An intangible and infinite force that unites their hearts.

In the month of gratitude, we will share six short stories written by volunteers from "Ricci Social Services" and by residents living in the leprosy rehabilitation center. The theme is about growth within "Ricci Social Services," an intangible and infinite force that brings their hearts together. We invite everyone to experience the stories of growth in this RSS family!

Learning Without Knowing

Author: Volunteer from Ricci Social Services, currently serving at the Qiubei Rehabilitation Center in Yunnan.

On August 9, 1999, the president asked me if I wanted to serve people with leprosy. He told me that "Ricci Social Services" invited our group to help these patients. It was the first time I heard the name Ricci, and I agreed to the president's invitation to serve at the Dajindao Rehabilitation Center in Guangzhou. This was also my first contact with the staff of Ricci Social Services, and we received a call from Grandpa Lu Yi! It was my first encounter with the founder of the organization.

However, at that time, I still didn’t fully understand what Ricci Social Services did. It wasn’t until the days of service went by that I truly began to understand the mission of the organization. Gradually, I started to serve without much knowledge, and starting from Dajindao, I learned the true meaning of Mateo Ricci Social Services.

Volunteer from Services Social Matteo Ricci, currently serving at the Qiubei Rehabilitation Center in Yunnan Province

In the month of gratitude, we will share short stories written by volunteers serving in "Services Social Mateo Ricci" and by residents of the leprosy rehabilitation center. The theme is about growth within "Services Social Matteo Ricci" — an intangible and limitless force that brings their hearts together.

Everyone is welcome to feel the stories of growth within the RSS family.

💫💕💪😂💖🙌

Ten Years Later

Companionship is the Best Wisdom

Author: A volunteer from Services Social Matteo Ricci, currently serving at the Qiubei Rehabilitation Center in Yunnan Province.

On July 9, 2011, I first arrived at the leprosy rehabilitation center. The scenery here is beautiful, but seeing the large ulcers of the residents, with blood-red wounds exposing bone, is truly chilling.

However, their ability to survive is particularly strong. There is an elderly man without hands who ties a spoon to his arm to eat, and another elderly man with a leg amputation who kneels on the ground to till the soil and plant vegetables.

In the book Suffering is Not in the World written by Yuan Zhimin, it mentions that he contracted leprosy at the age of seven. His life and the experiences of the leprosy patients he met have deeply pained him.

Later, receiving love through charitable organizations like Services Social Matteo Ricci, and with the help of benefactors, caregivers, and volunteers, their lives have been transformed, giving them dignity and the courage to continue living. It is hoped that this love will accompany them to the other side of life.

Heartfelt message from the volunteers to the leprosy survivors.

Pray and thank the volunteers for their skillful hands and ingenuity to take care of what is needed, and warm the body and mind of the survivors.🪴🪴🪴

Accompany you every day

Hello, Mr. Wang:

Since you were admitted to the hospital, we have had the most opportunities to meet. The injuries on your hands, feet and body are washed and bandaged once a day. One side heals and the other side rots, over and over again; your hands and feet disabled by leprosy infection make you unable to take care of yourself. We all help you. Although it is only a year, we do all this to make you get better quickly and live like a normal person.

But in the past few days, your healed foot has become inflamed and rotten again, and worms have grown in the wound. Although the medication has not improved, you don't eat or drink and miss home. We are very anxious. We asked you what you wanted to eat and made you something, but you still didn't want to eat. We contacted your family and hoped that they could come to see you, but they said they were busy. What should we do? You said you want to die, so you die. This is easy to say, but no one can replace the pain of your wound. I don't know what to say to comfort you.

Daddy Wang, please treat us as your daughters. When you need us, we will come to accompany you at any time and accompany you through every day.

Happy Mid-Autum Festiv

Limadou Social Service wishes everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival 😊good health🍀🍀🍀

Thanks to the benefactors for sending moon cakes and fruits, um, the volunteers also made buns😊 and shared them with leprosy survivors, feeling the warm atmosphere of the festival together😋

Welcome to meet Matteo Ricci Social Services

Peeling corn leaves

Volunteers and leprosy survivors at the leprosy rehabilitation center are peeling corn husks 🌽🌽🌽Plant together 👴👴👴, and share the joy and happiness of the harvest together.

 

Social Service Volunteer, currently serving at Dechang Rehabilitation Hospital

I was moved

Cai San is 75 years old this year.

Perhaps because he suffered too much in his early years, in that era of scarcity, Cai Sansan was infected with leprosy when he was young. After going through hardships , embarrassment and sadness, he was transferred to a leprosy hospital and was forced to separate from his family, making his life even more miserable. He is dumb, but very smart. His instinct for survival taught him to survive in the cracks. Hunger made him afraid, and scarcity made him afraid. He became a grass carp that only took in but not out. He would not refuse anything you gave him. You gave him food, even if he didn't eat it and it would be spoiled, he would not say no. Even if his clothes were torn and could not be worn anymore, he was reluctant to throw them away. Everything was a treasure in his eyes. Don't even think about giving his things to others or giving them to others.

The sun rose from the west today!

Although he was disabled, he still tried hard to grow some corn. I found him outside the gate to feed him medicine. He actually gestured to me and asked me to break the green corn in his field. I was afraid that I might have made a mistake, so I just perfunctorily did it (gesture) and then went to weed the vegetable field. I didn't expect him to be so persistent and waited for me at the intersection. When I came back, he asked me to break the corn in his field again🌽. At that moment, I was so moved that I sincerely gestured to him to thank him and gave him a thumbs up👍, and he also smiled happily. He gestured to me that if a thief came to steal his corn, he would watch. (In fact, no one in the yard would steal his corn, and no outsiders would steal it. This is an isolated yard, but there would be pigs that would steal it).

This small change, although it took a long time, did make a difference. The change in behavior starts with the change in the heart, and the change in the heart is the melting of the ice layer in the heart. The hard protective shell of the human heart is formed in the desert without love, and it can only be pried open and melted in the warmth of love.

Twenty-four years of companionship finally exchanged for Cai Sansan's sincere "willingness to give" today. This moment of generosity is really not easy!

Like for God's love💗💖

Like for Cai Sansan💖💗

Like for our perseverance for more than 20 year.

The editor thanks the volunteers for telling everyone about the loving life and service in the rehabilitation center.

Physicians went to the Rehabilitation Hospital

Yesterday, doctors from hospitals in the town came to the Coronation Rehabilitation Home to treat leprosy survivors 🍀

🌈Note: Rehabilitation Home Service.

Accompanying elderly people in rehabilitation centers

Holistic care is provided in four provinces (Yunnan, Sichuan, etc.) to provide "big family" living companionship to the elderly leprosy survivors in nine rehabilitation centers, so that these leprosy-affected widows and orphans can enjoy a dignified life and end-of-life care.