Sow in Tears, Reap in Joy

Standing in front of me was Mr. Walter Hung - he is the former President, Rotary Club of Kwun Tong. Twenty-seven years ago, that full-grown man was a child served by Christian Action!

On April 20 Walter and Club members paid a visit to our new headquarters at Choi Wan to learn about our services. When Walter met the young children in our after-school childcare programme, he reminisced about his childhood in Christian Action, and how our New Arrivals Programme had helped him climb from the lowest valley in his early years to the top of the academic mountain with flying colours in his later years.

His memories took me back to the challenging time when we were running our services in the old headquarters at New Horizon Building. The trainees had difficulty coming to the evening training classes because they did not live anywhere near us. It was the Rotary Club of Kwun Tong who donated a minibus thus enabling these trainees to get to us. The Club went the extra mile in letting us use the minibus to take our children on outings.

It's hard to believe that the seeds of kindness that were planted in our relationship decades ago would thrive and reap a harvest in unexpected ways.

Walter reminded us that he did not speak a single word of Cantonese, nor did he have a single friend when he first arrived in Hong Kong. He said he felt grateful for the time spent in Christian Action, where his self-confidence grew and the social life had prevented him from going astray as a teenager.

Walter said he scored 23 points in HKCEE (public exam) and obtained a grade B in English. He added, “Without the help of Christian Action, I wouldn’t have become who I am today!”

Now a successful entrepreneur who owns five restaurants, Walter has not forgotten about his neighbours in Kwun Tong where he spent most of his life. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he distributed 10,000 surgical masks to disadvantaged families. He also distributes food to people and regularly raises money for NGOs.

At the end of his visit, Walter shared with me his vision to set up a charitable organisation to empower youth. He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive. If we can offer a helping hand to those going through a tough time, we can help them overcome and succeed.”