Banner image: 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?
For the ten virgins, perhaps, they could do some household duties and chores, even these are not supposed to be their jobs. At CEDAR, we not only respond to the urgent demands in China, but we also decide to go beyond our routines to support other frontline Christian organisations in serving the needy in Hong Kong during this arduous period, through collection of surgical masks and other resource mobilisation. More on how we aid in combating this pandemic disease can be found in the latest edition of SHARE.
Though we are still waiting for the end of the coronavirus pandemic, we are grateful that we have seen miracles and brotherly love in the past couple of weeks. May I invite you to experience the joy of by doing one or two little things for your neighbours or those who need a hand?
May the Lord protect you with good health in the months to come!
Your brother,
Raymond Kwong
Chief Executive