As mentioned in previous posts, Chancel Repertory will be conducting a play entitled Call Waiting in GCC's sanctuary. It was held last August 29, at 8pm. It is a heart warming play about acceptance and love. It was spoken mostly in Amoy, and the only non-Amoy words that I heard were "Mister", "PSP" and "ba".
I got there around 7:50pm, it wasn't packed at that time. Come later 8:30PM, it was a full house - only few seats remained free. Lots of new faces, and lots of teenagers too. (That, I didn't expect that. Most teens now-a-days can't speak proper Amoy. My guess is, alot of them didn't understand alot of words,hehe). It started around 8:30PM (probably to give a little grace to those who are late) and ended around 9:50PM after all the sermons and prayers.
The Amoy part was light and most of the words are used in our everyday Chinese community conversations. There were some mispronounced words though, and some of the words were a little deep. But if you speak Chinese everyday or listen to people speak Chinese often, you'll get most of it. It wasn't a mysterious play that would require you to think. It was a heart-warming drama, that many of families can relate to.
Anyway, let us get to the story....
For those who have plans watching it, SPOILER ALERT!!!
The story revolved around Ah-Long and Ah-Bi.. They are a couple, but not really a happy couple. Ah-Long lost his father when he was young. His mother has loved God so devotedly, but Ah-Long resents God because of all the hardships they went through. He is stubborn, full of himself, lies alot, and didn't go to college. Sounds like anyone you know? Ah-bi loves Ah-Long and is somewhat misguided even though she goes to church. If you've heard of naive girls that are sooo-in-love and sooo-understanding, that's her. She can't see how Ah-Long is ruining his life and her's, because of her naive-ness and probably a naive sense of love for him. She was covering her eyes to the truth and ignoring everyone concerned for her. She was starting to sin more and more, just so she could, hmmm, help him(?). Even Ah-Long wouldn't heed anyone's advice; he would think that everyone was looking down on him.
One of godly church member, Ing-Ho, tried to help both of them, continually prayed for them; but all Ah-Long thought was -- that he was being made into a charity case.
In any case, Ah-Long finally got a job as a fork-lift operator, he thought that he was making good money... until one of his co-workers and gambling buddy went AWOL (absent w/o leave), because he gambled all their salary worth P300,000 away. Ah-Long then tried to borrow money to help his friend. (I think this was a good side of Ah-Long. He may have been a gambler, but he tried to help his friend, even if he didn't have the capacity.) Of course, Ah-Long, being Ah-Long, went for the easy riad. He went to the mob/smuggler/blackmarket dealer (any will do, they didn't really say what kind). The mob boss, Mr Shang (I'm not sure, could someone correct me on this?), saw his potential to be his lap-dog and offered to hire him as his personal assistant. Ah-Long, tempted by the big money, went ahead and took the bait. After just a month or so, he was bragging all over that he could give a better life to his mom and marry Ah-Bi. Not long after, his mom caught him counting all the smuggled goods in their house. They had an argument, because his mom wanted him to stop. This is the point where Ah-Long told all his frustrations since his father's death and how his mom struggled and how he blamed God for abandoning them. His mom was left speechless, not being able to answer for God. It is hard to argue with an unbeliever. I guess, the miracle of salvation can't be explained; that's why we need to experience it for ourselves. Right after, Ah-Bi dropped by their house and found Ah-Long's mo on the floor crying, and she urged Ah-Bi to break up with Ah-Long because of his illegal dealings. She told her that, Ah-Long would give her a lot of trouble. Ah-Bi couldn't believe what she was hearing. Ah-Long then came back, and Ah-Bi confronted him right at that moment. Ah-Long admitted to his illegal dealings proudly. At that moment, he immediately received a phone call to meet his boss in a unspecified location.He immediately left Ah-Bi and his mom. Not long after, his Mom had a stroke, Ah-Bi rushed her to the hospital. She tried to call Ah-Long; but when he dropped the phone, she was afraid to call him again.
While at the meeting, Ah-Long met Mr Shang's colleague. He was given orders to deliver some packages at midnight. However, Ah-Long surprisingly said that he could not deliver the goods (or bads, maybe.hehe...) without knowing what they were. He was immediately blackmailed by Mr. Shang to just be quiet and obey; so he did as he was told.
Let's pause for a break and assess the situation...
It was a little shocking to Mr. Shang why he would ask those, and maybe to many in the audience also. I think the Holy Spirit was already convicting him, telling him that he was doing something bad. He was hurting his mom, Ah-Bi, and himself mostly.
continuing...
That night, Ah-Long gave an annonymous tip to the police to end Mr. Shang's operation. Of course, he wasn't of the hook. Since he also participated in illegal activities for over a month, he was also convicted in prison.
Ah-Bi visited him in prison, but he couldn't face her. He told her to just move on and find someone new. This time, Ah-Long was thinking more clearly. He cared for her and wanted her to be happy. All he brought her was heartache and trouble. He was also visited by their local church's pastor; but this time, Ah-Long listened to his counsel. I forgot the words he used, but he was telling Ah-Long to just cast his burden on God, rely on Him. Ah-Long received a letter from his mom and a torn Bible that was taped back together. This was from his mom, the Bible was his, long ago when he was a kid. This wheel-chair-strapped women, who can barely speak a proper sentence, managed to write a letter and fix up a totally worn out Bible despite her uncomfort. This is determination. It was a touching determination. Ah-Long was even struck by this, he could feel the love of his mother even though he could not see her. Ah-Long started reading the Bible, started changing. He started believing in God again; he was being convicted. To make the long story short, he made reply letter to his mom, got early probation for good behavior and was out in just two years or so (not sure with this though), and was reunited with his mom and Ah-Bi. It was a dramatic reunion, and I can't describe how deep it was. I guess, you'll just have to see it for yourself.
I'm sure they'll perform again in a month or two. You can call them up (632)7320973, 0917-5242625 or visit their multiply site Chancel Repertory.
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