Announcement: All 2019 donation receipts have been sent out by email or regular mail before the end of January. If you have not received it yet, please feel free to contact us and we are more than happy to resend it to you. Thank you again for your generous donations!
JIAJIA’S STORY
I visited Chongqing for the first time in April 2015. At a gathering, our missionary Auntie Cao introduced me to people to whom we ministered. Jiajia was one of them.
Jiajia was young and beautiful. She was married and had a good husband. They worked hard and looked forward to a promising and happy future. A serious illness took everything away from her including her physical health, vision, happy marriage, and hope for the future. It was during that most lonely, desperate and darkest moment in her life that, by God’s divine appointment, Auntie Cao had a chance to meet Jiajia.
God’s love works miracles. Through long-term caring, moral support, and encouragement from the Word of God, Jiaj]ia gradually become physically and emotionally stronger. She changed from being pessimistic, negative, and withdrawn to one who was more confident, cheerful and enthusiastic. She came to accept Christ Jesus as her Savior and Lord who brought her out of darkness into His wonderful light. The change in her life is an amazing testimony how God is a true and living God. Sharing her own life experiences, Jiajia was not only able to lead her family and friends to the Lord, she also serves in the church and continues to be a blessing and encouragement for her pastors and brothers and sisters around her.
The Covid-19 epidemic emerged recently and has been spreading. During times of panic and confinement across the country, Jiajia shared thought-provoking experiences and insights from the perspective of a visually impaired person which deserve our deep reflection.
“People across the country stayed in their homes for at least a week. Those with disabilities stay at home for a lifetime. The 2020 Chinese New Year was bound to be an extraordinary one. People across the country experienced first-hand the feeling of being confined and trapped for long periods of time — just like those with disabilities who have difficulty traveling. It is boring! So boring! So stuck! Although there are mobile phones, computers and a lot of time on hand, we still want and need to go out, walk around, and feel the outside world. Only by going out can we relax.
“The people of Wuhan probably feel deep distress or bitterness from being treated like outcasts during this epidemic. Regardless of one’s socioeconomic status or good reputation, if you are from Wuhan, you will experience discrimination, rejection and isolation. We feel the helplessness of people from Wuhan. If you are from Wuhan, no place welcomes you and no door is open. One just wants to be invisible after being expelled from the world.
“The people of Wuhan have been discriminated against for days, weeks, or perhaps months but those with disabilities have been stared at with unfriendly eyes for years. On buses, we often hear people say to us, “Why are you taking the trouble to go out? It’s so inconvenient for you and others. Why don’t you stay home? Just don’t go anywhere!” I hope everyone can come to understand how it feels to be distressed and helpless by being trapped at home. Even if we have food on the table, a mobile phone, TV, and no particular worries, we would prefer to be under the blue sky and embrace the physical world, not the virtual one.
“During and after this epidemic, we hope everyone will have a deeper understanding and empathy for the difficulties people with disabilities encounter daily. If staying at home a few weeks causes panic, how much more helpless and depressed disabled people feel when they are continually confined at home. Imagine how happy they would feel if people opened their hearts and arms to welcome and encourage those with disabilities to go out and breathe fresh outdoor air freely. It would be so heartwarming and so much fun!
“After the epidemic, we hope more volunteers will step forward to accompany and support those with disabilities so they do not have to stay home, endure depression and experience all types of inconveniences. When they pass by or happen to be around you, treat them like friends with kindness and seek to know them. This would be the greatest expression of respect for us. We are fighting the epidemic together and we have confidence we will surely win this battle against the coronavirus without gunpowder!
“No winter is insurmountable, and spring will be coming. When the spring breeze kisses the green land, I would like to be able to breathe the fresh air while admiring green grass and blooming flowers with you under the beautiful blue sky.”
報告: 2019年度的奉獻收據，已經在一月底前透過電郵或普通郵件全部寄出。如果您還沒有收到，歡迎盡快跟我們聯繫，再 次謝謝您的慷慨支持！
2015年四月，我第一次到訪重慶。
在聚會的地方，我們的宣教同工曹阿姨，介紹我認識了好幾位我們當時的服事對象，印象比較深刻的其中一位就是佳佳。
佳佳年輕又漂亮，本來有一位很好的丈夫，一心一意憧憬著美好幸福的未來。沒想到的是，一場嚴重的疾病，奪走了她的一切，包括身體的健康、視力、幸福的婚姻與對未來的盼望⋯⋯
就是在那段她生命中最孤單、黑暗與絕望的時刻，上帝奇妙的安排，讓我們的宣敎同工能夠有機會去探望佳佳，引導她認識了滿有慈愛與大能，且能夠帶領她出黑暗入光明的救主耶穌。
相信有愛就有奇蹟。透過長期的愛心關懷扶助與神話語的鼓勵支持，佳佳的身體心靈漸漸拙壯成長，從多愁善感、負面退縮，到充滿信心、開朗熱誠，她生命的改變是一個活生生的奇蹟，見證了我們所信的是一位又真又活且滿有慈愛與大能的上帝。
佳佳不但用生命的見證帶領了家人朋友認識主，更在所屬的教會熱心服事，成為牧者與弟兄姊妹們的祝福。
最近疫情持續擴散蔓延，全國在一片恐慌與禁閉中，佳佳從一位視障者的立場角度，分享了一些發人深省的體會與感受，值得我們深刻反思：
「全國人民在家待了一週。殘障人士在家待了一輩子。2020年的春節，注定是一個不平凡的春節。全國人民都體會到了像不便出行的殘障人士一樣，長期禁足在家的感受：就是悶！悶得不行！心裡堵得慌！雖然有手機有電腦，有大把的時間讓你揮霍，但還是想出門溜達走一走，看一看，只有走出去，才能放鬆一下心情。
武漢人民也在此期間，深刻的體會到了地獄騎士的辛酸；不管你什麼身份，有多少錢都沒有用，只是因為你是武漢人，就被他人歧視，被隔離。流落在外的武漢人是多麼的無助，景區關閉，酒店不接待，只因為你是武漢人，就彷彿注定被這個世界無形排斥。
武漢人民僅僅被歧視了幾天，幾週，或許幾個月吧？但不少殘障者，被戴上有色眼鏡的目光打量了多少年？公交車上，經常有人對著殘障者說，「這麼不方便，還出來幹嘛？不要到處走了嘛！」 真能這樣嗎？大家都體會到困在家裡的苦悶與無助了吧？就算有吃有喝，衣食無憂，就算有手機，有電視，但人總是渴望擁抱外面的世界與藍天，因為這是虛擬世界永遠無法給予的。
盼望經過這一次疫情，大家能夠對殘障人士出行的困難，可以有比較深刻的理解和感同身受，那是一種發自內心的換位思考與共情。在家中呆上幾天，尚且都覺得悶得發慌，那些長年累月宅在家中，出行不便的殘障夥伴，生活又是何等的無助與無奈！
我一直在想，如果健全的朋友們，能夠張開友善的雙手，帶給殘障者自由自在的廣闊空間，讓他們可以自由自在的呼吸戶外的新鮮空氣，那將是多麼的幸福，何等的暢快淋灕！
我們呼籲，在疫情過後，有能力的志願者，能夠多陪伴盲友等殘障人士出行，不要讓殘障者長期居家，忍受各種鬱悶與不便。
我們呼籲，在身邊出現這類殘障人士出行的時候，我們能夠摘下有色的眼鏡，放下歧視的目光，以對待朋友般的平常心與善意，學習與他們相處，這就是對他們最大的尊重，最好的理解。
齊心戰疫情，信心鑄長城。我們堅信中國一定能打贏這場沒有硝煙的疫情防控戰役！
沒有一個冬天不可逾越，沒有一個春天不會來臨！待到春風吻綠大地時，願再能與你共賞春草吐綠，繁花綻放的湖光山色。
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