Every September, Hong Kong welcomes many students from mainland China who come here to study, and our church does too. As Christians, how can we welcome these young people who are new to Hong Kong with the love of Christ?

        I believe the first and most important thing is to reach out to these mainland students with caring, open hearts. With this willingness, we will be motivated to get to know them sincerely, spend time with them, and engage with them. Looking back on the mainland students I have known, most seemed young and shy, often unsure of what to say. We can learn to open up conversations by asking questions. Some questions I often ask are, “What do you like about living in Hong Kong? And what are you still adjusting to?” Like most young people, mainland students have their own interests and aspirations, as well as experiences of studying and daily life to share. When we are willing to care and listen, we can help them make sense of their thoughts and experiences. Genuine relationships will naturally begin to grow.

        For students who have just arrived in Hong Kong, we can learn to respond to their everyday needs and offer practical help. For example, we can show them around their neighborhoods and accompany them to the supermarket to buy everyday necessities; share information about transportation, communication services, and medical care; and help them adjust to Hong Kong’s weather, pace of life, and environment. These things may be thoroughly familiar to us, but for mainland students in an unfamiliar place where they know few people, they are matters of immediate, practical concern.

       Mainland students are usually eager to become part of Hong Kong society, so most are willing to learn Cantonese. This is another area in which we can help, enabling them to learn everyday conversational Cantonese and feel more at ease living here. Our church offers Cantonese classes to meet this need, and we welcome brothers and sisters who are native Cantonese speakers to take part as they feel led. Our church also participates in the “Host Families” and “Mentors and Friends” programs organized by two universities to help mainland students adjust to life in Hong Kong. By occasionally inviting them to share a meal, celebrating their birthdays, spending holidays together, taking them to visit different sights, and bringing soup to their dormitories during exam week, we can offer practical care, welcome these students, and build relationships that feel like family.

        As I write these words, I am reminded that I, too, am a “fruit” of the welcome I once received. I remember that during my first year at university, a brother took the initiative to visit the dormitory and reach out to students. After that, he shared a meal every week with those of us who had left home to study, taking an interest in our lives and even responding to our needs. What I remember most vividly is the care he gave me when I was sick, and the joy on his face when he learned that I had come to faith in the Lord and, later, that I had received God’s call. As I recall these moments now, I realize once again that welcoming others is truly a way of returning love with love, the deepest response to the love of Christ!

        Having been loved, are you also willing to welcome others with love and become a channel through which love flows?