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Responding to social concerns in our community
Posted by HuiHui
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9:47 PM
Reaching Out – The Christian Response
Session 1
Mental Health Needs & Support Required, by Dr Lai Fong Hwa, Consultant child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Hosp. P.P.
Session 2
Reaching out to the Marginalized, by Pastor Edmund Smith, Founder & Head of The Real Love Ministry.
Session 3
Reaching out to those in Crisis, by Sister Helena Vytialingam, Welcome Home – shelter home for those in crisis.
Session 4
Reaching out to Prisoners, by Mr Andrew Simon, Volunteer Coordinator Prison Ministry, KL.
Session 5
Reaching out to drug addicts, by Mr Gideon Khoo, Founder & CEO of The Hiding Place, Shelter & Rehabilitation.
Session 6
Reaching out to children & adolescent with special needs, by Ms Terri Faust, Special Educator, Asia Community Service.
I found the sessions on the mental illness, homosexual & prison ministry were the most intriguing of all. The rest were very informative as well, on top of been entertaining, thanks to the lists of natural born speakers. Having wrote that, I feel a pang of guilt. I hope I didn’t just go there to laugh my head off and then forget about everything. :( Ok, let me at least create a little awareness here by blogging about it. Without awareness there will always be prejudice.
Homosexuality
Pastor Edmund Smith, a pro-gay to anti-gay, was an ex-gay himself. His take on this issue is that there is no such thing as born gay/lesbian or gay/lesbian brain as proclaimed by pro-gay, but it’s just a confused state of mind that can be changed with enough help. He shared his first hand experience of the pain of been a gay, narrated other interesting stories and at the same time bombarded us with lots of new terms i.e. GID=gender identity disorder, PLU=people like us, gay friendly, homophobic, hermaphrodite, androgynous, transgender, transsexual, GRS=gender reassignment surgery, transvestite, hemophilic, paedophile, metrosexual, fetrosexual, etc. More info: http://www.r-l-m.com/RLM.htm
Prison ministry
Some of the in-prison work of the Prison Ministry consists of:
a) conducting Sunday services
b) conducting discipleship classes
c) offering counseling services
d) provision of material aid to prisoners
One of my favorite BKM is that we were told to avoid long prayers as it may give inmates the impression that they are so sinful thereby requiring long prayers. Matt 6:7 When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans so, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Oh yeah.. I love this particular tips. :p
On the counseling sides, it’s said that many inmates are unrealistic about life. They daydream about the “kompang & bunga manga” reception by their “kampung” on their release, and fantasizing that their wife and children waiting faithfully for their return. It’s also pointed out that most of the sex offenders never take responsibility for their actions. The Ah Pak will still insist that “Itu bukan salah saya.” Thus, volunteers are needed to gently lead the inmate to stand up and take responsibility for their actions and point out to them the dangers of empty daydreaming that leads to nothing but disappointment and delusion.
Out of prison work consists of:
a) training of volunteers
b) awareness programs
c) ministry to released prisoners
d) ministry to families of prisoners
e) fund raising
Mental illness
Do you know?
a) 1 in 100 of the world’s population develops schizophrenia in their lifetime
b) 1 in 10 women develops severe depression after child delivery
c) 18.8% (2001 statistics) Malaysian between 19 to 59 suffered from depression
d) In the past, little understanding of mental illness resulted it been associated to witchcraft, sorcery, devil, voodoo, etc
e) Deranged behavior regarded as possession by evil spirits, resulted in trepanning.
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461516372_761566888_-1_1/Trepanned_Skull.html
Trepanning, the procedure of cutting a hole in the skull, is the earliest known medical operation. Some anthropologists believe that trepanning was performed on people with mental illnesses to drive out evil spirits from their heads. This skull dates from the Inca civilization.
f) Starry Night was painted while Vincent van Gogh was in the asylum at Saint-Remy, describing what he “see”. Vincent cut off a part of his left ear probably to silence the noise he heard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
g) In desperate measures, malaria therapy, insulin coma therapy and convulsive therapies were used before to cure mental illness. Patients were injected with malaria virus or high insulin dose until comatose on purpose.
h) In 1950s, Chlorpormazine is the first antipsychotic medication used & lithium is the first mood stabilizer. :o :0
i) Mental illness can happen to anyone and it can be cure or at least control with the right medication and help. So, please do not be ignorant about it.
j) Most dangerous advice by ill-informed public to their mentally ill friend/relative: To shunt the medication.
Lazy to blog further :p. I shall end this with the lyrics of Starry, Starry Night, a famous song which I guess you all have heard before. http://www.geocities.com/cesarica11/vincent.htm (if you wish to listen to the song)
VINCENT (STARRY, STARRY NIGHT)
Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.
Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue,
morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen,
they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.
For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.
Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen,
they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will...
Such a soulful song, isn't it?
If you ever think of volunteering; to help these marginalized people, here's some of the contact number:
Contact for Support for Women in Crisis: 05-546 7031, 012-462 1341
Contact for Dr. Lai, Psychiatrist: 04-2002196
Contact for Pastor Edmund Smith: 016-6809996
Session 1
Mental Health Needs & Support Required, by Dr Lai Fong Hwa, Consultant child & Adolescent Psychiatrist Hosp. P.P.
Session 2
Reaching out to the Marginalized, by Pastor Edmund Smith, Founder & Head of The Real Love Ministry.
Session 3
Reaching out to those in Crisis, by Sister Helena Vytialingam, Welcome Home – shelter home for those in crisis.
Session 4
Reaching out to Prisoners, by Mr Andrew Simon, Volunteer Coordinator Prison Ministry, KL.
Session 5
Reaching out to drug addicts, by Mr Gideon Khoo, Founder & CEO of The Hiding Place, Shelter & Rehabilitation.
Session 6
Reaching out to children & adolescent with special needs, by Ms Terri Faust, Special Educator, Asia Community Service.
I found the sessions on the mental illness, homosexual & prison ministry were the most intriguing of all. The rest were very informative as well, on top of been entertaining, thanks to the lists of natural born speakers. Having wrote that, I feel a pang of guilt. I hope I didn’t just go there to laugh my head off and then forget about everything. :( Ok, let me at least create a little awareness here by blogging about it. Without awareness there will always be prejudice.
Homosexuality
Pastor Edmund Smith, a pro-gay to anti-gay, was an ex-gay himself. His take on this issue is that there is no such thing as born gay/lesbian or gay/lesbian brain as proclaimed by pro-gay, but it’s just a confused state of mind that can be changed with enough help. He shared his first hand experience of the pain of been a gay, narrated other interesting stories and at the same time bombarded us with lots of new terms i.e. GID=gender identity disorder, PLU=people like us, gay friendly, homophobic, hermaphrodite, androgynous, transgender, transsexual, GRS=gender reassignment surgery, transvestite, hemophilic, paedophile, metrosexual, fetrosexual, etc. More info: http://www.r-l-m.com/RLM.htm
Prison ministry
Some of the in-prison work of the Prison Ministry consists of:
a) conducting Sunday services
b) conducting discipleship classes
c) offering counseling services
d) provision of material aid to prisoners
One of my favorite BKM is that we were told to avoid long prayers as it may give inmates the impression that they are so sinful thereby requiring long prayers. Matt 6:7 When you pray, do not use a lot of meaningless words, as the pagans so, who think that their gods will hear them because their prayers are long. Oh yeah.. I love this particular tips. :p
On the counseling sides, it’s said that many inmates are unrealistic about life. They daydream about the “kompang & bunga manga” reception by their “kampung” on their release, and fantasizing that their wife and children waiting faithfully for their return. It’s also pointed out that most of the sex offenders never take responsibility for their actions. The Ah Pak will still insist that “Itu bukan salah saya.” Thus, volunteers are needed to gently lead the inmate to stand up and take responsibility for their actions and point out to them the dangers of empty daydreaming that leads to nothing but disappointment and delusion.
Out of prison work consists of:
a) training of volunteers
b) awareness programs
c) ministry to released prisoners
d) ministry to families of prisoners
e) fund raising
Mental illness
Do you know?
a) 1 in 100 of the world’s population develops schizophrenia in their lifetime
b) 1 in 10 women develops severe depression after child delivery
c) 18.8% (2001 statistics) Malaysian between 19 to 59 suffered from depression
d) In the past, little understanding of mental illness resulted it been associated to witchcraft, sorcery, devil, voodoo, etc
e) Deranged behavior regarded as possession by evil spirits, resulted in trepanning.
http://encarta.msn.com/media_461516372_761566888_-1_1/Trepanned_Skull.html
Trepanning, the procedure of cutting a hole in the skull, is the earliest known medical operation. Some anthropologists believe that trepanning was performed on people with mental illnesses to drive out evil spirits from their heads. This skull dates from the Inca civilization.
f) Starry Night was painted while Vincent van Gogh was in the asylum at Saint-Remy, describing what he “see”. Vincent cut off a part of his left ear probably to silence the noise he heard. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vincent_van_Gogh
g) In desperate measures, malaria therapy, insulin coma therapy and convulsive therapies were used before to cure mental illness. Patients were injected with malaria virus or high insulin dose until comatose on purpose.
h) In 1950s, Chlorpormazine is the first antipsychotic medication used & lithium is the first mood stabilizer. :o :0
i) Mental illness can happen to anyone and it can be cure or at least control with the right medication and help. So, please do not be ignorant about it.
j) Most dangerous advice by ill-informed public to their mentally ill friend/relative: To shunt the medication.
Lazy to blog further :p. I shall end this with the lyrics of Starry, Starry Night, a famous song which I guess you all have heard before. http://www.geocities.com/cesarica11/vincent.htm (if you wish to listen to the song)
VINCENT (STARRY, STARRY NIGHT)
Starry, starry night.
Paint your palette blue and grey,
Look out on a summer's day,
With eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
Shadows on the hills,
Sketch the trees and the daffodils,
Catch the breeze and the winter chills,
In colors on the snowy linen land.
Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen, they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.
Starry, starry night.
Flaming flowers that brightly blaze,
Swirling clouds in violet haze,
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
Colors changing hue,
morning field of amber grain,
Weathered faces lined in pain,
Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
Now I understand what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen,
they did not know how.
Perhaps they'll listen now.
For they could not love you,
But still your love was true.
And when no hope was left in sight
On that starry, starry night,
You took your life, as lovers often do.
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one
As beautiful as you.
Starry, starry night.
Portraits hung in empty halls,
Frameless head on nameless walls,
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
Like the strangers that you've met,
The ragged men in the ragged clothes,
The silver thorn of bloody rose,
Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,
How you suffered for your sanity,
How you tried to set them free.
They would not listen,
they're not listening still.
Perhaps they never will...
Such a soulful song, isn't it?
If you ever think of volunteering; to help these marginalized people, here's some of the contact number:
Contact for Support for Women in Crisis: 05-546 7031, 012-462 1341
Contact for Dr. Lai, Psychiatrist: 04-2002196
Contact for Pastor Edmund Smith: 016-6809996