I’m here as a volunteer part-time dishwasher to help keep things going over the busy Chinese New Year rush. In order to get most of the rest of the work done, the restaurant hired 3 students (and the little sister of one of them, who although not a “hire” has been helping). Here’s their breakdown:
1. One gal, a 15 year old high school student, comes from a single parent home. In Taiwan, after a divorce, it’s usual for the kids to live with the father. That is the case here. Unfortunately, however, this young lady’s dad is the hospital living out his final days with liver cancer exacerbated by drinking to excess. He could pass away any time now I’m told.
2. The oldest student, a third year high-schooler, comes from a home where the father drinks and sometimes beats him. His mom is a foreign bride from Indonesia (as is the mother of the other two girls). After the young man accidentally got burned by some spilled hot water earlier in the week, I wound up taking him on two different days to the hospital to get his arm wrapped. I was surprised that on the first day when I took him to the emergency room, when he presented his medical insurance card they collected less than USD $1 for the payment. The second visit, they didn’t collect anything. I learned for the first time that for low income families medical costs are drastically reduced.
I believe these grassroots, working class peoples, and especially their children, hold a special place in God’s heart. Jesus loves the little (and not so little) children. May He bless and continue to provide for them and their families.
