I have never wanted to go on medical mission trips.
The reason I went on this trip is because I have wanted to explore options on how to serve people in need, especially those who are neglected by most.
That was why I went to visit this leprosy village.
Many of these people were scarred by their disease, not just physically, also psychologically. Many of them were treated badly as they were lepers. I heard a story that one was almost killed by her own parents as a kid after she contracted the disease. Most were isolated in these villages for their whole lives.
They hadn't seen children in years (they were thrilled when some volunteers brought their own kids there to visit them last time), and they were excited when volunteers brought them to a restaurant.
The leader asked if we thought it was worth it, for over 10 of us travelled for 6-7 hours (and spent several hundred dollars) in order to visit a few surviving residents in the village. In my heart, I immediately answered yes, it was definitely worth it.
God never evaluates if a mission is "worth it" by the number or the statistics. It's the people that He values, and God is especially concerned about the poor, the neglected, the oppressed.
While I was in the village, an old man asked me about the pain in his leg. In that moment, I really don't know what to do. I think there may be some infection, I'm not sure. I touched him, that was the only I could think of then. I thought touching him while trying to check out his pain probably could help a bit, not because I could heal by touch like Jesus, but because it showed that I care, and I am not afraid of touching him. However, I don't know what else I can do, and then a preacher who was with us prayed for the old man.
I don't know what I am expected to do here, and I'm still thinking about it. I know if God wants to heal the old man, He can, but I don't know if I'm so brave as to be able to pray for the man like that. What if he did not get well? What would he think? At that moment, I just prayed to God, "Please heal him."
Then the next day, we went to take a look at Leung Fat's home, he was the first Chinese Christian and pastor. I was not used to doing this kind of "sightseeing" or even "shopping" during mission trips because my ex-church pastor would never allow these to happen in mission trips (which is a good thing, I think). However, God used even that sightseeing bit during sharing with staff in the hospital we visited in the afternoon.
I was told to give a talk on the treatment of pain to the staff in the hospital, actually this was kind of outside my expertise. I know a bit, but not a lot. Then to my surprise (and shock), someone asked a question!! On the management of a "real life case"!!! When he started talking about the case, and when I talked to the patient, I started to recall stuff I should have forgotten and then offered to seek answers for him after I come back to HK from others. That was when I realised God really uses you in places where you're not good at, and it's His power that accomplish things. Where you are weak, He is strong.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
M & J Conference (1 May)
After my trip to Peru, I started seriously thinking what I can do to "help".
That's why I have attended the M & J Conference earlier this month.
Apart from the keynote speech, conclusion and discussion, each of us can attend two workshops.
I have chosen the following two workshops.
> Planning and preparing for relief work overseas
> Strawberry growing in Afghanistan - doing community development in war-ravaged countries
M & J stand for Mercy and Justice, which is quoted from the most frequently quoted verse from Micah (6:8). =P
Integral Mission is one of the concepts introduced to me. When we talked about mission, it's most often about evangelisation, saving the "soul" but integral mission is about body AND soul!
The Keynote Speech is delivered by Rev. Kennedy Dhanabalan. The title is Reflecting God's character in our lives.
God's throne is founded on righteousness and justice.
Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.
Old Testament World is the same as what we see in the modern world.
Amos 2:6-8 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes -- they that trample the head of the poor into the dust of the
earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same maiden, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar upon garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
Amos 2:6-8 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Micah 6:6-8 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
God is righteous and just, He revealed His Holiness in His commitment to justice and righteousness. If we want to be Holy, we need to reflect God's righteousness and justice.
In his ending speech, he mentioned the purpose of our mission is being like Christ. However, what is meant by being like Christ?
During Christmas, we sing lullabies to put baby Jesus to sleep, in Easter, we raise him from dead and send him up to heaven. We want our Jesus to be either asleep or high in heaven???!!!
In the first chapter of Mark, Malachi 3:1 was quoted."Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." What is the context of this??
We need to check the previous verse, Malachi 2:17. You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Every one who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?"
The answer to the question: where is the God of Justice? The answer is in the verse quoted by Mark.
How did Jesus do justice?
Rev. Kennedy Dhanabalan divided what Jesus did into 2 aspects.
1. Justice in the social arena (Status of women/Samaritans, the poor and the marginalised)
2. Justice in the economic arena (Caring for the poor)
I like his quote from a Latin American Jesuit priest (I forgot who said this), "if I give food, they called me a Saint; if I ask why they do not give food, they called me a Communist." I guess this is partly why Jesus got crucified.
Check this out, it's interesting, I have also posted this on the right hand column, see how rich you are, and think about what kind of good you can do.
That's why I have attended the M & J Conference earlier this month.
Apart from the keynote speech, conclusion and discussion, each of us can attend two workshops.
I have chosen the following two workshops.
> Planning and preparing for relief work overseas
> Strawberry growing in Afghanistan - doing community development in war-ravaged countries
M & J stand for Mercy and Justice, which is quoted from the most frequently quoted verse from Micah (6:8). =P
Integral Mission is one of the concepts introduced to me. When we talked about mission, it's most often about evangelisation, saving the "soul" but integral mission is about body AND soul!
The Keynote Speech is delivered by Rev. Kennedy Dhanabalan. The title is Reflecting God's character in our lives.
God's throne is founded on righteousness and justice.
Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of thy throne;
steadfast love and faithfulness go before thee.
Old Testament World is the same as what we see in the modern world.
Amos 2:6-8 Thus says the LORD: "For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because they sell the righteous for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes -- they that trample the head of the poor into the dust of the
earth, and turn aside the way of the afflicted; a man and his father go in to the same maiden, so that my holy name is profaned; they lay themselves down beside every altar upon garments taken in pledge; and in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
Amos 2:6-8 "I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon. Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen. But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
Micah 6:6-8 "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?"
He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
God is righteous and just, He revealed His Holiness in His commitment to justice and righteousness. If we want to be Holy, we need to reflect God's righteousness and justice.
In his ending speech, he mentioned the purpose of our mission is being like Christ. However, what is meant by being like Christ?
During Christmas, we sing lullabies to put baby Jesus to sleep, in Easter, we raise him from dead and send him up to heaven. We want our Jesus to be either asleep or high in heaven???!!!
In the first chapter of Mark, Malachi 3:1 was quoted."Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall prepare thy way; the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." What is the context of this??
We need to check the previous verse, Malachi 2:17. You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied him?" By saying, "Every one who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and he delights in them." Or by asking, "Where is the God of justice?"
The answer to the question: where is the God of Justice? The answer is in the verse quoted by Mark.
How did Jesus do justice?
Rev. Kennedy Dhanabalan divided what Jesus did into 2 aspects.
1. Justice in the social arena (Status of women/Samaritans, the poor and the marginalised)
2. Justice in the economic arena (Caring for the poor)
I like his quote from a Latin American Jesuit priest (I forgot who said this), "if I give food, they called me a Saint; if I ask why they do not give food, they called me a Communist." I guess this is partly why Jesus got crucified.
Check this out, it's interesting, I have also posted this on the right hand column, see how rich you are, and think about what kind of good you can do.
I'm the 31,849,353 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >> |
Monday, May 25, 2009
Reflections on Peru Trip
I have been back for more than 2 months, but still haven't really write this up...
That was the first time I have ever been to South America. It was a very precious experience, Latin America is really unlike any of the places I have visited. I went there to see Machu Picchu, Amazon and various different touristy places, but then I also ended up experiencing a culture that is very different from what I have ever seen before.
Latin America Christianity is very different from "Christianity" that I know of.
I thought I could accept different kinds of Christianity, I can accept icons, statues, rituals we commonly seen in Orthodox or Catholic Christianity, but the Catholicism in Latin America seems to be beyond my limit of acceptance. Some of these people here act no different from those in Wong Tai Sin Temple...
I was shocked when I first saw Virgin Mary pictures hanging in mirrors in cars, some even with bells, (I could only take this picture, since it was difficult to get a good pic in moving cars). I don't know exactly why they put the pic up, I don't think it's there to remind them to pray. =P It's like those we see in taxis in Hong Kong or China... just that the picture is different with a different idol...
You can also see these everywhere, this picture is taken in a restaurant. I don't think these look any different from idol worshipping we see in Hong Kong or China...
Take a look at the dress of Virgin Mary. It was deliberately made into the shape of a mountain, so that the people can worship the mountain when they worship the Virgin Mary...
The Jesuit church we visited in Arequipa, The various symbols used like suns, seashells are all from the Incan culture. Where's the limit here? In merging local culture with Christianity to gain acceptance of local people?
Our Christianity is already influenced a lot by various culture, we may not even realize it, for example, Jesus' birthday- Christmas is the birthday of Apollos. What if this merging makes it easier for local people to accept it? What should we choose? Preserving our version (which may not even be the original version of Christianity), or introducing local people to a form of Christianity that is easier for them to accept?
I've been reading about Christianity in Latin America since I came back, I don't think there is any answer for this. Different people have different concepts regarding what "Christianity" really is. Even older people in our churches don't worship Jesus the way we do, they have their own preconceptions about Jesus from their previous religions.
How do we define if something is "acceptable" and not??
In Pucara, a stop on the way from to Puno to Cusco. I saw this elderly lady wearing really shabby clothes, since she was the only beggar, we decided to give her 2 soles (equivalent to HKD 5), she looked so grateful to us, bowing and thanking us (even though we didn't know what she was saying). I think she must have really needed that money. The money we splurge on this trip may be equivalent to 10 years of income for people living here, for this old lady, maybe what she can't earn even in her whole life.
I saw so many beggars, some are sick, apparently with no money to get treated.
What can we do to help?
That was the first time I have ever been to South America. It was a very precious experience, Latin America is really unlike any of the places I have visited. I went there to see Machu Picchu, Amazon and various different touristy places, but then I also ended up experiencing a culture that is very different from what I have ever seen before.
Latin America Christianity is very different from "Christianity" that I know of.
I thought I could accept different kinds of Christianity, I can accept icons, statues, rituals we commonly seen in Orthodox or Catholic Christianity, but the Catholicism in Latin America seems to be beyond my limit of acceptance. Some of these people here act no different from those in Wong Tai Sin Temple...
I was shocked when I first saw Virgin Mary pictures hanging in mirrors in cars, some even with bells, (I could only take this picture, since it was difficult to get a good pic in moving cars). I don't know exactly why they put the pic up, I don't think it's there to remind them to pray. =P It's like those we see in taxis in Hong Kong or China... just that the picture is different with a different idol...
You can also see these everywhere, this picture is taken in a restaurant. I don't think these look any different from idol worshipping we see in Hong Kong or China...
Take a look at the dress of Virgin Mary. It was deliberately made into the shape of a mountain, so that the people can worship the mountain when they worship the Virgin Mary...
The Jesuit church we visited in Arequipa, The various symbols used like suns, seashells are all from the Incan culture. Where's the limit here? In merging local culture with Christianity to gain acceptance of local people?
Our Christianity is already influenced a lot by various culture, we may not even realize it, for example, Jesus' birthday- Christmas is the birthday of Apollos. What if this merging makes it easier for local people to accept it? What should we choose? Preserving our version (which may not even be the original version of Christianity), or introducing local people to a form of Christianity that is easier for them to accept?
I've been reading about Christianity in Latin America since I came back, I don't think there is any answer for this. Different people have different concepts regarding what "Christianity" really is. Even older people in our churches don't worship Jesus the way we do, they have their own preconceptions about Jesus from their previous religions.
How do we define if something is "acceptable" and not??
In Pucara, a stop on the way from to Puno to Cusco. I saw this elderly lady wearing really shabby clothes, since she was the only beggar, we decided to give her 2 soles (equivalent to HKD 5), she looked so grateful to us, bowing and thanking us (even though we didn't know what she was saying). I think she must have really needed that money. The money we splurge on this trip may be equivalent to 10 years of income for people living here, for this old lady, maybe what she can't earn even in her whole life.
I saw so many beggars, some are sick, apparently with no money to get treated.
What can we do to help?
Saturday, May 23, 2009
I Offer My Life
I learnt this song in the M & J Conference I attended earlier this month. I love this song, especially the highlighted parts of the lyrics. God can use all my pain, all my regrets, and everything I have been through...
(Verse 1)
All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before you, oh Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaims
The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Verse 2)
Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my heart, alll of my praise
My heart and my hands are lifted to you
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Bridge)
What can we give
That you have not given?
And what do we have
That is not already yours?
All we possess
Are these lives we're living
That's what we give to you, Lord
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
Lord I offer you my life
(Verse 1)
All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before you, oh Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaims
The joy and the pain, I'm making them yours
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Verse 2)
Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my heart, alll of my praise
My heart and my hands are lifted to you
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Bridge)
What can we give
That you have not given?
And what do we have
That is not already yours?
All we possess
Are these lives we're living
That's what we give to you, Lord
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
(Chorus)
Lord, I offer my life to you
Everything I've been through
Use it for your glory
Lord I offer my days to you
Lifting my praise to you
As a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer you my life
Lord I offer you my life
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