两地書緣續三地四友五人六天行(上)

在深圳北高鐵侯車

Nikki領隊和雷德意牧師在往長沙高鉄中

自5月20至26日被愛希會ICC(International China Concern)邀請踏上這中国体驗之旅,涵蓋三 地(衡陽、長沙、北京)、四主家堂會友、五人組成員(加領隊Nikki) 的六天之行程；亦是我 和弥則繼「二地書」通信往來經年後、在異地重聚同遊的賞心經歷，沿途每日用英文寄錄之見聞感受、分三次在逍遙博上分享！

 Day 1 20/5/2012  HkG to Changsha

By the grace of God, there are four members in the China Experience Team  2012,. They are Rev Mark Loi, 雷德意Leanne Ong王明亮, Mize Tung董覺梵and myself. Mize flew from Lanzhou蘭州to Changsha長沙, while the three of us met in HKG with Nikki, the ICC team leader.

The journey began with worshipping God in oneness at the Rhenish Kowloon Church. 禮賢會九龍堂 I was impressed that Leanne and Rev Mark arrived much earlier at 8am to wait for me to pick them up to my mother church. I was also touched by the willingness of Rev Mark to come despite his Cantonese was half cooked for full understanding of the sermon. Anyhow, he and Leanne had good fellowship with their comrade Rev Yip Leung Shing葉亮星 who is from Yeebo怡保, Malaysia. I was also able to catch up with Irene and Wai Shing.

Originally, Nikki wanted us to get back to YMCA by 11am to meet her at the Lobby and I said by MTR, I may be arriving by 11:15am. Yet, thanks God that my sister Tammy offered to give us a lift after the morning service at Kowloon Rhenish church to YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui尖沙咀. We arrived even  a bit earlier than 11am.

Instead of dragging our luggage up and down the MTR underground walking path, Nikki made a considerate decision that we all went in one Taxi. It is more rational to do so when I found out later that, in Mainland China, the boot(trunk) of taxi is too small to hold the luggage of all 4 passengers.

Nikki showed strong leadership by delaying some of our requests to buy food or to the toilet, so that we can be focusing our effort to get to the High Speed train station in Shenzhen first.

Everything  went smooth and we got to Changsha by 5pm catching 2 taxies to the hotel with reason as mentioned. There is no visible meter reading but the taxi fare(RMB28) is clocked and printed on an invoice slip so that there is no room for tampering or illegal charging, a good  and civilized advancement! Sense of Security for travelling is a big boost to tourism for China.

The hotel management messed up with our booking giving us a twin bed (one single bed) room. No matter it was done by inadvertent careless mistake or intentional juggling for rooms on the only smoke free floor, it is not a good sign of professionalism. Untrustworthiness is always the detergent for customers to come again.

Having said that, the facilities and room cleanliness is exceeding my expectation. Later I found out that it is a 4 stars hotel which is as good as 5 stars for me in comparison to the Jian Jiang ji Xin motel. 錦江之星I must thank for the consideration of the ICC CET team to give us this comfortable, if not luxurious class of accommodation arrangement. I actually only care about the convenience of having unlimited internet access. Any other things beyond are bonus.

Mize still had not arrived when we checked in. It caused Nikki some anxiety, especially not knowing how well her English is if Nikki needs to locate her as well as how to get along with the team program that will be conducted by her 95 % in English. Thanks God that Nikki quickly  got hold of her over their blackberry phone, and Nikki was much relieved to find out that Mize this Chinese girl who never replied her email in English can actually have a good command of English even with the American accent likes her. So now we are a team assembled and ready to start our journey together. 

長沙金源酒店迎新宴-1

The next was team orientation at Nikki’s room. This was the best comprehensive and organized program I have ever had since my past 3 trips to ICC. The two video are good , giving me additional insight and more accurate info about the story and calling of David Gotts. The support for the Nanny project is a new and very sensible one that we can promote back home when we have any ICC promotion function. I actually think it is good to do it in our 15^th Anniversary that we can have a bigger support base including all the guests.

The guidelines are good, at least comparing to no guidelines at all or just a few verbal reminders in the previous team trips. Later on, I just found out that ICC missed out a very important rules or restriction,  that is --  no handing out of any sort of Christian material that will be seen as a pro-active evangelism action. Both Rev Mark Loi and Leanne brought some flyers and light content Christian magazines. It  was still OK if they handed it out to the local heads, which I am sure they will do all the screening process. The trouble was, both got the temptation to distribute it directly to whoever that was around. This is a serious breach of ICC role not to allow explicit and intentional evangelism within their project. It definitely is part of my responsibility to alert them before hand. Anyway, I gave them a very stern brushing at the end of the first day of our Changsha visit later.

The climax of the day was the reunion with Mize in the room of Nikki after 9 long years. She is such a lovely young lady with a bit of carefree temperament. The first day closed with a very decent dinner at the Hotel. Afterwards, we exchanged presents at my room and a brief catch up to allow each other to have a good rest before we start a busy day tomorrow to Hengyang.

長沙金源酒店迎新宴-2

Day 2 21/5/12 Changsha長沙to Hengyang衡陽

We got up and went together for the breakfast. It  was again exceedingly satisfactory and right for my appetite. Leanne tried to boss around to ask me to say grace, I instead asked every one to take turn to do it starting from her. I have to learn from Nikki to stand firm against endless suggestions and or requests from team members. But I think Leanne has been too used to giving out ideas and hoping others to follow her way in any team events with her not being a leader. That is the problem of overzealous that is both the strength and weakness of her. 

長沙第一次早餐

We then headed off to the High speed train高鐵 Changsha South Station長沙南站. The taxi fare was exactly the same as RMB28. That means the driver did not trick to use a run around route but the same most direct route. This is so pleasing to see honesty in a trade catching up with other international places.

於長沙南出發往衡陽與弥則合照

於長沙南出發往
衡陽雷牧師與弥則合照

於長沙南出發往衡陽雷牧師與我合照

到衡陽之高鉄上

抵衡陽東高鉄下車

 We arrived in Hengyang and waited for quite awhile at the restaurant for the Hengyang expatriate team. I felt a bit guilty that all the busy ICC co-workers have to squeeze time for us. But I hope they will find it mutually beneficial to catch up with the team from outside. More or less, the networking effect always bring surprise how two strangers actually share some mutual friends or cross with each others in some life experience event. Allison from Shieldfield in UK was amazed we were In the same city of Manchester曼徹斯特 in year 1990 when I did my UMIST study and received Christ there. David and Ruth from Bundaberg know Nic and Rhoda very well. So possibly the mission hearts of the Crooks family once serving as OMF Missionary in Japan, do have some unspoken impacts to David and Ruth. That is what I am looking forwards to having the life of my team members impacted by the ICC volunteers.

衡陽與領袖午宴

衡陽與所有外国義工午宴

 I am old friend of Kyla. She is always so down to the earth without the hallow effect of a celebrity like Justin in Changsha. But she is those quiet achievers that will be persistent in accomplishing goals after goals overcoming whatever obstacles in front of her. I am also proud of the Australians ratio in ICC.  Six out of nine of the International volunteers are from Australia. But I overheard that the number from UK is catching up in Changsha. The participation by Overseas Chinese is still lacking far behind. I do pray that sometimes  and somehow God will move more from the Overseas Chinese ethnic group to serve our own compatriots.

衡陽愛希會主任辦公室前迎迓

The Hengyang project is a familiar scene for me. I have been there three times in 2010. But this time, I only realized they also have a sort of vocational training craft class to make craft for sale. So, I took the lead to buy some craft especially something made by the girls who were so eager to show me their proud production. This time, because Karen, who went walk the wall with me and took care of Heng Bing衡冰and Jian Xin建新, was present, we were introduced to her Medical Centre which she will have to leave behind as she is transferring to Sanmenxia三門峽soon. I was greatly disappointed to know that, the boys Heng Bing and Jian Xin have been relocated to live in the first set of Group Home in the community in Hengyang. It is good for both of them, but I was not prepared to miss seeing them with all those presents I am bringing along to give to them. Hopefully, in September, I can make pre-arrangement to meet them in the group home.

Allison帶領開始參觀衡陽愛希會中心

可愛的孩兒都要抱抱

愛、希望、机會

可愛的孩兒都要抱抱

可愛的孩兒都要抱抱,笑不籠咀

Another pleasant surprise is the significant improvement of the government section of the Hengyang Welfare Centre. One and a half year ago. It was then two different worlds of great contrast. The children in the Government section were poorly looked after, if not grossly neglected lacking the most basic supplies like nappy. They either ran with their bottoms naked or with a makeshift one made out of the ragged cloth wrapped up in shopping plastic bag. There was no sign of life as they were so quiet. This time, that sickening scene cannot be seen anymore. Some children may have some activities and emotional facial expression when you approach them. But according to Nikki, the children situation will still deteriorate since entering the Government Welfare Centre. She showed us a new boy which was picked up by her on the street just now and contrasted him to other older boys they all look much pale and extraordinary quiet with a hollow eye contact with you symbolizing a loveless and hopeless life. Anyway, we must praise and encourage the new management of the welfare centre who is striving for funds and human resources to boost the carers and kids ratio from the rock bottom of 1:50. They feel the pressure working alongside with ICC that demonstrates, some things can be done to improve the welfare of the disabled kids.

Karen 在医療室介紹

有訪客叫靑年人興高釆烈

青少年也需鼓勵和支持

好学不倦、自強不息

廚房重地

 Kyla was not in the office the whole afternoon. Obviously, she was busy in her role of both the Hengyang project manager and the China Operation Director. She decided not to move back to Changsha but appointing Wu Shuang as her deputy to oversee the national issues, so that Justin can be left with greater freedom 

to look after the Changsha

operations. Anyway, I did not blame Kyla rendering very little support for the Rapha course. At least she did not block the progress, but has delegated Meikoh to path way for the 2^nd Rapha Course to be conducted in September, 2012.

孤兒們的手工艺、非購買不可、以示支持欣賞

We returned to Changsha for a light dinner. After the dinner, Nikki gave us chance to express our observation and ask question. Rev Mark asked how ICC can preach the gospel to all the staff and the children apart from caring for the physical need and livelihood. It exposed the lack of knowledge about the Creative Access Country創啓區域like China that it does not allow public evangelism activity by any foreign organization. So, ICC as a professional volunteer group is strictly forbidden to be seen carrying out things not conforming to its profession. I know that I have been making assumption that every pastor knows about the restriction of having gospel ministry in a Creative access country which is not necessarily the case. I thus planned to give them a briefing the next day. Rev Mark and I  took an early rest while the ladies went for a walk.

 第二晚吃省錢便餐