South Kent Community Church. China

Our link with China is through Wendy, a personal friend of many in SKCC, who has been based in China since 1989. Wendy still keeps in regular contact with her friends here in the UK giving us news about her life, and also visiting us when in the UK on holiday.

Before going to China, Wendy worked at Wye College where she came in contact with students from many nations. She became like a mother to a number of them, especially those who were a long way from home and often feeling lonely. She was particularly drawn to the Chinese students. In 1988 she spent 2 months in Hong Kong as a mother’s help to an English family with a new baby. During her time there she found herself falling in love with China. So much so, that she came home sold her house, worked out her notice, then took a TEFL course (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). She returned to China at the end of February 1989 and, apart from returning to the UK for holidays has been there ever since. Wendy originally taught English at two universities and also privately in a hotel and during this time learnt to speak Chinese.

However, for a long time she felt a concern for the many people she came across suffering with problems related to drug addiction. In 2002 she travelled to Egypt to attend a training course for people wanting to work with drug addicts. Returning to China, she began to prepare to open a drug rehabilitation centre. This eventually took place in March 2004. Early in 2008 Wendy came home for a well earned break and, while here, told a little about some of the people she and her team attempt to help kick their habit.

Sadly, as in UK and many other parts of the world, many helped by the centre will return to their homes and mix with the same people and so slip back into addiction. Wendy has a vision to have a purpose-built centre out of town so that these people can maintain the new freedom they have experienced, away from drugs and those supplying them.

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