INTERCEDING TOGETHER

1. Pray for colleagues who are awaiting return to their sites amidst ongoing visa and travel restrictions.

2. Pray for open doors in Yunnan province for a new site and new initiatives.

3. Pray for humility, wisdom and unity as we partner with local brothers and sisters more and in a deeper manner.

4. Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send new workers and for us to be open to new ways of working.

Short-Team Services Long-Team Mission
Steven Lo

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

Thank God for leading Eva to join MSI in 2012 to take part in developing mental health rehabilitation services. As someone with many years of experience in mental health rehabilitation in Hong Kong, Eva hoped to start similar work locally in Chengdu to help those recovering from mental health issues and their families to live dignified and normal lives.

In December 2014, two years after Eva started serving, several sisters who knew Eva went to visit her. On one hand, they wanted to learn the local culture, while on the other, they wanted to hold some year-end activities for the members of Hope Clubhouse (the site for mental health rehabilitation). The visit and activities were very successful. Consequently, they decided to do this every year, organising brothers and sisters and other friends to join the visitation teams. This has now been going on for almost ten years.

Team members have changed over the years, but we give thanks that those who join also get along well with Eva like old friends.

Because of the pandemic in 2020, we couldn’t visit like before, but we are grateful for God’s provision, as we were able to hold year end activities over the internet. We hope that in 2021, we can return to the site to continue deepening our friendships and to continue our mission of blessings others!

Love Was Poured Out (from those who participated in MSI’s rehabilitative activities)

As part of MSI’s on-going cooperation with West China Hospital and Disabled People’s Federation, a mental health rehabilitation project Hope Clubhouse was started in 2012. Hope provides comprehensive services to help former psychiatric patients reintegrate into society through work or continuing education. The day programme provides former patients with opportunities and activities to regain work skills and build confidence in relating to people. Both Hope and a sister organisation Sunshine Clubhouse established in Zigong county have obtained international accreditation from Clubhouse International in the United States.

Member of Hope Clubhouse
MSI has financially supported us since the start of Hope Clubhouse in 2012. Since 2014, MSI also provided activities to enhance rehabilitation. As a staff member, I cannot help but feel indebted to the sacrifice made by so many people who came from afar. Love poured into our clubhouse and it made the rehabilitation process all the more meaningful.

The year-end activities led by MSI are very special in many ways, I can only name a few. Activities included choral singing, games, trivia questions, team formation and many more. Members were taught songs expressing love for their mothers, love for their country as well as New Year’s wishes. We played many games such as “the telephone game”, “receiving love”, “boat racing” etc. These games convey the positive power of love, faith and hope. During the trivia session, we learnt the importance and meaning behind various festive holidays such as National Day, Christmas Day and Lunar New Year. Christmas especially gave us a sense of reverence. While having fun searching for the hidden differences in similar drawings/pictures, members increased their ability to observe and respond. We sometimes formed groups to compete and we sometimes danced and sang. The members learnt to relate and bless one another. These activities helped to foster the participants’ abilities to bond and cooperate. Moreover, carefully selected gifts such as exercise towels, thank you cards, and pencils, were given to encourage us to exercise, talk and write more often; and lunch box sets to bless us with provision for our daily needs – all such thoughtful expressions of love and care. These activities helped reduce stress and promote a sense of well-being.

MSI volunteers use accepting attitudes, affirming words, enthusiastic service to bring warmth during the winter season. It is indeed a heart-warming and high quality rehabilitation service.

Staff of Sunshine Clubhouse
Since 2017, Eva Yau, the consultant for Sunshine Clubhouse, had invited her Hong Kong friends to come and host year-end activities for our members. During such times, our members not only gained many new friends but also obtained a better understanding of Hong Kong culture. Our members would invariably look forward to these year-end activities as the dates drew near. When I asked them why, here are a few of their replies.

Yanghao said: “The games our Hong Kong friends played with us made a very deep impression on me and these activities helped me discover self-confidence and happiness.”

Tianyu added: “Hong Kong friends are always very warm and friendly. When we are together, it feels like we are family. We feel very much cared for.”

Yaoyao joined in: “I feel very excited every time the staff members said they would organise some year-end activities. This is because through the activities we learnt more new things, spent happy hours together and forgot the troubles we faced.”

I believe each person who joined the activities gleaned and gained something different. We hope our members have a positive attitude in facing life’s difficulties. We hope to overcome disabilities and make life beautiful.

I’ve Got a Job!
Joy Tai

This is a clean and bright fast food restaurant in a small neighbourhood. In the doorway there are two big pots: one filled with steaming hot rice and the other with a delicious dish to go with the rice. In October 2020, Kunming Huiling started this restaurant to offer work opportunities to adults with mental or physical disabilities.

When we discussed the process of making this idea into reality, Ms. Zhou could not stress enough how perfect timing, circumstances and relationships all dovetailed together. The restaurant is in the same location as Huiling’s old facility. Although Teacher Zhou just joined Huiling, she had over ten years of experience in the restaurant business and had taken an early retirement. When she saw the advertisement on the high-speed train: ‘Hiring mentally and physically challenged restaurant workers’, she decided to invest her own pension money into it. With professional support from MSI, the restaurant came into being.

There are four trainees supervised by an employment counsellor in this restaurant. Since all trainees have a certain degree of disability, they are very happy to be able to have their first job and can prove to themselves that they are productive people. What a milestone for them! Their counsellor added,” I feel a great sense of achievement when they can have a stable job.”

Seeing them giggle, I was overjoyed for them! They may not know how far away they are from their next goal, yet they begin to hope for it. ‘The job’ becomes their motivation to reach the goal.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’(Acts 20:35)

The overall employment rate of the disabled in China is 43%, but for the mentally disabled it is less than 10%. This is a serious issue facing the Chinese government. Currently, there are 5.54 million people with intellectual disabilities in China, accounting for 6.68% of the disabled. Among those with multiple disabilities, 4.3 million have mental retardation. Thus, the number of people with mental disabilities total nearly 10 million.

(Source – http://www.chinadp.net.cn/cul-ture_/acadamic/2016-09/13-15619.html)