The same lung cancer. Stage 4.
Marten liked to greet us with the Hebrew word "Shalom" (which meant peace) and a sunny smile before he led the musical team to start the worship. He was blessed with a pretty wife and a lovely daughter Pamela, who danced together with Ps Albert's daughter Sarah. I had merely known them when I was invited to their house to celebrate Pamela's birthday. What a privilege to be the only Chinese among other ethnics of Sabah and Sarawak. Their friendliness was so genuine. You could tell from their smiles!
There I met his sister and twin brother. When the siblings were standing together, you would believe that the Argentine football talent Maradona had some lost cousins in Asia!
According to Marten, he had been coughing for months but he did not take it seriously in the beginning. When the symptom persisted and manifested itself more, he finally went to the doctor and got the diagnosis. He attributed the cancer to the second-hand smoke he had inhaled in his previous working place.
While we were listening to his testimony with a heavy heart, Marten was trying to make light of his illness. We could tell that he was worried, but all he would do was to trust God totally for the healing.
The following Sunday afternoons, Marten still led the worship sometimes. I began to notice Marten's cough and his weaker physique. His face was pale and his coat and long pants were much looser due to the weight loss. However, his smiles did not fade. Ps Albert always led us to pray for his healing in every service. I also put him in my prayer when I thought of him.
Marten always updated us on his health. He had started a vegetarian diet and a few sessions of radiotherapy. If the results of the treament were positive, he wanted to avoid the chemotheraphy which would destroy his body. His siblings helped financially. His friends gave him all kinds of advice, supplement and mental support. But he agreed with a book he read stating that Jesus was the best medecine. It was his faith in Him, who had come down from heaven to give life to the world (John 6:33), that could keep him strong. Every morning when he woke up, the first thing he did was to thank God. If that was God's will that he was going to die, he would still rejoice in His unconditional love. Despite his illness, he travelled a lot to testify Jesus who was in control of his healing.
He also told us about his younger days, his reconciliation with family members, etc. At the end of the testimony sessions, he always sang a song to praise the Lord. His voice was full of feelings which touched me more than when I had first heard his singing. There were moments he got so emotional that he would sob for a short while, not because of grievance, but gratitude.
Last week, Marten's face was shining with smiles when he stepped into the hall. He brought us the good news that the specialist's report showed that his lungs were recovering very well. To a patient who had been diagnosed at stage 4 of lung cancer, the chance was small. Yet with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37)! He praised the Lord for the healing and thanked Ps Albert and the congregation for our consistent prayers.
I think only a person who had escaped death like Marten would really apprehend how great God's love is.
No comments:
Post a Comment