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April 2002
Dear Friends,
Suicides are in the news all over the world—particularly
those connected with the Middle East or with terrorists. In Hong
Kong, however, we are experiencing a crisis on a smaller scale
with a series of tragic suicides in the recent past. It seems
every week there are reports of someone taking his or her own
life, usually by jumping from a high-rise apartment building or
burning charcoal in a closed room. The latter method reportedly
originated in Hong Kong (which has very tight gun control laws)
and has now spread to other places in Asia.
The latest suicide was a family—a man, his pregnant wife and
their 3-year-old daughter. The husband was deeply in debt after
his factory failed. They all died by burning charcoal in their bedroom.
Just a few days ago another victim was a 25-year-old teacher in
her first job. According to the media reports, she left behind a
note apologizing to her family, students and boyfriend. The week
before that, a 56-year-old man who had just retired jumped from
the top level of a mall onto the ground floor inside the shopping
center. Last month it was three teenagers who committed suicide
together in a hotel room, again by burning charcoal. As horrifying
as it was to see the pictures (yes, the Chinese reporters got pictures
of the dead bodies in the bed), it was even more heartbreaking to
read that one of girls tried to call her friends on her mobile phone.
She left a message that she didn’t want to die, to please help
her. Her friends thought she was joking and ignored the message.
And a few weeks before this, an elementary school boy jumped to
his death after failing a minor spelling test. Several police officers
have also taken their own lives, using their police revolvers.
What is the cause of all these tragedies? It is difficult to
say with certainty what led people to such desperate measures.
Many appeared to have financial problems, others job stress, school
pressure, or emotional, family, or relationship problems.
Though I didn’t know any of these victims, I feel some connection
to them. The family of three died in the same sprawling apartment
complex in Tsuen Wan that I lived in for six years. The 25-year-old
school teacher taught fifth grade in a school near where I live
now. I just went to visit friends who reside in the same complex
in Cheung Chau where the three teenagers committed suicide. My
husband I were shopping on the same day in Festival Walk, the
mall where the man jumped. We didn’t see his body, but we
saw his shoes lying in disarray on the floor inside the police
cordon. Everything in Hong Kong is very close.
When I think of all the pain and suffering around us here, I
wonder what is the Easter message to this community. What difference
does the cross and resurrection make to us in 2002? From my perspective,
Hong Kong people desperately need to know how to bring the presence
of the Divine into their midst. Unlike other Asian countries where
religion is culturally still prevalent and people live closer
to nature, Hong Kong has lost the sense of the spiritual in everyday
living. They depend on themselves, their families, close friends,
hard work, and luck. The Chinese traditionally do not go to outsiders
for help. They are more private about their personal affairs and
are expected to take responsibility for whatever problems they
may have. Unfortunately, the way of taking care of those problems
has increasingly become to give up on life itself. For some, death
is the only and best solution to crushing debt, a broken heart,
unbearable stress, loss of "face" or reputation.
The message of the cross and resurrection is that through Jesus
Christ, we have access to the greatest power in the world—the
power of God. If we would only allow that power to operate in
our lives and in our city, our problems—however terrible—might
look completely different. We can become different people, we
can find new solutions, we can change the course of events. As
one person rescued from the brink of suicide recently told me,
"I finally understood my life is a gift from God, and what
I do with my life is a gift to God."
This is the mission of the church—to unleash God’s
holy power into people’s lives so they can see the precious
gift that’s been given to them and what precious gift they
can give back. To that end, the church in Hong Kong is very active
in evangelism and church growth. The radio ministry that I coordinate
out of Hong Kong Christian Council is another way we are helping
people to tap into that power. The church has also made a bold
new initiative to help those facing financial problems and unemployment.
With a commitment of HK$10 million (U.S. $1.2 million), they are
proclaiming to the Hong Kong people that God and the church care
about their individual lives.
In today’s sober climate in Hong Kong, I pray it is not
too late to save more lives, both physically and spiritually.
What more important task is there than to give people a reason
to live and a life worth living? Come, Lord Jesus.
Yours in Christ,
Judy Chan
The 2002 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 179
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