1/18/14 update

Four months has passed since Pastor Sue was diagnosed with lung cancer, and we all witnessed and experienced how God had protected her and turned her illness around miraculously. We thank and praise God for all He has done. She did her routine blood test and doctor visit in this past week. Following are some updates:

1. No major side effects from Xgeva experienced. Calcium level is still low but is not low enough to cause muscle cramp. This was on the top of our previous prayer list.


2. Alkaline phosphatase, one of bone metastasis indicators, continues to drop. This means her bone metastasis should be improving. Praise God! This was our greatest concern!


3. Liver and kidney functions are considered stable even though the indicators are slightly off normal.


4. She will become part time staff in Feb. and will be in church office only in the morning.


5. Her next CT scan will be on Feb 20 and the next update will be sometime after Feb. 24, her next oncologist visit.

Prayer request:

1. Pastor Sue is still suffering pain in the ribs and back. Hopefully, they will disappear in one or two months when Tarceva reaches the maximum effects (5 to 6 months after taking)

2. Patients usually develop resistance to Tarceva after 9 months. Please pray for the best control under this medication until the more promising second generation medication comes out.

3. Pastor Donald and Pastor Sue will take a trip to Taiwan to celebrate Pastor Donald’s father‘s 90 birthday in March. Please pray for the safety and the best health condition before the trip. Also pray that God will give them wisdom to share her illness with family members, in a way to encourage them, and will give them good family gathering.



“對神的愛有把握，對神的大能有期盼”
“Be confident of God’s love; be hopeful to God’s power!”

God in the Valley (English translation of Chinese post on 1/1/2014)

At the beginning of September when I had just returned from a week-long short-term-mission trip in Poland, Sue told me that the back pain she had been experiencing may be due to lung cancer.  My world seemed to be turned upside-down overnight.  The next entire month was spent in and out of the hospital for various testing.  Brothers and sisters prayed fervently, as we did, that God would spare us of this trial.  However, we received one bad news after another; the right lung contained a 3cm-sized tumor, cancer cells have affected the lymph, spreading to the head, including the brain.  There was a month during which Sue was in so much pain that she could only sleep sitting up.  From the top of the hill, we have entered life’s deep valley.  Many people questioned God with “Why?”  And we also questioned, “Lord, what are you doing?  What do you want us to learn?”

During this time, the deacons and coworkers at Central Campus took up much of the pastoral and administrative work: the 40 days of prayer for those who are ill was echoed and participated by all CBC campuses; meal deliveries from brothers and sisters from various CBC campuses; greeting cards, videos and emails to tell us that we are not alone!  There were also brothers and sisters who told that through prayer, the Lord told that He will be using Sue’s sickness to bless many people!  We witnessed with our eyes how the Lord had stirred the church’s loving kindness and faithful prayers through Sue’s sickness.  But, what will become of Sue’s health?  The future was completely unknown…

In mid-October, Sue started taking a cancer-targeting drug and her condition started to stabilize.  We prayed and asked God for a “significant improvement” by the end of the year.  Thank God that at the beginning of December, the CT reported the words “significant improvement.” In addition, the brain MRI and blood tests revealed that the tumor in the right lung “…is not visible” (this is a miracle!).  Only God knows how much we can bear!

Actually, the most difficult battle during sickness is not from the physical pain, but the lurking shadow of death.  The doctors  reminded us repeatedly that this sickness is treatable, but not curable.  When facing death, our faith   flickers like a smoldering wick, and we appear weak and pale.  But, even a smoldering wick God does not blow out!  At every valley, we can only come to the cross, trust in God and hold onto His love; we come to God’s word  for comfort and hope !  The most amazing thing is that during the most difficult times, through the countless prayers offered by everyone,  God’s face is clearer to us  and we come to a deeper realization of the importance and blessing of living in God’s community!

Recently, God gave us the command to “Be confident in God’s love and be hopeful in God’s power.”  We hope for God’s complete healing (He is Jehovah Rophi- God who heals us!), and we also pray that through this journey, God would allow us to experience His love even greater.  Lynda Randle wrote in her song “God on the Mountain” the following:

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.

When things go wrong, He’ll make it right.

The God of the day, is still God in the night.

Amen, God is also God in the valley!  Dear prayer warriors, may we all receive great blessings in Christ and deeper experience his love and power in this New Year!

低谷的神

九月初, 剛從波蘭有一週的短宣服事回來, 麗芳卻告訴我她前一陣的背痛可能是由於肺癌. 世界似乎在一夜間被顛覆了. 之後的一個月出入醫院, 作了許多的檢查. 教會弟兄姊妹的迫切禱告, 我們也禱告, 求神免去這試煉, 但是壞消息是接二連三的- 右肺發現有三公分的腫瘤, 而且癌細胞已影響淋巴, 擴散到骨頭, 甚至已經到了腦部. 有一個月的時間, 麗芳因著疼痛甚至只能坐著睡覺.  從山巔, 我們走到了人生的低谷.  許多人問神說 "WHY?" 我們也問說- "主啊, 你要做甚麼呢? 你要我們學什麼呢?"  

就在此時, 中區的執事們與眾同工興起來, 承擔了許多平時我們牧養與行政的工作; 四十天為患病的弟兄姊妹的守望禱告, 得到主恩堂各堂會的熱烈響應; 弟兄姊妹不分堂會的輪流的給我們送飯; 問候的卡片, 錄影, 電郵都告訴我們- 我們不孤單!  有弟兄姊妹告訴我們, 在禱告中, 神說祂要使用麗芳的病, 使許多的人蒙福! 我們也親眼看到因為麗芳的病, 神挑旺了教會的愛心關懷和信心的禱告. 但是, 麗芳的病又會如何呢? 前途, 似乎仍是一片未知與茫然 ...

10月中服用標靶治療藥物後, 麗芳的情形開始回穩. 我們求神能在年底前病情能有"明顯改進". 感謝神, 在12月初 CT報告中, 出現了"明顯改進" (significant improvement ) 的字眼, 而腦部MRI 與血液的各項檢測, 也有令人振奮的結果; 甚至右肺原發處的腫瘤也完全消失了(報告說 "... is not visible. " 這是個神蹟!) 神知道我們能承受多少!  

其實, 病中最大的挑戰, 還不是來自肉體的疼痛, 而是那無時無刻籠罩著的死亡的陰影. 醫生一再的提醒: 這病能治療, 但無法治癒! (Treatable, but not curable.) 當面對死亡時, 我們的信心彷彿將殘的燈火, 顯得這麼的蒼白無力.  但將殘的燈火祂不吹滅! 在每一次的低谷, 只有回到十字架前, 相信神的信實, 抓住祂的愛; 只有來到神的話語前, 讓祂的話帶來安慰與盼望! 神奇的是, 就是在最艱難的時刻, 經由無數你們代禱的烘托, 神的面卻因此分外的清晰, 祂的愛又是那麼真實; 這讓我們深深體會與主關係的重要與活在神家中的蒙福! 

最近, 神賜下 "對神的愛要有把握, 對神的能力要有期盼" 的吩咐.  我們期盼神完全的醫治 (祂是 - 耶和華拉法, 是醫治我們的神!) 並求神在這過程中, 讓我們更深的經歷祂的愛.  Lynda Randle 在她的詩歌 "高處的神" (God on the mountain)  中這樣說:

因為

高處之神, 也是低谷之神.

順境之神, 也是逆境之神!

白日之神, 也是夜晚之神!

是的, 主也是低谷的神!  親愛的代禱夥伴們, 願在新的一年與你們同得在基督裡的豐盛 - 經歷祂的愛與能力!

孝棟, 麗芳敬上 (12/31/2013)