THE WALLED CITY
"Then Jesus told them this parable:  Suppose one of you has a hundred
sheep and loses one of them.  Does he not leave the ninety-nine in the
open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?"  Luke 15:3-4

      While in Hong Kong, Rosalie, our delightful Australian guide, took us to visit Hang Fook Camp (Camp of Blessing).  The camp, located in Kowloon, H.K. is home to a group of former drug addicts who have been rescued by Jackie Pullinger, many coming from the infamous Walled City.  This remarkable lady, who came from England, spent twenty years ministering to the poor, the prostitutes, and drug addicts.

      At Hang Fook Camp we met Jackie and some of the former drug addicts who gave their testimony of being delivered from drugs through Jesus.  It was such a blessing to us.  At noon we had lunch with Jackie and the young men.   Lunch consisted of bowls of Bean Curd, a new experience for me.  Politely, I finished the entire bowlful, even though I wasn't keen on the taste, only to have one of the young men fill bowl again.  Rosalie saw my look of distress and whispered, "Leave a little in the bowl and they won't fill it up again."

      After lunch we asked if we could take some pictures of Jackie and the young men who seemed to be so happy.  Then we toured the T-shirt factory the young men operated to help pay expenses at the camp.

      On another occasion, Rosalie accompanied three of us to a prayer meeting inside the Walled City.  It was an experience I shall never forget.   There was such a mighty move of God that night, I cried the whole time!  The Holy Spirit was working in the hearts of many people as Jackie preached a sermon to them.

      A young man asked me to pray for him because he couldn't keep his joy.  I thought, 'it's no wonder, living in such a dismal place'.

      The Walled City consisted of six-and-one-half acres in Kowloon, housing, if you can use that term, approximately sixty thousand people sharing a single water faucet and only two toilets.  The place was gang-controlled and the police feared to enter.

      I felt uneasy as we left, making our way through narrow, garbage-strewn, wooden walkways.  I was shocked to see, what appeared to be, an entire family living on a mattress.  This scene was repeated throughout, but not everyone had even a mattress, just bare boards, with another family living in the space above them.  The hollow-eyed, emaciated bodies spoke of the hopelessness of these people.  I cried, I prayed, I wanted to scream, 'why, God, why is there so much suffering?'

      As I crawled into bed that night with these fresh images of faces filled with despair, I prayed,  "Oh, God!  Give us a heart to care about these suffering people and a willingness to do something about it.  May we follow the example of Jackie Pullinger, a true follower of Jesus Christ."