My Journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death
Testimony by Mrs Maureen Mahadevan
I shall entitle my testimony, “The Journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death”. This journey has brought me through three death- defying experiences which began in 2003 when I was bleeding profusely from a colon tumour. I was rushed to the A & E Department at Mount Alvernia Hospital. I was told by a doctor that my blood count was very low at 5.8 and had to be admitted for an immediate transfusion. I had requested for a single room but there was none available. This was God’s plan to lead me to a very good surgeon, Dr Wong. I was placed in a room with a lady who had undergone surgery done by Dr Wong. She told me that Dr Wong was the best surgeon anyone could ask for. Praise the Lord, although we did not know anyone, the Lord knew best and led us to him. Dr Wong was indeed a good doctor, he ordered a scope to be done and discovered a huge tumour in the colon. I was operated on the next day and the huge tumour was removed. I was told by another doctor from National Cancer Centre (NCC) that Dr Wong had done an excellent job, it was what he called a “thoroughly clean surgery”.
The biopsy showed that the tumour was malignant and had spread. The oncologist at Mount Alvernia gave me only six months to live. My husband, Mahadevan, was devastated. At this time, the Lord led him to call his good friend and was advised to transfer me to NCC instead. Associate Professor Koo Wen Hsin of NCC took over my case till this day. Once again, I went through a circuit of tests and by God’s grace, the results were not so bleak as expected. The oncologist said that I had stage 2B cancer but I was advised not to go for chemotherapy due to my weak constitution and also the new guidelines doctors had to follow concerning cancer treatment. Dr Koo, my Oncologist, told me that the surgeon at Mount Alvernia had done a wonderful job of thoroughly removing the tumour and that I should just wait and to do a monthly blood test at NCC. By God’s grace, the cancer marker came down month by month. By 2005, Dr Koo declared me cancer free and wanted to discharge me but God stepped in, giving my husband the wisdom to request for continuous monitoring of my condition.
I continued with the monthly blood test and in 2007, for the first time, the cancer marker came up. I am very thankful because at every turn of the way, God was there, it was all by His careful leading. Dr Koo ordered for a PET scan to be done in 2008 and the result showed that the cancer had gone to the lungs and was stage 4 terminal cancer. I went to church on Sunday and prayed and cried before the Lord. Dr Koo prescribed oral chemotherapy tablets which had to be changed every six months. I took the tablets for one and a half years and during this period the cancer marker fluctuated, sometimes going down, other times up again. Then came the intravenous treatment which I dreaded as it brought about many terrible side effects and the constant reminder that the treatment could kill me. I walked through this valley of the shadow of death and it was not an easy road.
However, in 2010, I was given two months break from the intravenous treatment, the doctor wanted to give me some time to recuperate. Praise the Lord, because it meant that I could go to the Church camp held at Tioman. I came back refreshed and spiritually ready to face the challenges ahead. I continued with the treatment and in November 2011, I came down with a serious case of pneumonia and because of this I could not continue with the chemotherapy. Dr Koo decided to put me through six rounds of radiotherapy to control the cancer in the lungs while I was hospitalised at SGH. Later the doctor discovered that the cancer had spread to the bones and thus I had to go through ten rounds of radiotherapy which lasted up to April 2012.
Dr Koo also asked the hospice team to visit me at our home and they left with me different medications, among them, morphine for the pain. By God’s enabling and bountiful mercies, I did not have to take any morphine. I was told by the doctor to prepare for the worst, so I called our Pastor, Dr Jeffrey Khoo to make all final arrangements. God also gave me the strength and stamina to see to all the arrangements and settle all financial issues despite my bodily weaknesses.
I thank the Lord for the support my husband and I received from Pastor Jeffrey Khoo, Elder, Deacons and their families, and all my good friends and church members who came to help us. If not for your support it would have been a lonely and difficult journey. Your prayers to the Lord uplifted me. I want to thank my beloved husband, my maid Wani and my family members for their love, care and support. As I was unable to write the testimony, I thank Pastor Khoo for asking Sister Jenny Kan to help me pen this testimony as I dictated it to her. I look forward to the day when my husband will continue to go to church to worship God, to have fellowship with others, and to give support to Pastor Jeffrey Khoo. I want my husband to continue to worship at True Life B-P Church.
God bless everyone.
*****
Off to “Rainbow Paradise”
Tomorrow, 270 of us will make our way to Penang for our 8th Annual Bible Camp at the Rainbow Paradise Beach Resort. Interestingly the name of the Resort, “Rainbow Paradise”, is biblically significant.
The rainbow reminds us of God’s grace and mercy on the inhabitants of the earth, promising never again to destroy mankind by a global flood. The rainbow was given as a perpetual sign of God’s promise. “And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.” (Gen 9:12-17).
However, the rainbow also reminds us of another judgement to come. The world today is becoming more and more like Sodom and Gomorrah. God will judge and destroy this sinful and wicked world once again—no more by water as promised; this time by fire. Here is the warning: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Pet 3:3-7).
Many in the world today live their lives as if there is no final day of reckoning. There are Christians who live their lives as if Jesus Christ is never coming back, at least not in their lifetime. How wrong they are to think like this. The Bible warns, “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless.” (2 Pet 3:8-14).
Campmaster Dn Tan Beng Lee (centre) & Asst Campmaster Dn Wilson Tan (right)
The rainbow points us to Jesus Christ who alone can save us from the wrath to come, only if we repent and believe in what He had already done for us—His crucifixion and His resurrection—to save us from our sins, we will surely be saved, and be with Him in paradise. Jesus promised paradise to the thief who pleaded for mercy and forgiveness, “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43). Jesus encourages all of us to have believing minds and hearts, and all who believe in Him and His words will be with Him in paradise, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Rev 2:7).
May the Lord bless every camper with a little taste of heaven on earth as we worship Him, enjoy His creation, enjoy His Word, and enjoy the fellowship of the saints at “Rainbow Paradise.” More importantly, let us know and understand God’s will for our lives. JK
