Team Hong Kong Newsletter # 8
Watching the Sunrise
January 28, 2008
by Maria Sensenig


It was a crisp, clear morning (quite rare in Hong Kong) and we were on our rock. Now, even though I like to refer to it as "our rock" and to pretend that we are the only ones who know it exists, I realize this is not the case because a ladder and steps have been built to help one climb to the top. This rock sits atop the hill/mountain behind our home and offers an incredible view of the surrounding area. On this morning we had gotten up early in order to watch the sunrise.

There is something truly special about sunrises. Usually you are surrounded by nature, maybe in the mountains or at the beach, and the beauty of God's creation just puts a sense of awe inside of you. On this morning I was indeed in awe of what God had created, but it wasn't the mountains or even the sunrise that I was thinking about; instead, it was the people of this city. Everywhere I looked there was high-rise after high-rise, filled with thousands and thousands of people. Even at this early hour the streets were filled with buses and I watched as train after train pulled out of the station. This city is absolutely packed with people, and each and every one of them is different, with all kinds of different talents, personalities, and numbers of hairs on their heads! God hand-designed each one of them and knows them better than they know themselves, and here they are scurrying here and there, with no idea who their Creator is.

It saddened me to think about all of this. The people of Hong Kong are looking so hard to find something to bring them fulfillment. The pressure to succeed begins at a very young age. Parents strive to get their children into the best kindergarten (at age 3) and put huge amounts of pressure on them to do well, so that they can get into the best primary school, so that they can get into the best secondary school, so that they can get into the best university, so that they can get the best job, so that they can make the most money. How can we help them realize that they will not find happiness this way? How can we tell the youth that their value does not depend on the university they're in or the grades they are getting? How can we show the little children at the center how special and gifted they are even though everyone else is telling them to do better, to try harder?



Praises:

- The Tuen Mun Center is now having Sunday services. We joined them yesterday for their second service and they had a much better turnout than the previous week.

Prayer Requests:

- We, along with Pastor Jeremiah, are planning to start a cultural exchange program for students at a local school, with the hope of them then getting involved here at the church. The program is scheduled to start on Saturday but unfortunately no one has signed up yet. Please pray and believe with us that 15-20 students will sign up this week!