Living out love in a hurting world

It’s easy to say that we love someone, but how can we really take this to the streets and live a life of love that impacts others?  Well, here’s a great example of how love transforms people.  Over the years a lot of attention has also been given to the physically challenged foot and mouth painter Yang En-dian, who was adopted and raised  by Rev. Yang and his wife from infancy after she was brought to their orphanage in a basket in March 1974.  Yang En-dian was born without arms and later abandoned by her parents. Believing that the baby was “sent by the Lord,” Reverend Yang named the infant “Yang En-dian,” meaning “grace and benevolence from God.” (Photo from Da Ji Yuen)

Little did he know that the child would develop a legendary friendship with her country’s president, Chiang Ching-kuo.  Chiang developed a special attachment to the child and arranged for her to receive surgery to help straighten her spine and allow her to stand unaided. He even arranged for her to learn Chinese brush painting and calligraphy.  Yang En-dian did not let the late president down and grew up to earn her own living by selling her paintings.

Not only has she achieved a lot in Chinese brush painting field by her foot, but also she has conquered the most critical parts in her life, marriage and motherhood.   A local journalist shares this interview.   “I was speechless when I saw her hold her little girl with her foot. How can we not cherish what we have when a person in such painful inconvenience already has overcame this much? In her interview, she told the audience that her relationships ended because all of parents of her previous boyfriends rejected her. She challenged: “Why can’t I have it?” “All I want is an ordinary relationship to love and be loved as a woman.” Not long time later, a guy working at an auto company appeared, Chen Xing-Yi, who is now her husband. That guy didn’t give her up when his parents objected, and peacefully persuaded his family to accept her by showing them how much he wanted to be with her.  Yang also tried her best to prove that she wouldn’t be a burden to the family.
One day, while Yang and Chen were still dating, Yang was alone with Chen’s parents. Chen’s mother prepared a whole plate of lunch and brought to her on the third floor. Chen’s mom understood it was impossible for Yang to hold a plate of food and walk down by the stairs. Yang was very thankful but thought that she couldn’t go on like this to rely on Chen’s parents. She cleaned the plate very thoroughly and held the plate between her chin and chest, and then she walked down stair by stair for three hours. Imagine it. How dangerous could it be?! The plate blocked her vision to see the stairs and unbalance her body. On the top of it, the structure of stairs were steeper than the regular ones. Chen’s parents accepted her at that moment when they saw she had done that all by herself.

Yang has such a loving spirit.  She shared her joy of having her daughter with this story. Yang was talking on her cell phone with her husband. All of a sudden, the cell phone dropped. Her daughter reached for the cell phone and put it by Yang’s ear. My baby girl was not even one yet and already knew how to take care of her mom, said Yang.”  What a wonderful story of God’s love to see how Pastor Yang has brought love and care into the lives of children just like Yang En-Tian.  Then they turn around and bring hope and love into the lives of people around them.  What an example for all of us.  

 

Jesus’ love makes a huge difference!

In today’s world that is filled with so many challenges, it’s great to see how Jesus’ love makes a difference in other people’s lives.  Writer Xiao Zhao on her web page shared this amazing story. One family set out to make a difference in a  big way.  In Taiwan, Rev. Yang Hsu and his wife have given their lives to love and provide a home for children.  Several years ago nearly 800 former orphans returned to their common home, the Liouguei Christian Orphanage, to celebrate the 100th birthday of orphanage founder, Reverend Yang Hsu (楊煦),  known in Taiwan as “the father of indigenous orphans.”  Among the well-wishers were government officials, teachers, policemen and policewomen, all of whom were raised at the church-orphanage founded by Yang in the mountains of Kaohsiung County, southern Taiwan. 

My thoughts:  Our family has made the trip out to this children’s home many times.  As we visited with the staff and children, listened to them sing and viewed how they operate this ministry, it is a life changing experience in itself.  What’s my take away as I think about the Yangs and their ministry? — I think God has loved, accepted, forgiven and transformed us and we have the opportunity to dream big and allow God to do amazing things as we share this beautiful hope and life with those around us.  (Photo by Huang Chia-Lin, Taipei Times)

A Real Team Effort

There are so many exciting things to share.  For one, we are so grateful and we ask you to join us in prayer for the ministry of so many overseas Chinese (the Chinese Diaspora)  who are teaming together in ministry to make a difference around the world. Overseas Chinese pastors and church members have worked cooperatively through established Asian seminaries and conventions to provide materials and training in numerous places.  Over the past 30 years, Chinese missionaries have gone out from Taiwan Baptist churches to reach the Chinese Diaspora in German, Australia, Macau and Korea.  Thirty Chinese churches in Singdapore are supporting more than 70 full-time missionaries.  Several other Asia Baptist Conventions have also sent missionaries to Diasora populations throughout the world.  So even though there is a great spiritual need among the Chinese Diaspora worldwide, there is also great potential among the Chinese Christian Diaspora to meet those needs.  Chinese believers make up the largest Diaspora Christian group in the world.  They live in six continents and are perfectly placed to take the Gospel to those who have never heard.

HOKKIEN HARVEST: Hope for the hopeless

Hokkien people outside of China live in Taiwan, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, South America, Middle America, Europe, Africa, Europe — well they live just about everywhere.  How do we as Christians make a difference?

In 2000 following the 1999 earthquake in Taiwan, teams of people traveled back and forth to the earthquake area to help in any way that they could.  Following the quake, some people had no housing, water or food, and the governement along with many different groups reached out to help during this challenging time.  Emergency help to provide clean drinking water, temporary housing, food and items needed for daily life was made available.  Teams would stay a week or two at a time and some of us were there for the long haul with short trips back home just to take care of basic necessities.

I remember clearly that on one occasion when we were leaving the disaster relief area after a two week stay, we turned on the radio to pick up the local news and were saddened by the report that was given.  A young mother  with two small children, who was abandoned by her husband following the earthquake, was despserate and had poisoned her children and tried to kill herself by drinking a caustic cleaning solution.  The children died — the mother was alive but in critical condition with severe damage.  We didn’t personally know her, but she lived so close to the area where we lived.  She was hidden . . . a person who felt she had no place to go for help.  If we had just known . . .  Desperate people in need of hope are all around us.  Issues such as poverty, natural disasters, lack of freedom, family strife, illness, financial struggles, abuse as well as other issues can cast people into a darkness that many of us cannot understand.  Pray for Christian workers among Hokkien people to have sharp eyes and ears to be able to have creative access and bring hope to the hopeless.