Resurrection Hope

While working as a scientist at UTSW medical center, Dr. David Wang began attending HP Pres, where he came to know Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. Soon after becoming a Christian, he was diagnosed with a cancer that eventually took his life in March of 2024. Broken by the news of her son’s illness, his mother, Defeng, traveled from China to the United States to care for him through his final days, manage his affairs, and process her grief after his passing.

As a life-long atheist, she grappled with her son’s faith, deciding to attend the church that prayed for him throughout his illness. When she visited HP Pres’ Mandarin congregation, she was overwhelmed by the hope of the Resurrection and was deeply touched by the love of God shown to her by Christ’s followers. She found the hope she eagerly needed in her grief, sharing “if there were ever a belief to convince me, that was the belief of resurrection, I only believe in the God of resurrection!” 

She accepted Jesus as her personal Lord and Savior, just as her son had years before. Since her salvation, she has been looking forward to being baptized on Easter Sunday – the perfect representation of the hope we celebrate on resurrection Sunday. She shares, “one of the biggest regrets for my son is that he couldn’t be baptized, but now, on this resurrection day, I will be baptized for my own salvation and on behalf of my son, together in front of the Lord.” 

Although her son is absent from this life, Defeng will see him again. We do not grieve as those without hope, “for we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).