人生不设限·走出去的热情

不要担心你到底能为别人做多少，只要伸出手，并了解到，你的小小善行会加倍，而随之产生的力量会强大到超乎你的想象。当约翰·品格捎来更多消息，我就愈来愈常想到南非，愈来愈想去那里，就跟那位香港学生一样。

Don't worry about how much you can do to benefit others. Just reach out and know that small acts of kindness multiply and are strengthened beyond anything you might imagine. Like the student from Hong Kong, I became more and more passionate about traveling to South Africa the more I thought about it and the more I heard from John Pingo.

我为可能的南非之旅祷告了三个星期，然后，我真实地感受到召唤，要我去那里。不过，我对南非几乎一无所知，而且之前从来没有在爸爸、妈妈不在身旁的情况下，旅行到那么远的地方。我爸爸有朋友住在那边，跟他们通过电话后，爸爸心里更是七上八下。朋友告诉他，南非的治安问题很严重，常有外来者被攻击、打劫，甚至被杀。

I prayed about the proposed trip for three weeks. After that, I really felt that I had a calling to go. I wanted to offer inspiration without limits, and this seemed like a good first step toward a worldwide ministry. I knew very little about South Africa, and I had never traveled that far without my parents. My dad did have friends who lived there, and after he spoke with them, he wasn't reassured. They reported that violent crime was a serious problem and that travelers were often attacked, robbed, and even killed.

“那个地方不安全，力克。”爸爸说，“你连这个约翰·品格是谁都不知道，为什么要相信他，让他带着你在南非到处跑?”

"It's not a safe place to go, Nick," my father said. "You don't even know this John Pingo. Why would you trust him to take you all over that country?"

我的爸爸、妈妈就像天下所有的父母一样，非常保护我，而因为我身体的障碍，他们觉得自己更有理由顾虑我的安全。但是我渴望走自己的路，回应心底的召唤，我希望成为福音布道家和激励讲师。

My mum and dad have very few gray hairs, which is surprising given some of my adventures as a strong-willed young man. But like all parents, they are very protective of me. Given my disabilities, they felt they had all the more reason to be concerned about my safety. But I yearned to make my way, to follow my calling and get on with my career as an evangelist and inspirational speaker.

当我提出南非行这个可能性时，他们最初是担心我的生活与财务状况。那时我刚用赚来的钱买了第一栋房子，他们认为我应该努力还清贷款，而不是到处乱跑。

When I raised the prospect of the South Africa trip, their initial concern was for my welfare and financial stability. I'd just bought my first house with my earnings, and they felt I should be paying off my debts instead of gallivanting around the globe.

听到我透露以下这两件事，他们的不安更是急剧升高：

Their concerns increased dramatically when I also revealed to them that (1) while I was in South Africa, I intended to give away more than $20,000 of my life savings to orphanages, and (2) I wanted to take my little brother with me.

1.我打算从存款中捐出两万多美元给南非的孤儿院;

2.我要带弟弟一起去。

今天我从我爸爸、妈妈的观点回头去看，已经更能理解他们为何那么担心，但我的心意已决。《圣经》上面说：“凡有世上财物的，看见弟兄穷乏，却塞住怜恤的心，爱神的心怎能存在他里面呢?”[35]我希望通过服务他人，以行动活出我的信仰。我凭借着信仰胜过身体的障碍，觉得自己更有能力，也认为该为我的人生目的展开行动了。

Looking back from my parents' perspective today, I can better appreciate how worrying it must have been for them. But I was determined. The Bible says, "If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?" I wanted to act on my faith by serving others. Though I am disabled, I felt enabled by my faith, and I felt that it was time to serve my purpose.

我还是必须说服父母，让他们知道我的南非行是安全的。不过，我弟弟亚伦起初也不是那么想跟我一起去。事实上，当我问他时，他一开始是拒绝我的，理由除了从新闻报道得知的南非暴力问题之外，另一个则是“我不想被狮子吃掉”。我一直游说他、刺激他，试着跟他解释狮子的事。我已经号召了两位堂弟同行，但其中一位后来退出，所以亚伦就觉得有义务帮我搞定这次的旅行。爸爸、妈妈和我为此行祷告，最后他们送上了祝福。虽然还是会为我担心，但爸爸、妈妈相信上帝会照料我们。

I still had to convince my parents that I would be safe. Even my brother was not all that enthused about going with me at first. In fact, when I asked him, initially he refused because of the reports of violence and "I don't want to be eaten by a lion." I kept pushing and prodding him, tried to explain the situation about lions. I'd recruited two cousins to go; one had to drop out. Aaron then felt it was his duty to go and help me make the trip. My parents and I prayed about this journey, and eventually they gave their blessing to go forward with it. They were still concerned, but they trusted God would look after us.