God and asked that his sin be forgiven.  Po decided that he wanted to do right and knew that God could help him.

As time went on Pastor Johnny and his wife did all that they could to help teach Po.  He quickly learned to love God and how to live for Him.  As Po grew he found that he could be a helper in the Good News Club.  He helped Pastor Johnny’s wife by holding songs up for the kids to sing.  He helped lead the games.  As he grew older he even learned to sometimes teach the memory verse.

When summertime came close one day Pastor Johnny told Po of a special plan.  There would be a special training camp for Po to go to where he would learn to be a teacher for the children’s Bible clubs that would take place all summer long while kids are out of school.  At the camp Po studied hard, learning all of the Bible lessons, songs, and games for the Five Day Clubs that he would teach.  Every day he studied and practiced and worked to become the best teacher that he could be.  He also had fun with the other students who were learning how to be teachers.  Po was amazed that God could use him to do such wonderful work.  Even though he was nervous he had learned from the Bible, the most encouraging verse.  Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” Even though the studying was hard, and teaching kids the Word of God would be difficult, Po knew that with God’s strength he could do it well.  And he was right.

God kept taking care of Po, his mother Cheryl, and his sister Ping.  In time Po went to college and studied business.  He got a job and helped to provide for his mother and his little sister.  At the same time he kept on teaching children in Good News Clubs, showing them how God loves them and how they can live for Him.

One day Po got a call from a friend.  His friend told him about an exciting new job where he could help college students learn about how they could serve God and be workers for Him.  Soon Po was packing up his car and driving across the country to St. Louis where he would work for Child Evangelism Fellowship at their International Headquarters. 

Po did so well in his work.  He loved helping high school students and college students see how God could use them to teach boys and girls about Jesus.   From the time Po was a little boy helping his mother he had learned how to make decisions, make plans, and how to get important things done.  Now Po was able to use all of those abilities in the work that God had given him to do. 

Po soon began to travel all over the world, working with important people from many countries, helping them to see how they could be used by God to teach boys and girls about Jesus.  Po met a wonderful young lady named Jessica who soon became his wife.  Jessica loved God and knew how important it was to teach people how they could know Him.  She helped Po as he did his work.

Sometimes Po ended up in difficult places with work that was hard to accomplish.  He always remembered his favorite verse from God’s Word, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” Philippians 4:13. And God did give Po strength to accomplish great things.  Many boys and girls in countries around the world learned about Jesus because of the work that Po was doing.

One day after Po returned home from a trip he and Jessica were helping some friends.  They were laughing as they worked, moving their friend’s furniture to a new house.  Even though he was still young and seemed very strong, as he was working that day Po collapsed.  He did not know it, but Po had a problem with his heart, and that day he died.  Although it was very sad for his wife, his family and his friends, Po went to Heaven where he will live forever with God, who he loved and served with his life.

From the time Po was a little boy caught in the war of Vietnam God had special plans for him. As he went through all kinds of adventures God took care of Po and his family.  When he was a child Po learned what it meant to have God forgive his sin and make him clean and new.  As a young man Po learned how to teach others the Word of God so they could know the Savior.  As an adult Po worked hard to show people all around the world how to teach boys and girls about Jesus.

All of those who love Po miss him to this day.  And even if you did not know Po while he was alive there are important things that you can learn from the story of his life.  First of all, if you are a child of God you can learn how important it is to serve God with your life.  Maybe you can learn to be a helper in Good News Club.  As you grow older maybe you can go to a training camp where you can learn to teach boys and girls about Jesus like Po did in Five Day Clubs.  And maybe God is going to tell you that when you are an adult He wants you to work for Him as Po did, helping people everywhere learn about Jesus Christ.  All of that might sound really hard for you today, but remember what it says in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” God will help you to do the things that He asks of you.

If you have never asked God to forgive your sins there is something else you should learn from this story.  Like Po when he was a child, all of us have the ability to do a lot of good or a lot of evil.  It is only when we confess our sin and ask God to take control of our lives that we can learn to live for him and to have His strength in our lives.  Maybe today you would like to pray and ask God to forgive your sin and to make you His child.

3 comments

Author: Caleb - August 12, 2009

Po was a close friend and an all around amazing person. I often think of him and am challenged by his life. You didnt have to know Po for long to know what he was all about - Service to those around him and to the most High God. He showed love by serving selflessly, always putting others above himself. He was super smart, dressed great, and always had cool watches. One of my favorite things to do was to go out to eat with Po. He always knew the best places and what was the best food to get. He has an awesome smile, a great attitude and an incredible personality. He is missed.

Author: Tiffany Sheldon - October 26, 2009

Po was a man on a mission. A mission to see the children of the world be taught about the most wonderful story of the world....the story of God's love for us. I completely admired Po and his commitment to spreading God's Word! I was devastated by the news of his death, but I know that everyone in Heaven is smiling because they now have in their midst a man who was committed to Christ! We miss you Po and cannot wait to get to Heaven to help you worship the Lord Jesus Christ who you gave your heart and soul to while here on earth!

Author: Kimberly Pennell - November 27, 2009

Po was a dear family friend and co worker in the work of the gospel with CEF. He was hard working, devoted to his wife, Jessica, a committed son to his mom Cheryl and loyal brother to sister Ping. On his 31st birthday, while moving furniture for friends in Seattle, he had a massive heart attack and died with his head cradled in his wifes arms. We miss him so much! His thoughtful gestures and loving desire to be Christlike and serve others were gifts from the Lord and examples to be followed. His sweet wife has been a blessing and encouragement in our family - and in fact, has become one of my closest friends. Her godly outlook and desire to honor God in her life are only part of why I love her! When we talk about Po - and remember him, it is no longer with sadness but with longing - to see what he sees in heaven and to talk with him again one day. Po impacted many in summer missions and service of the Lord but the legacy he leaves in a wife who loved him and friends who honor his memory and that is a joy! Lord, we thank you for how you used Po and how he served for your honor and Glory.

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