Unexpected Illness

Our friend’s father was diagnosed with cancer during a work trip from Los Angeles to Seoul, South Korea. The unexpected news forced the family to cling onto God tighter than they did before as fear and uncertainty about surgery, chemotherapy, logistics, and finance draped over them. Our friend is in a small group in Los Angeles who has been praying for his situation and by the amazing grace of God, the WitnessLA family was given an update on how God has answered their prayers during this difficult time.   

Prayer for responsiveness to surgery and chemo, and for the best possible medical care.  
Prayer update: There were concerns that the surgery and chemotherapy would not be effective in battling the cancer given its late discovery. However, my dad’s surgery went extremely well in removing the cancer tumors. His recovery has been great and his chemo sessions are moving along without a hitch. He just received another full diagnosis and the chemo drugs that he’s been receiving seem to be really effective. He hasn’t had bad side effects from is, aside from the usual throwing up and not being able to eat for few days. Although he has lost a lot of weight, 25lbs to date, from this treatment, it’s been a blessing since he was a little heavy. It’s hard for him for maybe one or two days after the treatment but he’s otherwise been his normal self.  So all in all, everything is going fantastic. 

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Pray for Japan

Photo courtesy of LA Times

Japan was recently devastated by earthquakes and tsunamis. The impact of what happened is still being assessed. Media sources inform us that additional quakes and tsunamis are predicted to strike again. We ask that the WitnessLA community come together in lifting Japan in prayer during this difficult and trying time. Thank you.  

Featured Reader: Maunling (Malaysia)

From time to time, we’ll be featuring some of the best comments and feedback we receive from some of our readers around the world.  We recently received this message and prayer request from our reader Maunling from Malaysia.  Please keep her in prayer!  Thank you to all our readers for continuing to inspire us and for sharing how this blog has moved you!

Greetings from Malaysia! I’ve been following this blog since this year May, was very touched and moved by all the testimonies, great work guys!

The reason i write this message is about a personal prayer request. I’m coming to L.A next month (8th Jan) to join in YWAM L.A base for DTS course (Discipleship Training School) all the way from M’sia. In September, God spoke to me and asked me to come to L.A for this DTS, but before that He already prepared my heart for this L.A journey before i knew this is the place. I specially thanks to the author of this entry : “Journey to the Lord through the City of Angels”, that’s where I got a strong conviction of the calling from God, the author has given me the courage to take this step of faith, to come to L.A for 5 months training.

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I started to find this place awesome every time I read the stories, and my heart stirred when I see there’s a bunch of young Christians sharing their daily ordinary testimonies over the blog, yet the extraordinary hand was upon them. I find this place awesome! To be frank, until today I’ve no idea why God wanted me to come to L.A, but deep inside my heart i knew it’s something important to me, something better lies ahead.

I came from a typical Chinese background, was brought up in that way too. I was the 1st Christian in my family, and I used to attend Chinese church. All I know about God was just surface in the past, all taught in creed, not by self experience. Not until this year, God opened my eyes to see things that unseen, He even brought me closer to Him, that was the very 1st time I felt the sweetness of being in His presence, and that’s when the calling begin to stir in my heart for this DTS.

I’ve been struggled alot before making a step for this decision, apparently I’m working as a Graphic Designer and no longer young, I’m 28 and I do have monthly commitments. DTS requires at least a 5 months break for you to get close to God, this seems so hard for me to pull myself out from the worldly commitments. And as I prayed, I know I gotta take a leap of faith and trust God for this. For I know His plan for me is to prosper me and not to harm me, a plan that gives me hope & a future. Please pray for me on the preparation before coming to L.A, and when I’m here, pray that I’ll not get homesick that serious, pray that I get the full payment for my course fees, pray that I’m well in physically as well as spiritually and I can get along with all the people around.

Blessing,
Maunling

Update: Hospitalized Mother with Ruptured Aneurysm

Last week we asked you to come to together as a community to pray for healing for Christie’s mother Annette in New York, who had suffered a ruptured aneurysm and required three brain surgeries.  Read the original post here.

Your prayers have already made a real and tangible difference!  This weekend, we received an incredibly encouraging update from Christie by email, which we’ve included below.  God is definitely at work in their situation, and once again this has shown us that prayer is the one thing we can do on a regular basis to literally change the world and the lives of those around us.  Please continue to keep Annette, Christie and their family in your prayers and to declare healing in Jesus name for a full and complete recovery!

From Christie:

Good morning from NY! I am happy to report some change in my mother. For the first time yesterday, she opened her eyes and actually kept them open pretty much the whole day! Not only that, the doctors had her breathing off her respirator for 4 hours! She is not in any way out of the coma, but the Dr feels now that she is “over the hump” in terms of survival.

Since your prayer session there were some setbacks such as a random heart condition popping up so they had to perform a variety of cardio exams and hook mom up to a machine and then there was rapid eye blinking causing concern mom was having seizures or spasms in her brain and yet another machine was hooked up to mom. She beat the odds and is now opening her eyes and following my voice and my movements with her eyeballs! [Click “Read More” below to continue]

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Community Prayer Request: Hospitalized Mother with Ruptured Aneurysm

Please join us in prayer for Christie, whose mother, Annette, is hospitalized for a ruptured aneurysm.   Annette has undergone 3 brain surgeries to date and remains in critical condition.  The last surgery had to remove bone from her forehead to alleviate the pressure from the swelling in her brain.  Annette is a beautiful person who loves God, her family, and her community.  She has tirelessly served in her community as a teacher’s assistant at a local highschool, on the board of directors of school boards, and by volunteering her time through one of many organizations like the civic association.  In all that she does, she goes above and beyond the call of duty and serves with all heart. 

Christie and her family have been praying for her mother’s recovery.  She read on our blog how prayer woke up Jimmy from his coma and healed a deaf man, so by faith she is reaching out to our community to pray with her in seeking God for healing.  As a community, we know that nothing is impossible with God and that our prayers can help to release God’s grace and mercy in providing healing and recovery for Annette.  We want to declare in Jesus name that the swelling will subside in her brain, that there will be healing and full restoration of brain function, that Annette will wake up like Jimmy did, that there will be no loss in memory or any motor function, and that new neurons and pathways will be grown miraculously as we pray in faith and believe that God will deliver.  Please come together with us in praying for Annette and her family and friends.  Thank you.

“ We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.” — Psalm 33:20 (NIV)

Community Prayer Request Update: A Mother’s Depression

Thank you all who prayed during our community prayer request on June 16, “A Mother’s Depression”.  We received an update from our friend that his mother is back at home.  The situation is more manageable and they are currently taking steps to deal with this matter as a family.  They thank you for your prayers.  We ask that you continue praying for them through this healing process.

You can read the original prayer request here.

Psalm 147 (NIV)

 ¹ Praise the LORD.
       How good it is to sing praises to our God,
       how pleasant and fitting to praise him!

 ² The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
       he gathers the exiles of Israel.

 ³ He heals the brokenhearted
       and binds up their wounds.

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Community Prayer Request: A Mother’s Depression

We ask you to come together again in prayer for another friend in our community.  Yesterday he was told that his mother was hospitalized because she tried to end her life.  She is suffering from depression.  We’re told she will be released from the hospital today.  He’s very distraught.  He’s had a difficult upbringing all his life.  His parents were divorced when he was young, and given their personal problems with addictions, he was forced to grow up fast and take care of himself and his younger brother.  He has worked really hard to breakaway from the generational sins of his family and has done well for himself both personally and professionally.  He is not a believer however he is not closed to the notion of God.  Will you come together with us to lift this family in prayer?  Will you pray for redemption, reconciliation, healing, protection, and comfort?  Will you pray that they come to experience and know in their hearts the love of Jesus Christ?  Thank you.

“I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.” psalm 40: 1-3