ARTICLES BY COLLEEN CHAO

Category: Grief

Category: Grief

person holding orange pen
Cancer

Three years ago today

Three years ago today, my phone rang with terrible news. My doctor’s office called to inform me they finally had the results of my three-and-a-half months of medical testing. When they wouldn’t disclose the results over the phone, I knew exactly what they were.  This

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Grief

Becoming Elisabeth Elliot (Book Review)

When I was a child, my mother passed along to me a deep appreciation for the life story and writings of Elisabeth Elliot. As a teenager I read her book Passion and Purity, convinced that my own Jim Elliot was right around the corner. In

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patient with iv line
Beauty

The good news about bad news

In the past decade, going to the doctor has felt a bit like guzzling apple cider vinegar while walking barefoot on hot coals. Not exactly my idea of fun. Thursday’s appointment was no exception—bad news again. Not necessarily cancer, but a complicated cocktail of issues

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Cancer

Of cancer, gifts, and gratitude

Yesterday felt heavy and strange as we closed the door on 2018. What a year. Twelve months ago today, I was recovering from the first of several surgeries and staring chemo in the face. I’d already spent five months hopping from one doctor’s office to

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Cancer

Three months of chemo

Well, tomorrow is Round 12, my final chemo infusion. It was three months ago today that I went in for my first infusion, with a head full of hair and a cancerous tumor bigger than a golf ball. It was nine months ago that I

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Cancer

The gift of cancer

Four months ago I found a lump in my breast. And the Spirit clearly said, “This lump is a gift.” ~ ~ ~ This summer was the first time in a decade that I felt well. I started sleeping, I had energy, the aches and

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Bible study

Complain, weep, wonder, and worship.

Summer is an odd duck. School lets out, Instagram becomes a film reel of beach days and vacas, and by July 31st Halloween paraphernalia is holding stores hostage. Between June and August I’m never quite sure if I’m winding down or revving up. These hot

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person holding a green plant
Community

Kindness

This past year has been one of the hardest of my life. My hubby will say the same. We watched the bottom drop out from underneath us, and at times fear and fatigue overwhelmed our faith. It’s been one thing after another, but it hasn’t

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gray soil pathway between grass
Bible study

The road to Compassion

If you’ve ever spent time around someone who thinks they know everything, you’ve got a pretty good picture of what I was like in my late teens to early twenties. I had it all figured out, folks. I shared my opinions freely. I judged silently but liberally.

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brown toned image of a woman looking through a window and contemplating
Chronic illness

The gift of illness

I’m not in a wheelchair. I’m not on chemo. I’ve ended up in the hospital only two times, for brief outpatient visits. To see me, you’d assume I’m the picture of perfect health. But underneath this strong exterior lies deep weakness. I’ve been given the

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Category: Grief

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Our beloved Colleen is

Home at last...

From the Chao & Langley Families

With heavy hearts, we share that Colleen Chao (Langley) peacefully made her way home to eternity on July 27, 2026, surrounded by the love of her family.

While our hearts are broken, we are grateful that her passing was peaceful. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for, encouraged, and loved Colleen and our family throughout this journey. Your kindness has meant more than words can express.

We take comfort in knowing Colleen is now completely healed, at peace, and home after demonstrating such resilience and strength. 

We pray Colleen’s words in her last book, ‘On our way home’ can bring you hope in your own lives. 

Love Eddie, Jeremy, and the Chao/Langley Family

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