Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Latest Medical Check up - 15 Nov 2009
By the grace of God, my review with Dr.William Hwang yesterday was good. All blood tests results were good as well. Praise the Lord!
There are several things to thank God for:
1. Sharing At Glory Sanctuary Church and Cell Group
I shared our journey at Glory Sanctuary Church and at a cell group from Bedok Methodist Church last week. It is always so refreshing to brag about the goodness of the Lord! That's what I live for now - nothing but for His glory! We are very thankful that God is using our journey to proclaim His goodness. It makes our "suffering" meaningful, knowing that God can use it to bring the comfort that we have received from Jesus, our comforter into the hearts of others who are going through difficult times as well. We feel honored to be able to minister God's healing and comfort to so many who came up to thank us. We also want to thank God for the ministry that had gone forth - all glory be unto Him!
It is astounding to know that there are new cases being diagnosed every day. At the end of Oct, I received a call from a Catholic friend that he was just diagnosed with lung cancer in early Oct. At the time when he called me, his dear wife received news that she had just been given another bad news about liver cancer. My heart went out to them and prayed with all my heart for God to come true for them in this difficult time.
2. Joshua's exam & competitive swimming
Once again, by the grace of God, Joshua did well in school. We always affirm for the effort he's put in and will always traditionally celebrate with him at Swenson's (his favourite place) whenever the exams are over. We do that for his competitive swimming as well. Last week, his team secured 2 golds for their 50m medley and 50m freestyle relay respectively at the Sports School for his age group. He was really overjoyed! Praise God from whom allllllllllllll blessings flow for scripture says, " Every good and perfect gift is from above." (James 1:17)
Thankyou, for always abiding with us.........even until now!
And we thank God for you too.......... we know who our true friends are in times of crisis. Thank you, for being there!
david
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Lessons from Jim Goll
Reading his testimony and journey taught me several things.
I like to share 2 thoughts with you here, prayerfully that it will enrich and encourage your hearts in the Sovereign Lord as he had edified mine.
1. About Prayer – The Lost Art of Intercession. This helped me remember that the key in the Victorious Christian living is through the power and position (authority) we have in Christ.
(The following writing is an excerpt from the first chapter of Jim Goll’s first book, The Lost Art of Intercession.)
There is an incident involving Aaron the priest and the fire of God that pictures the burden of my heart for this book and the work of God in this generation. It is found in Numbers 16:
And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, "Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly." Then they fell on their faces. Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put in it fire from the altar, and lay incense on it; then bring it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, for wrath has gone forth from the LORD, the plague has begun!" Then Aaron took it as Moses had spoken, and ran into the midst of the assembly, for behold, the plague had begun among the people. So he put on the incense and made atonement for the people. He took his stand between the dead and the living, so that the plague was checked. But those who died by the plague were 14,700, besides those who died on account of Korah.(Numbers 16:44-49)
Aaron provides a vivid picture of the intercessor:
When the congregation of Israel sinned by rebelling against their leaders, God sent a judgment upon them in the form of a plague that killed nearly 15,000 people. Far more would have died, but Moses told Aaron, the high priest, to quickly put fire from God's altar into his censer, or container, along with incense. Then Aaron literally ran out into the midst of the congregation with the fire of God. The Scripture says that Aaron "took his stand between the dead and the living." The fragrant smoke ascending from the burning censer, as Aaron swung it to and fro, formed a line of demarcation between two groups—the dead and the living.
What Are the Applications for Today?
· God wants to use more than a Moses or an Aaron today.
One of the unique things about the Church of the New Covenant is that God has authorized and commanded every Believer to do the work of the ministry! "Point people," or church leaders, can't do it all—in fact, their primary job or reason for being, according to the apostle Paul, is "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the Body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12). God wants an entire army of workers out doing the vital work of the ministry and building up His Body, the Church.
The plague in Numbers chapter 16 was stopped because Aaron stood in the gap. That is the classic definition of an intercessor: "one who stands in the gap for another." Aaron stood in the gap for his generation, and the plague was stopped. There is a devilish plague running rampant today through our churches, cities, and nations. Now the Lord is calling for a priestly people to rise up and personally carry the holy fire of His Presence to their generation for their salvation and His glory.
Who Will Stand in the Gap?
Let me bring this a little closer to home: God wants to put His Spirit upon you in such a measure that you will answer His summons with a resounding: "Yes, I will stand in the gap for my generation right here and now. I will put aside every pathetic intimidation and every entanglement of namby-pamby religion. I am going to make a difference by willingly taking up the cross of an intercessor. I will lay aside my life for the sake of others before God."
God is restoring the ancient fire since the Book of Acts. He is restoring His fire to you and me in this generation because He wants us to reap His harvest. The first step begins with the restoration of the fire on God's altar.
Here I am Lord! Use me! Like Isaiah of old, I surrender to the call of my Master. Like the word of the Lord that came to Ezekiel, I declare, "By grace, I will stand in the gap for such a time as this." Like Anna and Simeon in the Temple at the time of the dedication of Jesus on His 8th day, I say, "I will be Your prophetic intercessor." Here I am—right here—right now—write my name down in Your book and sign me up to be a part of the watch of the Lord. For Jesus Christ's sake and the rewards of His suffering. Amen and Amen!
Whee Ling, Josh and I have been blessed these 5 years by many who have been standing in the gap for us. Many of you have stood in proxy for us especially when our own hands were tired like Moses. Because of you, we’ve won one battle after another. Thank you for being our “Aarons and Hurs”.
2. Focused Calling – made me ponder upon the direction God is leading me through my own journey
Jim Goll said, “I want to share some of my thoughts as I have had a lot of time alone over these last few weeks due to my recovery time needed from the intense cancer treatment. I have had time to think, ponder, reflect, pray, rest—oh yes, rest. I have had time to evaluate once again what I want to do with my life and how I can make the greatest impact on this generation. I have needed this time out and I still need more time to fully recover.
My conclusions are not new, but in the midst of one of the greatest and most difficult times of my life, I sense a renewing beginning within me towards my calling in life and ministry. I know I am called to two major things:
1) Be a man of prayer and teach other people how to pray, and
2) Be a man who hears God's voice and teaches other people how they too can hear the Holy Spirit for themselves. I have many other goals, but ultimately they will find their fulfillment as I stay true to these two callings. It is really that simple.
If I do what I am called to do, I can help you do what you are called to do. But if I do not do what I am called to do, I will just be another echo reverberating under the anointing of others, not releasing the unique sound that God has given me to make.”
What God seems to be saying to me:
I sense the Lord guiding me through these words from Jill Goll. In the past few months, I have been thinking, praying and waiting upon God by asking Him for “A sign of His goodness” (Psalm 86:17).
This article from Elijah List came in timely as I waited patiently, though often with lots of frustration. But the Lord comforted and strengthened my heart last Sun through Dr. Freddy Boey’s message in RiverLife Church. I learned that it took Paul 11 years to wait upon God by developing his inner spirit/inner man before he went to Tarsus (Acts11).
Jim Goll’s words confirmed what the Lord prompted me all these months to move towards a specialized calling in line with where God has led me thus far in my pastoral ministry. It’s like a general medical practitioner specializing in a particular field and then sub-specializing in that arena.
Therefore, I covet your prayers for me. For the Lord to continue to reveal His heart to me.
I want to end with this wonderful words I read from Ezekiel 34:26b
“I will send down showers in season, there shall be showers of blessing.”
David
14.Oct 2009
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jim Goll - Wonderful Testimony of God's Healing
There are many things things that I have been learning of late. I wish I could share all of them. The Lord has been feeding me much with His word. His words of life kept me looking to Him. I also learned not to look too much at myself but learn to look at others who are suffering. Everyday, I receive smses from people on updates of others in need of prayer. There are people who suffer more than us. Looking out makes me feel so much better to know that I am doing so well after these 5 years. Praise the Lord for His mighty hand on me and my family!
Tonight, I received a very wonderful testimony of healing by James Goll.
I like to share it with you with permission from The Elijah List daily newsletter to me.
James Goll is Cancer Free!"by James Goll
Oct 9, 2009
Good News: a Time to Rejoice!
What is the good news? I am cancer free!
By the grace of God, by the prayers of the saints, with the combined efforts of the medical community and the stripes that Jesus Christ bore on the Cross of Calvary, on Wednesday, October 7th, 2009, I got the long awaited news that I am cancer free. So join me as I rejoice in this long awaited news which we have expected in FAITH, that I am cancer free!
Heaven is full of rejoicing as God's grace has again manifested on earth and in this earthen vessel. I am weeping with gratitude and overcome with every emotion imaginable. My four kids are stunned and so happy! I remember Michal Ann's last word sent from Heaven to me, "Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up!" A battle has been won and some good ole perseverance in the Spirit has paid off.
It has been a long 8-year struggle that I have had with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma cancer. But at the Cancer Treatment Center of America in Zion, Illinois, I received the news that ALL cancer is gone from my body and ALL the growths have MELTED! I was stunned when I heard the news! I asked the oncologist to tell me at least five times. The PET and CT scan and all three doctors confirmed the good report—I am free of cancer!
What Was the Key?
The Lord gave me a word in June of 2009 based out of Psalm 84 through Julie Meyer, a prophetic psalmist and friend. The word said I would pass through the valley of weeping and appear before the Lord in ZION and go from strength to strength. It confirmed my direction and I have undergone treatment in Zion, Illinois. I have been passing through the long deep valley of weeping and I shall gain new strength.
So how did it happen?
I really do not know. I am just glad it has! I know this—I got prayer from many ministers of the Gospel; intercession went up from the Global Prayer Movement; I got the best medical treatment the world has to offer; I ate right, drank right, did this and did that….but you know what? When we have done all, we are left in a desperate place, because we cannot do it all!
Then God…Then God…Then God. I threw myself these past few months in a place of abandoned desperation once again. I had no other place to go. At times I wanted to run and hide and pull the covers over my head. As a family we have lost and have gone through so much!
The departure of my dear wife one year ago just about did me in. On the heels of that, I was hit with the report of an increase of cancer activity in my own body; this was the third or fourth time in eight years I had heard this.
What was I to do?
I could only trust while I was in this dark place of my life. I felt like I was once again blind Bartimaeus groping in the darkness as I constantly cried out for Jesus to stop by my house. As I had done years ago, I shouted as loud as I could while walking on our farm in Franklin, TN, "Over here, right now!" and I know that many others cried out to the Messiah for new life to come again to me.
But Then God!
Either God had to act on my behalf, or in a matter of time I knew I would be joining the great cloud of witnesses myself. Part of me longed for eternity. But I, and many of you with me, fought until I could hardly fight any more. I spoke to my inner man, my spirit man, to stay for the sake of my children…to stay for the sake of the testimony of Jesus…but then I also had to decide that I wanted to stay for myself…my course was not yet finished.
I had to learn that it was actually not enough to fight for the sake of others. I had to fight when I felt like quitting. I had to rest; and I had to learn the rhythm of God. And yet I had to trust that time is in His hands. I was torn between the polar opposites of the free will of man and the sovereignty of God.
And then I got the amazing and shocking news: "All cancer is gone from your body and all the growths have melted!" Now, I still have a ways to go in rebuilding my system. My white blood cell count and my platelets are very low. But I will make it! I will yet arise and I will bless the name of the Lord, my God.
So PLEASE continue to speak life to my body and blood. Speak life to my being. Help me to declare full restoration in Jesus name! And if you need healing, let's believe together for your healing…your breakthrough…your provision. I thank the Lord for He is good!
To God Be the Glory!
I am grateful…I am broken…I am stunned…I am undone. Our Father is so amazing! Jesus is so amazing! The Holy Spirit is so amazing! God's ways are so amazing! Oh my, His ways are a mystery. But, Praise the Lord! Yes, in the time of the Feast of Tabernacles, let's just Praise the Lord!
To God Be All the Glory!
James W. GollEncounters Network • PrayerStorm • Compassion ActsEmail: info@encountersnetwork.com
What a powerful testimony! It warms my heart to keep believing God for the impossible! And to speak life into my body and my blood daily! And for my loved ones and those I have been praying for as well!
Thank you for standing with us in prayer!
You keep us believing in God's authority and power!
david
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Biopsy result
Thanks to all for your prayers, love and concern. Please do continue to pray for David. He is down with sore throat and flu now...
"I lift up my eyes to the hills, where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let my foot slip, He who watches over me will not slumber. The Lord watches over me. The Lord is my shade at my right hand; The Lord will keep me from all harm, he will watch over my life; The Lord will watch over my coming and going both now and forevermore" (Psalm 121:1-3,5,7,8 NKJV).
May we take heart that the Lord is watching over us!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee LingMonday, September 14, 2009
Comment in ST Forum
Cancer fighter's words
'I applaud Mr Lee Kuan Yew and all the 'friends and foes under one roof' for teaching me how to fight well and finish well.'
MR DAVID ONG: 'I read last Wednesday's reports, 'Another bit of history' and 'Friends and foes under one roof' with great delight. Fighting cancer has taught me many lessons about life and death. Someone has said: 'Life is like a roll of toilet paper. You don't value it until you almost reach the end of it.' Indeed. Cancer has made me value the people in my life even more - my family, my friends and my faith. Today, I realise that even 'foes' can be valued. No matter whether others have seen things differently from me or opposed, challenged or offended me, at the end of the day, what matters most is the relationships we have built, the faith we hold and the unforgettable legacy we leave. I applaud Mr Lee Kuan Yew and all the 'friends and foes under one roof' for teaching me how to fight well and finish well.'
I thought it was very well written. :)
Friday, September 04, 2009
David is back home
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Excision of ganglion
It was a long day for David (he was in the hospital since this 10:30 this morning and waited till about 3+pm for his op and was wheeled back to his ward only at around 5:20pm), but he looked good after the op even though the bandage on his right foot looked so huge. I told Josh it looked like a huge bee hive. Josh was unable to visit his daddy at the hospital because it is not advisable nowadays for children to be in the hospital because of the H1N1 outbreak. He wish to see his daddy before he goes for his BB camp from tomorrow to Sunday. Depending on the doctor's report tomorrow after post-op observation of at least 6 hours, David may be able to be discharged tomorrow. Please do continue to pray for complete healing for David aand also for Josh to have a safe and fun camp. It will be his first time away from home and his parents. Pray for me that I trust more and worry less.
Thanks & God bless!
Whee Ling
Monday, August 31, 2009
Minor Op on Thur 03Sep
David will be admitted to SGH this Thur for a minor surgery to remove a small growth on his right foot. The growth is about the size of a small fishball, near his ankle. Please pray:
1. that growth is just some benign tissues
2. successful operation without any complications, wisdom & skills of the team performing the op
3. quick recovery from general anesthesia
4. protection from all kinds of infections, esp H1N1 during his stay in the hospital (understand it should just be a 2 day 1 night stay)
5. peace and faith to trust God that David is in His good hands and will be safe and well.
We were blessed last Sunday to sit under the teaching of Pastor Benny Ho as he brought God's word to us during church service yesterday. The topic was "The position we pray from". It is important to know that we have the authority and the Holy Spirit can help us activate that authority to take back from the enemy everything he has stolen - health, relationships, possessions, joy, hope, effective service etc.
It is so powerful to truly understand:
- Luke 10:19
"I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."
and
- Ephesians 2:4-6
"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus".
Let us pray with renewed faith for David and other pressing issues we may have in the position of authority that our Father's will be done and that each of us will emerge the "Victor" and "Overcomer" we were called to be.
Please also pray for my god-mother who is hospitalised with suspected pneumonia, headache, giddiness and breathlessness. Initial diagnosis is not clear and suspected one of her lungs could be harden. Please pray for healing and restoration for her and for another friend who has gone through numerous rounds of chemotherapy to treat her tongue cancer. By faith we declare:
"...the Spirit of God lives in you... And if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you." Romans 8:9-11
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, August 23, 2009
At a Birthday Party
It was really a joy to know that our story had been a great blessing to them. This family has a little boy that had a huge tumour. Because of this, they found real hope in the way, the truth and the Life - Jesus! Now the tumour is gone! And the boy is recovering well!
This piece of news is so encouraging to us. One very prominent pastor who was a childhood friend of mine wrote an email to me last week saying, "Everything in life is a preparation for the next." How true! The ancient David went through many stages of pain and training before God used him powerfully as Israel's king. While I am deeply thankful to the Lord for using me and my family in this journey, my desire is to be to become a man who runs after the heart of God through all the past seasons of my life.
Let me end with this verse that reminds me that "God will not despise those who are broken and contrite in heart" (Psalm 51:17), but will esteem such people whose hearts are always bowed in brokenness and humility before Him.
All glory be unto Him!
david
P/S: Please pray for:
1. Joshua - Exams this whole week.
2. My monthly medical review with Dr.William Hwang tomorrow.
Thanks!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Years ago, I would think it is really not respectful to God to do that. But as I grew older, my perspective changed. I rather let my 'spiritual engine' be turned on throughout the watches of the night as scripture says God does not sleep nor slumber. (Psm 121) and He watches over us all day long. In fact, we are told that He will counsel us even through the watches of the night! So, like what I taught Josh to do every night whenever we tuck him to bed, we would tell him to think of Jesus, talk to Jesus and thank Him for everyhthing until he sleeps. (3T's)
Having practised this regularly all these years, the Lord has a way to wake me up at 4 plus whenever he has a rhema word or revelation for me. Last week, I had a dream. In that dream, I saw many miracles with my spirit being. My spirit was full of faith and I shouted, "In Jesus name be healed!" The next morning, Whee Ling told me about what she heard clearly when I shouted in my sleep. She didn't wake me up but resounded with a firm "Amen!' as she knew God was doing a work in my heart, causing more faith to arise within.
Again 2 nights ago, I had another dream. (Old men dream dreams!!) I woke up right after the dream. Instantly, God gave me this verse: Romans 10:9 as several names came to mind simultaneously. I knew it was a call to intercede them - especially for a doctor who has been saddened by the news that he may have Lymphoma and another doctor who has been in coma for more than a year now due to a tumour. God gave me great faith to believe and pray for them. By the grace of God, I had the opportunity to speak, release what God laid upon my heart to tell him and to pray for the former through the phone.
As I reflected, I thank God for never ceasing to speak to me in such special ways and for allowing me to minister for Him to people by proclaiming the word of the Lord boldly by faith. I felt so honored that he still uses me in spite of my weaknesses. What a gracious God! Indeed, He is a God full of grace, enabling to do what I cannot do on my own.
I am weak, but He is strong!
david
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The power of prayer
Thanks for praying for Josh and David. Josh is ok now and David is much better even though he is still coughing out phelgm. As per his doctor's advice, he had started on Tamiflu. Please continue to pray for complete healing.
I liked the devotional article on 05Aug Women's Thought for the Day (by author Suzanne Benner) and would like to share how it has encouraged me to pray and ask for prayer in times of need.
It reminded me that "the Almighty God has given us the privilege of helping our loved ones by our prayers.
For a purpose known by God alone, through a spiritual process beyond our understanding, God has ordained that our prayers have power to assist those in trouble.
It is a mystery that we do not understand, yet through the Bible, the very words of God, we know it to be true."
Scripture references:
- "On Him we have set our hope that He will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers" (2 Corinthians 1:10 -11, NIV).
- "Yes, and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help given by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, what has happened to me will turn out for my deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death" (Philippians 1:19-20, NIV).
To read the full article, please refer to http://thelife.com/blogposts/2009/08/05/help-us-by-your-prayers/#comments
So, thank you for being instrumental in bringing God's healing and deliverance to us! Please also grant us the priviledge to pray alongside with you by writing to us prayer requests in our blog or email to us if you feel led.
Shalom,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
Josh & I - URTI
We ask for prayers as we look to our chief physician.
thx,
david
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Had been having bilateral headaches of late. My right wrist had been causing pain for several weeks. At the same time, there's slight pain on my right hip and thigh as well, making me worried that it may fracture. The medicine (Thalidomide) that I have been taking that causes numbness and occasional cramps of my extremeties also makes me very sleepy due to its accumulative side effects. Therefore, I get very tired easily and have very little time to do much apart from looking after Josh after he returns from School in the afternoon. By night, after he returns from his regular swim training, I am usually zapped physically. This gets me rather frustrated at times though I tried to do much meaningful things as possible. I tried to be the best husband; I tried to be the best father and I tried to live the best I can be for the Lord through itinerary speaking whenever I get invited. You know, I live today as if I were to go tommorrow. Not being negative, but it helps me stay focused daily - to do the will of the Father above. It's just that sometimes I do get discouraged and deceived by the evil one when the waiting for the Lord's specific purpose in my life gets a little cloudy through prolonged waiting.
But the Lord always knows when to step in whenever one thinks as if he is about to fall down the edge of the cliff. He answered the cries of my heart through a long time doctor-cum-missionary who is very well versed in the word of God. He had read my book given to him through someone. And somehow by the divine grace of God, he met me recently at a cell group. Subsequently, he emailed me with a word from the Lord for me advising me not to do anything though it has been 5 years since I have stopped working fulltime. I was advised to ask for a sign of the Lord's goodness (Psalm 86:17). This reminded me of the prophecy given to me in April 2004, that I was to wait upon the Lord in the secret place until God reveals His specific plans for my pastoral ministry.
Waiting is tough. And to wait patiently is even tougher. But I know it is very neccessary in order to hear the voice of the Lord clearly. Rushing things would be moving in the flesh instead of the Spirit. Times like this brings me back to the word of God where it must come out alive in order to let my mind stay on Christ, the hope of my life. Once again, the Lord has proven Himself to be faithful and true, an ever-present God who cares and speaks though He may seem silent or hidden.
On Monday, I made an earlier appointment to see Dr.William Hwang instead of next month. I had a bad sore throat but I was afebrile. But in view of the headaches and bad throat, a swab was done to ensure it was not H1N1 as immun-compromised patients like me are in the high risk group as classified by MOH.
Anyway, the pain of my wrist had improved after a steriodal injection was administered last Tuesday when I consulted a god-loving friend who is an ortho-oncologist.
God has always provided for all my medical needs. Pray that I will continue to be patient in seeing complete healing as I know that so many of you are still praying. The number of hits daily reminds us that God never fails to send His love through people like you who care enough. I have been specially blessed to have a close friend (Ps.Patrick Wong) to accompany me often for my reviews even though Mondays are his off days.
The Lord is indeed my refuge and strength! (Psalm 46:1)
David
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Safely Back From W.Malaysia (14 - 22June 2009) - Near Accident Incident
Thanks for praying for us. It was a long holiday for us. Whee Ling, Josh and I had some personal time with my sis and her family who live in Kuala Lumpur before we drove to Genting Highlands with Joshua's godparents and their two lovely daughters who are also our god-daughters. At both places, we also celebrated Joshua's 9th birthday with all our loved ones.
Whee Ling, Josh and I really appreciate you for praying for our safety and protection from the H1N1 flu pandemic. One afternoon, Whee Ling and I were driving to the town to get a birthday cake for Josh. As the roads are very winding, all of a sudden an ambulance appeared barely 10 meters in front of us. We were utterly taken by surprised but thank God it quickly swerved back to its lane without hitting us. I can't imagine what would have happened but we were thankful for the Lord's hand upon us. Praise the Lord!
david
Sunday, June 07, 2009
His Grace
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Many things to thank for.........
Here's a list thank God for:
1. Whee Ling flight was exactly the same flgiht number as the SMU student who was infected with H1N1 virus. We were concerned the moment we heard about the flight number, but later we realized it was the wrong date. Whee Ling returned on 24th May whereas the infected student returned on 26th May. Praise the Lord!
2. My father - he was warded for lung infection and some complications due to the Aspirin that he had been taking for his heart ailment. He was discharged after several days.
3. Josh did fairly well in school with Band 1 grades for all subjects. The workload jumped considerably high as this year in P3 and he had a lot to adjust with an additional subject (Science).
4. 1st June - Commemorates the 4th year of my Stem-Cell Transplant. Dr.William Hwang, my transplant physician, congratulated me and wished me "Happy 4th Birthday". I thank God for giving me a new lease of life and I live even more intentinally as I know every breath is God-given.
5. Growing in the Prophetic Ministry - Of late, I sense the Spirit of God leading me to speak in the prophetic language whenever I share or pray for people. Many whom I have ministered to had affirmed the Lord's utterance thru the words released. My heart was specially blessed at a cell on Saturday where a special visitor from OM felt very encouraged through the word given by the Holy Spirit. He felt that the Lord answered the cry of his heart that same morning. What a good God we have! He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted! (Psalm9:12b)
6. Sharing in a Methodist Church - Last Sun, I was given the opportunity to share how God gave me the confidence through the valley of the shadow of death. The Lord blessed me with a good time of ministry. Many came forward to recieve healing and ministry through the Holy Spirit. I felt so blest to hear that that was the first time many responded to the altar call. It was a breakthrough. May the Lord continue to do a work in the lives of the people of this Church and bring spiritual revival and renewal.
7. Global day of prayer on Sunday, 31 May - Whee Ling, Josh, our domestic helper, Perla, and I were very blessed during the time of prayer. It was great worshipping with so many people with the body of Christ at large regardless of race, language but same Christ who is the way, the truth and the life! The Spirit of God did a great work of renewal in our hearts individually and as a family! We could also see the change of life in our helper, who does her work more joyfully and diligently these few days! By the way, she cooks prawn noodles very well that day, her first attempt just by following the recipe book. Thank God for providing us a good and born again helper. She was converted soon after she came. Like our first domestic helper, she prayed to receive Christ and is also a cell leader now. God has great plans for her and will find great favor with her as she grows and serves the Lord with gladness!
Please join us in out thanksgiving as we pray God will quicken and edify your spirit as well!
with a grateful heart!
david
Monday, May 25, 2009
Whee Ling back from USA/David's Dad is hospitalized in TTSH
I also would like to covet your prayers for my father who is warded in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. My parents had developed fever after babysitting two little girls whose family had been badly infected with flu the past week. He was so weak that an ambulance was called to fetch him to the hospital. He has a history of heart problem as well.
When I received the news from my sister last night, Josh was just next to me. After hearing the news, I was pleasantly surprised and delighted when Josh said, "Daddy, let's pray for Ah Kong now!" Then he pray in a simple, yet one of the most sincere prayers ever! I was touched and glad, because it dawned upon me that the most important thing about teaching our kids is not just the knowledge about God and spiritual truths, but the application of the truths. I pray that Josh will learn to apply the truths he learned as he grows up.
Finally, a little about my routine check up with Dr.William Hwang today. All blood tests, especially my Haemoglobin and platelet counts, are relatively good. There is slight pain on my right wrist for the past few weeks but they are bearable. Dr.William even wished me, "Happy 4th Birthday!" in advance. Come June 1st will be the 4th year since the stem cell transplant had been done successfully with 100% of engraftment.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
David
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Talking the Walk - 'Akang datang' in Chinese
Talking the Walk - In Chinese
While this is in progress, we are also embarking on the audio version in Chinese. Please pray that the Lord will bring the right person with a good recording voice to read the book. This is really exciting as we've never thought of venturing so far. But so many have encouraged us to do so as the Lord had used our story to share His goodness with lots of people.
Whee Ling and I are deeply humbled to be used by our great Shepherd in declaring His grace and goodness. He is indeed perfectly good!
Please pray for thr glory of the Lord to shine!
"He must increase, and I must decrease!"
John 3:30
david
Monday, May 11, 2009
Childlike Faith of Thomas Epting
Thomas Epting's young body began showing its first signs of leukemia when he was only two years old. By age four, there was no doubt. And after the disease had ebbed and resurfaced once again at age seven, his family understood that Thomas's childhood was not going to be normal . . . at least not in the way our world defines "normal."
They were right. But not just because of the complications and chemo treatments. How normal is it for a young boy to never complain about shot needles and hospital stays--not even once? How normal is it to hear a child say, after being told of his need for yet another procedure, "I just want God to be glorified in this, and I don't want to embarrass Him"?
Thomas was a remarkable boy, indeed.
There was a period of years when Thomas's physical suffering was graciously relieved by the hand of God. His leukemia was gone. Undetectable. He used the time to read every book written by A. W. Tozer. He wrote profound Christian poetry. He took the SAT at 13 and outscored his parents' high-school marks.
But at 15, he received bad news. Not one but five malignant, inoperable brain tumors had been seen on an X-ray. The setback sent his mom and dad into a parent's tailspin. But his mom, Amy, remembers a day, barely a month before his death, when she was talking with Thomas about how she should pray for him. He flashed those twinkling eyes at her and said, "Mom, you think too much! God sent His Son to die for me! If He never did anything else for me, sending Jesus is enough for me to praise Him as long as I live. Just focus on that, Mom, and quit worrying about the tumors!"
Wow - What a child! What a great child of God! It puts me to shame - that a child like him understood the heart of God more than I do.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
Please pray for Josh - exams
He sits for his English papers tomorrow. His Math, Chinese and Science will be from Tuesday to Thursday respectively.
Thanks for covering us in prayer!
david
Tuesday, May 05, 2009
Monday, May 04, 2009
As Secure as Mt.Zion
I had my devotion this morning and had been very blessed as I read these verses. The Lord reminded me that my true security is only in the Lord.
There are just too many things happening in our world. Nothing is safe and secure. Now there is another scare - the Influenza A (H1N1 virus). We can't help but feel concerned for our loved ones here and overseas.
But I am reminded to trust the Lord. It means looking to our Shepherd King as the source of our security. It means putting our faith in the grace, love, power, and protection of God when the inevitable pressures of life come. It means knowing as the psalmist did, that the mountains surround Jerusalem, God himself will surround and shield his children. Therefore, we will not let anything scare us. But in our hearts, we can be "As secure as Mt.Zion".
It is so good that you and I can always turn to our God - He is bigger that any BIG thing that can turn the world around!
He will always hold your hand closely!
david
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Seen A/Prof Terence Chua for 'Missed Beats'
The frequent 'missed beats' caused me not to take life for granted again. Each day and night as I take my pulse, there were times when flashes of thoughts would come, "What if I do not get up tomorrow?" And when I open my eyes to see a new tomorrow, my heart rejoices to know that God has granted me another new day to see His goodness in a new way.
Today, I saw Dr.Terence Chua at the National Heart Centre, SGH. He is a very pleasant man who Dr. William Hwang, my transplant physician refered me to. He assured me that my ECG looks normal. In any case, he is putting me on Ambulatory ECG (Holter Monitoring) on 19May. Holter Monitoring is a test where the ECG is continously monitored for 24-48 hours. Hence, any abnormal rhythms will be captured if present. This test is useful for detecting transient rhythm disorders of the heart which are not detected at the time when a single ECG like the one I had is done.
I also saw my Orthopaedic Oncologist after seeing the Cardiologist. The slight pain on my left shoulder kept me awake several times last night. A few XRays were done and it seems that there were no new lytic lesions were found except for a few tiny old, residual ones which are not of real concern.
Thank God for these expert doctors that God has placed me in. They've helped put our hearts at ease although our primary hope and sourse of healing is in the name of the one who raised Jesus from the dead.
Thank you for praying!
david
Wednesday, April 08, 2009
Picture of Bobby Michaels - departed 31.03.2009
http://www.bobbymichaels.comTuesday, April 07, 2009
Another friend has just left - Bobby Michaels
Bobby, as many of us know him, is a great christian artiste who had ministered powerfully through his music. Personally, the song, "My Redeemer is faithful and true" had greatly ministered to me during the course of my illness. He had also been ministering in Cambodia as a missionary, bring many medical as well as christian musicians into the land as they distribute rice to the poor there.
My family and I last met Bobby and his wife, Lee when they were here to minister last year. Bobby had a great, beautiful voice and we had been specially blessed by his warmth, friendship and love. I was very honoured to have his permission to use the sound tracks for the above-mentioned all-time favourite song of many . Not only did he offer to record the tracks for me, Bobby refused to accept the royalty fees for using his tracks. What a man of God with a great heart for God and for people! I have not seen many christian artiste who are famous like him serving God with such simplicity and purity of heart. Above all, his heart for the poor is what touches me and he personally went to the mission field to bring rice to those who need it in Cambodia. I thank God for him, for teaching me to focus on living my life for what's really important to God. Thank you, Bobby!
"Lord Jesus,
May your comfort and strength be upon Lee, his wife and children as the mourn the loss of his departure into your glorious presence. Thank you, that You are indeed our faithful and true Redeemer that is so evident in this brother's life. May you bless their hearts to be filled with joy to know that Bobby had blessed the hearts of countless people, young and old, rich and poor throughout this entire world, including Whee Ling, Joshua and mine. That they have a great husband and father who loved God and people deeply. Fill their hearts with hope as they look forward to their reunion when You, our blessed hope and glory come again for us on that day.
We pray this, in Jesus' most precious name!
Amen.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Missed Heart Beats
All is well, except for my recent heart rhythm that was a little irregular. There are missed beats now and then. Had an ECG done in the hospital but it was normal. An appointment has been made to see the cardiologist on the 14th of April.
Times like this make me think again. It makes me ponder about life again and again. Being relatively quite well except for periodic bouts of flu that hit me badly can suck one into the mundane without intentionally living for the master with a focused heart.
Times like this also make me think about my own mortality. That life is unpredictable. Everyday, we hear about people departing from this world suddenly or slowly through illnesses and other means. I am sure many of us read about the young, Singaporean doctor who took his own life recently. The family of a little 4 year old boy who has brain tumour that I have been praying for has been told that they have done all they could for him. Another woman, who was teaching in the kindergarden who Josh was died in Feb shortly after discovering she had end stage cancer of the pancreas, leaving her husband and children in shock.
You may think I sound very melancholic. Frankly, I am not. For I have wrestled with this issue eversince my illness. To me, death is about living. I live today as if I am going tomorrow - for the Lord. I must admit that there were times I felt as if I may not wake up the next day (Like how the missed heart made me thought for a moment how I may never see my family again). And when I do, I always give thanks for another new day to taste His grace, experience His love and feel His heart for the world in order to live my life fully to fulfill His divine purpose in my life no matter how mundane life is.
In the Starits times today (Sat, 4 April 2009), there are 7 pages (Part D1-7) on "Going Gently into the night" - a special report on death and dying. It is interestly to read about the different perspectives of people on this. It is so good to be reminded by the Holy Spirit that as children of the most high God, our hope is in the name of the one who raised Jesus from the dead!!
Anyway, I like what the late Shin Na, a breast cancer patient who passed on in January 2009 commented as mentioned in page D7, "Keep in mind that cancer patients go through phases." Having hope is one thing, having to deal with the raw feelings that come with renewed faith is another. Although I do not agree with her perspective on point 3 where she said God didn't promise He's going to heal anyone, Shin Na's tips on what to avoid when talking to a cancer patient was a good reminder to people who care for the sick but sometimes can say wrong things no matter how good their intentions can be. Therefore, a visitor to a sick person no matter who you are (esp. church leaders and particularly pastors!) must be careful not to be adverse advisers. Your visit can either break instead of build his/her faith. Believe me, in my 41/2 years a s a cancer patient, I have seen too many adverse advisers!! The best thing you can offer is to pray instead of preach, leaving the presence of the Lord to touch and build up the confidence of the one being prayed for to believe in the ONE who is always willing to heal. (Luke 5:12-16)
Am thankful for every new breadth!
david
Monday, March 30, 2009
Medical appointment
David will be having his medical appointment today, his last was 6 weeks ago. Please pray that his result continue to be good. He was having ulcers and some bleeding in his mouth, not sure if it has anything to do with the GVHD (Graft vs Host Disease) flaring up again. Pray that he has complete healing and wholeness in Jesus name. Am reminded again that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:9). Praise the Lord for His amazing grace!
God bless,
Whee Ling
Monday, March 16, 2009
Award - A Comfirmation of What God impressed in Apr 2006
in my journal, I recorded that God used 1Cor. 4:9 to impress upon me then, that He will "Display me" just like the way he displayed Paul through his suffering. I had kept that in my heart and had only shared that impression with Whee Ling. Since then, there were several opportunities for us to honor the Lord through our testimony when we did a CNA programme called "Stems of Life". Another one was a video recording for the Singapore Cord Blood Bank,KK hospital. "Mind Your Body" also featured us in June 2008 and now the award in SGH. In all these, we feel very honored that we can shine for the Lord through our journey.
We also want to thank you for standing in the gap for us these 4 and a half years. Your prayers have invoked the presence of God and we've found strength to cope and conquer each challenge in our fight. Thank you so much!
Please continue to pray for complete healing. The Lord has done so much for us and we believe that this year will be another year of seeing the miracles and marvellous works of the Lord in our lives.
All Glory to the Lord!
David
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Inspirational Patient Award ceremony - photos
Updated: 19th February 2009, 0900 hrs
Rising above their crises
In a twist of events, a group of patients turned the tables to become the ones who inspire and motivate healthcare staff with their indomitable spirit.
Claire Huang speaks to two such patients to find out how they rose above their personal crises.
When Madam Rahmah Anes was diagnosed with Stage 3 breast cancer in 2005, she was devastated.
The fact that she came from a conservative background, and her husband wasn't supportive of her decision to undergo a mastectomy didn't help.
But the 49-year-old soldiered on.
In fact, the mother of three has been a volunteer at the Singapore General Hospital's support group for breast cancer patients for three years already.
And she finds joy in doing so.
"I just volunteer with my heart because I want (to) let them know after diagnosis then you go operation, how you (would) feel and we've to share with them."
Madam Rahmah explains that it was through the support group that she realised she was still quite fortunate.
"Yes, after I joined this support group, it helped me a lot...Because once we meet the patients, sometimes (even though) we think we're worse, we see other people more worse than us. So that encouraged me to do this continuously."
Like Madam Rahmah, Mr David Ong is also a fighter.
The 48-year-old suffers from myeloma which is a type of blood cancer that impairs the body's ability to fight off infections and eventually causes bone destruction.
Faced with such adversity, Mr Ong still managed to keep his outlook positive.
In fact the part-time pastor visits cancer patients or their caregivers, to share his personal experience.
"Having gone through this journey of pain and suffering, I know that there are many people out there who need that ray of hope and encouragement. And what I've been through is just a little milestone ahead of these people and if I can bring a little hope and encouragement to the hearts of these people, I think I would have lived my life more intentionally and purposefully."
And Mr Ong's actions inspired everyone around him, including his doctor.
Dr William Hwang on Mr Ong.
"David has never been about himself. It's always, even when he is hospitalised, he's always looking out for the patients in the same room as him, he's always looking out for the nurses, is always concerned about the staff, he's always asking about people around him and how he can be in some way, a blessing to people."
Madam Rahmah and Mr Ong are two of the three outstanding winners of the inaugural SGH Inspirational Patient Award.
They are among some ten winners who were chosen out of 50 nominations.
With 900,000 patient encounters every year, SGH hopes the courage of these winners can help other patients look beyond their own illnesses and inspire others.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
All glory to God!
Just wanted to share apiece of good news with you:
David will be receiving an award today as one of the Top 10 most inspiring patients, an event organized by Singapore General Hospital.
The award giving ceremony will be at noon today and I was told there would be media coverage. The radio station 98.5Live interviewed him too, so do tune in if possible.
That's all for now, more coverage later. :)
Please pray that all that David say, do and think will be acceptable in God's sight and draw people nearer to our Loving Father. It is indeed God's favor to be honored in such a manner but more importantly, I know it is David's heart to want to seize every opportunity to be a witness of God's goodness and lovingkindness and be a blessing to others. Pray that God's will be done and may the name of Jesus be highly exalted.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
Celebrations
Today is the last day of the 15-day CNY celebration. Today is also David’s Chinese birthday according to the lunar calendar. (Blessed Birthday!!!) Isn’t it nice to be able to celebrate 2 birthdays in a year? Josh for one loved that very much.
I am thankful for every remembrance of God’s grace in allowing us to celebrate every special occasion as a family. Jan and Feb are busy months for us with many birthdays of loved ones to celebrate in addition to the CNY. We had just celebrated both my parents-in-law’s birthday last sat and because David's birthday is also in Feb, he got to have 2 ang pows from each of them - what a double blessings indeed. More important than the ang pows, I am sure the time of celebration adds to those wonderful memories of God's goodness and blessings in our lives.
Keep counting your blessings. "Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily loads us with benefits." Psalm 68:19
God bless,
Whee Ling
Monday, January 26, 2009
To go or not to go
Finally, I made up my mind to go. I remembered years ago when my grandmother passed away just before the chinese new year, very few came and it was a very quiet lunar new year for us as we were mourning. So the Spirit of God prompted me to be there for the family.
There were indeed very few at the wake. I also discovered that my friend's father had not only lost his beloved wife, he had lost his brother several days ago suddenly due to a heart attack. As I sat there worshipping the Lord through one of the most famous songs that most of us know (What a friend we have in Jesus), my heart felt so ministered that Jesus knows the pain and understands best the situations in our lives, including this.
As I sat there, I gave thanks for bringing me through another Christmas, another new year, another chinese new year, and another day. Life is indeed unpreditable. We can never be sure when it will be taken away. Just read the newspapers and you will certainly understand what I mean.
It's been almost 4 and half years since Sept 2004. The first time I attended a wake of a fellow cancer friend left me fearful of when my turn would be. My eyes have seen so many I've known in the course of my illness depart one by one. By the grace of God, I'm still fighting this battle with more healing, but more importantly, with more understanding of His Sovereign hand in my life. Like i've always said, "I live today as if I'm going tommorrow." Therefore, I try to live with more passion in living for Jesus today for we know not what will happen tommorrow.
I pray that going around this chinese new year during the visitations will make me feel the burden and compassion for those who still need to experience the love of our Saviour who holds the keys to life and death.
Have a blessed lunar new year!
david
Monday, January 19, 2009
1st Check up 2009
Today I had my first medical review in 2009. The monthly intravenous injection of Zometa was given to strengthen my bones. Dr William Hwang noticed a bony structure protruding from my right upper gum and was concerned. Referred me to the dental surgeon but thank God that it wasn't osteonecrosis, a side effect of the i/v zometa.
Appreciate your constant prayers for us,
david
Monday, December 22, 2008
Faith of a little child
My heart was greatly encouraged when a 4-year old son came to pray for me after his father (Dr.Melvyn Tan, the doctor who found 3 fractures on my ribs that led to the discovery of my illness) prompted him to speak healing upon me. With so much faith and simplicity of his heart, Lucas prayed with alllllllll his heart and asked Jesus to heal me in the Lord's mighty name. And what astonished me totally was that he asked God to take away all the cancer cells! His father actually told me that Lucas doesn't know about my condition. God must have given him the word of knowledge and utterance. It reminds me that sometimes the faith of little children can move mountains as much as they can move hearts. My heart was moved, and I believe, God has moved the mountain in my body!
david
Here's something a friend sent - Jesus is Better than Santa!
Santa lives at the North Pole.
JESUS is everywhere.
Santa rides in a sleigh
JESUS rides on the wind and walks on the water.
Santa comes but once a year
JESUS is an ever present help.
Santa fills your stockings with goodies
JESUS supplies all your needs.
Santa comes down your chimney uninvited
JESUS stands at your door and knocks... And then enters your heart.
You have to stand in line to see Santa
JESUS is as close as the mention of His name.
Santa lets you sit on his lap
JESUS lets you rest in His arms.
Santa doesn't know your name, all he can say is "Hi little boy or girl, What's your name?"
JESUS knew our name before we did. Not only does He know our name, He knows our address too. He knows our history and future and He even knows how many hairs are on our heads.
Santa has a belly like a bowl full of jelly
JESUS has a heart full of love.
All Santa can offer is HO HO HO
JESUS offers health, help and hope.
Santa says "You better not cry"
JESUS says "Cast all your cares on me for I care for you.
Santa's little helpers make toys
JESUS makes new life, mends wounded hearts, repairs broken homes and builds mansions.
Santa may make you chuckle but
JESUS gives you joy that is your strength.
While Santa puts gifts under your tree
JESUS became our gift and died on the tree.
It's obvious there is really no acomparison.
We need to remember WHO Christmas is all about.
We need to put Christ back in Christmas.
Jesus is still the reason for the season.
May the Lord Bless and Watch over you and your loved ones
this Christmas 2008. And may He prosper and bless the work of your hands in the New Year!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
URTI
thank you all for praying for me. I recovered fast from the vomitting. However, two days later, a bout of upper respiratory tract infection hit me badly. The past week had been exhausting physically, being bed-ridden for most of the time. The course of anibiotics helped me tremenduously and I am once again up and about after just a few days.
Looking back, it is such a blessing as I remembered I would be sick for several weeks whenever I caught an infection. For that, I am deeply thankful for the Lord's hand upon my life. Praise the name of the Lord!
A christian brother who had been diagnosed with colon cancer recently shared with me this wonderful verse few days ago. It is from Proverbs 14:30, "A heart at peace gives life to the body."
Life is full of stresses. While a little of it is needed to keep us going, too much of it apparently releases free radicals that are harmful to our bodies as many research scientists say. But the word of our great God promises that when our heart is at peace, it gives life to our bodies! What a God we can turn to for peace when our hearts need to be at peace in this troubled world!
May the peace of God be with you at his Christmas season!
david
Saturday, December 13, 2008
David is much better now
He might have caught the gastric flu bug. Good thing he did not develop any fever. He was much better after some medication and did not need to go to the hospital at all.
Thank you so much for praying.
Prayers move mountains. Please continue to pray for all who needs a touch from the Lord. I have just gotten news of a friend who was diagnosed with tongue cancer. Please pray with us for healing miracles, so many friends needed that. Oh how we need the Lord!
God bless,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Food poisoning?
Had wanted to update and give thanks for the recent Malacca trip but instead am now posting for a prayer request for David.
This morning, after he and Josh fetch me to work, he complained he felt unwell. I had a early morning video conference (from 6am) at my office with my boss and US colleagues. David deliberately woke up early to send me to work so I would not be anxious about being late and the hassle of taking taxi so early in the morning. I was really grateful for his thoughtfulness and love yet at the same time I was quite concerned about him not getting enough rest. Even Josh was up early and readily accompanied us.
I later learned that David was unwell and even vomited in the afternoon.
He vomited again just now. Not sure if he had food poisoning or.... As I recalled, we stopped over at an organic farm near Kluang on the way back to Singapore for lunch. There were lots of house flies so it could be something contaminated which he might have consumed. Then again, we could not be sure, the rest of us seemed fine. Anyway, covet your prayers for him. Praying that the Lord heals him and build up his immunity and restore him to perfect health after a good night rest tonight. Please also pray for him as he prepares to share a message at his good friend's church at the end of the year. May the Lord protect him physically, spiritually and in every aspect as he seeks to be a blessing to the Lord and others.
"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess." (Hebrews10:23)
Thanks for praying for our Malacca trip. We are thankful for the safe journey and the enjoyable time despite the bad traffic jam on the way up last Saturday. What makes the trip enjoyable is none other than the sweet fellowship with friends who travelled together on the trip. Will share more next time.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Friday, December 05, 2008
Eye check @SNEC
As Christmas draws near, it is time to take stock and count each and every blessing from our good God again, lest we forget His benefits as Psalm 103 reminds us. As I took out my diary to count them, one great blessing is this - I had NOT been hospitalised for the whole of 2008 except for the month of March when I had a bout of bad chest infection. Praise the name of the Lord!
Josh and I had been reading the book of 1John together. We had also memorised 1John2:6 by putting the verse on the dashboard of our family car as a reminder to walk a life of obedience. Do pray that our family will love, fear and serve Jesus all the days of our lives.
david
"Whoever claims to live in Him must walk as Jesus did." 1 John 2:6
Friday, November 28, 2008
Full skeletal X-rays tomorrow
Sorry for not updating the blog for such a long time. I was busy with work and had not even take a day off to spend some time with the family during this school holiday. It is hard to imagine, almost 2 weeks have passed since the beginning of the school holiday. David had been kept busy too spending time with Josh, bringing him on MRT train rides, playing football with him, swimming and even inviting Josh's friends and cousins over to play. Well, thank God there is still one more month to go before the holiday ends and we have planned to go to Malacca for a short break with some friends next weekend. Please pray for journey mercy and a blessed time.
David shared about his last medical checkup and I am so thankful that there are no M cells in the blood tests. He has been scheduled to do a full skeletal test tomorrow morning (appointment at 8am). Covet your prayers for him that all be well and that he be in excellent health. Praise the Lord who knows our every thought and cares about what we are going through. He so graciously reminded me in the daily devotion time that "My promises never fail." in 1 Kings 8:56 "Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to all that He promised: there hath not failed one word of all His good promise." Am reminded to depend on His promises, stand upon them, trust them, and live them. "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
May we walk according to God's promises each and every day.
Please continue to pray for XinXin too and please refer to her blog for updates. Join us also to pray for our friend's sister-in-law who is still in coma, (thank God her recent lung infection has cleared) and all those who needs healing and strength in their battle with cancer. The Lord says that the battle is His and victory is ours. Praise the name of Jesus forevermore!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Saturday, November 15, 2008
School Holidays have just begun....
The school holidays have just begun......Josh is all excited as he has many plans - from playing soccer to basketball; taking long MRT and bus rides and even has plans to invite some of his friends over for 'party'.
As for me, my next appointment with Dr.William Hwang is on Thursday, 20 Nov. The spinal pain has decreased but occasionally, I get pain on certain parts of my ribs. I am currently seeing my doctor every 3 weeks for my regular check ups and intravenous Zometa for healing of my bones. It all seems to be in control and we are believing God for continous and complete healing in spite of the pain. Guess I am reminded to continue to exercise my faith regardless of the presenting facts. Our God is big and surely there is no mountain that he cannot remove.
blessings,
david.
Psalm 119:116, "Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live."
Thursday, October 30, 2008
David's spinal pain
He had a chance to share his testimony last sunday with another church. It was good to hear him declaring his faith in the Lord again and again. May the Lord continue to grant him strength, mercy and grace. Our Redeemer is faithful and true!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Whee Ling
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Joshua - Exams
He has been very co-operative and obedient. He is very cheerful and playful as well.
We really thank God for such a lovely and precious gift in Joshua.
Thanks for praying with us!
david
Isaiah 26:3 God will give peace to those whose minds are always thinking about Him
Friday, October 10, 2008
4 Years / Medical Appointment Today
I was sitting at the main lobby at National Cancer Centre this afternoon while waiting for a new doctor friend who is an oncologist there.
While waiting, my eyes were roving to and fro, observing the people from all walks of life that were coming in and out of the centre. But the ones that attracted me were the cancer patients. Many came in on wheelchairs, while others came with tubes hanging from their noses or other places. My heart went out to them as I teared with thankgiving in my heart to the Lord of grace for having brought me thus far in my journey.
It's been slightly more than four years (The Olympics have come and gone)since the time I started battling this illness with the strength and comfort of the Lord. And with friends and loved ones in our families of origin that stood with us all these years. Whee Ling, Josh and I are eternally grateful to people near and far who have surrounded us with their love and prayers.
Your prayers and support in every way have touched us and God, through your fervent prayers, have sustained me, bringing different phases of healing to me in spite of the many high drama moments and challenges along the journey. Let me take this time to appreciate you once again for all that you've been and done for us.
My follow-up with Dr William was good. The spinal lesions seem to be in good control with the use of Thalidomide and will be closely monitored. The immuno-suppressants and prophylatic antibiotics are taken off now, so I am no longer on steriods and anti-bacterials for a month or so now without any complications. For all these, we are thankful. Though the waiting seems prolonged, God has indeed given me prolonged life as many of the cancer friends I've made in the last four years have departed. There were times I feared the worst, shaking my faith now and then. But Psalm 27 constantly reminded me not to faint/lose heart and courage but to declare my confidence in Who God is by waiting patiently in order to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Well, thank God for each step of progress!
Do pray for Josh as the exams are here. He had his English and Chinese oral exams today. His English Composition and Chinese Listening Comprehension will be on 14 & 15 Oct respectively. Whee Ling & I covet your prayers for him to study for the glory of God. To us, that is the most important thing, to have God in all he does.
Whee Ling is very busy with great responsibilities at work. When she gets home, she has to guide Josh in his chinese, a subject I can't help proficiently. Do pray for God's strength upon her.
Finally, the audio version of my book is out in MP3 format/CD. It is beyond my imagination how this could be birthed if not for the encouragement of some who spurred us on to produce it so that many can listen to our testimony in audio form.
Thanks for standing with us!
To God be the Glory!
David
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Friday, September 19, 2008
David's last medical review
Do continue to pray for all whom you know who needs a touch from the Lord, for those who needs a miracle. More importantly, may we desire the Giver more than the gift. As a friend in US once shared with me the revelation she received from the preaching of her church minister, that we need Jesus more than the miracles, more the answers to our prayers. This is what she shared:
"Our sermon text for today was John’s account of Jesus feeding the multitudes with the loaves and the fish (in John 6:1-15), and our minister suggested that the answer to the question in the text about where they should buy bread for the people was indeed that Jesus is himself the bread of life (and therefore can quench hunger forever rather than for just a few hours like the bread). Based on this, our minister suggested that perhaps the miracles we seek aren’t really the answer to our prayers….and instead, that Jesus is the answer, and that Jesus doesn’t give us what we want but instead what we need. For me, this provided an interesting new understanding of the story of the loaves and the fish."
May we be blessed as we abide in our Lord Jesus, "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:12-18)
All honour, praise and glory be to the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God!
Have a blessed weekend!
Whee Ling
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Josh - doing his homework
Thank God
David is going for his next medical appointment this afternoon. Please continue to pray for good result and that his condition has improved so much his medication could be significantly reduced. He is still having headaches and aches in his spinal area.
"...Lord, teach us to pray... (Luke 11:1)"
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Saturday, September 06, 2008
A call to pray
"Dear Friends, Just heard news from Joy that a nurse from Ward 76 who was doing night duties on Tuesday was diagnosed with chicken pox. As Jeremy was at Ward 76 most of the time on Wed when he was warded for MRI, he might be at risk too. Xinxin and all the other cancer patients that were warded recently have all been called back to inject or take some antibotics. Chicken pox and measles can be very dangerous if a cancer patient contracted it when their immunity is low. Hence, please pray for all these children especially XinXin and Jeremy. Emily"
Let us intercede and pray for protection and special covering upon the children. "Our God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).
Let us pray Psalm 61 together on behalf of the children, substituting "my" with "their" (or their names), in Jesus name. Amen!
"Hear our cries, O God;
Attend to our prayers.
From the end of the earth we will cry to You.
When their (the children and their parents') hearts are overwhelmed;
Lead them to the rock that is higher than them.
For You have been a shelter for them,
And a strong tower from the enemy.
They will abide in Your tabernacle
They will trust in the shelter of Your wings.
For You, O God, have heard their vows;
You have given them the heritage of those who fear Your name.
You will prolong their lives.
Their years as many generations.
They shall abide before God forever.
Oh perpare mercy and truth, which may preserve them!
So, Iwe will sing praise to Your name forever.
That we may daily perform our vows." (Psalm 61)
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Friday, September 05, 2008
His grace is sufficient
That was the key message of my sharing at Dawn Community Church last Sunday. I have been praying for the Lord to show me exactly what He would like me to share. I could have shared about His unfailing love, faithfulness, miracles, answered prayers, support from His family of believers, His grace and mercies…and after much prayer, the answer from the Lord was “My grace is sufficient.” Indeed, the Lord has been gracious and merciful to us and His is all we need and His grace is sufficient.
Knowing His grace is sufficient helped me to be thankful, to be content, to be certain that "He is our very present help in time of trouble" (Psalm 46:1) and to experience His peace that surpasses understanding.
Thank you for praying for me for my sharing last Sunday. I was really gald the Lord could use me to encourage others in sharing about His words of truth and His acts of love. Truly His word brings life and light and it is not by might, not by power but by the Spirit of God. All glory and honor be unto Jesus our Lord!
I was pleasantly surprised when 2 dear sisters-in-Christ blessed me after the sharing by praying Psalm 16 over me and even sang the beautiful song "I will run to you".
May the lyrics of this song bless you as it had blessed me.
"I will run to you
Your eye is on teh sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the earth
To the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen
You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory
May You draw all men
As Your love and grace demands
And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
Till I see Your face
O let me live in the glory of Your grace"
Be blessed,
Whee Ling
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sharing at Tecman
Thank you all for praying for me. I had a wonderful time. Whenever there is an open ddor for us to share, Whee Ling and I try to live our lives to declare His goodness and greatness.
Two friends that I have not met in a long time came to hear me knowing that I would be there. I am thankful for such support from friends even though we've not met for so long. It makes me feel so blessed to know that there are friends everywhere standing with us, not just in prayer but also physical support such as this. That's the goodness of God in our lives. And it makes our lives so purposeful, not only as we continue to place our confidence in the Shepherd of our lives for complete healing, but also as we proclaim the name of our great Shepherd everywhere to everybody whenever there is an opportunity.
Do remember to pray for Whee Ling as she shares her own journey at Dawn Community Church from a Caregiver's perspective.
thx,
David
Friday, August 29, 2008
Talk by David
Thank you for visiting our blog and for those who have so kindly encouraged us by posting your comments on how our blog has, by God's grace, been helpful.
Some of our friends and family members have received an email blast from Tecman bookstore on David's talk tomorrow. For those who have not, I have attached the details below:
"Talk given by Pastor David Ong
Author for the Book Title: "Talking The Walk"
on 30 August 2008
from 3.00 - 4.00 pm
* Seats are limited..
Reserve yours through email
by Monday 25 August 2008 "
Please pray for David as he prepares for this talk. Pray that he will be used by the Lord to bless those who will be there and His name be glorified. :)
Please also pray for me as I will be sharing about God's grace and mercy on Sunday. Pray that the Lord will anoint me and that His Holy Spirit will guide me while I testify of His goodness and give glory to His name in the gathering of His people.
As for Joshua, he is well. Thank God, he rarely falls sick nowadays and even the occasional cough or sore throat gets healed quickly. Really thankful that his immunity has built up. While I share about my son, I have been thinking and praying for Xinxin. Please continue to pray for this little girl. Her child-like faith that she will be healed and her mummy's steadfastness in her young faith in our Lord Jesus is simply amazing. I know the Lord watches over them. I like the Amplified Bible version of Psalm 121:5 below:
"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield].(A) "Psalm 121:5 (Amplified Bible)
Yes, the Lord is our shade and shield and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
"no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)
So, in Jesus name, I pray that we His children will rejoice in His protection and provision.
God bless,
Whee Ling
Monday, August 11, 2008
Big God small problem
How big is our God? Of course, how big He is is not dependent on our understanding of who He is. He is the Almighty God and it is a fact that He is big, so big our finite minds fail to comprehen His greatness even when the bible in Isaiah 66:1 states " Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool."
When faced with the question "how big is your God?", it is not to discuss how big He really is but rather how do we relate to Him, how we view our problems and whether we trust Him totally to be who He is and what He promises to do. I am glad I was reminded again of who He is and what He is able to and willing to do. It is important at a time when I heard about the news of yet another young lady who went to be with the Lord. She suffered from lukemia and had a relapse a few years after her transplant.
I resolve not to wonder about the outcome of David's condition and worry about his need for more drugs and having more frequent medical reviews then before but to continue to trust and pray. David didn't share much with me about how he is feeling other than being tired. Please pray for him to be uplifted in his spirit and our family to continue to look to the Lord and be filled with thanksgiving offering praises to the Lord, that the joy of the Lord be our strength.
Please pray for Xinxin, the litte girl who has neuroblastoma--a very rare childhood cancer. She is not responding very well to her chemotherapy. Please pray that the doctors and her parents know what is the best treatment options and most importantly, command the aggressive tumour to be gone in Jesus name!
May we learn to allow our Big God to solve all our small problems and may we give Him the praises and adoration He rightfully deserves!
In His time, He makes all things beautiful.
Whee Ling
Thursday, July 31, 2008
X-ray result
Well, guess we just have to continue to give thanks, pray and trust the Lord.
"My Son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:20-22)
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Faith shaken...Faith strengthens
I could not fully understand what went through David's mind or the emotions he experienced when he received news last Friday that Linfei, his friend whom he called "little brother" from China has passed away. This dear brother-in-Christ, suffered much from lukemia and had numerous transplants. He was a very gentle, patient and kind young man - only 31 years old and well liked by the nurses and all who knew him. He was also quite young in his faith. We had prayed for healing and we encouraged him to look to the Lord and find strength in Him. David often visited him whenever he went to the hospital and assured him of God's love and presence. Why didn't the Lord heal him? I found myself thinking about this and trying to seek an answer from the Lord.
From the bible, we learned that God is able to heal and is willing to heal. As David shared in his book and from other books on healing and even messages we have heard in church, we know the reason or rather accepted the fact that healing sometimes does not happen the way we expect it because of numerous factors, and it all boils down to His sovereign will. Yet, I was perturbed. I know God has no favourites. Linfei is as precious to Him as David is. As it is written in the bible "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12). Surely He is a loving Father who loves all His children. I am sure some wondered why He didn't heal Linfei and some others...
Faith strengthens....
As if hearing my doubts, the Lord reminded me of the 11th hour worker in the parable Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 20:1-16. I recalled that a pastor had preached this passage at my grandma's funeral that those of us who remain, while some have gone on before us, are so because we still have work to do on earth. As Paul shared in Philippians 1:21-25 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain...", if I may parapharse it as it is much better to be with the Lord yet for the sake of the gospel, it is necessary to work...". Yes, things happened and is happening the way it is because of His higher purpose. It is now not difficult for me to see that David still has work to do and surely many would continue to be blessed by him, he has so much love for the Lord and for people. For this His divine purpose, I am so thankful and grateful for I am among those most richly blessed by him.
Last Sunday, we visited PMC at Pasir Ris and the pastor delivered a very good message on "Divine Healing". I am constantly amazed how the Lord would answer my prayers and clear my doubts. The message was so timely! We were reminded to have faith and that "without faith it is impossible to please God.." (Hebrews 11:6). This jolted my memory on the miracle Jesus did to heal the blind man Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43). We heard this passage preached for 3 consecutively sundays when we visited 3 different churches earlier this year. Surely the Lord is telling us something. To me, I was touched with v51 "And Jesus said.."What do you want Me to do for you?" and "..your faith has made you well."" The pastor ended last Sunday's message with the exhortation to live in faith so that Jesus marvels at our faith and not the lack of it.
David had his full body X-ray taken last Fri and will be going for his review tomorrow afternoon. He started to cough, probably because he was very exhausted running around last weekend to help in Linfei's funeral and also to help care for Linfei's parents. Please pray that the Lord will comfort the bereaved family and bring healing to David. Whatever the outcome of the medical result tomorrow, as the Psalmist said in Psalm 112:7 "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord...in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." The Lord has promised, He is able to heal and will heal. Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer who is faithful and true!
My heartfelt thanks to all who pray with and for us tirelessly. May you be blessed as you trust in Him, rejoicng in His love and presence, in Jesus name!
Shalom,
Whee Ling
Friday, July 25, 2008
David's medication
After David's last medical review, he was advised to increase his intake of thalidomide after he complained of aches in his spine. It is now every alternate days instead of once every 3 days and he is also scheduled for an X-ray tomorrow. His medical appointment is also now 2 weeks apart instead of 3. Due to the thalidomide, he is often very very tired but other than that, thank God he has not experienced any numbness like before. We are also thankful that his blood tests and other markers are negative of any active disease. Please continue to pray that tomorrow's X-ray result be good and that he continues to be in full remission. The dreadful thought of "what if he suffers a relapse" kept creeping back and it takes great effort to renew my mind and continue to trust God and "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).
A dear sister-in-Christ whom we got to know in the church David shared his message last Sunday, blessed us as she shared Psalm 84 with us after hearing our story. I take comfort in the lovely truth of God's word once again:
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."Psalm 84:11,12
I would also like to share a story which touched me when I read it in a friend's email as she updated her sister-in-law Sharon's condition. (Sharon is in coma, please join us to pray for her to be awaken and fully healed so she could be home with her husband and 2 young kids again). I am sure many would be encouraged by this:
"Malachi 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it'When going through difficult times, remember God has His eye on you and will keep watching you and that you are being "polished" so that the Lord can see His image in you."
God bless!
Whee Ling
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Remembering His goodness
I was reminded once again of His great mercies, love and compassion for my family. David was invited by his dear pastor friend to share his testimony at his church on 29Jun. David took on the "assignment" with great enthusiasm and devoted himself much to the preparation, to the extent of working late into the night for several days. He treasured every opportunity to testify about God's goodness in the midst of his pain and suffering. I, on the other hand, was more concerned with the effects of the late nights on his health. How little faith I have... I realized I should trust the Lord and see from His perspective. Surely He will equip and provide strength to David as He always does. Thank you Lord!
When David shared his story, I was surprised how raw those emotions were, as if whatever happened almost 4 years ago just happened yesterday. The memories of the pain, the apprehension, the anxiety, more pain, the anguish, the despair, the hope, the comfort, the encouragement, the love, the support, the friendship, the Divine deliverance, the intimacy with the Lord... Many hearts were touched by David's sharing of God's goodness and love and together we exalt and praise His mighty name!
David had another chance to share his story at another church's married couple ministry on 05Jul. The title is God's slience. He will be sharing at another church this Sunday. Please pray that the Lord will use him to minister to many more people.
Health wise, David is generally well except slight headache and aches in the spinal area. He is due for his medical appointment tomorrow, do continue to pray for complete healing. Please pray also for Joshua. He has abdominal discomfort for the past 2 days and was given medical leave from school today.
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." - Heb. 4:16
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (NKJ)
Wait on the Lord. What does it mean and how to do it? "Wait" in another bible translation (NIV) is "hope". A preacher once said we do not wait and do nothing but we hope in the Lord and do His will.
We can have hope in the Lord because our Lord Jesus said "in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 17:33.
As some friends who saw the article in Mind Your Body last Wed 04Jun issue, asked where did I find strength to go through what we had in the last 4 years as David battled with his pain and affliction. I pondered over this and came to the conclusion because we have hope in the Lord. Hope in Christ is absolute. We found (and are still finding) strength and comfort in Him and His words in the bible. Thought I just share this with you and may you find comfort and strength in Him too for He will meet you at your various points of need if you would allow Him to.
Doing His will. God has opened doors to interesting events and activities for us to share His love while David has suspended Shepherds' Point Church for the time being. The article in Mind Your Body enabled more people to know David's story and thanks too for all who visited our blog and encouraged us with your comments. We are glad that many are encouraged and hope more will be blessed to want to know and draw nearer to this loving God, who gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
David had also been busy making audio recording of the narration of his book "Talking the Walk" and it is our desire that more could be blessed in hearing his story especially for those who may be too tired to read. A Chinese translation of the book is also in the works.
Pray with us that we would continue to be used by the Lord to be instrumental to reach out to those who need Him.
We are thankful for all the exciting things God is doing and also very thankful that our family can go for a short break from tomorrow to 17Jun. Covet your prayers for safe journey.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Thursday, June 05, 2008
"I will be still and know You are God"
A few weeks ago, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was deep in worship singing the song, "Still". It is a very beautiful song by Reuben Morgan.
Here are the lyrics:
Hide me now under Your wings
Cover me within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God
Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God
Beautiful words in a beautiful song indeed! That night, I woke & felt so rested in the Lord's sanctuary.
Some Medical Updates:
It was very disturbing initially when the MRI done in March showed new changes in my spine and right hip. It turned my world upside down again. Tough I tried to be as cool as I could like a duck that seems calm on the surface but is actually very anxious paddling under the water. Again, the Holy Spirit, who is our comfort and counsellor, always turns my heart to the maker of my life to place my complete confidence in Him.
Because of these changes, Dr. William Hwang was rather concerned and did everything he could to manage the problem in consultation with other specialist oncologists . Together they all discussed my situation at length to provide me with the best solution. Thank God for each of these christian doctor friends God put in their respective expertise to! Thank God that after all these discussions, they unanimously agreed that there is no need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. You know, we believe God had placed the right doctors in our path and we comply with it as they are all christian doctors who recognise that ultimately, God is the main healer and they are just instruments of Dr. Jesus.
Luke was such a doctor in the Bible but He recognised that only God can heal. Beyond medical science and many alternative medicines that we have tried, we always go back to the basic of our faith - that God is in control and must be given the control. This "Relapse" was another call not to play God and pray god will shower more and more of His grace upon us to live for His glory each day - in sickness or in health.
On that night after I got up from the dream at 5am, the Lord turned my eyes to read Psalm 73 where Asaph, the Psalmist had many real life questions for those of us who constantly face the harsh realities in this life. But in Him, there is always a blessed assurance in knowing that He will never fail us nor forsake us. That night, He strengthened me particularly through verses 25-26 bringing to mind a very touching and moving chinese song that many of us would have sung again and again.
Psalm 73:25-26
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."
Reading Psalm 73 as the song was ringing in my ears, the Lord encouraged me to enter His sanctuary often to renew my perspective, understanding and convictions even tough my circumstances have changed. Sometimes the circumstances can overwhelm me as I get emotionally tired of waiting. But there is a reason for waiting in the presence of the Lord. In waiting in His presence, He renews my strength like that of the eagle to soar again - to look at things through His eyes; To win the fight by focusing on Christ and declaring His reign over this sickness. He is Lord and has overcome everything - even the sting of death!
One night, Whee Ling asked me many questions for which I had no answers. In my heart, I know Jesus is in complete reign but I also asked her to enquire of the Lord. And she did. She fasted and she prayed for several days. Thereafter the Lord led her to read the book of James where James advised us to be patient in suffering like a farmer who patiently waits for the land to yield its valuable crop. (James 5:7-11). The Lord specifically told her to look the outcome of Job's perseverance and how this man of God stood firm and eventually saw what God brought about - that which is good. Praise the Lord!!! See, He does not ignore the prayers of His people but will answer when we ernestly wait upon Him and seek Him.
Through this, our great God gently reminded us that 'everything will work for good for those who love Him' (Romans 8:28) What's important for us is to stand firm, to keep the faith till the end and be found faithful - for He is always faithful and true.
Once I heard a sharing by Joni Eareckson, a paraplegic for 40 years now. Joni encouraged all in affliction of every kind to turn their hearts God-ward to find new strength in His presence.
Indeed, God is the strength of our hearts as we turn our feeble hearts to Him. Only He and He only can raise us up to stand on mountains and walk on stormy seas. By focusing on Jesus, Whee Ling, Josh and I did not sink into the water like Peter did because we learn again and again not to lift our eyes off Him.
Finally, we want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to share and testify of God's goodness and greatness in the Straits Times yesterday. All your sms-es, emails and comments in the blog have encouraged us to be overcomers in the name of the Most High God.
Thank you one and all!
May His name be greatly magnified!
David
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Wait and see
It was a relief to us that no conclusive evidence of any active disease was found in David's last review. He was referred to an orthopeadic oncologist to further assess whether he needed to do a biopsy to determine if there are active myeloma cells in his spine.
The orthopeadic oncologist who is also a friend of David, was very encouraging. The recent x-rays he took did not show any worsening of the condition of his spine compared to the x-ray took in 2006. So, instead of going for the high risk biopsy (there is only a 5mm distance from the nerve column), he suggested that we wait and do another test for his review in 4 months time. He even encouraged us not to live under the shadow of the illness. Yes, we are reminded that God is faithful. His promises never fail. So, all will be well.
"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 107:1
Thanks to all of you who constantly uplifted David in prayers.
God bless,
Whee Ling
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Medical Review today
God is good all the time!
Placing our trust in Christ,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
David is much better now
Glad to share that David is much better now. The pain has subsided somewhat even without pain killers (pain score around 3 to 4 out from 1 to 10 with 10 being extremely painful). The amazing power of prayer and grace of the Holy One who is merciful and gracious!
Thanks for all the prayer support and encouragement we have received via sms, emails and blog comments.
As we tune in to God in the face of adversity, we often finds many things to be thankful for. David shared that his heart was so touched when during the moment when he experienced the sharp pain last evening while he was fetching Josh and his cousin Arabella home from school, Josh's first reaction was to lay hand on his daddy to pray for healing. Thereafter, he requested for Arabella to help him hold onto his daddy. Our hearts are so blessed to know our son's source of help is Christ the Lord.
Even though we do not know why David has to suffer the sudden pain and wonder what caused it, God never fails to show us that He has a purpose for everything. Today's hospital visit seems like a divine arrangement. After David had his tests at the hospital , he visited some patient friends who are in the wards to pray for them. The Lord even open doors for him to pray for a Muslim friend who just had undergone chemotherapy. He and his wife had read David's book and were encouraged. While David prayed boldly for him, we could see he and his wife were touched by the Holy Spirit who ministered God's love to them. Our God is so loving and readily reaches out to all who call upon Him.
"The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon Him in truth." Psalm 145:18
Shalom,
Whee Ling
In pain
We are really thankful that the previous BMA result showed no myeloma. Praise the Lord!!! However, as there were isolated spinal disease before and Doctor advised to go for another MRI after a month or two. We are trusting God for complete healing for He who promised is faithful.
A dear friend reminded me in Pslam 115 that God is mindful of us. Whatever our trial, we can confidently rest in Him who vindicates His own honor and protects His own servants. So bless the Lord with our inmost being, bless His Holy name! He delights to bless, our Helper our Shield in whom we trust!.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, April 20, 2008
BMA tomorrow
The battle is not over though victory in Jesus is secured. Last night, David experinced spiritual warfare again. I heard him praying and wishpering the name of Jesus, while he appeared to continue to "struggle", I tried waking him up. He punched the bed and next minute when I asked if he was alright, he said "yes" and continued sleeping. In the morning when he woke up, he thought he heard a loud voice in his spirit saying "pray". Before he slept he was asking God for a word while praying for his dear big brother in Christ (pastor friend) so he gathered it could be a request to pray for this dear brother/friend.
The need to pray could not be over-emphasized and we are so blessed to have Jesus our Lord interceding for us before our Father in heaven. Even though at times we do not know what else to pray or how to pray, His holy spirit helps us by giving us utterance.
May I also request that you pray for a 10 year old boy, Jeremy, who is currently being treated for brain tumour. He is the son of a Emily, a sister in Christ whom I got to know from a common friend. Jeremy is currently undergoing radiotherapy at NCC after having done chemotherapy. Please pray for effective and precise treatment without side effects and ultimate complete healing.
Besides praying for Jeremy, we can also help vote for him in the KFC "Giving In" Contest. I had Emily's permission to share this with you: "Jeremy is one of the 20 finalist in the KFC "Giving In" Contest. The voting starts today till 2 May 08. The photo taken showed him eating a big piece of KFC. That was his first outside meal after 4 months of strict diet and home-cooked food only during his 4 rounds of chemo at KKH. He craved for KFC so badly that he opted to have that for his first outside meal. Now Jeremy is waiting for his radiotherpy treatment to start on 22 Apr. It will last 5-6 weeks and everyday (except PH, weekends) he will need to go to National Cancer Center for treatment. Please show support to him and vote as often as you can. It is a way we can show our support to help him overcome the difficult fighting journey since he was diagnosed with cancerous brain tumor on 7 Dec 07. Please give us your support. You can vote either by SMS to 76565 in the following format: KFC06
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Medical checkup today
David is going for his medical checkup today. Please pray that all be well.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
Relapse or ...?
Whatever it is, the “new marrow changes demonstrated in the mid-thoracic and lower thoracic spine (T3, T4, T5, T9, T10 and T12)." in the last MRI report is not good news. As much as David and I are at peace, renewing our minds with His promises and placing our hope in His goodness and mercies, I do get bothered by doubts and uncertainties at fleeting moments. Occasionally I would be hit by “what if”s? What if he doesn’t get healed? What if he does not live to see his grandchildren as prophesized? What if….? But God is truly good all the time! He encouraged us through His people who wrote emails and cards to us, prayed with and for us and blessings us in many other ways. It is such a heart warming thought to know that prayers were going up from different corners of the world, from US to Australia, to our loving Father the Almighty God for us.
As David shared, this seemingly setback in his health condition, which resulted in him being on cancer treatment again and the temporary suspension of Shepherds’ Point Church ministry, is a battle and it is the Lord’s battle. It is comforting to know that we are not in this battle alone. Most reassuring of all is the knowledge and conviction that our Great High Priest Jesus Christ is interceding before the Father for David. Fyi, David has no problem with thalidomide, no side effects so far. That is an answered prayer. Praise the Lord!
I had shared with Josh about this development and prayed with him for his daddy. Initially I wasn’t sure if I had done the right thing because I thought I should not have burdened my young son. Young as he is, he should be carefree and happy. Well, I reckoned that it is important for him to witness and experience with the family the Lord’s deliverance and the exceeding joy of victory when the enemy is defeated.
Josh did not talk much about his daddy’s illness but through his actions, this has somewhat impacted him and I covet your prayers for him too. He was suddenly afraid of the dark and refused to go to the toilet or rooms by himself. He wanted us to sleep with him in his room and when he woke up finding us not in his room, would come to our room to sleep with us. This had happened a few times last 2 weeks. On a brighter side, he has become very thoughtful and sweet too. When his daddy commented he was thirsty, Josh readily served him a drink without even being asked – this had never happened before. He also wanted to surprise his daddy with a gift on Apr Fool’s day and gave me S$50 (out of his savings of S$51) to buy his daddy a watch. He specifically said he wanted me to buy a Hamilton watch (I don’t know where he learned the brand names of watches from) and of course that is impossible (min price from S$950). I finally bought a simple but elegant looking watch at S$56. He made a really nice little box, decorated it and in his daddy’s words was “kui kui sui sui” (i.e. acted suspiciously) for a while before giving the "surprise" gift to him on 01Apr evening. In order to make sure he is being fair, he added as if as an after thought, that he would buy something for me too when he has saved enough money. I was a more amused than anything by his generosity and thoughtfulness. I assured him I would never be jealous of him loving daddy and no, he does not need to buy me anything.
I couldn’t thank the Lord enough for a wonderful husband and an adorable son!
I asked David about how he felt about the whole thing and also if he believed the prophecy would come true. All he said was “ask the Lord”. Well, that is what I earnestly did. I fasted and prayed for 2 afternoons during lunch time last week. God’s answer did not come immediately but last Sat while doing my devotion reading in the morning, I read the passage in James 5 (NKJ version) and I found comfort and hope again in the verses 10 & 11:
“My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.”
We know the end the Lord intended for Job was good. To a certain extent, I could draw a parallel on David’s suffering with Job’s. The purpose of this suffering and perseverance is so that the Lord’s name be glorified! That all would know He is very compassionate and merciful! Praise the name of Jesus! Thank you Lord!
If you are reading this and have needs in your life or those whom you are praying for, I hope our sharing would be an encouragement to you and spur you to seek the Lord. Do draw strength from Him and may you find joy, peace and hope in Him. God bless you and feel free to share with us too that we and others may be encouraged.
Hopeful again,
Whee Ling
Friday, March 28, 2008
Faith & Favor
I have a friend whose father was seen an medical oncologist and a Senior Consultant at NCC, SGH. The doctor apparently was not only cold, he gave the family members of patient no comfort or ray of hope at all. They came out from the consultation room feeling so devastated and angry with the attitude of the doctor.
I am very thankful to God for the skillful, personal and professional doctors that He has placed to watch over me. Both Drs. William Hwang (my transplant physician) and Dr. Fong Kam Weng (my Radiologist Oncologist) discussed my situation in great detail and were very thoughtful and caring, doing their best as christian doctors to find the best solution for me. I feel so touched by their genuine concern and acts of kindness towards me.
Having discussed the details, they have decided that there will be no need for radiotherpy for the now.
Many of you heard about the new cancer cells hiding in my spine (although the M-band shows O!) and sent me many warm regards and support in prayer. Your faith gave me faith to believe God to move this new mountain!
Last night, I read these words by Dutch Sheets and Larry Randolph which read, "Faith Will Move Your Mountain, but Favor Causes Others to Move it For you!" I feel so favoured by God that us so many people to stand in the gap for us when we are challenged with another giant in the journey. Your prayers in one voice directed at this enemy of my life is the one stone that God has given to me to fight the battle in the Lord! Indeed, like a friend who emailed us said, "The battle is the Lord's!"
Whee Ling and I are very peaceful (Psalm 119:165 is a great verse!) about it because we know the Lord who has seen us through thus far (almost 4 years as Olympic games is coming), will not fail to see us through this hurdle even though this comes as a bad news. We will not let anything to cause us to stumble. This verse from Psalm 119 is incredible. It assured us that nothing can make the man at peace stumble. When the bad news came, I was a little shocked and shaken again but had to renew my mind immediately and turn the bad news to our good shepherd. The good news is this suffering caused us, directed us to turn God-wards always.
Psalm 119:71 says, "It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees." You may think that I am crazy. I thought the Psalmist was crazy when I read this verse recently. I could not relate to him initially, but as I put myself in his shoes, I understood why. Like the Psalmist, I don't enjoy suffering but I have learnt that every time I suffer, I encounter and experience God deeper and deeper. I turn my disappointment and affliction toward God and He turned my pain into precious moments when I linger and soak in His presence through His word. In His presence, I let His word sustain, comfort and deliver me according to His promise(s), and I will live; I do not let my hopes be dashed. (Psalm 119:116)
To end, let me echo the beautiful and empowering chorus of one of my old time favourite songs from the Continental Singers, "If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know my brother that He will carry you through."
What great comfort, courage and confidence we who are His beloved children can hold on to in when we face giants, mountains, storms, enemies, setbacks and even illnesses in our lives - that our Shepherd will see us through!
If Jesus carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders, I know and I know and I know that My Jesus will carry us through!
David
Thursday, March 27, 2008
MRI result
David's MRI result is out. His report reveals "there are new marrow changes demonstrated in the mid-thoracic and lower thoracic spine (T3, T4, T5, T9, T10 and T12)." which means there are active disease found in his spine. Dr William discussed with Dr Kam Weng if radiotherapy is needed. For the time being, David would be treated with thalidomide. Hopefully, this will be effective to wipe out all newly discovered active disease. As David's tolerance for thalidomide was not too good the last time, please pray for no discomfort and side effects and that this treatment be so effective that no further treatment is necessary.
Please continue to join us to claim complete healing and restoration for David in the powerful name of Jesus Christ. May we find strength and hope in His promises as we bring our requests with praise and thanksgiving to our Lord.
The battle is the Lord's!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, March 09, 2008
David was discharged from hospital
Thanks to all for your prayers and well wishes!
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
God bless,
Whee Ling
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Witnessing
God has turned what was bad (sickness and sufferings) into something good (salvation). His ways are indeed higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. Praise the lovely name of Jesus our Lord!
God bless,
Whee Ling
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Viral infection
We are really thankful for the prayers and intercession of so many faithful children of God, dear friends who are with us during this time of need. Your support, concern and encouragement have been a great blessing to us.
"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you ma abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
David's platelet is low
Doctor said David's platelet is low and there is also some abnormality in his liver - possibly due to the infection. I got a little anxious when I heard this and guess just have to pray and hope God will make everything right again. Thank God his cough is better now. Will update when I have more information. In the meantime, do continue to uphold him in prayers.
May our good Lord heal all who are unwell by His healing grace, in Jesus name.u9
"He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:6
God bless,
Whee Ling
Monday, March 03, 2008
David is in the hospital
Just to provide a quick update on David. His cough did not get better and because his phelgm was rusty in colour, Dr William advised him to be admitted yesterday. He may be given IV antibiotics to prevent/treat possible chest infection.
Hope and pray that all be well for him soon.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Saturday, March 01, 2008
No service this Sunday at SPC
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Thursday, February 28, 2008
David is much better now
During this hospital visit this afternoon, David has also undertaken a full myeloma test and arrangement was made for MRI next month. Please continue to pray that all be well for him.
Indeed, "He who began a good work in him will be faithful to complete it." Couldn't be more grateful and thankful to God Almighty for His healing grace and to all who have prayed and interceded for our family, especially for David's health.
May the Lord continue to reveal the fullness of His grace and mercy to all who seek Him. Shalom.
Thankfully His,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
David is quite sick
Please do pray for divine healing for David. He is having high fever at 38.5 degree, headache, giddiness, bad cough and chest pain (not sure if due to fractured rib from all the coughing). Dr Melvin, a dear friend, came by to see him today and gave him a jab to bring down his fever and alleviate his discomfort and vomitting. I really thank God for him. I am also thankful to Dr William for making arrangement to slot in an appointment for David to have a medical checkup tomorrow. Covet your prayers that all be well for David soon.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Faith - sickness and discouragement
Leaving the comfort of the covering from a home church, venturing into new grounds, building up a brand new ministry without "known" resources and manpower can be so trying and so daunting. That is how I feel but David never did complain or doubt or waver in his belief that God is leading and all we need to do is to do His bidding.
Last 2 weeks were especially difficult for our family. Joshua was down with tonsilitis again with high fever reaching 39.6 degrees from last Wed to Fri. On Sat he was better but was sick again on Sun with bad cough and and blocked nose. Last Sunday was also the first time we had no visitors, no guests and the neighour who was a more regular visitor couldn't join us because her family went for the Singapore airshow. The projector somehow refused to work, the printer jammed and even the worship software David uses for worship did not work properly. Nevertheless our family worshipped the Lord in singing (from songsheets) and David delivered a short message to Josh and me. Josh was surprised and rather disappointed that there were no one else but David encouraged him that where 2 or 3 are gathered in His name, the Lord is in our midst.
God bless us in unexpected ways on Sun. My dear mother-in-law came with a cake and some food and together with my father-in-law came to our home to give David a surprise birthday (his Chinese birthday last Fri) celebration. We had a simple and blessed fellowship with David's parents and 2 of his siblings' families (who were nearby and so kindly came by upon short notice to join in the celebration).
I thank God Josh is finally well today and back to school after 4 days of absence from school. However, David is now down with cough and fever. Covet your prayers for him to recover speedily and be fully restored.
Taking comfort in His promises in Isaiah 43:2-3
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fires,
you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you
For I am the Lord your God.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Saturday, February 02, 2008
A Year of New Beginnings!
As David shared, our family’s year verses and goal for 2008 is “Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness........but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:14,25)
2008 is a indeed "A year of new beginnings" for our family.
David started Shepherds’ Point Church (SPC).
On the very first Friday of the year 04Jan08, we had a cell meeting at our home. It was just 3 of us and the Holy Trinity. Despite hurting his wrist in the afternoon earlier that day, David strummed the guitar and led us in a time of worship and prayer.
06Jan08 (1st Sun) – We attended service at Corner Stone Church to hear Heidi Baker’s preach. She was a really anointed and humble servant of the Lord, we were very blessed by what she shared – the miracles, the radical love and sacrifices she made to understand the Kingdom of God, resulting in multitudes being blessed by her ministry. We were also very ministered to when we attended her the evening seminar at the Singapore Expo Center during the weekend. She is a great woman of faith. Her faith in the God of everything makes her trust God for every single thing in her life.....especially in looking after the thousands of poor people including orphans in her care. Her faith, taught us to move on in this next phase of our lives by faith..... a new phase of serving God with all faithfulness.
13Jan08 (2nd Sun) – 1st church service.
We will be having the weekly church services at home till David finds a suitable venue, so please pray with us for direction, favour and resources. Who will come? Since SPC is formed to reach out to the unsaved and unchurched while trusting the Lord to provide all necessary resources including key co-labourers whom the Lord would provide.
We really did not know who will turn up for service other than our family. David informed a few people whom he is reaching out for Christ’s salvation and/or restoration, we received no confirmation at all. We were trusting the Lord and just committed to Him to lead.
Regardless of the turnout, we would still worship and honor the Lord. I joked with David, he could preach to me if no one turns up. On Sat, a dear family whom we knew from our previous church and who have been praying for us, confirmed they were be coming to visit. So, it was our friend’s family of 3 (they have a lovely daughter who is P5) and us who were at the 1st church service of SPC.
The Lord visited us during worship and our dear sister released a word that the experience of His presence is an installment of things to come. We were very blessed by their encouragement and prayers. David shared the word – I wish we have the facility to record his message on Entering the Promised Land - A New Spirit."
20Jan08 (3rd Sun) – 2nd church service.
Another dear family (of 4, a couple with 2 very young children) gave us a surprise visit and together with our neighbor and her 2 children, we worshipped the Lord. Another friend of David (who is not attending any church) came later to join us during the message David was delivering. Our friend later shared with us that before they came, she woke up with a swollen eye and almost could not come. She suspected it could be a spiritual attack to prevent her family from coming, so despite the swell, they came anyway. Praise the Lord, when she came, the swell was barely visible but just some redness in the corner of her eye. Two other families with unsaved spouses wanted to come and eventually couldn’t make it. We knew the reasons why they were prevented from coming to the house of the Lord and all the more, we are pressing on because we know we are on the right track where many will join us to enter the promised land to have new beginnings in their lives.
Spiritual attacks are so real. It happened to us too. Joshua was suddenly down with fever the day before and when we brought him to the doctor, he was discovered to have tonsillitis. I was uptight about his health and fever and ended up upset with David for some reason. But praise the Lord, all was well on Sunday as persevered on to run the race God has set for us. We know nothing can stop the work of God but sometimes the going can be tough. We face oppositions of all kinds but we will forbear and focus not on the circumstances that weigh us down or wear us out. Instead, we will fix our eyes on Jesus till we win as we determine in our hearts to discipline ourselves to finish the race. We will not let discouragement and distractions in life deter and disqualify us from finishing well in life.
Therefore, dear beloved children of the Living God, we covet your prayers for us and our ministry! Run together with us as all of us press on to finish well in life.
God bless,
Whee Ling
Monday, January 14, 2008
All is well
I saw Dr.William Hwang on Thursday and he said everything seems good. Even though the oral GVHD is still there with multiple ulcers, it seems to have improved as the gums are not so red now. I am thankful to God for that as it's been there since my transplant in April 2005. Honestly, I do get tired emotionally but thankful that I did not succumb to the effects of GVHD as the flares can be quite fatal. Some patients have lost their lives because of that.
I felt quite sad the other day. One of the christian nurses in the ward told me of a very young friend whom we had been witnessing to had just passed on suddenly not too long ago due to a relapse. He left behind his wife and 2 very young girls.
Whee Ling, Josh and I attended 2 awesome nights of a God Encounter conference organised by The Cornerstone Church. Heidi Baker was the guest speaker and we were very blessed by the presence of God and the exhortation by Heidi. We were very touched by this godly woman's radical love for the African orphans and the poor in Mozambique. Hearing the way she ministered in her undying love and faith without fear of diseases moved our hearts to tears. Seeing the videos of how many were instantly healed of their illnesses reminded me that our God is a God of miracles. And receiving the word of the Lord preached stirred new faith and desire in our hearts to live fully by living purposely in this world for the one who gave His life for us.
Tonight was the last night of the conference and I went down during the alter call for prayer, believing our God of wonders that He will continue to heal me completely.
Learning to love Him wholeheartedly,
david
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Medical Appointment with Dr.William Hwang tommorrow
The Lord is good. That's the message we will always carry with us everywhere we go, in sickness or in health. By the amazing grace of God, I had not been hospitalized for the whole of 2007. Praise the Lord!
We are also very thankful that our book, "Talking the Walk", has been released. Many had emailed or told us in so many ways that the Lord has used it to bless the hearts of many. Hearing so many share they were touched and moved to tears while reading simply humbled us to know and realize how much grace and strength our good God had given to us to triumph over the enemy in the journey. We are thankful that God has indeed used what the devil one meant for evil and turned it into good.
Do pray as we look for a distributor to help us release the book into the retail stores. Logistically and administratively, it is too tiring for me to do so by myself as I would need to take care of Josh; rest adequately and prepare for the ministry in Shepherd's Point as well.
Thank you,
david
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Joshua 24:14,25 - Our family year verse for 2008
My family and I attended the watchnight service at Bethesda -Bedok Tampines Church (BBTC), a daughter-church where I originally came from. We had been richly blessed in this church for the past one and a half years where Whee Ling, Josh and I had received much from the teaching of the word and the warm fellowship of the brethren. Our hearts are deeply thankful to the Elders, deacons and pastors of the Church for providing the care and covering during our time of recuperation of my illness.
I shared about where the Lord is leading us to start Shepherd's Point with the vision of reaching the unchurched and unsaved by pointing them to our Chief Shepherd. We were very blessed to have the Senior Pastor and the church release their blessings upon us for the new season of our lives ahead.....to serve Him in sickness or in health.
Dr. Peng Chung Mien, the Chairman of the Church Council shared the word tonight. The word of the Lord for my family was very clear tonight. We are to fear God and to serve Him with all faithfulness. Thus I have selected this two verses as the year verse for our family.
As we move on into the this year of service as a family with this simple desire to honor the Lord to find the lost and point them to the Lord, we seek your prayers for continuous good health for us and great favor of the Lord by establishing the work of our love and hands. (Psm 90:17)
Thank you for not stopping to pray for us,
david
Monday, December 31, 2007
A New wind of the Spirit
Before she left this morning, we prayed for their safe journey back to KL. It was really wonderful to hear my mum and my dad pray for them. My parents have also grown much and it was really heart warming to see them utter such sincere prayers for my sister and brother-in-law. I believe that such prayers of blessings will bring the kingdom of God nearer to my unsaved bro-in-law and cause him to be delivered from the clutches of the evil one very soon.
I live each day with new excitement to see members of my family and extended families come to know the God who has sustained and given me every new breadth of life.
By faith, I believe a new wind of His Spirit will come in 2008. A new spirit where many new favors will come from the Lord and a greater faith to believe and see God move powerfully will happen in every area of our lives......especially the salvation of our loved ones and friends.
May you usher into the new year with this new wind of His Spirit and let Him blow you to new heights of love, joy, peace, hope and even faith in our faithful God!
Have a blessed new year!
David, Whee Ling and Joshua Ong.
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Another Christmas!
I am reminded of how I felt during the past 3 years of my illness since September 2004. I remembered wondering if I would be able to see and celebrate Christmas that year. By God's grace, this is the 3rd Christmas that I've celebrated.
Whee Ling, Josh and I celebrated the past two Christmases on our own. Though they were very private, we enjoyed every bit of it.
This time, we had a well-packed Christmas. On 23rd Dec, two of my best friends came to spend Christmas with us. Then we had some of my previous guys and their spouses join us on the Christmas eve. It was really a very meaningful time, catching up and fellowshipping with each other as each shared about the goodness of the Lord in our own lives. Christmas day itself was filled with gatherings with my in-laws and my very own parents and siblings where we blessed some of our relatives with the book that God has graciously given us the privilege to share about His goodness.
I am deeply thankful to God for every new breadth given, something not to be taken granted. I look forward to many more Christmases. But more importantly, looking forward to live every minute for His glory!
Merry Christmas and have a very Christ-filled New Year!
May the Lord bring a new wind of spirit into your heart as you venture into the new year with His Holy Spirit.
David.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
5 loaves of bread and 2 fish
This morning, God led my thoughts to Paul's pastoral letter to Timothy. Paul reminded Timothy of not only his sincere faith that had come through his family tree, but also to 'fan into flame the spiritual gift of God.' Paul was exhorting the young pastor not to be timid for God did not give us a spirit of timidity/fear but of love and of self-discipline. I felt so strengthened by these inspired words of God. (2 Tim1:7)
Josh and I had been reading the book of James for our devotions together during the school holidays.
Last night, before he went to bed, he told me God gave him wisdom to salvage a favourite toy car that was smeared with oil paint that was used for touching up my car. He cried so badly, so much so that he said it was the saddest day of his life. In desperation, he called upon God. After he prayed, he said God answered his prayer by giving him wisdom to know what to do. God gave him a solution to the problem. He was so happy because the smeared car had its stains removed by almost 90%. He did it by soaking his toy car in a highly concentrated cleaner. Praise God for teaching Josh to pray and call upon His name in such practical ways by applying James 1:5. I pray he will continue to be filled of His presence even when he faces the real challenges of the world as grows up. By the way, Josh has started on a project with me to write a little, 30-day devotional book entitled, "What God says to me", where he compiles 30 of his recorded words from the Lord. I believe hearing God is one of the most important things in this life and therefore, one of my main goals in parenting is to teach Josh how to hear God for himself. Joshua's saddest day yesterday turned to be one where he leaned on God for wisdom through prayer. It really warmed my heart! In fact, few weeks ago, he shared with Whee Ling and I that he had selected a life verse. I pray that it will encourage your heart to seek God for one if you do not yet have one for your owm life.
Interestingly, he chose Deut 20:4 which says, "For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."
To be frank, we did not take him seriously as he is still so young. But Josh shared that the Lord gave him this verse because it has to do with his chinese name. His Chinese is Sheng Hua, meaning victory in Jehovah. So, the verse in its context also talks about absolute victory as the presence of the Lord will go with him to overcome all his enemies. What a joy it is for us to see him maturing in the Lord.
Finally, "Talking the walk" will be out this Friday. It is another blessed journey and declaration of God's goodness. I feel very privileged to be used of God to share about His goodness that others may see and taste of it through the book.
Thank you each and all for walking so far with us,
david.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Time to Enter the Promise Land - Shepherd's Point
At the end of last year, on New Year's eve to be specific, God spoke to me about entering the promise land as the Senior Pastor of BBTC spoke on the book of Joshua. For many months, I pondered upon the meaning of those words and thought God wanted me to stay put in the church. But as time passed, it dawned upon me that the Lord was leading me out as He directed me eyes and thoughts to 2 key things in Joshua 1. In short, God told me to GET READY and at the same time, He will GIVE ME all the RESOURCES needed.
With that word, I remembered the words He gave me in regard to the ministry in April 2006 when I was in SGH - That I will be a pastor that will point others to the Lord. Every man has a key anointing and call from the Lord for his ministry. The Lord said my main calling in my ministry is to be a shepherd that will care, guide and lead others to the cross of Jesus.
I have been seeking the Lord for almost a year now. Several weeks ago, the Lord through a message online spoke to me, "Have you crossed Jordon?" Then He said, "that it was time to cross Jordon".
2 weeks ago, the Lord spoke to Whee Ling through a message by Bishop Moses Tay in BBTC. She finally obeyed the word of the Lord to her to follow where the Lord is leading me and will support me in the ministry. That was a answer to my prayer as I had been praying for the Lord to confirm and show my spouse where He is leading me as I lead my family. How can I lead a church if I cannot lead my own family as Paul said. I struggled a lot in this as I had always believed this is one of the real tests of a true leader. I have seen too many great leaders who succeed in the ministry but failed to manage and lead their very own families. That's why the Sovereign Lord told me during one of my walks with him by the beach 2 years ago to spend these few years to disciple my very own son. One may win the whole world for Christ, but may lose his own son. I don't think that's sacrifice. To me, that's mere stupidity without the wisdom of God. I rather pour my all into my son and let God bring him to where He wants him to be to win the world for Jesus.
Today is the 9th of Dec. The anointing and presence of the Lord was very strong upon me. The Lord spoke to me during the time of worship in church that "it is time to march into the promised land by faith and not by what we see".
Through the reading of the scriptures in Psalm 100, the Holy Spirit said, "Know that the Lord is good" and through a very new and beautiful song entitled "In Christ Alone", He strengthened my heart to "Fear no more".
I stood in awe as I heard the still small voice of the Lord holding my heart with these tender words. And when finally the song "Jesus shall take the highest honour" was sung, it led me to turn my heart to the author of my life again in surrender and obedience as I bowed my heart to Him, giving Him all the glory and strength within me for once again, I remember my life is not my own.
The church is focusing on the 'goodness of God' this whole month. Today, Prof Freddy Boey started the ball rolling by sharing on Romans 8:28, a verse God gave us right from the beginning of our journey - that everything works for good to those 1. who love Him, 2. walk according to His will and not our own. In short, He reminded us that He is a good and Soveriegn God.
Indeed, He is. Many of you will get to read more of it in our book, "Talking the Walk" very soon as it is been sent for printing. Whee Ling, Josh and I would like to bless those of you who have been praying and standing with us. If you have an ailing friend or close one with cancer in particular, we would like to bless him/her with a copy to share God's goodness and bring His comfort through this book. Just email us at talkingthewalk@gmail.com
Finally, my family and I will leave BBTC where we've been parking since March 2006. It is time to move on to build a point where Jesus is calling us to be shepherds of those still in the wilderness and in the world - the unchurched and the unsaved, where we need to point them to the cross, to the mountain top where every lost sheep needs to be lead to find the chief shepherd.
We covet your prayers as we take this transition by faith in obedience to the call of God upon our lives. The Lord has given this new ministry to us and it is called Shepherd's Point.
Seeking your blessings,
david
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
His grace is always abundant!
There are many things to thank God for. For one, I am eternally grateful to God for every new breadth. Life is not something to be taken for granted as life is so unpredictable. There are always new faces that I see and meet everytime I make a visit to the centre where I have been treated for my illness. And there are people around who will share about so and so being stricken with cancer or serious illnesses every week. I cannot help but feel how much we need the Lord to reign over all. Only He can give us hope and only He can cause each of us to be in health for it is His will for His children not only to be healed of illnesses, but also to be free from sicknesses (3John v2).
Generally, I am still quite well in spite of the painful ulcers in my mouth that were rather aggressive these few weeks. I am thankful that God had given me much strength to go about running errands, looking after Josh and I was also able to volunteer as a reading parent in St. Hilda's Primary where Josh is now studying. It had been a good year in serving the little children in the school, many of whom have taught me much about the Lord's heart for children. It was a special joy to know all the children in Joshua's class and the form teacher as well.
By the grace of God, Whee Ling and I want to thank and glorify the Lord as Josh did very well in his class. He had been rather consistent in his school work though he struggled initially with mandarin. To our astonishment, he was first in class. We are deeply grateful to God for such grace upon us even though Josh had to go through so much with us in the past 3 years. His grace was indeed so abundant and overflowing to us. We wouldn't have come so far if not for His grace and your constant prayers.
Well, my book should be out by now but it had been delayed due to some unforseen circumstances. Nevertheless, I strongly believe this is the work of the Lord and satan is trying to destroy it (the name of satan is deliberately spelt in small letters as I do not want to give him honour even if it violates grammatical rules). I ask for your covering for us as a family as we face constant attacks in many ways.
Finally, at the close of last year, I vividly remembered the Lord impressed upon me that this is a year of preparing to enter the promised land in regard to the pastoral ministry. I had spent a considerable amout of time waiting and seeking God about it. With lots of fear and trembling as I prayed and waited upon the Lord, the indications were rather clear but I had been very apprehensive about moving on primarilt because I did not and dare not trust God enough to carry me through. I needed the faith to overcome the fears in my heart though I know obedience is what pleases the Lord most. Therefore, I ask for prayer that I will be bold enough to heed what God had spoken to me in Joshua 1 - to prepare to enter the promised land by being bold and of good courage. Guess it it time to cross Jordon.
Please pray for the Lord to guide and lead as I continue to trust and obey Him.
blesssings,
David
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Cleared of Viral infection
By the amazing grace of God, the viral infection is cleared. It is really amazing as it cleared faster than before.
During my last visit to my transplant physician last early this month, Dr. William Hwang decreased the immuno-suppressed to a much lower doasge. We are thankful that the GVHD had not flared up badly and it has been fairly well contained ( The ulcers are still there but pain score is around 2-3 ) even though the dosage has been reduced.
For all these, we are eternally grateful. We want to thank God for you, for interceding with us faithfully.
Regarding the book, the final draft is done and once the final check is done, it should be printed next week. We like to bless all of you who have been praying with us with a copy and will find a time to celebrate His goodness to us one day. More details will be furnished soon through the blog as well as through an email to you.
Finally, a wonderful lady who has been walking so faithfully in her walk with God sent me the lyrics of a song that encouraged her greatly as she walked through her own fight with cancer. It is so wonderful to know that our Saviour and Shepherd King himself is interceding for us daily.
Be blessed as you read this:
"Praying For You".
What if you woke up one morning
and as you started to head down the stairs,
you had to stop cos from the room at the top
you heard a voice praying a prayer.
They talked about trials you were facing
and the struggles you've been going through.
As you lean in to hear,it became clear,
it was JESUS praying for you
chorus:
So let your heart have courage today,
through confidence, real hope and faith
Whether its here or in heaven
There's peace knowing its true
Whatever life may bring
You have JESUS praying for you
HE prayed for you in the garden
HE prays for you even now
HE stood in your placeand
HE pleads your case
when the accuser comes around
Thank You Jesus for praying for us!
david
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Bad headache, nausea, diarrhoea and eye infection
the past few days were terrible for me. The above mentioned symptoms especially the headache didn't seem to go away. Times like this can scare me a little as the worst kind of imaginations can come to my mind. I thought the active cells may have targetted my skull since Multiple Myeloma affects chiefly the bones(Lytic lesions).
It may seem negative to you but many who are sick like me experience such real feelings and thoughts every now and then when a dark cloud passes by to marr our focus on the promises in the Lord. Such clouds or experiences can make us feel or see the worst.
But once again, the Holy Spirit reminded me not to focus on what I see or cannot see, but on the finished work of the cross that brings every divine blessing to us as His beloved children, including good health. He reminded me not to focus or base my faith on the present circumstances but in God who sees everything. His eyesight is better than mine or yours. His eyesight is perfect. So when I fixed my eyes on God again, hope filled my heart all over again. I know Jesus is always interceding for me!
Wavering faith? Perhaps. But it is very real to us. Guess that's why we always appeal for friends like you to pray with us, especially for me, that God will continue to pour forth more grace upon me to go through every phase, every day.
Needing Jesus deeply everyday,
david
P/S - After doing a full blood count at a nearby polyclinic, I went to see a doctor friend who interpreted the results for me. He said I had viral flu. Am thankful for God's grace that there is no severe sinusitis this round. By today, the headache is completely gone. Praise the Lord for another measure of grace!
Monday, October 08, 2007
Josh has fever
please keep Josh in prayer as he was down with fever this whole day. By the grace of God, Whee Ling and I are very thankful that in spite of the moderately high fever,, he is still very active. There is no cough or cold, his throat does not look inflammed or injected.
Although we did not go to church today, Josh said he had a wonderful devotion with mum in the morning. You must be wonderful where I was. I was sleeping because I had headache and rested till almost twelve noon.
We cover your prayers as we continue to take refuge and dwell in the mighty presence of the Lord each day. We sensed that the battle is upon us as we are excited about the launch of our book soon, believing it will glorify the Lord. At the same time, we believe satan is not in any way glad that the name of the Lord be magnified through the book.
Please pray specifically for God's covering over us.
thanks,
david and whee ling
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
Gentle reminder – God is faithful!
Though it has been a while ago, I still think I ought to give thanks and praise God for His goodness and faithfulness:
Ever since my whole family was down with the stubborn strain of flu bug from the 1st week of Sep, I prayed (not so faithfully) and took my medicine faithfully. For almost 2 weeks I was feeling unwell with blocked nose, phlegm and cough even though I had completed my full course (7 days supply) of antibiotics. David and Josh’s flu symptoms were lingering. Thank God we had no high fever. I had a bad experience when I did not take my antibiotics after a meal. I felt nauseated and vomited – the feeling was so awful. It was then I realized David must have suffered so much more and couldn’t help admire him for having endured and persevered in the Lord.
At the beginning of this week, my mum was having severe headache and I was so afraid it could be something serious. My best girl friend went for a medical review and I was concern about the outcome of her report. David’s medical review was also due on Thu and I was anxious with “what ifs”. I felt so powerless over sickness. I forgot the victory over sickness our Lord Jesus has accomplished on the cross till I felt the need to humble myself before him in prayer and fasting on Wed.
As I was spending time with the Lord, the Lord used the booklet written by Marilyn Hickey “God’s Benefit: Healing” to remind me His faithfulness and the need to pray prayers of faith. Some bible verses from the booklet which helped remind me to pray, believe and receive God’s healing benefits are:
Psalm 6:19 says “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits…”
Forgiveness and Healing are benefits from the Lord Psalm 103:2-3 : “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities; who heals all thy diseases.”
John 3:14 - Everyone who looks to Jesus will be saved and healed
Jesus said “My words are spirit and they are life”. Marilyn advised us to Be in the Word everyday confessing the Word.
Mark 11:24 - “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours”
I am glad to share that as I prayed and believe it is God’s will to heal and received His healing by faith. Praise the Lord! My mum is fine, my best friend’s report is good and my dear husband’s review is “All ok, next review in 6 weeks”! I am so grateful, so thankful to our Heavenly Father for answering my prayers. Oh yes, I also prayed for my health too and I am completely well now. I know it is not how big my faith is but how faithful God is. Don’t forget all His benefits. They can be yours too!
God bless,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
See in 2 months time
It was good news when Dr. William Hwang decided to reduce my immuo-supressants (prednisolone) from 10mg to 5mg. Besides, I only need to see him for medical review in 2 months time. My cough has healed tremenduosly but I still need to take a course of antibiotics to clear all residual infection. Thank you so much for praying for me and my family.
Please take note that my email address has been changed to daveongke@singnet.com.sg with immediate effect.
Finally, I am very blessed with many good write-ups from my book reviewers and an excellent foreword written by Dr. Gary Sweeten for my book. The goodness and favor of the Lord is so bountifully bestowed upon us. I sense a great freedom and peace of the Lord in my spirit and know that it is time to release the book.
for His glory,
david
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Seek the blesser, not the blessing.
Whee Ling and Josh are fine now. My cough has stopped and I feel a lot better though the post-nasal drip still drips. Am glad that it is much relieved by anti-histamines. Please pray that the infection will clear completely. The GVHD seems more controlled as my mouth did not bleed that easily of late.
I will be seeing Dr. William Hwang for my next medical review this Thursday. May have to do another MRI to ascertain the progress thus far.
I want to share a litlle blessing that Josh experienced on Monday. He experienced what it means to 'reap what you sow'.
You see, on Sunday, he told Whee Ling and I that he wanted to bless the Lord a little more. So he gave $10 into the offering bag.
On Monday, I was looking for a bookshelf in Ikea for Josh. Then I met a couple who are pastors. We talked and I was blessed by their prayer of faith for my family and my condition. Before they left, the lady pastor passed a little gift to me saying, "Here's a little blessing for Joshua". I couldn't wait to tell Josh what the Lord has done.
Josh was very overjoyed to receive the 5-fold blessing. He said, "So I will give $50 to the Lord and i will have more!" We laughed and shared with him that it was more important to seek the blesser than the blessing. Besides, God will bless in many other forms.
Whee Ling and I are very blessed that God used this to give Josh an experience like this to let him encounter the goodness of the Lord. He has also decided to give all the coins that he has saved to the poor and orphans through Harvest Home Inc, a ministry of Rhonda Calhoun and her husband, Danny who are founders. Rhonda was the lady who gave me a very accurate word of prophecy in April 2004, a month after I left the pastorate in my previous ministry. A detailed description can be found in my up and coming book entitled "Talking the Walk" by the grace of God.
If you'd like to read more about Rhonda vision for the poor and needy, you can go to their website at: www.harvesthome.org.
Thankyou for praying for us,
david
Thursday, September 13, 2007
All down with flu
This recent bout of flu bug hit us quite badly. Josh recovered from the tonsillitis but was down with flu again a week later. We are thankful that Josh is better now as the fever is gone except for slight cough and blocked nose.
Whee Ling had been infected with the bug and was given two days MC to rest. Again, thank God she is better now after taking the antibiotics.
As for me, I have been on antibiotic coverage as prophylaxis but was down with very bad bout of flu with slight fever only. As I am immuno-compromised due to Multiple Myeloma, it took me several weeks to recover. I am quite ok now except for slight chesty cough. To me, this recent infection took a shorter time compared to the previous bout where it took several months. That, I see as His goodness because it means I am getter better. Dr. Wiiliam Hwang mentioned that he will do another round of checks to determine the status of my condition. I am trusting the Lord for His mighty hand to heal completely.
Thankyou for praying for us, especially those who SMS-ed after reading our blog.
Every goodness,
david
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Josh & I - Down with URTI
Our apologies for not updating the blog for a while. We were busy preparing Josh for his continual assessment in school and after he goes to bed each night, I have to look into the final touches of my book that is scheduled to be out by September.
By the abundant grace of God, Josh did very well in school and we are thankful for His hand upon us. And regarding the book, I am thankful to Thomas Chong, an 'old friend' from Bethesda Katong Church, that has been helping me with the shaping of the book, entitled 'Talking the Walk'. Most of the book reviewers have also graciously completed their kind reviews for the book. Praise the Lord!
Today, please pray for Josh and me. Both of us are down with fever and URTI (upper respiratory tract infection. Josh has been having very high fever. As for me, please pray that the lungs and the sinusitis will be cleared of infection.
Hiding in Him always,
Psalm 32:7, "Blessed You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance."
david
Monday, August 13, 2007
Praise the Lord-Li Leng is discharged!
thanks for praying for Li Leng. I received word from Paul, her husband, that she was well enough to be discharged at noon. Please pray for the mycoplasma infection of the chest to clear with the oral antibiotics given for the next 3 weeks.
The Lord is good and will never disappoint those who trust and seek Him as Psam 9:10 promised, a verse I constantly held fast to in my own journey as well.
Thank you for trusting the Lord together with us........... it makes people like us in this cancer journey a lot easier to cope and to hope in our dependable Shepherd!
david
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Please pray for Li Leng
Our hearts are very grateful to all of you for your concern and prayers for my father. He was discharged a few days after his admission. Once again, we are thankful for the grace of God upon our family.
Many of you called and some emailed to ask about the oral GVHD in my mouth. It less painful now as it is well controlled with minimal steroids although there are 2 big ulcers on each side of the mouth. with a little more care when I eat, drink or brush my brush, I am able to prevent slight tears on the roof of the palate that often cause bleeding then. therefore, for all these, I am thankful though I am hopeful that it will eventually go away totally.
Also, I am very glad to share that my cough is completely off now. Wow, can't remember how many months now but indeed glad to be off the various antibiotics that I had to take for the past few months for the chest infection. Currently, I just need to take those for prophylaxis.
As I recover with the strength and healing of the Lord, I wish the same for many of my friends who are sick, especially with cancer. It is impossible to name everyone of them although my heart goes out to each of them. A few I know are struggling in the hospital.
Today, I would like to request prayer for Li Leng. Li Leng has the same condition as I do. She was breathless on the morning of August 11th and was admitted for treatment and seen by the respiratory specialist. Thank God for His mighty hand on her - she is given IV antibiotics and is resting more comfortably now. Please pray for complete healing upon her and for her to 'prosper and be in health' as 3 John verse puts it. It is always good to put our hope in the certainty of God's word.
As for the book, we are now in the final phase. Once the editing is done and reviewed by some key reviewers, it will be published. There will be a day in probably mid-September where we will call for a short time of praise and celebration of the goodness of the Lord. You are most welcome to come to worship the Lord with us. We would like to give you a copy of the book as well to share with you about the goodness of His grace.
We will update you on the date, venue and time once the book takes complete shape.
The Lord be blessed and glorified through this simple book that talks our walk through the valley of the shadow of death.
Thank you for being with us,
David, Whee Ling and Josh.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Please pray for my father
Covet yr prayers for my dad. He was admitted to Changi General Hospital immediately yesterday for Ischaemic heart disease. He is stable now and resting in the hospital.
By the grace of God, I happen to be running some errands around Bedok interchange yesterday. I saw him walking while I was driving.
He had gone to see the Dr at Bedok Polyclinic. He had symptoms of giddiness and slight breathlessness upon exertion. The doctor had sent him to go to A&E immediately on his own knowing that the ECG taken was abnormal. I wished he had contacted any of us to bring him to A&E. My dad could have collapsed.
I may sound a little fearful because I had seen two unexpected deaths in the past two weeks.
The first was my immediate friend and neighbour who collapsed right before my very eyes while my family was having dinner. He died in ICU few days later.
The second was a 26 year-old young man who was one of my counsellees in the ministry. Ian had died suddenly in SGH due to possible dengue fever as you may have read in the newspapers. Life is unpredictable!
Nonetheless, am thankful to God for His divine intervention; for His hand upon my dad; for answering my prayers for my family as I bring them before Him daily. Thank God for His covering and protection!
Do pray for my father. He is 70. He looks younger than me!
His heart problem was caused by an accident years ago when he landed in ICU. Some of you probably have heard me share how the Lord turned my hatred for him into love. He was seriously ill in ICU due to cardiac arrhythmia. I remembered the Lord said I loved others but not him even though I was a pastor. Since then, my attitudes changed and started showing love in Jesus' name. It was a miracle, a transformation for me. Wouldn't be possible with God's love. His love cast out all fear.... the fear to love. Very awkward at first you know!!!
But God honored that act of obedience. Many of you knew how my father came to know the Lord - how God answered our prayers as my family through our monthly prayer meetings and how we learned to honor our parents as a family. By the grace of our loving God, I also had the joy of baptizing my dad personally some years back then in FCBC.
Thank you for praying. Many things happened in my family - and the grace of God always saw us through one by one. We are never tired, but always glad to share the goodness of the Lord to us........as many of you have from different ones in my family of origin - the Ong Family.
God is always so good!
David
"Blessed are those whose strength is in YOU; who set their hearts on pilgrimage.
As they pass through the valley of Baca, they make it a place of springs; The autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion."
Psalm 84:5-8
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Slight infection; Cough improving.
just a short note here to thank all for praying with us ceaselessly. We are aware that many of you helped to circulate our prayer requests and sharing to your friends, even those whom we've had not seen or known at all. Thank you for helping to rally and solicit prayers for us. We are very much strengthened by the encouragement and more so, intercession of many.
After so many months of perpetual cough and chest infection, I was getting a little weary. Like a roller coaster, I got better but down again the next moment. Physically, I tend to be very tired. Emotionally hanging on because I knew I am already so much better. Do you know that I've NEVER been hospitalised even once so far this far???!!! Praise the Lord! So, this cough is just like a little housefly that has come to bug me the past few weeks, making me sick with the little infection that it brings along. Pls continue to pray for complete recovery from this chest infection.
Dr. William Hwang had been very kind and caring to 'review' me through SMS and unofficial calls. He monitors me very closely. Please join me to give thanks to the Lord this time instead of taking another piece of prayer request to God. Though God loves to hear our requests daily, sometimes God is like a search engine where we go to Him for answers to our needs. I'm sure He loves to hear our praises as well. So, here's one - thank God for my physician and may the favor of the Lord rest upon him and establish the work of his hands....Psalm 90:17
david
Friday, July 06, 2007
Medical Review - 06.07.2007
Waking up each day is a reminder of God's undying grace. Indeed, the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, for they are new every morning. His grace is availble every day.
I am thankful that all is well with me. That's the great and constant faithfulness of God in our lives as a family.
Dr. William mentioned that all the blood tests are fine except for the GVHD in my mouth. By God's grace, it had been very well controlled and the dosages of the immuno-suppressants are reduced. As such, he does not want to increase it systemicallly (prednisolone 10 mg, twice a day).
The pain is bearable. It bleeds whenever I eat or brush my teeth. The GVHD in the gums and the roof of the palate in the mouth are rather active, causing sevaral big ulcers on the sides and back of the mouth. I had been given a cream to apply to control it. So, am very thankful that I can still eat but slowly so that the food does not tear the skin on the roof of the mouth.
There is a little risk that Dr. Hwang remarked regarding this oral GVHD. There is a potential risk of having mouth cancer because it's been there since the 2005, right after the transplant.
My heart dropped when I heard it. Immedaitely, I had to quickly renew my mind with the certainty of God's word that gives life and health. I was glad that this news helps to me to pray God's word and to receive the promises of God in His word.
While waiting for my chest Xray to be done yesterday, I was meditating on Acts 1:8. Interestingly, by the divine way in way God often uses circumstances in our lives to speak to us, Dr William Hwang gave me 2 books written by his Senior Pastor. one of them is entitled, "You shall be my witnesses". Without a shadow of doubt, I knew what God was saying to me.
I will, regardless of my state of health, continue to a witness for Him. Praise the Lord for His word!
I had been reading and enjoying the word of God like never before. I sometimes try to skip the old testament because history is a subject I greatly dislike. Now, like the way Whee Ling and I prayed with Josh whenever we have devotion with him daily, I deliberately prayed for the holy Spirit to OPEN my eyes to wonderful things in His word. (Psm 119:18). i am beginning to find new gems for my life. The Israelites lived under the law but we are blessed to live under grace now for the Lord, Jesus had carried all for sins on the cross once and for all.
I don't read the OT merely as a story or history book now. I see His-Story and how God was preparing the way for the redeemer to come to restore the world. I believe that redemption includeds the restoration of the physical body as well. So, I continue to believe that.
Do pray for me for strength physically. While I have more time in the afternoons after Josh goes to school, by then, I am physically exhausted and have little energy to do much.
Whee Ling is very busy at work. She has been blessed to be in this company, SAS Institute since the day she joined. It's been 20 years - her first job. That's how faithful she is, even to me!
I pray Psalm 90:17 regularly for her, that she will find favor in the eyes of God and men and see the work of her hands be establised as she continue to be faithful, not just to me, her company, but to God.
Much has been said and usually I don't write often. But when I write , I have a lot to say. Thanks for listening to me. Thanks for reading our blog for we know you care, though we may not know who reads unless you leave a comment or email us like some of you do. Thanks for standing with us!
All for His glory!
david
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Phuket Trip/Joshua's 7th Birthday
thankyou all for praying for us for the trip to Phuket. It was a great family time together!
The Lord spoke many things to me as I was reading the book of Ezra. I shared with Whee Ling and Josh that I want to be like Ezra who, "Set his heart to
S - Study
A - Apply &
T - Teach God's word.
Reading and feeding my spirit with God's word keeps me alive - spiritually and even physically for they are words of life. I love to chew on His word and his word is something I will always treasure more than any other thing on earth.
Anyway, on the way back on the plane, Josh said he missed Phuket. Guess he really enjoyed himself.
Josh wrote in his school journal that one of the main highlights of the trip was the day we went to Phi Phi isalnds on a speedboat on a group tour. (see photo)
We also went to James bond island on a ferry. On our way there, we were brought to a nature reserve on a kayak. The man who took us on the kayak was very nice to us, so much so, that he became our favourite guide and 'kayak' man. He likes Josh so much that whenever we would get down from the ferry to be on the kayak, he will look out for Josh and us.
We like him and took several photos with him. Somehow, we began to befriend him more than the other staff on the ferry. We also whispered a little prayer for him, that he will one day come to know Jesus personally. Like most Thais, Jacky is a buddhist.
One day, we were at the resort where we stayed. There was a conducted boat tour that we wanted to go and so, we went to this office to register. We were disappointed that in the end, we could not register as we were already one of those 'time-share' members. But what turned out as a little disappointment became a blessing. We meet a senior staff there who happens to be a local Thai pastor.
We got acquainted. I asked him if he had any gospel tracts as I wanted to give to Jackie, the 'kayak' man when I send him the photos. This pastor was quite excited and wanted to contact Jackie to invite him to his church to hear the gospel.
I thought that was divine as I had been praying for Jackie the past few days. Now God who desires that none shall perish must have divinely arranged for the pastor to meet us. I told Josh to pray that Jackie will respond to the invitation and have a chance to hear and receive the good news into his heart.
Josh's 7th birthday:
We celebrated Joshua's birthday last Sunday. Many of his friends were there. As usual, he put on football attire because he wanted to play soccer with all his friends.
We were thankful that many close friends and relatives came to bless him, though many couldn't come as some were on holidays during this school break.
My health and my book - "Talking the Walk":
Thanks to many of you who still read our blog and are still praying for us.
I am much better except for the oral GVHD that needs to be controlled. I really appreciate Dr. William Hwang as he has managed my condition very well even though these flares in my mouth can sometimes be very bad. There are still a few big ulcers and the lips tend to bleed and cause some pain. Otherwise, generally condition is fine.
I have finished writting my book. Now doing the editing and inserting all the other neccessary photos and sending them to my reviewers soon. I hope to launch it by September as it will be exactly 3 years since I battled with this cancer. Please pray with us that this book will magnify and glorify the name of our Sovereign Lord who heals.
I also intend to have a 'time of praise and celebration' in September to thank God and people like you for all the grace and goodness we have received in this journey. Will let you know the exact details later on the blog.
So much have been said, thank you once again for standing with us!
david
We were on the ferry on
Saturday, June 09, 2007
So much to be thankful for...
A few milestones have passed and I would not let go of the opportunity to declare His goodness and offer up our praises and thanksgiving - including doing so in this blog so you could share our joy too and praise His holy name.
01Jun07 - 2nd anniversary of David's stem cell transplant. He turned 2 years old in this new lease of life. Praise the Lord he is in remission since Oct last year. His cough is totally gone and the GVHD in his mouth is much controlled with the medication his is on. Though he still has some ulcers but the improvement is considered remarkable already. Considering the risk of transplant complications which we were aware some transplant patients subcumbed to (some were even fatal), his well-being is truly made possible from the grace of God. Well, complete healing is still something we are praying for. His recent checkup on 07Jun showed all blood counts are good. Praise the Lord!!!
05Jun07 - we celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary. He surprised me by having flowers delivered to my office. We had a simple dinner together with Josh in town. It was a blessing which just 2 years' ago was something I could only wish for. I am reminded of our wedding verse in James 1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."
I must admit sometimes I still do take things for granted and sometimes I forget to count my blessings... May the Lord help me to always be grateful, tender-hearted and cherish the wonderful gift from Him - my dear husband and son. :)
We are going to Phuket for a short holiday from today till fri. Managed to get the promotion $5 Jetstar budget airline ticket (though only one way) - thanks be to God for making this budget trip possible! Please pray for safety and a good time enjoying God's creation - Phuket, sea, sun, beach resort and each other!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
It's all about faith!
Thank you for praying for my family.
Josh is well now though he had lost a lot of weight. We had been 'pumping' with good, nutritional food and supplements to restore his health.
As for me, there's still some chest infection with wet cough and post nasal drip but it has improved tremenduously. This bout has so far been the worst in terms of length. About 5-6 weeks. The cough was very bad throughout the whole day. Sometimes, the chest hurts due to the constant cough. I was hoping and praying that the ribs will not fracture due to the myeloma.
Nevertheless, we are just thankful that it was not TB and praying that the infection will clear totally very soon.
God is always very good, revealing His ways and causing our hearts to see His goodness despite all odds. We are specially thankful to Dr. Melvyn Tan who had been watching over us throughout this time. My physician, Dr. William Hwang had been in touch as well. We are always very grateful for these friends in the medical profession whom our Father in heaven has blessed us with.
God has been speaking so much to me through His word. One of the things He had been doing is causing my faith to rise again - that everything is by faith. Reading the list of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 had been very encouraging, stirring my heart to exercise my faith in God.
God's word strengthens. I can't imagine how we could hold on at times if not for His encouragement through His word. And your prayers as well, we know we are not alone for so many of you have been standing with us throughout this whole time in prayer and many practical ways. We are awed by the love of God and God's people like you.... all the time.
God is so good!
blessings,
David; Whee Ling and Josh.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay. 11 You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.
Dear all,
Thank you for praying for Josh and me. We had been badly hit with chest infection, causing bad cough and fever. I can't help but worry a lot about Josh as he was so sick that he had to be absent from school for the whole week. It had been quite disheartening for us. Yet, in spite of all this, we know the Lord word will always come true for us as we continue to confess the absolute Lordship of Christ in our lives and even over sickness, claiming "by His stripes we are healed."
I am thankful that God's word always brings hope and joy to my heart. Sometimes, after fighting the disease for so long, I become weary and down, especially when the oral GVHD flares up badly again and again. The pain is always there since the transplant in 2005 but usually beaarable. I just treat it like a housefly that comes every now and then on the shoulders and shrug it off but sometimes the flares can really get me very discouraged although I tell myself to be thankful for every breadth that He gives to live for my family and for Him.
Reading the book of Psalms have always been very helpful. It puts courage into my heart to know that God had not and will not abandon us in every circumstance.....eespecially at night, He will counsel and bring His presence near when my heart grows faint. By dwelling in His presence, He renews and makes known to me the path of life again. And in that, I rejoice in Him again, for He has given new strength for another new day.
Thank you all for your prayers! It gives us renewed strength and joy to have the family of God standing with us, even till now.
Do pray for strength as I try to finish my book, entitled, "Talking The Walk"
God is forever faithful,
david
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Trying times
As for Josh, this is the fourth day since he was down with high fever. Though he is much better now - only mild fever in the morning, he still feels tired and has to miss school today. Please also pray for him to be in good health and complete restoration soon.
Honestly, I am quite discouraged when prayers for healing do not get answered immediately or soon enough. I guess in times like these, the Lord wants us to learn perseverance in prayers.
"Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer;
And attend to the voice of my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon You,
For You will answer me. -Psalm 86:6-7-"
Surly He wil answer us.... so lets press on...
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Pray for David and Josh
David has been coughing a lot and was even having pretty high fever. Yesterday, his temperature reached 38.6. Josh is also down with fever reaching as high as 39.2. Please join me to pray for healing and restoration and claim good health and wholeness for them in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
2:07 PM
Friday, April 20, 2007
WL in US
I am now in USA, Cary in North Carolina. I will be here till 27Apr for meeting at my headoffice and by the time I get back would be 29Apr. Covet your prayers for David and Josh while I am away. Before I left, David was still coughing. Do continue to pray and claim healing for him.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Joshua vomited
Whee Ling
Dear every body,
On Sunday, I didn't get to go to church.
FROM: JOSHUA.
JJJJJJJJJOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Improving...
David is always teaching Joshua to listen to the Lord in his daily devotion and journal what the Lord has spoken or what impressed upon him by the Holy Spirit. Joshua shared about knowing "God is our Healer." Yes, the Lord is our Healer, our Protector, our Deliverer, our Faithful Friend and Companion, our Savior, our Loving Father and our Almighty God!
May the Lord "grant us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; that we being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in teh church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." (Ephesians 4:16)
Be blessed!
Whee Ling
P/S: David is now busy writing his book.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Persistent Headaches
I was worried and desperately seeking for some assurance that there is nothing to worry about. Hoping that there is nothing serious happening to David, hoping for complete healing. David reminded me not to look at the signs but continue to hope in the Lord and His promises.
"Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Hebrews 10:23. In my devotion, I came was reminded of God's promise:
"Yes, may you see your children's children. Peace be upon Israel!" Pslam 128:6.
Yes, hope in the Lord! We prayed earnst prayers last night. We anointed each other with oil and prayed for healing as the bible taught us to. We were especially blessed by the prayers that Josh uttered which I believe the Holy Spirit was in our midst guiding him. He prayed that his daddy be well and healthy, that the GVHD be gone - that gu gu (aunt Angie)'s cells not fight against daddy's cells but that daddy's cells submit so that daddy be well.
Praise the Lord for He is indeed our refuge and strength, our very present help in time of trouble.
David did his MRI today and I thought he was supposed to do it tomorrow. His sent an sms that reads: "Result traced by Dr William. no monocional band. Ldh was high and Hb low. plt low. likely due to rapa. Recheck fbc and ldh tomorrow."
I could not make out whether it is good news or not. Later David explained that m band indicates cancer cells and no means he is still in total remission, i.e. 0% myeloma cells. Praise the Lord indeed! I was so relief, so glad, so thankful. Praise the Lord! Thanks for praying too.
Even now, David is still having his headache and ulcers but we have peace. We pray and trust he will be completely well and give praises and thanks to our loving Father in Heaven, Jesus our Lord and Holy Spirit our Helper.
"You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the Lord forever,
For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength." - Isaiah 26:3-4
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Effects of Thalidomide?
"My toes are rather numb and headaches all over esp near the temporal region down to the ear. Giddy too. Taken thalidomide on Mon and Fri. Hb last taken was 11.5... Dr William advised to stop thalidomide. Check calcium and magnesium. Also creatinine and FBC (full blood count)..."
He will be going to the clinic for blood test tomorrow. He suspects these are effects of Thalidomide. Hopefully it is not due to other problems with his bones....
Please pray for mercy and healing.
"Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget your law.
Plead my cause and redeem me;
Revive me according to Your word." - Psalm 119:153 -154
Yes, Lord, please consider David's affliction and deliver him, in Jesus name! Amen.
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Ulcers and pain
Today, he attended a dear friend's funeral. A friend whom he had gotten to know during his hospital stay. A Christian brother who also suffered from multiple myeloma, who was much older in age (I think in his 60s), had an autologus transplant (transplant using his own stem cells) and had Velcade treatement together with David last year. He suffered a relapse late last year and finally went home with the Lord last Friday. David shared about how he and this brother, together with another friend, enjoyed fellowship in the hospital - the "good old times" of encourgaing one another about God's faithfulness, empathize with one another over the discomfort, side effects of the drugs, talking about good food in Singapore, having yam cake late at night for supper while in the hospital...etc. He testified about how this Christian brother had finished well. I know the loss of this dear friend who had shared his suffering like none of us had has an effect on him I could not fully comprehend. But I know the Lord could and would comfort him and also the bereaved family. I could only pray and hope in the Lord and take comfort in the promise that the Lord's grace is sufficient for us.
I believe praying is the least and yet the most powerful thing we can do. Please join me to pray for:
1. David to be healed of the GVHD in his mouth, that his mouth and tongue be totally free of painful ulcers and blisters and be in perfect healthy condition. That David need not suffer so much and so long but be restored completely.
2. David will be joining the church BBTC for the leader's retreat in Batam this Thu to Sat. Please pray for journey mercy and a wonderful and fruitful time with the Lord and His people. Josh will be joining him because I will be away in Taipei for work from Tue to Sat. Please pray for us too.
3. David's spirit to be lifted up and his focus be on the Lord's promises so that he continues to find strength and joy
I am so glad to be reminded of Psalm 121 this morning during Sunday service. Yes, our help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth! Therefore, nothing is too difficult for Him, nothing is impossible for Him. In Him, we place our trust. May the name of Jesus always be exalted!
Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling











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