Dear friends,
Thank you for your prayer support so far. I am very grateful that when I'm too tired to pray long prayers at the end of some days, that someone has me covered. I have some news and some more prayer requests for this update, but I'll keep this short because it's been a busy fortnight and I haven't had time to formulate my thoughts yet.
The good news is: Pui Yee has decided to let me stay on for another 10 months, so together with my first two months here, I'll have a year's work at HOLF.
The prayer requests are as follows:
1. Wing Kit had some cramps and spasms today, so please pray that it's only from fatigue, and that it's nothing serious. He's been very aggitated and unhappy because of it, I hope it passes by soon, and he can be his healthy self again. Pui Yee also received a few injuries this week from falling, please pray for her healing.
2. My family is moving, and I only have this Sunday left to pack, so pray that I can pack on time, so that my family doesn't have to finish up for me. And pray that the move will go smoothly and nothing will be damaged or will go missing. Also pray for the renovations on the house, and give the workmen clarity in mind and energy and focus, so that they can fix our house up to last another few decades.
3. Pray for my health as I continue my work at HOLF, and also pray for my future, as I continue to seek God's will about it. Also pray for my financial situation, I'm still short by quite a bit, so pray that God will provide and that I will recognise it when He does.
4. Also give thanks that things are going smoothly at HOLF, and all the kids are quite healthy, and Tung Tung is very joyful, blessed and loved, as with all the other kids too. And also, there's been some opportunities to witness to non-believers, and that has been going great. With much thanks to The Jesus I Never Knew, and Holy Conversation.
That's it for now, dear friends. Thank you again for your time, love and prayers.
God bless,
James
Saturday, 15 August 2009
Tuesday, 11 August 2009
Nobody.
When Jesus came into this world, He didn't come as a He, but only as an it. A tiny embryo that was destined to become a baby born in a manger in the middle of nowhere.
If there is ever a humble God, our God would be it. When His incarnation came to this world, he came alone. He grew up in Nazareth, which is a tiny village in the outskirts of Israel, where the lowly and very under-privileged lived. It was a ghetto, as his countrymen would put it, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" He grew up with people with no power, no wealth, no rights, no existence.. himself being one of them.
God knew the meaning of humility when He sent Jesus to this world.. to live in it, and to save by it. Humility in Jesus is the best witness of God's Grace. Jesus came from the humblest background, he was a nobody. The only reason why he's famous is because he fulfilled God's plan for him. He was the lamb for the slaughter, and it was the slaughter that had been famous and the lamb because of it. Noone remembers Jesus' face, there aren't any portraits, he was just the lamb. Though he is God's son, he was just the lamb. A truly humble life doesn't shout "me" in its wake, it whispers "God", and that whisper creates just enough ripples for God to work with. Notice that there wasn't a remarkable 100% conversion after Christ's death, just ripples.
So.. what does it mean to be Christ's ripple? What does it mean to become a faintest shadow of a nobody? This troubled my mind this week as I realised that despite being one of the 8 billion people in this world, I still think I can become great in His plan for me. I still try to take credit for things, and I still hope to be recognised in the streets. I find it utmost frustrating when I still expect people to compliment me on my work, and be interested in it. Am I even ready to do this work? Am I ready to become a nobody? Am I ready to not be remembered, not be seen, not be stopped and talked to in the mall? Am I ready to not take any glory for myself? Am I ready to not ever receive compliments for "me" ever again?
I love my God, and so I know my answer to all those questions is a firm "yes". Because I don't want God's blessings to stop at just compliments from people, I don't want my life to shout "me" ever again, I want it to whisper "Jesus", over and over again. I want to be a ripple, I want to be a nobody. In the end, what matters most to me isn't whether someone will remember my face because of what I said about God, but to remember how God impacted their lives through some guy whose name wasn't important.
It gives me great peace to come to that conclusion, because I know that it's okay not to be remembered, it just means that I'm doing my job right as a ripple of Jesus.
If there is ever a humble God, our God would be it. When His incarnation came to this world, he came alone. He grew up in Nazareth, which is a tiny village in the outskirts of Israel, where the lowly and very under-privileged lived. It was a ghetto, as his countrymen would put it, "Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?" He grew up with people with no power, no wealth, no rights, no existence.. himself being one of them.
God knew the meaning of humility when He sent Jesus to this world.. to live in it, and to save by it. Humility in Jesus is the best witness of God's Grace. Jesus came from the humblest background, he was a nobody. The only reason why he's famous is because he fulfilled God's plan for him. He was the lamb for the slaughter, and it was the slaughter that had been famous and the lamb because of it. Noone remembers Jesus' face, there aren't any portraits, he was just the lamb. Though he is God's son, he was just the lamb. A truly humble life doesn't shout "me" in its wake, it whispers "God", and that whisper creates just enough ripples for God to work with. Notice that there wasn't a remarkable 100% conversion after Christ's death, just ripples.
So.. what does it mean to be Christ's ripple? What does it mean to become a faintest shadow of a nobody? This troubled my mind this week as I realised that despite being one of the 8 billion people in this world, I still think I can become great in His plan for me. I still try to take credit for things, and I still hope to be recognised in the streets. I find it utmost frustrating when I still expect people to compliment me on my work, and be interested in it. Am I even ready to do this work? Am I ready to become a nobody? Am I ready to not be remembered, not be seen, not be stopped and talked to in the mall? Am I ready to not take any glory for myself? Am I ready to not ever receive compliments for "me" ever again?
I love my God, and so I know my answer to all those questions is a firm "yes". Because I don't want God's blessings to stop at just compliments from people, I don't want my life to shout "me" ever again, I want it to whisper "Jesus", over and over again. I want to be a ripple, I want to be a nobody. In the end, what matters most to me isn't whether someone will remember my face because of what I said about God, but to remember how God impacted their lives through some guy whose name wasn't important.
It gives me great peace to come to that conclusion, because I know that it's okay not to be remembered, it just means that I'm doing my job right as a ripple of Jesus.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
From love to more love.
Dear Friends,
I have very joyful news to share with you today. I've finally come to know and love every single child in the boys' special unit, so I decided that you should get to know them too! It's been a pretty long journey up to here, and I am proud to say that I've finally made it, but I wouldn't be here unless if God had opened my heart and soul to receive what I would normally not be able to receive... the returned love from these special kids.
These kids are so different from us, and from one another. They each live in their own world, and are receptive to different stimuli. They have their own way of receiving love and their own way of returning it. So it takes a lot of grace and patience just to learn to love them. I am so thankful that I've finally made a breakthrough with this one last kid that I was finding really hard to love. And for this, I am glad.
It reminds me of a quote from the animated Grinch movie:
So here's a bit about the boys, listed in the order in which I learnt to love them.
I have very joyful news to share with you today. I've finally come to know and love every single child in the boys' special unit, so I decided that you should get to know them too! It's been a pretty long journey up to here, and I am proud to say that I've finally made it, but I wouldn't be here unless if God had opened my heart and soul to receive what I would normally not be able to receive... the returned love from these special kids.
These kids are so different from us, and from one another. They each live in their own world, and are receptive to different stimuli. They have their own way of receiving love and their own way of returning it. So it takes a lot of grace and patience just to learn to love them. I am so thankful that I've finally made a breakthrough with this one last kid that I was finding really hard to love. And for this, I am glad.
It reminds me of a quote from the animated Grinch movie:
"And what happened then...? Well...in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day!
And then the true meaning of Christmas came through,
And the Grinch found the strength of ten Grinches… plus two."
I can really feel that through these last two months of working here, God has shown me step by step how to love from scratch, and has yanked, pushed and pulled, and twisted and stretched my heart to its new size, though not three sizes up, but at least two. I don't think I can ever go back to teaching privileged children again, not even children that have fully functional arms and legs and bodies. I can't see a happy child on the street dancing in his cute kitty raincoat without sighing and thinking how oblivious this child is to the joy of being able to move, let alone dance in the rain! But in view of what God is calling me to do in the future, it all makes sense for my heart and passion to be directed towards loving and serving less privileged children.
So here's a bit about the boys, listed in the order in which I learnt to love them.
Che Kin - age 40+, likes to give high fives, yank unexpected people's hair, pull his clothes over his nose and slap it, take off his clothes, slam doors, and flap his arms like a chicken.
He's the easiest to take care of. He eats and drinks by himself, takes off his clothes, brushes his teeth, and even walks by himself. He never complains and loves to give high fives, but is almost blind and needs a guiding hand in everything. He's really cute and cooperative, so it's easy to like him.
Wing Kit - age 40+, nicknamed The Grumpy Old Man, likes to eat, and pinch people. Dislikes drinking, people touching him, and everything else possible.
He's the only one that ever says anything, even though most of it is in his own language, but at least they sound like words, and sometimes they have meaning. He speaks the most when he's upset, and he has an assortment of inappropriate vocabulary that someone in the past must have taught him to use when he's totally pissed off, which happens when we feed him water and clean his private parts. He's very protective about that, unlike Che Kin who loves being naked and can't see why not. (literally!) He pinches people when he likes them, and pinches people harder when he doesn't. He can see very well and he loves food, and understands what's going on in the room, especially if there's food around. If you eat near him, and not give him any, he will move his chair towards you and give you a very angry and jealous stare. He also bites himself when he's anxious. I guess he's easy to love once you get to know his likes and dislikes, and how to work with him without hurting either yourself or him, and he's quite cute, as he speaks and has signature moves. (which can clearly apply to all of them.)
Tak Tak - age 21, likes food, chewing holes into his clothes, twirling strings around his fingers till they turn purple, rhythmic music, mild tickling and pretty girls. Dislikes water, and people who forces him to drink water.
He is hyperactive and he drools all day long. His diaper is really hard to change if you can't keep him from bouncing all over his "cage". But he's really easy to feed and has this funny goofy smile. Once you get over the fact that you'll get soaked if you be with him (sitting on his bed will wet your pants), then he's pretty fun to be with. He bounces whenever he gets hyped, and that's all the time, and he makes funny sounds with his saliva and grinds his teeth. He makes chewing sounds whenever he eats. He's also really cute, and stares at this one pretty nurse whenever she's in the room, and it's funny to watch. He also doesn't like drinking, but depending on how often you feed him, and what mood he's in, he can choose to swallow very quickly on his own according.
Emmanuel - age 11, likes music, sounds, funny noises, swimming, bathing and playing the piano. Dislikes food and drinks.
He's really small, and everyone who takes care of him treats him like a very spoiled little prince. And he's very spoiled indeed. He's really hard to feed, and I can't feed him more than 3 bites before he cries and completely clamps shut his lips and teeth. He also laughs when he knows he's won the fight. He loves swimming, he loves bathing, and he dances to music and plays with his own bells and maracas. He can't see very well, but he can see blurs. He requires physiotherapy exercises which we have to do for him, and taking care of him is very tiring. But if you're not the one stuck with feeding him, it's usually quite joyful to be with him.
Fu Fu age 50+, likes some foods and drinks, gentle music, and simple compliments. Dislikes being fed against his will, drinking water, drinking sour prune juice.
He has spasms all the time, and can't eat solid food, so everything that goes down his throat has to be in thickened liquid form, and he can choke and spit, and splatter it all over you while you're feeding him, and ruin some pretty good shirts. He takes a long time to feed, and will make a very big mess if you try to slip food into him before he's ready to swallow. Feeding him too quickly will ruin his mood and make him spit out everything. He poos in bed every other day, and isn't very interactive. It took a whole week of feeding him for me to learn how to feed him and how to communicate with him, and also learn of his softer side, the side that can be joyful if given enough time and patience. And the fact that he doesn't always spits it out or spill it, he only does it involuntarily or when you've upsetted him. He can be quite easy to feed if you wait on him to open his mouth and stick out his tongue.
Ivan - age 16, likes sitting next to the TV, lots of attention, and massages. Dislikes loud music, noise, uncomfortable sitting/lying postures, and being left alone.
He can't move most of his body, and lies in a wheelchair all day long next to the TV. He cries whenever his choice of music isn't playing, and whenever he's wet or uncomfortable. He doesn't do much else. He can't eat, so he drinks through a tube attached to his belly. His body is deformed, and he has extra rows of teeth, and very bad breath. He's heavy, he can't move, he can't interact, and it's really hard to put clothes on him, and so easy to leave alone and walk away. He makes us all listen to his choice of music. He's been really hard to love because I don't know how to make him comfortable, and I don't like his choice of music. Nor did I have the patience to massage him and talk to him. Not until last week, I did not have the patience to love him.
So how did I learn to love him? By spending lots and lots of time with him. Instead of spending time with my beloved Tung Tung, after discovering that Tung Tung loves Disney and Ivan doesn't, I decided to take Ivan out for walks in the garden, and spend hours in the bedroom with Ivan helping him to become comfortable, talking to him and massaging his body, so that Tung Tung can watch TV. And for the first 5 days, it's Tung Tung's distant cries of joy and jubilee that's been keeping me going, but for the last few days, I haven't been intentional about keeping Ivan out of the way, rather I enjoyed spending some nice quiet time with Ivan whenever possible, so if ever, he feels uncomfortable in the living room, I would take him on garden walks, and spend time adjusting the cushions on his bed to make him comfortable, so that I can keep talking to him and massaging his sore limbs. Somewhere along the way, I realised that Ivan was simply a lonely kid who needs just as much love as anyone else, and is stuck in a very uncomfortable position that makes his body sore all the time. So I decided, I would be the one to love this kid more so that he can know love the way that everyone else does. He's now my favourite boy, not because he's obedient or fun to be with, simply because he needs me.
So to end, I share with you the words of my favourite colleague back in DBSPD -
"I love every single one of them, but [Ivan] I love even more."
And it makes me wonder.. how close is this love to the Lord's love for us? He doesn't love us because we have something to offer, He loves us because we'd be so lost in purpose and meaning if we don't have Him. He loves us because He loves us. That's all there is to it.
Dear friends, thank you once again for sharing your time with me through this journey of mine. Please continue to pray for my service here and for being allowed to continue for a year after my probation is over, and also pray for health, and clarity in mind as I plan what to do next, and as I deal with everything that I have to deal with at HOLF, at home, and everywhere else. Also pray for the hearts that I'll be sharing my life with, and pray for radical awakenings, because my work isn't just with the orphans, my work is to bear witness to the great love of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to earth and died on the cross for us, so that we can share a personal connection with our God.
Peace.
James
Monday, 27 July 2009
News indeed!
Dear friends,
I am so grateful to God and so blessed by Him just to be here and serving Him and beginning my life's journey doing His work. It's so awesome and words alone cannot say how I feel, but everytime there's chance, I would be singing and shouting praise to the Lord our God. Halleluyah! Generally, it's good to know where I'm heading, and good to know that God knows the way there.
This past week, I have two highlights that I would like to share with you. And the first is this, my parents have given me their blessing for my work. I didn't expect this, because first, I am the oldest son in a Chinese family, and second, they've given me so much, it's become hard to see how they'd let their son go into fulltime missions work, and possibly go to Africa and be really out of reach. And with their blessing, I feel complete and I feel that there is no way that anyone can keep me out of Africa, and I'll definitely do my work there, soon as the Lord sends me. I am so encouraged by this, and I just really want to thank God for showing my parents how to let go, and for taking care of them, so that I can be free to serve Him all my life.
I love my family very much and I've been stuck between wanting to serve and wanting to provide for my family for a long time, and I think it's the only thing that's anchored me here and kept me from leaving. But this time hadn't been wasted, because God had used it to show my parents that I'll be stuck at this point if I can't make up my mind about this, and I know I can't, so they made it for me. My parents let go, gave me their blessing, and told me to make that choice, between putting family first, or putting God first. I guess they realised after all these years that unless if I'm doing my true calling, I won't be happy, and that my calling is to serve God in the front lines.
This is really encouraging, and it brings my mind back to the story of the Jailer who believed in Christ and then through his faith, his whole family is saved. (Acts 16:16-35) I've always wondered at what that means, because obviously salvation is a personal choice, and you have to choose to accept Jesus, to be saved. But I guess, what I'm getting from my experience in this situation is, God is definitely and willingly going to take care of my family, whilst I'm choosing Him and choosing to serve Him with all of my life, because then, I would not have the time or resources to do what I need to be doing as a son. And what I didn't bank on was that God isn't just going to stop at physically keeping my folks healthy and living, but He's really going to show them more how to also be spiritually well, even though I won't be there to show them myself. This is really amazing! Praise God!
The second thing that I wanted to share about is a grave mistake that I've made over the last 6 weeks of serving here at HOLF. There are other volunteers who are here for a much shorter time than I intend to, and a lot of them are youth and university students, so naturally I took to them and had chosen to spend more time being in the same place and doing the same chores as they are, and forgot that my responsibilities, if I wanted to serve fulltime, included a lot more than what is demanded from the short-term volunteers. Pui Yee, the head nurse, reminded me, and I felt very ashamed of my actions, and became very gloomy for a couple of days, especially because she mentioned that if I'm not suitable, then I won't be able to serve for a year, and that came as a very shocking reminder. Now the pressure from the reminder was immense and very overwhelming because Pui Yee was going to leave on a missions trip 11 days from the serious talk that we had, and I wasn't sure I could change her mind in that few days, but I realised that there was time left and I wasn't going to give up on God. I needed to shape up and to be working hard, remembering hard how to run things, and become as able as any of the fulltimers to run the entire operation, because unless if I know full and well how everything goes, I will not fulfill their requirement.
And that's what I did. I am a bit slow still, but I haven't made any mistakes or needed any reminders from the other fulltime health workers, and I'm working my butt off and God is really giving me enough energy to last it out, and I feel that I'm doing quite well. Praise God! Pui Yee's now on the trip, and will be back in 10 days, now there's still a chance that I will be made to leave on August 12 with all the other college volunteers, but I'm no longer worried about Pui Yee not being here, and that I can't show her that I'm capable of serving, because I know God is in control, and what I do unseen by others is seen by God, and if God has a mind to keep me here or to send me to Africa, noone can take me away. And between Pui Yee's reminder, and my parents' encouragement and advice, I'm really choosing God each and every day. That is so great!
And that's my update for the past weeks. Thanks for your prayer support, it's what I need most. Keep praying for my work, and my health, and also for the kids' health and for their joy and their own unique spiritual experience and journeys. I don't know how receptive they are, but maybe they have a better way of talking with God and we're just missing out.
I now have $1,700 (US$213) of sponsorship for each month, together with my tutoring ($1,800/month), it's enough to cover my expenses, but after the summer, I won't be able to tutor as much, and that may change the way things are. So also please keep praying for my financial support, and for God to really help me out here. I'm sure He will, but it's really good to pray and ask about it, we are His children after all.
God bless you, my friends.
James
I am so grateful to God and so blessed by Him just to be here and serving Him and beginning my life's journey doing His work. It's so awesome and words alone cannot say how I feel, but everytime there's chance, I would be singing and shouting praise to the Lord our God. Halleluyah! Generally, it's good to know where I'm heading, and good to know that God knows the way there.
This past week, I have two highlights that I would like to share with you. And the first is this, my parents have given me their blessing for my work. I didn't expect this, because first, I am the oldest son in a Chinese family, and second, they've given me so much, it's become hard to see how they'd let their son go into fulltime missions work, and possibly go to Africa and be really out of reach. And with their blessing, I feel complete and I feel that there is no way that anyone can keep me out of Africa, and I'll definitely do my work there, soon as the Lord sends me. I am so encouraged by this, and I just really want to thank God for showing my parents how to let go, and for taking care of them, so that I can be free to serve Him all my life.
I love my family very much and I've been stuck between wanting to serve and wanting to provide for my family for a long time, and I think it's the only thing that's anchored me here and kept me from leaving. But this time hadn't been wasted, because God had used it to show my parents that I'll be stuck at this point if I can't make up my mind about this, and I know I can't, so they made it for me. My parents let go, gave me their blessing, and told me to make that choice, between putting family first, or putting God first. I guess they realised after all these years that unless if I'm doing my true calling, I won't be happy, and that my calling is to serve God in the front lines.
This is really encouraging, and it brings my mind back to the story of the Jailer who believed in Christ and then through his faith, his whole family is saved. (Acts 16:16-35) I've always wondered at what that means, because obviously salvation is a personal choice, and you have to choose to accept Jesus, to be saved. But I guess, what I'm getting from my experience in this situation is, God is definitely and willingly going to take care of my family, whilst I'm choosing Him and choosing to serve Him with all of my life, because then, I would not have the time or resources to do what I need to be doing as a son. And what I didn't bank on was that God isn't just going to stop at physically keeping my folks healthy and living, but He's really going to show them more how to also be spiritually well, even though I won't be there to show them myself. This is really amazing! Praise God!
The second thing that I wanted to share about is a grave mistake that I've made over the last 6 weeks of serving here at HOLF. There are other volunteers who are here for a much shorter time than I intend to, and a lot of them are youth and university students, so naturally I took to them and had chosen to spend more time being in the same place and doing the same chores as they are, and forgot that my responsibilities, if I wanted to serve fulltime, included a lot more than what is demanded from the short-term volunteers. Pui Yee, the head nurse, reminded me, and I felt very ashamed of my actions, and became very gloomy for a couple of days, especially because she mentioned that if I'm not suitable, then I won't be able to serve for a year, and that came as a very shocking reminder. Now the pressure from the reminder was immense and very overwhelming because Pui Yee was going to leave on a missions trip 11 days from the serious talk that we had, and I wasn't sure I could change her mind in that few days, but I realised that there was time left and I wasn't going to give up on God. I needed to shape up and to be working hard, remembering hard how to run things, and become as able as any of the fulltimers to run the entire operation, because unless if I know full and well how everything goes, I will not fulfill their requirement.
And that's what I did. I am a bit slow still, but I haven't made any mistakes or needed any reminders from the other fulltime health workers, and I'm working my butt off and God is really giving me enough energy to last it out, and I feel that I'm doing quite well. Praise God! Pui Yee's now on the trip, and will be back in 10 days, now there's still a chance that I will be made to leave on August 12 with all the other college volunteers, but I'm no longer worried about Pui Yee not being here, and that I can't show her that I'm capable of serving, because I know God is in control, and what I do unseen by others is seen by God, and if God has a mind to keep me here or to send me to Africa, noone can take me away. And between Pui Yee's reminder, and my parents' encouragement and advice, I'm really choosing God each and every day. That is so great!
And that's my update for the past weeks. Thanks for your prayer support, it's what I need most. Keep praying for my work, and my health, and also for the kids' health and for their joy and their own unique spiritual experience and journeys. I don't know how receptive they are, but maybe they have a better way of talking with God and we're just missing out.
I now have $1,700 (US$213) of sponsorship for each month, together with my tutoring ($1,800/month), it's enough to cover my expenses, but after the summer, I won't be able to tutor as much, and that may change the way things are. So also please keep praying for my financial support, and for God to really help me out here. I'm sure He will, but it's really good to pray and ask about it, we are His children after all.
God bless you, my friends.
James
Thursday, 16 July 2009
Contact information and sponsorship.
In the case where you'd like to sponsor me, and have already given it deep thought. Here are a few methods that you can send me your money.
1. Call me or talk to me in person if you are in Hong Kong, and I can give you my bank account number, and you can transfer directly.
2. If you are not in Hong Kong, I have a Paypal account and you can donate to me through there.
3. You may also choose to give it to me directly, though I would always encourage you to give it some thought and prayer first, because I like things to be intentional rather than spontaneous.
My Paypal account email is jameswithorphans@gmail.com.
If you are sending money on Paypal, it would be good if you can let me know in advance how much you'd like to give, either through email (jameswithorphans@gmail.com) or through Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/jameswithorphans). It would also be good if you can send your gifts quarterly if you'd like to support me on a regular basis, that way we can cut down on the transaction cost on Paypal.
Thanks for raising this question, and thanks for following my work.
On a side note, prayer support is also very much needed, so be sure to pray for my health and the health of all the residents and workers at the orphanage. Thanks!
1. Call me or talk to me in person if you are in Hong Kong, and I can give you my bank account number, and you can transfer directly.
2. If you are not in Hong Kong, I have a Paypal account and you can donate to me through there.
3. You may also choose to give it to me directly, though I would always encourage you to give it some thought and prayer first, because I like things to be intentional rather than spontaneous.
My Paypal account email is jameswithorphans@gmail.com.
If you are sending money on Paypal, it would be good if you can let me know in advance how much you'd like to give, either through email (jameswithorphans@gmail.com) or through Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/jameswithorphans). It would also be good if you can send your gifts quarterly if you'd like to support me on a regular basis, that way we can cut down on the transaction cost on Paypal.
Thanks for raising this question, and thanks for following my work.
On a side note, prayer support is also very much needed, so be sure to pray for my health and the health of all the residents and workers at the orphanage. Thanks!
Friday, 10 July 2009
The past few weeks..
My dear friends,
Life has been so filled with joy and praises, God has been blessing me in so many ways. I love everything about being here at the Home of Loving Faithfulness, from changing dirty diapers to taking the kids out on their walks. I don’t always find the work exciting, and there are some boring parts, but all in all, I end each of my days feeling very joyful and very tired, and my health has also been improving a great deal. Though I’m still somewhat careless, and end up getting hurt. Last week I hurt my back, and this week I had my toe stitched up. But both injuries are healing well, so praise the Lord!
I’ve been sharing a very close fellowship with some of the other volunteers here, as well as keeping a good relationship with all of my other colleagues. This has been a real blessing, as I had been worried about having difficult colleagues. Please pray for me and my association with both the Christians and the non-believers amongst us, as I would like to grow deeper in my bonds with both of these.
As far as volunteers go, there are a lot of volunteers that come once a few times a week for several hours, as well as ones that come and live in for a few days at a time. Almost 3 weeks ago, four American students, 3 girls and 1 boy, came to work with us and they’re staying for 6 weeks, and two of them are in my unit, the boy (Lap Ching) and a girl called Anna. And through my association with Lap Ching, actually, I’ve been spending more off my “off” time in fellowship and talking to different people that lived in the rooms next to us, and it’s been wonderful, because we’re starting to expand our nightly fellowship from just us two at the chapel, to include a nurse from the Ark called Joanna. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve been doing a lot of sharing and it’s been a real blessing.
There was a lady that volunteered a while ago, and she only stayed for two weeks, but during her two weeks, she’s done such amazing work, just serving however possible, either helping the kitchen staff with the dishes or cleaning, or helping Pui Yee with the garden, and throughout that entire time, she’s also been witnessing to one of our unbelieving colleagues, and she also spent a lot of time with Lap Ching and I. She’s very humble and very blessed, and she’s taught me a few things and has been a great source of encouragement and a reminder for each day, even though she’s back to her family almost a fortnight ago. We’re still keeping in touch, and through her sharing with her fellowship, one of her friends has been enlightened and has offered to sponsor me for my work, and I feel greatly blessed. Between the two of them, they’ve committed to giving $1,200 a month for a year, and that brings my deficit to $3,800. I’m still in need of funds, but I know God will take care of this for me. My rule for offerings is that if God leaves you no doubts about giving to me, then I’ll accept it. For non-believers, I’ll accept your gifts without asking you to pray, because I know God’s association with you is very different from what He has with ones who listen for Him.
Recently, I’ve been responsible for leading a small group on Sundays, we’re going through a book called Holy Conversation, and this week’s chapter is about Talking about Jesus. Since I’ve cut my toe, I’ve been sent home to rest, and I’ve been spending this valuable time meditating and getting my homework done for the week. I realised despite knowing all the stories in the Gospels, and knowing about Christ’s miracles, I cannot retell His story from another angle, or in more depth. I’m just limited to what I know from the Gospels, and the Bible isn’t exactly a highlighted studying guide, and I’m stuck! So I realised that one of my first and foremost goals for this year has just revealed itself to me. I need to know Jesus. I need to know who I claim to be my Savior, who I accept as my heavenly Father, and who I call Lord. I need to know who I am serving. It’s such a big shock that I’ve been serving Him for so long and I haven’t even scratched the surface of who He really is. Blind faith indeed! So I’m going to work really hard, and study and really get to know Christ. That’s my first goal.
My second goal is to, of course, prepare my way to Africa. That’s where I’m called to serve, so I need to know how to get in, how to survive, and how best to train for it. So that means kinds of ministries, living expenses, travel and medical insurance, cost of training, etc. My first step towards this is to get back in touch with my friend, Cheuk Chung from OM that I bumped into on Doulos, and from there, who knows.
So those are my goals. And now for some prayer requests. My dad might be transferred to Australia for a year, so please pray for my family, for our health and for our love for each other. Pray that I’ll be able to really get some housework done on my day off, and really show my brother and my mother that I do care for them, despite needing to be away most of the week to seek my purpose. My parents don’t believe in Christ, so please pray for that. And also, please pray for my brother’s studies, he’s going into year 11 (grade 10, or form 5) next year, and there’ll be a lot of coursework to do and a lot of important exams that he has to work with. Just pray for clarity of mind, and steadfastness and patience in his studies. And that he’ll know when to rest, and how much to work, and that he’ll have a goal to work towards, rather than just letters on a grading sheet.
My dear friends, also pray for my work, my clarity of mind, as I do have a bit of attention deficit and that becomes apparent sometimes, but God will account for that for whatever plans that He has for me, and He will give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Please pray for my steadfast love for our King, and my health and my love for the kids.
In Christ’s Name I serve,
James.
Life has been so filled with joy and praises, God has been blessing me in so many ways. I love everything about being here at the Home of Loving Faithfulness, from changing dirty diapers to taking the kids out on their walks. I don’t always find the work exciting, and there are some boring parts, but all in all, I end each of my days feeling very joyful and very tired, and my health has also been improving a great deal. Though I’m still somewhat careless, and end up getting hurt. Last week I hurt my back, and this week I had my toe stitched up. But both injuries are healing well, so praise the Lord!
I’ve been sharing a very close fellowship with some of the other volunteers here, as well as keeping a good relationship with all of my other colleagues. This has been a real blessing, as I had been worried about having difficult colleagues. Please pray for me and my association with both the Christians and the non-believers amongst us, as I would like to grow deeper in my bonds with both of these.
As far as volunteers go, there are a lot of volunteers that come once a few times a week for several hours, as well as ones that come and live in for a few days at a time. Almost 3 weeks ago, four American students, 3 girls and 1 boy, came to work with us and they’re staying for 6 weeks, and two of them are in my unit, the boy (Lap Ching) and a girl called Anna. And through my association with Lap Ching, actually, I’ve been spending more off my “off” time in fellowship and talking to different people that lived in the rooms next to us, and it’s been wonderful, because we’re starting to expand our nightly fellowship from just us two at the chapel, to include a nurse from the Ark called Joanna. It’s been a lot of fun, and we’ve been doing a lot of sharing and it’s been a real blessing.
There was a lady that volunteered a while ago, and she only stayed for two weeks, but during her two weeks, she’s done such amazing work, just serving however possible, either helping the kitchen staff with the dishes or cleaning, or helping Pui Yee with the garden, and throughout that entire time, she’s also been witnessing to one of our unbelieving colleagues, and she also spent a lot of time with Lap Ching and I. She’s very humble and very blessed, and she’s taught me a few things and has been a great source of encouragement and a reminder for each day, even though she’s back to her family almost a fortnight ago. We’re still keeping in touch, and through her sharing with her fellowship, one of her friends has been enlightened and has offered to sponsor me for my work, and I feel greatly blessed. Between the two of them, they’ve committed to giving $1,200 a month for a year, and that brings my deficit to $3,800. I’m still in need of funds, but I know God will take care of this for me. My rule for offerings is that if God leaves you no doubts about giving to me, then I’ll accept it. For non-believers, I’ll accept your gifts without asking you to pray, because I know God’s association with you is very different from what He has with ones who listen for Him.
Recently, I’ve been responsible for leading a small group on Sundays, we’re going through a book called Holy Conversation, and this week’s chapter is about Talking about Jesus. Since I’ve cut my toe, I’ve been sent home to rest, and I’ve been spending this valuable time meditating and getting my homework done for the week. I realised despite knowing all the stories in the Gospels, and knowing about Christ’s miracles, I cannot retell His story from another angle, or in more depth. I’m just limited to what I know from the Gospels, and the Bible isn’t exactly a highlighted studying guide, and I’m stuck! So I realised that one of my first and foremost goals for this year has just revealed itself to me. I need to know Jesus. I need to know who I claim to be my Savior, who I accept as my heavenly Father, and who I call Lord. I need to know who I am serving. It’s such a big shock that I’ve been serving Him for so long and I haven’t even scratched the surface of who He really is. Blind faith indeed! So I’m going to work really hard, and study and really get to know Christ. That’s my first goal.
My second goal is to, of course, prepare my way to Africa. That’s where I’m called to serve, so I need to know how to get in, how to survive, and how best to train for it. So that means kinds of ministries, living expenses, travel and medical insurance, cost of training, etc. My first step towards this is to get back in touch with my friend, Cheuk Chung from OM that I bumped into on Doulos, and from there, who knows.
So those are my goals. And now for some prayer requests. My dad might be transferred to Australia for a year, so please pray for my family, for our health and for our love for each other. Pray that I’ll be able to really get some housework done on my day off, and really show my brother and my mother that I do care for them, despite needing to be away most of the week to seek my purpose. My parents don’t believe in Christ, so please pray for that. And also, please pray for my brother’s studies, he’s going into year 11 (grade 10, or form 5) next year, and there’ll be a lot of coursework to do and a lot of important exams that he has to work with. Just pray for clarity of mind, and steadfastness and patience in his studies. And that he’ll know when to rest, and how much to work, and that he’ll have a goal to work towards, rather than just letters on a grading sheet.
My dear friends, also pray for my work, my clarity of mind, as I do have a bit of attention deficit and that becomes apparent sometimes, but God will account for that for whatever plans that He has for me, and He will give me a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). Please pray for my steadfast love for our King, and my health and my love for the kids.
In Christ’s Name I serve,
James.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
June 7th to June 20th
These last two weeks had been amazing, I don't know where to start! But let's start with lighter stuff and build up from there. Last week, God had given me the chance to meet some of the volunteers at the St. Stephen's Society, which is a organization set up by the Christian missionary, Jackie Pullinger back in the fifties. It's purpose is to reach out to drug addicts and invite them to become part of God's family. The government gave them a beautiful plot of land on a hill in Shatin to establish their rehab. One of the friends of the head nurse (Pui Yee) at the orphanage had sold their flat, and wanted to give away the things in it, so Pui Yee remembered that the St. Stephen's Society needed more clothes, and drove them over to see what they can find there. We found clothes, baskets, mattresses, and tools, and they were really glad to receive all these donations. After we got back to their rehab, Craig gave me a tour, and that was pretty amazing. God has blessed their ministry so much, and I can see why, they have saved and provided homes and families for 50-60 addicts, and all this was done without a stable financial backing, just by relying on big and small donations over the years from people who learn about the ministry.
This week, we visited MV Doulos, which is the missions cruise ship that goes around the world selling books of a kinda for low prices, or in some countries, giving books away for free. This ship is owned by Operation Mobilization, and its goal is to go to different countries around the world and support them with food, water, and knowledge, and also through that, a testimony of the Christian faith. Pui Yee was part of a team that was going to go on a short term missions trip with OM, but it was cancelled because of some recent bombing in the area, so she was invited to go on a tour of the MV Doulos and she invited everyone else to go. It was quite amazing. Firstly, when we got there, Pui Yee, knowing my goal is set on serving orphans in Africa, introduced me to Mr. Lau, which turns out to be someone I have worked with before when I was serving at OM (summer 2002)! And then, she also found out that Mrs. Lau was part of her church back in London. It's so great to be blessed with re-aquaintances like these. And the tour was really fun too. They have 350 volunteers on the ship, ranging from doctors to dentists to firemen to engineers to laundry ladies and deckhands, and they have to pay to serve on the MV Doulos because of the heavy costs that the ship and the mission bears. It's pretty amazing still, it would be awesome to be part of that. But then again, it's not my calling, so I can only rejoice for those who are, I have somewhere else that I have to go to serve, but we're all serving the same God, and that's what counts!
Now to the meat of the week's happenings! Last week, I met a little girl called Tung Tung, and she has extra chemicals in her head that causes her to feel itchy on ever part of her skin all day long, and she would scratch without stopping even if it hurts and it bleeds, so what they do is that they wrap her up like a mummy and strap her to a chair, and put bandages on her arms to straighten them. She's also under-developed, so despite being 8, she's still really small and really cute. She has a deformed face, and her eyelids are too big that she's long learnt to lift her eyelid with her finger by poking her thumb into her eye, and that sometimes causes bleeding. And since she doesn't see so much, she's really attracted to the TV, so whenever we let her walk around, she would stand right up to the TV and touch it, and gurgle with joy. I hate seeing that happen, because it's not right, it's a big attraction even for normal children, but most parents would restrain them from getting up too close. Well, the first time I met her, I fell in love with her. I knew there was something I could do to help her, she just had so much extra energy stored up, being a child, and being in that chair makes her want to scratch. So I decided that I would take her for walks and play with her daily, so that she'll be distracted, and she'll be healthy and she'll strengthen her legs, and hopefully grow enough in other areas that the scratching will go away. That's my hope anyway. She's really smart and she realised that I was spending lots of time with her, so she recognises me and really enjoy being with me. It's such a joy! I would take her for walks everywhere away from the TV, and the heat outside, and we'd go upstairs to the dorms, or next door to the family unit call the Ark, which is for the more capable disabled children, who live in a family fashion to prepare them for adoption. It's my hope that one day, she'll be moved there. That would be good. But in the meantime, I'll adopt her in my heart, and love her like a daughter. I quickly found it heart breaking to restrain her from the TV and from scratching, but it's needed, and once she's free from her chair, and we're exploring the different places in the orphanage, it's become another world for us. And what's really good about all this is that she used to be restless at night because of the itching, but since I started spending so much time walking and being with her, she's become so exhausted that she falls asleep shortly after being put to bed. Thank God!
There's another girl called Wing Sze, and her testimony can be found on the HOLF website. She's 25, and she can't move below the neck and she coughs and suffers a lot from that, and she can't speak, but she learnt English just by listening to it, and is really smart. In short, there's nothing wrong with her brain. But the only way you can talk to her is to ask her yes/no questions, and she'll stick out her tongue to say yes. It's really hard, I tried talking to her but I can never formulate a series of questions to ask in order to converse with her. That gets me frustrated at times, and that's what happened yesterday. I tried to read to her, but she didn't like the book, and I didn't know for a while until she turned away her face and frowned. It must have been because it was a grade school fiction book, maybe she thought I was insulting her, but I really did like that book. Oh sigh, I didn't know what I could say to explain it. But a miracle happened! To me it was a miracle, because I couldn't tell her the things that I wanted her to know or to talk to her like I would to a normal person. I was taking care of Tung Tung, and we went into Wing Sze's family unit, and when Wing Sze watched me take care of Tung Tung with so much love and caution, she watched very intently and after a while, she joined in with her laughter. I'm glad she understood, and she could see how much I love Tung Tung, despite Tung Tung being different. Since both Tung Tung and Wing Sze enjoyed it, I think we'll go back there more often. Tung Tung likes exploring and the Ark is pretty cozy compared to the Big Unit that she lives in, which is more practical.
So I had a really wonderful week. And thanks for your prayers again. Please pray for my health, as I caught a cold last week, and all the coming in and out of air conditioned rooms and into the hot outdoors is causing the problem.
Oh, I also have a new roommate, he's called Lap Ching. He came to serve this summer instead of just visiting Hong Kong between school years. He's 18 and he has a great heart. There are also 3 American girls that will be joining us next week, once they've been quarantined for a week. They'll be such a joy to have, the kids will get a lot of quality time. Pray that I do spend more time with other kids once they're here, because I'm sure they'll give Tung Tung a lot of love too.
Also, a prayer of thanksgiving. One of the short-term volunteers here, after hearing about my calling, decided to help me fundraise amongst her friends and her church, that would be interesting. So pray for that. And pray that God will provide for me financially, so that I can support myself in this work without burdening my parents, which is the last thing I'd want to do.
Dear friends, thanks again for reading in. God bless, and have a great week!
This week, we visited MV Doulos, which is the missions cruise ship that goes around the world selling books of a kinda for low prices, or in some countries, giving books away for free. This ship is owned by Operation Mobilization, and its goal is to go to different countries around the world and support them with food, water, and knowledge, and also through that, a testimony of the Christian faith. Pui Yee was part of a team that was going to go on a short term missions trip with OM, but it was cancelled because of some recent bombing in the area, so she was invited to go on a tour of the MV Doulos and she invited everyone else to go. It was quite amazing. Firstly, when we got there, Pui Yee, knowing my goal is set on serving orphans in Africa, introduced me to Mr. Lau, which turns out to be someone I have worked with before when I was serving at OM (summer 2002)! And then, she also found out that Mrs. Lau was part of her church back in London. It's so great to be blessed with re-aquaintances like these. And the tour was really fun too. They have 350 volunteers on the ship, ranging from doctors to dentists to firemen to engineers to laundry ladies and deckhands, and they have to pay to serve on the MV Doulos because of the heavy costs that the ship and the mission bears. It's pretty amazing still, it would be awesome to be part of that. But then again, it's not my calling, so I can only rejoice for those who are, I have somewhere else that I have to go to serve, but we're all serving the same God, and that's what counts!
Now to the meat of the week's happenings! Last week, I met a little girl called Tung Tung, and she has extra chemicals in her head that causes her to feel itchy on ever part of her skin all day long, and she would scratch without stopping even if it hurts and it bleeds, so what they do is that they wrap her up like a mummy and strap her to a chair, and put bandages on her arms to straighten them. She's also under-developed, so despite being 8, she's still really small and really cute. She has a deformed face, and her eyelids are too big that she's long learnt to lift her eyelid with her finger by poking her thumb into her eye, and that sometimes causes bleeding. And since she doesn't see so much, she's really attracted to the TV, so whenever we let her walk around, she would stand right up to the TV and touch it, and gurgle with joy. I hate seeing that happen, because it's not right, it's a big attraction even for normal children, but most parents would restrain them from getting up too close. Well, the first time I met her, I fell in love with her. I knew there was something I could do to help her, she just had so much extra energy stored up, being a child, and being in that chair makes her want to scratch. So I decided that I would take her for walks and play with her daily, so that she'll be distracted, and she'll be healthy and she'll strengthen her legs, and hopefully grow enough in other areas that the scratching will go away. That's my hope anyway. She's really smart and she realised that I was spending lots of time with her, so she recognises me and really enjoy being with me. It's such a joy! I would take her for walks everywhere away from the TV, and the heat outside, and we'd go upstairs to the dorms, or next door to the family unit call the Ark, which is for the more capable disabled children, who live in a family fashion to prepare them for adoption. It's my hope that one day, she'll be moved there. That would be good. But in the meantime, I'll adopt her in my heart, and love her like a daughter. I quickly found it heart breaking to restrain her from the TV and from scratching, but it's needed, and once she's free from her chair, and we're exploring the different places in the orphanage, it's become another world for us. And what's really good about all this is that she used to be restless at night because of the itching, but since I started spending so much time walking and being with her, she's become so exhausted that she falls asleep shortly after being put to bed. Thank God!
There's another girl called Wing Sze, and her testimony can be found on the HOLF website. She's 25, and she can't move below the neck and she coughs and suffers a lot from that, and she can't speak, but she learnt English just by listening to it, and is really smart. In short, there's nothing wrong with her brain. But the only way you can talk to her is to ask her yes/no questions, and she'll stick out her tongue to say yes. It's really hard, I tried talking to her but I can never formulate a series of questions to ask in order to converse with her. That gets me frustrated at times, and that's what happened yesterday. I tried to read to her, but she didn't like the book, and I didn't know for a while until she turned away her face and frowned. It must have been because it was a grade school fiction book, maybe she thought I was insulting her, but I really did like that book. Oh sigh, I didn't know what I could say to explain it. But a miracle happened! To me it was a miracle, because I couldn't tell her the things that I wanted her to know or to talk to her like I would to a normal person. I was taking care of Tung Tung, and we went into Wing Sze's family unit, and when Wing Sze watched me take care of Tung Tung with so much love and caution, she watched very intently and after a while, she joined in with her laughter. I'm glad she understood, and she could see how much I love Tung Tung, despite Tung Tung being different. Since both Tung Tung and Wing Sze enjoyed it, I think we'll go back there more often. Tung Tung likes exploring and the Ark is pretty cozy compared to the Big Unit that she lives in, which is more practical.
So I had a really wonderful week. And thanks for your prayers again. Please pray for my health, as I caught a cold last week, and all the coming in and out of air conditioned rooms and into the hot outdoors is causing the problem.
Oh, I also have a new roommate, he's called Lap Ching. He came to serve this summer instead of just visiting Hong Kong between school years. He's 18 and he has a great heart. There are also 3 American girls that will be joining us next week, once they've been quarantined for a week. They'll be such a joy to have, the kids will get a lot of quality time. Pray that I do spend more time with other kids once they're here, because I'm sure they'll give Tung Tung a lot of love too.
Also, a prayer of thanksgiving. One of the short-term volunteers here, after hearing about my calling, decided to help me fundraise amongst her friends and her church, that would be interesting. So pray for that. And pray that God will provide for me financially, so that I can support myself in this work without burdening my parents, which is the last thing I'd want to do.
Dear friends, thanks again for reading in. God bless, and have a great week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
