Wife's experiment with Chinese medicine got off a good start. The doctor we see has no lack of patients. She got six small packs of medicine the first time, and 12 last Saturday (Oct 30). I am getting good at boiling the medicine in claypot, which requires 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes heating time. Yesterday (Oct 31) my heart was blessed by one thing and touched by another. The blessing was a note my wife received from a congregation member at a church where I was a guest speaker for the last year. The note says, "I pray for you and your family...You are not alone." The second, the plight of a resident, whose kid is autistic, moved me. The father has not worked for two years to care for his son. I hope to find a church and help for the 8 year-old.
It rained boxes from heaven yesterday (3rd). We could be moving anytime now that the owner has told us he wants to sell his property, but we had thrown the 20-odd boxes that came with us from the States for fear that dust from the boxes could complicate Wife's recovery when she was sick. Last week Wife expressed doubt on how we could manage without the boxes - 14 of them. Yesterday on the way home from swimming I saw a couple throwing some boxes away, and I asked them if the boxes are good, to which they replied they threw them because they just moved into the neighborhood. It is heard to purchase boxes in Hong Kong, unlike in the States, where you can buy them at almost all stationary stores. Here most people do not owe a car, so transporting them home is out of the question without delivery fees.
I need lots of prayer this Sunday (14th) as I am up to my neck in preaching. The three worship services are in three different locations, from 830a to 1030a to 1215p. The early worship was a last minute call on Monday (8th) from a megachurch. The second one is a church anniversary, cannot avoid that or disappoint a friend, too. The last one is an English one, where I excel. The hop to the third one, from Tsuen Wan to North Point, is most challenging. May as well stretch myself and see if I survive. Actually I like last-minute substitutions, at least the panic is just for a week.
Yesterday morning at 930am (9th) I received a call from a church secretary saying that they double-booked speakers for this Sunday, so the pastor's wife suggested dropping me instead of the other speaker (who is a friend I had dinner with last week). I had no problems with the arrangement, since I had my hands and plate full with three sermons one day. I thought prayers were answered and called Wife to tell her the latest. At 1038am the secretary called me again, saying the pastor wanted to speak to me. He asked me if I would like to preach instead, seeing the other speaker had spoken at the church before. I said OK. When I logged into my computer, Wife indicated in her e-mail that she was glad I was dropped to lessen my load. When I wrote that it was on again, she replied with a terse "Oh!" By the second day (Tuesday) I was calm and today I am spending my day off in Macau, working on translating my sermons into Chinese. I feel like my anonymous, low-profile and off-the-radar days are over with the release of my new book.
It's been an exciting and busy day today (14th) rushing to speak at three churches, from a mega church to a church anniversary, from Tsuen Wan to North Point. After my first stop, at the megachurch, a friend in the congregation texted me and said, "A very good job. Though a little bit nervous. Pray for you." The anxiety evaporated by Wednesday, the day after the second call. I also discovered one thing about myself. I am still the person who could handle one thing without ado and a few things the same way. In other words, this stretching exercise was good for me. The best response, surprisingly, was at the last stop, where a few members came up to me and said the message spoke to them. We celebrated our relief by going out to dinner tonight. The next day, I signed a new contract, transitioning to a four-day work week. I have no idea if it works. It is deja vu time, like starting all over again.
Today (17th) is my weekly day off. In the morning I called a friend to encourage hi. Next, I did sermon preparation at Starbucks for my given next sermon on Genesis 45. I finished the first point on the uplifting story of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers. After that I met with a church to discuss the possibility of using my day off to mentor incoming pastors. Lastly, I picked up my ticket at Mongkok for my coming overseas teaching trip. A friend texted me this piece of mental health advice: "Take vitamins, talk to two people, and play brain games on the web."
Wife gave me the news Thursday morning (18th) that all is not well with the other side of her body. At the morning chapel tears slipped from my eyes. The next day, we had a good talk about how to face the future in the (1) worst scenario, (2) bad news, or (3) no change. We have peace. Life offers no guarantees, especially after the 2.4 earthquake that hit yesterday. This morning (20th) I woke up before 4 am and tears welled up before 5 am. I couldn't imagine life any other way.
Praise God, we survived the checkup yesterday (23rd). Wife's doctor said her mangled hands are the worst she had seen and that she could not determine if her other side was cancerous as well. The nearest date for a mammogram screening appointment is, no kidding, in 2012! The alternative is for testing at a private hospital, which is our next step. Reading Hezekiah's sickness and prayer (Isa 38) in the morning comforted me. At night we celebrated with a buffet, which is out of our body's reach at our age and in her condition. At night, we slept well. Another storm passes for the time being.
I had a gum inflammation scare two days ago (24th), but last night (25th)my back gave way and I could not lie straight sleeping, curling to the side at times and waking more than a few times. This morning I went to my Chinese masseur to rub over the pain, followed by a visit to a medical doctor to certify I have back pain, topping it with spa at the club after an afternoon nap. The last was most special because it was Wife's first trip to the pool, where she exercised for twenty minutes spotting short hair in public for the first time. I was assigned the task of preparing dinner while she returned to her nap after the swim.
