Translated by: Em @ http://tvbspace.blogspot.com/ Source: Ming Pao, The Sun Ada Choi Visits Holy Cities and Carries the Cross March 23, 2007 Devoted Christian Ada Choi headed out to Israel earlier to film for TVB's travelogue show "On the Road" and she had never imagined that she would be able to do this trip, so when she was on the plane, she was already crying tears of joy. On her trip, Ada visited the Wailing Wall, where she let her emotions flow as she cried along with the other believers. Other cities that she visited included Christ's birthplace Bethlehem, his home town of Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee, where he performed the miracle of feeding the five thousand. Ada also followed the path of Christ, bearing an 80 lb cross in what was an extremely memorable event: "The feeling is a very tangible one, very real. I feel how strong the love of God is and how miniscule my own difficulties and experiences have been." Since her deepest moments of depression and ridicule in 1995, Ada was rescued from the thoughts of suicide by the guiding light of Christianity and this has reformed her entirely. Ada's parents split up when she was a child and she lived in a single parent environment with her mother and her brother who was a year older than her. However, the family was unstable and were always moving around that meant Ada had to keep changing schools. She also had battles with her brother as they did not get along and on one occasion, she scratched him until he bled fighting for $5. At school, she had to buy breakfast for her schoolmates for them to be friends with her. She says of her childhood: "All the love had to be in exchange for something." In 1991 at the age of 17, Ada was the second runner up in the Miss Hong Kong pageant and afraid of her background being revealed, she often faked a smile and this made people mistake her for being a girl of leisure, but in fact, she had to support her family. In the programme, Ada also talks about her million dollar 18th birthday party: "At the time, I really wanted to have a birthday party like this that was so grand, but the feedback was very bad. People felt that Ada Choi was very materialistic, someone who liked to wear jewellery and someone who yearned money and lifestyle." Even after so many years, she cannot let go of this: "When people mentioned the party, I felt like people were mocking me, criticising me and stamping on me... I was very angry when people mentioned this event." Ada did not speak of the terrible events that followed the party about her gambling mother who asked a rich man to pay off her debts and then the resulting disassociation with her mother. "There were a lot of unhappy things in that [party]. It was not a happy occasion and nor was it a proud occasion. I didn't like people mentioning it... but then there was a voice that said to me 'this is your past, people cannot just bury it and it cannot be buried away in your history, you can only accept it...' I knelt down and found myself again. I have to accept that I have this past and I have learned to cherish the future." "Today, I can be myself and talk about it. I can even share it with other people, because I am no longer harbouring the pain in my heart." Before 1995, Ada felt that life was worthless and rubbish and she wanted to end her own life. She says: "Jesus Christ's Love made me hear the words 'if you do not want it, give it to me' and I was very touched. I decided to give myself to Jesus Christ instead." The Church has made me warm and feel the value of life. I have learned how to love others and be loved and although each step has been difficult and hard work, life is actually very beautiful." http://the-sun.on.cc/channels/ent/20070323/20070322231344_0000.html http://ol.mingpao.com/cfm/star5.cfm?File=20070323/saa01/mci1.txt
Ada's story is a touching one.. I don't believe this segment of the show has aired yet but I will be sure to watch it when it does..
