Cheng Cunliang

I keep talking about Mr. Yin... cos he's become my friend I guess :) But here's the story of Mr Cheng, another of our migrant friends who have passed through the doors of HS. He is deep and contemplative, even wrote/adapted poems about his experience here. He's gotten his compensation and has gone home last month.

left to right: Joyce, SY & Cheng Cunliang

程存粮弟兄的心声

流浪脚步遍天涯
耶稣伴我走天下
试问人间真情在
舍身取义尤不怕
圣经里面叹圣经
一生尘世雨打萍
人生自古谁无死
留取丹心照万灵

HS's newsletter editor wrote the following.. credit goes to her.

He came to Singapore in Aug 2007 to eke out a living for his family back home. Jiangsu native Cheng Cunliang was prepared for the hard work, the long hours and even working without rest days. What he wasn't prepared for was for a concrete slab to come crashing down his head causing the safety helmet he was wearing to crack and break.

The mishap left him unconscious for three hours. "I survived but felt like the world had come crashing down on me at the same time. I’d all these worries reeling in my head, like how was I going back to work in my state, how was my family going to cope and survive," says the soft-spoken 40-year-old. "The worries gave me many sleepless nights." Uppermost on his mind were his wife and two school-going children, aged 19 and 15, who all depended on him financially. He was lost, confused and didn't know what to do.

But just when he thought he lost all hope, a visit to Tan Tock Seng Hospital for a checkup led him to Dr Chan Lai Gwen, a HealthServe volunteer. Dr Chan told him about HealthServe and he found his way to Lorong 23 Geylang. "I found a second chance to live again when I stepped into HealthServe," he recalls with a shy, quiet smile. "I remember visiting the Tuesday clinic and nurse Fong Ling who was on duty that night said a prayer for me after hearing my story. I felt so comforted and a sense of peace enveloped me. It was something I've never experienced before."

On March 21, Mr Cheng flew home to Jiangsu to be reunited with his wife and children after more than a year of not seeing each other. He plans to come back to Singapore ("I need to continue working to support my family") and when he does, he said he will continue to serve and bless others in his own little ways – like he’s been doing quietly since he became a part of the HealthServe community. Having been a recipient of kindness, Mr Cheng has blessed many others through HealthServe’s Chinese Ministry by extending friendship and great support to his fellow migrant friends who are in need.

~ Jacqueline Tan ~