Our brother in Christ, Kurt Lee (17 years old), after a near two-year long battle with leukemia, has returned to his heavenly home from bone marrow transplantation complications on June 4^th, 2013. A memorial service was held on June 28^th, 2013, at Chinese Grace Bible Church, where many who have held him in prayer and walked with him during his journey celebrated his life, which although short, shone brightly on all he touched.  Sharing through worship, photos and prayers, the remembrance service brought peace to all those present.  For we know that while his time on earth has passed, his soul is alive and well, embraced by the loving arms of Jesus. This separation is only temporary, and we look forward to be reunited with him again in heaven. Rest in peace, Kurt, we love and miss you dearly.                                                                                  –Editor’s Note–

Armed by Faith, Winged by Prayer
1 Thessalonians 5:17

Kurt and Mom

Kurt Lee is 16 years old. He is a vibrant guy and a dear brother in Christ, always smiling and easy going, full of joy and always making people laugh. Kurt and his family are longtime members of Chinese Grace Bible Church, and Kurt was very active in the different ministries at church, including CYF, VBS, and the EcuadorSummer Missions. In November of 2011, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). He endured four harsh rounds of chemotherapy over several months in the pediatric oncology unit at UCSF. He experienced per-pigmentation, hair loss, mouth sores, muscle atrophy, and extensive fatigue. His mom Elsie sold her medical practice to stay in the ICU with Kurt indefinitely, and his dad Tim traveled biweekly from his practice in Carmichael to San Francisco. Kurt’s older brother Matt started college at UC Berkeley, in close proximity to his family, inspired to pursue a bachelor’s degree in pre-medical sciences.

It was a difficult time for everyone, but the body of Christ rallied together to support Kurt and his family! Through it, some of the youth at CG formed KURT’S ARMY, and the mantra is “Armed by Faith, Winged by Prayer” with the theme verse “Pray without ceasing. ” -1 Thess. 5:17. There were many projects done to encourage Kurt and to remind him that he’s not alone in this… we folded 1,000+ paper cranes, made videos, and sent daily letters to his hospital room. The biggest lesson that we all learned through Kurt’s fight with cancer is the power of prayer. Kurt’s story and diagnosis greatly impacted the lives of many people, especially our church body here at CGBC, so we were thrilled and thankful to learn that God was indeed faithful to answer prayer, and he fought his cancer into remission in mid-May of 2012!

In September 2012, Kurt came to Singspiration and spoke to the youth about his journey and how God healed him from cancer. We were informed a few days later that he has experienced a relapse in his leukemia. A relapse within 6 months of remission is not a good sign, but, God was faithful to heal Kurt once and we trust that He can do it again.

On October 14, 2012 we held a bone marrow drive in Kurt’s honor. 68 people showed up to get their cheeks swabbed and get entered into the Bone Marrow Registry. A few days later, we received the good news that Kurt had found a donor who was a 9 out of 10 match!

After some hard-fought battles against fevers, Kurt finally got the bone marrow transplant in November. Since then there have been many ups and down. Fevers, infections, and other setbacks have filled these past few months. However, Kurt and his family are pressing on and staying strong. As the church body, we can continue to pray for and encourage them. We trust that God is good and that He knows what He’s doing. Soli Deo Gloria.