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The difference i want to make

It is a strange feeling to look back on my time in Hong Kong these days. Mostly what comes back is memories of people, places and experiences of that time.

I’ve also now had the opportunity to reflect on how that time has affected me.
I spent the most extra-ordinary year of my life working with special needs children at an orphanage in Hong Kong.

During my time there I was blessed by watching 15 children grow and learn, no matter how much of a struggle the smallest step was.
I could use this time to tell everyone about each child, how beautiful they were and how hard it was to leave them but I’m sure you can all imagine that for yourself. What I do want to tell you is how my time there affected me and also my future plans.
Just stepping into an orphanage, you are overwhelmed by how lucky you are to have your family.

More than that though, you come away with an awareness of just how important it is to be surrounded by people who show you love. The children I worked with didn’t know what unconditional love was. All of the people who loved them left at the end of their shift.
I have never had to look too far to find security in those around me. Many of us in this country are lucky enough to be surrounded by reliable, steady love. I took a lot of people for granted before I left New Zealand. Now I realise just how blessed I am in my life and I try to remain aware of that everyday.
Before heading to Hong Kong I was determined to come back to study video editing. I can’t even remember why. Now God has used this experience to show me how I can make a difference.

Next year I will study nursing at Auckland University; a bit of a shift from video editing.
While working at the orphanage I spent a lot of time in the hospitals. The difference the nurses make to the children’s stay is amazing. Their care was the difference between the child having an ok time in hospital or a dreadful time. They make a small difference in someone’s life everyday. That’s the difference I want to make in the world. There are lots of places and situations of need surrounding us, both next door and worldwide. Hong Kong helped me to find where I can help fill a need. It showed me that no matter where we are in life, we can make small differences everyday just by showing others that we care.

Liz Kooistra