By Mr. Roy Lee (CEO Director)
I met Christina and Joseph at the same church we attended in the early 90s. Christina caught my attention first because she often ministered to the congregation on stage through her awesome singing voice. She would be invited to perform charitable activities from time to time. I then met Joseph, her younger brother, and found them both genuine, down-to-earth, and pleasant despite their popularity. I always shy from crowds and therefore find them quite impressive.
My wife Ann and my two children migrated to Shanghai in 1998, and we moved to the United States a year later. I operate my business in China for decades, but I have my head office in Hong Kong. Hence I traveled between the two locations frequently. In 2000, we had an opportunity to visit each other, and they spoke about the China orphan mission, a specific “calling” received from God when they were still in North America. I got to know their brother-sister team even more after another encounter with Christina and her mother in Shanghai. It impressed me to see two young people living their lives abroad for decades to be so willing to return to their birthplace and the mainland to serve the needy and the poor. It was pretty apparent that both had already grown accustomed to the western lifestyle; yet humbly obeyed to fulfil God’s Will. I offered my assistance in any way I could due to my years of experience in China. Shortly after, Christina and Joseph began their journey in Luoyang, Henan, serving the disabled, orphaned children.
They held vision/mission meetings in Hong Kong to raise awareness and financial support. I tried my best to attend their conferences and visit them as much as possible in Henan.
A few years had passed, and Joseph got married. The brother-sister team then decided that Joseph and his newly formed family would move to Luoyang to lead the frontline work while Christina would steer the team in Hong Kong to raise local funding and international resources. I found myself deeply touched by watching how Joseph devoted his time and effort in working closely with the mainland staff and officials to offer the best quality of care to the orphans. He gave up a life of comfort and convenience in Hong Kong and willingly moved to a faraway land with a polar-different culture and lifestyle. It was indeed a sacrificial act of love to care for those deemed irrelevant to many. I regarded it as an honor in those early years when Joseph openly and honestly shared his experiences, testimonies, and challenges with me. He would admit his struggles when facing unexpected issues and the efforts he made to overcome them. It was also a revelation for me to witness the Love of God in CEO. God Showed such Love for Joseph to married Angel, a key comforter and encourager to help him settle and focus in a yet foreign land to complete his calling. Such personable touch from God enabled CEO to develop, channel resources, and practically share God’s love with the mainland locals and the government officials.
What impressed me most was that Joseph and Christina had chosen to devote their best years to serve the needy, the poor, and those that lived at the lowest of the society. Only when you have visited those places yourself and seen what Joseph and Christina have done with your own eyes you can truly understand the meaning of Love-in-action. God has personified through them to show us that He loves every one of us.
One of the many examples to demonstrate: In 2016, my wife and I visited Luoning and came into contact with a middle-aged couple. The family had gone through a tragic incident whereby a stroke paralyzed the wife. As a result, the government put their three-year-old granddaughter under the care of the CEO FA Apprenticeship Program at the Luoning Children Welfare Institute. Resources in rural villages were scarce, and they lived under the poverty line. Joseph learned that they used to raise chicken. So he encouraged them to raise chicken again by giving them a few hens. When their hens laid eggs, they sold them to CEO and thus began to earn their living again. Their little granddaughter benefited from the CEO center and gradually blossomed into a cheerful child, albeit the misfortune. Joseph and Christina have the vision and love from above and are willing to apply it in those seemingly insignificant matters where we believe have become great testimonies of God’s Love. In 2017, the Chinese Central Government decided to restrict foreign non-profit organizations (NGOs) operation in China. It posed a massive challenge for all NGOs, including CEO. Joseph and Christina chose to patiently follow the procedures to cater to the local NGO regulations. CEO has since then become an official NGO registered in Henan and approved by the Central Government of China. Back then, I accompanied Joseph to the Public Security Bureau in Zheng Zhou to collect their Registration Certificate. Despite all challenges, CEO entered into a new era with new endeavors. The HI Partner Program currently aims to implement Animal Assisted Intervention to help children and youth in Hong Kong. I firmly believe God will continue to lead and bless CEO amidst the all-changing environment.
