The Door-way to Success!

When we say Happy New Year, it’s tempting to think that the accomplishment of some great success in the year ahead will bring us happiness. But real success is when some small things we do results in bringing change and happiness in someone’s life.

On December 24^th last year I was reminded of this when I met up with some of the Vietnamese students who had benefited from our early refugee work. As part of our 25^th Anniversary celebrations, we arranged a Reunion Party for the students and some members of their families. One of those students has a special place in my memories of that time.

In 1987, I became the Project Officer of HK Christian Aid to Refugees, and I focused my efforts on training and finding office positions for young Vietnamese who would have worked exclusively in blue-collar or factory jobs. I concentrated on teenagers who showed great enthusiasm and drive once given some encouragement.

One of those young men was Siman Luong Thu Dan, also known as “Dan”. He was about 17 when I found him his first job at the Holiday Inn Golden Mile – which he quit after one day because someone called him a “yuet lam chai”, a mildly derogatory term meaning `Vietnamese boy’! One day, Siman was faced with a particularly difficult challenge and he rang my doorbell asking if he could stay at our home. He stayed for six months! But he worked well at my husband Marlon’s company as an admin assistant, picking up many skills in the process and widening his horizons. He then made his own way to the UK, did some study, and he now owns his own travel business, and his own home—in which he once cooked a good Sunday roast for me! Dan still calls me Ma, and when I visited him in Leicester, he booked me into the Hilton Hotel and paid my bill! By anyone’s standards, he can be called a successful man.

I wonder now what would have happened to Dan if I hadn’t opened the door into our home that day. It was a small thing to do – just opening the door. But that year saw the start of a change in Dan’s life.

I pray that this year we can together do many small things for the little children in our care which will result in making it a happy new year for them—and a real success for us!

P.S. From the archives: two scans of 1988 newspaper articles about the boys who were in my program back in 1988 (when CA was known as Hong Kong Christian Aid to Refugees!)

HK Standard

South China Morning Post