David's spinal pain

David's scheduled doctor visit was supposed to be in 2 weeks' time but becasue he experienced more spinal pain early this week, he is going for a medical review today. Covet your prayers for him.

He had a chance to share his testimony last sunday with another church. It was good to hear him declaring his faith in the Lord again and again. May the Lord continue to grant him strength, mercy and grace. Our Redeemer is faithful and true!

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling
Whee Ling

Joshua - Exams

Whee Ling and I would value your prayers very much for Josh as he sits for his English papers tomorrow (23.10.08) and Maths will be on Friday.

He has been very co-operative and obedient. He is very cheerful and playful as well.

We really thank God for such a lovely and precious gift in Joshua.

Thanks for praying with us!
david

Isaiah 26:3 God will give peace to those whose minds are always thinking about Him

4 Years / Medical Appointment Today

Dear all,
I was sitting at the main lobby at National Cancer Centre this afternoon while waiting for a new doctor friend who is an oncologist there.

While waiting, my eyes were roving to and fro, observing the people from all walks of life that were coming in and out of the centre. But the ones that attracted me were the cancer patients. Many came in on wheelchairs, while others came with tubes hanging from their noses or other places. My heart went out to them as I teared with thankgiving in my heart to the Lord of grace for having brought me thus far in my journey.

It's been slightly more than four years (The Olympics have come and gone)since the time I started battling this illness with the strength and comfort of the Lord. And with friends and loved ones in our families of origin that stood with us all these years. Whee Ling, Josh and I are eternally grateful to people near and far who have surrounded us with their love and prayers.

Your prayers and support in every way have touched us and God, through your fervent prayers, have sustained me, bringing different phases of healing to me in spite of the many high drama moments and challenges along the journey. Let me take this time to appreciate you once again for all that you've been and done for us.

My follow-up with Dr William was good. The spinal lesions seem to be in good control with the use of Thalidomide and will be closely monitored. The immuno-suppressants and prophylatic antibiotics are taken off now, so I am no longer on steriods and anti-bacterials for a month or so now without any complications. For all these, we are thankful. Though the waiting seems prolonged, God has indeed given me prolonged life as many of the cancer friends I've made in the last four years have departed. There were times I feared the worst, shaking my faith now and then. But Psalm 27 constantly reminded me not to faint/lose heart and courage but to declare my confidence in Who God is by waiting patiently in order to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Well, thank God for each step of progress!

Do pray for Josh as the exams are here. He had his English and Chinese oral exams today. His English Composition and Chinese Listening Comprehension will be on 14 & 15 Oct respectively. Whee Ling & I covet your prayers for him to study for the glory of God. To us, that is the most important thing, to have God in all he does.

Whee Ling is very busy with great responsibilities at work. When she gets home, she has to guide Josh in his chinese, a subject I can't help proficiently. Do pray for God's strength upon her.

Finally, the audio version of my book is out in MP3 format/CD. It is beyond my imagination how this could be birthed if not for the encouragement of some who spurred us on to produce it so that many can listen to our testimony in audio form.

Thanks for standing with us!

To God be the Glory!

David

Josh and his cousins

David's last medical review

David's last review was last Thur. Normal routine check up showed all is well. Thank God! He is now only on Thalidomide. All antibotics and immuno-suppressant have been removed. Praise the Lord for the progress in his recovery. Thanks to all who have been praying for him all these while.

Do continue to pray for all whom you know who needs a touch from the Lord, for those who needs a miracle. More importantly, may we desire the Giver more than the gift. As a friend in US once shared with me the revelation she received from the preaching of her church minister, that we need Jesus more than the miracles, more the answers to our prayers. This is what she shared:
"Our sermon text for today was John’s account of Jesus feeding the multitudes with the loaves and the fish (in John 6:1-15), and our minister suggested that the answer to the question in the text about where they should buy bread for the people was indeed that Jesus is himself the bread of life (and therefore can quench hunger forever rather than for just a few hours like the bread). Based on this, our minister suggested that perhaps the miracles we seek aren’t really the answer to our prayers….and instead, that Jesus is the answer, and that Jesus doesn’t give us what we want but instead what we need. For me, this provided an interesting new understanding of the story of the loaves and the fish."

May we be blessed as we abide in our Lord Jesus, "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." (Colossians 1:12-18)

All honour, praise and glory be to the name of Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God!

Have a blessed weekend!
Whee Ling

Josh - doing his homework

It has been a while since I last posted pictures in our blog. I like this photo of Josh very much. Took it while he was doing his homework.

"How great are Your works, O LORD!Your thoughts are very deep." Psalm 92:5

Thank God

If you had followed Xinxin's blog, you would be thanking God that she is doing very well now and the possible crisis in ward 76 due to the chicken pox scare is over. So thankful for the answered prayers. Surely He cares for us like no other.

David is going for his next medical appointment this afternoon. Please continue to pray for good result and that his condition has improved so much his medication could be significantly reduced. He is still having headaches and aches in his spinal area.

"...Lord, teach us to pray... (Luke 11:1)"

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

A call to pray

I received the email below from Emily this evening. It is an urgent prayer request for children at KKH ward 76, especially XinXin and Jeremy.

"Dear Friends, Just heard news from Joy that a nurse from Ward 76 who was doing night duties on Tuesday was diagnosed with chicken pox. As Jeremy was at Ward 76 most of the time on Wed when he was warded for MRI, he might be at risk too. Xinxin and all the other cancer patients that were warded recently have all been called back to inject or take some antibotics. Chicken pox and measles can be very dangerous if a cancer patient contracted it when their immunity is low. Hence, please pray for all these children especially XinXin and Jeremy. Emily"

Let us intercede and pray for protection and special covering upon the children. "Our God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1).

Let us pray Psalm 61 together on behalf of the children, substituting "my" with "their" (or their names), in Jesus name. Amen!

"Hear our cries, O God;
Attend to our prayers.
From the end of the earth we will cry to You.
When their (the children and their parents') hearts are overwhelmed;
Lead them to the rock that is higher than them.
For You have been a shelter for them,
And a strong tower from the enemy.
They will abide in Your tabernacle
They will trust in the shelter of Your wings.

For You, O God, have heard their vows;
You have given them the heritage of those who fear Your name.
You will prolong their lives.
Their years as many generations.
They shall abide before God forever.
Oh perpare mercy and truth, which may preserve them!

So, Iwe will sing praise to Your name forever.
That we may daily perform our vows." (Psalm 61)

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

His grace is sufficient

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.

That was the key message of my sharing at Dawn Community Church last Sunday. I have been praying for the Lord to show me exactly what He would like me to share. I could have shared about His unfailing love, faithfulness, miracles, answered prayers, support from His family of believers, His grace and mercies…and after much prayer, the answer from the Lord was “My grace is sufficient.” Indeed, the Lord has been gracious and merciful to us and His is all we need and His grace is sufficient.

Knowing His grace is sufficient helped me to be thankful, to be content, to be certain that "He is our very present help in time of trouble" (Psalm 46:1) and to experience His peace that surpasses understanding.

Thank you for praying for me for my sharing last Sunday. I was really gald the Lord could use me to encourage others in sharing about His words of truth and His acts of love. Truly His word brings life and light and it is not by might, not by power but by the Spirit of God. All glory and honor be unto Jesus our Lord!

I was pleasantly surprised when 2 dear sisters-in-Christ blessed me after the sharing by praying Psalm 16 over me and even sang the beautiful song "I will run to you".

May the lyrics of this song bless you as it had blessed me.

"I will run to you

Your eye is on teh sparrow
And Your hand, it comforts me
From the ends of the earth
To the depth of my heart
Let Your mercy and strength be seen

You call me to Your purpose
As angels understand
For Your glory
May You draw all men
As Your love and grace demands

And I will run to You
To Your words of truth
Not by might, not by power
But by the spirit of God
Yes I will run the race
Till I see Your face
O let me live in the glory of Your grace"

Be blessed,
Whee Ling

Sharing at Tecman

Dear all,
Thank you all for praying for me. I had a wonderful time. Whenever there is an open ddor for us to share, Whee Ling and I try to live our lives to declare His goodness and greatness.

Two friends that I have not met in a long time came to hear me knowing that I would be there. I am thankful for such support from friends even though we've not met for so long. It makes me feel so blessed to know that there are friends everywhere standing with us, not just in prayer but also physical support such as this. That's the goodness of God in our lives. And it makes our lives so purposeful, not only as we continue to place our confidence in the Shepherd of our lives for complete healing, but also as we proclaim the name of our great Shepherd everywhere to everybody whenever there is an opportunity.

Do remember to pray for Whee Ling as she shares her own journey at Dawn Community Church from a Caregiver's perspective.

thx,
David

Talk by David

Greetings in the name of the Lord!

Thank you for visiting our blog and for those who have so kindly encouraged us by posting your comments on how our blog has, by God's grace, been helpful.

Some of our friends and family members have received an email blast from Tecman bookstore on David's talk tomorrow. For those who have not, I have attached the details below:

"Talk given by Pastor David Ong
Author for the Book Title: "Talking The Walk"

on 30 August 2008
from 3.00 - 4.00 pm

* Seats are limited..
Reserve yours through email
by Monday 25 August 2008 "

Please pray for David as he prepares for this talk. Pray that he will be used by the Lord to bless those who will be there and His name be glorified. :)

Please also pray for me as I will be sharing about God's grace and mercy on Sunday. Pray that the Lord will anoint me and that His Holy Spirit will guide me while I testify of His goodness and give glory to His name in the gathering of His people.

As for Joshua, he is well. Thank God, he rarely falls sick nowadays and even the occasional cough or sore throat gets healed quickly. Really thankful that his immunity has built up. While I share about my son, I have been thinking and praying for Xinxin. Please continue to pray for this little girl. Her child-like faith that she will be healed and her mummy's steadfastness in her young faith in our Lord Jesus is simply amazing. I know the Lord watches over them. I like the Amplified Bible version of Psalm 121:5 below:
"The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand [the side not carrying a shield].(A) "Psalm 121:5 (Amplified Bible)

Yes, the Lord is our shade and shield and no weapon formed against us shall prosper.
"no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD. Isaiah 54:17 (NIV)

So, in Jesus name, I pray that we His children will rejoice in His protection and provision.

God bless,
Whee Ling

Big God small problem

"Big God, small problem; small God, big problem" - a pastor reminded us 2 Sundays ago.

How big is our God? Of course, how big He is is not dependent on our understanding of who He is. He is the Almighty God and it is a fact that He is big, so big our finite minds fail to comprehen His greatness even when the bible in Isaiah 66:1 states " Thus says the LORD: “ Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool."

When faced with the question "how big is your God?", it is not to discuss how big He really is but rather how do we relate to Him, how we view our problems and whether we trust Him totally to be who He is and what He promises to do. I am glad I was reminded again of who He is and what He is able to and willing to do. It is important at a time when I heard about the news of yet another young lady who went to be with the Lord. She suffered from lukemia and had a relapse a few years after her transplant.

I resolve not to wonder about the outcome of David's condition and worry about his need for more drugs and having more frequent medical reviews then before but to continue to trust and pray. David didn't share much with me about how he is feeling other than being tired. Please pray for him to be uplifted in his spirit and our family to continue to look to the Lord and be filled with thanksgiving offering praises to the Lord, that the joy of the Lord be our strength.

Please pray for Xinxin, the litte girl who has neuroblastoma--a very rare childhood cancer. She is not responding very well to her chemotherapy. Please pray that the doctors and her parents know what is the best treatment options and most importantly, command the aggressive tumour to be gone in Jesus name!

May we learn to allow our Big God to solve all our small problems and may we give Him the praises and adoration He rightfully deserves!

In His time, He makes all things beautiful.
Whee Ling

X-ray result

According to David, he is supposed to continue his medication and see Dr William in 2 weeks time. The result is not indicative of any worsening or improvement of his condition, whether there are active growing myeloma cells. He said if viewed from the time of total remission, it is not so good but if viewed from 4 years ago, much improvement has taken place... I don't really know what to make out of the comment. Dr William said to wait and see. Arrangement will be made for another BMA later.

Well, guess we just have to continue to give thanks, pray and trust the Lord.
"My Son, attend to my words, incline your ear to my sayings. Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh." (Proverbs 4:20-22)

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

Faith shaken...Faith strengthens

Faith shaken...

I could not fully understand what went through David's mind or the emotions he experienced when he received news last Friday that Linfei, his friend whom he called "little brother" from China has passed away. This dear brother-in-Christ, suffered much from lukemia and had numerous transplants. He was a very gentle, patient and kind young man - only 31 years old and well liked by the nurses and all who knew him. He was also quite young in his faith. We had prayed for healing and we encouraged him to look to the Lord and find strength in Him. David often visited him whenever he went to the hospital and assured him of God's love and presence. Why didn't the Lord heal him? I found myself thinking about this and trying to seek an answer from the Lord.



From the bible, we learned that God is able to heal and is willing to heal. As David shared in his book and from other books on healing and even messages we have heard in church, we know the reason or rather accepted the fact that healing sometimes does not happen the way we expect it because of numerous factors, and it all boils down to His sovereign will. Yet, I was perturbed. I know God has no favourites. Linfei is as precious to Him as David is. As it is written in the bible "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12). Surely He is a loving Father who loves all His children. I am sure some wondered why He didn't heal Linfei and some others...



Faith strengthens....

As if hearing my doubts, the Lord reminded me of the 11th hour worker in the parable Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 20:1-16. I recalled that a pastor had preached this passage at my grandma's funeral that those of us who remain, while some have gone on before us, are so because we still have work to do on earth. As Paul shared in Philippians 1:21-25 "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain...", if I may parapharse it as it is much better to be with the Lord yet for the sake of the gospel, it is necessary to work...". Yes, things happened and is happening the way it is because of His higher purpose. It is now not difficult for me to see that David still has work to do and surely many would continue to be blessed by him, he has so much love for the Lord and for people. For this His divine purpose, I am so thankful and grateful for I am among those most richly blessed by him.



Last Sunday, we visited PMC at Pasir Ris and the pastor delivered a very good message on "Divine Healing". I am constantly amazed how the Lord would answer my prayers and clear my doubts. The message was so timely! We were reminded to have faith and that "without faith it is impossible to please God.." (Hebrews 11:6). This jolted my memory on the miracle Jesus did to heal the blind man Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43). We heard this passage preached for 3 consecutively sundays when we visited 3 different churches earlier this year. Surely the Lord is telling us something. To me, I was touched with v51 "And Jesus said.."What do you want Me to do for you?" and "..your faith has made you well."" The pastor ended last Sunday's message with the exhortation to live in faith so that Jesus marvels at our faith and not the lack of it.

David had his full body X-ray taken last Fri and will be going for his review tomorrow afternoon. He started to cough, probably because he was very exhausted running around last weekend to help in Linfei's funeral and also to help care for Linfei's parents. Please pray that the Lord will comfort the bereaved family and bring healing to David. Whatever the outcome of the medical result tomorrow, as the Psalmist said in Psalm 112:7 "He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord...in the end he will look in triumph on his foes." The Lord has promised, He is able to heal and will heal. Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Redeemer who is faithful and true!

My heartfelt thanks to all who pray with and for us tirelessly. May you be blessed as you trust in Him, rejoicng in His love and presence, in Jesus name!

Shalom,
Whee Ling

David's medication

Dear all,
After David's last medical review, he was advised to increase his intake of thalidomide after he complained of aches in his spine. It is now every alternate days instead of once every 3 days and he is also scheduled for an X-ray tomorrow. His medical appointment is also now 2 weeks apart instead of 3. Due to the thalidomide, he is often very very tired but other than that, thank God he has not experienced any numbness like before. We are also thankful that his blood tests and other markers are negative of any active disease. Please continue to pray that tomorrow's X-ray result be good and that he continues to be in full remission. The dreadful thought of "what if he suffers a relapse" kept creeping back and it takes great effort to renew my mind and continue to trust God and "hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful" (Hebrews 10:23).

A dear sister-in-Christ whom we got to know in the church David shared his message last Sunday, blessed us as she shared Psalm 84 with us after hearing our story. I take comfort in the lovely truth of God's word once again:
"For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.
O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you."Psalm 84:11,12

I would also like to share a story which touched me when I read it in a friend's email as she updated her sister-in-law Sharon's condition. (Sharon is in coma, please join us to pray for her to be awaken and fully healed so she could be home with her husband and 2 young kids again). I am sure many would be encouraged by this:

"Malachi 3:3 He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.One of the women offered to find out the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible Study.That week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver.As she watched the silversmith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot; then she thought again about the verse that says:'He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.'She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, 'How do you know when the silver is fully refined?' He smiled at her and answered, 'Oh, that's easy -- when I see my image in it'When going through difficult times, remember God has His eye on you and will keep watching you and that you are being "polished" so that the Lord can see His image in you."

God bless!
Whee Ling

Remembering His goodness

God is good all the time! I am thankful, ever grateful to our Lord, our Redeemer who is faithful and true.



I was reminded once again of His great mercies, love and compassion for my family. David was invited by his dear pastor friend to share his testimony at his church on 29Jun. David took on the "assignment" with great enthusiasm and devoted himself much to the preparation, to the extent of working late into the night for several days. He treasured every opportunity to testify about God's goodness in the midst of his pain and suffering. I, on the other hand, was more concerned with the effects of the late nights on his health. How little faith I have... I realized I should trust the Lord and see from His perspective. Surely He will equip and provide strength to David as He always does. Thank you Lord!


When David shared his story, I was surprised how raw those emotions were, as if whatever happened almost 4 years ago just happened yesterday. The memories of the pain, the apprehension, the anxiety, more pain, the anguish, the despair, the hope, the comfort, the encouragement, the love, the support, the friendship, the Divine deliverance, the intimacy with the Lord... Many hearts were touched by David's sharing of God's goodness and love and together we exalt and praise His mighty name!

David had another chance to share his story at another church's married couple ministry on 05Jul. The title is God's slience. He will be sharing at another church this Sunday. Please pray that the Lord will use him to minister to many more people.

Health wise, David is generally well except slight headache and aches in the spinal area. He is due for his medical appointment tomorrow, do continue to pray for complete healing. Please pray also for Joshua. He has abdominal discomfort for the past 2 days and was given medical leave from school today.

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." - Heb. 4:16

Thanks & God bless,

Whee Ling

Article in Mind Your Body - 2

Article in Mind Your Body

Wait on the Lord

"But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 (NKJ)

Wait on the Lord. What does it mean and how to do it? "Wait" in another bible translation (NIV) is "hope". A preacher once said we do not wait and do nothing but we hope in the Lord and do His will.

We can have hope in the Lord because our Lord Jesus said "in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulations; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 17:33.

As some friends who saw the article in Mind Your Body last Wed 04Jun issue, asked where did I find strength to go through what we had in the last 4 years as David battled with his pain and affliction. I pondered over this and came to the conclusion because we have hope in the Lord. Hope in Christ is absolute. We found (and are still finding) strength and comfort in Him and His words in the bible. Thought I just share this with you and may you find comfort and strength in Him too for He will meet you at your various points of need if you would allow Him to.

Doing His will. God has opened doors to interesting events and activities for us to share His love while David has suspended Shepherds' Point Church for the time being. The article in Mind Your Body enabled more people to know David's story and thanks too for all who visited our blog and encouraged us with your comments. We are glad that many are encouraged and hope more will be blessed to want to know and draw nearer to this loving God, who gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

David had also been busy making audio recording of the narration of his book "Talking the Walk" and it is our desire that more could be blessed in hearing his story especially for those who may be too tired to read. A Chinese translation of the book is also in the works.

Pray with us that we would continue to be used by the Lord to be instrumental to reach out to those who need Him.

We are thankful for all the exciting things God is doing and also very thankful that our family can go for a short break from tomorrow to 17Jun. Covet your prayers for safe journey.

Thanks & God bless,
Whee Ling

"I will be still and know You are God"

Dear all,
A few weeks ago, I had a dream. I dreamt that I was deep in worship singing the song, "Still". It is a very beautiful song by Reuben Morgan.
Here are the lyrics:

Hide me now under Your wings
Cover me within Your mighty hand
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul in Christ alone
Know His power in quietness and trust
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm

Father You are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Beautiful words in a beautiful song indeed! That night, I woke & felt so rested in the Lord's sanctuary.

Some Medical Updates:
It was very disturbing initially when the MRI done in March showed new changes in my spine and right hip. It turned my world upside down again. Tough I tried to be as cool as I could like a duck that seems calm on the surface but is actually very anxious paddling under the water. Again, the Holy Spirit, who is our comfort and counsellor, always turns my heart to the maker of my life to place my complete confidence in Him.

Because of these changes, Dr. William Hwang was rather concerned and did everything he could to manage the problem in consultation with other specialist oncologists . Together they all discussed my situation at length to provide me with the best solution. Thank God for each of these christian doctor friends God put in their respective expertise to! Thank God that after all these discussions, they unanimously agreed that there is no need for chemotherapy or radiotherapy. You know, we believe God had placed the right doctors in our path and we comply with it as they are all christian doctors who recognise that ultimately, God is the main healer and they are just instruments of Dr. Jesus.

Luke was such a doctor in the Bible but He recognised that only God can heal. Beyond medical science and many alternative medicines that we have tried, we always go back to the basic of our faith - that God is in control and must be given the control. This "Relapse" was another call not to play God and pray god will shower more and more of His grace upon us to live for His glory each day - in sickness or in health.

On that night after I got up from the dream at 5am, the Lord turned my eyes to read Psalm 73 where Asaph, the Psalmist had many real life questions for those of us who constantly face the harsh realities in this life. But in Him, there is always a blessed assurance in knowing that He will never fail us nor forsake us. That night, He strengthened me particularly through verses 25-26 bringing to mind a very touching and moving chinese song that many of us would have sung again and again.

Psalm 73:25-26
"Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My heart and my flesh may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

Reading Psalm 73 as the song was ringing in my ears, the Lord encouraged me to enter His sanctuary often to renew my perspective, understanding and convictions even tough my circumstances have changed. Sometimes the circumstances can overwhelm me as I get emotionally tired of waiting. But there is a reason for waiting in the presence of the Lord. In waiting in His presence, He renews my strength like that of the eagle to soar again - to look at things through His eyes; To win the fight by focusing on Christ and declaring His reign over this sickness. He is Lord and has overcome everything - even the sting of death!

One night, Whee Ling asked me many questions for which I had no answers. In my heart, I know Jesus is in complete reign but I also asked her to enquire of the Lord. And she did. She fasted and she prayed for several days. Thereafter the Lord led her to read the book of James where James advised us to be patient in suffering like a farmer who patiently waits for the land to yield its valuable crop. (James 5:7-11). The Lord specifically told her to look the outcome of Job's perseverance and how this man of God stood firm and eventually saw what God brought about - that which is good. Praise the Lord!!! See, He does not ignore the prayers of His people but will answer when we ernestly wait upon Him and seek Him.

Through this, our great God gently reminded us that 'everything will work for good for those who love Him' (Romans 8:28) What's important for us is to stand firm, to keep the faith till the end and be found faithful - for He is always faithful and true.

Once I heard a sharing by Joni Eareckson, a paraplegic for 40 years now. Joni encouraged all in affliction of every kind to turn their hearts God-ward to find new strength in His presence.

Indeed, God is the strength of our hearts as we turn our feeble hearts to Him. Only He and He only can raise us up to stand on mountains and walk on stormy seas. By focusing on Jesus, Whee Ling, Josh and I did not sink into the water like Peter did because we learn again and again not to lift our eyes off Him.

Finally, we want to thank God for giving us the opportunity to share and testify of God's goodness and greatness in the Straits Times yesterday. All your sms-es, emails and comments in the blog have encouraged us to be overcomers in the name of the Most High God.

Thank you one and all!
May His name be greatly magnified!

David

Wait and see

God's grace is sufficient for us. Praise God who is merciful and gracious!


It was a relief to us that no conclusive evidence of any active disease was found in David's last review. He was referred to an orthopeadic oncologist to further assess whether he needed to do a biopsy to determine if there are active myeloma cells in his spine.

The orthopeadic oncologist who is also a friend of David, was very encouraging. The recent x-rays he took did not show any worsening of the condition of his spine compared to the x-ray took in 2006. So, instead of going for the high risk biopsy (there is only a 5mm distance from the nerve column), he suggested that we wait and do another test for his review in 4 months time. He even encouraged us not to live under the shadow of the illness. Yes, we are reminded that God is faithful. His promises never fail. So, all will be well.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. For His mercy endures forever." Psalm 107:1

Thanks to all of you who constantly uplifted David in prayers.

God bless,
Whee Ling

Medical Review today

Hi, Today is David's medical review of his last blood and myeloma tests done last week. Covet your prayers that he be cleared of all myeloma.

God is good all the time!

Placing our trust in Christ,
Whee Ling

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