Getting to Know Those We Serve
On October 2, our job was to visit the families who had attended the event and wanted to follow Jesus. As this day was a very nice day and many people were out enjoying it, all roads were very crowd. At 9:30 a.m., my mother and I finally arrived in Mafang village after a traffic jam along the way. I didn’t think that we would be the first ones to arrive, but the rest of volunteers were still blocked up on the roads. It didn’t take long for people to slowly get together. We were grouped and shopped for the food for gifts to give during the home visits. We bought milk, oil, and rice for them. I also went with a couple and a little girl to buy tomatoes, eggs, and cucumbers for our volunteers to eat at lunch.
Mr. Li told us that this family was from a countryside of Yueyang City, Hunan Province. They were farmers, but as all land has been taken over by the government now, they have to look for jobs in the cities Mr. Li became a construction worker. When he was working in Guangzhou last August he broke his heel bone and is unable to work now. He and his wife have three daughters, and Chunqing is the second one. Now his wife works, with a monthly salary of more than two thousand yuan to support the whole family of five. Mr. Li took Chunqing to Beijing for rehabilitation training while he is recovering from his injury on heel. They rent a small one-bedroom apartment in the village to live. In the room there are a small bathroom, and a kitchen, as well as a washing machine, a fridge, and a bed.
Li Chunqing was six when she got a a cochlear implant. She can now express herself by saying some simple sentences. We recommended to her father a software of “Bible story for children” on mobile phone, so that she could listen and speak more. She is very clever and lively girl. In the communication, we learned that she likes to draw, and she showed us her paintings of her whole family.
Mr. Li said that when he worked in Guangdong, he also followed the locals to worship all kinds of idols, seeking business success and peace in life. Uncle Liu told him that he could only believe in God and suggested that he pray to God every day. He also taught Mr. Li how to pray: praise, gratitude, then confess and repent, and finally tell God what you ask for. Uncle Liu also led us to pray for their family. Finally, we took a picture with him, his daughter and the other kids of his neighbors, and said goodbye to them.
This activity let me see a group of unfortunate children, although they were born in poor, and lost hearing, they are so lovely, kind, lively, especially in need of care. That’s the case now, and it will be in the future. I hope that all people are kind, are willing to help those around them in need, because, in a small corner of the world, there will always be people who need help. So I told uncle Liu that if there are more chances in the future to work for the people in need, I would like to be a volunteer. too.