There's no substiute - Jackie Pullinger

Last weekend, my church had the privilege of having Dr. Jackie Pullinger sharing with us her experiences in serving the poor and needy.

Jackie Pullinger - a name that probaly Singaporeans don't really know. But in Hong Kong, she must be pretty famous. Her story? Truly an amzing one.

At the age of 22, a young English woman decided to give up everything she had, and become a missionary in Hong Kong. She felt God's calling for her in that place. And she went, despite having only enough money for a one-way boat ticket.

Yes. One-way ticket. She can't turn back to England even if she wanted to. When she finally reached Hong Kong, she only had HK$100 in her wallet.

She finally came to settle down in this place in Hong Kong. It was a place where both the Mainland China and British governments ignored. It was a place where there were no laws. It was known as the "Walled City".

Kowloon Walled City

Here's a description of what the Walled City was like:
"For years the Kowloon Walled City became a no go area. In the control of Triads and drug dealers, with an estimated population in excess of 30,000. Many residents were illegal immigrants; exempt from extradition, encased within its walls. A lone European venturing into its midst would most probably never be seen again, no Chinese went in without appropriate reason. " - Tofu Magazine (click here to read more)

Jackie Pullinger - a lone European, stayed in the Walled City and served the poor and needy. The poor and needy that she served included - drug addicts, prostitutes, old people, young people, triad members, etc. And because of her, their lives were changed and they believed in Jesus.

During the conference, she shared with us how a traid boss (commanding tens of thousands members) helped her buy back a typewriter and even sent his members to protect her. Eventually, the boss also came to believe in Jesus because of her.


40 years. She had stayed in Hong Kong for the past 40 years. She given her life to serve the poor and needy.

"There's no substitue. If you want to help someone, you have to go do it yourself. Don't ever see someone in need and yet do nothing about it. The lest you can do is to pray for the person." - Jackie Pullinger

She does things without expecting anything in return.
I do things often expecting something in return.

I guess that's the difference between the heart of a saint and mine. I ought to examine myself more and learn to be more like her.