Hello all, Thank you all for your words of encouragement and prayers... God has been at work in my family and we praise God for that!

The second week of chemotherapy was much better than the first, now that we're more aware of what to expect. The week that just passed, and this current week, have been non-chemo weeks, scheduled in between treatments to give the body a chance to strengthen the immune system (which is usually weakened by the treatments).

Originally, there was only one week scheduled as a blank week, and my mom was supposed to start the second treatment cycle this past monday, but since her white blood cell count was too low, they decided to delay the treatment for a week.

So, please pray for the following: - Protection from disease, colds, bacteria for my mom and for the rest of the family (It's really important that she doesn't contract any illnesses right now, which means the whole family has to stay healthy too!)

- Comfort and peace for my grandmother - I saw her this weekend when she dropped by...(she usually lives with us, but is currently living at my aunt's house down the street, so my dad can focus on taking care of my mom). She gets really sad when she comes to visit sometimes. To make things further complicated, we have decided not to tell her the details of my mom's illness, since it may negatively affect her high blood pressure condition. Please pray that she will stay healthy, and that God will comfort her.

- Emotional and spiritual strength for my whole family, especially my dad and my mom. My dad is still quite saddened by all of this, and admits that he still hasn't fully accepted it. We encouraged him to pray for a couple of our meals in the past weekend, and the first time, when he started praying, his voice started breaking up, and couldn't even finish praying... the second time, he just kept going.. it's really hard for me to find the words to comfort him, and at times I don't even know what I should be saying. Please pray for God to provide strength for us all.

Praise Reports!

- One of the symptoms that my mom was showing before (shortness of breath) seems to be less prevalent these days... Praise GOD! - Upon examining the last x-ray taken this past Monday, the doctor seems to notice an improvement... even though I'm not sure about the conclusiveness of this, it is definitely encouraging.. and we praise GOD!

Thank you all!

United in prayer, Deb

Hello All... deb here. :)

In case you're confused about this email list thingy (and why you received an invitation), this is a email list to update you on my mom (Lilian Leung) and how she's doing in her battle against lung cancer.

I've added you to the list because I consider you a friend :) and an important part of my life and I want to share what are the joys and the struggles that my family is going through. :) Please let me know if you would rather not receive the updates (don't worry, I won't be offended!) or if you know anyone else who would like to be added to this list.

*** UPDATE for this week ***

Last week's first chemo treatment went relatively well. For now, there have been only a few side effects including fatigue and nausea. For now, it looks like the hardest day will be the third and fourth day after the treatment (Thursday and Friday), but most other days are quite good.

This past Thanksgiving weekend was really wonderful! :) My mom had a good appetite for all the yummy food being prepared (turkey!) which made all of us happy! And my dad's baptism on Sunday made the weekend particularly meaningful.

I wrote down my memory of what happened immediately after I came back from church so I wouldn't forget... and I've included it below. :)

Here are some prayer requests for this week:

- Health and strength for my mom's second chemo week (especially thurs and friday!) - Spiritual grown for my dad's new life in Christ! - Protection from sickness, and dilligence in our studies for Karen and me - Effectiveness in the treatment - that the cancer masses would shrink and be destroyed

Thank you all for your support and prayers!!! :)

The day my joy was made complete ================================
The day before my dad's baptism, my mom told me that she had intended to surprise him by attending his baptism. Originally, at my dads suggestion, she had planned stay home since she was still weak from her first chemotherapy treatment and very prone to illness. But if she could, she hoped to make it out to church for the special day.

The next morning, the weather was cold and dreary, and my mom thought it best that she stay at home. Instead, my sister and I sat with my dad in the pew, filled with excitement and anticipation for this day that we had awaited for so long. As my dad shared his testimony, his intense concentration and focus was apparent, as was his heart-filled emotion. As he spoke of the commitment he made in response to Karens faith in going on her mission trip, his voice shook and his eyes watered. We were all touched by his testimony and how far God had brought him in the past several years.

When it came time for Karen and I to read our gift of scripture to my dad, my heart was so full that I had difficulty finding the words to say. But the words of God spoke for me, and truly expressed the feelings of my heart:

Phil 1:3-6, 9-11 I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ--to the glory and praise of God.

On this day, the sacrament of baptism was as beautiful as I ever remembered it. Afterwards, my dad and Taketo helped to serve communion. In the place of my mom, who would have been standing alongside my dad this morning, I stood and served with him.

"The body of Christ, broken for you" "The blood of Christ, shed for you"

Communion at my church is a truly special time, especially if you have the opportunity to be a server. Its such a tangible act of offering Christ to each person in your spiritual family. It was hard to contain my tears as I served the sisters and brothers who had played such an integral part in my familys life, particularly those who had been praying for my dad with diligence and love. My tears overflowed when I saw my sister and my mom walking up the aisle towards us. For a moment, I had a glimpse of what heaven would be like, my family united in Christs love, walking in His way, filled with inexpressible joy. This was the day that my joy was made complete.