Seeing the road in
front of our door today, brought back my memory of seeing the same road in
December 21, 2003.
At that time the
road is amidst the river. With Yunnan
spring weather all year round, the flowers and trees along the roadside grow
lushly, making it difficult to find the road. Walking along often have scraping
clothes, with long worms, mice, birds, crickets as the companion. In rainy
days, the small ditches from the mountains gather water into the river, and
walking is like a boat against the current, making it very difficult, and
sometimes there is no way out. I remember one time our house guests (including
a priest) had to go back early, but the river water was up to the thighs.
Fortunately the dumb son of a rehabilitation person carried us on his back to
go across the river, sending the guests to the car. We usually travel in and
out of the rehabilitation center by walk, for example buying vegetables for the
rehabilitation people. There is no road, no car, no phone, we have to walk 15
Km to the road to catch a public transport. Road is for the people to walk, and
everyone has no choice but walking.
In January 2014, we
saw the road being built along the hillside, a winding winding narrow road, but
you can ride a car. I am surprised there are roads here now, thanks to God, and
also to Ricci Social Service (RSS) which supplies the rehabilitation center
with a car. Now we can help the rehabilitation people to buy food, send them to
see a doctor, do a lot of things they need, all thanks to the contribution by
the benefactors of RSS. Every two weeks we will take the rehabilitation people
to Shiping to buy food, meat and daily necessities, because there are 30 people
in the center that cannot take care of themselves, including eating, drinking,
and toiletting. There are 46 people that can do their daily necessities, every
time when we go out these old people will give 2 yuan, 5 yuan to buy things for
them. I was using a book to write all the things that need to buy, and running
the city non-stop to get them till sunset. Every time we fill the car full.
There are several times we bought too much and overloaded the car. Traveling on
the public road is fine, but on the winding path at the steepest place, the car
suddenly turn off and started to slide back down. I was frightened , I shouted
loudly asking God to save us, the car slowly stopped. I started up again
fiercely added the throttle finally came up, thanked be to God. Sometimes the
elderly have to get down car so I can drive the car up the slope, because the
road is narrow and slippery during raining days, hence difficult to travel
especially with debris flow down the hillside.
On one occasion when
I picked up the priest, he said, "When you see the director, tell him that
the priest says, “Fr. Fu said that the road was becoming narrower and
narrower.” I replied: “When the director came, Fr. Fu said the road is
getting more and more narrow, and what to do?”. The Director promised "We
repair."
Today we are so
happy to see the white cement road in front of our door! The elders are sitting
in a wheelchair every day to play on the road, watching the mountains, watching
the water… there are walking exercise, leisure walk etc., they are so much
happier. We get more convenient access, and are not afraid of landslides, not
to mention shopping, we can drive those rehab people who would like to go out
to buy their own needs. They can also feel good to have a road, and experience
that they are not abandoned, but live in the moment to be taken care of, really
feel alive in the happiness and thanksgiving.