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Life Transformation and Love In Action
Peter Wong
I became blind from glaucoma at age 14. What is it like to be blind? It's not just a disease or the physical condition. It's being told
"no" all the time. It's so frustrating. No one believes in you and you feel so bad about yourself. What's wrong with me?
During this lowest point of my life, Jesus came along and assured me,
"You didn't do anything wrong. Your family did not do anything wrong. You are to show God's amazing work. You can live to your potential. You can live your dream."
Jesus, Thanks for loving me, valuing me and believing in me when no one did. God opened door for me to get three master's degree and one of them is from Cambridge. God opened the door for me to be a software engineer in Microsoft to work on accessibility technology and blessed millions of people all over the world. I'm saying this not to brag about myself for I should have been dead by now from multiple suicidal attempts, but God did not let me go, instead he turned the curse into blessings.
In 2004, God led me to China to see how much the 84 million disabled people are suffering in China. They are being told
"no" all the time. Suddenly I understood how God had been preparing me. He brought me out of darkness and he wanted me to bring light and the hope of rainbow to them. He wanted me to come alongside them to believe in them just like he believed in me. Believe that they can also have a dream. Centered by the love of Jesus Christ, we enable the lives of the under-privileged and disabled in China to be a whole person - physically, mentally and spiritually, so that they can live their dreams as vibrantly as the colors of rainbows.
How does Rainbow Missions empower these kids to live their rainbow dream? We try to build them up as a whole person just like what God intended. Let me tell you some stories.
1. We care about their school life through sponsorship, visiting them, counseling them and advocating for them in the education system.
Jianghu is a blind student we met in Chongqing. He was going to come here to share, but the schedule did not work out. His dream was to be a musician. He almost dropped out of school, had it not been for a sister in Seattle who sponsored him. We sent short-term service teams to the school for the blind to visit him, teach him and hug him because
"love never fails". Nowadays we are even doing more pioneering work in the school. We are supporting their new resource center to enable some of the blind students to study in regular school and integrate into society. We are starting a rainbow connection afterschool center right within the school that is
"government-run", placing long term workers there to outreach to the students, and create a platform for brothers and sisters in America to connect and care for them remotely. After Jianghu entered university, his eyes had problems. Dr. Chin from Seattle went and operated on him free. He grew in faith and even became a small group leader and also played piano during worship. He ended up studying medical massage because it's more practical. We are now looking at ways to work with the universities to allow blind students to study subjects other than massage and music. Jianghu is now starting his intern teaching position in a special education school in his hometown in Sichuan. His dream is to continue to glorify God with his music, encourage his students and help them live their potential and dreams.
2. Besides schooling, we strive to open up new work opportunities for the disabled in China.
Right now we are training deaf students to be animation artists in Beijing. They cannot hear, but God has given them great artistic ability. At the same time they are being trained on soft skills and valuing themselves in God's eyes.
3. In Shanghai, Taiwan Rainbow Missions is working on whole-person rehabilitation with adults who become blind later in life.
There are a lot of heart issues. Liaoyan is one such case in another province. She lost her ye sight, her job, her husband and her 5-year old daughter. Mrs.
Chiao taught her to value herself in God's eyes, which is the best rehabilitation available. Pastor Lin has a dream to raise up many blind individuals in China to be the light of this world.
If you ask me what Rainbow Missions means to me? It's like the last scene in the video. God has blessed me and I in turn bring along 1 kid, 2 kids and more¡K Each one of us can live the rainbow dream that God has for us. I call this the
"duckling tour". Loving 1 at a time¡K I thought I would not be able to see rainbow again, but these vibrant kids form a rainbow that is even more beautiful. One day every disabled kid in China will not be put on the sideline, they will have a chance to go to school and to develop their career and contribute to their community. They stand on top of a mountain, wholesome in God's eyes, as a beacon of light, becoming witnesses of hope. Can you see that? Isn't that beautiful?
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