On 3/9/2011, my family & I attended a
fund-raising dinner in Johor Bahru for the under-privileged Indians. They are
trying to raise funds for the hardcore poor and the
"out-of-the-radar" Indians around Masai & Johor Jaya areas.
Indeed, I sponsored RM2,000.00 to buy tables when I heard that an Indian man
who died recently did not get to be cremated for 2 days because he had no money
for funeral expenses. His body was left in the house for 2 days before someone
heard about the predicament and made the necessary arrangements for his body to
be cremated. We were the only non-Indians among the some 120 people there. This
is 1Malaysia in the real sense!
What was most touching was something very unexpected
that happened during the dinner. One of the organizers who knew me said that
"someone" found an elderly Indian couple by the bus stop in
Skudai(some 18 km away)and they have been waiting there for 4 hours and
apparently have nowhere to go. What to do?
We asked the "someone" to get a taxi and
take the elderly Indian couple to the place where the dinner was been held.
After some 50 minutes, we got a call from the taxi driver that the couple had
arrived. I went down and saw 2 short persons with about 6 bags(1 big proper
bags & 5 plastic bags with their belongings). The man was about 85 years
old and the lady about 65 years old. What touched me most was that the
driver(Indian in his mid-thirties) refused to charge for the fare telling me
that this gesture was the least he can do. What a man he was! Being a taxi
driver, he too was not wealthy but who cares, the old couple's needs were more
important than his. God bless our taxi driver!
We invited them to our dinner and helped them to
carry their bags upstairs into the dinning area. We quickly sat them down on
the table and took some food for them. Woh! The way they swallowed(not eat) the
food told us they have not been eating for quite a while. Later, while the
Organizers were handing out money to the poor families, this couple also
received RM200.00 on that night.
Towards the end of the dinner, it dawned on me
where to put the old couple knowing they have nowhere to go. The Organizers
announced their plight to all present but there was no response from anyone. It
was, at that moment, I quietly spoke to my family members whether it was ok if
we take them in. Locating them to some Homes which I know would be too late as
it was around 11:15 pm then.
Thank God, with the blessings of my family, we took
them home. They poured out their hearts to us. We listened without judging
them. We learnt so much from them about life itself. We thank God for choosing
us to be the host to the poor. We felt so fortunate, so blessed to be able to
house them at least for a night before we arrange a Home for them the next day.
It was like welcoming Jesus and Mother Mary into our house. Why God must you
choose us - we are sinners and fall short of your expectations. We will never
know - we are just being thankful & grateful. You could have chose someone
else but why us!
Being Sunday(4/9/2011) the next day, we missed
church service as we were busily arranging the Old Folks Home in Masai to
accommodate them. All went well and they settled down there.
It was not easy to take a complete stranger you
pick up from the street into your house. I know that but it has got to start
somewhere, with someone. Our family had done this many times and now we are not
afraid to do so when required to do so. The homeless we have in my house before
ranged from People Living with HIV/AIDS, drugs addicts, people chased out by
their spouses/in-laws(or out-laws now), people who were robbed and have nothing
left or people with problems too complex that we shall never be able to
comprehend. It takes guts and complete faith in God to be able to do
this. For I know it is stated somewhere in the Bible that we have to do
this but ..................reading the Bible is one thing and doing what the
Bible tells us to do is entirely a different thing all together by itself.
Give it a try - no pain, no gain. We only live
once. Go for it! The joy you receive is immeasurable compared to what this
world has to offer. Nothing comparable to be able to help someone who is so
desperate. I always imagine I was the one needing help and someone pulled me
out of this shit! What gratitude, what a feeling!
It must be the spirit encouraging me to write this
at this point in time. Any help you think you can render to this "special
couple", please let me know as we are following up on them when we visit
them in Masai Old Folks Home from time to time.
We shall tell this story to you all when we meet in
person. God bless all!
Warmest regards,
James Ho
