A Warm Welcome Home

I am now back here in Chiang Mai. It is good to be back! Eric gave me a long hug when he saw me, Ethan insists that my arm has to be around him when we walk (in the mall), Eli kisses me when he leaves the house, and flowers were laid out on the bed (courtesy of Eng) the night I arrived. That's it; I'm convinced that I need to leave more often! =) With touch being one of my love languages, I also hope the shower of affection lasts for quite awhile. I am enjoying it enormously!

Eric finished 5 days of radiation last week and says he's fine. He still says he doesn't feel a thing and that his energy level is good. Praise God! Thank you for praying.

This week, his radiation will be from Wednesday to Friday (28-30 July) because of two Thai holidays. Coming home tonight, I realized after seeing lots of lights and candles lit that another Buddhist holiday wreak havoc in our household. Not only did almost all of us not get along last night with a nasty argument but I had a freaky experience where I saw myself in a weird and strange room as I tried to sleep. Evan's and my parents' faces were reflected on a mirror at the side of the room but they were nowhere! Sensing immediate discomfort, I started to pray audibly but I couldn't speak. I was praying aloud but my words were coming out muffled. I saw nothing on me but I couldn't speak properly, and I couldn't move! Finally, continuing to pray, I ended it by saying the enemy had 3 counts to leave or I'll get the Holy Spirit to burn them with His fire. A muffled “one” and “two” barely escaped from my lips but I heard a very distinct “THREE!” (with my normal voice back!) clearly. I opened my eyes (or blinked?) and I was back in my bedroom. Wow! Thank you, Lord.

My 89 year old father drew all the plans to get a building permit so he could enclose their front porch. He's done all that is pictured here with a little help from Evan.


He's been using a power saw and electric nailer, among other things! I've been thankful for this, "his little project". He is proud of it, as I am of him. In my 80s, I wish to also be renovating our place.

Loving Better

Once again, being here in Toronto with my parents has taught me more about myself. The other day, I was taking a nap on the couch when my mother walked by to close the door by me. It was a hot day so the fan was on and as she got in between the fan and I, I caught a whiff of excretion. She must have gone to the bathroom again and failed to wipe or wash herself well. Since arriving here 3 weeks ago, I’ve been saddened by the fact that my mother’s Alzheimer’s has caused her to forget how to use the washroom properly. Many a times have I gone in to use their bathroom and found it in different and unusual states. Repulsed, I would reluctantly disinfect and wash all around their toilet. I’m just grateful that she still makes it to the toilet in time, most of the time. I’ve been told that she sometimes would not get there soon enough. At any rate, since I was tired and wanted to nap, I didn’t get up to inspect her as to why she smelled. As she passed, I pretended to be asleep. How often she passed back and forth, I do not know. (It’s normal for her to do this, walking back and forth.) Soon, I was half asleep, barely aware of where or what she was doing. Imagine my surprise when all of a sudden, I felt her hand caressing my face and moving my hair off my face! She was saying words that sounded tender and loving. At this point in her illness, my mother would sometimes speak none sensibly. Different words would be spoken but every now and then, they would not make any sense. The words are strung together confusingly. I wish I could say that I received her loving action and responded accordingly, or gratefully. Instead, I recoiled at her touch, remembering what I smelled moments earlier. The grace is that the smell didn’t come from her hand. My disgust this time was at myself for making the smell matter more than her gesture. I received what she did to me but moments late. If only I didn’t make such a fuss about the smell. I then realized that my kind of loving has a lot to be desired. Where filth is evident, I need to learn to love and receive love anyway. The Lord has done far more for me as I wallowed in my filth. Why can’t I? My prayer is that I’ll love better.

As for Eric, he’s received 3 radiation treatments now and says he feels a slight tingling on his nose during the treatment but nothing else. Thank you for praying!

From the Eldest Son

It's interesting being back here, on YeongLife, after so long; it's been years, actually, since I've posted anything here. For those of you who have been reading this since its beginning, you know that I, Evan, the eldest, was once the one who updated this blog every Monday. Alas, life moves on, and since graduating from high school and heading off to college I no longer see my family enough to write on the events that occur in their life.

So here I am, trying to update you on my life in a brief, concise post; this will really just be about the past year and this summer.

This summer I have been working at Foundations Ministries, a Christian ministry organization which is backing one (1) Pastor Marie Miller. It's enjoyable work, though the issue is that the office is in Mississauga, meaning that my commute is two hours (only one way). I don't mind, though, as just getting a job this summer has truly been a blessing from God, and I thank him for this opportunity to both make money and further His work in the world.

I am in this picture with just 8 of my 19 cousins. Second from left, Leslie, is the cousin who raised over $900 for Eric's medical expenses. She had a "Cut It or Keep It" fundraiser, offering her long hair.

I am living with my grandparents (my mother's parents, whom she has written about in the previous post), which is nothing out of the ordinary. This year, however, I feel like I've really been able to help out more and pull my own weight. I get meals ready for them, I distract my grandmother when she's pestering my granddad, and I generally do what I can to make sure the house is running smoothly. I feel like I've become a big help in their lives, and it's actually going to be a little bit difficult moving back to college, knowing that they'll be living here without me.

Speaking of college, I am moving out of the dorm. This is an exciting prospect, as it means that seven of my friends and yours truly will be moving into a townhouse together. This change brings with it a smaller living area, a kitchen, and, in my case, a smaller meal plan. The implication of that being that I will be eating lunch in the cafeteria, but will be preparing my own dinners. Hopefully all goes well with this; if I manage to become a tenth of the chef my dad is, I think I'll do just fine.

I'm not really sure what to say about this. I don't really know what my mom has and hasn't told you about my life. She asked me to ask for prayer requests, so I suppose it would be nice if you asked God for help in my keeping my grades up (a GPA of 3.5, minimum) and my social life interesting. When my mom leaves on the twenty-second I'm back to holding down the fort myself, so hopefully I'll remember what it's like when it was just my grandparents and me, and get right back to where I left off.

As a closing note to this very brief update on my life, I'd like to keep you up to speed on how my younger brother is doing. On Monday Thai time he had a CT scan. What it's revealed is looking good. His radiation treatment will start on Thursday. Please keep him in your prayers, as I know many of you are doing. I really want to thank you for that, as it means a lot to me, and us, as a family.

Depending on what happens, I may be back to throw another update your way, but until then. Thank you for reading this blog and taking an interest in my family, my mother really slaves away (I write these in about a twentieth of the time it takes her) to bring you updates every week, and it's great that you get to read what results from her efforts.

Atop the Jacuzzi

“Lord, teach me what real love is and make me a loving person.” This week’s dare from “The Love Dare, Day by Day”

Actually, I’m on the bed but it sits atop the Jacuzzi at my parent’s house in Toronto. It’s where I’ve been sleeping since arriving here to visit Evan and my parents. It’s very comfortable as in the absence of bodies (Eng’s or sometimes Ethan’s), I’m surrounded by pillows. I just have to make sure I’ve done what needs doing in the bathroom or I’ll have to climb back down again on the chair that’s set just by the door where the bed ends. It’s a strange arrangement but it works for me. I like it better than sleeping on the couch as it gives me some privacy when the door is pulled shut.

It’s good to be here and to spend some time with Evan. Today was his day off so he bought me lunch at an All–You-Can-Eat Sushi place and then we visited his favorite book store. He’s shown me where he runs 3x a week in the morning and we saw “Toy Story 3” (an excellent movie!) last week. It’s great to see Evan again. With regard to Eric’s being sick, he’s handled it well and resorted to praying a lot for him. =)

My parents are as well as they can be. My mother is 86 and has Alzheimer’s. My father is 89 and has Diabetes. He injects himself with insulin twice a day and it isn’t uncommon for him to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because his blood sugar level is too low. At those times, he eats chocolate bars (KitKat) that he keeps by his bed to quickly increase his blood sugar level. Every day, I thank God for another day with him. He’s been living on the Lord’s grace for a long time.
My mother is a different story every few minutes. We never know what we’re going to get. When she has good moments, she’ll take her medicine without a fuss and would be pleasant, warm, and cheery. Her many other sides could be any of the following: anger, rage, suspiciousness, vindictiveness, fear, confusion, doubtfulness, weariness, etc. We’ve had many tense moments as she attempts to throw her pills, react furiously as to why she has to take them, or call my father names for having her do something she doesn’t want to do. Every day, there seem to be a drama yet waiting to be played. Thankfully, she still responds to music and I’ve been able to play the piano for her to dance to. Unfortunately, the music does not keep her occupied as much as it did last year. She seems to tire more easily nowadays. Evan’s friend’s grandmother has the same illness but she isn’t talking anymore and just sits all day. For what my mother is able to still do, we are grateful.
The other day I found her unsuccessful in cleaning herself after going to the bathroom. I explained to her that she needed to change and proceeded to help her. She didn’t like how I removed her shirt so she furiously yanked it from me and attempted to pull it over my head. We struggled over the shirt, she pulling it down while I tried stopping her. At one point, I wondered what I should be doing. Should I physically resist her to the point where she would feel pain? I really didn’t want a smelly stained shirt on my head! In the end, she physically stopped and resorted to verbally say what she wanted to do with her hands. The whole incident shocked and surprised me. I felt fear for what she might do next but even more so for my reaction of not wanting to care for her. Only later did I mentally choose to let go and just now, forgive. Like she’s forgotten me, she’s forgotten the incident already. She really isn’t the problem; she is ill. The Lord is obviously answering my prayer above. I have a lot to learn.

Thank you for praying. Everyone is doing well at home. Eric is getting a CAT scan on July 12th and is now scheduled to receive his first radiation treatment on July 15th at Siripat Hospital in Chiang Mai.

By the Grace of God

The last round of chemo was administered today without any glitches or complications. Our whole family was at the hospital so we could all celebrate when it was over. Ending with us corporately saying “Alleluias” and doing our clap offering, we thanked God for His goodness, faithfulness, mercy, and grace. Eric’s 4 cycles, or 8 rounds of chemo treatments, are now a thing of the past for him.
Praise God!

Ethan instantly liked Eric's doctor, Dr. Rattiya. Please keep praying for her to know Jesus. We just found out that our Christian friend started seeing her as well. A routine check up showed he had cancer also.

We came back from our vacation at the beach late Sunday night. We had a magnificent time and were all rested and tanned by the time it was over. Not only were we blessed with delicious food, good company, perfect weather, and restful sleep, the Lord continued to bless us with His love through His people. The temporary hosts of the place treated us to a delicious seafood meal on our last night and then gave us money as we left the next morning. What a gracious God we have!

Lastly, as an indication of Eric’s stamina, I would like to admit that he beat me in our swimming races across the length of the pool (twice!). On our last race, I even started a few strokes ahead of him but he beat me anyway! It was several years ago but I did use to swim for the school team. I don’t get where he gets all his energy! It isn’t his own but God’s.

I actually wanted a rematch of our swimming pool basketball game since he and Eli beat Eng and I in our game. I told him I couldn’t believe they beat us. I said, “Aren’t you supposed to have cancer? How could you beat us?” Although initially amused, he then took on a serious look and said, “By the Grace of God, Mom.” And that there explains everything.

Eli wore the hospital garb just for fun. While waiting, they spent time watching T.V.

Thank you for praying. Two to three weeks from now, Eric's 3-weeks’ radiation treatments will start. The half hour treatments will have to be done in the evenings so it works perfectly with Eng being able to do it after work. What excellent timing. =) Thank you, Lord!

I am leaving for Canada tomorrow for a 3-week visit with Evan (our oldest son) and my parents. Evan has been living in Toronto with my parents while he works there during the summer. He has been studying to become a writer or editor at Houghton College in Western New York for the past two years.

Deeper Than Any Ocean

Yesterday, I managed to take an hour long walk on the beach. It was so satisfying. The early morning breeze coupled with the right combination of magnificent sky, glorious clouds, soft lapping waves, and powder fine sand on my toes made it perfect. The waves weren’t numerous. At one point the Lord said His love for me was as many times the waves hit the shore and they were coming frequently then! So this time when I saw the waves, my first question was, “How come there isn’t much?” asking God. Then I noticed the sand and He reminded me that His love was as numerous as the sand on the shore. The song that was playing on my randomly playing phone sang, “Your love is deeper than any ocean” and as I looked at the vast body of water beside me, I couldn’t help but feel loved abundantly. Then the waves felt like soft caresses and gentle kisses from God. I wish to be as aware of this great love in the absence of His creation. Surely He is always telling us how much He loves us! If only we always had eyes to perceive and hearts that understood His love easily.

We are now in Prachuab Kirikhan staying at ‘The Pines’, an OMF vacation home. Thanks to a donor who helped us with our airfare, we are here for a week long vacation. It is wonderful to be here! Along with the realization of His love on the beach, I noticed my lone footprints in the sand and remembered the “Footprints in the Sand” poem by Mary Stevenson (http://www.footprints-inthe-sand.com/index.php?page=Poem/Poem.php). I know we’ve had trying times in the last few months with Eric’s cancer but the Lord carried us and is still carrying us. Thank you, Papa God, you are so good.

Eric’s last chemo treatment was scheduled for this Friday but we asked to move it to Monday (June 28th) so we can stay here until Sunday. Just the thought of staying here that long makes me sigh with relief already. =)

Eric hasn’t been wearing his mask since he got here. He’s breathing in the fresh air and swimming and eating lots! Yesterday, he and Eli beat Eng and me (Linda) in a game of basketball in the swimming pool. We played them hard until I was panting like crazy and could feel myself sweating even though I was in the water! Still, we lost badly! Yes, they’re young but he’s got cancer! Even though there probably should be, there is no sign of weakness in him. He is definitely doing very well.

A prophetic friend prayed for him today and declared that Eric will be healed of his cancer through his treatments and it will never recur again in his lifetime. We said a resounding "AMEN" to that! Thank you again for praying.

Worth a Kidney Stone

We were at our mission’s conference last week from Tuesday to Sunday (June 8-13) so it was a little strange going to and back there from the hospital on Friday (June 11). When Eric received his 7th round of chemo, we requested again for a quicker administration so we could get back in time for supper. We got there in plenty of time and Eric soon joined the Teens’ BBQ by the pool and he was soon swimming!

He continues to amaze us with the strength and energy that truly comes from within him! It is God given. The next day, he spent plenty of time sleeping but when the ‘teens’ all nighter’ began; he was again up and about! The Lord also amazes in that what is fun for Eric is certainly fun for Him too! He gives it His stamp of approval by what He allows to happen.

I should add that Eric decided at this point not to take any medication (steroids) for the chemo’s side effects. He did well with all the distractions of activities over the week-end but by today, Monday, he’s had a lot more stomach pain. This is entirely Eric’s choosing, not to take the meds. It’s hard to even imagine receiving chemo without the help of the meds to deal with the side effects. Eric’s always taken them before although he’s been requesting less and less of it the more he received his rounds of chemo. He started with needing to take 16 pills twice a day (for 2 days) when he received his first round of chemo. This is followed by half the dosage for 2 more days (8 pills twice a day). By the 6th round, he only wanted to take 4 pills twice a day and we’ve had to argue about him taking it! On Friday, the doctor indicated that it was optional so he decided that he didn’t want any of them. That he’s made it this far is God’s grace!

The other great thing that happened is that we saw friends (Eric’s former teacher and his wife) at the hospital while waiting for the doctor. We were supposed to have supper with them earlier in the week since they were leaving Thailand for good. They canceled since Eric’s former teacher wasn’t well. What a pleasant surprise that we were able to visit at the hospital anyway! Eric’s teacher also graciously said that seeing us and Eric at the hospital (one more time) before they left was “worth a kidney stone” that had to be removed from him surgically!

What an Amazing God we have! Thank you for praying.