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Live Your Rainbow Dream
Bosco Chan
"Hello pastors, brothers and sisters, and friends!"
Previously in the short video you have seen, you get to see that Rainbow Missions' service to blind children and children with cerebral palsy. Actually we also serve many people with different kinds of disabilities, like deaf and speech impaired, developmentally disabled, autistic etc.
From this video, do you hear the voices from their hearts? They are all people with small and big dreams. Some have small dreams such as being able to play with other ordinary children. Some have big dreams such as being a massage therapist, or other occupations.
In the video, there is a blind pianist. His name is Li Qian Ping. When he was little, his dream is to become a musician and a music teacher. In 2005, we met him in Rainbow Missions. We got to know that he came from a poor family. We began to support him in studying at a blind secondary school and university. He studied music in the university. Last year, upon his graduation, he returned to his blind school to become a music teacher to teach his fellow schoolmates. He also began to write music. Rainbow Missions helped him complete his dream to become a musician and a music teacher.
“I wonder which of these people's dream made the deepest impression in your mind? Probably the girl with speech impairment.
What is her dream? Yes, to be a pastor.
What is another dream of hers? Yes, to open up an orphanage.
"Do you think it's worthwhile for Rainbow Missions to support this girl's dream?"
"Do you know why she wants to open an orphanage?" Because she is an orphan and she has been abandoned twice. She was born with cerebral palsy. Her parents abandoned her. Later she was adopted by a fisherman's couple and raised her until she was six. You have to understand a boat is constantly moving and it's difficult for a child with cerebral palsy to keep balance. She can easily fall into the water. This couple needs to be busy with fishing, therefore they can't always watch her. Though this couple did not want to give her up, they sent her to the orphanage because of her safety. From then on, she lived in an orphanage. In an orphanage, in order for kids to be educated, they have to be able to walk to the school on their own. Because it's not easy for this girl to walk, she never went to school.
Two years ago, I met her at the orphanage. I don't know for what reason, God made me take special interest in this girl. God told me to get to know this girl better, so I went to ask the staff at the orphanage. I found out she is a very happy and kindhearted girl. She has normal cognition and can take care of herself. She also can take care of those less abled children. God touched me, and asked me to send her to a school for children with cerebral palsy in Nanning. Therefore, Rainbow Missions decided to send her to Nanning. It's a miracle for her to go to Nanning. But today I don't have much time to talk about this miracle. She is very smart. In one year she finished a three-year course. Right now she already is in the fourth grade. After she came to Nanning, she is filled with the Spirit.
God worked many miracles in this girl. God already chose her. Rainbow Missions will treat her like our own daughter, raise her, and support her to live her rainbow dream.
We cannot do it with just a few of our brothers and sisters, because we have God, but because God wants to see you all join
His work together. Join with Rainbow Missions to support her.
"Are you willing?"
Previously, you have heard from Chiao Ma Ma talk about the joy of the children with cerebral palsy.
"Do you know why they are so happy?"
Because they have hope in them. They know they have hope because they know who controls tomorrow. But they are only a small population of disabled people in China. Many disabled people have never heard of unconditional love and acceptance. They don't have hope. They don't know what they are living for, so a lot of people are unhappy because nobody ever gave them hope. They are the weakest in the weakest group.
Maybe everybody thinks orphans without parents are so pitiful because nobody loves them from when they're young. But they can still go to school. They can still work hard and go to college. They can still find a job, even become successful. But disable children are not the same, no regular school accepts them. They can only go to specialized schools to study. The quality of education in specialized schools and regular schools differ dramatically. Not much disabled people can go to university. Maybe we think we can give them some skilled training, so they can work in the future. But the employers in China will not hire them to work because China has many farming people go to cities to work. As an employer, you would rather hire a people who can do the job faster than hire a disabled who does the job slowly. Also they have to spend time and resources to train them, so they can't find any jobs. Therefore, how can we start talking about their life?
Also, you have heard of many organizations asking you to sponsor orphans, but how many organizations sponsor disabled people? They are the weakest among the weak. They need the help most, but nobody is willing to help them because so little people mention them.
In 2004, Peter and I went to China for the first time to serve the disable people there. I realized they think they are a worthless human being of no value and no hope. Some even give up on themselves. Peter and I knew these people need hope because in God, we have worth. Today's Chinese determine a person's worth by how useful they are, but as a Christian, we should know that God doesn't see us in this way. In God's eyes, no matter if you are disabled or not, you are still worthy of His love.
Upon returning to Seattle, God called me and Peter to establish Rainbow Missions serving our disabled friends. We answered God's call. Peter and I both left our work as Microsoft engineers to bring love to China's disabled children. Let them know that God loves them, that we also love them, and they have worth in God's eyes.
Rainbow Missions' aim is to bring Christ's love to care for disabled friends and children's body, mind, and spirit. In healing the body, we help them accept education and the opportunity to recover, and accept worker training and life skills training. In healing the mind, many of our disabled friends went through a lot of mental pain while growing up, such as feelings of abandonment, etc. We offer them counseling, lead them out of the darkness of their past. In healing the spirit, we help them grow in the Spirit. We re-establish the right values in them.
In the past seven years, Rainbow Missions grew very fast because God worked many miracles in Rainbow Missions. We continually witness that Rainbow Missions is God's own work, and not something a few brothers and sisters put together. God's miracle brought two pastors from Hong Kong and Taiwan to establish two Rainbow Missions branches. Pastor Lin De Chang is our Taiwan branch's founder. In awhile, he will use music to share with us his testimony. God led a Christian entrepreneur quit his high paying job, to help Rainbow Missions build a vocational training center in China. God's worked his miracle because we never knew these people from before, and they have never known about Rainbow Missions, but through an opportunity God led us to meet. We shared Rainbow Missions' vision, and then they decided to quit their jobs to focus on serving Christ. This year, Rainbow Missions has representatives in Vancouver, Canada and offices in Shanghai and Chongqing, China.
Today Rainbow Missions serve disabled children and friends in many different Chinese provinces. This includes, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Fujian, Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanning, etc. The population that Rainbow Missions serve in China includes: blind children at the school for the blind and their teachers, the cerebral palsy organization's children, teachers and parents; those who lost their vision while serving in Shanghai, help them rebuild the body, mind, and spirit; the disabled in specialized schools and orphanage, who makes up 80% of orphan children. In the massage school for the blind, we share the right self-value with the blind people. We also went to Sichuan earthquake zone and remote farm villages to visit disabled children. We offer vocational training, offering disabled adults the opportunity to rebuild their career. We collaborate with China's Three-Selves Churches, serving the disable friends in the church, and sharing the right values with them.
God also worked miracles and healed many disabled friends' body, mind, and spirit., transforming their lives. This year, nine adolescents with cerebral palsy and three teachers told us that their lives have been deeply touched through Rainbow Missions.
In the past seven years, Rainbow Missions already spent $260,000 U.S. dollars to support over three hundred children's education and recovery. We sent over twenty service trips, serving over 3,000 disabled people, children, and their family and teachers. The most important work is to transform their lives.
In 2008, God called my wife and I, to move to China to live with them. God called us to bring His love to them. We respond to his calling. I don't know what God has said in your heart tonight. If He calls you to support Rainbow Missions to help the weakest among the weak, how will you respond to God's calling? I hope everybody can positively respond to God's calling to you. Do all you are able to become partners with God to help those disabled children and friend who no one is willing to help.
In the rest of this time, I invite Rainbow Missions Taiwan
Branch's founder Pastor Lin to share with us his testimony through
music sharing. Together with him is our piano accompanist, Samuel, and violin accompanist, Geoffrey. At this time, I invite Pastor Lin.
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