Interestingly the only home visit I did during the trip wasn't in 板房. We started off by walking around in the 板房 area and just greet everyone we met on the way and we invited them to the Christmas program. We met an elderly lady who basically can only speak SiChuan 話. Her grandchild is so cute but there is always 兩行 yellowish 鼻水 from her nose. After chatting for a while she invited us to her home (instead of us asking to visit her ...). So that is great and we went together to her place. Slowly she took us out of 板房 to an area just next to 板房. That area is basically a construction site. We walked through rocks and bricks and arrived in an area where some workers are working on building a house. They lived in some sort of shelters built by some woods and 帆布. Their "bedroom" (of coz there
are no doors) and living room are basically outdoor. It is freezing outside and I can't imagine how can they sleep at nite (and how about when it rains? when it snows?) There are 9 people living in the shelter area including 2 elder woman and a little kid. We talked a little bit about why she didn't get to live in 板房 and how are they going to survive the winter etc. Again 正如香港的一些社會問題，背後總有很多複雜的因素. This family (like many others living outside 板房) took the options to stay away from 板房 to get a few thousand dollars back so they can rebuild their house in the same location. I am not sure if those living in 板房 don't have the option to rebuild their houses? Language is a barrier indeed, I can only understand about 30% of what they said. And most of the villagers don't speak Mandarin. I had this feeling of 無奈 during the whole visit. The kids, the elderly, the people there definitely have needs that are not met in any magnitude. The kids might be sick and they don't have the right medications, the living condition is much worse than 天橋底. And worse of all I am not sure if these people have enough knowledge (personal hygiene, public health, childcare etc.) and resources to take care of themselves. We saw meat being exposed outside for long time, power 
cables all over the place, waste water or matters were disposed improperly ... and they don't seem to wash their hands very often. When we walked over to a location a few blocks away to distribute the comforters, we saw some of the houses being rebuilt using bricks again (what if there are aftershocks?) and we wonder why? It occurred to me that 中國農村的貧窮落後本來就一直存在, this earthquake just opened up a window for the people outside to realize 中國農村的生活面貌. And actually this earthquake also 
exposed and probably intensified many long lasting issues and problems that has been developing in the chinese rural areas.行筆至此,想到那些在這裹長期服事的弟兄姊妹, I really appreciate their hearts for the people here and the courage and determination they have for not just bringing short term workarounds for the problems here, but also the long term rebuilding of the people in this area, rebuilding the society, helping them to know God and worship him, educating them to live according to His good wills. Looking around that area when we left, I thought of the valley of dry bones described in Eziekel 37. "I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD." For those long term field workers, you are all in my prayers! Add oil!
Later on we had chances to visit other non-板房 villages and realized that 板房 area is a 豪華區. We met children from those villages and deep in my heart I wish they will have chances to know the faith we have and the plans God has for them before they moved out of the village and join the workforce in the cities, before they are challenged and tempted by 城市的紙醉金迷，燈紅酒綠. It will be harder to reach out to them when they are in the cities ... they will be taught and shaped by this world. If we don't seize the opportunities, this world will.
