THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | APRIL 2020

Collection of face masks, photo taken at CEDAR’s office

 

Dear Supporters,

 

Shalom!

 

Not long prior to the crucifixion of Jesus, He taught a parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13). It was about staying alert and preparing well for the return of the Lord. Just looking at this parable literally, I wonder why the five foolish virgins did not bring along a little more oil. Certainly, parable is a parable, the key is the main message and not the details. 

 

In reality, waiting can be an almost endless thing. Taking the recent global spread of the novel coronavirus as an example, at the time of writing, it is still not clear when it is likely to come to an end. In the face of this situations, people can easily get stressful or even depressed as we do not see any light in the tunnel. In the story of ten virgins, they fell asleep due to long waiting times. Indeed, we could easily drift off if we just sit there and wait. Hence, how can we stay awake and enthusiastic?

 

Continue reading THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | APRIL 2020

The Letter From CEDAR | October 2019

Raymond in Dubai

 

Dear companions of CEDAR Fund, Shalom!

 

I paid my first visit to Dubai lately and wowed by this “artificial” city.

 

Though this ancient Middle East city sits on the coastline of Persian Gulf, it was all the time a small trading port due to its desert terrain (population was below 200,000 in 1970s). Large-scale development begins only in the millennium by heavy government funding. She now owns a few “top of the world”, for example, the tallest building, the largest shopping mall, the largest artificial islands under construction, the biggest indoor theme park, etc. To build a modern city in the desert, numerous extraordinary difficulties need to be solved, like land quality, water source, extreme weather and pollution. Therefore, Dubai is also called “a miracle in desert”.

Continue reading The Letter From CEDAR | October 2019

The Letter From CEDAR | July 2019

Dear Friends of CEDAR,

 

Shalom!

 

In human’s perspective, a subject’s values are often determined by its benefits to people. For example, a down coat is a necessity for people living in cold areas, but often useless for those living in tropical areas. This methodology of defining a subject’s values not only applies to materials, but also to human beings. An old Chinese tale “Wu Yen” is a good illustration. When the country was in crisis, the all-rounded ugly queen, Wu Yen, gained attention from King Xuan of Qi Dynasty. However, when the war was over, the King avoided her the furthest as possible.

Continue reading The Letter From CEDAR | July 2019

The Letter From CEDAR | March 2019

Dear Friends of CEDAR,

 

Few weeks ago, I took a train to Yuen Long for a meeting. Arriving at the train station’s lobby, I heard a loud and angry voice with foul languages from a short distance. A young man was yelling at a Station Assistant because the ticketing machines would not take his HK$100 note and he was in a hurry. The Assistant patiently advised him to purchase a ticket from the ticketing office. At the ticketing office, right after handing in the HK$100 note, he started scolding again for the same issue. The staff then had to respond to his complaint, instead of getting him a ticket.

 

I didn’t stop to see how he finally got the ticket, but I wondered if this young man realised his emotional act was actually causing further delay to his trip. This is an example of how emotion and a busy mind could distract us from the important things.

Continue reading The Letter From CEDAR | March 2019

THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | December 2018

Dear Supporters of CEDAR,

 

Few weeks ago, I was in Donggala, Indonesia, one of the hardest hit regions by the earthquake and tsunami on 28th September. We visited the victims in 7 of the 11 villages/temporary camps, where CEDAR is offering emergency support via our local partner, PESAT. Please click for details there. Here, I want to share with you my reflection from the trip.

Continue reading THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | December 2018