By the treaty that ceded Hong Kong Island and 12 square miles of Kowloon to Britain, and then the New Territories, this 6.5 acre site which was once a walled city remained the sovereign property of China. As a result, Hong Kong authorities had no real ability to police what went on inside. It became a warren of gangs, illegal activities, brothels, opium dens and the home to those who wanted to avoid the authorities. It was a rare occurrence that the police entered and when they did it was only in groups for their own safety.
As a youngster I went into the Old Walled City with an elderly Mennonite missionary who worked there. It was an experience one will never forget. Later on a missionary by the name of Jackie Pullinger worked in the city and was a light for the gospel in a very, very dark place.
Before Britain returned Hong Kong to China, Beijing asked them to tear down the slum that was the Old Walled City so they did not need to deal with it when they assumed control of Hong Kong. It is now a 6.5 acre park.
However, the story of the gospel in that dark place is deeply moving and I would urge you to take a few moments and watch this YouTube video of the slum and Jackie's take on how the gospel can transform even the most evil and dark places. As you watch think about the places where you know the gospel needs to penetrate today. It is a moving piece of history and ministry from Hong Kong - my home in my heart forever.
You cannot watch these five minutes and remain unchanged! If you do not see the video picture click here!
1 comment:
Very powerful indeed!
One thing that struck me was the speaker's reference to the myriad people who are desperately poor, and lacking everything – including the knowledge of Jesus - and that, due to their situation, “they will never come to us”. It indeed reminds us that “there is no other way.”
Will the numerically exploding masses of the urban poor come to Jesus unless, in similarly exploding numbers, followers of Jesus truly (not metaphorically) “give it all up” for the spread of the Gospel of the Kingdom?
We need to, as Jesus did, “move into the neighborhood.” But, for the majority of those among the growing population of the world, that “neighborhood” is not a suburban gated community, or a trendy gentrified, re-habbed urban enclave, but massive decrepit slums. Our world system today is creating a “permanently redundant mass of humanity” (Mike Davis, "Planet of Slums") – such a conception is deeply theologically and missiologically repugnant. But apart from radical sacrifice and incarnational presence, these billion-plus bodies and souls may never encounter the transforming power, love and grace of the Gospel – and may never take their place among the redeemed… which would be a tragedy not only for them, but for the global church.
Post a Comment