Mom!!!

<-- Eric doing homework while waiting for his chemo medication.

My cancer survivor friend prayed that if Eric’s hair does fall out, that it won’t be upsetting to him and that he will just roll with the punches and be able to have peace. Today, while Eric took his shower, he called out my name and said, “My hair is coming out!” Later he asked, “What am I going to do?” At this point, I haven’t even been able to get past the initial shock of the first question! (Why was it even happening, and so soon?) Finally, I asked him not to worry since we could clean the hair off. I also added that I was sorry.

As a teenager, losing his hair is the one thing about his illness that Eric doesn’t like. What was he going to do was a good question. He finally came out of the bathroom looking the same to me but he was convinced that his hair thinned and he had evidence! He later decided to go out with his friends wearing a cap (rolling with the punches?).

When we did talk about the possibility of losing his hair, I told him that I’d rather have him bald than not have him at all. I told him that we haven’t specifically asked for prayers that his hair be preserved. When he thought about it, he decided that it wasn’t important and that he’d leave it up to you to pray on his behalf. He said, “Hair or no hair, life goes on.” He was dancing again tonight (evidence of peace?).

Eric is doing well 3 days after his second dose of chemo. Thank you for praying for him, that his body be strengthened and protected against infections, and whatever else the Lord lays in your heart. =)

Eric is Well!

For nothing is impossible with God.
Luke 1:37 (NLT)

The photo above was taken a week after Eric received his first dose of chemo. He and his friends (including Kurt Jones on photo) attended the last dance of the school year. Eric was initially tired a day or so after receiving his treatment but his energy level went back to normal by the second week (this week). We thank the Lord for His answers to prayer. Eric is doing well.

This Friday (April 2nd), Eric will receive his second dose of chemo to end the first chemo cycle. Can you please agree with us in prayer for the following?

• That Eric is miraculously healed.
• Should the Lord choose to keep using the chemo to heal Eric, please pray that his body be strengthened to handle the chemo and to resist all kinds of infections.
• That the chemo will produce minimal to no adverse side effects in his body.
• That we draw closer together as a family and rely solely on God.
• That God will be glorified in our circumstances.

We praise the Lord that nothing is impossible with Him. Let’s keep expecting the impossible.

Thank you again for your prayers, concern, love, and support. Bless you!

Pray for Eric Yeong

Yesterday, two students came to my office and gave our family a plateful of brownies. Mmmm, they were delicious! The gesture was another way that the Lord showed us His love through the people around us. At school, signs have been put up to remind us to pray for Eric. Red string bracelets have been circulated for the same reason. As I walk around the halls, I don’t normally go very far without anyone offering a comforting hug or reassurance of prayers. One teacher told me that her students interrupt her class to remind her that they should pause to pray for Eric. Different families have brought us our dinner for the last few days. Notes, flowers, baked goodies, and money, have all made it to our house as expressions of love and concern. We are touched with good reason. Again, we are grateful that the Lord has allowed us to go through this time so we can be awed by His love. He shows us grace that we don’t deserve. What a God He is.

Eric received his first dose of chemo medication on March 19. He was also able to celebrate his 17th birthday with his friends the following day. Thank you for praying that his body respond just as it is doing. Apart from feeling tired, Eric has been happy, feeling well, and back to school since Monday, March 22.
He now needs to strengthen his body and build it back up to handle the second dose of his first chemo cycle on April 2nd. That will then be followed by other doses on the following dates:
April 16th & 30th - second chemo cycle
May 14th & 28th - third chemo cycle
June 11th & 25th - fourth chemo cycle
Please continue to pray for Eric even when he isn't receiving the chemo treatments. As the medicine works in his body, let’s pray for his strength to be maintained. One of the side affects of chemo is that the immune system is lowered with each treatment as it works to fight the cancer. Please pray that he resists all kinds of infection.
Lastly, let’s pray for his complete healing and for God's glory to be made known in the midst of our circumstances. Thank you and bless you!

News on Eric (written by Mel Reimer)

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

Several weeks ago, 17 year old Eric was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma after a biopsy, CT, and PET scans confirmed the diagnosis. For those who are unfamiliar with the rating system used for cancer, doctors will usually refer to it in stages (Stages 1 - 4) depending on whether the cancer has spread to other places beyond the place of origin. We can be encouraged that from these possible stages, the results have shown that Eric’s cancer is in stage 2 (A) and is still localized to the lymph nodes in his neck. Stage (A) means that he has experienced little or no symptoms due to the cancer at this time.


TREATMENT:
The treatment for Eric’s cancer will include four rounds of chemotherapy, which will begin this Thursday, March 18th. This will also be followed by radiation treatments to target the specific areas of cancer. As we continue to pray for Eric and his family, please pray for the following


PRAYER:
1. We are praying that Eric’s physical body will be strengthened in order to handle the chemo treatments and that God would give him and the Yeong family wisdom as they take each day one at a time.

2. Pray that the Lord would be abundantly merciful to allow Eric’s chemo treatments to progress with minimal side effects and that the Lord would bring healing to his body.

3. Pray for Eric to have the spiritual, emotional, and mental confidence to deal with any of the side effects from his chemo treatment. Pray Eric remains strengthened in his spirit as he remembers his identity in the Lord despite how he feels physically after his chemo treatments.

4. Pray that the Lord would allow this situation to draw the Yeong family closer together as they depend more and more on the Lord during this time.

5. And finally, pray that the Lord would continue to be glorified in all things. The Yeong family has already had opportunities to mention their faith in the Lord with the oncologist. Pray for their oncologist to see the love of Christ through the Yeong’s testimony as she witnesses His presence in their lives.

Thank you for praying. Bless you!

Stepping Out

Dear Friends and Family,

Wishing you the Lord's blessings in the New Year. May it be the year we step out to new levels in God's work in our lives.

Much love,

Eng, Linda, Evan, Eric, Eli, and Ethan

September 27, 1979 to September 27, 2009

It doesn’t feel like 30 years, but that’s how long it’s been. I was 18 when we left the Philippines and was highly distressed and in anguish. I was leaving life as I knew it and friends that have been there for me for years, to face a future that was completely unknown. We left to start a new life in Canada.

Now that I am 30 years older, I can look back at that point in my life and truly know that it made me resilient. We lived for 10 months in Montreal and then moved again to Toronto. Unfortunately, I responded to what I lost and went through a lot of bitterness. I wish I hadn’t; I’m just grateful I did adjust to life in Toronto and made new friends. After that, studying and working went a lot better. If I was told then that I would someday marry a Chinese Malaysian, have four sons and be a missionary to Davao City (Philippines) and then Chiang Mai (Thailand), I would have shaken my head in disbelief. How was that possible?

I have led an impossible life. If you knew what I was like and what I did, you would have agreed with me. Now I am His daughter. I am also a wife, mother, friend, teacher, counselor, worshipper and intercessor. Nothing is impossible for our God who transforms, heals, and loves. I wish I could say that I loved Him right back when I knew Him, but I didn’t. Yet the Lord kept loving me anyway until I did love Him back. Praise you, Lord.

I look forward to the next 30 years. Maybe I’ll be an author then, a counseling teacher, a mom to an adopted child, a speaker. Who knows? I don’t, but what I know is that I’ll be blessed and with the Lord in me and His help, I’ll keep doing the impossible. Future, here I come.

Best Vacation Ever

We arrived here at The Pines in Prachuab Khiri Khan over a week ago, 3½ hours south of Bangkok. We are staying at a holiday home that hasn’t stopped surprising me since we got here. Our lodging is simple but comfortable, and a very adequate place to stay. It doesn’t have air conditioning but there is a ceiling fan right above our double bed. Our sons are in an adjoining bedroom with a bunk and a single bed. The best thing about our rooms is that they’re the closest to the beach so we can hear the soothing waves of the sea when we sleep at night. Hot drinks (coffee, tea, or Milo) are freely provided just outside our rooms. Laundry is done daily, and our clothing, pressed and clean, is available for pickup in the laundry room by the afternoon. Three bountiful, delicious meals are served every day with a special Sunday dinner of roasted chicken (or meat loaf), potatoes, stuffing, salad, fresh biscuits, and a sundae for desert. There is a freezer and a fridge which are filled with ice cream and cold drinks; a container with leftover deserts is kept in the fridge for those who may want a snack in between meals. Some of the available facilities include a trampoline, a ping pong table, a basketball hoop, a soccer field, a volleyball court, a swimming pool with a Jacuzzi, and a pathway for cyclists (or skateboarders). Bicycles for various ages are available for free use. Their library is small, but contains lots of books for everyone. A lounge area provides an excellent place for anyone to relax and read a book, crotchet or knit, work on a puzzle, chat, play games, or use the computer. Internet access is available at any time for the mere cost of 10 baht per day (a little more than a quarter). Jigsaw puzzles of varying difficulties and sizes are available as well as board games; they even have Settlers of Catan (with an expansion set!). Last, but not least, they have the Movie Room, the only air-conditioned room in the accessible areas. Stocked with numerous DVDs available for free viewing, there is a whiteboard used to reserve a time so that everyone gets a chance to watch. Aside from the comfortable chairs, lots of cushions and comforters are on hand for family viewing. Often this week, this room has provided a place for folks to cool down while watching, and it is often filled to the brim.

We’d gone fishing, viewed a nearby aquarium, shopped in town, gone swimming, kayaked, (the men played golf), walked on the beach, played ping pong, played sports and card games, eaten until our tummies bulged, watched movies (including "The Sound of Music" and all 3 "Lord of the Rings" films!), line danced, listened to musical talent (violin and singing), sang, had a bonfire, and simply visited with friends.

What a surprising place! It has been talked about as a great place to go to, and I’ve often wondered why people would rave about it. A friend envies us because we would never get bumped off our reservation if we indicated we wanted to stay here. Since they don’t belong to our organization, they have lost their reservation in the past when people in our group signed up to come and stay here. It is a very popular vacation spot and now I understand why. This place has a tranquility about it that promotes rest and relaxation. The friends you come with or meet start to become like relatives over the course of your stay. You walk in the lounge and feel like you belong there. Lying down on the comforters in the floor of the Movie Room along with the rest of the crowd becomes the most natural thing to do. Yes, The Pines is a great place to go to because of the beach and everything it has to offer, but most of all it’s because of the love and camaraderie that is in the air. The Lord is here and He is not just giving us rest and solitude, but comfort and enjoyment with His own. It is good to live in harmony with brothers and sisters in Christ. We’re living out our best vacation ever (except that we’re missing our oldest son Evan who is not with us). I’m so grateful for the 12 days we’ve been here. We are blessed.