Repair, Restore, and Reconcile

Group 3 (To Kwa Wan)

　　After finishing the tour of the old district of To Kwa Wan with the 20 of us, the tour guide from “ToHome” took us to a bonus stop: the decrepit rooftop of a tenement building in the area. Because the rooftop is long deserted and the building will soon be torn down, the people living nearby had been dumping their old furniture and electrical appliances there so that they did not have to carry them to a refuse collection point. One day, a couple of residents could not stand it anymore and decided to clean the place out. As there was too much rubbish, they solicited help from volunteers of Fixing HK who had been helping them repair electrical appliances for free. It is said that volunteers spent seven days’ worth of spare time clearing the stuff in a bucket brigade before they cleaned the place up. The rooftop is now clean and tidy with beautiful drawings; it becomes a children’s playground and is a perfect spot for watching the sunset.

　　I am deeply moved by the story of the rooftop as it is a great symbol of the community working together in the area. As the old district is facing urban renewal, the place seems to be useless except for developers to buy up and for owners to get compensation for. Fortunately, “ToHome” became aware of the needs of the affected local residents and serves the community by offering electrical appliance repair services and other activities. It takes a lot of hard work to discover the beauty of the community, just as one has to climb seven flights of stairs before enjoying the beautiful sunset on the rooftop.

　　This guided tour has inspired me to reflect upon the culture of repair in today’s society. Since when did we stop repairing old appliances? Who is to determine the value of an object, a community, or a whole poverty-stricken class? When I look at people who cannot afford even the fee for repair and children neglected by parents who struggle to make ends meet, what I see are souls to save. In today’s society, when facing a broken relationship, most people would do nothing to fix it and pretend they did not see the problem. At the sight of a broken relationship between the local community and God and the deteriorating interpersonal relationships around us, are we, as Christians, able to revere Christ as Lord, to see the lost among us with the affection of Christ Jesus, to restore the damaged and distorted relationships, and to lead them into the full life that God has prepared for us?