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.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
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
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
Friday, June 4, 2010
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 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.
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