wfn.org | TCN: Sixth-grader inspired by Bible story donates $10, 000 to help seniors

["Lydia Ma" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>Taiwan Church News

>2983 Edition

>April 27~May 3, 2009

Sixth-grader inspired by Bible story donates $10,000 to help seniors

>Reported by Chen Wei-jien

>Written by Lydia Ma

A sixth grader in Yunlin county was so touched by Jesus’ teaching  about the kernel of wheat that he decided to donate all the money he had  saved from red envelopes toward an fund that supports maintenance work  for an ambulance for seniors in his community. This was an example of  how rural children are learning to contribute and help those in need  even as they are recipients of aid so that God’s love is  continually passed on from one person to another.

Hua-nan elementary school is a small school located in a remote village  of Yunlin county. Two years ago, teachers took a group of students on a  field trip to participate in a contest hosted by several high-tech  firms. Six students used their digital cameras to record and raise  awareness about the lives of elderly people who live alone, in hopes of  prompting society to care for older people living in remote areas out of  reach from medical institutions.

Hua-nan elementary school’s principal also raised enough funds to  buy a vehicle that would serve as an ambulance and had arranged for  doctors to come to the school to offer medical care to seniors. However,  the cost of gasoline and maintenance fees involved in operating such a  vehicle were not accounted for, and lack of funding soon became a  serious problem.

Upon hearing about this problem, one of the students who had  participated in the contest decided to donate all the money he had saved  from red envelopes. Tsai Ming-hsuan donated $10,000 NTD (about $290 USD)  in all from his own savings.

Tsai shared that he originally planned to use the money toward video  games, but upon hearing his father share about Jesus’ teaching  about a kernel of wheat, he felt compelled to donate his money toward a  greater cause instead. Tsai’s father usually reads Bible stories to  him and connects these stories to examples from everyday life. As soon  as his father heard about the funding shortage, which amounted to a  little over $10,000 NTD, he mentioned it to him, and shared with him the  story of the kernel of wheat, which, if sacrificed and planted in the  ground, can produce more seeds to help others.

Because Tsai’s school is in a remote area and has been blessed by  many people who keep contributing to the school without asking for  anything in return, Tsai’s father hope that his son can also  emulate these people’s generosity and play a positive role in the  lives of others. In fact, the children had already donated part of the  prize money they had won from the competition toward charity.

According to Tsai’s father, his son has Asperger Syndrome, a  disease similar to autism. This illness has made him more determined and  creative than others of his age. Though Tsai had planned to spend his  money on video games, once he realized that the needs of seniors were  much greater than his need for video games, he happily decided to donate  all his money and help those who were truly in need.

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