Opening the Roof

This week has been a wonderful week to have Sarah return home and for her to enjoy time with her sisters. Tomorrow, we return for another chemo treatment. We only have five more to go in this stage so through the grace and mercy of our Father it is going much faster than I thought it would.

The week has brought more tests. It has been extremely hard for me and Anne as we have to make the grueling decisions for the future. We asked Jesus a simple request. Open the door if you want us to return to the U.S. for the treatments. The doors have been opening, but that also means we have to try to somehow move our lives again, which we are not very excited about. (This includes Sarah who, like the rest of the family, loves Hong Kong and our home and church and life here.) Yet, sometimes God's plans are not always what we like, but He asks us to work out our faith with fear and trembling.

In our devotion this morning, we read the story of the friends who opened up the roof of the house to lower their friend down to Jesus in order to heal the man. It does not seem that Jesus was surprised by this act, but it took a great amount of faith and strength for the friends to go through all of that painful love in order for their friend to receive healing. (They probably thought, "Why did we have to do all of this when Jesus could have healed him when He walked by?") While we were finding ways to apply this story to our life, we realized that sacrificing for Sarah was part of our ministry and love for Jesus. We as a family are opening the roof for Sarah in order to show Jesus' love in our family. This means all of us sacrifice to be part of the healing process. I believe these friends show the glory of Jesus in their faith just as much as the healing. The great thing is that there are many friends with Sarah, and at times it feels like you are all picking up the entire family and lowering us to Jesus for all of us to be healed (physically and emotionally).

The reason I have not written much this week is because the current task God gave me has been difficult. He has led me to preach the next two weeks to our wonderful brothers and sisters at Tung Chung Church. It is really a testimony that will, I pray, allow people to see the Real Jesus, our current series, as He has comforted us in our troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-7.