Dear family and friends,
2019 has been, by far, the hardest year in the history of our family. But God is always good. He is always with us, and He is ever faithful. He has also given us our beloved family, church family, and friends who have provided us with such tremendous support through such a devastating time.
On February 8th 2019, God called home our beloved wife and mother, Esther, after eight years of struggling with cancer. About three months before her passing, we started to change our prayer for her. We prayed, “Lord, if your plan is not to heal her, we ask that you will call her home sooner, so that she won’t have to endure so much pain.” Greater pain in the last stages of cancer is common for terminal patients, and Esther was worried about having to go through that season—especially as she was already suffering from having so much pain. And God, being our gracious and loving Father, heard our earnest prayers and granted our plea. In the last two months before she left us, Esther felt less pain than she did before, and on the day of her passing, she went home to her Father very peacefully. We will miss her so very dearly.
Though the grieving process was arduous, we know that Esther is in a better place now with our Lord in heaven, and that despite such a heavy loss, God has called us to finish our tasks here for Him on this earth. Monty continues to work part time at Women’s College Hospital, serves as an elder at IRECT, and helps mentor Kim and Jen in their day-to-day lives. For the next two years, Monty plans to delay any major decisions about his future so he can just dwell in God’s healing process for him.
Kimberly started her sixteen-month teaching certificate program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario this past May. It was not easy for her to quit her job at the Office of the Auditor General of Ontario and start studying again. But God’s calling for her and her life has been clear ever since she was a child, and that calling is, undoubtedly, to be teacher. We pray for her and her schooling every day—that she will be a blessing to others, and that God will use her in profound and unexpected ways. Jennifer is now working at Women’s College Hospital as well, but in a different department, Finance, as one of their Business Partners. She is really enjoying her job and is looking forward to learning and growing in such a great institution. Jennifer also got engaged to her boyfriend, Adriel, this year and is planning on getting married in 2021.
Amidst all of our hardships, the Lord reminds us of His grace in the “everyday”: Watching TV together as a family, putting up the Christmas tree, eating great food around the dinner table, and sharing so many beautiful stories of our life together with our one precious and beloved Esther. There is something so glorious in the mundane—and while this loss has been so incredibly difficult, it has reminded us to treasure the routine interactions we have with our family and friends. And with that, we pray that you and yours have a Merry Christmas 2019 and a Blessed New Year 2020.
