Jesus is with you!

It was lunch time in the Chung house. Emily had eaten her lunch rather quickly while Katie was still lallygagging though hers. After Emily had sat patiently...well patiently for Emily...for a good 15 minutes I told the girls Emily & I would go to the living room to get a video set up while Katie finished her lunch. It was getting close to nap time and I wanted the girls to watch a Christmas DVD (45 minutes long) so they could see and better understand what Christmas is all about. We had not been in the living room too long before we heard Katie protesting us being in the living room while she was still stuck in her high chair in the kitchen. Emily yelled to Katie (across the house) "It's ok Katie! Jesus is with you! You're ok Katie! Jesus is with you!" I had to smile. So she is listening when I tuck her in at night and she says she's scared. "You're ok Emily" I tell her, "Jesus is with you, He will never leave you. Katie is sleeping next to you. Your big night light is on. Here's your bear. You're ok."

Katie's Appointment

I have been putting off writing this update. Not because there is any bad news, but because there really seems to be no real news. In my mind I had hoped that a few days before Katie's appointment she would miraculously start talking. Many moms have told me stories of their own child who didn't speak until 2 or 3 and then one day was talking in sentences. (Secretly I am hoping that before she turns 2 - January 17th - that this will still happen!). But alas, still no real breakthroughs.

The time spent with the speech therapist was great. Her name was Debbie and she was very understanding, considerate and helpful. She gave us some good ideas of ways to help Katie. We can now sometimes get Katie to say "more", but only on good days and when she is feeling particularly playful. We are currently signed up for a class called "Target Words" which is for kids like Katie that appear to be fine in all other respects except for verbal skills. It sounds like a parenting class, which as a parent can make you feel like a bit of a failure. Henry & I will take a total of 6 classes in which they will teach us more ways to help Katie learn to talk. There will also be 3 times in which we meet with Katie with a speech therapist on a more one on one level.

So that is that. Katie is overall a very happy little girl who loves to laugh and loves to make others laugh. She happily goes off to play at the church nursery (which, after having a child who hated being left at church nursery, is so wonderful!). However, she hates having her picture taken at a photographer and hates having her hair cut by a hairdresser. Yeah. Imagine quite a lot of screaming and crying. So we have no pictures other than our home snapshots (compared to her sister who had quite a bit), but her hair is cut nicely thanks to a wonderful hairdresser who was somehow able to cut hair on a wiggling crying little girl. All in all we are generally not worried. Unless it's getting late and we're completely honest about our feelings.

I'm rambling, and that usually means its time to close. Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and prayers!

Katie's Speech Therapy Appointment

We finally have a date for Katie's speech therapy: December 2nd! A friend recently asked if we were worried about Katie not talking yet. In general, we are not worried. She actually communicates quite a lot through pointing, grunts, expressions, and sign language. She is also very physically capable with great coordination. She loves people (not at all shy like her sister) and plays "well" (for her age) with other kids. All of these point to nothing being wrong with her. Yet the doubts can sneak in and it is easy to be concerned that she is not saying words. It will be good to have this appointment!

Also please pray for my Dad. He's at the doctor's office right now...I'm patiently waiting for an update. It seems he may have pneumonia again. It would be the 4th time since March if he does. Obviously as a family we are quite concerned.

Excerpt from our latest letter...long read, but we like to think it's worth it! ;)

Being a half-American, half-Canadian couple brings both joys and trials. It is a trial having to have a border between our families. It is a trial having to get citizenship to both countries just so we can live either place when needed. It is a trial moving our possessions not across state lines, but across country lines. However it is also a joy to have a few extra holidays. For instance, Canadian Thanksgiving is the second Monday in October while American Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November. Who could complain over two turkey dinners? J So we write this letter with a spirit of thanksgiving: thankfulness to God for all He has done and for all He is.

On Canadian Thanksgiving Day Emily wanted to say “Happy Thanksgiving” to our neighbor, Mr. Bob. Mr. Bob has a special place in Emily’s heart for a few reasons: he has a dog and he gave the girls an amazing sled with a steering wheel. As Emily went to say Happy Thanksgiving she hadn’t quite worked out how to say “thanksgiving” and so instead of saying “Happy Thanksgiving Mr. Bob” she said, “Happy thank you to giving Mr. Bob the sled.” J As we thank God, we are thankful for what God has given us. We do not take for granted the food on our table or our warm beds. When we find ourselves feeling worried over money, food, or our future we have seen God provide abundantly. We publicly say “thank you God” for taking such good care of us. We also want to thank God for who He is, because it is His character in which we take great comfort.

We thank you for praying with us regarding our future. We firmly believe God is answering those prayers. In our last letter we asked you to pray with us about the possibility of helping a small community unite their churches: sharing resources and providing a unified outpouring of Christ’s love to the community. While we felt it would be a good ministry to be involved in, God did not give us peace about it and recently shut the doors to it. Thank you God for directing us. Since that time we also have had a few more doors close, all of which we are thankful to God for showing us a glimpse of where He wants us to be…or rather where He doesn’t want us to be!

We met with our missions organization today. Please pray with us about the possibility of being involved in a fairly new ministry. Henry would be utilizing his computer skills to benefit others in places and countries where technology is not as developed. He would be building relationships with locals through mentoring and training using technology as a medium. For those of you who are not computer savvy, you know how difficult it can be getting technical support. Imagine how much more difficult it is for missionaries or mission teams overseas. There are a few projects lined up that Henry would be able to assist in including: refurbishing computers to be used by the poor, helping missionaries deal with maintenance and computer problems so that they can continue serving effectively and keep in contact with their support team back home, and helping set up an internet café in another country. This particular internet café is in a location where solar panels would be needed and internet would have to be brought in by cells. It has been asked for by the local missions team in hopes of providing jobs for young people who have absolutely no where else to turn. The underlying mission of course will be a place for Christ to be presented to people, Christ’s love in action. Doing computer work for the sake of doing computer work is meaningless. On the other hand, doing computer work for the advancement of the Kingdom, for Christ’s glory – that is something entirely different! Please pray with us as we seek God’s will for us in this. We are anxious to get involved in ministry again. We will update our blog as soon as we have any more information. Our blog address is: http://theotherchungfamily.blogspot.com/

We ask that as you look towards a new year that you would consider pledging your financial support as we begin our new adventure. We plan on being in full-time ministry by May 2009, if not sooner. Please let us know if you would be willing to partner with us in faith as we pursue God’s direction.

Finally please continue to pray for Amy’s Dad. He has been fighting another round of pneumonia. This is the third time he has had pneumonia this year. His oxygen levels have also been very low at night so he is on oxygen at night and will be tested for sleep apnea soon. Health-wise this has been a discouraging year for them. We are praying for a healthy winter for Dad.

May you find many reasons to be thankful this Thanksgiving season!

In Christ’s Abundant Love,

Henry, Amy, Emily (3) & Katie (22 months)

Closed Doors

Over the last several weeks we have been praying for doors to close. Doors pointing to different ministries. We've been praying for direction and confirmations but we haven't hearing anything really concrete. While meeting with our missions pastor, he shared how he went through the same struggles, what direction to go when he and his family returned home. He told us to start praying for doors to close as we had too many tentative choices.

Well over the last two weeks, several doors have been closed and we are starting to get a better picture of what God has in mind for us. We're setting up meeting arrangements and getting together with key people with the right connections.

Please pray with us as we find where God is leading us.

MRI Results!!!

I just called our doctor's office and talked to the receptionist. While I haven't heard directly from the doctor about the MRI, the fact that the doctor read the MRI and has not noted an appointment is needed is GOOD NEWS!!! It means there is no sign of anything "wrong" with me! We are praising Jesus at this news!

Thank you for praying with us during this stressful time!

Thank you Jesus for healing my body!

Audiologist & MRI

Katie had her audiologist appointment this past week and....her hearing is perfectly fine! Praise God! We weren't too concerned as we felt like she could hear ok, but it also is nice to hear it from an expert. We are putting her on the waiting list for speech therapy, but Henry & I aren't too concerned. We both feel like its just a matter of time. She does communicate through sign, gestures, and cute looks :)

I also had a MRI on Monday. The MRI went smoothly, I almost fell asleep during it! We probably won't know the results for another week or two. I haven't had any tingly's for over two weeks now! Praising Jesus!

We are currently working on a newsletter and hope to have it on your doorstep (or inbox) sometime next week.

I am going to attempt to post pictures here pretty soon, but until that time, feel free to check out our photobucket! http://s144.photobucket.com/albums/r177/Chung_Photo_Album/

Neurologist Appointment

We saw the neurologist today. While there were no definite conclusions, it is hopeful that the "tingly sensations" I have had these past few weeks will be an isolated event. The neurologist was also optimistic that the symptoms I have had have not been experienced by my Dad in his disease. They did do a few tests today in which they tested my nerve receptivity and my muscle responses, all of these tests came back good and normal.

Henry says, so basically no news is good news! I do have a MRI on August 18th, so we continue to pray that the results of the MRI will be perfectly normal.

Thank you for all who have been praying for us. This has been a very stressful time for us, but we continue to cling to God and His promises. This morning I was reading in Psalm 91 and read the Lord's faithfulness is our refuge. My heart took great encouragement from that.

And finally, a public "thank you" to Jesus for this report from the neurologist. Praise Him for me being "normal"!

**Edit** I forgot to mention that I haven't had any tingly's for the past few days!

A bit of an update

I (Amy) wanted to quickly share a small...or maybe big...blessing that happened today.

If you remember, we have found a great doctor through the Missionary Health Institute here in Toronto. Missionary Health Institute helps missionaries through the many things that come their way. They have medical doctors and counselors to help with physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Today I went back to the doctor's office today as the tingling had spread to my leg. I was a bit concerned and didn't want to spend the weekend wondering if it was something more serious. After making sure health-wise I was reasonably ok, she said, "I'm going to stop and pray for you. I've been a missionary and a pastor's wife, I know some of what you're going through." How many times have you had that happen? I hope you've experienced it before! To have a doctor pray to the God who heals for your healing, to pray that the only thing that the neurologist finds is health, it was good and needed.

So we continue to trust God. We stop and make ourselves stick to His promises. We focus on the God who never gives us more than we can handle. And we wait, knowing that He's got it all under control.

One last note, I have an MRI scheduled for August 18th at 1:30AM!! Crazy! Apparently they run MRI's 24/7 - who knew! BUT praise God for this MRI in one month's time. I can hear Dr. Edwards, "That's miraculous!" :)

Amy's turn!

It seems we never fully appreciate our health until we get sick! Then we realize how much we take for granted the ease of feeling well.

This past week has been a little bit stressful for the Chung family. I (Amy) had an infection in my finger travel up my arm and somehow works its way into my spine. That's the theory at this point. When I went to the doctor's office Monday my left arm and left side of my face were "tingly" (which by the way is a very interesting experience - imagine one nostril tingly and the other not). I was prescribed antibiotics and sent home with strict instructions to come back if my condition at all changed - tingling spread anywhere else, tingles went away came back, etc. Tuesday morning I awoke to no tingly's! Lovely! Only to have them return in my left hand in the afternoon. Back to the doctor's office. This time I decided that I should probably mention my family medical history.
Some of you may know my Dad, some not. He is an amazing man who I have the deepest respect for. Yet for most of my life he has had health problems. Starting first with a degenerative joint disease that has spread to all the joints in his body leaving him in much pain, and then being diagnosed with a neurological disease in his mid-40's. I shall have to tell you all more about him in a future post - he really is incredible!
When I mentioned that my Dad had a neurological disease that they haven't been able to put a nice name to but think it is this and/or this and/or this, the doctor got a slight bit nervous. So I am off to see a neurologist on August 7th and they are hoping to squeeze in an MRI sometime before that. Usually there is quite a wait for MRI's but like I said, I made the doctor a bit nervous...oops!

While I say this week has been stressful, I mean that it is stressful in the uncertainty of it all. Yet I can say that we are not living every moment of the day worried about what may possibly be wrong with me. I think that deserves some praise don't you?

But yes, you could definitely pray for us!
-Pray for healing in my body, that this really will be "nothing."
-Praise Jesus for sending us to a great clinic that takes wonderful care of missionaries. They are even able to get us a discounted rate for the MRI as I do not have OHIP (government health care). They have been so genuinely caring and thoughtful, truly blessing us.
-Pray for our family to not feel stressed by the unknown, but instead continue to trust God in all things.

Mommy Job Requirement: a generous tendancy to WORRY!

We were finally able to get our girls in to the doctor's office here in Toronto. As we have been traveling a lot in the past 8 months (can you believe we've lived 4 different places in the last 8 months?!), we haven't been able to bring the girls in for their normal "well child" appointments. We were able to find a doctor through Missionary Health Institute which is great. Our doctor has doctored overseas for a good while and understands all that is involved with being in different cultures/settings.

Emily is doing fine, we have never been too concerned for her developmentally. The only thing we really found out is that she's a giraffe - 90th percentile for height. (I think that means that if there were 100 kids, she would be near the top of the tallest). No wonder her Sunday School teachers always think she's in the wrong class! She is also on the skinny side for her height - no wonder I can't keep pants on her!

Katie we have been concerned about. Henry always tells me not to worry, and so I try not to, but...all you with a Mom's heart know what I'm talking about! Katie is almost 18 months old and still does not talk. I like to think she says "mama" but I'm not even entirely sure on that. She signs and communicates through head nods and shakes. She enjoys making people laugh. She seems to be able to hear as she follows instructions we ask her to do. Emily is quite a talker so it is possible that Katie simply can't get a word in edgewise! As well Katie's personality is more of an observer. All of these perfectly logical reasons for nothing to be seriously wrong. The doctor was still a little concerned and so we will be going for a hearing test for Katie soon (we're waiting to hear for an appointment).

All of that to say - I am not worried! Yeah right. How about, I am trying not to worry! That's more believable!

Please pray for us as a family as we be more intentional with speaking to Katie. As well pray that the tests would go well. I am thankful for being able to turn to this community for prayer.

I should close with a praise! Katie is also a bundle of complete love. She really does take great joy in making others happy and is crushed when she gets in trouble. She is a snuggler :). She is also right on or ahead on other areas of development...another reason not to worry Amy!

We're Back!

Thank you to everyone for praying for our time of debrief. It went extremely extremely well! The girls did mostly super good, we had a great time at the house we stayed at - "Auntie" Marg's house. She is a grandma so enjoyed having little ones around. The girls of course enjoy being around people who think they're cute! They were even given two little dolls knitted by Auntie Marg. I asked Emily if she wanted to name them...so far names haven't been too original, "dolly", "bear", "puppy"...you get the idea. BUT this time...dah dah da!...Emily actually named them almost real names! Are you ready for them? Drum roll please (you do realize that this is a rather monumental occasion don't you?)...ok, yes, I know, we need to get out more...back to the naming! One was named "Strawberry" and the other named "Cookie". Hee hee, can you tell her two favorite foods at the time of the naming? :) Hey, it could have been worse! "Lasagna" "Cheeseburger" (although there is a classic Veggie Tale "Cheeseburger" song isn't there?).

Anyways...moving right along! Henry and I had a great debrief time as well. We talked and talked and listened and heard words we needed to hear. We walked away feeling a bit of freshness in our spirit. I will try to figure out better how to word it, but for now maybe just that we had been feeling a little lost. When we were packing and making decisions for the move and wrap-up of Grand Portage there was tons of things that needed our attention and focus. While we still have been extremely busy getting our vehicle transferred over, licenses changed, citizenship papers started on, we have also felt a bit lost. Perhaps much of it has to do with us not having a real clear direction for our future. So now, while we still don't have a clear idea of our future we do have some more things to work on so that when we do know where we're going (which we are pursuing) we'll be better prepared. Henry & I both put together some things that we would like to spend time learning about or growing in. There is much more to talk about regarding our debrief, but this is all we have time for right now.

Ok, time to go get Sleeping Beauty a.k.a. Emily, up from her nap. Sorry these always seem to get a bit long don't they?

Time to debrief

We will be out of Toronto this week, June 23-26 as we meet with our organization and have a time of debriefing. It may seem like its a bit on the late side to debrief, but with all the getting settled our minds and hearts are just now getting to a place of feeling capable of debriefing.
During our debrief we will discuss our time in Grand Portage...if any Grand Portage-ites are reading this - WE MISS YOU!!!; as well as seeking God as to what our future might look like. This is a very important time for our family as we bring closure to a huge chapter in our life and seek God for the next chapter. Please pray for us!
We will be staying at a friend of a friend's house and will have the girls with us during this time. Please also pray for all of us. Emily has been a very distinct 3 year old this past week. As a parent it is always a wonder how filled with love your heart can be for your children...at the same time it is always a wonder how they can push your buttons so frequently!

Random thoughts...because most of Amy's thoughts are random!

Why is it that you can have such fantastic thoughts throughout the day and then evening comes and you sit down in the wonderful quiet to write out your thoughts...and suddenly all thoughts vanish! Do they really vanish or is it that when things are finally quiet and you don't have the constant background babble of a 3 year old and a 16 month old that you realize maybe your thoughts weren't so fabulous after all? Whatever the reason, its the 3rd straight night of such problems! But I decided to go ahead and try to have thoughts anyways! ;) Sounds scary doesn't it?

Lately I have been seeing again how much pain we experience in our lives. Close friends going through really hard times on all levels. I have also been amazed at the faith of those I have seen around me. These friends holding tightly onto God while going through these times - realizing that only through Him will they make it.

As many of you know, this past year has been a tough one for Henry & I. We have been battered and beaten. But we have also been given much. I was recently writing to a friend and explained it as such, "I know that when I was feeling really down - God used that time to almost write me my own personal love story. He seriously showered me with little gifts that would only touch my heart - so personal and thoughtful. Made me fall so much deeper in love with Him. Makes my heart go pitter patter just thinking about it. I know He will give you things too during this time that are gifts specifically for you, because He loves you."

So perhaps there are others of you out there who are also going through some personal struggles. Maybe life isn't quite where you expected it to be. Maybe you've been betrayed by ones you love. Maybe you feel you've been dealt a card too difficult to carry. To you: just wait, be still and look around you because I'm sure God has given you something of Himself, a little something just for you that will only touch your heart.

And to those of you are just dandy: look around you, does anyone need a hug, even just a smile, an understanding ear, a non-judgmental response? To those going through the struggles it can mean everything.

Ok...I'm going for now. ;)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Refrain

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Refrain

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

We've succumbed!!!

We must have really arrived now...we have our own blog. I never thought I would be one who would want a blog. I don't journal, I'm not the best at keeping in contact with people, why would I want a blog? After recently moving to the "great" country of Canada and missing friends and family as well as reading a friends blog we thought perhaps this would be an easy way for all of you to keep in touch with all 4 of us. So here we are!

Where do we even begin? We are in the beginning process of working on our next newsletter which we hope to get out within the next two weeks. Thank you for everyone who has been praying for us. Believe me, we need it! Through everything, God has been abundantly good to us. We find our hearts rejoicing in Him. Even in the midst of struggles, we firmly hold onto God knowing that any real strength comes from Him.

I'm (Amy) hoping to be able to update this weekly - although I make no guarantees! :) We often have things we would like to share with everyone and perhaps this will be a good way to do it!