Another Tragedy in Calgary

Just about a month ago, I was in Calgary attending the funeral of James Chan, a young brother from the South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church (SCCEFC) who died from osteosarcoma. Now, this same church has suffered another loss.

Nathan Shair, a 22-year-old young man, from the English congregation was accidentally killed on Thursday, July 12th when the lever on a mechanical horse struck him in the head. You can read about the tragedy by looking at these two Calgary Herald articles on Friday, July 13, 2007 and Sunday, July 15, 2007. The second article is especially touching because it shares about Nate's "fiery spirit" for helping people.

I received emails from the two English pastors. They and the rest of the congregation are evidently in shock and are grieving the sudden loss. Nate's parents and two older sisters are mourning as well.

Please pray for SCCEFC, Nate's friends and Nate's family. I'm still at a loss for words about all this. My heart aches for the brothers and sisters at SCCEFC. This church has gone through so much. Please pray for their unity during this difficult time, and that they will will find solace and refuge in God.

"Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted." – Matthew 5:4

Updates

I haven't blogged in awhile and I just wanted to catch everyone up on what has been going on.

Calgary Trip: I went to Calgary in June to attend James Chan's funeral service. Although it was a sad occasion, I felt very blessed to be there. I learned a bit about this wonderful young man who loves God immensely and who tried to make people around him laugh as often as he could. I can't wait to meet him in heaven! Also, while I was in Calgary, I was able to hang out with friends like PAL, Isaac, Luke, Mandy and Ivan. And I even got to make new friends like Marj. Overall, it was a good trip and made me realize that God is doing great things all over the world.

Health: I took more blood tests last week, but the results are the same. I think it's time to see a specialist, like a hematologist or cardiologist. I'll ask my doctor next week.

Vancouver Trip: I just got back yesterday from a few days up in Vancouver. I met with an academic counselor at Regent College and registered for my Fall classes. Additionally, I was able to open a Canadian bank account, view my basement suite, meet my future landlord, check out Costco, and scope out my new neighborhood. Overall, it was a very productive trip. And I got to hang out with my cousins and their significant others, which was really fun.

Official Move: I finally booked my airfare to move up to Vancouver on August 26th. And I already have my first visitors, Danette and Richard, booked to come up in mid-September. Yippee! Unfortunately, though, my basement suite is pretty small, so don't think I'll be able to accommodate them. =(

That's it for now, but feel free to ask me additional questions through "comments" or email. Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Today marks the summer solstice, but it also marks my mom's birthday. She is *ahem* years old now. =)

I have the coolest mom in the world with the most brilliant dry humor. When people realize that she is my mom, they usually say, "You're just like your mom." As a teenager, I took it as an insult. But as an adult, I now consider it a huge compliment. If I could be half the woman my mom is, I would consider it a blessing. Let me share just a little bit about how cool she is (in no particular order)...

1. She didn't know how to speak Cantonese when she got married, but she picked it up from sermon translations. Now, she's fluent.


2. She was scared of driving on freeways, but when my dad passed away, she refused to be hindered by fear. She is now a pro at driving on freeways and even does so when it's not necessary.


3. Her standard way of saying bye to me from the time I was a youth until now is either "Bye. Don't get into any arguments with anyone." or "Bye. Don't take any drugs. But if you do, bring some home for Mom." (Please note that my mom does not condone drugs... She just trusts her kids a lot and knows that we'll never take drugs.)


4. When I freak out about stuff or when I'm really sad, she immediately asks to pray with me.


5. She wakes up before 5:00AM every morning to pray. If she says she's going to pray for you, she won't forget. She's got you on her list.


6. Instead of expecting to be pampered on Mother's Day, she hangs out with older ladies who either don't have children or whose children have all moved far away. This is unless the Lakers are playing... in which case, she's glued to the TV.


7. When I told her about going to seminary, she was immediately supportive. She didn't balk at the idea like other mothers may have.


8. She's going on a missions trip this summer to Ukraine. How cool is that!?!?!


9. She hugs me and tells me that she loves me all the time. How un-Chinese!


10. She makes fun of my brother and me, and lets us make fun of her. She doesn't allow us to take ourselves too seriously.

This is only a short list of how awesome my mom is. But my favorite thing about her is that she deeply and passionately loves God. Happy birthday, Mom!

"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also" (2 Timothy 1:5). This is about Timothy's grandmother and mother, but it's also so true about my own grandmother and mother.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day to all the daddies and honorary daddies out there! May you find your roles in influencing young minds divinely appointed and seek wise counsel from our Holy Spirit through tough situations. Also, may you receive adequate appreciation from your young'uns today and always.When I was younger, I loved giving gifts, but I had no money. I wanted to give my dad a gift he would really like. So, for a holiday one year (I don't remember if it was Christmas, Father's Day or his birthday), I took his favorite necktie and wrapped it up to give to him. Now, since I didn't want to leave the gift preparation until the last-minute, I took his special green necktie and wrapped it up several weeks before actually giving it to him. So, for that period of time, he kept looking for his favorite tie. Little did he know that his silly daughter had taken it just to give it back to him again.

Later on, my brother explained to me you can't give used things back to people as gifts. So, next time... I found a brand new bottle of Tylenol in the medicine cabinet.... Score!

"Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:16-17).

James' Funeral Service

From Carepages.com:

We would love to have each and everyone of you
attend James' funeral service on:
Saturday, June 16th
10:00 AM
South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church
340 - 39 Avenue S.E.
Calgary, Alberta
Sanctuary

There is also a viewing on Friday, the 15th
6:00 PM-8:00 PM
at Heritage Funeral Home
1708 16th Avenue N.W.
Calgary, Alberta

At James' request, the viewing and the service will not be open-casket.

陳世曙的安息禮拜
將於六月十六日（星期六）
早上十時
在南卡城華人播道會大堂舉行
340 – 39 Avenue SE Calgary

及六月十五日（星期五）
晚上六時至八時
在Heritage殯儀館有慰問家人時間
Heritage Funeral Home
1708 16 Avenue NW Calgary

鑑於James遺願，會刪除開棺瞻仰遺容一項。
希望各位都能抽空參加。

If you're in the Calgary area, please consider attending the funeral to support the Chan family (even if you don't know them).

Health Concerns III

Follow-up to "Heath Concerns II" on Wednesday, May 30, 2007

My doctor called me yesteday. As I predicted, the Holter monitor reading came out "normal." I'm not sure if this is good news or bad news. I truly hope that nothing is wrong, but my intuition says otherwise. My frequent tiredness and unusually high resting heart rate are not good signs. Anyway, I'm not sure what other tests need to be done now, but I'll call my physician sometime next week. Thank you for your prayers and concern.

The Passing of a Brother in Calgary

Back in July 2006, two pastors of South Calgary Chinese Evangelical Free Church (PAL and IQ) told me about a young brother at their church who had osteosacroma. I was saddened to hear that he was only 17-years-old at the time.

I never met James, but through nearly a year of praying for him, sending him cards and reading about him online, I feel a very strong bond with him. I even have a photo of him on my desktop to remind me to pray for him. My prayer meeting group has been praying for him as well. After being told that he wanted the audio Bible to listen to Scriptures, our group sent the CDs to him last week. I just got an email from his sister saying that his family received it today, but James passed away this morning.

Hello Eunice,

My name is Sylvia Chan, and I am James Chan's sister. We received CEFC's card and the audio-Bible package today. Wow! Our family is truly truly touched by you and your church's thoughtful and kind gestures, thank-you for these encouragements. We are so blessed to have spiritual support from you guys. I don't know if you received any news yet, but James passed away this morning at 10:05. He was at peace when he joined our Heavenly Father. :)

Once again, thank-you so much for your prayers and support. James and our family greatly appreciate it.

God Bless,
Sylvia, Kelvin, Margaret, and James Chan.

I'm still a bit in shock right now. It feels like just yesterday when PAL was telling me about his time spent with James in the hospital. I heard about what an incredible young man he was. James displayed weakness before God, but sought after strength in Him. I wish I got to meet him. I know I'll meet him one day in heaven, though.

Please pray for James' family as they heal from their loss. Pray for strength and comfort for them. But also pray for joy as there is cause for celebration now that James is no longer limited by his mortal body. James, now legally at 18 years old, is partying it up with God!