Perspiration Pays Off!

My vision is to see every child in our orphanages provided with the same hope and future that I want for my own son. For that reason I thank Prof. Mark MacAlpine (above) and Bill Lake (below) who share the vision and went out to help make it happen! | Photo: M. MacAlpine Hi to you!

How inspired I am by our supporters!  So many of you volunteer your services in a wide variety of ways, and I'm so happy to tell you about two others who have energetically raised funds for Christian Action's work helping orphans in Qinghai, China.

Last year, Prof. Mark MacAlpine wrote to all his friends inviting them to sponsor him in the Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon, his first full marathon.  He set a target which he thought was unreachable, an 'age-related' $65,000. His friends were generous and he ended up raising HK $67,220!

In February this year, Mark, now 66 years old, again let his friends know that he would participate in the same Marathon, but that he would only attempt a half marathon - 21kms.  But Mark's friends went further than the year before with their generosity and donated HK$67,757!   Once again they have given more than a thousand dollars for every year of his life!

Bill Lake (right), actor Vin Choi (center) and myself at the Bowling with Love event.

Mark wrote to his friends:  Before the race, I collected my chest number, electronic chip and T-shirt.  My number was 66228 - which in Cantonese punning could be thought of as 'roll, roll, easy, easy, and prosperous'.  Or "Once I get rolling, very easy to prosper"!   'Prosper' in the sense of lots of sponsorship for Christian Action's programmes of surgery for disabled orphans!

Another kind-hearted supporter is Bill Lake, who participated in our 'Bowling with Love' Charity Competition. Bill raised the wonderful sum of $7,100!  In his Thank You letter to his sponsors Bill wrote:  We all had a great day's bowling, (I set the highest score of 246 in game one) made new friends and of course the children that Christian Action support greatly benefited - a classic case of "when every body was a winner".

Both Mark and Bill attend my church. Mark was in our home Bible Study group at one time, and Bill served with Christian Action five years ago.  He was actually a pioneer staff member in our Chungking Mansions Refugee program.

Well done Mark and Bill from all of us at Christian Action!  You are a real blessing to our abandoned and disabled children and I'm sure your efforts will inspire many others to do what they can so that we can expand our care for many more helpless infants.

Siew Mei