時代的呼聲--為沈祖堯校長就職講辭喝啋

時代的呼聲--為沈祖堯校長就職講辭喝啋

The Voice of the Times --- Hurrah to the Installation Speech

of Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung

第六任校長劉遵義就職典禮上強調，中大進一步國際化，「有助中大汲納人才，提升水準，造就卓越，擴大影響力，以及拓展服務範圍，滿足香港、中國其他地區、亞洲，以至全世界的需要。」在全球日趨一體化的世界裡，他的著眼點，乃要捕捉機遇，增加中大的收生率，使之能更快地躋身於世界高等學府之林。

第七任沈祖堯校長，在就職講辭裏，首先肯定上屆及歷任校長之功績及貢獻後，馬上提出他看到已悄然出現的危機(1)，以至中大及全球的大學教育要面臨前所未有的挑戰(2)。如果這個危機趨勢持續，後果勘虞(3)。大學便只能製造出利己的經濟個體户，懂做子民而不懂做具悲天憫人心腸的負責任公民。同時，想像力和創造力、科學研究的人文內涵，以及慎思明辨的能力將逐漸喪失。教育的價值也會湮沒。他的當務之急，不是延續國際化路線，提升中大的排名，乃培育年輕的靈魂的使命，歇力保存人文精神、培養創新和批判思維，以及造就世界公民。他的期望是激勵學生不斷勤奮探索知識、永遠渴求真理和不屈不撓力爭上游。其实对於所有中大人，包括我們這些校友，沈祖堯校長語重深長的訓誨，豈不還是適用嗎？中大校訓是「博文約禮」、崇基校訓是「止於至善」。內聖外王，學習作既愛中国的子民，也愛公義的世界公民，是一生的功課。

沈祖堯校長這理念，印證了秀慧(4)的期待，当教育能培育出具悲天憫人心腸的負責任公民時，便不再需要個別的英雄了。

這世代更需要的是先知，在曠野中的呼聲。

Remark 1 :悄然出現的危機
1. 世界各國(包括中國)埋首於追逐經濟發展
2. 推動學者做研究的是資源，而非對知識的好奇
3. 大學重視排名，而忽略培育年輕的靈魂的使命；
4. 教師的回報主要取決於他們的「生產力」，而非學養

Remark 2 :前所未有的挑戰
培育有主見、尊重見解不同於己者、能洞察別人的需要，以及有悲天憫人心腸的負責任公民。

Remrk 3:勘虞的後果
想像力和創造力、科學研究的人文內涵，以及慎思明辨的能力將逐漸喪失。教育的價值也會湮沒。

Remark 4: 秀慧的詞

期待──沒有英雄時代
黃秀慧（崇基英文1982）
西北望神州，
滿眼風光
英雄地。
千古風流人物，
嵇郎叔夜，
斗酒千斤不醉。
曠世才情，
總不敵，
路人皆知司馬氏。
平沙漠漠，
大地蒼茫，
一曲廣陵成絕響，
魂隨曲散。
一嘯人間萬事。
古今如夢。
雲詭風高，
無定河邊百草低。
公義何尋？
多少英雄淚，
正氣凛然腰不折。
再望神州。
此情可待，
沒有英雄時代。

後記

回港偶閱《竹林七賢之嵇康傳》，才略為了解此魏晉名仕 亦為竹林七賢之中氣節最高者。叔夜才情豪邁，精通音律，朝中重臣都藉以拉攏,，希望其他士子追隨。奈何叔夜蔑視權貴，藐視隨波逐流，更何況同流合汚。故被司馬師之智囊小人鍾會視為眼中釘。及後為友人呂安抱不平，牽連入獄，在獄中亦寧死不屈。終被司馬昭下令處斬。刑場上萬頭鑽動，坐在中央的嵇康，一口氣將一罎酒喝光，然後將箜篌（古琴瑟）放在斷頭木上，輕輕調一調琴弦，鴉雀無聲之際,，彈出一首只傳人不傳譜的《廣陵散》，就從容就義。臨死前，嵇康微笑對兄長嵇喜說：「吾命不亡，朝廷不寧；吾命既滅，朝廷可高枕無憂矣。」時勢造英雄，英雄往往在時難年艱中崛起,。當我們渴望看到一位英雄出現，是否意味著社會正存在著不公義。但願我們不再需要英雄。參考書 《竹林七賢之嵇康傳》 顧志坤著 北京團結出版社

The following is the address delivered by Professor Joseph J.Y. Sung at his installation ceremony this morning.

Dear Council Members, Colleagues, Students and Alumni,

I stand before you greatly honored and with humility to be appointed as the 7th Vice-Chancellor and President of The Chinese University of Hong Kong. This University was founded by scholars who embraced Chinese culture and philosophy, who had great passion to educate young men and women to become mature and responsible adults, who pointed out that we need humanities as much as science and technology to make our country and our world a better place. And with these commitments they laid solid foundations for our University over 60 years ago.
Under the capable leadership of my predecessors, The Chinese University of Hong Kong has become one of the top comprehensive research universities in Asia. Our cherished traditions in bilingualism and biculturalism, our heritage of profound humanitarianism, blending Eastern and Western cultures, our commitment to general education and whole-person development and our unique non-formal education and pastoral care through our colleges has put us on the global map of higher education in the past 50 years. But today we are facing unprecedented challenges.
Radical changes are occurring in university education worldwide. A silent crisis has started when nations(China included) thirst for economic growth, researchers are driven by the search for resources more than curiosity, universities look up to rankings more than nurturing young souls, and professors are rewarded primarily by their "productivity" rather than their scholarship. If this trend continues, nations all over the world will only be producing revenue-generating products and individuals, rather than responsible citizens; responsible citizens who can think for themselves, respect those who are different and understand others' sufferings and needs. On the other hand, the imaginative and creative capability, the humanistic aspects of scientific research, and the capacity for rigorous critical thinking will diminish. The value of education will be lost.
Bronson Alcott said: "Education is that process by which thought is opened out of the soul, and, associated with outward things, is reflected back upon itself, and thus made conscious of its reality and shape". When the nations talk about economic growth, we must not forget there are still hunger and sickness in even the wealthiest countries in the world. When the world focuses on scientific advancement, food production and prolonged longevity, we should be reminded that "the most common disease is not tuberculosis or leprosy, but the hunger for love" (Mother Teresa). As a comprehensive University, our balance of science and technology against humanities meets the demand in this world. In our University we will continue to uphold human values, to cultivate sensitivity to people's need and suffering, to educate for appreciation of the arts and music.

Tagore reminded us that "Our mind does not gain true freedom by acquiring materials for knowledge and possessing other people's ideas but by forming its own standards of judgment and producing its own thoughts". Socrates proclaimed that "the unexamined life is not worth living for a human being". Today's education puts more emphasis on information and skill, less on pursuit of truth and creativity. Too much time is spent on retaining facts rather than critiquing concepts. A lack of training in self-reflection and examination leads to unclarity about goals, wavering of opinions and ends up with loss of direction. Training of a critical mind is a crucial role of higher education. It is embraced in our time-honored tradition in general education, in our belief in college pastoral care and in our openness to all ideologies and beliefs.
Jawaharlal Nehru said: "Peace is…indivisible, so is freedom, so is prosperity now, and so also is disaster in this One World that can no longer be split into isolated fragments." More than ever, we depend on people we have never met and they also depend on us. The problems we need to solve – economic, environmental, religious and political – are global in their scope and nature. We gradually come to realize that we are all citizens of the world. We need to embrace our Chinese culture on the one hand, but also need to know the challenges of different ethnic groups and other nations. The University's commitment to research and teaching collaborations with other world-renowned institutions, in provision of student and academic exchange, the promotion of social services through our Colleges, will help our faculty and students, as well as others, to cultivate the ability to see ourselves as members of a global village. Our commitment to environmental protection is another endeavor to fulfill our global responsibility. We should learn to respond to the need of the world instead of building in our ivory tower.

Based on these pillars of preserving the humanities, cultivating innovation and critical thinking, and realization of world citizenship, we will be educating our students and leading CUHK into the next 50 years and beyond. This mission cannot be accomplished without the dedication of our teachers who are passionate in their teaching and research, not seeing it as a job, but a vocation. These dreams cannot be fulfilled without the support of our government, philanthropists and alumni, in giving their trust and their support to the University. Most importantly, the true spirit of a university education cannot be continued without the hard work of our students to keep their minds inquisitive to knowledge, their thirst for truth unquenched and their desire to excel invincible. (Alumni included)

Mr Chairman, after I graduated from medical school I joined the Chinese University as a physician, a researcher and a teacher. Working as a medical doctor for 25 years, I have learned that medicine is both a science and an art. Working as an academic researcher for 25 years, I have been trained to think critically while working with my colleagues as a team. Working as a teacher for 25 years, I have come to realize that education requires a heart and a soul. I pledge to give my best skills, my passion and my perseverance to serve this University in the years to come.

Joseph J.Y. Sung Vice-Chancellor and President 16 December 2010

Vindication for David Hicks – a summary of his journey to Guantanamo

I cannot find a full version of the photo of Hicks holding the rocket launcher but just the edited one. So, I can only take a photo of that full picture from his book. You can see how the Media abuses their journalism ethic to fabricate proof.

From Vindication for David Hicks – a summary of his journey to Guantanamo, to the Vindication for Liu Xiao Bo

WikiLeaks 維基解密exposing secret deals and deeds amongst governments and power syndicates has stirred up a debate worldwide. The debate circles around if WikiLeaks is illegal and harmful to world peace. It happens while I have just finished reading the book of David Hicks entitled Guantanamo, my journey and a failed attempt of mine to appeal for moral support for Liu Xiao Bo劉嘵波. To me, a famous quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer 潘霍華(4 February 1906 – 9 April 1945) has given me the answer and moral base to support whoever dares to speak out in the spirit of freedom of speech and press.

"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."

For those who do not know Dietrich Bonhoeffer 潘霍華, a bit about his background will help put things in perspective. He was a German Lutheran pastor, theologian and participant in the German resistance movement against Nazism. He was secretly executed just two weeks before the surrender of Germany in 1948.

He worked against the unfathomable evil of Nazism who plotted to exterminate Jews from Germany. In the spring of 1933, years before the Jews would begin to suffer the horrors of the concentration camps, Bonhoeffer spelled out his views in an essay called "The Church and the Jewish Question." In it, Bonhoeffer said that “the church has an unconditional obligation to the victims of any ordering of society, even if they do not belong to the Christian community." He went on to say that "It is sometimes not enough to help those crushed by the evil actions of a state; at some point the church must directly take action against the state to stop it from perpetrating evil." This view reflects in one of his other famous quote. “We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself” a quote from Letters and Papers from Prison (1943-1945, English publication 1967)
Though he had the choice to live freely in USA, he chose to return to Germany to practice his belief of civil rebellion. He deemed that “There is not a place to which the Christian can withdraw from the world, whether it be outwardly or in the sphere of the inner life. Any attempt to escape from the world must sooner or later be paid for with a sinful surrender to the world”. Ethics (1955 in English)
He lamented for the weakness of the State Church in Germany that “We have been silent witnesses of evil deeds: we have been drenched by many storms; we have learnt the arts of equivocation and pretence; experience has made us suspicious of others and kept us from being truthful and open; intolerable conflicts have worn us down and even made us cynical. Are we still of any use? -- a quote from Letters and Papers from Prison (1943-1945, English publication 1967)
He is not alone in the history to hold this view. Abraham Lincoln林肯also said "To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards out of men."
Same is the view of Elie Wiesel埃利‧維瑟爾, 1986 Nobel Prize Winner : "I swore never to be silent whenever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormenter, never the tormented."
It is under the influences of those predecessors of fighters for justice that I feel the moral obligation to voice out for our oppressed and misunderstood Australian, David Hicks.

I am surprised to find that many people on those news media forums of freedom of speech and seekers of truth just betray themselves by not exercising the basic principle of justice of presumption of innocence before trial and giving David Hicks the benefit of the doubt. Very few people would bother to read the book. After finished reading the book in mid November, I don't have much luck to convince too many others to read. Most people ridiculed me supporting David Hicks simply basing on liars manufactured by the Bush and Howard Governments. So, I could only do my least here to post on those news forums my summary of reading for those who vowed not to buy and read the book.


Quote:

While showering support for or flinging mud against Mr Julian Assange, we should not forget another fighter for the truth, David Hicks. Unfortunately, his image and reputation has been successfully smeared by the liar machinery of the Bush and Howard Government executed beautifully by the CIA. Thus his book exposing the truth about the unjust war and tortuturous acts in manufacturing "Terrorist and Traitors" like Hicks himself has not drawn the deserved attention. I appeal here for all the truth seekers to read David's book Guantanamo, my journey.

David Hicks never trained with Taliban and he never was a member of Al Qaeda, a term he had never heard of before his arrest. He is an ordinary country boy who has a dream to explore the world after he secured a job in Japan and went there twice in 1996 and 1998. His plan was to experience life by venturing through the Silk Road. But the unjust war at Kosovo around 1999 had drawn him there to give a hand to those who were oppressed and mistreated. His famous photo of handling rocket launcher was pictured there in a store room in Albania where he helped sorting out weapon for the volunteer fighter of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) under the command of NATO. (please refer picture I photoed from the book)

His mission ended before he was commissioned to the front line when President Milosevic of Serbia agreed on a cease fire. David was in the area of conflict the same time as James Blunt who was lauded a hero to stop the third World War. David returned home in July, 1999 with a changed world view and heart for the oppressed people. He continued with his dream by trying to go to Kashmir to help the besieged communities there. He left in November 1999 for Pakistan to look for access into Kashmir. He actually planned to embark on his journey on the Silk Road after finishing his venture in Kashmir.

He stayed and spent extensive time in Pakistan through affiliation with a local Muslim religious organization called Tabligh (not Taliban) that could support him to explore the country and gain access to the mountainous areas of Kashmir. He got connected with LeT or Army of the Righteous which were involved in the freedom struggle in Kashmir. He ended up joining some of the training camp with the LeT (not Taliban or Al Qaeda) aiming at liberation of the oppressed Kashmir people in the Indian controlled Kashmir area.

The twist and turns of David Hicks’ life stopped him from entering the Indian controlled Kashmir area but detoured him to pay a visit to Afghanistan before returning to Australia by himself. He went to Kandahar without help by the LeT who did not support him to go. He met some Taliban people for the first time in his solo trip but was rejected because of religious reason and was forced to return to Pakistan very quickly.

Just about time David planned to go home, He was given another chance to visit Afghanistan by the support of LeT this time to join some of their government sanctioned training camps conducted inside Afghanistan. Thus in early 2001, he went with the aim just to have a more elaborated tourist experience there before returning to Australia. Around early August, 2001, he finished the training and sight-seeing in Kandahar and Kabul and decided to go home. But the expired Pakistan visa gave him a bit of problems so he tried to get back to Pakistan to seek for help.

It was there in Pakistan he learnt about the 911 attack and it was condemned by LeT amongst many other Muslim organizations. His friend in Pakistan advised David to quickly go back to Kandahar to collect his passport and personal belongings which were kept there during his training course. So, he could do so following instruction. But his fate made a bad turn this time that once he entered Afghanistan, he could not get out being caught up by the USA invasion as a result of the 911 attack.

Subsequently, he had to dodge bullets of in-fighting led up by the Northern Alliance backed up by the bombardment of US army against Taliban. Eventually, he was caught by the Northern Alliance on his attempt to re-enter Pakistan. His journey to Guantanamo started since then. It was the beginning of six years of hell.

Two third of David Hicks’ book was a first hand record of the life in Guantanamo. You could see for yourself how the US army backed by CIA trained interrogation techniques to torture and humiliate detainees and forced many of the innocent and unlucky people like David who were caught up in the wrong place at the wrong time to admit they were terrorists. Our Howard Government just collaborated with Bush to force David to sign a confession despite they knew he did nothing wrong but just want to show case and justify their unjust Iraq war against the “terrorists”

I don’t want to be seen as a sale agent for David’s book, but I was disappointed that too many of the blog commentators who most of them should be the seekers of truth and freedom of speech just dismissed David as a convicted terrorist and his book is crap that no one cares to give him the benefit of the doubt to read the story from his angle. So, this is my last resort to write this extract to appeal for a fair go for David to read his book or at least re-examine the whole story in your own way. I trust WikiLeaks will sooner or later cover the secret and dirty deals between Bush and Howard Governments to sacrifice David for their political gains.

Unqoute

After six years of illegal imprisonment, David Hicks was freed in 2007. He has not actively sought to clear his name by legal appeal. I think it is a wise decision not to entangle with the “system of Justice” in Australia that once failed to guarantee him a fair trial. I trust his name will be cleared some day as the book he published is an undeniable piece of evidence of his innocence as well as the guilty fabrication of the Bush and Howard Governments.

I just wonder when our compatriot Mr Liu Xiao Bo 劉嘵波will have his name cleared and is free to publish his own book of biography to expose the unlawful and unjust treatments pressed on him. His only comment leaked out to the media after he was aware of his winning of the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize said it all.

“This award is for the lost souls of June Fourth," quoted by his wife Liu Xia劉霞, referring to the 1989 crackdown by the Chinese goverment on student activists. "He said that it was due to their non-violent spirit in giving their lives for peace, freedom, and democracy," Liu Xia was quoted as saying, adding that her husband had been moved to tears as he finished speaking.

Thus, I could only accept the fact that we could do nothing to get him released earlier but to shed with him the tears of awe for those who lost their lives in pursuit of freedom and democracy in a peaceful manner.



End Note: As inspired by the poems of Catherine秀慧 and Joe 楚輝, I took the trouble to compose a poem for commenorating the world wide recognition of Mr Liu Xiao Bo for his peaceful pursuit of democracy in China on the eve of the Nobel Peace Prize presentation day on the 10th of December, 2010. It also is served to give the development of domcracy in China a long lasting well wishing hope.

關子鴻 74崇基經濟

恆久之期待

賀君和平抗爭勇
劉郎再度独孤鴻
曉嵐夕霧終無悔
波覆霞掩攀險峯
無念無癡丹心重
敵陣盤營筵席供
就地圍牢何足懼
義無反顧耀西東

期許言禁入罪空
待舉百廢国興隆
民運冤情蒙平反
主政廉潔得稱頌
土生土長水血濃
壤沃地美物貌豐
花田里弄百家鳴
開來繼往萬世功

註：受秀慧、楚輝詩興之激發，在諾貝爾和平獎頒獎前夕，野人献曝，不分平仄填七律「字頭詩」两首，為曉波兄民主和平抗爭的擺上，得普世認同而致慶，亦对神州之民主大業記予長存盼望。
1. 「無敵就義」指曉波「零八憲章」結案陳詞之「我沒有敵人」論
2. 劉郎，東漢 劉晨。原意指劉晨在天台山遇到神仙，回鄉安頓後再到天台山。引申比喻人離開某地方後，再次回來。以曉波而言，他去國卻為民運賦歸，從此孤身為民主奮鬥。
3. 「波覆霞掩攀險峯」喻曉波被囚、劉霞被禁錮在家，仍冒險犯難，將「無敵」又「無悔」的信息傳達，齊攀民主自由險峰。

4. 「敵陣盤營筵席供」乃借詩篇23篇5節：「在我敵人面前，祢為我擺設筵席」。意指在屬靈爭戰中憑正氣從容以對。

2010 Year End Sharing of the Kwan's Family

2010 Year End Thanks Giving Sharing of the Kwan’s Family

Dear Life Long Friends & Prayer Supporters in Christ,

As we are getting older, time seems to have been passing by in a quicker pace. I am just alarmed to find that 11 months have gone already in 2010, but there seems to be still a lot of work that have yet to be done ahead of me. I have been thrilled by a lot of positive and spirit lifting events in the world stage like the success of Jessica Watson to finish her solo circumnavigation in 210 days defying initial negative criticism, the rescue story of the Chilean miners. In the meantime, there are more so many social injustice happenings in our mother land that make you feel so outraged that you could not help but trying to at least raise a voice about it. This ambivalent mixed feeling about the progress of China as a world new economic and political power but failure in many domestic social injustice issues keep driving me to find a way to make some positive contribution to our beloved mother country.

As usual, there have been a lot of twists and turns in both ministry and family in 2010. With the aforementioned ambivalent mind set, I started the year asking the Lord what is the open door and focus for me after being a church planter in Brisbane for 13 years? My options are: -
1) Just focus as a pastor of the small Christ’s Family Church 主家堂 (CFC) congregations that has yet to be lifted up in term of numbers.
2) Keep CFC running but continue to engage in China ministry as led by God
a. Focus in the Post-earthquake relief work in Sichuan四川with LISAC International国际活泉基金會 ( LISAC means LIving SACrifice)
b. A shift to care for the abandoned orphans in Hunan湖南 under the care of International China Concerns 國際關心中國慈惠協會(ICC)

I was so desperate to seek for a new path that I even ventured to ask ICC for a guaranteed spot in the Walk On the Wall (WOTW) trip in September by my past contribution that may allow me to visit Changsha 長沙and Hengyang 衡陽for the first time after ICC lobbying me repeatedly in the past to go and have a look of their ministry there. The Lord acted even quicker to show me His way for me. Out of the blue, the Rapha Foundation 拉發基金會 Counselling training ministry suddenly appealed for group leaders to go for a church training camp in Yongzhou永州. Upon checking on Google, I was amazed to find that this small town is just a couple of hours by coach to Hengyang衡陽. Without doubt, this was the first sign of the Lord for me to visit the ICC disabled orphan caring ministry even ahead of my human plan in September. Thus I went to ICC after the Yongzhou camp not only by myself but with the head of Rapha and many counselling team members. The Lord put in our hearts that the counselling program will be most useful and beneficial for the carers and those parents who are struggling to keep looking after their born disabled child under ICC’s Community Outreach Program. Once they find peace in their lives, they would be empowered and equipped to love the once least loved people group in the world, the born disabled children. The leadership team of ICC formed mainly by all the foreign expatriates welcomed this idea but were a bit too cautious to dare to take the lead to host the program. So the proposal was put on hold unless there is a local church in Changsha or Hengyang who is willing to be the host. So human path met its dead end and yet another open door was needed.

As for me, with this first sign bringing me to ICC, I am still not fully satisfied and kept asking for more signs from the Lord as Gideon基甸 did in Judge 6士師記第六章. In defying the global economic crisis and the donation fatigue amongst many of my usual supporter donors, I changed my mind not to rest for a year but to keep rasing fund for the ICC Walk On the Wall campaign. My promised spot to go again in September hinges on my ability to raise at least for the costs of my free trip which is A$2500. God unambiguously showed me that he did not just want me to go but two others from our CFC small congregation. At the end of the campaign, we raised a smacking A$23,859 more than double our last year best record of A$11,120 and also topped the ladder of the world wide list. This trip was of course not just a sight seeing trip to have a chance to walk on the Great Wall. It was a divine appointment for me to meet with the Chinese Operation Director that I missed last time in June. He is also an expatriate from Singapore, but God put in his heart the fire for caring for the souls not just the physical well being of the orphans as well as the carers and the parents. So, just in 45 minutes of a short meeting, God clicked us with the same vision that Counselling training could be a right start to achieve the purpose of life transformation for the ICC Community. We made no consideration on costs, and other local political issues but just made this commitment by faith. So that is the third sign from God that I am to take part in the life transforming ministry with ICC in Hunan. Another Counselling training trip is now planned to train up 20 to 30 ICC managerial staff first with an aim to conduct another round for the carers and parents later in 2011 as God may find us the best timing.

In home turf, I have to share my vision with my CFC family members about the need and importance of overseas mission work. I am frequently asked that should we care first for our small church needs first instead of caring too much about other people’s needs? From human perspective, I have no answer for that and may run the risk of being seen too unrealistic or trying to boost my own ego at the expense of the church. Thanks God that Chinese Kairos中文把握時機課程was introduced this year and I was moved and called to help promoting it for all the Chinese churches in Brisbane including of course to our small congregation. I had to enrol in a local English Kairos class first so that I can be a facilitator trainee when Rev James Chak came from Hong Kong to conduct the course in July/August. It was particular hard for me to juggle time for the Kairos while I was away in June for the Rapha counselling training and in September for the ICC revisit. But nothing can stop my ministry as long as God has paved the path for me. Now right after the post Christmas Rapha training in Changsha coming back on 8/1/11, I will conduct the Kairos course out of the box using the Sunday worship time on a fortnightly basis starting on 9/1/11. This will ensure no one in the congregation will be excused from this course because of time availability during the week day and night. I am looking forwards to conveying the Biblical thought about Great Commission大使命that every believers should and could play a part in assuming this great commission from God that the top line blessing of salvation He bestowed to us has to be channelled as a bottom line blessings to all the unreached people groups that God may call you to serve. For me, and for CFC, the born disabled and abandoned children are the people group that I believe God has entrusted to us through so many signs as mentioned above. The Sichuan ministry for student scholarship may go on and the past involvement in Sichuan may be seen as a training ground for me to understand the rules and culture of serving in China. So, I am looking forwards to a thrill finishing in 2010 and an even more excited beginning in 2011.

In home front, God's grace is enough for each and every one of us. Despite my general fitness, I was diagnosed with high blood pressure 160/120, which was even more serious than Ling who was diagnosed last year and eventually resorted to take low dosage after six months monitoring period. It was discovered almost on the eve I had to set off for the tough walk on the wall journey. But God is good, the blood pressure came down to an acceptable level without the need of medication. My secret is to ponder on the creation of God when measuring blood pressure. It is immediately effective to reduce my reading to 120/75 when I set my eye sight through the sky window first on the tip of the leaves on the tree top and then zooming out into the infinite sky above the drifting cloud. Ling’s health in general is good after the double knees replacement operation 2 years ago. Her only stress is from me, a sometimes grumbling husband and pastor. Johnny, my eldest son is having his own way of life in Hong Kong. He changed job lately hopefully with the blessing of God and helping him to start his own family at His timing. David is awarded for his diligent and faithful work as a contract teacher in the same school for 4 years. He was able to take advantage of the first home buyer scheme and has secured a mortgage to buy a house near ours. He is also making steady progress in spirituality attending Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) and being very active in his own worker fellowship. He went with me for the walk on the wall trip to the Great Wall but more importantly to the orphanage in Changsha and Hengyang. He became the mentor of two orphans that accompanied us for the trip. David is moved to be sponsor of these two cute boys that saw David as their big brothers. Alex is also blessed with a good Information Technology (IT) job after a long job search period. He seems to have been enjoying his work that brought him a lot of bonus including training trip to Sydney and Singapore, and a free flight lesson from his boss. He has now ended up in attending a pilot course fulfilling his dreams to be a pilot that he once sought after with Cathay Pacific Airline. Though there are still a lot of uncertainty in each of us about our ministry and career, we thanks God that we are a blessed family as we know the top line blessing is holding hand with God and walking in His path for us even without knowing the destination. One thing we always know is we are blessed to bring bottom line blessing to the nations. So, let His will be done in us and through us.

Hung and Ling
28/11/2010

A Tour of Amazing Grace in Hengyang & Changsha, Hunan

Hunan Trip report No. 4 – A Tour of Amazing Grace Witnessing the Love, Hope and Opportunity that God has Bestowed to the Least Ones Through the Living Sacrifice by the ICC Team

16/6/2010: Visit to Hengyang International China Concern Projects

After an exhausting intensive Counselling Training Program at Yongzhou, we set off for a different kind of tour experiencing yet again the amazing grace God has bestowed on a group of the least ones in Christ, the born disabled and abandoned orphans which are now under the care of the God’s sent angels, the folks of International China Concern in the Changsha and Hengyang projects.

It was an irony that while we were feeling how hard we had given our all in the energy draining counselling camp through sharing in the last debriefing on our way to Hengyang, than we were hit hard how comparatively insignificant our contribution were in comparison to the long term commitment of those volunteer workers for taking care of the abandoned disabled orphans. They are here for the long haul and we are just there for a short intensive program. Most importantly, we could see the difference they have made for the children.

According to Kyla, who is the head of the Hengyang project, the fatality rate before ICC involvement in the orphanage was 85%. But now, even the worse degree of disability can live with dignity under the loving caring of the new generation of carers. What have made the difference? It is all about the transformation of the heart and mind of local people in their view of the sacred value of life and the fundamental belief of every human being is born equal.

Kyla is a registered nurse from Brisbane, being supported by her mother church Worship Centre, a local Australian church near mine, have already been serving in China for 9 years, almost 6 in Changsha and then 3 years in Hengyang. Her Mandarin is as good and fluent as local people, thus definitely better than me. Every time I called her on the phone, I always thought I got the wrong number of a local Chinese. In her life, you can see the incarnated Jesus. The willingness and determination to come with a mission, leaving her comfort zone at home, and coming to Hunan, China making herself home with the Chinese people. Certainly, she brought along with a lot of professional skills in nursing, caring, training and administration. But the greatest asset she brought is the feelings of love and respect for even the most vulnerable disabled kids’ life at her care. In counselling theory, this is the critical effect of a good therapeutic relationship that accounts most for a successful healing result. It actually helps me to explain the result of our counselling group therapy in my past two involvements of the Rapha Emotional Healing Program. Certainly we need to be equipped and prepared as best as we could, but the grace of God to make us a real comfort for the local people was far more crucial. We must have the empathy to identify with the clients’ feelings and make ourself one amongst them. Thus, I thank God that he made me look not a flawless group leader, but a figure with flesh and blood that can echo with the emotions of my group members walking down the path of life with them. There we could see the importance of the role of faith on top of any counselling theory and skills.

We finished the morning tour at the Hengyang orphanage in 1 and a half hour. It nevertheless left a deep imprint of the images of every precious life of the disabled orphans in the mind of our 10 Rapha group members. Every one would have received more number of hugs from all of the children who could have free mobility than they did lately in their own family life. The feeling of love and the need for being loved was so overwhelming there. It is a good sign of a new life with hope that the children now feel the need for equal opportunity to love and to be loved. I do pray that our Rapha group members would bring this vision back to give them a thought for continuous long term support of ICC cause in China. The visit ended with a very pleasant lunch organized by Kyla. The best meal we ever had in this trip. God is good to us caring for all our needs.

17/6/2010: Visit to Changsha International China Concern Projects

The visit to Changsha projects gave us a very different view on the way ICC works its impact into the community. This is the base of ICC starting its work here 17 years ago in 1993. Justin, the Team Life Coordinator, who has been in Changsha for also almost 10 years, has been the most indigenized overseas volunteers witnessing the changes and transformation that ICC has brought to the disabled orphans in Changsha.

Unlike Hengyang, with everything centralized in one single building complex, the projects of ICC in Changsha spread out in the suburban Changsha. It posts more difficulties for sharing of resources, coordination of activities and management of staff, but it also creates opportunity of greater impact to the society through this diversified facilities and services meeting different needs of the disabled children community.

Justin is a colourful person also from Brisbane. His dedication for the well being of the disabled orphans has earned him the honour of the ambassador of ICC’s overseas team. He was elected Outstanding Youth of Changsha and was given the honour to carry the Olympic torch in 2008. He is well recognized by ordinary Chinese, thus he receives warm greetings everywhere he goes, even at the airport car park check out point. With Justin as our local guide, we have the best use of our time in Changsha.

The five of us, were led first to the headquarter, as well as the general office of ICC in China where all the ICC projects were coordinated. We met Sam Hills the girl from Ipswich, Brisbane who is Community Outreach Project Manager; Eng Kwang Goh, the Research & Development Manager; Bruce Regier, from Canada, the new Head of the third ICC project in SanMenXiao, Henan; Lis Strahan, is a BSc in Occupational Therapy from New South Wales, she is now acting as a sensory therapist in ICC Changsha; Clare Sturdy from the UK and has a BA (Hons) in English with Business Management and is certified in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She is involving with children as their big sister and Linz who works for Butterfly Project which is a close affilliate of the ICC team providing decent palliative care (安寧照護 or 善終看顧) to terminally ill and dying disabled babies. Dr Katherine Kot gave a briefing of what Rapha is doing to help people of all backgrounds and age groups , with or without faith to better manage their suppressed emotions. From our observation, the ICC community should be able to benefit from the Rapha Emotions Mangement Program to treat and heal the life time hurt and wound so that they can really be set free to move on to reach the best potential in a positive manner. Sabrina, a partner of Katherine and a Neurologist, also contributed some ideas that her specialty can be useful for those children who are suffering born neuro-damages such as cerebral palsy大腦性麻痺. Baiscally, it was a very fruitful meeting and we do hope and pray that the ICC folks would take it on to develop more concrete training opportunity using the Rapha Program.

We were then led to visit the orphanage across the road where the initial ICC services started and has kept running till today, which is known as the Rainbow Project. Because of great needs, ICC raised fund in the past four years through Walk the Wall (走長城) to fund a new centre called the Light House Project where more disabled orphans are housed. The self-sustained facilities exclusively managed by ICC has provided a better enviroment for orphans who needs special cares. We then moved on to the Vocationl Training Centre where orphans or children with varied degrees and forms of disablity can receive special education and vocational training there. It also works well with the Community Outreach Projects that, children of lesser degree of disability can be sent there for day care giving their parents some sort of respite to rest or work then they are sent back home for family care with all sort of neccessary aids from ICC to overcome any obstacles in providing care by the parents to the disabled children at home.

We are appreciative of the quick but fruitful and informative local tour led by Justin. Again we finsihed our brief stay with a dumpling lunch and have more exchange of views with Justin, Sam, Wu Shuang, and Li Ming looking forwards for a possible Rapha Emontion management training be organized at Changsha at a three-self church venue liasied by Li Ming towards the end of 2010.

The overall impression of the visit to ICC Hengyang and Changsha was very inspirational. I could sense the grace of God’s work throughout the operations of ICC in China that, difficulties and barriers in language, cultures, and values system could all be lifted by a true Chinese serving heart as symoblized by the ICC logo. It certainly could continue to be a spark of fire in changing the view and mind of Chinese parents towards the caring for their born disabled babies and influencing the landscape of Government’s policy and facilities in caring for the disabled abandon orphans community giving them their deserved love, hope and equal opportunity to be a useful member in the society.

An Amazing Race for God's Kingdom Venture in Hunan

Subject: Hunan Trip report No. 1Dear RAPHA supporters,Thanks for all your supports that have enabled me and the team of 7 females and 3 males to arrive in Yongzhou at 14:45 on 12/6/2010 to conduct the emotions healing course. We have 63 learners mostly from the Yongzhou Christian Church who are either in a pastoral role or in a lay leadership position. There are still from other churches, and seekers that the Lord may use us as an avenue to bring true blessings to many more Yongzhou people.I was assigned a group of 65 years old people. Please pray for my wisdom in choice of words in dealing with people of senior age.Bye for now.Hung Kwan

Subject: Hunan Trip report No. 2
Dear RAPHA Supporters,

Yes, God did answer all your prayers. Once again, we experienced His miraculous and amazing work at Yongzhou. The training ended with great success releasing the suppressed hurt feelings of many again at the end of the programs. God blessed me with a spiritual son whom I led him to Christ at the ending hour of the whole program. We will set off for Hengyang and Changsha tomorrow. Keep praying for God's Will be done.

In Christ

Rev Kwan

Subject: Hunan Trip report No. 3 – An Amazing Race for God’s Kingdon Venture

Dear All,

It was yet another amazing race for God’s kingdom venture. Everything was in God’s fine control.

The trip original primary purpose was meant to be a visitation to the ICC Projects in Hengyang & Changsha after an intensive 4 days counselling training in Yongzhou, a clear open door for me to get a closer look of the abandoned disabled orphans ministry of ICC. But God gave me following unexpected bonus accomplishments: -
A. In Hong Kong from 7-11/6/2010
1. An one on one training and details planning session with Rev James Chak in preparation for the Kairos Chinese intensive course to be held in Brisbane from end of July to early August.
2. A meeting with the Harmony Foundation for an update of the project. I was asked to record a brief video session for promotion of the new e-harmony channel to be officially lunched in November after a 6 months beta test started in April this year.
3. A visit to the YCC centre in Kowloon meeting a couples of team members of the forth coming NZAUS trip with Brisbane as the first city of visit for a historic cultural exchanges between the Local Australian Birralee Voices and the joint Chinese Christian Choir.
The above visits were not planned but are very vital for bringing effective result for their respective program. It however is just a prelude or entrée to God’s more abundant banquet of blessings in China.
B. In Yongzhou from 12-15/6/2010
The 3.5 days Quartet Program for Managing Our Emotion was successfully carried out with good results exceeding our expectation.
1. It brought healing of deep buried wound by releasing the lifelong suppressed emotions of many people. It especially is effective for those elderly persons who are of lower education level and also for those who are in a pastoral role that have forced themselves to wear a mask to suppress their primary emotion in expressing their inner feeling of hurt and frustration.
2. A greater healing was ministered to us the group leaders who were supposed to minister to the participants for healing of their problems. However through the empathy to students, we all got healed of some of our deep wounds relieving an invisible lifelong burden.
3. I myself was particularly blessed with a roommate who helped to analyze and guide me to realize my problems in ministry. I was enlightened to come to a new sense of understanding that I always just tend to address the problem but not the roots which is the inability to handle the primary emotions of fear and insecurity. I was also guided to be a more effective pastor by setting boundary in exercising my role as a pastor that I don’t have to do all things or entertain all requests from the members that are beyond the limit of my capacity.
4. The most beautiful moment happened when we did our last debriefing on the van that the Spirit touched both of us to shed uncontrollable tears of mutual admiration and empathy.
5. God also blessed me by blessing many precious lives in the Quartet Emotion Managing Program.
i. My 9 group members except 2 are elderly people of 65 or above. They are of varied education levels with one illiterate person. Many of them also do not speak mandarin but Hunan dialect. So on face value, it was a difficult group to achieve emotions liberating result.
ii. But I was blessed by all the group members for being punctual to come for group activities with 100% attendance and active participations with mutual appreciation and respect. I was also assigned one of the only 2 helpers whom I considered capable and intellectual in offloading me a lot of logistic responsibilities and taking up increasing group leader role at the later stage of the group activity program.
iii. Because of the even participation of all members with good discipline, we could finish all the assigned tasks always on time. The progress of individuals to get in touch with the identified primary emotion was in general slow and with varying degree of difficulties in the first three group workshops. However, the work of the Holy Spirit was so apparent in the 4th group workshop that all nine except one members could successfully experience great liberation of their suppressed primary emotion through the role play exercise. It was amazing to witness how God softened their hardened hearts to freely express the feeling of hurt to the role playing person and were able to set boundary for preserving a renewed healthier relationship.
iv. A blessed bonus was gifted to my group that the two younger members who took turn to do translation of local Hunan dialect were trained to play the role of a group leader, guiding the weaker members to undergo mediation and role playing.
v. Because of all the above, God blessed me with a special intimate therapeutic counselling relationship with all my nine members. They were no longer just a name on the roll call sheet, but nine precious unique dignified lives that forever have become a part of my life discovering journey. I concluded my sharing at the final session on this note with tears of joy and gratefulness for God’s grace and blessing through this amazing life interaction group dynamic amongst these 11 bonded souls.
vi. God kept bestowing me with overflowing blessing by ministering to the need of a pastor with physical handicap. My appointment with him was deferred for one day unexpectedly. From hindsight, it was God’s plan to equip me with the right answers through an unplanned soul searching sharing with my roommate in that evening. Thus I was able to answer and address all the questions raised by that pastor on the next day. Isn’t God great?!
vii. My ministry in Yongzhou ended in a high note with one precious spiritual fruit. The son of a member of the 4th group was brought by her mother to come for spiritual advice hoping to empower her son to pass the open examination in 2 days time. The Spirit inspired me to stress on the need to have real peace only from Jesus to deal with anxiety. And the young man gladly received Christ with a submissive heart. Hallelujah to the Lord!!

In conclusion, this mission trip can be regarded as an amazing race of God. It brought people of vastly different language and cultural background to gather for achieving amazing results for Him touching and transforming the lives of both the teachers and the learners.

I have to stop here and will share more later about God’s plan and open door for future counseling ministry to the disabled orphans under the care of ICC.

Rev Hung Kwan

Days after Jessica landing

I am glad Jessica landed on 15/5 and her blog sufferd a meltdown. We the Jessisaholic Jessicans were forced into a compulsory withdrawal mode. It has spared me time to re-engage in my own journey which God has opened for me.

A counselling training tour suddenly turned up which required for group leaders to join this program in Yongzhou, Hunan from 12-15/6. Yongzhou is just a neighbouring town of Hengyang and Changsha where the two ICC (International China Concern) disabled orphanaged projects are located. God has been using me and Christ's Family Church to raise fund for the orphans through the annual walk the wall campaign. The ICC folks have been encouraging me to visit their projects to have a first hand view on the casue I am supporting. But becasue of my prior involvment in Sichuan earth quake relief work including this counselling involvement, I keep pushing off a visitation to the two projects.

But now, God has opened up a door for me to go to the door step of Hengyang, so it is obvious enough for me to go to have a look and see what God has in store for me through this trip.

I will spend 5 days in HKG first but they are fully packed with liaison activities which are all signs of open door or approval for my involvement in those para-church related ministry. I will need much prayer support as I have just noticed that Yongzhou has lately become a centre of social unrest becasue of the corruption in the judicial systems causing great grievance in the citizens there. Three judges were shot dead by a righteous civil right activist who also got killed. So there is great uproar in this city. On the one hand, this exactly is a confirmation for our visit there to minister to their grievance through the counselling course. But on the other hand, the situation can develop to the edge of out of control that would hinder the conducting of the program. So, we are finger crossed to see how the sovereign Lord will lead us into this stern siutation but still use us to bring comfort and peace to the inner mind of the frustrated public in the society.

In HKG, the 21st anniversary of June 4th event this year also has stirred up a bit of tension in th society particularly in the Chinese University Studnets Community. They are fighting for the right to erect a statue of Freedom in the campus while the University Authority tries every way to reject this in the name of politcal neutrality. I have posted following email to them to voice out my view as an overseas alumni:

The most important value of a true democratic society is the freedom of speech and expression. As an academic institute, its duty is to uphold that freedom with an impartial view. Political neutrality is not to interfere that inherent right but to colloborate with the student council to find a most appropriate place for the erection of the statue of freedom that is safe and not causing inconvenience. It should let the individual students to make their own interpretation on the message brought forth by that symbol of the June 4th spirit. No matter what positions you hold on the June 4th event, it is an irreversible tragedy that has caused deep wound in the hearts of many people. Suppressing the emotion to greive and commemorate would only bring negative consequence to the society. Allowing a permanant display of the statue of freedom would serve as the avenue for greivance be vented. It would only bring more rational discussions and reflections on this issue TO MAKE IT NOT HAPPEN AGAIN!!

1974 Econ ,Chung Chi College

There are already so much to keep my mind engaged before the trip. I am sure God will lead me through an even more amazing journey not less spectacular than the 7 knowdowns of Jessica's circumnaviagtion solo sailing. I am glad I will not be sailing solo alone but with God speed and God bless.

A New Start

Life is a Journey.

Every one is in a race with yourself but no body else for a personal trophy, or a dream you dare to make. You run, or jog, or sprint, and then stumble to regain your feet for an expereince of a life time that no one else can fully understand. But still you can pour your heart open in the blog of wonderland to share with other lone venturers travelling along side you.

What is important is the expereince of the journey but not the trophy at the end.
What count is the efforts you have put in, but not the result as long as you can declare at the end "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2Tim 4:7)

Come Waltzing Maltida with me.

Your Happy Aussie Hung from Hong Kong
21/5/2010 2:55am