The Homecoming September 11, 2006 at 3:35 pm

Christ in Life – Christ in Death
by: Jerry Liao

August 28, 2006 (Monday) at exactly 6:50 in the morning, Heaven was rejoicing and was waiting for the grand homecoming of their child – my wife and my angel Eva.

August 26, 2006 (Saturday) – Eva requested that she be allowed to eat some of her favorite food like fish and pizza. She was on a strict diet then – only vegetables and fruits. She told me that for one day only, there would be no food restrictions for her the next day. We told her that we will grant her request that made her so happy.

August 27, 2006 (Sunday) – As early as 8am, I went to market to buy Eva’s fish and pizza ingredients. By 10:00am, we’re already preparing Eva’s lunch, and we’re glad that a friend offered help. We prepared “Sinigang sa Miso – Tuna”. Eva enjoyed her lunch so much that she had two servings. She really missed having regular food. Around 2:30pm, she asked me to give her a bath which I did with the help of my daughter and yaya.

Around 4:00pm, Eva was already asking for her pizza. My daughter prepared an all-vegetable pizza which Eva jokingly said that it was all vegetable still. She enjoyed it and thanked my daughter for making the pizza for her. Around 6:30pm, she asked for the soup again and said she wanted it to be her dinner. Again, she enjoyed it a lot.

7:30pm – Eva asked my daughters to kiss her neck, head and arms, she asked me to kiss her legs. It ended the entire family was kissing her all over and that made her so happy. She was laughing out loud. Then we decided to relate some stories on some of our unforgettable moments together. You can sense that love is overflowing inside our room.

9:00pm – Eva suddenly complained of shortness of breath. I had to rush her to the hospital right away. When I was about to transfer her from her bed to her wheelchair, she slowly positioned her mouth and whispered to my ears “I Love You Daddy”. I told her that I love her too but we need to go to the hospital immediately.

9:30pm – Eva was already at the Emergency Room of St. Luke. She was still having difficulty in breathing. Eva then said “Lord – I Want to Live”. After uttering those words, Eva suffered a cardiac arrest. But it only took the doctors less than five minutes to bring her back to life. When Eva regained her consciousness, she was very lucid and she still knew who we are.

I went outside of the ER and talked to my Lord and Savior. I said “Lord, Thy will be done. If you think it’s time to take your child back, I am returning her back to you. All I ask is for you to give her a peaceful and a comfortable demise”.

3:00am – Eva was transferred to ICU. I can’t bear the site of seeing my angel Eva on a tube with a respirator attached to it. Around 5:00am, her doctors talked to me and said Eva needs to undergo a dialysis since her kidneys already failed. I gave them the go signal. Do everything to save my Angel Eva. During her entire stay at the ICU, her blood pressure was 120/70. One situation where her doctors find it hard to believe since she just came from a cardiac arrest.

My angel Eva saw me outside her room and called me into her room by nodding her head. I went inside and held her hand. I said “I Love You Mommy”, she nodded her head. I then asked her “You Love Daddy?”, she again nodded her head. Then she gave me the most meaningful look of my life, as if she’s saying “I Love You Daddy and Thank you”. Then she closed her eyes and her blood pressure starts dropping until it reaches a flatline.

The doctors came in and tried to revive her for 20 minutes. I told them to stop after another 5 minutes since I can’t bear the site anymore. My angel Eva was so tired am sure and it’s God’s way of giving her rest. She joined our Creator peacefully at exactly 6:50am of August 28, 2006.

I went inside her room, her lifeless body in bed and I whispered to her “I love you Mommy. Thank you for the love that you have given me and for saving my life by introducing the Lord into my life. You will now be in Paradise with our Lord Jesus Christ – a place where there is no pain and no sickness. Until we meet again”. I weeped and cried profusely while I kiss and hug her body. My angel has left me to be with our Creator. She passed away so peacefully with no struggle and no pain.

I am definite that my Angel Eva is with our Lord Jesus Christ – our last two prayers answered right there and then. I will tell you more about how the Lord our God revealed his intentions to me on Wednesday – Technews 101 Digital Citizens.

Thank you to all our friends, relatives and to the people who prayed, sent their flowers and messages to condole with our family. The outpouring of love somehow eased our burden.

Thank you to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for loving and protecting my angel Eva all the way. There was never a time HE left her. He again proved to all of us that he is a Loving God, a True God, and a Living God. Thank you Lord for giving me my Angel Eva and for giving us the chance to assure each other for one last time – that we love each other. Truly, in sickness and in health – we stood by each other, full of love and care. This we will treasure forever.

To my angel Eva, I love you very much baby. I am sorry if I was not able to show you how much you mean to me like the way you want me to. But I would like to tell you that in our 18 years of marriage, there was never a time I stopped loving you, and I will continue to love you more and more. You have been a perfect wife, a perfect mother, a perfect friend and a perfect spiritual light and partner. Thank you for the love and the memories. I am missing you terribly. Until we meet again.

If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord – Romans 14:8.

The passing away of my angel Eva came as a surprise to me. I knew the day she will join our Creator will happen but never did I expect it would come that way. The first two days of her wake, my mind was full of questions and disbelief. What happen? Did my God forsake me? How come my prayers were unanswered?

August 30, 2006 – It was around 10am. I was at the funeral sitting in one of the benches there facing my wife’s coffin. I was alone with my wife that morning. I started talking to my God. I said: “Lord, what went wrong? How come my prayers were unanswered? I prayed hard day and night asking only one thing – save my angel Eva, heal her totally and bring her back to normal. I gave and surrendered my life to you, committed to serve you in whatever way you want me to serve you. Begged you for mercy and grace. Why did you allow this to happen? Why take away the most important lady of my life?”

I was crying and cannot believe what had happened. I tried and did everything possible. Treatment, medicines, research and prayers. Where did I go wrong? What did I do wrong?

Believe me my friends, I received my God’s answer right there and then. In so many words, HE said – “My Son, Not only did I healed Eva, but I also healed you and your family. You asked and prayed for her physical healing – I gave Eva, you and your family spiritual healing. Physical healing is temporary, Spiritual healing is permanent and eternal.”

“You asked me why I took Eva from you? Yes I did, for her purpose in life has been accomplished. She has brought you back to me and that was all she wanted. And I am giving her – her reward – and that is to be with me in Paradise.”

“But didn’t you realize that while I took Eva away from you – I also gave you three Evas? You have your three daughters with you and Eva is inside the three of them.”

“I gave you five months to show Eva how much you love her, care for her and how much she means to you. All this time you thought you were treating her – did it ever occurred to you that she was actually the one treating you?”

“All your treatment failed – but look at your family now – I am now at the center of your family – and I am now residing inside you and your families heart.”

After hearing this, I prayed and thank the Lord for his Love, Mercy, Blessings, Wisdom and Grace. Believe me friends, our God is a true God and HE is a Living God. We may not understand HIS works, but it is not for us to understand nor question HIS plans. All we need to do is to believe and have faith in HIM and trust and love HIM with all our hearts. My friends, with God in your life – nothing shall be impossible. (Luke 1:37)

The message was so humbling. Who am I to question my God? And yet, HE still gave his answers to show HIS love, to comfort me and to assure me that HE was with us all along. HE never left us and HE heard our prayers and actually answered it – not our ways but HIS way – THE BEST WAY.

My angel Eva left with no goodbyes. Her last words were “I Love You Daddy”. There was never a time she was emotional nor dramatic. This has bugged me for awhile. But after careful thoughts, I realized my angel Eva left full of security, assurance and love in her heart. Most of us parents would want to depart this world only after seeing our children in a good situation – financially and emotionally. My angel Eva left only after she was certained that we her family was spiritually prepared. That we have our Lord and Savior in our lives.

Let me just share with you my friends two more messages I got from my God. The first was when I questioned my God why this thing had to happen to my Eva – Why Eva had the cancer? The Lord said to me: “When Eva had her cancer, you felt the need to save her. You gave her everything because you love her so dearly. You suddenly felt the love of a husband to a wife. To me, it was not Eva who has cancer but you because you don’t know me. And MY love for you is far more greater than the love you felt for your wife Eva”.

The other message was when I again questioned my God. I said, “Lord, I have been praying for months now, how come you have not healed my Eva”. My Lord answered “You just prayed and loved me for a couple of months and you have become impatient. I waited for you for 40 years and have accepted you still with open arms”.

How I will recover from this great lost is still a question. God brought me here for a reason. It is by his will I am in this difficult place, and in that fact I will rest. He will keep me here in his love, and give me grace to behave, as I should. He will make this trial a blessing, teaching me the lessons he intends for me to learn. In his good time he can bring me out again – how and when, only he knows and I will only trust and love him.

To all my readers, never let a day pass without assuring your love ones your love. Kiss them and hug them as often as possible. Tell them how much you love them. Accept the Lord as your Lord and Savior now. Put the Lord at the center of your family. Put your trust and faith in HIM. As Eva once told me: “Accept the Lord now – for after life, no amount of prayers can save us”. This is what my angel Eva lived for. She may had a short life – but it was a life lived fully. She loved her family and me with all her heart, and loved and served God till the very end. I love you my angel Eva and thank you for showing me the path to the real meaning of life.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

Praise be to GOD. To God Be the Glory.

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