The Principal’s First Words

My wife, ShuWei, and I officially embarked on another phase of life, starting to unfold the work in MianYang Herald Gratia Children Village, at the end of May this year. We are no stranger to this place. 3 years ago, we attended its overall project completion ceremony. Our feelings at that time are still fresh in our hearts. God is amazing. Through that journey, the seed to participate this ministry was already planted in our hearts.

7 months had past. Whenever we look back, we see grace and more grace. The hardest to get for a newcomer is the selfless guidance from a seasoned senior. The former Principal, Mrs. Docus Hua carefully put me on track in short time. Even so, whenever something important happened, I felt a bit weak. For example, 9 months ago, before school started, a boy’s arm bone broke when he fell from a high place while playing. In mid-October, scabies broke out in the boys’ dormitory. The infected needed to be separated and the staff needed to be reassigned to new duties. I could only kneel before God and prayed for strength and wisdom to handle all of these. I would habitually pray to God: “You chose yourself these children to enter the children village. They are your love. I implore you to watch over each of these children who belong to you.”

Every time I saw their lively and lovely smiling faces, I would forget the moments they make me furious. Naughty and creating issues are their characteristics and their privileges. Unfortunately, these children’s natural characters are often banished for the ease of management and the controlling of proper behaviors. How to enforce regulations while retaining their childhood, was challenging to me and something I had to learn.

Although they were not my own children, but I had indescribable strong feelings in them. I remembered that two weeks right after the beginning of the semester, a 7th grade new came boy started fight with the other kids, due to a small misunderstanding. Surely, he was summoned later to the Principal’s office for exhortations. Every child were afraid of being lectured in the Principal’s office, because it would always end up being punished to eat just plain rice without any dish. After talking to him for some time, his reasons understood and exhortations given, he admitted his mistakes. Without exceptions, he had to pay for his wrong doings: one meal of plain rice without dishes. Do not think that it ended easily because he admitted his mistakes. When he bowed and was ready to leave, my heart was touched. I placed my hand on his shoulder and said: “I understand that you lost your parents at an early age and hence being bullied constantly. Now that you have come to the children’s village, Aunty Tsang and I will treat you like our own child. If there is any problem from now on, don’t use fists to solve it. You can come to us at any time.” He immediately hugged me and cried and I could not help but dropped tears as well. His dried, thirsty soul is longing for moisturizing by love. An affirmative sentence, a concerning look and a smiling nod can contain great encouragement and help.

Working in the children’s village is constantly swinging between “angry” and “happy” moods. When the children made me steaming, I could only pray and put myself in another role. I pulled myself out only after finished handling the matters and situations. God’s grace is the only thing we can rely on.

The work in children’s village is a not one-time work. It requires long term participation and concerns of the brothers and sisters. God started the work and He will finish it. God chose the 74 children one by one, and entrusted them the children’s village. I sincerely invite you to join us, become the children’s Guardian Angel, pray for them during their grow up and care for them. May God’s grace prevail!

Yours faithfully,

Second Tsang.