Extreme Poverty

A woman in her 60’s reached out to me for help. Her name was Irene. She and her family were facing financial issues. I visited the family and found out that she lived with her five siblings in a small house. They have no furniture, no mattresses, no pillows and no TV. There were only many plastic bags containing their clothes on the floor. I spoke with the family members to try to understand their problems. The eldest brother, aged 72, was seriously ill and passed away a few days after my visit. Irene was second child in the family and the only breadwinner in the family but she was unable to work due to a leg injury. The third was in a wheelchair and the fourth was mentally challenged – a slow learner having difficulties with thinking and reasoning. The youngest one among them had been diagnosed with cancer. 

Unfortunately the eldest brother passed away after a few days. I frequently visited the family – cooking, bringing rations, spending time with them and tried to help them as best I could. When Irene recovered from her injury and was able to walk, we tried our best to find a job for her. At the age of 60, it was a challenge but with God’s grace, we managed to find her employment.

She was happy when she knew she could continue to work. But one day before she started work, I received the bad news from her family that she too suddenly passed away. I couldn’t believe it as I had already formed a close relationship with her. I cried for so many nights. I remember once when she asked me how I could be so kind hearted as to help them. I took the opportunity then to share my faith with her because making Jesus known to her and her family would give them hope. All the while, I did not tell them I was a Christian, as my first priority is to love people and bring the fragrance of Jesus with me, in whatever I do. She rejoiced when she heard the Good News and promised me she would pray to Jesus.

At her funeral, I realize there were still three persons in the family that needed my help. After praying for God’s guidance, I approached the woman who had a learning disability. I thought she would be able to work in a kitchen. She agreed to learn and now works as a kitchen helper in a soup kitchen. Every day, she helps serve lunch to the poor and brings home food for her sick siblings. She is now properly trained for work and can earn to pay for her family’s living expenses.

My name is Khoo Cheng See. I have been actively involved in serving the poor families in Penang for more than 20 years. Irene’s family is just one of the many destitute families that my team and I serve. There are countless families living in extreme poverty, with complicated conditions and no one is willing to care. If we would open our eyes to look around our neighborhood, we would easily find them. I was once afraid to reach out to the poor but God changed my heart when I surrendered my fear to him. He gave me courage and justified me in His calling for me to this mission.

Every day, early in the morning, I must spend time with Jesus and pray with the Bible because this is how I draw strength from my Lord. Jesus is not only present in the church, but also in our surroundings, especially in the faces of the poor, for He chose to be born among the poor, lived with the poor, was rejected by his own people, persecuted for the sake of righteousness and died on the cross. In the Bible, we read about him defending the poor and teaching his disciples to care for them. We know He loves the poor and wants to crown them with salvation. So, we must be an authentic disciple of Christ by bringing the fragrance of Jesus to everyone we meet because many broken families need to hear the hope from God. In our own little ways, it is important that we put our faith into action and make Jesus known to our neighbour through our good deeds. We all can be the little light of Christ, who shines in this dark world. When we obey every command that Jesus gave us, the love of God will come into perfection in us.