4 days ago, I heard on local radio a news about how some elderlies in Hong Kong are mis-treated – they were striped to naked and putting on wheelchair to wait up for their shower, in front of other mates at the home. Some people phoned in the program and shared their disheartening experiences how their parents were mistreated such as they see bruises in different parts of their bodies each time they visited them when staff claimed they fell off or things happened accidentally. They said the staff could be peeling oranges immediately after the second they cleaned the elderly in the bathroom without washing their hands. There were just many horrible stories about these paid services but the key thing is – every elderly home in Hong Kong is the SAME and delivering poorly. People don’t have a choice! Our dear elderlies are not given the deserved respect and dignity is completely absent. And our society is ageing – there are more and more elderlies each year whose situations complicate from time to time. There are not much things we can turn these around but to accept them. What is my response towards this news or societal trend? I tell myself: I am going to open my elderly home which delivers proper service, my brand of elderly home where there would be a better system, better people and most importantly – there is love for the needy ones. I am thinking to charge a premium for the quality service that it delivers, but could it be an NGO? This I do not know yet.
My life’s first continuous volunteer work started at Mother’s Choice, an NGO for unwanted babies borne by underaged adolescents. I served there for 5 years nursing babies below 6 months old. I had a wonderful time because babies are adorable, cute and simply a joy to spend time with. The reason I left is that there is a long waiting list of volunteers waiting to take care of these babies when the numbers of babies who need the care were actually dwindling. I see no point spending my time ‘fighting’ with other volunteers to just cradle that one baby and when my time could be spent on someone who needs my help more? From then onwards, I steer towards focusing my spare time on the elderly. I did a number of things such as visiting those who live alone in their tiny flat…those who have suicidal tendency or the depressed ones, I spent time with those in nursing homes and lots of them are over a century old. Can you imagine how much they have seen and experienced? And I had the chance to work with the dying ones in Kolkata, India. It’s my goal to diversify my volunteering services so that I can see where my heart falls – over the years, I still choose to reach out to the elderlies.
My current job is a relatively new job (it’s my 7th months now) where I focused on branding restaurants and helping on building new ones. Many people ask me what do I do with this experience, are you gonna open your restaurants? No, it’s a flat no and I wouldn’t want to open restaurants, I just want to learn new things, and I don’t mind to learn more about F&B. Just last week, the project I have worked on for 6 months is eventually conceived. I helped out, with the help of numerous people, opening my life’s first restaurant. It’s a lot of sweat and tears, fun and stress. But finally, I started to see a little bit more about what God has planted in me over these decades. My education, my previous jobs training, my hobbies, my volunteering experiences, my church’s preaching plus my aspirations are ALL starting to connect – dots are connecting! I want to open elderly homes which just would be operated properly. I have always wanted to see justice at work in my life, in the society and the greater world.
The desire inside my heart is that I aspire to use my time in a meaningful way – I am reaching a very mature stage of my life now, and just want to make sure I use my time not in leisure and pleasure. I have a huge desire to defend the helpless and I truly believe the weak is strong, the poor is rich. The Vine is teaching us pathways to maturity today, and Pastor Andrew Gardener emphasizes that 6 months down the road, The Vine will equip us with the needed power and strength so we can be the big people God wants us to be. He is confirming my faith exactly this moment and right now. I do not know how I can achieve that, but I just know He has created me and given me talents which I just need to use it. Just go out and use it. Be a doer is my goal for the next 5 years. Act His will and be His light of the world. I could fail but if I don’t step out, my life is wasted. Wasting my life is a disrespect to the Creator, we should be steward of His creation. I want to honour His wonderful creation.
Once again, I do not know what and how to do it, but I know He will guide me. He will lead me through His church, His people my friends, all those whom I come across. I choose Him. I will take care of the orphans, the widows, the weak, the injured, the needy ones. I am very weak also and lost…but I only know that through reaching out can I find my path. It’s not for self-glory that I do all these, but in His name, in His glory. To my parents, to my siblings, to my best friends, to all those who love me and I love I want to dedicate this flaming urge in my heart.
Quote of the Day
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
James 1:27I pray to God that I will not be afraid. I will seek Him to do things which so delights Him and the world. Justice we stand, justice we fight and justice we live.
Postscript Quote
Sure I’m for helping the elderly. I’m going to be old myself someday.
Lillian Gordy Carter
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