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[294.02 --> 300.32] parents asking for peace rely on relying solely on the sovereign God and
[300.32 --> 306.38] deciding to be thankful in all things even though I felt a bit better before
[306.38 --> 313.64] starting chemo the fear stealing lingered I pray for God be with me every moment of
[313.64 --> 320.00] this tough journey and provide the strength to endure my body which had no pain
[320.00 --> 328.04] before underwent a drastic change with just one round of chemo my face turned pale I
[328.04 --> 335.72] felt a draining sensation in all my muscles and making it hard to see it thankfully there was a
[335.72 --> 344.00] place in Korea to help with post-cancer treatment care so my mom called them got permission for
[344.00 --> 351.32] admission on the same day and with their help I gradually recovered and on that night my mom
[351.32 --> 360.62] praised God for finding a facility that could help us honestly I couldn't understand why she was thankful as I was
[360.62 --> 378.62] still struggling and feeling like I was almost dying I prayed to God if chemo is like this I can't do it anymore I can go I cannot go through the remaining seven round of rounds
[378.62 --> 386.90] so please perform a miracle and let me stop here about three days later the side effects began to disappear
[386.90 --> 400.90] one by one when I was in pain I felt abandoned by God and I was sad and even a bit angry however as time passed I realized that God never left me alone for a moment
[400.90 --> 418.90] and I and I though we believe in his enduring strength and grace though this is a very personal story I pray to God each time side effects occurred I pray to avoid emergency room visits due to fever
[418.90 --> 438.90] or delays in the next chemotherapy session and I pray to keep my hands and feet warm as cancer patients often have cold extremities extremities I seldom pray like this but I did it because I lacking faith in God needed a kind of secret assurance
[438.90 --> 457.90] the chemo was fear itself for me and I wanted to feel through such evidence that God was with me throughout the eight rounds of chemo God has answered to all these prayers and each time I praise God praise God in gratitude gratitude
[457.90 --> 467.70] since most of my life was lived through my parents prayers I didn't have many opportunities for deep fellowship with God
[467.70 --> 487.70] however during my busy time of raising children and working as a mom cancer provided me with temporal flexibility it became an opportunity to have fellowship with the Lord I dedicated regular moments of solitude to encounter God
[487.70 --> 498.22] God. What changed during that time was that my prayers to God shifted from one-sidedly expressing
[498.22 --> 506.28] my desires to seeking and listening to his heart. The time spent with God became more anticipated
[506.28 --> 514.76] and enjoyable than any other fellowship. Through fellowship with God, I've come realize how great
[514.76 --> 524.62] God's love is, something I hadn't fully understood before. I have gained insights into why God created
[524.62 --> 533.42] me, the purpose of my life, and I feel like I've started to understand a little more about God.
[534.36 --> 541.44] Now that the long treatment in Korea has ended and concluding with the positive result of being
[541.44 --> 550.72] breast cancer-free. However, I don't think that my life will always be filled with positive experiences
[550.72 --> 558.46] simply because I've drawn closer to God. There was a time when I lived in constant worry and anxiety,
[558.80 --> 565.56] fearing potential hardships for myself and my family. However, I've been free from the fears of
[565.56 --> 574.78] this world through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. The reason I am no longer afraid
[574.78 --> 583.50] is that the God who was with me during the difficult times always provides me with good things and guides
[583.50 --> 585.50] me on the best path.
[585.50 --> 602.72] Yeah, we knew that we made the right choice that Sarah is getting treatment in Korea because that's where she can get more support from her parents.
[602.72 --> 608.84] And I have my parents live in Burnaby, so I could get the support from my parents as well.
[609.62 --> 615.38] So as soon as we made the decision without me having the time to contemplate, we just had to jump in.
[615.50 --> 621.66] Our family had to jump in and start the least things we have to do to take care of my daughters.
[621.66 --> 626.42] And I took some time off during the summer to visit Sarah.
[627.48 --> 638.80] And during that time, God has shown me so much, especially about, like, He personally made me feel His heart and love for us,
[638.96 --> 645.62] all of us, not just Christians, Christians, non-Christians, like everybody, and how patient He is,
[645.62 --> 651.36] and how much He wants more of us to know Jesus and come back to God.
[651.86 --> 654.20] It was just amazing.
[654.20 --> 662.80] And I think I now truly understand what it means to be a blessing to our neighbors and communities.
[663.64 --> 669.04] And what surprised me more is that when I visited Sarah in summer after three months,
[669.92 --> 672.66] God has shown, Sarah has experienced the same God.
[672.66 --> 682.06] And we were just full with joy and gratitude, like, sharing about God and worshiping Him.
[682.50 --> 685.28] Like, none of our issues were matter anymore.
[685.76 --> 691.58] Like, whether we're healthy or finances, like, none mattered because we have Jesus.
[692.18 --> 696.34] So that was the most, yeah, amazing part that I experienced.
[696.34 --> 703.98] I still remember when we prayed with the surge group in the office over there just before you went to Korea.
[704.78 --> 708.08] And just the fears and the anxiety around it and just with your kids.
[708.74 --> 713.14] And I can honestly say I didn't know how you'd go through it or how you'd come back.
[713.52 --> 716.00] But I can sense that you've changed, both of you.
[716.70 --> 720.08] And it's remarkable because there's ways that we can talk, sometimes flippantly,
[720.08 --> 724.58] about how God shows up in suffering, about what His plan is in suffering.
[724.68 --> 729.32] And then when you came back, I was just hearing a couple that experienced the depth
[729.32 --> 732.24] of God's love and His provision in the midst of suffering.
[732.30 --> 733.62] And I praise the Lord for that.
[735.22 --> 738.90] Maybe one question I'll have, and this is sort of on behalf of our church.
[739.02 --> 741.88] There's people in our church going through different forms of suffering,
[742.00 --> 743.84] different forms of pain and frustration with the Lord.
[743.84 --> 747.82] What would you want to say to people in our church who are going through hardship right now?
[751.98 --> 755.82] As the Word of God declares in the book of Isaiah,
[757.30 --> 763.74] He is a wonderful counselor, almighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of Peace.
[764.26 --> 770.40] I believe that the great and unchanging God is our Father.
[770.40 --> 777.84] It would be wonderful if you take any problem to Him, seeking His heart, and listening in prayer.
[778.90 --> 785.38] Through these challenges, God desires intimacy with us and longs to receive our hearts.
[786.20 --> 794.22] He wants us to entrust everything to Him and experience true freedom within the peace He provides.
[794.22 --> 800.80] It will bring us true joy and peace in the midst of our troubles.
[801.72 --> 808.34] One more thing I want to share is to always express gratitude for everything God has given you.
[808.90 --> 815.36] Even when gratitude seems difficult, and it makes our challenges no longer seem like problems,
[815.90 --> 819.70] and praising Him removes sadness, filling us with joy.
[819.70 --> 828.74] Living as Christians in this world, the opportunities to grow closer to God seem more like blessings than disasters.
[829.78 --> 836.62] The God I have experienced is truly reliable, much greater, and better than I could ever imagine.
[837.82 --> 838.10] Amen.
[838.46 --> 838.70] Amen.
[839.70 --> 842.32] Thank you so much for taking time to share this testimony.
[842.32 --> 847.26] You should know that Sarah, well, obviously, you might not know, but Sarah's first language is Korean,
[847.52 --> 851.50] and I see Korean written on her sheet, and I know it took a lot of work for you to read it all out in English,
[851.56 --> 856.24] and we're very grateful for the way in which you shared with us the testimony of God's faithfulness.
[856.70 --> 861.32] I just want to say, too, to the church, this is also on behalf of Sarah, but gratitude.
[861.32 --> 870.10] Yeah, I really want to thank you to everyone for all the prayers and support and also the military.
[870.52 --> 874.60] It was amazing, and we had a true blessing from you guys.
[874.78 --> 875.64] Thank you so much.
[875.64 --> 875.70] Thank you.
[875.70 --> 890.42] I'd like to spend a few minutes in prayer, thanking the Lord for his provision.
[890.58 --> 891.52] Would you join with me in prayer?
[894.14 --> 895.14] Father, we praise you.
[895.76 --> 899.92] We praise you for being the Lord of life and the healer of bodies.
[900.88 --> 904.44] We thank you that Sarah is back home with her family and with us and that she's healthy.
[904.44 --> 906.70] We thank you for doctors and nurses.
[907.54 --> 909.02] We thank you for cancer treatment.
[909.86 --> 912.86] We thank you for the way you use ordinary humans serving with their gifts,
[913.44 --> 915.44] such that Sarah could receive this kind of care.
[916.84 --> 919.06] Lord, we thank you for the way you meet us in suffering,
[919.22 --> 921.66] and I want to pray right now for anyone this morning in our church
[921.66 --> 927.82] who is struggling with health and pain and is frustrated with the pain that they carry.
[928.36 --> 932.74] We ask that you would meet them and show yourself to be a reliable father
[932.74 --> 935.86] the way you showed Sarah and James that you are a reliable father.
[936.84 --> 940.60] Meet us in our need and reveal to us the depth of your love.
[940.82 --> 942.24] We pray this in your mighty name.
[942.90 --> 943.14] Amen.
[944.24 --> 945.16] Thank you so much.
[948.48 --> 951.34] This time I'm going to invite Sandy Volkanet to lead us in community prayer.