From Rags to True Riches 从贫穷到真正的富足 (Dr Chew Yu Gee, Sermon and Testimony 证道和见证)

Dr. Chew is a pediatrician whom lived in Penang with his wife, Melody, and 5 children for the past 20+ years. He is originally from Kulim, a bright student with a bleak childhood. Coming from a family of an alcoholic father, he was a destructive boy in his teens until a missionary took him in and raised him as his own. 周医生是一名儿科医生，在过去的20多年里，他与妻子Melody和5个孩子居住在槟城。他来自Kulim，是一个聪明的学生，但有一个淒涼的童年。他来自一个父亲酗酒的家庭，在他十几岁的时候是一个有破坏性的男孩，直到一个传教士收留了他，并把他当作自己的孩子来抚养。

Under the tutelage of a good man, Dr. Chew graduated well in high school and furthered his studies in Medicine at National University Singapore in 1978. He met his wife, Melody when he was in his third year and she, a freshman. 在这位好心人的教导下，周医生高中毕业时成绩优异，并于1978年在新加坡国立大学继续学习医学。他在学医三年级时认识了他的妻子Melody，当时她则是大一学生。

After they marry and returned to Penang, he became a missionary doctor as well as working at Penang General Hospital. Things changed when they had their second son, Art, who has autism. In case you didn’t know, a child with autism – as with every special child with special needs, requires a different way of communication and way of raising them. Yes, it requires a lot of patience and also a lot of observation to learn to tap into the child’s mind and creativity. 他们结婚后回到槟城，他成为一名传教士医生，同时也在槟城政府医院工作。当他们有了第二个儿子Art后，生活改变了，因为发现二儿子有自闭症。如果你不知道，患有自闭症的孩子和每一个有特殊需要的孩子一样，需要不同的沟通方式和抚养方式。是的，这需要大量的耐心，也需要大量的观察，以学会发展孩子的思想能力和创造力。

But, the amazing part is, Art, who is 24 years old now has graduated from the School Of Medicine, Monash University, and is now a houseman in Penang General Hospital. 但是，令人惊讶的是，现在24岁的Art已经从Monash University医学院的毕业生，现在是槟城政府医院的一名医生。

How’s that for inspiration? 这样的生命故事是不是很有启发性？

The Lost Paradise Resort was never meant to be a resort, it used to be a family home. After making his fortune, pediatrician Dr. Chew Yu Gee purchased this beachfront property at Tanjung Bungah to build a dream home for his wife and five children. The current resort lobby was their living room, the Royal Family Suite was their bedroom (hence their clothes padlocked in the closet), and the medley of furnishings was their personal collection from their travels. 本来不是一个度假村，它曾经是一个家庭住宅。儿科医生Chew Yu Gee在赚到钱后，在Tanjung Bungah购买了这块海滨地产，为他的妻子和五个孩子建造一个梦想的家。现在的度假村大厅是他们的客厅，当年皇家家庭套房是他们的卧室（因此他们的衣服被挂在衣柜里），而来自各方的家具是他们旅行时的个人收藏。

They were happily settling into their new home with dreams of starting a children’s hospital, but one family holiday upended their plans and changed the course of their life – they found a calling to start an international school with a difference; it would welcome both special needs students and mainstream students. 他们高兴地在新家安顿下来，梦想着开办一家儿童医院，但有一次家庭度假颠覆了他们的计划，改变了他们的生活轨迹–他们发现了开办一所与众不同的国际学校的呼召；这所学校将同时欢迎有特殊需要的学生和一般主流学生。

I would have loved to study in a place like The Lighthouse Academy. What makes this special needs school unique wasn’t just the individualized lessons plan that caters to each student’s learning capability, it was the fact that it mixes special needs students and mainstream students together, creating an inclusive society that we yearn so much to live in. 我会喜欢在Lighthouse Academy这样的地方上学。这所特殊需要学校的独特之处不仅仅在于针对每个学生的学习能力制定了个人化的课程，还在于它将特殊需要学生和主流学生混合在一起，创造了一个我们向往的包容性社会。

The Lighthouse Academy is located within Lost Paradise Resort grounds. The academy was opened in 2012 where 30% of the students are students with special needs – children with autism, down syndrome, etc – while another 70% are mainstream children. There are almost 70 children studying at the academy now, from only 10 students back in 2010. Lighthouse Academy成立于2012年，其中30%的学生是有特殊需要的学生–患有自闭症、唐氏综合症等的儿童，另外70%是一般主流儿童。现在有近70名儿童在学院学习，而在2010年时只有10名学生。

Since the school’s inception, some 20 students have graduated, and are now contributing in various sectors, including nursing, engineering, architecture and veterinary science. Aligned with their belief in inclusivity, the Chews try not to turn anyone away, even if they cannot afford to pay the school fees. “While some children study for free, others only pay what they can, or their parents work at the resort as a form of barter trade,” says Dr Chew. 自学校成立以来，约有20名学生毕业，现在正在各个领域做出贡献，包括护理、工程、建筑和兽医科学。与他们的包容性信念相一致的是，Chew医生夫妇尽量不拒绝任何人，即使他们没有能力支付学费。”周医生说：”有些孩子是免费学习的，但其他孩子只支付他们能够支付的费用，或者他们的父母在度假村工作，作为一种易货贸易形式。

Melody is the head of the academy and the teachers of the academy are mostly associates and friends of the family. The children of the family also help in their spare time, in between schools. Lighthouse Academy位于Lost Paradise内。Melody是学院的负责人，学院的老师大多是他们家的同事和朋友。该家族的孩子们也在课余时间帮忙。

A few years ago, Dr. Chew fell sick and found out that he has Diabetes Melitus Type 1. So far, the Lighthouse Academy were funded through his pediatric hospitals but when he fell sick, he realized that the academy needs another source of income in case anything befalls him. Hence the idea of opening their home and land and turning it into a resort. 几年前，周医生生病了，发现自己患有糖尿病。到当时为止，Lighthouse Academy的资金来自他的儿科医院，但当他生病时，他意识到学院需要另一个收入来源，以防他遭遇不测。因此，他想到了开放他们的住宅和土地，把它变成一个度假村。
(Excerpts from LizzaBella, http://runawaybella.com/travel/lost-paradise-resort-paradise-found/ and MeiMeiChu’s article https://meimeichu.com/asia/best-hotel-in-penang-the-lost-paradise-resort-review/ and https://singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg/Stories/Data/Stories/Youth-Haven_2019Issue2)

More about Lighthouse Academy and Lost Paradise Resort here:
https://www.goodnews.com.my/story/the-lost-paradise-a-beacon-of-hope-for-children-with-special-needs/
https://zafigo.com/stories/zafigo-stories/provide-for-children-with-special-needs/
https://www.lifesecretspice.com/2016/02/lost-paradise-resort-batu-ferringhi.html
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/07/07/their-autistic-son-paved-the-way-paediatrician-and-wife-open-learning-centre-for-children-with-speci
https://www.bigorangemedia.com/10290 （中文）
https://www.lostparadiseresort.net/our-story
https://travel.ourbetterworld.org/story/journey/reluctant-hotel-keeps-giving
https://www.lighthouseacademypenang.com/staff
https://www.youtube.com/@chewedupcreations7316
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZtn22KAHL4
https://www.emily2u.com/a-paradise-for-the-lost/
https://www.facebook.com/lostparadiseresort/

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