Praying for Mom

Remembering Mom One Year Later...

2010-02-01T12:30:00.005-06:00

We love you!!! Can't wait to meet you again in heaven!!!

A Tribute to Peggy Liaw
http://rememberingpeggy.blogspot.com

Peggy – My best friend

2010-01-18T14:31:00.012-06:00

The friendship between Peggy and me goes way back – we had been friends for a very long time. We were classmates in middle school, high school, and in college. We were best friends in our work and later on, we decided to further our studies in the U.S. together. When Morris – Peggy's husband – graduated from University of North Texas, they moved to North Carolina for Morris’ teaching position. Soon after, Morris and Peggy then moved to Clear Lake in Houston. We became closer friends ever since.

She was a very easy going and caring individual. All of our friends knew that she took care of Morris extremely well. She wholeheartedly looked after her sons, daughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law. So, the relationships between all of the family members are very genuine and sweet. On the other hand, no appropriate word can be found to describe Morris' love for Peggy. Faye, Gene, Mathew, Simon, and Sharon all loved Peggy deeply and respect her highly. Particularly, the deep regard and compassion for Peggy expressed by Simon and Sharon are the envy of us all.

When Faye was born in 1978, I brought Morris' mother from Taiwan to help Peggy take care of Faye. They got along so well that his mother stayed with their family until her very last moment. Peggy took her with the rest of the family to travel around the country, visit friends – and this gave her mother-in-law complete joy until the end of her life.

Peggy was loved by each and every classmate. I was the luckiest one – we spent a lot of time together and had many beautiful memories. During the post-graduate study years, we drove all night to San Antonio, had fun all day there, and then we drove all night to Dallas. We visited Peggy's host family – Carol – and enjoyed her delicious pudding. During Christmas of 1987, we drove a mini-van together, including 10 members from both of our families, to Florida. Those fond memories will last forever.

Peggy loved us to the extreme; she would invite my family to her sweet home and also to her church activities in Clear Lake. Because of Peggy's patience and enthusiasm in keeping the Tunghai alumni well-connected with one another, we all remain very close to each other.

All this time, I knew that Peggy was a true and faithful Christian. Until later during these last few months, I began to realize her level of deep faith. Last August, when she first knew of her terminal illness, she told us that if this were God's plan for her, she would obey. She pleaded that we should not feel sorry for her and instead, should celebrate her new life in heaven. Her confidence in facing death deeply moved me - a beginner of faith.

Peggy’s life has ended in this world. However, she had a truly meaningful life. Every friend misses her. However, we also know that Peggy has left all the worry and pain behind – she now rests in our Lord's arms, and is enjoying true happiness forever. I wish for God's grace to heal the hurts and grant peace to everyone.

Li-Chu Liu

3/13/2009

我們所愛的璧姬姐

2010-01-16T14:30:00.003-06:00

敬愛的廖教授及家屬們平安:

感謝主! 我們所愛的璧姬姐, 按照主的時間, 回到慈愛天父的懷抱裡. 想到將來我們可以再相聚一起, 在天堂日夜敬拜頌讚我們的主, 就倍覺安慰及充滿盼望.

何等榮幸與你們夫婦及全家在拿撒教會一起服事上帝, 承蒙你們多方代禱及扶持.成為我們一家的祝福. 去年12月14日, 當我們返回美國參加Daniel及Esther的畢業典禮,欣逢拿撒教會成立20週年慶, 我們又有幸與璧姬姐同桌用餐,她的許多美好見證又再次激勵我們. 在週年慶中廖教授夫妻一起點亮教堂燭台的那一幕,歷歷在我們心中, 彷彿看到你們夫妻靠著主的愛一次又一次地點燃無數人心中的亮光般.感謝主, 聖徒的腳蹤何等佳美!

謝謝你們來臺灣體育大學(我們的宣教工場)各個系的課堂上, 分享你們的專業知識及婚姻家庭之寶貴經驗, 使學生們獲益良多; 謝謝你們特地來參加臺中豐盛教會2008年新春感恩禮拜及黃恩典牧師的按牧典禮, 你們的蒞臨及勉勵帶來無數溫馨及鼓舞.

還有很多的感謝及懷念,紙短情長. 謹獻上我們的祝福及代禱!

啟示錄14:13 我聽見從天上有聲音說：「你要寫下：從今以後，在主裏面而死的人有福了！」聖靈說：「是的，他們息了自己的勞苦，做工的果效也隨著他們。」 And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them. from henceforth...: or, from henceforth saith the Spirit, Yea

詩篇 116:15 在耶和華眼中，看聖民之死極為寶貴。 Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.

主內臺中豐盛教會
黃錦壽牧師
黃恩典牧師
Daniel Eng
Esther Eng
全體長執及會友一同

憶一位人生勇者─陳璧姬女士

2010-01-16T14:26:00.003-06:00

憶一位人生勇者─陳璧姬女士

丘靈光

從事牧職20年來，無論是在教會擔任牧師或是在醫院做院牧，在曾經探訪過難以計數的癌症患者中，以居住在大休士頓區的陳璧姬(Peggy)女士令我印象最深刻，也最令人敬佩！

今年年初，因病魔肆虐，使她不得不離開人世，暫時放下一起牽手30多年的先生—─廖懋榮教授和所心愛的子女與家人，回返天家與神相聚；看似她被打敗了，然而，她卻向我們展現另一種令人忽略的勝利，因為，在過去的三、四年的抗癌過程中，她所展現出的信心、勇氣、樂觀精神、積極正面的態度與喜樂的心，在在使探視者忘掉她是個癌症患者，反而感受到她像是一位勵志作家，正用她的生命與抗癌經歷徐徐道出一篇篇令人鼓舞又感動的文章。

在一次角聲癌症中心所辦的活動中，看到她隨著講師教導的歡笑活動中，盡情地歡笑，也因她常常保持著煥發的容貌面對周圍的人，使我們完全看不出她是患者；不僅如此，她不甘於做個被關懷者，反而在醫院裡擔任義工，也因為好學的緣故，只要有合適的講座，她就儘量參加，把所學有關關懷和輔導的知識用來服務其他患者。
沒有癌症患者不希望自己馬上得到痊癒，所以她就配合接受先進的醫療以控制病情；不僅如此，她也常常喜歡牧師、親人或教會的弟兄姊妹們為她禱告，把自己的病情交託給神。我不是她教會的牧師，但自來休士頓牧會時就認識她；偶有機會見到她並為她禱告，每當禱告後，她總是面露笑容，並不時堅定地表示不管有否痊癒都要心存感恩，因為醫治與否的主權乃在於神，即便沒有痊癒，她也欣然接受並已準備好去見神。

記得在她臨終前，我們夫婦特別到醫院去探望，當時她非常虛弱，正處於昏迷狀態中，不便我們久留，我們只好離開，然而，才走出病房沒多遠，我們夫婦就被其子女叫回，因她聽到是牧師、師母來探望，就一定要我們回房為她禱告。當時，她雖然無氣力說話，卻手指向天示意她已準備好見主面，去神為她所預備的更好地方。她對她的人生充滿感激與滿足，因為她有深愛著她的夫婿、兒女、女婿、媳婦與孫女陸續出現陪伴著她過去60年的人生旅程，更重要的是，她有基督信仰和天父的愛陪伴著她，成為一生中最寶貴的資產；然而，唯一的小遺憾就是沒能在臨終前跟親友們一一地道別，特別是在台灣的親人。

做為一個女兒、妻子、母親與外婆的璧姬姊妹，雖然遺憾不能與親人一一地話別，然而，我相信，這地上的一點遺憾必將轉化為親友們對她最深的懷念，因為她讓我們看見一個如何以優雅姿態和堅毅的神情來對抗病魔的典範；也讓我們見識到，一個重病患者卻常存憐恤的心投身於服務別人的義工行列中；更讓我們發現基督信仰在她身上所生發的鎮定與豁達。她的確做到了使徒保羅所說的名言：「那美好的仗我已經打過了，當跑的路我已經跑盡了，所信的道我已經守住了」。在她的一生中，以不屈不橈的精神來面對艱鉅的挑戰，為所當堅持的奮戰到底，把該盡的本份盡忠到底，活出了該有的信仰堅持，不僅留給我們一個深刻而感動的回憶，也留給我們一個優雅而堅強的典範。

對舅媽璧姬的懷念 A Remembrance of Auntie Peggy

2010-01-16T14:11:00.007-06:00

對璧姬舅媽的懷念：

璧姬舅媽是一位負有「愛」的行動者，
不僅對家人有愛，對親戚朋友有愛，
她更是耶穌愛的使者，散播愛的福音種子在人間，
我懷念著她每年寄的聖誕賀卡、年終感恩卡和生日賀卡、
懷念著她每次回台為我們準備週到的禮物、
懷念著我們前往美國探親，她熱心週到的款待、
懷念著她對我及安安不時的關懷與關心、
Auntie Peggy 對您的懷念太多太多．．．
您對人愛的付出，永存在我們的心中，
如今，您雖先回天家，
但您所留給我們的愛，已成為我們思念您永遠連繫的橋樑。

外甥女
玫蓉　思念
2009/3/16

A Remembrance of Auntie Peggy:

Auntie Peggy is a great executor of “GODLY LOVE”.

Not only did she love her family, her love spread throughout the relatives and friends. Most of all, being the loving ambassador of our Lord, Jesus Christ, she seeded the gospel of love among the people.

I miss ~
All of the Christmas cards, year-end thanksgiving cards, and birthday cards she mindfully sent;
All of the souvenirs whenever she came back and visited us;
All of the warm and thoughtful welcomes when I visited the States;
All of the care she bestowed upon me and my son, Peter;

Oh! Auntie Peggy I miss all of your ……
which I can not express with my own words.

You are a love giver and your love will always be in my heart. You may have gone home before me but… The “LOVE” you left turns to be the bridge where I see you and meet you …..

Niece
Marion Chen
March 16, 2009

璧姬與我 Peggy and Me

2010-01-16T14:04:00.004-06:00

3月7日2009年

璧姬與我

我雖然沒有與璧姬一同住在休士頓，但我的媽媽璧姬的婆婆與她共處15年。記得我的媽媽告訴我，璧姬出自有錢人的家，但嫁給懋榮後，她很節儉、不浪費、又顧家。所以她老人家非常的讚美她的品德。

我自己的母親多年與璧姬一起居住，她對婆婆的照顧無微不至，當她老人家年紀大時，出外旅行也都帶著她一起去，從來沒說托朋友幾天，自己去旅行。就是全家去加拿大，幫廖評超相親，都帶她也一同去。她鼓勵我的媽媽去Alabama旅行，說趁著自已可以走的時候，有這種機會當去，她買票讓她與老人團去旅行，我的媽媽常常念念不忘。

最感動的是，我的媽媽在最後一程旅行時糖尿病很嚴重，他們折回休士頓，把媽媽送去住院時，我在澳洲接到壁姬的電話時，說媽媽要鋸腿時，我說妳怎麼辦？她說：「如果上帝要我照顧婆婆，祂就會賜我足夠的力量來服侍她。我很感動，她的信仰、信心何等堅固，實在是一個特好的媳婦。

貴美〔懋榮的三姊〕

March 7, 2009

Peggy and Me

I didn’t live with Pi-Chi here in Houston, but my mother (Pi-Chi’s mother-in-law) did live with her for 15 years. My mother used to tell me that Pi-Chi came from a very wealthy family, and yet she still married Morris (my brother), who did not have much money. She would manage their finances very frugally – she saved much and never wasted anything. So my mother would praise her for this, in saying that she was such a good daughter-in-law.

I was unable to look after my own mother at the time, but Pi-Chi took care of her with so much love and self-sacrifice. Pi-Chi and the whole family took her to travel with them wherever they went – even in her old age. They never left her behind to stay with others, but always insisted for her to come with them. When Pi-Chi wanted to take Ping-Chau to Vancouver to meet Ya-Yun, she took the whole family – even my mother. My mother told me of the time that Pi-Chi bought her a travel ticket to Alabama with the senior group tour, and told her that she should go while was she was able to walk. She was always so thankful for Pi-Chi’s generosity and thoughtfulness.

The most memorable moment was the last time she traveled with the family to Big Bend National Park. During the trip, she became very ill from her diabetes. The family returned home immediately and quickly took my mother to the hospital. Pi-Chi called me without delay, and she told me that she was going to learn how to give my mother insulin injections. Unfortunately the next day, my mother developed a severe clot in her leg, in which the doctors told her they needed to have her leg amputated. At that moment, I asked Pi-Chi, “How will you deal with this? It will be so difficult…” Pi-Chi told me, “If God wants me to look after mother, certainly He will give me enough strength to take care of her.” I was so deeply touched by her words and actions – they indeed showed her strong faith and love. Sadly, my mother passed away soon after; however, Pi-Chi truly was such a great daughter-in-law to my mother.

Kuei-Meei (Morris’ 3rd sister)

對璧姬的懷念 A Remembrance of Peggy

2009-12-28T18:39:00.008-06:00

璧姬是一位非常「順服」的人，
她對人順服，是個孝順的好媳婦、好太太、好弟媳；
她對還境順服，勤儉持家，是丈夫的好幫手，孩子們的好母親，將三個孩子教養有成；
最後更以超乎常人的勇氣與信心坦然面對一切；
其一生所結生命的果子，是我們的好榜樣，永存在我們的心中，
我一生懷念她。

大組
錦環思念
2009/3/16

A Remembrance of Peggy:

“Dedication and surrender” describe the best to my beloved sister-in-law, Peggy.

She dedicated (順服) herself to her family
~ as a good daughter-in-law who honored her mother-in-law as her own,
~ as a good wife, and
~ as a good sister-in-law.

She surrendered (順服) herself to the life God prepared for her.
~ a great helper of her husband. She strived to be a good steward for her family
~ a great mother of her children. She raised her three children to be mature and useful people in God’s eyes.
~ an abundant faith in the Lord. She humbly faced her last days on earth

The fruits of her life are the model we are eager to bear and the memory we ink in our heart. I miss her ……

Sister-in-law
Chin-Huan
March 16, 2009

To Auntie Peggy - Celebration of Her Life on Earth

2009-12-28T18:34:00.009-06:00

Auntie Peggy has a tremendous influence to my life. 18 years ago, I came to the States as a young single international student. Uncle Morris and auntie became my most immediate family here. Whenever, I faced the loneliness or struggled with my school work. They always make themselves available and welcome me to their family and to be part of their family.

Over 18 years, Auntie Peggy has encouraged me and helped me to open my eyes to our great Lord Jesus Christ. From her, I saw …

~ as wonderful daughter-in-law, who always took good care of grandma
~ as a loving wife, who submitted herself to uncle
~ as a sacrificial mom, who put all of herself to raise Faye, Gene and Matthew; and
~ as a faithful servant of the Lord, who served and praised Him all of her life

Although she passed away, I am celebrating her life in Christ on earth. “Victory”… It is the word always coming out of my mind when I think of Auntie Peggy’s life.

Her life is a victory over death ~
Auntie Peggy has overcome death at the moment when she trusted Jesus Christ as her personal Savior. The everlasting life she has victoriously conquered death. Since I know, I will see her again on the day come.

Her walk on earth is a victory over the world ~
Look at it… How may people have been touched by her? How many souls have been saved through her witness, pray, and her walk in Christ? I don’t know where you are spiritually, but, surly, I am the direct beneficiary of her witness. Through her, I saw the true Love from God. Through her, I saw the significance of great gift of salvation which led me to restore my relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ.

I am certain that it is a victory of her life as the faithful servant of the Lord. And I know, on her home going, our Lord stood up and received her joyfully in heaven. She will reside with Him forever and ever.

Do I miss her? Absolutely… But she did not disappear from me. Her love, faith, and hope in Christ and, especially, her smile will always be remembered deep in my heart.

Nephew
C. Benjamin Chen
Shared on Feb. 6, 2009
Edified on Feb. 9, 2009

need prayer...

2009-06-15T23:33:00.004-05:00

i just found out that my grandfather (our mom's dad) passed away yesterday. if you are willing, please pray for peace and comfort, especially for our family in taiwan. it's an extremely difficult time right now.

Because He Lives

2009-04-13T00:48:00.003-05:00

this past friday would have been our mom and dad's 32nd wedding anniversary. sometimes i wonder if God could have made things any harder: since our mother left us a couple months ago, we've gone through valentine's day, her birthday, and now her wedding anniversary. i have to admit at times i struggle to see God's work in all of this, but our family continues to rely and trust Him...i know that's what our mom wanted.

more importantly it was good friday, as we remember Christ's death. my dad's reading this chinese book that a friend gave him, that helps wrestle with the questions of why bad things happen. although it doesn't present any concrete answers, it does assure us that we serve a God who can relate to and understand the hurts that we're going through. it uses the example of Jesus on the cross, crying out "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" before He died. in many ways it is a great comfort to know that Jesus himself knew what it felt like to be abandoned and feel forsaken.

sunday was easter. i went to efc with my dad today, and it was odd to not have my mom singing in the choir during easter, which she so often did. one of the songs that we sang was Because He Lives. when we got to the last verse, i started to tear up, because it made me think of my mom. the words say this:

And then one day I'll cross the river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to victory
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns

how fitting this was for her life...

thanks God, for giving us hope. thank you also for being a God who can relate to and understand our hurts. thank you for the cross - amidst all the uncertainties and unknowns in life, it is the one thing we can be sure of.

Pancreatic Cancer Awareness

2009-04-07T20:35:00.005-05:00

heather, my mom's physician assistant, just ran a triathlon to raise awareness for pancreatic cancer. heather was such a blessing to our family, especially in the last few weeks. you can read about her race here: http://triforpancan.blogspot.com/. if you want to donate, you can do so here: http://www.firstgiving.com/tri4pancan.

also, for those keeping up with the news, you may have heard that supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. fortunately, it was caught extremely early, and she was able to undergo surgery. here are some articles in the media that were written following justice ginsburg's diagnosis - both of them actually mention dr. varadhachary, my mom's oncologist from md anderson:

US News & World Report: 6 Things You Need to Know About Pancreatic Cancer

Wall Street Journal: Justice Ginsburg Plans to Return to Court in Weeks

How deep the Father's love...

2009-04-07T18:55:00.012-05:00

the past week has brought some incredible weather to houston, with some gorgeous sunshine, and a wonderful spring breeze. sometimes i think to myself that i wish my mom got to see spring one last time, instead of spending her last days on earth in dreary, cold winter weather. however, i have to keep reminding myself that she's in an infinitely more beautiful and magnificent place right now...ironically, i bet she's probably wishing we're all experiencing paradise with her right now.

How Deep the Father's Love for Us from Gene Valgene on Vimeo.

anyhow, i thought i'd share this vid that dr. hwang gave to us. it's a short clip of my mom playing piano at EFC's 20th anniversary in early december, less than two months before she went home to be with the Lord. this was one of her favorite songs, and she asked that it be sung at her memorial service.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

When cherry trees blossom in April

2009-03-27T17:51:00.011-05:00

The following was written by Chao-Dung and Amy Shih, friends of Peggy's for many years. The Shih family are active in the Clear Lake Taiwanese Association, the same organization that Peggy was a member of.

In early April of 2008, Stone and I had a long driving trip from Houston to Boston, I told Peggy that on the way we'll stop by Washington D. C. to see Cherry Blossom. One day before the trip Peggy gave us a gift bag containing her homemade roasted pecan, two Christian music CD and a note she wrote that" thousand Mile's driving would be long and tired, eat the pecan listening the Christian music will keep you awake and safe". We were so moved by reading her note, her caring thoughtfulness warmed our hearts throughout the whole trip. While we enjoyed the beauty of Cherry Blossom in Washington D. C., at the same time we thought of Peggy's great beauty of giving, caring and kindness. Her big smiling face is as pretty as the Cherry Blossom!

Once Peggy said that she wished to hear what friends would talk about her before passing in steads of after passing. I am glad that I did send her a Cherry Blossom card to let her know that we had deeply cherished her friendship, her loving, caring and kindness was very much appreciated.

Peggy was a "people's person", she always did the small stuff with a big heart, extended her helping hands to friends including young and old, men and women, poor and rich; she was loved dearly by whose whom knew her. Her big smile and soft speaking voice will be forever remembered, specially when Cherry Blossom in April.

Chao-Dung & Amy Shih

P.S. Attached three Cherry Blossom pictures, one of them is about the same cherry blossom card sent to Peggy in April of 2008.

An act of generosity

2009-03-27T16:43:00.005-05:00

The following was a story sent to us by Linda, the wife of Dr. Robert Calhoun, the former English pastor at EFC of NASA. Their family has always had a special friendship with Peggy, and have been close friends for many years.

I don't know if Morris was aware of this or not...but when we were finally able to move out of our apartment in Houston and looking for a home, we had asked Peggy to be our realtor. She took it very seriously, and promptly helped us find a house we really liked on Enchanted Isle! (Ha, and we are moving to "the Misty Isle" in a few months!) Anyway, we were so surprised and touched by her generosity in not keeping any commission on the transaction. She instead wanted us to have the money she would've made! I remember her and another lady...I think she was another realtor friend who also gave up her part too, coming over to our house to present the check. We had a nice visit and I expressed our appreciation for their unexpected and generous gift! We were able to put new carpet, that the house really needed, in with the money. That act of generosity pretty much typified Peggy's lifestyle didn't it? Not wanting anything in return...just seeking ways to serve others. Jesus was very evident in her life.

"My dearest daughter Pichi..."

2009-03-16T16:35:00.006-05:00

the following was a letter written by peggy's father. it was read at peggy's memorial service by jack, one of her younger brothers.

•

璧姬我摯愛的女兒,

忽然聽到妳因病安息主懷的信息，令我震驚和無限的哀慟，妳從小到大的生活情況都一一的浮現在我的眼前，雖然我的淚水如湧，昔日的情景依然清晰，妳從小聰慧，秉性善良，在家裡妳是父母寵愛的女兒，對父母至孝至順，對兄姊和弟妹都尊敬關懷，在學校妳是功課名列前茅的好學生，老師和同學都讚賞妳，妳以優異的成績畢業於台中東海大學。

•自從妳在美國結婚成家之後，每個星期，我們在台灣都可以接到妳的越洋電話，妳總是貼心的問候我，並且很高興的告訴我，妳的同學和朋友幾乎遍佈美國和加拿大各州，每到一個地方，妳也不忘告訴我遊覽的心得，讓我分享妳的喜樂，而每逢過年過節以及我的生日，妳都記得向我祝賀，並且寄禮物回來給我，妳就是這麼貼心的乖女兒。

•妳是虔誠的基督徒，妳以主耶穌基督的心為心，熱心的在教會侍奉，熱心的投入宣教，並且鼓勵妳的兒女參加宣教，前往各地服務人群。

•想到以後再也接不到妳向我問安的電話，再也收不到妳的聖誕卡，我不禁又悲從中來，雖然我們知道妳已息了地上的勞苦而安息主懷，但身為父親的我，怎捨得我至愛的女兒璧姬離我而去。

我已老邁不適宜長途飛行，未能參加妳的追思禮拜，令我心疼不已，我唯有在祈禱中懷念祝福妳，直到將來在天家相見。

•我感謝上天曾經賜給我這麼好的女兒，璧姬，我的女兒，爸爸永遠愛妳。

My dearest daughter Pichi,

When I heard about your sudden passing, it broke my heart, and I have been grieving endlessly. Tears well up in my eyes when I think about your life, from when you were just a baby until now. The images I have of you are so clear, that it seems just like yesterday.

You were always so smart. You had a heart of gold. At home, you were the one that your mother and I loved especially much. You always respected and loved your parents, and always looked out for the needs of your brothers and sisters. In school you were always a good student, your teachers and classmates always loved you, and you graduated from Tunghai University with honors.

Ever since you got married in the United States, each week in Taiwan we looked forward to receiving your phone call. You always called to send your regards to me, and were happy to tell me that you had classmates and friends all over the United States and Canada.

Whenever you travelled to a new place, you always shared about your experiences with me so I could share in your joy. You remembered all of the holidays as well as my birthday, and never failed to send me a gift. You were such a wonderful daughter.

I know that you were a devoted Christian, and you took on the heart of Jesus Christ. You joyfully served in the church, and encouraged your children to do the same. You had a heart for missions, and always served others wherever you went in the world.

When I think about how I will no longer be able to hear your voice on the telephone, and that I will no longer be able to receive a Christmas card from you, I am heartbroken. Although I know you are free from pain and suffering in the Lord’s arms, as a father it is extremely difficult for me to let go of a daughter I love so much.

Because I am so old [93 yrs old], I am unable to make the long flight from Taiwan. My heart hurts because I am not able to join you this week. I can only remember you and bless you through my prayers, until we meet again in heaven.

I thank God that he gave me such a wonderful daughter. Pichi, my daughter, your daddy loves you forever.

•

Thanks..and keep 'em coming!

2009-03-16T15:40:00.002-05:00

thanks so much too all of you who have already sent us stories and encouraging words about our mom. we will start posting them over the next several weeks. i think faye has an online side project that she's putting together too, where the stories may show up :) also, we will be posting some material from our mom's memorial service, for those who could not make it. anyhow, we wanted to thank you all again, and encourage y'all to keep the stories coming! you can email them to prayingformom[ a t ]gmail.com. for more details, see the original post here.

"a dream my dad had"

2009-03-08T22:27:00.015-05:00

The following email was written by Elsa. She is Peggy's niece, the daughter of Peggy's oldest brother. Their family was very close with Peggy, and likewise their entire family was very close to Peggy's heart as well. We think that Peggy is still praying for them, even in heaven.

March 6, 2009

Hello Liaw Clan,

My dad just shared a dream he had last night and wanted me to pass it on to you all. Two things he did not know when he told my mom the dream were that it was her [Peggy's] birthday yesterday and that her [Peggy's] favorite color clothing (according to my mom) is red.

In the dream, my dad was at a fair-like place with booths walking when he noticed someone that looked like her. Then he thought to himself that it can't be but as he got closer, it became clear that it was her. This part of the dream was not clear to him but what followed was. When she turned around, her face was beautiful and radiant. She looked gorgeous (my dad really emphasized this) and she was dressed in red. She didn't say anything to him. He feels that it's her telling him that she is doing well in heaven.

I know it's been a tough week for you all. I'm sending you positive energy and you are in my thoughts.

Love,
Elsa

Happy Birthday, Mom...

2009-03-05T19:00:00.004-06:00

today, march 5th, is my mom's birthday. she would have been 61 years old today. to be honest, the past week has been really tough for me (and i know for the rest of the family as well). i think it's starting to sink in that my mom is no longer here. my mom was one of the first people i would call whenever i got good news, or whenever i needed to ask a question. i remember the other day i was in the kitchen in our apartment in dallas, and i had a question about cooking something. i instinctively reached for my phone to call my mom, and then it hit me real hard that she wasn' t there.

it still hurts everytime i pull into the driveway at my parents house, and my mom isn't there to greet me. it still hurts everytime i walk by her empty piano bench. it still hurts everytime i want to tell her something only to realize that i can't. i feel like there's an emptiness in my heart. i miss her so much, but i know by God's grace He will carry our family through. my mom told us before she left that if it were possible, she would pray for us in Heaven. i like to believe that she is still praying for us this very moment.

happy birthday, mom...we miss you.

And Let Us Not Grow Weary

2009-03-05T18:59:00.000-06:00

i've been reading this devotion book called Streams in the Desert which i pulled off of faye's bookshelf. the devotion for march 5th, our mom's birthday, seemed so fitting for her life...and i thought i'd share it with y'all:

"We are made partaker of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end" Hebrews 3:14.

It is the last step that wins; and there is no place in the pilgrim's progress where so many dangers lurk as the region that lies hard by the portals of the Celestial City. It was there that Doubting Castle stood. It was there that the enchanted ground lured the tired traveler to fatal slumber. It is when Heaven's heights are full in view that hell's gate is most persistent and full of deadly peril. "Let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not." "So run, that ye may obtain."

In the bitter waves of woe
Beaten and tossed about
By the sullen winds that blow
From the desolate shores of doubt,
Where the anchors that faith has cast
Are dragging in the gale,
I am quietly holding fast
To the things that cannot fail.

And fierce though the fiends may fight,
And long though the angels hide,
I know that truth and right
Have the universe on their side;
And that somewhere beyond the stars
Is a love that is better than fate.
When the night unlocks her bars
I shall see Him--and I will wait.

--Washington Gladden

Please send us your stories!

2009-02-25T16:52:00.003-06:00

Hi friends and family of Peggy,

We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being a part of this tough but encouraging journey with our mom and family. Thank you to all of you who came to celebrate Peggy's life with us a few weekends ago and thank you for continuing to pray for all of us during this time. We know that many of you flew from across the country and globe, so thank you again.

As we have been reflecting back on everything, we realized that there is SO much more about our mom that we don't know in terms of how she's touched so many of ya'll in a personal way. After hearing a few stories from some of you either at the memorial service or afterwards, we were SO touched and moved -- and so much more amazed at how much she truly gave of herself to those around her no matter who you were. It made us really want to know EVEN more about our mom and the life she lived, not just for our own knowledge, but also so that we may share these stories about her with our own kids and their kids in the future and so on...

We are asking you all as her beloved friends and family, to please share with us her story in your own life, and how she has loved you or impacted you personally (including those of you who shared at the memorial service or who wanted to but couldn't). This is very open, so please feel free to share whatever is on your heart. Also, please feel free to write in your own native language whether it be in Chinese or English.

You may either :
1) email us your story about her to prayingformom[ a t ]gmail.com

OR

2) if it's easier to handwrite it, you can mail your story/letter/pictures to our address. You can email us above if you need our mailing address.

We plan on posting all of your stories on the blog as they come throughout the weeks. We know that many, many, people across the U.S. and world have been reading mom's blog and have been so touched by her story from just reading about her. (If you look at the cluster maps on the right side of the blog you can see all the people who read it from all over the world!)

We also plan on creating a scrapbook of all of your stories so that we can share them with future generations of our family.

We invite you all to be a part of continuing on our mom's legacy that is in Christ!

Love,
Morris, Simon, Faye, Gene, Sharon, Matthew, and Mariella

"New Bike, First Rides, and Mrs. Peggy Liaw"

2009-02-22T21:39:00.013-06:00

our friend eric chen from PCAC is participating in a charity bicycle ride from austin, tx to anchorage, alaska called the Texas 4000 to raise awareness for cancer. here is a link to his most recent blog post, where he mentions our mom: "New Bike, First Rides, and Mrs. Peggy Liaw"

you can track more of his journey here.

Slideshow from Mom's Memorial Service! :)

2009-02-09T13:46:00.003-06:00

Celebrating the Christ Loving Life of Peggy Liaw from Gene Liaw on Vimeo.

*You can double click on the slideshow to bring it to fullscreen*

Our Mom's Memorial Service - RSVP

2009-02-03T15:11:00.003-06:00

Dear Friends and Family,

We would be honored by your presence if you can attend our mom's "Celebration of a Christ Loving Life" service.

Your prayers and friendship has helped us each and every step of the way. God has used you more than you know. We are so grateful for your love for our family.

The service will be this Sat. Feb 7th at EFC of NASA at 2:00PM.
401 N. Texas Ave.
Webster, TX 77598

It would be great if you can stay and have dinner with us as well. It will be a awesome time to catch up.

Please e-mail Simon at leesimon[at]hotmail.com to RSVP by this Wednesday. Of course, if you change your mind about coming, you can always drop by.

Thank you so much! God is good.

Yes, indeed. Our mom is now with Jesus.

2009-02-01T23:59:00.006-06:00

[S & F] Dear Friends and Family,

This morning at 11:30am, Mom went to be with our Lord Jesus. She passed away from this earth very peacefully and is not suffering any longer. Mom's love for all of us is something that we will miss dearly.

Thank you so much for all your prayers and love for our family. We are grieving, but God is comforting us and giving us peace.

We are so grateful for the gift of our mom that God gave us while she was on earth. She belongs to God and not us and we are just so honored to have known such a wonderful loving woman of God.

In the end of all of our lives, it does not matter how much money we have, what kind of car we drive, or the kind of house we own, the only thing that matters is how much we love God and much we love people. Mom did both extremely well. She loved until the very last second of her life. She lived a God-fulfilled life. Even until her last breath, she was praising Jesus. She has finished the race and crossed the finish line. She is now celebrating with Christ in heaven which we are eternally grateful.

The memorial service will be at EFC of NASA at 2pm Sat Feb 7th. (401 N. Texas Ave., Webster, TX 77598).

Everyone is invited and dinner will be provided as well. This will be a time of celebration of God and Peggy's life on earth.

Thank you once again for your love for our family. Your prayers and love were felt.

God is good and we worship Him and Him alone. Christ continues to reign in our family. He will continue to be Lord until our last breath on earth. To Him have all the Glory!

Love,
Simon & Faye

God has healed our mom...in heaven :)

2009-02-01T18:15:00.003-06:00

Dear friends and family,

This morning at 11:30AM, our Lord called mom home to be with Him. We praise God that He has healed her completely in heaven, and we are thankful that she was able to go to Him in so much peace and comfort and surrounded by all of us family at her bedside.

We are also grateful that God gave all of our family as well as our mom true peace during this time. In the end, we as a family choose to love and praise God until our own last breath - and we know that when our own time has come, our mom will be the first to greet us in heaven.

It's been a long, tough journey for our mom and family...especially over the last few weeks and several days. Even in the midst of all the pain and suffering our mom endured, there were many sweet moments of encouragement and comfort that God gave her and to us. We have many of these stories to share with you all in due time.

We apologize for we know that many of you wanted to visit her in the hospital while she was very ill. The reason why she requested no visitors while she was in the hospital was because she did not want to be remembered for her sickness, but for her fully-lived life of giving and loving God and others here on earth.Our mom loved greatly and unconditionally, as I have not ever known anyone who could have loved more, except our Lord Jesus. We know that many of you had the chance to meet her, either over the last several months or perhaps more in passing at our wedding last year. She was truly a woman with enormous faith and strength - even until her very last breath - and we know that God has blessed her richly in heaven for all that she endured and gave of herself here on earth.

We thank those of you who have continued to support, encourage, and pray for our mom and whole family at this time. Our mom was always so deeply moved and touched when she heard that you were praying and thinking of her. Our mom really wished to have been able to come to Dallas in this past month to thank everyone in person and share with you her journey personally...

With that being said, we invite you all to attend her memorial service - which will be held this coming Saturday, February 7th, at 2:00PM in Houston. We encourage those of you not in Houston to carpool together down if possible!

It will not be your typical funeral service, but more a celebration of her life here on earth as she walked with God and loved much - this is what she wanted and how she wanted to be remembered. There will also be a time of open-mic sharing where people will be able to share about how she has touched others' lives personally and deeply.

Details below:
The memorial service will take place in the activity center of our parents' home church in Clear Lake on Saturday 2/7/09 at 2PM.
EFC of NASA
401 N. Texas Ave.
Webster, TX 77598
Dinner will be graciously provided afterwards for everyone.
Dress attire: however you feel comfortable

Love,
Gene and Sharon

At this time...

2009-02-01T13:42:00.003-06:00

we kindly request that there would be no visitors. Our dad and the family would appreciate time together alone at this time. We apologize ahead of time if we do not respond to e-mails or phone calls in a timely matter. Thank you for your understanding. We continue to appreciate your prayers and support during this time. We love you all. Thanks. We love you!

Memorial Service will be on Sat 2/7/09

2009-02-01T13:12:00.007-06:00

The memorial service will take place in the activity center of our parents' home church in Clear Lake on Saturday 2/7/09. Specific time of day to be determined.

EFC of NASA
401 N. Texas Ave.
Webster, TX 77598

We will update with the time of day on Saturday as soon as it is determined. Thanks.

Our mom has gone to be with the Lord.

2009-02-01T12:29:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, 2/1/09, 11:30 a.m., she breathed her last. She passed away peacefully and is in a better place now. She finished the race strong and was surrounded by family. Mom, we will miss you from the bottom of our hearts. We love you dearly.

We will update you later with memorial service arrangements.

Thank you SO much for all your prayers and support for our family. We love you.

Keep on praying!!!

2009-01-31T13:22:00.011-06:00

SO much has happened these past few days that we have not been able to update. We apologize. Mom is still alive and we are still praying for COMPLETE PHYSICAL HEALING as well as spiritual and emotional healing. We are still asking for no visitors at this time, but need ALL your prayers and support. JESUS is ALIVE and HEALING mom. Please continue to pray alongside of us as we continue to BATTLE, PERSEVERE, and RUN THIS RACE with her. Thank you SO much for all your prayers thus far - as well as all of you who have tried to contact us via e-mail, phone, or other means. We have been receiving all those calls and e-mails, but we apologize if we have not been able to respond back.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR PRAYERS AND SUPPORT TO US AS A FAMILY!!!!! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!!

We will continue to update when we can, but as of right now, it's been hard for us to update because things change moment by moment. We will post when we can. Thanks!!!

Much love to all of you!!

If you would like, please leave a prayer in the comment section of this post. Let's pray together that way. Thanks!!

Update

2009-01-25T11:10:00.002-06:00

thank you for all your prayers and support. our mom remains in the hospital, and is extremely weak. we know our time is likely limited, but we are enjoying our moments together as family. we kindly ask that we receive no visitors at the hospital at the present moment, except for family. we thank you for your privacy during this time. we appreciate everyone's prayers for our mom and family, and believe our God hear each one. please continue to pray...

ER - Please pray...

2009-01-23T18:43:00.000-06:00

Mom is going to the Emergency Room at MD Anderson right now. Please pray for us. Thanks.

In need of mercy...

2009-01-23T13:14:00.002-06:00

thank you for praying for my mom's paracentesis last tuesday. my mom came back to us, even if it was only for several hours that day. she was able to sit up and talk with her brother, who was visiting from taiwan. we praise God for that intimate moment they were able to share.

our mom has become increasingly weak, and more in pain. it has been so hard seeing her like this. i don't even have the words to pray anymore...and find myself crying everytime i try. we are desperate for His mercy. as simon said earlier, we do not know how many days our mom has left, but her life is in God's hands.

please pray for this weekend. matthew and sharon will be coming to houston. please pray that my mom would be strengthened, and it would be an encouraging time for our family.

"In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express."

-Romans 8:26

Mom is a fighter!

2009-01-22T10:48:00.006-06:00

[F] Just wanted to give an update after last night's CT scan. My mom was a FIGHTER! She drank 2 cups of that Gastrografin that is required for the CT scan. The CT scan was necessary to see if she qualifies for the clinical trial... which we will find out on Monday. There have been changes to the appointment schedule that my brother listed earlier. We just found out today that we will not be meeting with the principal investigator on Friday, but instead we will be meeting with Dr. Falchook on Monday afternoon. If she qualifies, she will start the medication on that day.

Thank you SO much for all your prayers. We love you all!

Need your prayers...

2009-01-21T22:24:00.001-06:00

[S] My mother-in-law looks really weak right now. We don't know how many days she has left. Her life is in God's hands. Please pray for our family at this time. This has been a very difficult trial for our family. Words cannot describe how I feel but I can only let tears come and go. God is our peace and sustenance. We don't know how many days we all have left but can only choose to live for Him. Thank you for your prayers and support for our family.

Urgent Prayer...

2009-01-18T21:50:00.003-06:00

sorry for the lack of updates. it has been a trying month, and we know the journey is probably going to get harder. our mom has gotten increasingly weak, and is unable to eat very much anymore. she is under a lot of discomfort and pain, to the point where she cannot sleep at night. her abdomen is very swollen, and we think there may be a lot of fluid built up in there. we spent today at the ER at MD Anderson, to see if they could do anything to help her feel better. we have a big week ahead of us, so i wanted to ask you all for prayer. these events may change, but as of now here they are:

on tuesday, we have an appointment to have a paracentesis performed, where they will try to draw the fluid from her abdomen. please pray that this will grant our mom some temporary relief from the extreme pressure she feels in her abdomen.
on wednesday, we have a line up of tests to be done at MD Anderson to see if she can qualify for a phase I trial. one of the tests is a CT scan, which our mom really dreads, and is quite difficult for her because she has to drink the contrast. please pray that our mom will be healthy and strong enough to go through these tests.
on thursday, our mom has a day off from the hospital. please pray that it would be a day of true rest for her.
on friday, we meet with the prinicipal investigator for the clinical trial to see if our mom qualifies. please pray that she would qualify for the trial, and that God would use this to help restore her.

our mom is such a fighter. in spite of all of the pain and weakness, she has shown us what true courage, faith, and grace are. we know that each day God gives us with our mom is a blessing, and we truly believe that He is continuing to keep her here on earth for a reason. please continue to pray for her to be comforted in her body, and for complete healing.

we thank all of you for your prayers and support. they mean so much to us. at times we are so emotionally, spiritually, and physically drained, but we are encouraged and uplifted everytime we think of your prayers for our mom and our family. we love you all so much.

we'll keep you all updated...

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. "

2 Corinthians 4:8

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-12-24T11:02:00.000-06:00

[A Letter from our Mom to you! For English, please scroll down. Thanks!]
非常謝謝您們在這四個多月來的代禱、關懷及探訪。最近這二個月許多人也為我禁食禱告，使我非常感動。在此也要謝謝特地由台灣，加拿大，及美國各地來的親朋好友的探訪。就如保羅在腓立比書第一章第三節：「我每逢想念你們，就感謝我的上帝。」想到您們為了我這次的癌症病痛所付出的愛心和在主前為我迫切的禁食代禱及關懷，常使我感動流淚，真不知如何以我有限的言詞來表達我們全家人對您們大家的感謝之意，只有祈求上帝親自紀念您們每一位在主裡所付出的一切。

就如大家所知道的，我在MD Anderson醫院經過二次不同的化療共七個療程，結果都沒產生效果，根据上次的CT Scan報告，癌細胞仍再繼續擴散，的確讓我感到非常失望，既然兩次化療沒效，而考慮化療引起的副作用所帶來的痛苦及對身体的傷害，於是在與兒女一起禱告及討論後，我自己決定不再接受任何化療，而將此事全心全意完全交托給我們的全能上帝，相信上帝愛我，祂為我的生命有其美好的計劃及旨意。詩篇138:7 - 8：「我雖行在患難中，你必將我救活。我的仇敵發怒，你必伸手抵擋他們，你的右手也必救我。耶和華必成全關乎我的事。耶和華阿，你的慈愛永遠長存。」

感謝上帝，在這段化療期間，雖然肉体感到軟弱，但在每天清晨的靈修中，很奇妙地，上帝常常賜下慈愛的話語來安慰我鼓勵我，成為我的盾牌和幫助，使我在靈裡能夠得到平靜安穩。就如羅馬書第四章20 - 21：「仰望上帝的應許，總沒有因不信心裏起疑惑。反倒因信，心裏得堅固，將榮耀歸上帝。且滿心相信上帝所應許的必能作成。」讓我學習時時抓住上帝在聖經裡的應許，操練信心，耐心和等候神的功課，而將一切歌頌讚美都歸給我們的主我們的神。

再次謝謝您們在這幾個月來與我一起並肩作戰，您們就如上帝所派來的天使圍繞著我，以代禱和愛心來扶持著我這段抗癌的旅程，祈願您們在禱告的負擔裡，沒有憂傷或失望，而因上帝的愛而大有盼望。雖然我不知道明天的道路如何，但我深信上帝將掌管一切。請繼續為我的抗癌旅程代禱，求主完全來醫治，相信在人不能，在上帝凡事都能。

願上帝賜福您和您一家，常在基督豐富的愛，喜樂和平安裡。在這聖誕佳節，讓我們一同來慶祝耶穌基督的降臨，一同歡樂也一同來讚美祂。敬祝　聖誕快樂　新年如意！

璧姬
---------------------------------------

Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed and cared for me, as well as those of you who have visited me over the past few months. I am so touched by those who have fasted and prayed to the Lord on my behalf, as well as all of the relatives and good friends who have visited me from Taiwan, Canada, and many other places. As Paul said in Philippians 1:3, “I thank my God every time I remember you.” I am moved to tears every time I think about the love each of you has shown me. I don’t know how to use words to express my thanks to each of you on behalf of our whole family. I pray that God remembers each of you, and everything you have done on His behalf.

As many of you know, I was disappointed that the two different regimens of palliative chemotherapy I received at MD Anderson did nothing to slow down the growth of the cancer. After much prayer and discussion with my children, I have decided to no longer undergo any further chemotherapy due to its likely ineffectiveness and damaging side effects. I place my life in God’s hands, and fully rely on our almighty God. He has a good plan and purpose for my life. He loves me and will save me. I hold Psalm 138:7-8 close to my heart: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O Lord, endures forever.”

I thank God that during the difficult times undergoing chemotherapy, He never failed to encourage, comfort, and protect me through His Word. Though my flesh is weak, God never ceases to grant me spiritual serenity and peace through my early morning devotion times. As Romans 2:20-21 says, “Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God has power to do what he had promised.” I thank God that He gave me this opportunity to spend more time studying the Bible. He has also been teaching me to be confident in His promises, to be patient and wait on the Lord, and how to give praise to God in all circumstances.

Thank you once again for joining alongside me in fighting this cancer the past few months. I consider you angels that God has sent me to pray for me, love me, and support me during this journey. I pray that you would not be saddened or disappointed while you are praying for me. There is hope because of God’s love. Although I do not know about tomorrow, I am confident that God will be in charge of everything. Please continue to pray for me, and ask our Lord Jesus Christ to heal me completely. I believe that God can do the impossible, and accomplish what man and medicine cannot.

May God bless you and your families, and I hope and pray that you would dwell in the love, joy, and peace we have in Christ. Let us celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Peggy

Celebrating Life... Together!

2008-12-23T08:58:00.011-06:00

[F] Today is Simon's 34th birthday! Nine days ago, we celebrated his birthday in Houston with family and friends. However, he did not want his birthday to be about him this year. He took the time during his party to honor our mom and dad and share with those present the journey that he has had in getting to know them and the process that we have been going through with our family these past few months. He openly shared his love and appreciation for them in front of family and friends. He also urged friends to give monetarily to help fund pancreatic research. We are happy to report that that evening, friends gave $852 which will be given to http://www.pancan.org/ to help RAISE THE CURE for pancreatic cancer. At the end of the time, we had a chance as a community of family and friends to lay hands on our mom and dad and pray for them. Thanks SO much for the support of family and friends during this process! My mom and dad also had the chance to express a truly heartfelt thanks to those that were there. The message and letter that you read on this blog from my mom is the message that goes out to you during this CHRISTmas season also. We are EXTREMELY grateful for each and everyone of you during this season as we celebrate our dear Savior's birth.

Much love to each and everyone of you this CHRISTmas season! May we rejoice in His coming to this earth and for the death He came to die on the cross for our sins so that we might have life today - and the hope to knowing that we together as a family will be together again one day after our time here on earth.

We love you and THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. THANKS!!!!

Love, Faye (on behalf of the family)

The picture above were those of us that there together that day. Friends, THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING!!! Love and thanks to each and everyone of you!! :)

Conquering Disease....with the power of Jesus.

2008-12-12T17:46:00.010-06:00

Gene sent this blog post to our family - and he and I were greatly encouraged by it. We hope you all will find it encouraging as well - it's gut wrenching, honest, yet filled with hope. It is written by Lacy Banks, a sports writer for the Chicago Sun Times, who is also a baptist preacher. Basically, his mitral valve in his heart is failing, and he needs a transplant. He also has a benign brain tumor - however, he was also recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, which has removed him from being a candidate for transplantation for the time being. this is his latest post:

The actual link to his post: http://blogs.suntimes.com/banks/2008/12/im_tired_and_weary_but_i_cant.html

I'm Tired And Weary But I Can't Quit Because God Is Still Working On Me
By Lacy Banks December 12, 2008 2:08 AM

God bless you and Merry Christmas to you all. I feel like having church, if you don't mind. So if you have nothing better to do, I wonder if you might not mind gathering 'round me for a moment. Pull up a chair. Sit down, make yourself comfortable and let me share a word or two of the Lord with you. And in the process, I want to lace this presentation with lush passages from scriptures and gospel songs.
Sisters and brothers, I'm tired. I'm tired because suffering ain't easy. Pain has never been a friend of mine. And though I know that patience is a virtue, even patience often plays hide-and-go-seek with me. I'm tired. It's Christmas time. 'Tis the season to be jolly and I'm tired. I entered this blog with the best of intentions. I started it to chronicle the grace of God being manifested in His healing me. That was eight awful, agonizing, anguish-filled months ago.
And today I am still sick.
I'm better.
My brain tumor is benign.
I treat that cancer with a pill a week. My prostate cancer is in slow remission. My PSA reading last week was 2.01. That's better than the 7.01 that doctors said I had earlier this year. Still, the radioactive seeds cause me pain.
And my weak heart is holding steady with the aid of nine different medications I take regularly.
I first wanted the Lord to heal me instantly and completely. But He has chosen to heal me slowly. And with that slow healing comes much anxiety. So the challenge for me to is to suffer with faith, courage, hope and patience to wait on the Lord. And to those of you who are also suffering some health issue just like I am, you know what I'm talking about and I know what you are talking about.
Suffering ain't easy.
Suffering hurts. But it is my job as a preacher suffering right along with you to be a good example of how a Christian should suffer.
So I tell you as I'm telling myself day in and day out, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding. But in our ways, let us acknowledge Him and He shall direct our path."
I don't know what ails you. I don't know what your health problems are. But trust in the Lord and wait on Him. I know for myself that it's difficult. The spirit indeed is willing. But the flesh is weak.
Nevertheless, wait on the Lord. I can't say that enough. So I sure can't say it too many times. Wait on the Lord.
He may not always come when we want Him to come.
He may not always heal when we want Him to heal.
He may not always feed or lead when we want Him to.
For His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. He has His own purpose, His own timetable and His own place to do what He wants, when and where He wants. God has His own divine design.
But be not dismayed, whatever betide. In due season, God will take care of you. God will take care of you and me. He will not forsake us. He will not turn His back on us.
Weeping may endure for a night. But joy cometh in the morning.
Therefore, fellow sufferers, our challenge and our blessing, really, at this Christmas time, is to wait upon the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen our hearts. For they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up on wings of eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. Wait on the Lord! I said wait on the Lord.
He'll be there.
And when God shows up, He'll sho' nuff show out. When He shows up, he won't show up empty-handed. He will come packing power from on high.
Power to save.
Power to cleanse.
Power to deliver.
Power to set the captives free.
Power to restore the economy, tranquility, hope and happiness of America if we who are called by His name will humble ourselves, pray, seek His face and turn from our wicked ways.
Power to assure us that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, there will be no need for us to fear any evil. Because He will walk with us and He will talk with us and He will tell us that we are His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever know.
Wait on the Lord.
I'm a living witness that He will make our weighty wait worth our while. I have been young and now I'm getting old. But in between the womb that bore me at birth and the tomb that waits to claim me at life's sunset, I have never seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread. Wait on the Lord!
Steady yourself.
Be not afraid! Fear not!
Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.
Be still and know that He is God.
Wait on the Lord! And He shall grant thee the desires of thy heart. But you got to wait. You can't hurry God. You got to wait. And that's what I'm doing as best I can.
But I'd be lying if I said that I haven't found it rough many times waiting on the Lord.
I'm tired. I said I'm tired.
Really, sisters and brothers, I'm tired.
I'm tired of pills and doctors bills.
I'm tied of tears and fears.
I'm tired of going in and out of hospitals hospitals.
I'm tired of diagnosis and prognosis that are producing a special brand of psychosis.
I'm tired of needles and nurses who can't draw blood right because they don't know what they're doing and they blame their incompetence on me...."you got some funny rolling veins."
I'm tired of the worst-tasting food in the world that every hospital seems to serve.
I'm tired of nurses with attitudes and doctors who take too long to get back to you.
I'm tired of staying at home because I lack the energy to be out and about the way I've been accustomed for years.
Sometimes, one can be so tired that he can't even sleep. That's the way it is with me sometimes. There have been days I could not walk because of a sore foot, a sore knee or toe.
But whereas I'm tired, I'm also determined. Like Job, I believe I'll wait until my change comes.
I thank God for my darling wife, Joyce, of 40 years. I thank God for my children and grandchildren.
I thank God for a special loved one who has come back into my life from the forest of yesteryear to encourage me. I thank God for all you sisters and brothers of the household of faith.
I thank God for those of you who are praying for me, those of you who know the Lord is going to heal me completely, those of you who don't believe He will, those of you who don't even believe that He is and those of you who are waiting for me to die and are upset that I'm not dying quick enough.
I thank thank God for my ups and I thank God for my downs.
I thank God for my good days and I thank God for my bad days. But I can't quit. I am determined to get all my healing. I am determined to continue being tried in this physical furnace of afflictions until I can come forth as pure gold. I am determined to run on and see what the end will be. I can't quit. I can't give up. I got too much to live for. There are some flowers I yet want to smell. There are some sermons I yet have to preach. There are songs that I've yet to sing. I can't quit. I can't give up. I promised the Lord 56 years ago that if He saved my soul, I'd serve him until I die.
So right now, sisters and brothers, I tell you what I'm going to do:
I'm going to trust in the Lord until I die.
I'm going to stay on the battle field until I die.
I'm going to watch, fight and pray until I die.
I'm going to treat everybody right until I die.
I'm going to see God for myself when I die.
And on that glad morning, when this life is over, I'm going to take wings of a dove and fly away until I get to heaven. And when I get to heaven, as the old Negro spiritual says, "I'm going to sing and shout, and nobody there is going to turn me out. I haven't been to heaven but I've been told there's streets up there that are paved with gold."
Wait on the Lord!
Wait on the Lord!
Wait on the Lord!
God bless you and merry Christmas.

staying warm!

2008-12-10T17:57:00.008-06:00

it's super cold in houston right now...in fact, it's even snowing! the trees in our backyard are all white now. it's actually kind of pretty. mom, dad, and i are just chilling at home right now, just trying to keep warm. before i run downstairs for dinner with my parents, i wanted to give you all a quick update on some of the going-ons with our mom the past weekend.

the shih's invited my parents to their house to eat along with some family friends.

here's our mom with mrs. shih, mrs.kuo, mrs. lin, and mrs. lu. they are women in the taiwanese community here in clear lake that have been such incredible friends to our mom. check out the food in the pic below...these ladies are crazy cooks!

mom and dad have been busy preparing for the 20th anniversary service for our home church (efc of nasa) which is this weekend. anyhow, more to update later...got to run :)

The latest... after two rounds of chemo...

2008-12-04T05:12:00.010-06:00

The results from the CT scan taken on 12/1 showed further growth in the lesions of the liver and the mass in the pancreas. We now have three options to choose from as a family:

(1) Pursue a third line of chemo: irinotecan + docetaxel. We most likely will not be pursuing this option because the efficacy of these drugs are very low... AND docetaxel would make Mom's hair fall out... in addition to the side effects of nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, slight numbness/tingling, etc. that were already present in the previous two rounds of chemo.

(2) Be part of a Phase I trial. Very little is known about the efficacy of the treatment given. Mom would in essence be a "guinea pig" on the human level in terms of the drugs that she would be receiving since Phase I drugs have only passed the "animal testing" phase. During Phase I, they are trying to determine the safety of the new treatment. While we will have an appointment to receive further information about what is available, we most likely will also not be pursuing this route of treatment also.

(3) Not receive any drugs or chemo. Doctors at MD Anderson would continue to monitor Mom's health periodically. We will be most likely going this route at this time. As you can see, effective treatment for pancreatic cancer is still very limited at this time. Please do consider how you can be a part of raising awareness and funds at http://www.pancan.org/.

Mom is ELATED about taking a break from chemo. We look forward to taking a trip together as a family to California where we will be attending a healing conference in SF 12/24-12/28 http://www.forerunner.cc/.

Giving Thanks...

2008-12-04T04:38:00.022-06:00

together.

Thursday 11/27: Liaw-Lee Family Thanksgiving Dinner

Friday 11/28: Clear Lake Aunties (who have now been promoted to "Grand-Aunties") meeting Mariella for the first time

Sunday 11/30: Updated Family Pic after Enjoying Mom's cooking... Thanks, Mom! We love you!! :)

"family"

2008-12-04T04:36:00.000-06:00

after thanksgiving, i've just been thinking about how we are so blessed to have such an amazing family around us, specifically extended family. when i think about simon's family and sharon's family, i'm just so touched at how they've been there to encourage us and pray for us every step of the way...

i think about the time sharon's mom, steve, sharon, and i were having dinner the week before thanksgiving. usually they let sharon or i say grace before our meal, and this time was no exception. however, after i said grace, sharon's mom really felt led to pray for our mom. it's not often i hear her pray, and i was real touched that she wanted to. they've been very supportive as well, as i know sharon has had to split more time between houston and dallas these days.

over thanksgiving, we got to spend time with simon's family, as susan opened up her home to us for thanksgiving dinner (as you can see in faye's pic above). the lee family is probably one of the most generous families i know :) simon, susan, and their parents are always so giving, and i know our mom has a lot of joy everytime she is around them. their prayers and support during this time has meant so much.

also, sharon's dad, yaling, and scarlette came down from san antonio to visit for the weekend! we were so grateful that they were willing to make the long drive to houston. it's been hard for me to be as mobile these days, and i know it meant a lot to sharon and i that we could spend the holiday together with them. they have been such a blessing and an encouragement to us. here's a pic of sharon's dad and yaling with my parents taking a morning walk:

here's a pic our families together:

we are so blessed...

much to be thankful for...

2008-11-27T01:19:00.005-06:00

we just wanted to wish all of you a happy thanksgiving! our family has so much to be thankful for this year. each day, each hour, and each minute we have together is truly because of God's grace. we hope each and every one of you has a blessed thanksgiving, and will take time to thank God for His provision and faithfulness this past year.

we also wanted to again send a special thanks for all of you who are praying or fasting on behalf on our mother. words can't express the encouragement and blessing you have been not only to our mother, but to each and every one of us. for those who are fasting, we have another couple weeks to go (2nd week of december) toward our goal. we continue to especially ask for your prayers this week. as we mentioned previously, our mom will be getting another CT scan on monday, and should get the results tuesday (12/2). at that time we may need to decide whether to continue with treatment or not. please pray for strength for our mom and our family, and complete healing from the cancer! thanks again so much for fasting and praying alongside us.

we are so thankful for all of you, and for the community that God has surrounded our mom with. God is good!

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you..."
- 1 Thessalonians 5 :16-18

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month (contd.)

2008-11-26T21:56:00.008-06:00

[M] Hello everyone! In honor of November being National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, we decided to buy a bunch of wristbands (like in the picture below) for anyone that would like to join us in raising PanCan awareness. If you're interested, we'd love to send you one (or two or three or as many as you'd like). Just shoot me an email at gordongartrell[at]gmail.com with a mailing adress, and then check your mailboxes a few days later. Supplies are limited though...so don't wait :)!

Anyways, we wanted to thank you all again for all of your concerns and prayers!

God is good...amen?.

Ayyy-men.

Mariella's Infant Dedication 11.23.08

2008-11-25T22:04:00.006-06:00

Thanks, Grandparents, for coming!!

Here is a link to more photos: http://feeenix.smugmug.com/gallery/6637527_JgpPa#423383693_qD55d

Courtesy of Phoenix Mak.

Thanks, Phoenix!!!

Out-of-towners visit :)

2008-11-23T23:39:00.006-06:00

just wanted to share some pictures of some friends who came in from out of town to visit our mom last week. first, pastor pai from louisiana came down to visit. before having lunch at kim son with pastor albany and yvenn, they went to simon's dad's office to pray with our mom.

later that weekend, april lang and ben lam came down from dallas and visited our mom at home. here's a pic of april with mom and dad:

also, my mom's old college roommate ruth (who is mrs. liao's sister) came to visit all the way from vancouver! here's a pic of the three of them together:

we are so touched by the support and prayers from all of you! thanks so much for being such an incredible blessing!

Mom shares testimony

2008-11-23T00:56:00.002-06:00

for many years, my mom's church has sponsored an annual thanksgiving dinner that many members of the taiwanese community in clear lake participate in. this year, our mom had the opportunity to share her testimony during the dinner, specifically how God has been faithful to her in the midst of this trial. here's mom speaking to the people attending that night (11/22):

also, here's a pic that my mom took that night with a lot of the women in the taiwanese community who have been such an incredible support to her:

gearing up for thanksgiving + quick update

2008-11-21T16:04:00.002-06:00

thanksgiving is just around the corner, and our family is really looking forward to it. matthew should be coming back on monday from california, so our mom is real excited :)

anyhow, a quick update on our last visit to md anderson on tuesday. we found out that her CA19-9 level is around 65,000 U/mL (previous measurement was around 33,000 U/mL). this is evidence that the disease may be continuing to spread quite rapidly. because of this, the doctors have decided to move up the CT scan to two weeks from now, so that we can know the state of the disease. we were all a little discouraged at the news at first, but we are continuing to trust God. she just had her third round of chemo after the doctor's appointment, and has a little bit of nausea today, but not too bad. praise God!! thanks again for all your prayers, and for all those who are fasting alongside us...i know i probably say this each time, but words cannot express how much they mean to our mother and our families.

anyhow, i know my parents and simon&faye's family are looking forward to mariella's dedication at whcc this weekend. hopefully our mom will get to see some of y'all there on sunday :)

God is good

Prayer request

2008-11-17T21:28:00.006-06:00

our mom will be seeing dr. varadhachary again tomorrow (11/18), and will be receiving the third round of her folfox6 chemo. lately, our mom has been more tired and fatigued, as this regimen seems to be taking more of a toll on her. as she receives her next treatment, please be praying for special strength to overcome the side effects, and for continued healing.

thank you so much for your prayers! God is good.

"We wait in hope for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
In him our hearts rejoice,
for we trust in his holy name.
May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD,
even as we put our hope in you."

-Psalm 33:20-22

Calhouns visit Houston

2008-11-17T19:46:00.009-06:00

on sunday 11/9, the calhouns (or mr. and mrs. c as many of us at efc affectionately call them) came to visit from san antonio. robert calhoun was the english pastor at efc for many years, and the calhoun family has been such an incredible blessing to our family ever since. for those who don't know the story, they actually ended up at our church by "accident". they were headed to another church, but got lost. they ended up driving to into efc, and the rest was history! it turns out they had actually served in taiwan as missionaries for many years, and efc was in need of an english pastor at the time. it was definitely a divine appointment!

robert & linda with mariella :)

anyhow, we all met up at simon and faye's place, and it was a great time to catch up with everyone. sharon and ricky (and james!!) were able to come visit as well. at the end of our time together, robert shared some psalms with our mother (i think psalm 31,32,33, and 16), and spent time praying for her. simon also prayed for robert and linda, who will be heading to scotland in the near future, as robert will be pastoring a few churches there. it was definitely an encouraging and blessed time.

we will miss the calhouns, and hope to visit them in scotland!

EFC Women's Fellowship

2008-11-16T21:55:00.005-06:00

so the Women's Fellowship at EFC (my mom's home church) were joking the other day about how they wanted to take more pics so they could be posted on the blog...so i'd thought i'd make them happy :) here they are a week and a half ago on thursday 11/6

this group of women has been so faithful in praying on behalf of our mom, and such a source of encouragement and joy for her. my mom is blessed to be surrounded by such an amazing community!

November is National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month

2008-11-10T17:54:00.008-06:00

thought i'd share this with y'all. here's randy pausch's heart-wrenching testimony before congress to call for more pancreatic cancer funding. this was given a few months before he passed away.

11/1 weekend upate (a little behind!)

2008-11-10T15:35:00.023-06:00

first of all, i wanted to thank all of you who were praying for our mom through her second round of palliative chemo. she's been having some nausea and tiredness, but other than that, she has been tolerating it reasonably well. praise God!!

sorry we are running so behind on these updates. lots been going on...it's hard to keep up with my mom :) last-last weekend (10/31-11/2) a lot of my mom's family came to vist her in houston. they spent a lot of time talking, sometimes late into the night. even though they've always been close, i know this trial has really brought them closer together. they travelled from all over the place to visit houston. my mom's oldest sister came all the way from taiwan to visit, my mom's oldest brother and his wife came from california, and our cousin elsa came from NYC. i know my mom wished that they could've stayed longer, but she was so thankful to have spent that time with them. here's a pic from that weekend:

from left to right in the front row: dad, mom, dwah-yi (mom's oldest sister),

sehan a-yi(mom's youngest sister). from left to right in the back row: elsa (our cousin), mariella, simon, faye, ah-geem (mom's sister in law), ah gu (mom's oldest brother).

also, miho and bryan visited from san francisco, along with his mother gloria, and their dog mei mei visited that weekend. thanks so much for the wonderful gifts as well!

there's a lot more that's happened this past week, that you'll have to read about later :) please continue to pray for strength, faith, and encouragement for our mother, continued healing from the cancer in her body, and that God's glory would continue to be shown through this trial.

until next time!

Hear Our Prayers

2008-11-04T21:18:00.003-06:00

This song came to my mind as I thought and prayed tonight for our friends who are struggling with cancer in their own lives, families, and loved ones...

Hear Our Prayers ~ by Glorious Unseen

Hear our cries Lord,
Hear our prayers.
Take our burdens,
Calm our fears.

God will you make us
A people that love You.
Please take our offerings
That we set before You.

God hear our prayers
That we're lifting up to You.
God see our tears
That we're struggling to see through.

God, hear our prayers to You.
In our weakness,You remain.
When we're broken,You sustain.

God hear our prayers.
We lift them to You.
God hear our prayers,
Lord make our hearts true.
Will You make our hearts true?

Hear our prayers Lord.
God will you make us
A people that love You.
Please take our offerings
That we set before You.
God hear our prayers
That we're lifting up to You.
God see our tears
That we're struggling to see through.

God hear our prayers
As we lift them to heaven.
We're praying the angels
Receive and embrace them.

The cries of the broken.
We're reaching our hands out,
Oh Lord will You hold them?

God hear our prayers
That we're lifting up to You.
God see our tears
That we're struggling to see through.

Prayer requests

2008-11-03T21:07:00.006-06:00

my mom had a great weekend! so many people came to visit: her oldest sister from taiwan, her older brother from cali, my cousin from NYC...along with bryan, his mom, and miho. we'll have to give a more detailed post later (along with pics!), but i just wanted to ask y'all for special prayer tomorrow (11/4), as our mom will receive her second dose of chemo.

praise God that she was able to tolerate the first chemo fairly well! she had some nausea, but by God's grace it didn't keep her down. please pray for the following

pray that God would protect her from the side effects of the chemo. the side effects are usually cumulative, and could get worse with each treatment. pray that God would allow her to not feel the side effects

pray for continued strength and encouragement for our mother

pray that God would continue to heal her completely from the cancer! we understand that there is no medical cure, but we do not want to let up in asking God for a miracle that only He can give.

thanks again so much for all of you who have been praying for our mother, and for those who have been fasting alongside us. it means so much, and we truly believe that God is hearing your prayers and sustaining our mother. may God continue to get all the glory! God is good!

Gary + Monica :)

2008-11-03T20:16:00.004-06:00

gary and monica came down to clear lake last thursday (10/30) to pray for with our mother. it was such a blessing to have them here! God has really blessed them with a sensitivity to the Spirit, and He has used them to be such an encouragement to our family during this time. it was the first time for my mother to meet them, even though they have been so involved in praying for her the past few months. during dinner (which our mom cooked up!) we also got to hear some amazing stories of how the Holy Spirit has been working in such a powerful way in their lives....some really crazy stuff! they'll be leaving the country this week to the mission field, and we can't wait to see them again when they get back. we'll be praying for them!

Pancreatic cancer research underfunded

2008-11-03T19:52:00.006-06:00

came across this article that does a pretty good job of summarizing one of the big problems in how cancer research is funded: Deadliest cancers lag in research funding

check out this chart:

in my opinion, this distribution of funding is unacceptable. like this blogger here (Cancer Funding: Does It Add Up?) points out, perhaps it would make more sense to appropriate funds based on a mortality rate, rather than a new incidence rate.

it hasn't been until recently that people have become more aware of pancreatic cancer, through the efforts of people like randy pausch. hopefully awareness of this deadly disease will continue to grow...

Thanks!

2008-10-27T21:54:00.005-05:00

i wanted to give a special thanks to all of you who are fasting and praying along with us. the other day, i was telling my mom all of the people who were fasting and interceding on her behalf, and she was so moved and touched. may we continue to pray for complete healing, so that God would get all the glory!

in the mean time, our family understands that each day we have is a gift of God's grace. our mom is too busy to let the disease get the best of her! here's an update of what our mom has been up to the past couple weekends:

friday 10/17 - our mom went to a women's prayer meeting in the morning, where many women in the church were able to pray for her. sharon also came down to houston, and we all had dinner with simon, faye, and mariella. mom got to see mariella again!

saturday 10/18 - our mom went to celebrate with the kuo family at yvette's wedding at fung's kitchen. it was a great time for her to reconnect with a lot of friends from the taiwanese community. here are mom and dad before the wedding:

sunday 10/19 - our family was able to worship together at EFC that morning, and have lunch together. that evening, we had dinner at dr. hwang's house, since mrs. hwang's mother was visiting houston.

this past weekend ( 10/24-10/26), my mom got to visit mariella again! also, she attended a fundraising dinner at Ocean Palace for Far East Broadcasting Company, an international Christian radio network. as you can see, mom has been quite busy!

we also want to thank alex&mickie&brownie for the beautiful flowers! and also wanted to thank steve and sharon's mother for the wonderful fruit basket...and christina, grace, and chin for the gift card...it would be impossible to list all of the people here who have given so much to our mom. we are so incredibly blessed to have such a loving community around us, and are touched by your generosity.

most of all, we want to thank you all for your prayers. please continue to pray that mom would have strength following the chemo. after her first round, she has been experiencing some nausea, but praise God, it has not been enough to keep her down. again, let us not cease in asking God for a miracle that only He can give! God is good!

until next time...

Praying and Fasting in the Community of Christ

2008-10-22T23:47:00.003-05:00

Hi friends and family,

We thank our awesome God for those of you who have already signed up and committed time to pray and fast with us for God's glory to be displayed in our mom's life through complete healing - no matter whether if it's one meal or many, either way, it means a lot that you guys are willing to do this with us and is an incredible act of Faith! We have no doubt that God will hear and answer our prayers, in His own timing, and His own way... There are still some open slots available if you haven't already signed up, and please please feel free to sign up even for meals that are already covered, because no matter what, the more people praying and fasting, the better! We currently have about 30 people signed up to pray and fast with us for the next 8 weeks, which is totally awesome and SO encouraging, but we are asking God to provide 50 prayer and fasting warriors alongside us....and we have faith that He will. Please only do this if you feel led to do so, because we know it is a huge act of faith and commitment to take. :-) Please email gene at geneliaw[at]gmail.com :-)

Also, just to encourage you guys, Gene reminded me of this passage in Luke 18 (pasted below), where Jesus specifically tells his disciples to not give up on praying, and to continue to do so...I really ask you guys to read it, and that it would encourage you as it has done for us!

One more thing - we strongly encourage you guys to use this time of fasting and prayer for other people's requests as well!!! We also want to know how we can be praying and fasting for YOU...already, many of ya'll have let us know personally or via email how we can pray for you, and believe me, we ARE praying and fasting for you as well. :-)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' "For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly.

with faith the size of a mustard seed,
sharon and gene

calling for prayer and fasting!

2008-10-19T22:08:00.020-05:00

i wanted to give y'all a brief update on what's going on, and some things you can pray for. it was a refreshing weekend for my mother and our family, but i will post on that later...

this week, our mom will begin treatment on a chemo regimen called FOLFOX6 (5-FU, folinic acid and oxaliplatin). at the very best, this chemo can only slow down the disease, which is currently progressing quite rapidly. again, we are placing our faith in God, not in the medicine itself, but we understand that He can use anything to heal our mom.

please pray for the following:

we are praying that God would provide a chain of committed people willing to fast and pray across the next 8 weeks. we ask that God would provide more prayer warriors than we can ask or imagine. if you would be willing to fast for at least one meal on any of those days, and spend that time in prayer, please send me an email at geneliaw[at]gmail.com with the date(s) and meal(s) you are going to fast.
our mom will get a port-a-cath installed tomorrow (10/20) at st. luke's hospital. it is a routine surgery, but please pray for physical protection and a smooth install
please pray as our mom begins her first round of 2nd-line chemo treatment this tuesday (10/21). praise God that she tolerated the last 2 months of chemo quite well - even the doctor was amazed! and we know that this was because of ya'lls prayers! pray that she would be protected from the side effects from this 2nd set of chemo, as it could potentially take a bigger toll on her physical health than the previous. pray that God would protect her.
pray for continued faith, strength, and encouragement during this tough battle. we believe that God has selected our family and our mom to go through this trial, and want to pray for special strength for our mother. praise God that her own faith has not been shaken, and may this be an encouragement and challenge to the rest of us as well!
pray for COMPLETE 100% healing from the cancer in her body. we are continuing to ask God for a miracle that only He can give!
most importantly, pray that God's glory would be made known through our mom, each and every day of this battle

again, we thank you so much for your prayers and support during this time. God is good!

A WINNABLE FIGHT... but nonetheless a fight.

2008-10-16T11:24:00.032-05:00

[F] Friends, family, & prayer warriors, our friend Jay West sent an email to our family late Wednesday night... (Below are some highlights: I added the bold font for emphasis). Please continue to be praying for our mom... and FASTING also. Thanks!!

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I indicated that this would be a fight - and I believe that it is a winnable fight - but nonetheless a fight - so don't quit or get sleepy - I am not saying you are - but I would suggest that you also get another circle of folks to be praying for you as a family as you press in to petition God to save and spare Peggy's life from this terrible disease and attack of the enemy
I also want to re-emphasize what I wrote on Oct 7 - please look for ways to extend soaking prayer over her - you may want to play healing scripture or worship music in her room while she sleeps too - this is a critical time and she needs that careful attentive prayer covering
Consider various forms of fasting with prayer - Jesus said that some things only get accomplished through prayer and fasting - and the instance he was speaking of did not mean that suddenly Jesus had to go and fast before dealing with the prayer concern, but rather he had a lifestyle of prayer and fasting - I love coffee, but tomorrow will be my 36th day without coffee - it is a partial fast while also praying - make sure that you include prayer with the fasting, otherwise all you are really doing is starving - but you know these things, but sometimes it is good to hear them again - :)

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Jay, thank you SO much for ministering to our family and alerting all of our prayer warriors as we pray against the evil one and for complete physical healing for our mom!

P.S. If you have not signed up on the prayer and fasting calendar yet, please click on the link in the upper right hand column. Let's get the entire calendar filled up with "green"! Thanks to all of you that have already been praying AND FASTING!

[Post edit]: We are working on a more user-friendly prayer calendar. We will get you the information for sign up soon...

Update...

2008-10-14T20:57:00.003-05:00

we met with dr. varadhachary today, and got the results of the CT scan. it looks like the disease has progressed significantly. there are now close to ten liver lesions, and the existing ones have increased in size. in addition, the tumor in her pancreas has grown as well. her CA19-9 level is now at 33,000 U/mL, which is almost double the last time she got checked. they also found a blood clot in her lungs, so she will need daily injections for that. obviously, the gemcitabine+cisplatin chemo regimen she was on did not slow down the cancer. we knew from the beginning that this palliative chemo wasn't meant to cure her, but it was still tough to hear that there was no tumor response at all. from a medical standpoint, this was bad news, but we are just looking at this as another trial to overcome, and an opportunity for God's glory to be made greater. we continue to place our faith in God, and not in medicine.

simon encouraged us while we were at md anderson from a passage in philippians 1:

"I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me."

we see this tension in paul: understanding that as a believer there is greatness beyond death in being with Christ, yet knowing there was still much labor to be done on earth. paul chooses life on earth, convinced that there was still much to be done.

simon shared how he really believed that our mother still had work to do here on earth, and that was why he felt God would heal her. jay did mention to us that he felt this could be a struggle, and we can see how that is going to be true. we are in need of prayer, more than ever.

we thank all of you prayer warriors who have been praying for our mother, and encourage you to continue to pray fervently...that God's glory would be made known in a powerful way!

God is good!

Prayer requests

2008-10-12T21:09:00.004-05:00

as faye posted earlier, we really do believe there is a great need for fervent prayer, that God's glory would be made known through the miraculous work He is doing through our mother. we thank each and every one of you who have been praying, and for those who have signed up for the prayer calendar. here are some prayer requests for this week:

our mom has been coughing ever since she has gotten back from hawaii, and it hasn't gone away yet. please pray that she would be restored in this respect as soon as possible
our mom is going to have a CT scan done tomorrow (10/13). the scan should tell us what the state of the disease is. please continue to pray for complete healing of the cancer. as y'all know, the chemo she has been going through cannot cure her, but we are putting our faith in God!
pray that our mom would overcome the side effects of the chemo. each successive round, it seems to be taking her longer and longer to bounce back. we will keep everyone updated when the next treatment will be.
continue to pray for strength, faith, and encouragement for our mother

again, we cannot thank you all enough for all your prayers!! God is good!

10/12/08 Weekend Update!

2008-10-12T20:28:00.007-05:00

hi y'all!

my mom's had a great weekend, albeit a very busy one. on saturday, she was part of a panel during a seminar for those interested in learning more about how to best show support for cancer patients. it was great hearing her share a little of her testimony, and how God has been faithful to her throughout this whole experience. her college roommate, helen, visited her at the seminar, along with many other friends. thanks so much to helen for coming all the way down from philadelphia, for violet driving helen all the way down from dallas, and for mary hosting all of them. my mom was so encouraged, and is so blessed to have such amazing friendships!

later that evening, she was able to have a mini reunion with her old taiwanese college classmates from tunghai university over dinner, some who had come in from out of town to visit her. they all had quite the time :)

in my last post, i promised to upload some pics of my parents vacation to hawaii. here they are! gallery link

URGENT: "Soaking Prayer" Needed!

2008-10-07T21:48:00.023-05:00

[F] Simon just received an e-mail from our friend Jay West:

"I've heard this twice this week - Peggy needs soaking prayer now and for an extended time..."

Friends, family, prayer warriors:

Please be on your knees fervently in prayer this week and beyond! As I ponder the message Jay just sent to us, I sense that something BIG is about to happen that Satan does not want happening.

(1) Several visitors from out-of-town that she has not seen in a while are coming in to visit my mom this weekend.
(2) She has a meeting with the CCHC Cancer Support Group Ministry on Saturday morning. Her involvement with this ministry is a huge platform for her to be able to testify about Christ and the Gospel.
(3) Her CT scan to monitor progress from the chemo is scheduled for this upcoming Monday 10/13. The results of this CT scan will determine the prognosis and her subsequent course of treatment.

When I passed the message on to my mom about Jay West's e-mail, I asked her if there was anything that came to mind that might be the cause for more prayer. The only thing that she could think of at the moment was that she has been trying to recover from a sore throat and cough that does not seem to be going away. She told me that she had almost gotten over it, but it seems to still be lingering there. As I think more about her response, I personally believe that the Enemy is very likely trying to do everything in his power in attacking her flesh and preventing her from being able to use her voice. Please join us in "soaking" her with prayer for we are more than conquerors in Christ!

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." --Eph. 6:12

Thank you all ahead of time for praying!!

Let's fight the good fight of faith alongside of her!

Much love to all of you!

--Faye (on behalf of the family)

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified." -Rom. 8:28-30

P.S. About the cactus...

2008-09-30T01:03:00.013-05:00

[M] Hi everyone! Just wanted to add a little tidbit to the cactus fruit saga :). This actually didn't occur to me till just a few minutes ago. Last last Saturday, I went with a friend to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art to see a Frida Kahlo exhibition and wouldn't-cha-know...this is one of the paintings that we saw...it's called Naturaleza Muerta: Pitahayas (1938):

Hehe..looks familiar right? I have to admit...call it coincidence or confirmation...the Big Guy Upstairs sure has an eye for good art too :).

God's Speaks to Us...Through a Cactus.

2008-09-29T22:04:00.015-05:00

If you haven't encountered many miracles or signs from God in your life yet, get ready to be blown away...continue reading at your own risk. :)

So as we had mentioned in the previous post, Gene's parents had gone to Hawaii last week for vacation. We hadn't really talked to them or corresponded with them too much so that they could fully enjoy themselves without any worries from back home.

Part 1: The Vision
Over the past year or so, God has been developing the gift of visions in one of my close friends - where sometimes she receives from Him in the form of dreams or just a picture in her mind. Last Friday afternoon while I was at work, I got an email from her...

"i was praying for your mom today and just at the moment when i said "peggy," i saw a cactus in my mind. which was pretty random, so i asked God what that meant and how to pray. it was a big, tall cactus (like you see in arizona) so i felt like God was prompting me to pray for her strength -- and that He was saying she IS strong. and just like how a cactus holds lots of water inside itself as reserve, that your mom has an inner strength because of the strong spirit inside of her. it will give her life and sustain her through this time. oh, and also how a cactus can withstand harsh heat that most plants cannot. so just wanted to share this word with you and hope it is encouraging."

This email was SO encouraging ~ my friend doesn't really know our mom very well at all - maybe met her at our wedding? But the illustration of the cactus spoke SO true of our mom's character. And for those of you who know her and met her, you also will know then that this is true. This is why I love our mom and look up to her so much... she's a woman of prayer no doubt, she's always pointing me and Gene to God, and she just really loves God period. This illustration also helped me pray for her visually - imagining the Holy Spirit as that water inside her, sustaining her during this whole time.

So as soon as I got that email, I ended up forwarding this email to Gene's parents, Faye, Simon, and Matthew, to give them encouragement as well.

Part 2: No Coincidence
That same Friday in the evening, we decide to call Gene's parents and see how they're doing in Hawaii. As Gene mentioned in his post below, mom did catch a cold - most likely on the way there aboard the airplane. But she did say, that her abdominal discomfort (that had come back) was now GONE...since last Wednesday! They actually have friends in Hawaii and were visiting them... So here's the conversation between Gene and mom as best as I can describe:

Mom: "Yeah.....they've been feeding me those....plants...you know, those plants that grow in the desert and can live?" She couldn't think of the English word for it.

Gene was STUNNED. I was right next to him and his whole face lit up..."YOU MEAN.....LIKE CACTUS??!!!"

Mom: "Yeah! Cactus! That's the name!"

Gene: "Have you been checking your email??? Did you see Sharon's email that she sent you today???"

Mom: "No..... what email?"

Of course Gene's parents hadn't checked their email, they were in Hawaii!!! They had no knowledge of our friends' vision. And why ON EARTH would anyone be eating cactus in Hawaii of ALL places on this earth?! So then, Gene proceeded to tell her about our friend's vision and all that it meant. She was amazed!!! I really felt God did this not only to confirm our friend's vision and gift of visions, but to specifically let us know that He is here, with us now! And that we need to keep on praying, because HE IS listening! At this point, I thought of this as just God's clear sign of encouragement to us personally. And I was so moved and actually broke down in tears the last few days, to know that God cares enough to TELL US, in his own humorous way, that He is still working, and for us NOT to lose hope...He's not done yet.

Below is the picture of the cacti that Gene's parents' friends grow in their backyard. Also GET THIS: Gene's mom hadn't even told her friends that she had cancer. Remember this piece of info, because it'll be important in part 3. The more common term for this type of cactus fruit is called "dragon fruit", and some of you may recognize it. It is a type of cactus pear, which is the fruit of the cactus.

Part 3: God Can Use Anything to Perform a Miracle...even a Cactus.
So of course, on Saturday, I call my friend as soon as I get off work to tell her all the crazy things that happened. She was pretty blown away too ~ she told me that she almost didn't send us that email because she thought it was so weird and random! I'm sure glad that she did. :)

So on Sunday, turns out my friend and her husband went to go help out at the Red Cross in Houston for the Hurricane Ike victims. They were giving this pastor from Cameroon (a country in Africa) a ride home from there. (We all know of the crazy experiences that happen in Africa ~ that's why I want to go!) Anyhow, she tells him about our mom, and this whole experience so far...After she finished telling him everything, he told her very calmly and matter-of-factly, "as soon as you said the word "cactus", God gave me this impression that cactus can cure cancer." Of course, my friend and her husband were kind of surprised by that statement, and didn't know what to think of that...She asked him if he had this knowledge from before she told him the story, and he said, "No....actually, it came to me just now." Keep in mind, this pastor has no medical or science background at all. So then they went home, still not knowing what to think.

When she got home, she googled "cactus" and "cancer", and sure enough, there are studies being done...in Arizona in fact, of cactus having anti-cancer properties!!!! Gene and I googled it too as soon as she told us, and we found the same thing! I had shared all of this with a few friends today over lunch, and apparently one of their dad eats cactus for his diabetes! And I just now realized this - what do diabetes and pancreatic cancer have in common??? THE PANCREAS!!!

And remember what I said earlier: Gene's mom hadn't even told her friends that she had cancer when they gave her that cactus to eat. They just happened to give it to her (since they grow it in their own back yard) when she visited, and mentioned in passing, "Oh, supposedly cactus can cure cancer."

As I look back into Scripture...there are SO MANY instances where God uses random objects to perform great miracles. God told Moses to strike a rock and water would come from it...and it provided water for everyone to drink. Jesus turned water into wine. He spit on a man's eyes and healed him from blindness. There's so many other instances where God does random things to bring glory to His own name. God heals because HE IS compassionate. He is kind. He is gracious. That is why Jesus healed people when he was on earth, and that is why GOD chooses to heal now. There is no question that He uses science and medicine today to heal people...then Why not a cactus? And please don't misunderstand what I say: it wouldn't be the cactus itself healing cancer - it would be God in a sense, "choosing" that cactus, just as He did the rock, to perform miracles we can't even comprehend! There would be NO other explanation other than God using whatever He wants, in whatever way, to heal anyone, including our mom completely.

Part 4: Refining Our Faith
God knew that our family was feeling discouraged from before (her tumor markers went up, her pain had come back - that is now gone!). And this was His perfect timing to tell all of us, "Hey, be encouraged. I am still here, and I am working. Keep on praying and keep your faith strong in Me."

Even if the next CT Scan (which is exactly 2 weeks from today) comes back still showing cancer, our faith will NOT BE SHAKEN. He has given us enough signs and miracles to show us that He is NOT done yet...He is just getting started.

Thanks everyone for praying with us...God IS listening to all of our and YOUR prayers....so please keep praying for us, especially for these next 2 weeks. :) :) :)

"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

James 5:13-16

4th round of chemo?

2008-09-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

hello again!

praise God that mom and dad had a GREAT time in hawaii last week! hopefully we can post some pictures up on the blog this week :)

however, my mom did get sick last week (perhaps a cold?), and has been coughing pretty bad :( she is scheduled to have her chemo tomorrow (9/30), but i'm not sure if they are going to go ahead with it or not because she's sick. if possible, please pray for the following:

1) God would help her get over this recent cold quickly
2) God would protect her from the side effects of the chemo
3) God would continue to be healing my mom from the cancer!

there are many exciting things to be shared, but i'm going to let sharon post about those later :) God is so good. thanks again SO much for all your prayers, and for your support. we are so truly blessed by all of you!!

Faith in the Unseen

2008-09-20T21:11:00.012-05:00

Coming back to visit this weekend was good...

Gene and I got to cook together with mom - and we learned a lot of simple dishes that I can easily reproduce in Dallas. :)

And of course, we got to see our adorable little neice Mariella ~ (Gene's holding her in the pic below, and she was fully awake this time!)

but at the same time, just a little more sobering and challenging...

So our mom has had three rounds of chemo so far (last one was just last Tuesday). The CA 19-9 test (tumor marker for pancreatic cancer) came back at 16,000 (higher than last time's 14,000). Even though Dr. V. says this number isn't that significant and we shouldn't pay too much attention to it, it's kind of hard to ignore it. The abdominal discomfort (that had gone away for awhile before she had even started chemo) has returned...She's feeling more tired/fatigued, taste buds have changed, and loses her appetite sometimes.

It's been about 2 months since her first CT scan result, and the next one is due October 13th (about 3 1/2 weeks from now). I think we're partly scared to see these results - afraid of what it might show us...

At the same time, I feel God speaking to me through Hebrews 11:1
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."

We already know that the chemo is destined to fail, and we can't put our hope in it by itself. Every time I start doubting Him, the Holy Spirit brings me to this verse...As tough as it is, to be able to see past the numbers and what's in front of our eyes, only comes by faith. I refuse to believe that all of your and our prayers are in vain...God knows what glory and honor to His name will come through all of this. He knows how many lives will be forever changed through this... He has already brought us so far - through so many small miracles that have already happened - that I can only be assured that He will take us to the bigger miracles to come...

For the next 3 weeks or so, please join us in praying for these things specifically...

*We ask that you to please continue praying hard and strong for our mom - that God would deliver her through this fire - and for God to be victorious over this cancer - because we know He IS victorious over all things.

*Please also pray for mom's faith specifically, ours as a family, and for your own faith as well...that all of our faith would be refined and strengthened in Him during this time -and that our faith would not waver like the waves of the sea, but remain firm as a rock that can withstand all circumstances.

*Please pray for Faye, Simon, and Mariella, as they're still living with Simon's parents due to no electricity/power at their own home. Praise God that Simon's parents were one of the 5 houses in their entire neighborhood to have power starting the day right after Ike hit! May God's favor remain upon them and protect their household. :)

*Please pray for me and Gene - as some of you may already know - Gene is living in Houston temporarily to help out his parents, spend time with mom, and to finish his pre-reqs for PA school - while I'm in Dallas working. It's been tougher than we thought it would - but at the same time, our marriage has definitely been strengthened and deepened through it all.

Thanks guys for reading, praying, and showing us your support! Don't forget to sign up for the prayer chain (link/directions located to the right) if you can!

Love,
Sharon

aloha!

2008-09-20T21:05:00.000-05:00

thanks again SO much for everyone's prayers. my mom had her third round of chemo, and did experience a bit more side effects than she normally does. however, i think she is starting to recover a bit. if possible, i was hoping y'all could pray for her this coming week, as she will be going with my dad to hawaii! please pray that she would recover her strength and keep her safe on the trip. we're all hoping it will be a relaxing time for them :)

as an update, my mom will have her next CT scan in another three and a half weeks. the scan will hopefully let us know the state of the disease. we will for sure update y'all when we find out. please keep praying for complete healing!

the city of houston and galveston are still slowly recovering from the hurricane. this past week, i really got a glimpse of how bad the damage really was. over a million people in houston are still without power! God was definitely graceful to our family to allow us to have electricity, which gave my mom time to rest comfortably following her chemo. here's a pic from one of our neighbors, to show you how strong the winds were:

for those who are interested in more pics of houston and galveston after the storm, check this out: http://www.tpicks.com/pictures%20people%20have%20sent%20me.html

again, we thank each and every one of you for your prayers!

God is good.

ike!

2008-09-14T23:01:00.004-05:00

just wanted to report the family is doing well after ike passed through. they evacuated to live with their friends in bellaire during the storm, and like most people, were without electricity. as of this evening, electricity has been restored at our house in clear lake, and they are now resting comfortably there. thanks for all those that were praying for us during this time. our prayers continue to go out to other houstonians and galvestonians who were affected by ike.

tomorrow, matthew heads back to stanford, and we will miss him. the third round of chemo for my mother is scheduled for tuesday 9/16, and we'll also see the doctor at that time. hopefully i'll have more news to report then. thanks again so much for your prayers.

God is good.

Mom is feeling well this morning!

2008-09-03T09:50:00.005-05:00

[F] She is energetic this morning... and wants to bring food over to us for lunch?!

Mom: How was the baby last night?
Faye: Good, she just woke up from 5 hrs of sleeping!
Mom: Do you have lunch for today?
Faye: I think we're okay.
Mom: Can I bring lunch over to you?
Faye: Are you sure, Mom? What time did you get in last night?
Mom: 12 midnight. I woke up this morning and had devotions this morning... and still feel energetic! Gene told me to eat some nausea medicine, but I don't feel nauseated so I'm not going to eat any. I'm already cooking...

So it turns out that both my mom and mother-in-law will be coming over to bring food to us... and they'll be joining us for lunch... along with our dads.

Praise the Lord.

Just talked with Mom...

2008-09-02T15:49:00.006-05:00

[F] Blood test shows that there were no major biological side effects from the 1st round of chemo. Praise the Lord! Therefore, she will proceed with her second round of chemo this afternoon to evening: 4:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. at MD Anderson.

Praise the LORD!!! :)

Keep on praying for complete healing! Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts for our mom!! :)

2nd round of chemo...

2008-09-01T22:12:00.006-05:00

my mom will be undergoing the second round of her gemcitabine+ cisplatin chemo regimen tomorrow (9/2/08). she also has an appointment dr. varadhachary before she starts her chemo, so we should have more info to update y'all with after that. hopefully we'll have an idea of when they are going to do the next CA19-9 test (a tumor marker that is often present in pancreatic cancer) or CT scan so we can have an idea of the state of the disease.

specifically, please pray for the following:

continued healing for my mother! as we may have mentioned before, this palliative chemo is not a cure, as it is only meant to temporarily control the growth of the cancer. however, we are praying that God would do a miraculous work!
minimized the side effects of the chemo: praise God our mother did not experience any major symptomatic side effects from the first round of chemo! the only thing my mother experienced was a little bit of nausea following the first round of chemo. please pray that she would continue to not have any major side effects this time around. tomorrow's blood test will confirm from an objective standpoint if blood counts are low or any other biological side effects have taken place. please pray that God would also protect her kidneys, as cisplatin can be pretty tough on them.
peace, patience, and continued encouragement from God, as we await the next test to determine the state of the cancer

thanks again SOO much from your prayers...we cannot express how grateful we are for all of you...

A Proud and Happy Grandma! :)

2008-08-29T22:52:00.008-05:00

One of the things our mom was looking forward to most when we first found out about the diagnosis was that she would be able to hold her first grandchild! Here she is with Mariella! We love you, Mom! Happy entry into grandparenthood!

Welcome Mariella!

2008-08-26T22:45:00.016-05:00

apologies for the lack of updates, but as many of you know, our most regular bloggers (simon&faye) have had their hands full as of late :) as of today, my mother has been officially promoted to grandmother! simon and faye welcomed a new member to their family: mariella!!

it's been a very joyous time for the family, and especially for my mom!

yesterday, joel came all the way down to clear lake to pray with my mother. i know God really used joel to speak to my mom and encourage her. it was a real sweet time of worship and prayer.

then mom, dad, joel, and i went out for some fajitas at lupe tortilla. i still think you'd be hard pressed to find a better fajita place anywhere in texas!

thanks so much joel - you were truly a blessing to our family!

A Letter to All From the Heart...

2008-08-21T13:52:00.031-05:00

[S] First, let me personally thank each and everyone of you during this very tough time for our family. Though it has been tough, our family has expressed much peace and joy through your prayers from our Lord Jesus Christ. From our family, thank you for the bottom of our hearts!

This past week, I personally made some very radical statements regarding the idea that God has healed my mother-in-law already. I wanted to use this letter to further clarify what I meant by these statements so that there will be no misunderstanding and so that I won't lead anyone astray from the Truth of God's Word.

From the very beginning (last Tuesday 8/12), this trial has never been about the cancer, but rather to bring full glory to Christ. Our desire was that God's kingdom be expanded and that somehow people would be touched and changed through this trial. We didn't know how this was going to happen, but we knew that was God's will for our family.

With God's glory being the foundation of our goal, we asked God for a miracle that only He could give. We asked God whether it was His will for my mom to live. Either way, we were okay with the answer because my mother-in-law (Peggy) is a believer and she has lived a God-fulfilling life and we will see her again. From Scripture, we know that God can and will heal people, but at the same time, God does not heal everyone for one reason or another. This is a mystery which I don't claim to know. So, the issue was whether God wants to heal my mother-in-law - not whether He can heal or not.

On Thursday 8/14, I went before God's Word and His presence and I really sensed God's prompting in my heart. Since January 2008, I have been asking God for a greater understanding of His prompting and that I would be more sensitive to the leading and guiding of the Holy Spirit. Through a confirmation of a friend in Houston, we both sensed that God was going to bring peace to our family and that everything would be okay. We also sensed that God has already healed my mother-in-law. This is where the bold statement begins. Since I made this statement, this has been confirmed through Jay West and couple of other friends and family members. We don't believe we are incorrect, but if we are, our faith in God will not be shaken because we know that God does not make mistakes - only humans do. So I would repent to God if I am wrong and ask God to teach me more about His Holy Spirit's prompting.

I understand that many of our friends and family members have passed away from different types of sicknesses. My intention from the beginning was not to say that God heals everyone. I really don't know why sicknesses happen to the best people, but my intention was to say that we live in a depraved world. I don't know why God chooses some to live and some to leave this earth. But, I do know - that we as believers - whether we live or die, it is always for the glory of God, as Apostle Paul stated so eloquently.

I continue to ask all of our friends and family to continue to pray for my mom's full recovery. It will be a long road, but we are willing to journey in this with my mother-in-law. This trial has brought our relationship with God closer and it has also brought our family closer. God has chosen our family to bear witness to the goodness of God so that the world will know that Jesus Christ is Lord above all.

I still stand to the statement that I truly believe that my mother-in-law is healed from this deadly cancer. I hope this statement will give you true hope in Christ rather than false hope. If I am wrong, I hope that you will not view God any different, but to realize that I need to repent and learn how to hear from God better.

Dear friends and family, we love you guys very much. I hope that by praying for our family that your faith in Jesus Christ is strengthened and that your love for Him is increased. If these two things are accomplished through this trial, then I believe that God has accomplished His greater purpose for His kingdom.

Thank you guys and thank you for your love for our Lord Jesus Christ and for our family!

Love in Christ always,
Simon

His mercies are new every morning!

2008-08-20T10:00:00.004-05:00

thanks again for everyone's prayers! today is a good day. it's raining, but i've always found the pitter-patter of the rain to be quite soothing. my mom had her first round of her gemcitabine+cisplatin chemo last night, and is feeling great this morning! praise God! your prayers have really carried her through...i truly believe it!

i took my brother to the airport today for him to fly back to stanford. before we went to the airport, he bought like 4 boxes of kolaches to take back to his mates in cali. apparently they don't have them out there. thanks again to brychao for giving him the mileage to fly back to houston.

this is our (sharon&i) last full day in houston, as we're heading back to dallas tomorrow. we hope to make the most of it. it's been a week of ups and downs, but God has shown Himself to be faithful through it all. God is good all the time :)

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness."

Lamentations 3:22-23

Our mom's first round of chemo...

2008-08-19T23:40:00.003-05:00

God is good...ALL THE TIME... Amen? :) It's funny - this past week has been quite a journey, but a good, Spirit-filled one... It feels like God called us to go on a missions trip to our own family...

Gene's mom, Peggy has continued to stay free from discomfort in her abdomen - Praise God for that. She started her first round of chemo today at MD Anderson and she has done well so far. Thank you guys for praying - today nearly all the prayer spots on the calendar were filled!! We can't say this enough - but it truly means a lot to each of us personally in the family - we know that God is listening to all of our prayers, and He is already starting to answer them too!! We know that some of you may have expressed doubt or may question our faith - but we just hope that as you continue to witness the miracles that have already happened in our experience so far, that this would encourage you to replace those doubts with more faith. :)

Some of ya'll may have already read from our family blog about Jay West...There were a few miracles that happened in order for Jay in to even be able to come see us this past Sunday! So praise God for making it all happen... if you'd like to know the details, I can share them with you later. :) It was actually his only weekend off (out of his many weekends that were booked until the end of October), but he really felt God telling him that he needed to come see us, who he's never met. He is one of the most humble, Christ-centered, Spirit-filled brothers in Christ I have ever met. Yes, he definitely has a quirky sense of humor, but I think God has a sense of humor too - so - nothing wrong with that. :) What I really love about him is that he pointed us first and foremost to Christ - who is our ultimate Healer - who is THE healer. Jay is truly humble - and what I mean by humble, is that he doesn't consider himself having the gift of healing, but the gift of FAITH. He imparted many pieces of wisdom from Scripture (which can be read in detail from Faye's (gene's sister) post recently on our blog). He also reminded us that it is God who chooses to heal - Jay himself doesn't. And, he told us SO many crazy experiences and things that he has witnessed...I love to hear these testimonies - so I will share a few with you guys to encourage you as well.

One testimony he shared with us was when he first started praying for people in Christ's name. A family had asked him to come pray over their son, who had been in a coma...So he did. As he was praying, he kept getting distracted by the vitals monitor screen - and was discouraged by them, but he kept praying, even with the little faith that he had then. A few days later - the family had asked him to come pray for him again...they told him, their son had wanted to MEET him - HE had woken up and left the hospital the next day! The doctors had said never seen such a quick recovery from a coma - and there was no medical explanation for it.

Another testimony he shared was about a married couple who had been trying to have a baby for years, but couldn't. He prayed over them, and asked God to give them a baby before Christmas...God answered - the mother had given birth on December 23rd... Jay joked and said "Whew God, that was a close one..."

He shared other experiences of how God had miraculously healed people of all types of cancers, pains, terminal and incurable illnesses...one of his very own...He had an incurable disease called Irritable Bowel Syndrome - which is a very very debilitating, immobilizing disease...but God had graciously healed him from it for 17 years now.

He reminded us that healing is a process - it may not be an instant thing all the time (sometimes people are healed instantly, sometimes in a day, in a few days, in a few months, in a few years) - and only God knows of the perfect timing of complete healing...We don't know when God will choose to heal our mom completely, but we know that He will. And yes, even Jay admitted, that there are some cases when God chooses not to heal someone for a reason, and we can't understand...but in his many years of experience, God chooses more often than not to heal someone... God is not done with our mom's life yet on this earth - please join us in praying for vision and revelation from God to her - of where He would have her go in this world to share her own testimony of faith in Christ and His power in her life.

Most importantly, we really believe that God will do even greater things than just healing our mom through this time - things that will reach far beyond just our family...but to all of you...to our community. This has been affirmed to me personally - we are praying at this very moment - that God will do a great thing - stir a revival among our cities - whether it be Dallas or Houston or any of the other cities in Texas - and even beyond Texas. We know of friends and family who have never prayed as much as they have now in a long time....we know of friends and family who are beginning to reconsider the person of Jesus Christ... THIS is what we call a revival my friends! Let us keep on praying eagerly and WITH FAITH - that God will use our lives to make HIS Name known - to make Christ known. Our God is ALIVE...He IS working...And he is NOT done with any of us yet...

With much faith and hope,
Sharon

'words of knowledge'

2008-08-19T11:11:00.006-05:00

you guys have probably already read a bunch on jay through simon and faye, so i won't post too much more on that. i'll just add that he was an amazing guy, with a big heart. i thank God that He brought him down to houston. i did want to share a slightly amusing story from the weekend with him...

after picking him up from the airport, we went to la madeleine for breakfast (apparently they don't have them in omaha). we were having a nice conversation, just getting to know each other. as i was listening to him share about his ministry, he mentioned this gift of ministry that he termed 'words of knowledge'. basically, God gives him certain impressions or words to say to people, that are often used as encouragement - often times, the words are extremely specific to that person, and there is no way that he could have known that particular fact about that person beforehand. he shared some amazing examples of how this gift was used, but i didn't think much of it after breakfast.

afterwards, we went to church at west houston chinese church (simon & faye's church) to meet up with the rest of the family. after the church service, as we were rounding up and getting ready to leave for lunch, jay says to me:

"i'm going to ride with you. you're wife is quite the lead foot and drives fast. i like the way you drive." at this point, jay hasn't even met sharon before (it was just jay and myself at breakfast)

i laughed and replied incredulously, "how did you know that?" [for those who don't know, sharon is not exactly the slowest driver :)]

jay just smiles and looks at me and says "words of knowledge."

again, i didn't think too much of it. after lunch, we were heading back to simon and faye's place to pray. jay rode in my car, and as we entered their complex, i noticed a parking spot right next to faye's car (which was in a part of the lot that was really not that close to their unit).

as i pull into the parking spot, jay says to me "here's simon's other car."

at this point, i am stunned. this guy is crazy, i thought to myself. i said to him, "no way! how did you know that!"

jay replies with a straight face, "words of knowledge."

i turn and look at him silently, still in a little shock.

he slowly cracks a smile and replies "just kidding. i figured at least one of these cars in this lot had to be simon's."

haha...we'll miss you jay. God used you to speak to us and encourage us this weekend, and we'll never be the same :)

here's a pic of jay and sharon's dad. sharon's whole family came down (dad, yaling, scarlette) from san antonio, and it was a blessing having them here this past weekend as well.

1st Round of Chemo Today...

2008-08-19T11:04:00.006-05:00

[S] Today is my mother-in-law's first treatment of chemo. Even though we believe that she is healed, we won't be able to get a CT Scan until 2 months from now because of the high exposure to radiation through the CT Scan. Therefore, we are going to proceed with Chemo for 4 rounds (once every 2 weeks) as recommended by the medical team until we can get a CT Scan sometime in October.

Please continue to pray for us and believing that God has healed her already.

Please continue to sign up on the prayer chain.

Thank you guys! God is good!

-- Simon

Things we learned from Jay West on Sunday 8/17...

2008-08-18T14:13:00.107-05:00

[F] We were incredibly ministered to as a family on Sunday when he and our family had a chance to pray over our mom. He shared with us several insights from the Scriptures as well as testimonies from his own experience of how he has seen God heal people. He told stories of people waking up from comas and being healed of cancer after he had prayed for them. Here are several tips and insights that he gave us as we prayed for healing for my mom:

1. Focus on the HEALER and not the healing. (So often it's easy to become focused on the healing and not be seeking the Healer. Ultimately, everything comes from the Healer and He is the One to be worshipped. "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you..." Matt. 6:33)

2. Physical healing is not always instantaneous, although it can be. Sometimes healing may take a day, a week, 3 months, 6 months, or 9 months, etc... Jay likened the healing process to taking a pill for a headache: "Do you feel better instantaneously?" Usually, it takes time for the "power" of the pill to kick in... In the same way, the healing process from a cold or flu, a broken bone, or from surgery each take different lengths of time. The case with your mom may also be a process. Be patient if the healing is not instantaneous.

3. As we progress forward, refer to Peggy as "recovering from pancreatic cancer" NOT "she has pancreatic cancer." We are to walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7) and NOT as victims, but CONQUERORS in Christ (Rom. 8:37).

4. Remember, you are still choosing to place yourself under the authority of the doctors that oversee your medical care. Therefore, you must also take into consideration the advice and instruction of the doctors. Ideally, it'd be nice to also have a Spirit-filled doctor that can pray for you in addition to practicing medical care... that may be something also to consider when choosing a physician.

5. On the same note, remember that doctors "practice" on patients. Why do you think they call it "a doctor's practice"? ...Because they "practice" on you... meaning that they are not always perfect and all-knowing and are also capable of making mistakes. Trust in the Lord our Healer.

6. There will be many "attractions" and "distractions" along the way. An "attraction" may come in the form of great news or huge progressions in the healing process, whereas a "distraction" may come in the form of a person, friend, or doctor saying something that might not be true, discouraging, or off-the-wall and hokey. Be aware of these. There will be many of them. These attractions and distractions can easily take our eyes off of the Healer. Stay focused on the Healer.

7. "Fight the good fight." What makes it a good fight? A good fight is a fight that you have won. The process of winning the fight may not always necessarily be an easy one. You may be bruised, bloody, and lying on the floor, but as long as the enemy has died, you have won. In the same way, "fighting the good fight" with cancer does not mean there will NOT be challenges along the way or that it will be a smooth easy process along the way. Fight the good fight like Paul did (2 Tim. 4:7).

8. You may go through "hell" in the process, but don't stay or get stuck there. The key word is to go THROUGH it and not stay or get stuck there... like Jesus did.

9. God is healing you so that you may comfort others. Going through this process will help you comfort others. The pain and suffering that you may experience will equip you to minister to others in a special way. See (2 Cor 1:3-7).

10. People don't always die sick. Just because many people die of an illness, does not mean all people have to die of an illness. Jay told of one story where a man at the age 102 died in his sleep. When they did an autopsy on him, nothing was found to be wrong. Examples are also available in the Scriptures. (One example: Enoch in Exo. 5:23-24). That is an ideal that we can all strive for.

11. Illness is not always associated with a sin, although it can be. Illness may also be from Satan or demonic possession, but not always. For example, Job in the OT "was afflicted with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head" by Satan (Job 2:7) even though he "was blameless and upright", "feared God and shunned evil" (Job 1:1, 2:3). (See full story in Job 1-2). Another example is the man in John 9 was born blind "so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" (John 9:3). Please join us in praying that God's work be displayed in our mom's life!

12. Physical healing does not come in the atonement. (i.e. Full physical healing does not come in and from Jesus' death on the cross.) If so, none of us would need glasses or dental work after trusting and receiving Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. Some may say, by "His stripes [wounds] we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). We believe that the word "healed" in Isa. 53:5 is referring to a spiritual healing from sin versus physical healing. (See context of phrase in the verse Isa. 53:5).

13. All believers (including my mom) need to "be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18) daily. We prefer not to use the word "baptism" of the Holy Spirit, but "infilling" or "indwelling" of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit often "leaks" in a person and also as we minister to others, we "pour out" the Holy Spirit on others and constantly need to be filled.

14. We need to pray against the spirit/demonic forces of fear, for example, the fear of the cancer coming back. He gave an example of a lady who was healed, but then later because of her overwhelming fear of the cancer coming back and her failure to claim and heed the warning to be filled with the Spirit daily to guard against the fear, her cancer came back. It is the daily indwelling and infilling of the Holy Spirit that will guard against fear and other demonic forces.

15. Miracles in themselves do not convert people. There are several examples in the OT and NT where God/Jesus performed miracles, but the hardened of heart still did not come to know God/Christ. It is the grace of God through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ that ultimately saves people (Eph.2:8-9, Rom. 10:8-10).

Overall, we believe that our mom will be used by the Lord in greater ways than she has already been used. Please continue to pray for my mom and the family that we would not walk away from this situation and trial unchanged.

In addition, please consider it pure joy with us as we face this trial. We believe this trial has been allowed by God and we cling on to the promise that testing of our faith develops perseverance... and perseverance must finish its work so that we may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Thanks SO much for everyone's prayers! Please continue to pray for my mom and us as a family! Please sign up to be a part of the prayer chain if you haven't already. (Click here and enter: fightcancr).

Please also feel free to share this with your family and friends. We would love to have as many people praying together with us as possible.

Thanks!!

Faye :)

"Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." James 1:12

Update from this past weekend...

2008-08-18T13:48:00.015-05:00

[S] Thank you for praying for my mother-in-law this past weekend. As stated, Jay West who has the gift of healing and faith came into Houston on Sunday, below is his testimony of his time here in an e-mail to me and our family:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for inviting me to come and pray with your family and meet everyone - I had a very nice time and felt very much like I had known you all for years - I enjoyed the worship service at your church, but especially enjoyed the sweet fellowship and receptivity of your family and friends - the meal times were special too even when told not to talk so much :)

It appeared to me that Peggy really had a sense of peace about her as we prayed and that she was experiencing Jesus in a fresh new way - her confidence was really incredible and will serve as a model for some of the rest of your family as well - I was blessed to observe her reactions and her eagerness to even take some notes of some of the things I was sharing -

I purposed not to just pray but also share some testimonies and scriptural teachings to inspire and help initiate more faith in believing as Faith comes by hearing and hearing the Word. As I shared with Simon, I was glad to pray for her, but also allowed you all ample time to pray and gather around her in a personal family way - my spiritual address is Eph. 4:12 - equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry, and so as you prayed, you were being equipped, rather than just having me do all the praying - and I really do believe God started an important healing touch in her life. He was definitely there in the room.

I wish I could have spent a few more days with you all because as I said, you felt like long time friends and I hated to leave so soon. I will continue to pray for all of you and maybe through a personal recommendation by one of you, there might be a way to return and minister at a local church, then I could indeed visit with you all some more too - that would be a blessing to me.

The flight home was delayed just a bit, and really crowded - I got home exhausted and weary - made my way through the construction in the parking garage and drove home - but it seemed like I was in slow motion because of how tired I was - but overall it was worth it just to meet all of you and spend the quality time with you.

I hope to hear from you and that you will stay in touch. Simon, thanks for the ride to my friend's home and for the conversation that we engaged in - I too believe that we are close theologically, but even if we weren't, I felt that we are developing what could be a really cool relationship. And I hope to hear from you in the future too regarding some of the things we discussed. I know this past week has probably been a whirlwind for you and I hope you are able to slow down a bit and begin to have a total Kingdom perspective in every area - especially with a new baby on the way too. What a blessing that will be!

Sincerely,
Jay W. West

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Jay and our family believe that God will completely heal her of this pancreatic cancer, though it may not be an easy battle. Praise God! May He have all the glory!

This has been an incredible week for our family. It seems like a whole year has passed, but it has in a very blessed way! We saw God work miracles after miracles.

Thanks for praying for us and we will continue to keep you updated. Our God is good all the time!

-- Simon

Jay West coming to Houston...

2008-08-16T10:34:00.010-05:00

We need you to pray today (8/16) and tomorrow Sunday (8/17). Jay West, a friend of a friend who has the gift of faith and healing, is flying down Sunday (8/17) to minister to my mother-in-law. God has done several miracles to get him here.

We are very excited about God's providence for us and praying with full faith that God has already healed my mom.

Please pray. Thank you!

Praying With Faith...

2008-08-16T00:07:00.007-05:00

Of course, after hearing the bad news from the world reknown specialist - it wasn't a very good feeling at all...and it for the most part has been a very tough time...there isn't a day or hour that we go by without crying or without getting really emotional about everything that has happened....These past few days have been filled with many tears and many prayers...which leads me to the next section...

Praying with Faith: :-) May our tears of sadness be turned into tears of joy. Our God is BIGGER than this disease...and is bigger than anything in this world. We are staying positive and have Faith that God will blow our expectations - and we ask you guys to join us in this approach and attitude. Instead of assuming the worst, we want to have faith in what God can do. The morning that we went to MD Anderson (this past Thursday), Simon - our brother-in-law - who is a man of incredible faith and one of the most Christ-like men in our lives - felt that God spoke to him - and told him that it wasn't our mom's time to die yet. That God has greater plans for her - not only healing but so much more - but to make His Name known through this. Through connections of our community, we were able to get a hold of a very influential and well-known man named Jay West - who has the gift of healing and faith. He has seen and witnesssed over 4000 people healed through Christ's power, including people with Stage 4 cancer, including a woman with pancreatic cancer.... It is amazing and perfect timing - because he is WILLING and desiring to fly into Houston (From Nebraska) and come see our mom THIS COMING Sunday and pray with her - for COMPLETE healing.... Our God has already begun to heal our mom - the past 2 days she hasn't been feeling any of the discomfort at night and early morning that she had started experiencing. And we know that part of this is because of all of your prayers. God is ALREADY working, and His presence IS in our midst. We know you guys want told us you would like to help us in anyway you can - the best way you can help us is to join us in PRAYING WITH FAITH...for the impossible...for a miracle - and not only for a miracle, but that this would cause others to realize that our God IS REAL and ACTIVE in our lives....IT is our prayer that the next CT Scan in a few months will show none of the tumors at all, and that our mom will be cancer-free by God's hand...We ask you guys to spend time and commit to praying and/or fasting for our mom some time during this weekend and especially Monday...Information about the prayer calendar that we have set up as a family is listed below.

We want to let all of you know that your texts, emails, phones calls, and most importantly - prayers have meant the world to gene's mom and the rest of our family.... It is SO incredibly humbling and encouraging to her personally and she is so touched to know that people across this state, nation, and globe are praying for her. THANK YOU.... Please please please continue to keep all of us in your prayers - and we know that this is just the START of something very big that God is about to do...

Simon (our brother-in-law) asked the reknowned specialist and her team if they have ever seen any miracles in cases like these. They said "no."
What was his reply? "Well, this WILL be your first - and you WILL document it!"
The doctor agreed. :)

What INCREDIBLE faith....we hope and pray that ALL of us can have this kind of faith... even the faith the size of a mustard seed - God can move mountains with it. :)

Here is a pic of gene's mom and his dad's 60th birthday last month in July. :)

Update from Simon...

2008-08-15T21:59:00.002-05:00

Dear Friends,

Thank you so much for the overwhelming support for our family! We have literally hundreds of people praying all over the world. God is so faithful!

I want to personally apologize that I have not responded to your emails. I want to let you know that I am reading everyone of them with great encouragement and joy. The support has been tremendous and please keep those coming!

Our family spent 3 hours yesterday at MD Anderson seeing the prognosis from a pancreatic cancer specialist for my mother-in-law's cancer. Here are some details that were conveyed to us:

Stage 4 (last stage) pancreatic cancer which has spread to her liver
The cancer cannot be removed because of the spread
3-6 months to live without Chemo and 1 year to 1.5 years with Chemo
Currently there is not cure for Pancreatic cancer that has spread and percentage of survival is 0%
My mother-in-law (Peggy Liaw) will start Chemo immediately this coming Tuesday at MD Anderson
I told the specialist that our God is the God of miracles. He parted the sea, He raised the dead, He healed the lame, He gave sight to the blind, and He will heal my mom. There is nothing our God can’t do. He can and He will. I told her to make sure that she publish this miracle in the Medical Journal once she survives so the world will know that Jesus Christ is alive! She agrees :-)

This is devastating news for our family, but God has brought our family great encouragement through His scripture, prayer and also Him speaking to us. I spent really good time with our Lord yesterday and here are some things that the Lord reminded of:

Our God does not care about statistics. He is a God of miracles.
Our faith rests not on the doctor or the treatment but in Him and Him alone.
This trial is not just our family but we want all people to put their trust in our Lord Jesus Christ and for all believers to realize their time on earth and follow hard after Him.
We are honored that God has chosen our family to go through this trial. God gives us trial not because hates us but because He loves us and wants character to be refined (Book of James)
God made an impression on my heart that my mother in law are to use her life on earth has a testimony of God’s faithfulness to many by going on a short term mission trip. Praise God that the specialist said she can travel even with the Chemo treatment. We will see how this work itself out.
Praise God that a friend has connected me with a guy named Jay West who has the gift of faith and have see people healed from stage 4 cancer. I will connect with him soon.

How can you help and what can you do:

Continue to pray for our family. Please note that we have set up a prayer calendar online. Please see link to the right. For those who have signed up to pray, please sign up again on line so it is more convenient and it will give you reminder. (http://carecalendar.org, Calendar ID: 6439; Code: fightcancr)
Forward this information to as many people as possible so more people can pray. Forward it to your unchurched friends as well.
Please fast for our family at your convenience.
Draw close to Christ and make a decision to follow hard after Him if you have not done so already. He is worth living for and He is worth dying for. Our desire is that many will come to know Christ for the first time.

Thank you so much guys! Your friendship means so much to us! God is being glorified and He will continue to get all the glory in and through us! He is good all the time.

Sincerely,
Simon Lee

the news...

2008-08-14T23:18:00.000-05:00

so, the doctors have finally confirmed what we have been preparing for the past couple of weeks. my mother has stage 4 pancreatic cancer. the cancer has metastasized to the liver, and there is no cure. although we have been preparing for this for the past couple weeks, it's different to actually hear it from the doctor's mouth. it felt like a punch in the stomach...

even in spite of this news, we are holding onto hope. we have faith that God has the power to heal her if He wants to. simon led us in an amazing time of prayer this morning before we met with the doctors, and we all have faith that He's going carry her through this. in fact, while all 7 of us were in the patient room (my mom, my dad, simon, faye, matthew, sharon and me), we were in rather good spirits and sharing laughs and joking around. i think the fellow thought we were all crazy when he walked in on us. not to say that there weren't tears shed after talking with the doctors, but we definitely had a peace and confidence that i know God provided each and every one of us, especially my mom.

our physician is dr. varadhachary, who has made a really good impression on me so far. very patient, gentle, articulate, and pretty darn cool. we are definitely blessed that my mom is able to be at a great hospital such as md anderson, and with such amazing doctors.

dr. varadhachary has given an estimate of 3 more months left for my mother, if we don't do any treatment. they have suggested we use a chemo regimen of gemcitabine and cisplatin. we hope this will shrink and control the cancer, and if it does, the doctors say we can perhaps add 2-4 months to her life. again, there is no cure for this cancer, and this chemo is just attempting to extend life expectancy. however, we are believing God can work a miracle!

here we are eating at arco seafood after our trip to md anderson (my mom's in the middle):

special thanks to swei for his patience, and getting us into md anderson. also to brychao for giving a plane ticket to my brother allowing him to come home. and to nick&nat for the thoughtful care package....and to each and every one of you who has sent emails to us, called us, and prayed for us - words can't really express how much your prayers mean to us, and the encouragement y'all have been.

-gene

Please pray for our mom...

2008-08-13T22:44:00.000-05:00

Hi dear friends and family,

As many of you already know... our mother was diagnosed with MALT lymphoma 2 years ago in which she went into remission successfully with XRT. However, about 2 weeks ago they had found a large pancreatic mass on her CT scan (going to her liver and kidneys) on her routine check up. We were hoping and praying that this would be pancreatic lymphoma (which is very rare, but nevertheless the lesser of the two evils compared to pancreatic cancer).

Update:
Yesterday afternoon, we found out from the biopsy results that she just got diagnosed with end stage pancreatic cancer over at MD Anderson in Houston…her cancer has already spread into her liver... Unfortunately, the physician there told his family there's not much more they can do for her since the cancer has already spread – no surgery, no chemo, no radiation…

She'll be seeing another specialist on Thursday morning... As you can imagine, we're feeling completely overwhelmed with all of this news, as we had really hoped and thought the result would be better than this... If we could ask for anything from you guys...we ask for PRAYER.... hardcore prayer. We also invite those of you who feel called to fast a meal during these next several days on your own - as we know that the power of prayer is MUCH more effective when we fast alongside of it...

Here are a few things we ask you to pray (and fast if you personally choose to) for:

1. Please pray for God's miraculous healing upon our mom and that we would have FAITH when we pray for this.... that He would do what the doctors cannot do... if God does choose to heal her completely from this, what an AMAZING testimony this would be...even far greater than we could ever imagine.

2. Please pray for our mom - we can't imagine what she must be going through right now... she wants to fight this as hard as she can - pray her to be continually surrounded by good friends/family, loving support, and encouragement...

3. Please pray for our mom and all of us family - that we would have the strength and courage to be positive support for her as best we can to keep her encouraged and spirits up.

4. Please pray for our father - that he would continue to remain strong and encouraged during this time... we can't even imagine what he must be going through as well...

5. Please pray for Faye and Simon - as they are about to have a baby girl in the next few weeks and yet have to go through this tough time...

6. Please pray for Matthew - He'll be coming back home for a bit at the end of August - that God would give him the strength and endurance to be able concentrate on grad school in the meantime at Stanford while struggling with all of this...

7. Please pray for Gene & Sharon's future plans this coming fall - Gene's considering taking classes in Houston for this coming semester - and they're trying to work out details in how often they can be down in Houston with his family as much as they can...

8. Please pray as we struggle to understand why this is happening to our mom, of all people, who has been an amazing, loving, and godly mother and blessing to us... what God is trying to show us as all this is happening...

Thanks for your support and prayers!