After a year of staying at home, 12 families from our 1 Cor 1:27 Parent Support Group had a wonderful day planned by a group of youth volunteers. During COVID, the support group meet regularly online to foster relationships among families affected by disabilities. This was their first big in-person gathering and it was filled with laughter and joy.

The Mayor's Medal of Honor ceremony on Tuesday was a wonderful event that recognized the incredible work that was done by individuals and organizations throughout Chicago. This recognition belongs to everyone involved with Pui Tak Center — our wonderful staff, dedicated volunteers, generous donors and faithful prayer supporters.

The transition online was not easy at first. Ming had not attended any Poiema meetings before the pandemic, and was worried about getting along with others. As he slowly warmed up, his transformation was obvious to other parents and program participants.

When I was young, my godfather told me, “Gambling is like fierce floods and savage beasts: At best, you’ll go bankrupt; at worst, you’ll bring ruin and shame upon yourself.” Who knows how many families have been ruined because of gambling!

We can empathize with immigrants who are not able to speak enough English to inform the doctor regarding the symptoms of their illnesses. By God’s grace we have acculturated and would like to help those that might still be struggling to be integrated and be able to benefit from this land of opportunity.

My husband’s weight was normal and would occasionally exercise. A year ago, he felt discomfort in his chest but didn’t go to see the doctor. He misread the symptom and thought that it would go away on its own. After three months of discomfort, he finally went to see the doctor. The doctor diagnosed a heart problem and immediately ordered different tests and cardiologist appointments. My husband ended up having open heart surgery due to the severity of his heart condition.

I used to be a typical atheist. I paid great attention to the gains and losses in life and lived my life pursuing fame, wealth and money. This lifestyle was very tiring, and there was a constant niggling doubt at the back of my head, wondering if this was all life had to offer. Yet busy-ness kept me from seeking out the purpose and meaning of life.

As a young immigrant from China, Kevin faced many challenges while transitioning, the language barrier being one of the most difficult. When he shared with me about how he could not communicate fluently with his classmates nor understand his teachers in class, I really resonated with his frustration because I came as an immigrant to the U.S. myself seven years ago.

“Mrs. Disha, I don’t see your whole face. Something is wrong with the screen.” This is what one of the students said to me one day when I didn’t want him to see that I was eating a quick snack. “Oh it’s fine, I am here for you.” I said, as I finished my snack and adjusted the screen so he could see my full face. My other two students joined in smiling and waving with both their hands as they logged in.

Imagine what can happen when a simple question is asked, “How can we help?” L contacted Pui Tak Center to see if they could use face masks. She thought that they might need a couple of hundred. A bit stunned that they could use 5000, she reached out to her community, “Can we do this?”