David is much better now

David did an X-Ray this morning. Praise God there was no fracture but because the problem area (hip bone) was previously treated before, it is unclear if what showed up in the X-Ray is new active disease or old traces of myeloma. Therefore, some more blood tests and full myeloma tests were required. The result would be out next Mon or Thu. We are really thankful to Dr William for making special arrangement to see David today.

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

David had sudden pain at 6:30pm yesterday on Rt femur/same spot where he has pain now and then. We thank God he does not need to go to the A&E last night because the pain score has reduced to around 5. He would be going for an x-ray later today and Dr William will be seeing him. Please pray for relief from pain and for God to heal him from whatever causes the pain. That the pain will go as suddenly as it came and that our Heavenly Father the Great Phyisican would bring forth total restoration, in Jesus name. Amen.

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

BMA tomorrow

Praise the Lord! David's previous medical checkup did not show any problem in his blood result. He was advised to take Thalidomide once in every 3 days because of headaches and sleepiness from the effect of the drug. He has been scheduled to undergo a bone marrow aspiration tomorrow. This is something which he dreads because the pain of having one's bone being drilled is something only those who have gone through understand. Please pray that the Lord will bless him with painless procedure if possible (medically impossible but our God is a God of miracle) and grace to endure all necessary tests.



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: KFC06IC NumberNameAddress(20cents will be charged for each sms) or via the internet which is free but you must go through a one-time registration process. Visit the website at http://www.giveinkfc.com.sg/votenow.asp Click on "Vote for KFC06" and then sign in. It's as easy as ABC. You can vote once a day, everyday till 2 May 08. 3 lucky winners will stand a chance to win a Toshiba 32" LCD TV! The more your vote, the higher your chances!Please give Jeremy your support and his code is KFC06. Please send to as many friends as you can and show your support for a 10 year old boy who is fighting for cancerous brain tumor. He is a very cheerful boy and will be very thankful for your support. Thank you,Emily " She also added: "If we are one of the top 3 finalists, we will donate our prize to our church, for them to redeem airtickets for their missionary trips. Please give us your support!! Vote daily."

"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

Medical checkup today

Hi all,

David is going for his medical checkup today. Please pray that all be well.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Relapse or ...?

Relapse, new cancer cells or remnants undetected previously...?

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

Faith & Favor

Dear all,
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

MRI result

"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. I wait for you salvation, O Lord, and I follow your commands." Psalm 119:165-166.

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

David was discharged from hospital

Praise the Lord!!! David was discharged from the hospital yesterday - earlier than expected. :) His MRI yesterday went smoothly and was over in less than 2 hours.

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

Witnessing

Praise the Lord! David is getting better and today he has the opportunity to share Christ with fellow patients, nurses and student nurses who tended to him in the hospital. He has the priviledge and great joy of sharing the gospel and leading one student nurse to Jesus Christ this evening. Yes, he is still in the hospital. He will be going for MRI on Sat and so would possibly be discharged only on Sunday, if all goes well.

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

Viral infection

Praise the Lord! Really glad that other than the viral infection, David's blood count and all other indicators are good. His MRI has been brought forward to this Sat instead of end Mar. Do continue to pray for good result and complete restoration soon.

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

Hi,
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

David is in the hospital

Good morning!
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

No service this Sunday at SPC

There will be no church service at Shepherds' Point Church this sunday. David has not been well. He was feeling unwell again yesterday, not sure if due to too much medication (he is on 3 types of antibiotics). Dr Willaim advised him to stop one of them. Hopefully, his condition will improve today. His GVHD in his mouth also turned bad suddently, making it difficult for him to swallow even water. Do continue to pray that he be completely well soon.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

David is much better now

Praise the Lord! David is much better now. His fever has subsided, headache gone and able to eat more today. His x-ray result was good, showing no sign of any new fractures. Dr William also commented that the condition of mouth due to GVHD (Graft vs Host disease) has improved. It seemed that the recent illness is due to the flu bug he could have caught from Joshua. So thankful it is nothing serious.

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

David is quite sick

Hi,

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

Faith - sickness and discouragement

The steps of faith are often wrought with difficulties, as if the Lord wants to test us if we are really ready to do His work, determined to serve Him and follow Him against all odds.


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

A Year of New Beginnings!

Greetings in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!

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

All is well

Hi all,
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

Medical Appointment with Dr.William Hwang tommorrow

It's been two months since I last saw Dr.William for my last medical review. Apart from the usual GVHD in the mouth, all is fine although I had a fall last friday. I stepped on a pool of water and slipped, hurting my left wrist, hip and left ankle. Thank God that there was no fracture and the pain lasted merely for couple of days.

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

Joshua 24:14,25 - Our family year verse for 2008

"Now fear the Lord and serve Him with all faithfulness........but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

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

A New wind of the Spirit

Today many of my own siblings had a simple lunch at my parent's home. My sister, Chye Hong and her pre-believing husband were in Singapore for the past few days. This is the sister that had rededicated herself to the Lord after marrying an unbeliever some 30 years ago. But by the grace of God, her faith in the Lord is now so strong and full of faith because of the strong-Bible believing Church that has nurtured and discipled her in KL. In fact, much of our encouragement came from her as she stood with us by praying in faith with us. Very often, she would send her sms-es and pray child-like prayers of faith for my healing. My family and I had been very lifted by her renewed faith.

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.

Another Christmas!

Life is unpredictable. I received a piece of bad news two days before Christmas. It was about a sudden passing on of a sister of a friend who left without bidding farewell to her loved ones.

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.

5 loaves of bread and 2 fish

Having crossed over Jordon, a great sense of inadequacy came upon me. I had been thinking about how Moses felt and said when God appointed him to deliver the people of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. It was the same feeling I had before I went on staff in FCBC in 1990. But God is always a God who is there for us. Through John 6:1-15, He reminded me that He can do with the little that I have, even if it was just like the little boy who didn't have much but just 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. He gave Jesus all he had. Little can become much when yielded to the touch of the master's hand. I was reminded not to think or believe like Philip and Andrew.

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.

Time to Enter the Promise Land - Shepherd's Point

Thanks to many of you for your emails to encourage me regarding where God is leading me. And for many of your affirmation in regard to God's call and destiny for my life in regard to my pastoral ministry. I feel deeply touched by all love and warmth apart from the strong endorsement.

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

His grace is always abundant!

Dear all,
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

Cleared of Viral infection

Dear praying friends,
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

Bad headache, nausea, diarrhoea and eye infection

Dear all,
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!

Josh has fever

Dear all,
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

Gentle reminder – God is faithful!

Praise the Lord!!! I was reminded once again of how important it is to have faith while praying. And God has been so faithful as always!

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

See in 2 months time

Dear All,
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

Seek the blesser, not the blessing.

Dear friends,
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

All down with flu

Hi,
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

Josh & I - Down with URTI

Dear all,
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

Praise the Lord-Li Leng is discharged!

Dear friends,
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

Please pray for Li Leng

Dear all,
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.

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

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

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

On the ferry - Trip to James Bond Island

Phuket Trip/Joshua's 7th Birthday

Dear all,
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

Josh 7th Birthday Celebration

Jackie - 'Kayak' friend

Trip to Phuket

So much to be thankful for...

Praise the Lord!!! Indeed there are so much to be thankful for. As I reflect (which I wish I do more often), I am very grateful to the Lord for His continual blessings and grace.

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

It's all about faith!

Dear Friends,
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.

Psalm 9:10

Psalm 16:7-11

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

Trying times

David's cough is getting so bad that every time he coughs, I prayed that his ribs will not be affected. His mouth's GVHD seems to get worse, with more ulcers and even his throat is hurting now. He has lost his appetite and feels lethargic. Please pray and intercede for him to be completely healed.

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

Pray for David and Josh

Thanks for praying. I am safely back from the States. In fact, managed to be back a day earlier than planned. I tried to make posting on the blog but encountered some pw problem.

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

WL in US

Hi,
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

Joshua vomited

Last night Joshua vomited 4 times. He started feeling unwell at 3am. He estimated that the vomiting was half an hour apart. So, he didn't get to sleep till 6am this morning. David also did not sleep the whole night because he wanted to take care of Josh. Please pray for us.
Whee Ling

Dear every body,
On Sunday, I didn't get to go to church.
FROM: JOSHUA.

JJJJJJJJJOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Improving...

Praise the Lord! David's subsequent blood test showed platelets and other blood count are improving. Dr William was very kind to call him yesterday. David's recent conditions of numbness, headaches, poor blood count... were likely due to medication. Even his headaches were almost gone now that he has stopped certain drug he took to treat his mouth's GVHD (Graft Vs Host Disease). It is indeed encourgaing to know our prayers are answered.

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.

Persistent Headaches

David had persistent headaches for the past few days. His pain score was 4-5. The result of his last Saturday's blood test showed his Hb, white blood cells and platelets were all lower than before, below the normal range. His GVHD in the mouth is still active, giving him much pain causing his mouth to bleed easily... All these signs are indeed disturbing. Fear creeps in. Anxiety mounts. Are these due to drug intolerance or worse, possibility of active disease? What if...

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

Effects of Thalidomide?

David's sms this afternoon wrote:
"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

Ulcers and pain

David's GVHD in his mouth is not getting better, in fact, it seems to be getting worse... he is even having ulcers on his tongue now. Eating has become increasingly more painful. Dr William had prescribed more steriods and even thaildomide again. It worries and saddens me that David's medication has to be increased again. David, as always, does not complain much. I know he is silently enduring it all.

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