February 2021
二零二一年二月
 
Dear mission partners,
親愛的宣教夥伴們，

On 31 January, the UK government began to offer a special visa for people from Hong Kong with British National (Overseas) BNO status, allowing them and their immediate family members to live and work in the UK. They will be able to apply for permanent settlement status after five years of UK residence. Over the past few months, we have already seen many Hong Kong families arrive in the UK and settle in London, Birmingham, Manchester, as well as other cities. These families all left their familiar hometown to come to a foreign land and will have to adapt to a new environment. They must be anxious about many things in their lives now as they try to find suitable accommodations, find schools for their children, register with NHS, open bank account, buy food and essential supplies. The Covid-19 pandemic makes everything that much harder.

今年一月底，英國政府開始提供為香港持有英國國民（海外）BNO身份的人士辦理特別簽證服務，允許他們以及直系親屬移民來英國，五年後可以拿到永久居民身份。過去的幾個月，我們已經看到有不少的家庭從香港來到英國，在倫敦、伯明翰、曼城以及其他城市定居。無論這些家庭移居來英國出於何故，我們知道他們都是剛剛離開了自己很熟悉的家鄉，來到一個陌生的地方，心中一定有很多的彷徨。他們要適應一個新的環境，找地方住，找學校幫孩子轉學，註冊NHS去見醫生，辦理銀行戶口，出門購物，加上疫情帶來額外的困難，生活各方面都有特別多的挑戰。

I have an affinity for new immigrants since I have been an immigrant myself more than once in my life. I was born and raised in Xi An, China, and my family moved to Hong Kong when I was a teenager. I remember the experience of learning Cantonese, a new dialect, and adapting to a world completely foreign to us at the time. Later, my family immigrated to the United States, and we had to learn a new language and adapt to a new environment all over again.  14 years ago, my wife and I with two primary school-age children moved to the UK. After living in the United States for over 20 years, it was immensely tougher for us to be uprooted in our early 40s to become new immigrants with young children, being so far away from our elderly parents.

在我個人的生命旅程中有不止一次的移民經歷，所以我對新移民的家庭特別有負擔。我在中國的內地城市西安出生長大，十幾歲的時候我們全家就移居香港。我還記得到了香港之後，我們馬上要學習新的語言廣東話，要適應一個對我們來說是完全陌生的世界。後來又移民去了美國，到美國後又要再次開始學新的語言，適應新的環境。14年前，我和太太帶著兩個小學年齡的孩子來英國定居。當時我們和家人在美國已經住了二十多年，40歲以後再次連根拔起，尤其是要離開年邁的父母，帶著小孩子來英國做新移民，那一次的挑戰比年輕的時候難度要大得多。

This year, God is creating a great opportunity for Chinese Christians and churches in the UK, and I think we should take time to get ready to welcome the new wave of immigrant families in our midst, doing our best to help them transition and integrate into our communities here. I am reminded of Hebrews 13:2, which encourages us to welcome strangers with love. And when we do this, we may show hospitality to angels.

我覺得今年神給了我們在英國的華人基督徒和華人教會一個大好的機會，讓我們在這段時間做好準備去歡迎新一波的移民家庭來到我們當中，幫助他們盡快地過渡和融入這裏的社會。我想到希伯來書13:2的經文，提醒我們要用愛心接待來到我們當中的客旅，這樣做的時候，說不定就接待了天使。