Pastor Sacrificially Loves her Neighbors’ Children
Tainan, Taiwan • A convergence of circumstances led a local pastor to do something quite remarkable. The first circumstance involved a pair of disadvantaged sisters in her church who could not afford the resources or the time to be successful in school.
The second circumstance was the Christian pastor’s audacity to believe what she read in Mark 12:31—“Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” While there is a tendency in Buddhism to see need as something the suffering are responsible to fix for themselves, this pastor was ready to act in obedience to God’s Word.
Although there was no money available to fund the type of program she felt led to start, that didn’t stop this determined pastor. She did the unthinkable—she used half of her salary to start iHope Care, a free after-school program for disadvantaged, low-income, and new immigrant families. Now serving 80 children and teens, iHope Care is dedicated to the welfare and education of needy kids who would otherwise fall through the cracks. Their goal is to love their neighbors as themselves by helping the weak and poor and serving the community.
As an added, eternal bonus, the church has been reaching out to share the gospel with the students’ families.
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”
—Mark 12:31 NLT