Life is like a moving train, 

     God has preset everything.

Wherever this train goes, 

   Those scenery, those people,

Will gradually enter our lives, 

just like flowers blooming in sequence.

   The richness of life is also laid out in these encounters and partings.

 

                                                                                                     Mr. Mike Harris

 

On June 12, Dr. Xu Jun and I both received an email from Ms. Sally Harris. The first line shocked me: “I am so sad to share the news that Mike passed away last week.” Then, Sally briefly described the last stage of Mike’s life: Four years ago, Mike was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma. Under the care of  excellent doctors at Yale University, New Haven, CT, he has maintained a relatively normal life. Until recently, his condition worsened, and cancer finally overtook him.

Sally also mentioned that she and Mike appreciated the candidate photos for the 2024 “Africa Cries Out” photography competition I sent and selected 2 first prizes and 4 second prizes. She wrote in the email: “Congratulations to these photographers, their works are all excellent!” At the end of the email was Mike’s obituary. He was 83 years old.

Before this, I was not familiar with Mike and his wife Sally.

 

Time is like a movie. You need to replay it constantly to see God’s good intention.

 The “Africa Cries Out” ministry has been serving the people of Senegal for 11 years. Before the volunteer team went to Senegal this year (March 4), Dr. Xu posted a message in the volunteer group chat which said: “In order to record the touching moments of our trip to Africa, a photography competition will be held this year. Two first prizes and four second prizes will be selected. I hope everyone will participate actively. ”

The judges are: Mike Harris, Wand Song, and Wang Xi

This is the first time I heard of Mr. Mike Harris’s name. Dr. Xu briefly introduced him as a professional photographer in the notice.

After returning from Senegal, I received about 30 entries. After the preliminary selection, on May 14, I sent 14 of them to Mike and asked him to make the final selection with a professional eye.

On May 20, Dr. Xu and I both received a reply from Sally. She informed that Mike had been hospitalized at Yale University for rehabilitation. She said Mike would be happy to participate in such an event as a photographer. She would also be willing to assist us in completing the selection if we had a deadline.

In his email reply to Sally, Dr. Xu expressed deep concern for Mike’s condition and expressed his willingness to provide full support. He said that we had no deadline and looked forward to Mike’s participation, and we could wait…

Looking back now, that should have been the last days of Mr. Mike Harris’s life.

From Mike’s obituary, I learned that he graduated from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia and the University of Pennsylvania Law School in Philadelphia. He practiced law for 51 years and retired at the age of 78. At the same time, he was a member of many committees, associations and foundations at Greenwich. Many other organizations have benefited greatly from his participation, including the Greenwich Arts Council, Parsonage Cottage and At Home in Greenwich. In 2000, Mike was named Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by the Southwest Fairfield Volunteer Center; in 2008, he and his wife Sally were named Citizens of the Year by the Greenwich Chapter of Rotary International. In particular, as a trustee of the Ruth Brown Foundation for more than 30 years, he has had a significant impact on many local nonprofit organizations.

Mike is also well-known in the photography community. He served as president of the Stanford Photography Club and is a member of the Fine Art Photographers Association (The Ground Glass) in Rye, New York. As a professional photographer, Mike once held a solo exhibition of his photos taken in Morocco at the Cos Cob Library. Since then, he and his wife Sally have begun to regularly hold photography exhibitions locally. The couple was also invited to hold a retrospective exhibition of their ten-year photography works entitled “Imagine, a Decade in the Lens of Mike and Sally Harris” at the Bendheim Gallery of the Greenwich Arts Council. In 2021, Mike completed a 260-page photography album.

Thank God for giving Mike such a colorful life, and thank him for selecting the winning works for our competition at the last moment of his life – given the situation at that time, he and his wife had every reason to refuse to help, but they didn’t.

I really want to know why this old man is so perseverant, so perseverant that I feel that not able to personally meet him is an irreparable regret.

I bid farewell to Mike silently in my heart. I also realized that God’s plan is the best. May this little memory of him from now on become a warm blessing.

 

*************

The following are the winning works carefully selected by Mr. Mike Harris for the 2024 “Africa Cries Out” photography competition, please enjoy them!

 

First Prize (Tie between Love and Beauty)

                                                                                                  Love, by Xi Wang

In this photograph, the tall volunteer doctor contrasts sharply with the thin boy. The doctor’s humble and immanent posture with a gentle and caring expression remind us of the meticulous love of the Heavenly Father for us.

                                                                           Beauty, Photographed by Lu Ming

This picture was captured on the day we visited the island. The natural beauty contained in it made me feel more deeply the significance of this volunteer trip – let God’s love compose a beautiful symphonic movement on this land.

 

Second Prize 

                                                                 Sing a Song from Heaven, by Xiang Yunxiao

Volunteers led the children in the village to worship God together. The moment when the children raised their hands to God was frozen in the picture.

 

                                                                                                    Carefully, by Tian Yu

Dr. Jiang and Dr. Wu are carefully peeling off multiple fibroids one by one. This operation requires superb skills and extreme concentration. Each fibroid must be peeled off accurately to avoid damaging the surrounding healthy tissues. Multiple fibroids are a rare disease involving multiple tumors formed in or around the muscles. Its treatment is usually extremely complex and requires careful planning and execution. The work of Dr. Jiang and Dr. Wu demonstrates their firm commitment to the well-being of their patients and their outstanding medical expertise. This critical and complex operation will greatly improve the patient’s future life.

 

 

                                                                                                   Holy Glory, by Wang Xi

This is a portrait of a Christian brother in Jinjin Village. The holy glory on his face and in his eyes deeply attracted me, as if it were a mirror through which I see the shortcomings in my life.

 

 

                                                                                           Children of the Leprosy Village, by Wang Xi

The children in the leprosy village, like their parents, are isolated in the depths of the African jungle. Although the world seems to have forgotten them, God’s love always visits this place. The innocent smiles on the children’s faces are the most beautiful proof of God’s existence!

 

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The following are other entries in the 2024 “Africa Cries Out” photography competition, in no particular order. Thank you for participating, please enjoy.

 

                                                                                        Strange Pupil!, Photo by Jessi

 

What comes to mind at first glimpse is a Persian cat. Rare and with exotic beauty, praised and loved by the world. I thought – this heterochromic-eyed baby is just like that. Hearing my snapping fingers, he looked up and looked straight at me. The black eye was full of doubt, but the colored eye was clear, empty and deep. Quickly I searched online -“Congenital heterochromia iris prone to iritis, affecting vision in severe cases, and even blindness…”

Asked about the condition at the mother, who did not understand the language, hurriedly she pointed to the colored eye gesturing her hands desperately. I got it – already blind! Seeing too many colorful African lands in geographic magazines, and he…with one eye at the world and with another he looked at heaven.

                                                                                     Precious Moments, Photographed by Tian Yu

This picture captures the deep friendship nurtured in a special environment. In just a few days, anesthesiologist Dr. Tong and gynecologist Dr. Gong established an indestructible sisterhood through their tacit cooperation in providing anesthesia surgery for local residents in Senegal. After a week of hard work, they walked hand in hand on the beach on the Senegalese coast, enjoying the beautiful scenery and the joy of serving the Senegalese people. This photo not only shows the deep friendship between them, but also conveys their love for life.

 

                                                                                    Childhood, Photographed by Kong Xiang

 

                                                                       Mother, Photographed by Kong Xiang

 

                                                                                  Handshake, Photographed by Lu Ming

This photo freezes the moment when Brother Wang Xinwen shook hands with a black youth. This symbolizes the friendly interaction between us and the locals and conveys the power of love.

 

                                                                                           Stop, Photo by Lu Ming

The motorcycle is a common means of transportation for Senegalese people, and the bus behind him is the means of transportation for our free medical consultation in various places. I tried to reflect the importance of public health from the perspective of the “Stop” sign and the perspective of two means of transportation: we strive to prevent (stop) diseases caused by unhealthy hygiene habits, such as eye diseases…

 

                                                                                        March, Photo by Lu Ming

We came to Senegal to volunteer in March, which was spring here. These female patients were waiting to see the doctor. Their colorful clothes just form a gorgeous picture, symbolizing the arrival of beautiful things.

 

                                                                       Desert Girl, Photo by Lin Anna

 

                                                                                      Where is Hope, Photo by Lin Anna

 

                                                                                How to Start Life, Photo by Lin Anna

 

                                                                          Light Up Hope, Photo by Lin Anna

 

                                                                          What Does He Want, Photo by Iris Shihong & Veronica Tarng

3/19/2024, we left Jinjin Village that day. After an hour of bumpy truck ride, we returned to the leprosy village again. The villagers welcomed us back with singing and dancing. “Africa Cries Out” decided to build a school here, hoping to help the girls here avoid the suffering of FGM. For this reason, the village held such a special gathering, and the respected elders in the village began to speak. My daughter and I stood at the back of the crowd. We were too far away to hear clearly, but we noticed that there were still a few people who were distributing food to the children farther behind. The children cheered and ran away in groups following the food like birds swarming over grain. My daughter stood next to me, pointed to a child in front, and said, “Mom, look, his friends all went to ask for food, only he didn’t go, and he seemed to like holding this sister’s hand very much.” My daughter’s observation angle is always so unique. Hearing her say this, I suddenly realized that it was true. I quickly picked up my phone and took this photo. My eyes began to blur and tears kept flowing down. In this barren land with scarce resources, such a skinny child did not ask for food even though there was one. What did he want?

 

                                                                      Talent 1, Photographed by Xiang Yunxiao

The happy smiles of African children, they were extremely innocent and had strong talents in dance and music.

 

 

                                                                        Talent 2, Photographed by Xiang Yunxiao

 

 

                                                                   With Love, Photographed by Xiang Yunxiao

We come, with medicine in one hand and warmth in the other, to offer our love.

 

 

                                                         Pedestrians on the streets of Dakar, Photographed by Shawn Liang

 

 

                                                                              Serving, Photographed by Shawn Liang

Photographed at a Chinese church in Dakar.

 

 

                                                                                  Cat, Photographed by Shawn Liang

 

 

                                                                      Thirst, Photographed by Shawn Liang

 

 

                                                                   Love Beyond Skin Color,  Photographed by Xi Wang

Everything is beautiful when the heart is beautiful, and everything is deeper when the love is deep.

 

 

                                                                        Knotting, Photographed by Gong Haiying

 

 

                                                                               Devotion, Photographed by Tian Yu

Nathan was influenced by his father, Dr. Jiang, who dedicated himself to the medical profession. In 2023, after volunteering for the “Africa Cries Out” organization, he personally experienced the urgent need for medical resources in Africa, particularly the need for diagnostic equipment. This experience made him determined to change the status quo. After returning to the United States, Nathan raised a considerable amount of funds through unremitting efforts. In 2024, he used the money to buy a valuable diagnostic ultrasound equipment. With full enthusiasm, Nathan took the trouble to bring this precious equipment to Senegal and generously donated it to a local hospital.

The hospital is deeply grateful for Nathan’s kindness. To celebrate the arrival of this diagnostic device that can save countless lives, the hospital held a grand handover ceremony. This moment not only marks the handover of medical equipment, but also symbolizes the transmission of friendship and humanitarian spirit across continents.

Nathan’s righteous act vividly interprets his firm commitment to global health and builds a bridge of friendship connecting different cultures and across geographical boundaries. This warmth from across the ocean has made the people in Africa feel the love of the world and brought new hope to the local medical cause.

 

Author Profile:

Xi Wang, Christian

2024 Africa Cries Out Volunteer

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

 

Jun Xu’s WeChat: jun9174343767

电子邮件：Africacriesout@gmail.com

Public WeChat account: LifeExploring (人生天路)

Website: https://africacriesout.net

 

Editors in charge: Cao Juanjuan, Zhang Kun

Translator： Wei Peng

English editor: Xi Wang

Editor: Doris Cruz