11. Manna issue 61 - My Journey Through the Valley of the Shadow of Death 我走過死蔭幽谷的旅程
Gaining a new perspective on life
after surviving cancer in high school.
對生活有了新的看法
高中時在癌症中倖存下來。
Joseph Chen—Chicago, Illinois, USA 美國伊利諾芝加哥 陳豪
God healed me from cancer when I was in high school.
Now, twelve years later,
I am pursuing a PhD at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign,
but the painful memories of my chemotherapy treatment are hard to forget.
Through that experience, my values and priorities were changed,
and I thank God for the opportunity to share His marvelous grace.
當我上高中時，神醫治了我的癌症。
十二年後的今天，
我正在伊利諾大學厄巴納-香檳分校攻讀博士學位，
但是我化療的痛苦記憶卻難以忘懷。
透過那次經歷，我的價值觀和優先選擇事項發生了改變，
我感謝神給我機會分享祂奇妙的恩典。
MY FIRST FIGHT AGAINST CANCER 我第一次與癌症的博鬥
In 1997, I had just entered an academically competitive high school in Taiwan
and immediately felt great pressure.
During the second semester of my freshman year,
I started to get sick often with stomachaches and colds,
but I didn’t think anything of it.
My homeroom teacher, who genuinely cared about her students,
took me to the hospital because I was so ill during class.
1997年，我才剛進入台灣一所學術競爭激烈的高中，
就立即感受到了巨大的壓力。
在我大一第二學期的時候，
我開始生病，經常有胃痛和感冒，
但我並沒有多想。
我的班導師，她真心關心自已的學生，
帶我去醫院，因為我上課時病得很嚴重。
I was diagnosed with lymphoma,
a type of cancer that originates in white blood cells,
which are cells of the immune system that defend the body against infectious diseases.
The doctors said it was very rare for someone so young to have this illness
and recommended that I immediately put my studies on hold and begin chemotherapy.
我被診斷出患有淋巴瘤，
那是一種起源於白血球的癌症，
白血球是免疫系統的細胞，可以保護身體對抗傳染病。
醫生說人這麼年輕就得到這種疾病是非常罕見的，
並且建議我要立即暫停學業並且開始化療。
However, my family wondered if I had been misdiagnosed
and sought a second opinion.
At the same time, we prayed sincerely to God for a miracle.
After an examination using more sophisticated medical technology,
the doctors confirmed that I had cancer, specifically lymphoma.
然而，我的家人就懷疑我是不是被誤診了。
並尋求第二種醫療諮詢。
同時，我們也真心求神來創造奇蹟。
經由使用更先進的醫療技術檢查後，
醫生證實我得到了癌症，特別是淋巴瘤。
My mother later told me that, during this period,
the doctor repeatedly told my family
to prepare themselves for any outcome
since my illness was in its most critical stage.
My family prepared themselves by praying every day as they usually did,
entrusting the matter to Jesus Christ, the Lord of life.
後來我媽告訴我，在這段時期，
醫生反覆叮囑家人，
自已做好準備接受任何後果，
因為我的病情已經到了最嚴重的階段。
我家人就做好準備，像自已往常一樣每天禱告，
將此事交託給生命之主耶穌基督。
From the way my parents normally prayed and trusted God,
I learned a very valuable life lesson:
live actively by the principle,
“Prepare yourself when you can, not when you need to.”
I have carried this lesson with me at home and abroad,
as a student and as a person, and it has been like a faithful guide to me.
從我父母平常禱告和信靠神的方式，
我學到了非常寶貴的人生教訓：
積極的遵循原則生活，
“在可行的時候做好準備，而不是在需要的時候。”
我在國內和國外都記著這個教訓，
作為一個學生和一個人，那就像我忠實的指南。
Since I was so young at the time,
I did not react that strongly to the news.
Actually, I thought it would be a good opportunity
to take a break from school!
However, after my parents completed the necessary paperwork to suspend my studies,
my life spiraled into a journey through the valley of the shadow of death.
由於當時我還很小，
我對這個消息的反應並沒有那麼強烈。
事實上，我認為這將是一個很好的機會，
可以休學好好歇息！
然而，在我父母完成了休學的必要文件之後，
我的生活螺旋式的陷入了死蔭幽谷之旅。
I began a regimen of six treatment cycles.
Every three weeks, I went to the hospital for three hours of chemotherapy
and then suffered three days of very severe side effects
including nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and loss of appetite.
The anxiety that began soon after the medications were administered
was so unbearable that time seemed to stand still
as I lay on the hospital bed unable to sleep.
Soft noises were amplified to the point
that the sound of a pin dropping on the floor was deafening.
我開始了六個治療週期的療程。
每三週就去醫院進行三小時的化療，
然後承受三天非常嚴重的副作用，
包括噁心、嘔吐、疲勞和食慾不振。
進行醫療後不久就開始出現的憂慮，
讓人很難以忍受，就好像時間彷彿靜止了，
當我躺在醫院病床上無法入睡的時候。
柔和的噪音卻被放大到了一種程度，
即使一根針掉在地板上的聲音，卻讓人震耳欲聾。
I began to lose my hair,
which made me reluctant to go out in public.
When I went to service or Student Spiritual Convocation,
I felt very disrespectful
because I had to wear a hat.
As I became weaker and weaker during the course of the chemotherapy,
diarrhea became the least of my concerns among the many other adverse effects.
我自已開始掉頭髮，
這會讓我不願意出去到公共場合。
當我去參加學生靈恩會的聚會時，
我覺得非常的不受尊重，
因為我必須要戴上帽子。
在化療過程中，我變得越來越虛弱，
雖然有許多其他不良的反應，但腹瀉是我最不擔心的事。
The pain of the treatment helped me realize the importance of health
and understand the following words recorded in the Bible:
“A living dog is better than a dead lion”
(Eccl 9:4).
治療的痛苦讓我意識到健康的重要性，
並了解聖經所記載以下的話語：
“4因為活著的狗比死了的獅子更強。”
（傳 9：4）。
After the chemotherapy sessions were over,
I begged my parents not to let me suffer this torment again.
Apart from not wanting to go through the physical pain,
I was also eager to resume school in September.
They agreed, even though the doctor said
there was an 80% chance that the cancer would return in the next two years.
As I left the hospital to recover at home,
all we could do was entrust the matter to God in prayer.
化療結束之後，
我懇求父母不要再讓我承受這樣的折磨。
除了不想遭受肉體的痛苦之外，
我也很渴望九月可以恢復學業。
他們同意了，儘管醫生說，
有 80% 可能性，癌症可能會在未來兩年再復發。
當我出院回家休養時，
我們所能做的就是，透過禱告將這件事交託給神。
THE LORD’S PROVIDENCE 主的預備
Back in school, it was hard to handle all the schoolwork
because I was physically weaker.
Most of my friends were in another grade,
and I had to make new friends
and catch up with fast-paced studies.
Nevertheless, amazingly,
I was able to successfully repeat my freshman year of high school
and enter my sophomore year.
回到學校後，我很難處理所有的課業，
因為自已的體力很虛弱。
我大多數的朋友都升上另一個年級了，
我必須結交新的朋友，
並跟上快節奏的學習。
然而，奇妙的是，
我能夠成功復讀高一，
並且進入自已的高二。
One day in November of my sophomore year,
I felt a lump on my neck when showering.
Very reluctantly, I told my parents.
My father led us in prayer, saying,
“As we focus on Joseph’s health in our prayers,
let us entrust it to the Lord.
God’s will must be within all of this.”
The month before, the doctor had performed a bone marrow examination
and said everything was fine.
Now, however, the MRI showed that cancer cells were again active.
我高二十一月時有一天，
洗澡的時候摸到了脖子上有塊腫瘤。
我很不情願的告訴了自已的父母。
我父親帶領我們祈禱，說：
“當我們禱告關心陳豪的健康時，
我們要把這件事交託給主。
神的旨意一定會存在這一切事之中。
一個月前，醫師已經做了骨髓檢查，
並且說一切情況都很好。
然而現在，核磁共振顯示癌細胞再次活躍。
The homeroom teacher who had taken me to the hospital
advised me to see a certain doctor at the National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital in Taipei.
My friend and I made the long trip there from Taichung
and, at our arrival, were told that the doctor was not there
and that the hours for making appointments were over.
The lady scheduling appointments was about to draw the window blinds
and shut down her computer
when she saw us and asked if I was a cancer patient.
I answered, “Yes,” and she gave me an appointment.
帶我去醫院的班導師，
建議我去看台北台大醫院的一位醫生。
我和朋友從台中長途旅行到那裡，
當我們到達時，被告知醫生不在裡，
約診的時段已經結束了。
掛號的女士正要拉上窗簾，
並關閉她的電腦，
當她看到我們，並且詢問我是不是癌症的患者。
我回答說：“是的”，她就給我預約了。
Several years later,
I learned that only preauthorized cancer patients could obtain an appointment.
I believe that I got an appointment
because God had planned to put me under the care of a certain doctor,
Dr. Chen, Director of the Department of Hematology at the NTU Hospital.
幾年之後，
我才知道，只有預先授權的癌症病患才能獲得預約。
我相信自已能夠有預約，
是因為神已計畫好讓我接受某位醫生的醫護，
陳醫生，他是台大醫院血液科的主治醫師。
Not everyone has the opportunity to be treated by such a good doctor as Dr. Chen,
who dedicated himself to thoroughly understanding my condition.
It was clear that God had given him professionalism, knowledge, and a caring heart.
To this day, I send him a card every year or two to thank him.
不是每個人都能夠有機會得到陳醫師這樣的好醫生來治療，
他就自已專心徹底了解我的病情。
很明顯的，神早就給了祂專業的態度，知識和一顆慈愛的心。
直到今日，我每一兩年都會寄一張卡片給他去感謝他。
The next Sabbath, the hospital called us to say,
“You are very fortunate.
You can check into the hospital on Monday.”
It was a miracle that I secured a hospital bed this easily.
One fellow cancer patient lived in the emergency room for about a month
before he was given a bed in a regular ward.
下一次的安息日，醫院打電話給我們說，
“你很幸運。
週一就可以進入醫院檢查了。”
我這麼容易就找到了一張病床，真的很奇妙。
有一位癌症患者在急診室住了大約一個月，
在他得到普通病房的一張床位。
After a comprehensive checkup at the hospital,
Dr. Chen told my parents how serious my condition was.
It was only after I was discharged from the hospital
that my parents told me what he said.
到醫院進行全面檢查之後，
陳醫師告訴我父母，我的病情有多麼的嚴重。
直到我出院之後，
父母才告訴我他所說的話。
The doctor had told them,
“The cancer has spread to the bone marrow and to the brain.
The situation in the brain looks particularly complicated.
If he doesn’t react positively to chemotherapy,
his condition will worsen, and he will likely die.
Please prepare yourselves for the worst.”
醫生告訴他們，
“癌症已經擴散到骨髓和大腦。
大腦的情況看起來特別的複雜。
如果他對化療沒有正面的反應，
他的病情將會惡化，他很可能就會死亡。
請做好最壞的打算。”
My parents had heard this type of bad news many times before.
Although the emotional pain they suffered was beyond what I could imagine,
they never let me see their tears
and chose instead to cry silently for me in their prayers.
我父母以前聽過很多次這樣的壞消息。
雖然他們所承受的情感折磨超過了我所能有的想像，
他們從來沒有讓我看到他們的眼淚，
他們選擇在祈禱中為我默默哭泣。
All I knew at the time was
that I had to undergo extremely high doses of chemotherapy at once.
The treatment itself would put my life at risk.
當時我只知道的一切就是，
我必須馬上接受極高劑量的化療。
治療本身就會使我面臨生命的危險。
THE SHADOW OF DEATH 死亡的陰影
During the winter holiday,
I began highdose chemotherapy treatment at the NTU Hospital.
Remembering this period of my life still sends a chill down my spine.
寒假期間，
我開始在台大醫院接受高劑量的化療。
回想起我這段生活的經歷，自已仍會感到背脊發涼。
According to a nurse, my chemo dosage was so strong
that two patients who had received a similar dosage had died.
Medications were given intravenously starting from the morning,
and at night I received saline and rest.
This treatment process was administered for three consecutive days,
during which I alternated between lying in bed and vomiting.
據護士說，我的化療劑量太強了，
有兩名接受相似劑量的病患已經死去。
從早上開始就從靜脈注入藥物，
晚上我注射生理食鹽水並且休息。
這個療程連續進行了三天，
在此期間我時而會躺在床，時而嘔吐。
By the second day, I gave up eating altogether,
knowing that I wouldn’t be able to keep anything down.
Because the dosage was high,
several side effects became many times worse.
In addition to ulcers in my mouth,
I had an ulcer in my esophagus.
It took me twenty minutes to eat or drink anything
and the process was very painful.
到了第二天，我就完全放棄了進食，
我知道自已無法保吃下任何東西。
由於注射的劑量較大，
有一些副作用變得更嚴重。
除了口腔潰瘍之外，
我的食道也有潰瘍。
我花了二十分鐘才吃下或喝下任何東西，
而這個過程是非常痛苦的。
Apart from this, I had to take nystatin,
a liquid antifungal medication with a very unpleasant flavor,
before and after eating.
For those eight months in the hospital,
everything I ate tasted like nystatin.
除此之外，我還得服用制霉素，
一種液體抑制黴菌的藥物，有很不好的味道，
飲食前後都感覺很差。
在醫院的這八個月裡，
我吃的食物嘗起來都像制霉素。
I also went into cycles of constipation and diarrhea.
I lost weight until I reached 101 pounds
and became the proverbial skin and bones.
My hair fell out so fast that
the nurse had to use tape to remove all the remaining hair to keep things sanitary.
我還進入了便秘和腹瀉的循環。
我體重減輕到 101 磅 (45.8 公斤)，
並成為俗話所說的皮包骨。
我的頭髮掉得太快了，
護士不得不用膠帶去除所有剩餘的頭髮以保持衛生。
When the medications were in effect,
my white blood cell count went down to almost zero,
which put my life in danger,
as normal white blood cell counts are between 6,000 and 10,000.
Some of the other chemotherapy patients had their blood drawn every two days like me,
so we started a competition to see who had the highest white blood cell count.
Scoring more than sixty was a rare occurrence.
當藥物發揮作用時，
我的白血球數量幾乎降為零，
這會使我的生命處於危險，
因為正常的白血球指數在 6,000 到 10,000 之間。
其他有一些化療的病人像我一樣，每兩天抽一次血，
所以我們開始了一場比賽，看看誰的白血球指數最高。
得分超過六十分是很少發生的。
Undergoing this treatment in the sterile room
was like going through hell on earth.
All that was left to do
was to pray with the little strength I had left and fight against time.
在無菌室中接受這種治療，
就像是經歷了人間的地獄。
剩下所能做的事，
就是用我僅剩的一點力氣禱告，並與時間賽跑。
During those eight months in the NTU Hospital,
I prayed earnestly each day,
never changing the content of my prayers
from the day I was admitted until the day I was discharged:
在台大醫院的這八個月裡，
我每天都迫切禱告，
從不會改變自已禱告的內容，
從我入院之日起直到出院之日：
“Dear Lord Jesus Christ,
I know that You might take me.
If You want to take me with You, I am willing to accept it,
but please comfort my family because they will be the ones to suffer most.
However, if You think that I still can be of any use here in the world,
maybe You could consider letting me stay,
and I will certainly try my best to survive.”
“親愛的主耶穌基督，
我知道你可能會帶我走。
如果你想帶我一起去，我也願意接受，
但請安慰我的家人，因為他們將是受苦最深的人。
然而，如果你認為，我在這個世界裡還有用處，
也許你可以考慮讓我留下來，
我一定會盡力活下去。”
My father asked many of the churches in Taiwan to pray for me.
Our local church was not open at night,
so each day after work,
my father would go to the Lileng Church at midnight
and tearfully pray in the chapel.
我父親請許多的台灣教會為我禱告。
我們本地的教會晚上沒開放，
所以每天下班後，
我父親半夜會去裡冷教堂，
並在會堂裡流淚禱告。
Sometimes, while driving to work,
my father would have to pull over
because of sudden bursts of tears
that would overwhelm him while praying for me in his heart.
Although I did not know it at the time,
the fervent intercessions of my family and brothers and sisters in church
acted as a strong sustaining force for me.
有時候，開車要去上班時，
我父親會不得不停車靠邊，
因為突然會淚流滿面，
當他在心裡為我禱告的時候，讓他心力交瘁。
當時雖然我不知道這事，
我家人和教會兄弟姐妹迫切的代禱，
成為我的強大支撐力。
GOD’S WONDERFUL WILL 神奇妙的旨意
While I was going through chemotherapy,
the doctor asked my father to prepare about $1,000,000 NTD
(about $30,000 USD) in cash.
The doctor explained,
“It is more likely to find fully compatible bone marrow in siblings.
If not, we have to look nationwide.
If we cannot find it in the country,
we’ll need to search internationally,
and that will cost at least $1,000,000 NTD.
The chance of finding a compatible person
who is not a sibling is one in two million.”
To prepare for this expense,
my father sold farmland that was worth exactly $1,000,000 NTD.
在我接受化療的時候，
醫生要我父親準備大約100萬元台幣，
（大約 3 萬美元）的現金。
醫生解釋說，
“很有可能在兄弟姊妹中找到完全相容的骨髓。
如果沒有，我們就必須全國尋找。
如果國內找不到的話，
我們就要去進行國際搜索，
那就會至少花費新台幣 100 萬元。
找到一位合適骨髓之人的機會，
而他不是兄弟姊妹，機會只有兩百萬分之一。”
為了準備這筆費用，
我父親賣掉了價值剛好新台幣 100 萬元的農地。
I have three brothers and one sister.
The doctor first analyzed the blood and bone marrow of my three brothers.
When we found out that none of my brothers were compatible
and our hopes were lost, I had an unforgettable dream.
我有三個兄弟和一個姊妹。
醫生先分析了我三個兄弟的血液和骨髓。
當我們發現自已的兄弟都不匹配時，
我們失去了希望，我卻做了一次難忘的夢。
In my dream, my brothers and I were out in the mountains.
I was walking behind the rest of them and slipped off the mountainside
because I was not careful.
I managed to hold on to the edge,
but I knew I couldn’t hang on for long.
I called to my second and third brother for help
but they couldn’t hear me.
在我的夢中，我和兄弟他們在山上。
我走在他們其他人的後面，從山腰上滑下來，
因為我沒有提防。
我成功抓住了邊緣，
但我知道自已可能堅持不了多久。
我呼叫二弟和三弟求助，
但他們卻聽不到我的聲音。
As I was about to fall off the mountain,
my eldest brother Shanchuan suddenly appeared and pulled me up.
After that, we cleared that dangerous mountain road without further incident.
就在我快要掉下山去的時候，
我大哥陳善川就突然出現，並把我拉了起來。
之後，我們就清理了那條危險的山路，就再沒有發生任何事故。
When I talked to my father the next day,
he encouraged me with heartfelt words
that revived my hope in the midst of the valley of the shadow of death.
He said,
“Don’t be worried, Joseph!
As always, let’s pray to God and entrust it all to Him.
We will see His wonderful will unfold.”
第二天我和父親說話的時候，
他用肺腑之言鼓勵我，
這燃起我在死蔭幽谷中的希望。
他說，
“別擔心，陳豪！
像以前一樣，讓我們禱告神，並將一切交託給祂。
我們將會看到祂奇妙的旨意展開。”
At this critical stage,
something miraculous happened.
Dr. Chen told me,
“Congratulations, Joseph!
In the end, we found that your brother Shanchuan’s bone marrow
is fully compatible with yours,
so we can do a bone marrow transplant.”
在這關鍵的階段，
奇妙的事發生了。
陳醫生告訴我，
“恭喜你，陳豪！
最後我們發現你善川哥哥的骨髓，
與你完全相容，
這樣我們就可以進行骨髓移植。”
God had planned this all even before I was born!
My mother and I offered our prayers to God with tears of thankfulness.
While praying, I remembered that God had revealed this to me in my dream.
神甚至在我出生之前，早就已經計劃好了這一切的事！
我和媽媽流著感恩的眼淚禱告神。
當我禱告的時候，我想起神早就在我夢中啟示了這件事。
After struggling for so long,
I finally entered the intensive care unit for a bone marrow transplant,
the last stage of my treatment.
A bone marrow transplant is very risky
because it consists of using chemicals or radiation
to remove the bone marrow that creates cancer cells
and injecting healthy compatible bone marrow.
Lastly, there is a session of radiotherapy.
All of these steps are taken to ensure
that the old bone marrow is completely eliminated.
經過了這麼長久的掙扎，
我終於送入加護病房接受骨髓移植，
我治療的最終階段。
骨髓移植的風險很大，
因為它涉及使用化學物質或幅射曝照，
方可以去除產生癌細胞的骨髓，
並且注入健康相容的骨髓。
最後，還有一次放射療程。
採取這些所有的步驟都是為了確保，
舊的骨髓可以完全消除。
During the month-long bone marrow transplant process,
I had a fever of 108° F for several days.
My mother was warned several times that my life was in danger.
The last night of the fever, I completely lost consciousness.
在長達一個月的骨髓移植過程中，
我連續有好幾天發燒到華氏 108 度(攝氏 42 度)。
我母親收到很多次的警告，說我有生命的危險。
發燒的最後一晚，我完全失去了意識。
When I awoke the next morning,
it was the beginning of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.
I realized how fragile and insignificant humans were,
yet God, who rules life, raised us from the ashes of death.
第二天早上當我醒來的時候，
那時才開始看到隧道盡頭的亮光。
我才意識到人類到底是有多麼的脆弱和渺小，
然而，掌管生命的神卻讓我們從死亡的灰燼中成長起來。
As it says in Luke,
正如路加福音所說，
“Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
(Lk 1:78, 79)
“78因我們神憐憫的心腸，
叫清晨的日光從高天臨到我們，
79要照亮坐在黑暗中死蔭裡的人，
把我們的腳引到平安的路上。”
（路 1：78，79）
Leaving the intensive care unit
was the first step in escaping from the valley of death.
I recovered for a month in a normal hospital room
before being formally discharged.
I still needed to go to the NTU Hospital every week for follow-up blood tests,
but as the days and months went by,
I started to recover little by little and march toward life again.
離開加護病房，
才是逃離死亡之谷的第一步。
我在普通病房用了一個月康復，
在正式出院之前。
我仍然需要每週去台大醫院去接受後續驗血，
但隨著日子一天天，經過了幾個月流逝而去，
我開始漸漸的康復了，重新走向了生命。
A SECOND CHANCE AT LIFE 第二次機會的生命
When I was discharged,
Dr. Chen warned me,
“You have to stay at home and rest for two years.
Don’t even think about going back to the high school you used to attend
and subjecting yourself to that kind of pressure.”
當我出院時，
陳醫生警告我，
“你必須留在家裡休息兩年。
甚至不要想回到曾經就讀的高中，
並使自己承受那種壓力。”
At home, I started thinking over and over
about how I survived from hospitalization to discharge.
I was able to get through that time thanks to the love and the prayers of my family
as well as my local church.
The mothers of Tatung Church came to visit me and to pray with me every week.
回到家時，我開始反覆思考，
有關自已是如何從住院到出院能夠生存下來的。
感謝家人的愛心與祈禱，我才能夠度過那段時間，
以及感謝我本地的教會。
大同教會的媽媽們每週都會來看我並和我一起禱告。
Members from the churches of Lileng,
Boai, and Nanshi came from afar to show their concern
and pray for me at the NTU Hospital.
The board members of the Taipei Church sent me sterilized church publications
so that I could read them in my hospital room.
This moved me as well as the nurses caring for me.
God heard the prayers of the many brothers and sisters from different churches,
and He allowed me to have a second chance at life.
裡冷各教會的諸位弟兄姊妹，
博愛，南勢教會遠道而來關心，
並在台大醫院為我禱告。
台北教會職務會寄給我消毒好的教會刊物，
使我就可以在病房裡閱讀它們。
這讓我很感動，也讓照顧我的護士很感動。
神垂聽了各個不同教會眾多弟兄姐妹的禱告，
祂讓我有第二次生命的機會。
Because of this, I told my parents,
“It was truly Jesus Christ who healed me.
If we trust in His power,
why do we fear what might happen if I go back to school?
If the Lord healed me,
how is it that He can’t protect me if I go back to school?”
My parents were moved,
so by faith they did the paperwork for me to return to school.
為此，我告訴父母，
“確實是耶穌基督治癒了我。
如果我們相信祂的權能，
為什麼我們會擔心我到底要不要回到學校去，會發生什麼事呢？
如果主醫治了我，
若我回到學校，他怎麼就會不能保護我了呢？”
我的父母很感動，
因此，憑著信心，他們為我辦理了返回學校申請的文書工作。
Nonetheless, the school had its doubts
and considered my condition unsuitable for coping with the pressures of study.
My father went to plead with the school officials
and quoted a verse from Isaiah 42:3:
“A bruised reed He will not break,
and smoking flax He will not quench.”
儘管如此，學校仍存有疑慮，
並認為我的狀況不適合應付學習的壓力。
我父親去學校向行政人員求情，
並引用了以賽亞書 42 章 3 節的一節經文：
“3壓傷的蘆葦，他不折斷；
將殘的燈火，他不吹滅。”
The school officials agreed to let me return to high school,
and I took up the challenge.
However, this time, my vision and attitude were different.
學校管理人員同意了讓我回到高中，
且接受了這項挑戰。
然而，這一次，我的眼界和態度都有所不同了。
With a calm heart,
I opened my spiritual eyes and carefully contemplated all aspects of life.
People too often believe
they will live to their seventies or even eighties,
but the truth is that we never know!
It is extremely important that we live to the utmost here and now.
懷著一顆平靜的心，
我打開了屬靈之眼，仔細思考生活的各個層面。
人們常常相信，
他們自已會活到七十歲甚至八十歲，
但事實是我們永遠不會知道！
此時此地我們盡最大努力生活是極為重要的。
Life is precious, but the soul even more so.
I now study and work hard with a clear goal
—to live happily with God.
生命誠可貴，但靈魂價更高。
現在我有明確的目標去努力學習和工作，
—並與神幸福的生活。
I would like to conclude this chapter of
walking out of the valley of death with David’s Psalm 23:
我想總結這本篇文章，
以大衛的詩篇 23 篇走出死亡之谷來結束：
The LORD is my shepherd;I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Forever.
1（大衛的詩。）耶和華是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。
2他使我躺臥在青草地上，
領我在可安歇的水邊。
3他使我的靈魂甦醒，
為自己的名引導我走義路。
4我雖然行過死蔭的幽谷，
也不怕遭害，
因為你與我同在；
你的杖，你的竿，都安慰我。
5在我敵人面前，你為我擺設筵席；
你用油膏了我的頭，
使我的福杯滿溢。
6我一生一世必有恩惠慈愛隨著我；
我且要住在耶和華的殿中，直到永遠。
小頁 markvmax@hotmail.com
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