Team Hong Kong Newsletter #2
Journey to Tuen Mun
December 16, 2007
by Karen Martin

Traffic roars past me as I stand in line at the bus stop. The sidewalk is crammed with people waiting for the next bus. There’s a perpetual smell of exhaust that fills the air. In a matter of minutes I’ll be on a double decker bus headed for Tuen Mun. I like to sit on the top level of the bus, in the very first row. From here I can see all the action. There’s a never ending flow of traffic which is mostly taxis, busses, work trucks, and more busses. The store fronts catch my attention too with their large brightly lit signs flashing - yellow, red, purple, green - it’s a never ending rainbow. As we near the next bus stop another long line of people wait to board the bus. Several people run along side the bus waving there arms to alert the driver to wait for them to board before it pulls away. My journey continues and I begin to notice the apartment buildings. These are 40 or 50 story buildings lined up one after another. There are more than I can count. I have to wonder what it would be like to live on the 30th floor, never being able to fling open my window and see the clouds floating by. As the bus nears Tuen Mun I stand up and clumsily make my way to the exit. I have yet to learn how to gracefully walk on a moving bus. In Tuen Mun my teammates and I walk through a maze of buildings and shops until we reach the Center. Now it’s time to start our day of work.

(This is a view of Agape from the street.)

For the past week our team has been helping to renovate a building in Tuen Mun. This facility will house a dream which has been on the hearts of people in Hope Mennonite Chuch for many years. They plan to provide various classes as an outreach to the community and eventually develop a church. Our team has been working hard at painting the building. We’ve completed the largest room, the medium size room, the office, the bathroom, and the outside wall. Maria and I have also learned how to put in flooring. And yes, it looks quite good! We are happy with our progress, considering that they plan to have an opening party on Christmas Eve. Our work is cut out for us this coming week as we continue with the flooring and other fix-up jobs. In the coming months we hope to help with some of the classes. I think a real sense of satisfaction will come when we can walk into this building and see it filled with people from the Tuen Mun community.

Here's a little visual aid to prove how hard we're working. This is especially for those who doubt Maria's and my ability to install flooring!




Praises:
- Our first week of work at Tuen Mun was successful
- We are over jet lag and sleeping quite well
- We have gained some independence and are able to do things on our own, like riding the bus and eating out

Prayer Requests:
- Continued patience and wisdom as we soak up Cantonese
- That God will guide and bless those who are leading activities at the Tuen Mun Center
- We spend Saturday evenings with the youth of Agape Church. We are excited to see how God is working in their lives.