“Please pray for us” is a familiar request from Li Qiong’s mother when I visit the family every two weeks in their simple apartment in a densely populated area of Wuhan, writes Fr Dan Troy.
Their home is located a short walk from the Yangtze River. The request for prayer is expressed from within a family that has known a lifetime of challenges. It is also a request that it is spoken by a family where nobody has been baptised.
Li Qiong was born in 1976, a time when China was a very different country from what it is today. Following a difficult birth, she was soon diagnosed with cerebral palsy. At the age of ten, with the encouragement of her parents, she began to take her first steps. By that time, she had already missed the opportunity to go to school even though attempts had been made by her family to have her enrolled in several schools.
Twenty years ago, when I was studying the Chinese language in Wuhan, a friend introduced me to Li Qiong and her parents. Gradually the friendship grew, and within a couple of years, it led to Li Qiong participating in a Columban project in which she made Christmas cards and greeting cards. Participation in the project was accompanied by an opportunity for me to meet with her and her mother every two weeks.
Over the years, several of our visitors to Wuhan have also met Li Qiong and her family, a record of their visits gradually building up through the photos that she has asked me to print following those visits. Her ability to welcome visitors to her home and the laughter that was shared on many evenings seems to have strengthened her self-confidence.
Faced with the physical struggles of a restricted walk, limited strength in her hands and mumbled speech, Li Qiong continually faces the difficulties of not being understood in local shops and the risks encountered when walking along the uneven surfaces of the neighbourhood.
During one of my visits to the family home in 2007, it was announced that Li Qiong had some good news to share. Through a series of friends, she had been introduced to a young man a few months earlier, and plans had just been put in place for a wedding.
During the last few days of that year, the wedding took place at a nearby hotel. Li Qiong’s parents were delighted that she had found a husband, her long-term security being a big part of how they viewed the celebration. Two years later, the birth of a baby girl brought unbounded joy for the family, a day that will be remembered for many years.
As life seemed to be moving in a positive direction for the family, they were soon faced with yet another cruel turn of events. Li Qiong’s father was diagnosed with cancer, and his condition deteriorated rapidly.
Having been a kind father and an active man who swam across the Yangtze River once a week, he was now faced with letting go of what was precious to him in this world. His delight in knowing his only grandchild was short-lived, dying before the child reached the age of four months.
That short time he had with his grandchild is still talked about within the family, their sadness at his passing still evident and yet they are grateful that he had met the child who has continued to be a delight for the family.
Meimei is now 12 years of age. Her bright intellect has been noted by several teachers and she has occasionally been chosen to speak on behalf of her class on formal occasions. One delight for Li Qiong in recent years has been to see Meimei take part in weekend dance classes. As a mother who struggles with walking, Li Qiong has seen her daughter excel in dancing, even featuring on local television on a few occasions.
As the visits to Li Qiong’s family continue in the years ahead, we are likely to keep talking about what is important for the family, whether it be the price of vegetables in the neighbourhood or the demands of school for Meimei. Hopefully we will also have reason to celebrate the good things that emerge for them or to reflect together as we find what is good within the daily events of life.
If he were still alive, I think Li Qiong’s father would be delighted with how his precious grandchild is growing and contributing to the life of the family. His one photograph on display in the family home provides a convenient way for him to be mentioned when we sit together and talk.
In the years ahead Li Qiong’s mother is likely to continue requesting prayers for the family. I trust that God will hear these prayers and continue to find ways to care for the humble people who place their trust in these prayers.
Fr Dan Troy lives and works in Wuhan, China.
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