2015 Christmas Newsletter
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.
(Luke 1:46)
Mary’s response to the Lord demonstrates the best and deepest a tude to God’s Spirit at work in our
lives: submission and trust. He wants to guide our lives, but are we as willing as Mary to co-operate?
The Gospel calls us to yield our lives to God and His purposes. “May it be as you have said”.
The opening chapter of Luke’s gospel reveals God, the one who deserves the greatest welcome and
recogni on, choosing instead to slip into the world observed only by a few ordinary people. In so doing
the Christmas Story serves as a reminder that one of the most significant events in history happened
not in the glare of full publicity, royal pomp or media hype, but rather in the quiet seemingly
insignificant every day happenings witnessed by ordinary folk. Splendour, power, posi on, and status,
o en seen as marks of success in the world’s eyes, are of li le importance in God’s. As I reflect on this,
it is a reminder that God o en chooses to use the nobodies. He remembers those whom others have
discarded and exalts them, He takes people from the bo om and raises them to a place of dignity and
honour….. and He blesses the poor.
In light of the above I stand in awe as our Home this
year celebrated a huge milestone: 50 years of service. A life me of dedicated work to serve a family
of disabled people here in Hong Kong. The Glory is
God’s and His alone. Psalm 13v5: “We trust in Your unfailing love.” This year we have pushed forward with plans
to move in liaison with the government but li le seems to
have transpired. We do though remain undeterred that
we stand firm un l God calls us to move.
We have been enriched in so many ways especially with the general health needs of our family. Wai
Ching however needs prayer as she slows down and also for Wing Sze who has had several issues with
her feeding tube, leading to long stays in hospital which have been a big cause for concern. She and we
were blessed over the summer when Uncle Bill and his family joined her and us all here. Otherwise we
have been supported by volunteers over the summer and throughout the year who enable the family
to get out. Volunteers who come in to help with ac vi es as well as with the mundane rou nes are
always such a blessing too. So thank you!
1
Our family con nue to a end their local day centres except for Fung
Tai, Fu Fu and Wai Ching who receive Home Based Trainings. We
con nue to provide 24- hour nursing care, thus our challenge is in the
area of recrui ng and retaining nurses. Thankfully though we have
been led by Carmen’s leadership, with Ada and recently Wing Yan
joining the team. Our staff remain faithful in their provision of an
incredible service to an awesome family. Please remember each and
every one of them too in your prayers.
Valerie has kept reasonably well this year and is an asset through prayer for the Home. Sadly she fell
a er the 50th Anniversary, causing a hair line fracture to her knee
cap which has taken her off her feet again. Join us in prayer as
she regains her independence. Anna is well established in her
Center and enjoys her days there. Thank the Lord for how her
emo onal state has improved. She is generally very happy and
content and her sleeping issues generally resolved. Wendy remains in good health and s ll an inspira on to many. She is very
involved in the future plans for HOLF which can be emo onally
charged when dealing with various government departments!
Andrew has again this year made several trips to South Korea,
and is an ac ve member of his church as well. He keeps well.
The Office smooth management remains under the watchful eye of Priscilla , Charlo e and Ma hew.
Ma hew is working hard to get our website back up a er its demise. Watch out for its pending
re-appearance! Belen, keeps a keen eye on our house and ensures her staff keep us looking our best
and well fed! Pray, however, for a new cook as Tony, who has blessed us with his cooking, has gone on
to secure employment with greater personal challenges and development. So we are now in need of a
replacement but with a hard act to follow.
The Pa rick’s…. as a family we remain well. Ma hew threw us a curved ball as he catapulted himself
out of his chair early in August. He though has returned to full strength and is back working his socks off
in the office and with visitors. Praise the Lord! Jonathan, Annabeth and Thomas are doing well in their
respec ve schools. Jonathan has even taken part in several choir performances. Annabeth and Thomas
are involved in various a er school ac vi es including horse riding which they, Kalok and Hephzibah
do. I remain well, though juggling family life and HOLF can some mes be tricky. However in light of this
I am reminded of a saying by Corrie Ten Boom…. “If Christ sends you on stony paths, He provides strong
shoes.”
The good news of the Christmas story is that the God who came to us in Jesus is the God who
is in us. He is with us. Emmanuel. He is with us in the mess, the pain, the struggles, the joys and pleasures. The everyday o en humdrum experiences of life and work. Furthermore with all that’s going on
in the world it can be difficult to see past the hurt and the worry. We live in sad and difficult mes.
Conflicts abound. The bible encourages us that by staying focused on God, we can overcome anything
that comes our way through his power and direc on. Christmas is the living promise that we are not
alone. No ma er where we are in life, what situa on we might be in or facing, it is not dependent on
our faithfulness but on a God who is ever faithful and Always with us.
May Peace and happiness reign in your home this Christmas, and may the Christ of Christmas be born in
your heart, held in your love and shared with your world this special season.
Happy Christmas to you!
Tracy Pattrick
Superintendant
2
NEWS FROM THE LOWER ARK
THE FAMILY LIVING IN THE LOWER ARK
We have had a rela vely good year apart from the family here having the flu and Hephzibah having a
viral infec on which unfortunately ended with her being in hospital, but she wasn’t short of visits from
the church we a end so that definitely helped me.
During the summer we were blessed to have volunteers so we found more people to help us on an
ou ng and go swimming, which they enjoyed.
As summer drew to a close, school began with a few changes. One of them was Siu-Yan leaving school
and star ng at Tai Ping Centre in Sheung Shui. She found it very hard to begin with but began to se le
into the new environment. It was the first me she is in a different school from Kalok!! However, Kalok
has also begun a ending a Sheltered Workshop in Tai-Po and although at first very shy he soon se led
down as some of his classmates were already there. Before Kalok le school he went on an ou ng
with the school to China …….. What an adventure!
Shaan and Dibs s ll enjoy going to the centre in Fanling and they have both remained well throughout
the year which is good. Fung Tai s ll stays well regardless of ge ng older!!! She stays home so we try
and keep her occupied with having Home Based Training once a week and she enjoys daily going with a
staff member in the bus to collect the others from school. For a birthday treat I took her into town on
the train to meet a friend for lunch which she really enjoyed. Fung Tai con nues to enjoy once a month
having a visit from her brother, who treats her to Yam Cha.
Ju dy A st l ey
Housemother
3
A MESSAGE FROM THE TRUSTEES
The Trustees meet nearly monthly and as we do we con nue to be joyful in hope, pa ent in afflic on
and faithful in prayer. While a challenging year in many respects, we are also refreshed by the Lord’s
grace and mercy as He “deals with us” along the ups and downs of our journey.
We are grateful for each one of you and your shared love and support. Together we pray for God’s
guidance for HOLF as we con nue to serve the vision and calling God gave Wendy and Valerie 50 years
ago. Our calling is to CONTINUE to provide life me care for those with challenging physical
and intellectual disabili es who need a permanent home. We believe that the Lord is
encouraging us to expand the ministry to serve more adults with such needs as their parent care givers
age and pass on.
Government regula on, policy and dialogue with us over the last year have also tested us. We are
thankful that we can put our faith and trust in God. So during this advent season there is a verse that
encourages us in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own
understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” In this season
of transi on and change we fix our minds on the assurance of God’s clear guidance as we acknowledge
His Lordship in our lives and ministry.
We give thanks to God for a wonderful team of staff and volunteers that serve each family member so
faithfully whether through hands-on care or through administra on. Together we make up the Home
of Loving Faithfulness. Thank you for your partnership with us, for your love and support. We always
welcome you to visit and join in our family ac vi es. Our carol service, for example, will be on Friday
18th December at 7pm.
We wish you a blessed Christmas celebra on.
Andrew MacGeoch, David Chui, Wendy Blackmur, Pui Yee Yeung, Gretchen Ryan
Home of Loving Faithfulness,
7 Castle Peak Road
Kwu Tung
Sheung Shui
Hong Kong
Tel: 2670 0676, Fax: 2673 1277
4