As Iron Sharpens Iron

‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’
Proverbs 27:17
NIV

During my most recent trip to the UK, Marlon and I were blessed to catch-up with four very special ‘giants’ in my life. Their love of others and their love for God has left an indelible mark on the lives of so many people - not least of whom are Marlon and myself.

Many years ago, when I lived in Liverpool and I was just a young woman with my life before me, Lady Irene Chan, (wife of the late Lord Michael Chan of Liverpool) was like a mentor to me. So I had to visit. Today she is cared for by her loving daughter, Ruth and is having difficulties remembering things well. How grateful I am that I was granted the opportunity to spend time with her, hold her and pray for her.

Another person whom I visited was John Aldis and his wife Corinne. John became CA’s Chairman when we were known as Hong Kong Christian Aid to Refugees. From 1993 until 1998 he worked tirelessly to grow us from only serving Vietnamese Boat People to serving needy communities across all of Hong Kong and Qinghai, China. As a leader John possessed the perfect combination of strength and flexibility, and I was able to watch and learn from him. I thank God for this unsung hero.

When I visited John I reminisced with him about his help in changing our name to Christian Action, the opening of Xining Children’s Home in 1998 and many other events. John, too, is facing challenges with his memory, and it was wonderful to see his face break into his big lovely smile and his eyes light up whenever he remembered the details of a story from those early days. I thank God that I could visit with John and Corinne.

Anthony Charter was CA’s Chairman from 2005 to 2019 when he retired from his job and left Hong Kong. Anthony guided us through many crises -including the massive task of relocating CA’s headquarters from New Horizons Building to Choi Wan (II) in 2019. I am indebted to Anthony for his wise advice, unfailing encouragement and steady hand. Thankfully, Anthony is still serving on this Board as a Board Member.

Anthony and his wife Toni invited Marlon and I to their church and we were impressed by its energy and activities. It has become Anthony’s support group to give to Qinghai and to pray for CA!

Lastly, I was so glad to catch up with our volunteer extraordinaire, Rob Farrall. When he was living in Hong Kong and volunteering with our Centre for Refugees, Rob was such a selfless and exemplary individual that he actually won the AmCham Ira Dan Kaye Community Service Award for last year!

As I reflect on my trip to the UK I am struck by the extraordinary people God has graced me with through every chapter of my life. May we all follow in their example!

Love,
Siew Mei.