He Dan is a successful mainland Chinese entrepreneur who also has a good business in the United States. She is a good homemaker, and a smart businesswoman. Her businesses are all highly successful. In addition, she also raised two well-educated children.

 

He Dan has been living a busy life. She travels a lot, owns luxury cars and beautiful houses in high scale neighborhoods, which earned her admiring stares from other people everywhere. But  there is always an inexplicable sense of something missing in her heart.

On March 14 this year, He Dan, along with her daughter Jocelyn Cheng, joined the 2024 Africa Cries Out volunteer team.

After arriving at the Senegal base of Africa Cries Out, she took the initiative to take on the responsibility of managing the pharmacy. She led the teenagers to pack and organize the drugs, handling  more than $600,000 worth of drugs brought from the United States in an orderly manner.

Big beads of sweat oozed out from He Dan’s head, shining with crystal brilliance under the reflection of the hot Senegalese sun. She ignored the sweat and just continued in the preparation of the medicines for the next day’s free medical clinic.

                                                   He Dan checks the affected limbs of leprosy patients in a leprosy village

 

                          Daughter Jocelyn is doing oral suction of a dental patient under the guidance of a volunteer dentist, Dr. Ma Guojun.

 

                                                   Post-procedural photo of daughter Jocelyn, Dr. Ma and African patient.

 

                                                       Daughter Jocelyn is assisting a volunteer doctor in checking the patient’s wounds.

 

After completing a day of free clinic work, He Dan returned to the non-air-conditioned dormitory at the African Cries Out Base, sweating profusely. The living conditions at the base were incomparable to homes in the United States. The food here was rough compared to what we usually have in the US. Three to four people are cramped in a dorm room, sleeping on double-decker iron beds. Although she was very tired physically, her heart was in a happy turmoil and she couldn’t sleep.

She observed the more than 140 volunteers who came to Senegal from the United States, China, Germany and Brazil. Each of them had a smile on their face and willingly endured the hot climate without any complaint.

She heard the story of Pastor Anna: Pastor Anna came to Senegal when she was 27 years old and lived in a leprosy village in Kentagu Province for ten years. She lived and walked with lepers, hugged and shook hands with them. Even Pastor Anna’s daughter, Emily, was born in a leper village – made friends and played with leprosy children. When Pastor Anna and her daughter walked out of the leper village, outsiders regarded them as lepers. They endured discrimination and insisted on serving the patients in the leprosy village until Emily was 7 years old and had to leave the leprosy village to go to Dakar to go to school. Pastor Anna brought water wells, electricity systems, a small hospital and a church to the leprosy village. The entire Fadi-Ge leprosy village has undergone tremendous changes due to her efforts.

 

He Den also saw with her own eyes the heroes of the African Cries Out team:

Pastor Oliver has dedicated 49 years in Africa and built schools and hospitals;

Pastor Ada established an orphanage in Guinea-Bissau, raised funds to feed 200 orphans, and allowed her children to grow up happily together with the orphans;

Pastor Anderson and his wife gave up their wealthy life in Brazil and served in Africa for more than ten years.

 

After seeing and knowing what these heroes sacrificed, He Dan was overwhelmed!  She began to question herself. What is life? Is it a BMW car? Or a luxury yacht? When we leave this world, will people judge us for what we got from this world, or for what we have given to the world?

Standing beside these heroes, He Dan has found the answer. She will dedicate herself to serve others and re-plan her future life!

                                                        He Dan with renewed happiness.

 

—————————————————

 

If you feel moved to support our ministry in Africa, please contact us：

Jun Xu’s WeChat ID: jun9174343767

Email: Africacriesout@gmail.com

Public WeChat ID: LifeExploring

Web page: https://africacriesout.net

 

 

Editor in charge: Juanjuan Cao

Translator: Peng Wei

English editorXi Wang

Editor: Doris Cruz