Global Discipleship Programme

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2015 ] FOCUS ~ DISCIPLESHIP

“What’s the most important thing in our lives? Are we willing to risk our lives for Jesus in all circumstances?” “Is there any value or belief so deeply-rooted in our culture that we just accept without question?” These are some of the questions raised by the participants of Global Discipleship Programme (GDP), who went on a 3-week mission/exposure trip to Ethiopia last summer. In this interview, Rev. Pak Loh, CEDAR Fund’s mission pastor, also the mastermind behind GDP, will share more about this programme that shakes up the lives of these participants, prompts them to face the world and themselves, and takes them on a transformational journey.

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Transform and be Transformed: Together with the Migrant Community in Yunnan

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2015 ] STEP INTO THE WORLD

In Baoshan city of Yunnan province, about 70 families of the Lisu ethnic minority live on Gangding Mountain, which is about 128 kilometres from the city. All of them, approximately 440 people in total including children, are Christians. Their living is never easy because they have no proper household registration (hukuo) and they do not speak Chinese.

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A Family with Big Smiles | Serena Suen

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2015 ] JOIN HANDS JOIN HEARTS

Written by Serena Suen, Programme Officer

Yidenekachew, a boy’s name that means “Let them admire”, had me admiring on his shiny smile which seemed to light up the tiny room that house himself, his grandmother, his two younger brothers and his cousin. Yidenekachew’s mother lives in the rural area. Life is very hard that she could not take care of her three sons but forced to send them off to their grandmother living in the city, hoping that her children would be better taken care there.

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Change Agents—the Extraordinary Royal Priesthood | Phyllis Kwan

[ ‘SHARE’ Jul-Aug 2015 ] TAKING ACTION

Written by Phyllis Kwan

In Hong Kong, “volunteer” is a term commonly given to all persons who offer service for free, irrespective of the nature of the voluntary service. The term puts an emphasis on the single element that the service provider does not receive any remuneration. However when I first met Hawassa in Ethiopia, I received a deeper meaning of the term “volunteer”. Hawassa is part of a woman group who act as “change agents”, educating the villagers from door to door and advocating for the abolition of the still common practice of the harmful tradition of female genital mutilation (FGM). They are no ordinary volunteers.

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Easing the Twin Afflictions of Poverty and Disease

Poverty and disease are closely intertwined. Unlike developed countries that are well-resourced, those living in poorer countries have a much higher risk of infection since they lack public health facilities and have very limited resources for disease education and prevention. Also, poor patients simply cannot afford expensive treatment and medication; some just have to watch their lives ticking away. Disease could take lives, but unaffordable medication could also be an invisible accomplice to the poor.

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