On March 8 at 6:30pm, Liang Jah En appeared at National Taiwan University to speak at a seminar "Great Love towards West Africa-The Record of Liang Jah En Working in West Africa." and approximately 300 students appeared. This doctor, who became famous because he used worn clothes in exchange for trash, shared with Taipei University students how the Lord led his life in Burkina Faso in the past three years.
The MC described Liang Jah En with three distinct personality traits, first: a person who loves to dream; second: a very passionate person; third: man with curly hair (Because he is from Africa).
Liang Jah En is Taiwan's first diplomatic representative volunteer. Three years ago, he was sent to West Africa to serve in Burkina Faso. During the service time, he treated many patients, dug well, build an orphanages, and established "Old Clothing in Exchange for Trash." Everyone is very surprised in how this Yang Ming Medical School graduate, who successfully passed the exam for pre-official would go to such a nameless place in West Africa? Burkina Faso?
While Liang Jha En was sharing, he said that his motive to go serve as diplomatic representative is because he wanted to train at a far and non-modernize place. For him, to give up being a pre-official is not something that significant. One he has arrived in Burkina Faso, he saw many trash on trees and on the road. And during that time, some friends of his has sent some worn clothes to him, which inspired him with the idea of "Exchanging Old Clothes with Trash."
Something that he couldn't imagine happened that day, The local citizens there had immediately gather much trash because they want to exchange it with worn clothes. After this happened, he emailed this incident to his friends in Taiwan, and then his friend sent out an email with the subject "very ethical and environmentally sound"; Not long after that email was sent, the message spread to 10, to 100, to 1000, so around 1500 boxes containing 6,000,000 pieces of old clothes were sent to him in West Africa. Those boxes of worn clothes filled up the entire post office, and Liang Jah En keeps on receiving notices to pick up his mail; however, to retrieve them requires a payment of 300,000 Yuan, so he wasn't able to retrieve these packages. But he had the opportunity to treat the mayor for illness, so he received the tax-exemption documentation, which allowed him to retrieve those clothes one by one.
The citizens of Burkina brought over 7000 bags of trash, which piled higher than a mountain. In order to move them, they brought 4 big-rig trucks and around 20 teenagers from church to complete the clean up process. That day, there wasn't any trash spotted on the streets, and this event was reported by the local television station. The Burkina government also placed this day as a national cleaning day.
Other than this event, Liang Jah En also shared stories of digging well and building orphanages. The reason that he started to dig the well was because he saw many people drinking yellow-colored water. The entire well digging process required 160,000 Yuan. If that location does not have source of spring water, then he would have to invest another sum of money. But it has a success rate of around 85%, so with faith and determination, Liang Jah En dug a good well full of clear drinking water.
Being really grateful to God's guidance, Liang Jah En said, "I am just a graduate student from medical school. If God did not lead these works, then I don't believe that it can be done."
As he was sharing at the end, he mentioned some obstacles and difficulties that felt almost as if he lost the help of God. Even though he despaired at that time, and did not quite understand the reason why, but with a grateful heart he accepted it at the end; he said at the end: "We will often face difficulties, or do not want to follow the trend of the world, but we could not help but follow; in reality, every person is insufficient, so we need the power from above to help us live our lives, and that is our God."
At the end, Liang Jah En gave the closing prayer hoping that students who have yet to know and believe in the Lord can allow God to come into their lives and also they can also experience together the God that he has experienced.
This sharing conference is part of the series of "National Taiwan University has love, love in National Taiwan University", activities are started by various organizations of Taipei University including National Taiwan University teacher's Association, National Taiwan University Medical School Care fellowship, New Heart Club, Salt & Light Club, Home of Antioch, etc,. The second step of this series is a musical conference "Love, Since the Beginning Never Changes - Tai Zhen Xiao", which will be held on Tuesday, Mar 22 at 6:30p.m. in Taipei University First Student Activity Center Auditorium, in the same place.
