Team Hong Kong Newsletter #5
Is Everything Different?
January 7, 2008
by Ben Herr

The first thing one notices when arriving in a another country is how a lot of things are different. The trees, the architecture, and certainly the language. The next thing one realizes, which comes after several days and continues for a while, is how pretty much everything is different. Table manners, queuing style, and pretty much how things are done in general. Even things you would expect to be the same find a way to be different, such as the fine dining Pizza Hut nearby.

The last Sunday of advent, three people from Agape were baptized. An older man, and two guys my age or a bit older. The church rented a bus, and after a joint service with the other Mennonite churches in Hong Kong, we drove to a beach. We sang a few songs and then proceeded with the baptisms. Throughout the service, I kept thinking about the ways in which it was different. It was on a beach, that was the big one, and it had a much more casual feel to it than baptisms I've been at in the States. I really liked seeing how it was done in a different part of the world.

After they were baptized, the three people gave their testimonies. I was struck by how similar the testimonies of the two guys sounded to some that I've heard back at home. It was a great reminder to me that even though they live in a different setting and culture, the one thing that isn't different is the people. That's something I've continued to notice whether it's Christmas celebrations or one of the youth cracking a joke about something. Despite cultural differences, people are a lot more similar than it may seem at first glance.

Praises:

- Thursday morning I slipped and fell off a ladder from about seven or eight feet up and my right foot landed on the edge of a concrete step. It was the worst I ever twisted/rolled my ankle and I expected it to hobble me up for a while, but as of now, I'm walking around fine.

Prayer Requests:

- For increased understanding as we continue to try to learn Cantonese.
- For patience as our schedule slowly develops.