Category: Letter From CEDAR

LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, Someone once speaks of the difference between charity and justice: ‘Charity makes people happy but keeps them in an unjust system, while justice frees people from that system.’ At CEDAR, we believe both charity and justice are what God has called us to fight for, as together, they pertain to a vision of human flourishing that is part of God’s will for His creation. We are most grateful for each of you who is partnering with us in this Kingdom work. We believe in the power of partnership, networks and collaboration. We are delighted to partner with 58 churches and schools this year in our annual Red Packet Campaign to raise funds to

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2024

Dear CEDAR friends and supporters, Happy New Year 2024! The beginning of a new year is always full of anticipation and unknowns. What do we ‘see’? What is God doing in us and through us this coming year? How do we respond? While the word ‘new’ connotates freshness and hope, it can also take on a darker meaning. New violence and conflicts. New ways of human exploitation. Washington Post warns, ‘A historic rise in global conflict deaths suggests a violent new era.’ Ukraine, Israel-Palestine, Ethiopia, India, Myanmar ── some conflicts caught the world’s attention, while others remain protracted and unseen, with people suffering and dying in neglect. Even human trafficking is taking on a new face. The organised

LETTER FROM CEDAR | OCT 2023

Dear Supporters, This is the last letter I write as the Chief Executive. From the first time I nervously put pen to paper to now bidding farewell to all my friends who care for the poor, I feel reluctant to say goodbye. Over these years, I have experienced how the Lord has used CEDAR, witnessing His marvellous provision and guidance as we fulfil the Integral Mission. All of these have been beyond my capability and expectations, and I truly feel blessed. Every organisation goes through leadership transitions. In this era, finding suitable talents is a great challenge, but thankfully, the Lord has prepared the right person for us to serve as the new Chief Executive. Therefore, I am

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JUL 2023

Dear Supporters, For Dragon Boat Festival this year, Hong Kong resumed the dragon boat race after three years of suspension. As shown on TV and reported through various media channels, participating citizens, organisations and companies were very enthusiastic, and everyone was excited. Whether we deem it as a sport or a festival tradition, dragon boat appeals to many of us. My church had also formed a team to participate in a dragon boat race before, so I had personally experienced the team spirit that comes with it – with a mutual goal and a clear division of work, team members must work together and be in sync to follow the instructions while paddling furiously to reach the finish

LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2023

Dear Supporters, In all of the previous alleviation work that I did, plenty of the projects were around fundamental medical and hygiene health, for these are the starting points for all alleviation work. However, if I compare it with the importance of education, I would think that education is even more critical to solving the problem of poverty. While the importance of education has been recognised, the implementation remains a challenge, because unlike other health and hygiene projects, it does not have measurable indicators such as the morbidity or mortality rate. As Immanuel Kant said, education is the journey that enlightens reason and understanding, it helps us develop learning abilities and helps us find our place in the

LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2023

Dear Supporters, Just last month in December, I went to Nepal for project monitoring, not only to review the local projects, but more importantly, to meet up with our local partners. The situations that they faced were easily beyond what I could imagine or comprehend by being in Hong Kong. The hard work they have put in to serve the local people often brings me great encouragement and touch. I am always encouraged by the pleasing results of what our Nepalese partners have achieved over the years, and there are many successful examples of community transformation, such as transforming women in grass-roots communities to have more opportunities to get more choices in life or to be educated; enabling

LETTER FROM CEDAR | OCT 2022

Dear Supporters, Let me ask you, which infrastructure or building do you find most important in your community and will make you feel devastated without it? It could be the school that is the place children receive education, or it could also be the hospital because going to check-ups elsewhere is a hassle. It could also be the bus station because commuting during peak hours is crucial for work. With all the possible answers, is church one of them? If not, it means that the church and the community are not closely knit enough to care. I once heard a sharing by a pastor from mainland China. When the cross was forcefully removed from the church, it

THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | Jul 2022

Dear supporters, The statistic shows that more than 6 million people in Hong Kong have a smartphone. With the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst, people of all ages are accustomed to addressing daily needs using online tools. With advanced technology, many activities have switched out of a physical form: classes, bill payment, meetings, trading, making reservations and more. Technology has indeed made life a lot easier! However, as the old saying goes, ‘the water that bears the boat is the same that swallows it’, the advancement of technology has exposed the world to more crimes – during the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in cybercrimes. Amongst all the criminal activities, human trafficking is known for low

THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | APR 2022

Dear supporters, A new film is being widely discussed called ‘Don’t Look Up’, in which human beings, for various reasons, regard a crisis of the earth’s destruction as a rumour and thus do nothing to save it, and everybody ends up dying together. The story is, of course, fictional, but it also gives me something to reflect upon – there are many things that we know in our hearts. Still, because of our sinful nature (unwilling to make changes and reluctant to tackle our problems), we often end up having to eat the bitter fruit of living our own ways. When the Lord created the heavens and the earth, He saw that everything was good. As God’s stewards,

THE LETTER FROM CEDAR | JAN 2022

Dear supporters, Year 2021 has gone, but we are still living under the influence of COVID-19. Life in the pandemic hasn’t yet changed. Additionally, the world is still very volatile in economy, society, and governance. We ought to keep changing our mentality to face daily challenges at different degrees, so that we can live positively with people around. One of my family members passed away last year. I understand how helpless and painful families could be when they can’t stay with and care for their loved ones in quarantine. By the time of writing this letter, over 5.2 million people died of COVID-19. We can imagine the enormous pain and regret their families are bearing. The COVID-19 tragedy