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Monday
Aug162010

Listening Is Kind!

The Bible reminds us, "Be kind and compassionate..." but we can’t be compassionate unless we listen to people and discover their needs. In our busy whirl of daily activity it’s easy to forget that listening is an important act of kindness.  For our staff, listening is the essential key that opens doors of hope to people like Nimal, a Sri Lankan who escaped the fate of many of his assassinated relatives during the horrors of the recent civil war in his country.

After failed attempts to find asylum in two other countries, Nimal arrived in Hong Kong, having obtained a visa for one week.  A taxi driver took him to a guesthouse in downtown Kowloon, but a few weeks later, Nimal got sick and was taken to hospital. The authorities discovered that he had overstayed his visa, so the police came and took Nimal to a detention centre. When he was released three weeks later, he couldn’t recall the name or location of the guesthouse where he’d left all his belongings. Officers at the detention centre told him about Christian Action, so Nimal showed up at our offices with literally nothing other than the clothes on his body.

One of our Caseworkers immediately took the time to listen to this poor man’s horrific story. She then found a guesthouse for him and also supplied him with clothes, food and other basic necessities. She arranged for immediate interviews with the Social Welfare Department and International Social Services and also put him in touch with the Hong Kong Refugee Advice Centre. Barnes & Daly Lawyers agreed to take on Nimal’s case. With all these essential steps in place, our Caseworkers then encouraged Nimal to make use of his time by attending our English classes and also joining in our recreational activities.

With the assistance of the Lee Hysan Foundation we have been able to assist many people like Nimal, but we do not receive funding from the government or any other big grant giving institutions for our staff and operation costs.  If you, or someone you know, could cover these costs so that we can continue these acts of kindness and compassion, I’d really welcome a call from you.

Our wonderful Nepalese cook in our service centre in Kowloon makes between 60 to 80 meals a day, six days a week, for people like Nimal until they get settled and can provide for themselves. The cost of these meals is already covered by a very kind Indian tailor, but we do need financial help with the provision of uniforms, textbooks, school materials and transport and kindergarten fees for the children of parents in desperate situations. We have children on a waiting list for these things, so please pray for more kind people to come forward and help us show Christ’s compassion to these traumatized people in their time of need.

God bless you!

-Siew Mei

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