Smile Big

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #13
Smile Big
March 3, 2008
by Ben Herr

Smile big. Extend hand. Hmm. What is that facial expression saying? Is it, "I wonder what that is?" or is it "I wonder what this foreigner is trying to give me?" Well, they took it, for one reason or another. Smile big. Extend hand. Hmm. They're looking at it, but showing no interest. They're almost passed. I guess I'll pull it back so as not to seem pushy. Woah! Their hand just came up! Here! Take it!

That's just a small example of the monologue running through my head a couple Sundays ago for about an hour and fifteen minutes. We were with several members of the church handing out gospel tracts along with a few inserts about Agape Mennonite Church and events. I was with Pastor Jeremiah, standing at the exit from the MTR (Mass Transit Railway). When most people put their heads down and angled for the space between Jeremiah and myself or towards the walls, I thought it was kind of rude, until realizing that was exactly what I did whenever I passed someone handing out fliers. It is very common to see people here handing out various kinds of leaflets to people on the street so a majority of people tend to be unreceptive to it.

So I stood there feeling a bit helpless, knowing most people weren't really interested and not being able say anything in order to interest them. However, as people would look at me, then at the brochure, then take it, I was once again reminded how God can use us in our weakness and inability. Even though I couldn't do much to make people want the brochure, it's very possible that many people, who wouldn't have done so otherwise, took one out of curiosity, just to see what the foreigner was passing out.

Praises:
-We've had several opportunities to connect with youth on a deeper level. This is something we have wanted to happen for a while, but is difficult due to a more reserved culture.

Prayer Requests:
-One of the inserts we handed out was for an English class we'll be teaching on Friday evenings. We know of at least one person signed up for it right now.