Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Please pray for my father

Dear all,
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.

Dear all,
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

Dear all,
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