FROM THE HEART OF ERIC FUNG
Executive Director of Asian Outreach Malaysia.
Prov 31:8-9 “ Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
God’s
heart for the poor, the widows, the orphans, the marginalised and the oppressed
cannot be denied or ignored. His cry for justice rings out loud and clear
throughout the Scriptures. We are confronted daily with the growing human needs
of the world. Poverty, injustice, disease, oppression and slavery, religious
persecution, and many other issues are headline news on a daily basis. The
world is crying out desperately for solutions to these problems. Christians in
particular want to make a positive difference in people’s lives and are
becoming aware of the clear biblical mandate to care for
widows, orphans, foreigners, poor, and the forgotten who live in our midst and
around the world.
We are the hands
and feet of Christ’s presence in this world. We create partnership with God
through Jesus Christ and it is His Spirit that takes the initiative. God’s love
has flooded over the world, but He needs people to express His love.He needs YOU…
Deuteronomy 10:17-18 (NIV)
“For
the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and
awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of
the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing”.
The census defines a slum as "residential
areas where dwellings are unfit for human habitation" because they are
dilapidated, cramped, poorly ventilated, unclean, or "any combination of
these factors which are detrimental to the safety and health”. Lack of proper
sanitation often leads to outbreak of diseases and most of the slum dwellers
are in poor health. Every country has its slums. As the Lord Himself says:
Deu 15:11 “There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded towards your brothers and towards the poor and needy in your land.”
AO mission partner in
Kathmandu informed me about a slum in Kathmandu and the sufferings of these
people. After much prayer in November I flew to Kathmandu to visit this slum.
As we arrived nearby and as I surveyed the scene before me, I was appalled at
what I saw. I saw about two hundred over shacks made up of cardboard and all
sorts of discarded materials, huddled together. As we walked nearer’ the stench
hit me. I was told by Ram, our co-worker in Kathmandu that the smell came from
the river which ran alongside the dwellings and where the city’s human
excrement, factory waste, rubbish and dead animals were dumped. In this river
the slum dwellers took their bath, washed their clothes and occasionally
used this water to cook. The Lord did a
strong stirring in my heart for these unfortunate people and there itself I
made a commitment asking God to use me to raise help for them where 75% of them
are Dalits, the outcaste in Nepal as in India.
Most
affected by this, as in all slums, are the children. Even though schooling was
free they could not attend school as their parents could not afford the bus
fares or the money to buy books, stationaries and uniforms. These slum children
roamed around, playing in the dirt and scavenging for food and other recyclable
items to sell. The slum dwellers lived without hope for a better future, just
existing from day to day.
We read about the lives of people living in the
slums and we shake our heads at the conditions they live in but they are far
away and we are not really stirred to do much. We are too comfortable in our
own lives to think much about these people and our own everyday trifle concerns
take priority. We cannot sit back any longer.
The cries of these people ring in my ears and I cannot keep silent
anymore. I challenge you to join me to show the world that God’s love is more
than words and make a difference in the lives of these slum dwellers. We cannot
reach everyone of them but if I do good to those He leads me to then I know I
have fulfilled what God has called me to do.
Will you join me to partner with God to make His love tangible?
Gal 6: 9-10 “ Let us
not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all
people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Wishing you
and your family a blessed and fruitful New Year.
Prayer Points
1. We pray that the Lord will use AO Malaysia
to touch and change lives in the slums.
2. We pray that we will be able to bring hope
and be the ‘light’ for the slum dwellers as we show them the
tangible love of God through our giving and sowing into their lives.
3. *join us to pray for the right candidate to
work with me and to be mentored by me in preparation of my
retirement. Any individual who feels he
has a calling to serve in missions please do contact us.
