{"id":3360,"date":"2016-08-21T18:04:13","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T02:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/?p=3360"},"modified":"2016-08-21T18:04:13","modified_gmt":"2016-08-22T02:04:13","slug":"yvonne-my-one-and-only-beloved-preface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/p\/3360","title":{"rendered":"Yvonne\u2014My One and Only Beloved (Preface)"},"content":{"rendered":"

PREFACE\"IMG_1235\"<\/a>\"10401508_557266531085144_8043481273609909244_n\"<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Avalon Spence
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Little did I know last year when I accompanied a friend of mine on a visit to her good friends, Rev. Paul and Yvonne Lai just weeks prior to Yvonne\u2019s passing, that I would become involved in the editing of an English version e-Book celebrating Yvonne\u2019s life.\u00a0 But here I am, having also been requested to write a preface to introduce you to the articles that follow.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Although I\u2019ve never been an editor of anything before,\u00a0 my role has involved doing a final review all the articles included in this e-book that were submitted in Chinese and which had been translated into English by others.\u00a0 While performing my small service in this way, I have been given a wonderful opportunity to glimpse further into the depth of Yvonne\u2019s rich life and drink from the wealth of beautiful words that have poured in from so many people who are so grateful to have known Yvonne and have desired to be part of the celebration of her life.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

My own article for this e-book (\u2018In Honour of Yvonne\u2019) was written to Rev. Paul Lai after only one visit with them and without having seen any other writings that would pour in following Yvonne\u2019s passing.\u00a0 There was absolutely no doubt in my mind that Yvonne literally overflowed with the Divine Presence and all the articles that have come in since have continued to bear witness and confirm that reality.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Words are powerful.\u00a0 Words and the stories they express can either weaken and destroy or inspire and build up.\u00a0 I can attest to the fact that these accounts have the power to inspire and build up!\u00a0 By virtue of having spent time in each of these articles over these last months, I have received so much\u2026inspiration to greater Faith when I\u2019ve been doubting, renewal of Hope to go on when I can\u2019t see my way through dark places and a greater openness to the vulnerability of allowing Divine Love to be expressed through me in service given for the benefit of others.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I simply couldn\u2019t help but be encouraged in my own life by what I read of Yvonne\u2019s life.\u00a0 Challenges are a part of life.\u00a0 We all need role models and someone to encourage us along the way.\u00a0 Many, many times I\u2019ve come away from working on a set of these articles actually feeling a warmth in my heart, a shift in my spirit and the power of God lifting me through the rest of the day.\u00a0 Your life will be affected as well as you read, linger and reflect, not just on Yvonne\u2019s life, but on your own as well.\u00a0 We all need the example and encouragement we get from others who have gone on ahead and finished well!\u00a0 Yvonne is certainly one of those.<\/span><\/p>\n

As I conclude my introduction, here is an excerpt from a poem that Queen Elizabeth II holds dear and has shared as expressing the attitude of faith that she herself has strived to live by in order to carry out her service to the people as Queen under the Sovereign leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u00a0 What an apt description of the way that Yvonne chose to live her life as well!\u00a0 With her hand in God\u2019s, trusting Him all the way, Yvonne lived with the poise of a queen\u2026. beautifully, courageously and lovingly, and has affected so many other lives to the good\u2026\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201c<\/span><\/span>Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

And he replied, \u201cGo out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.<\/span><\/p>\n

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

May you be encouraged and inspired as you read on\u2026\u2026\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PREFACE   Avalon Spence   Little did I know last year when I accompanied a friend of mine on a visit to her good friends, Rev. Paul and Yvonne Lai just weeks prior to Yvonne\u2019s passing, that I would become involved in the editing of an English version e-Book celebrating Yvonne\u2019s life.\u00a0 But here I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3360"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3360"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3360\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3367,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3360\/revisions\/3367"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.rainbowpaullai.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}