Team Hong Kong Newsletter # 20
China
April 26, 2008
by Maria Sensenig

I hate to admit what a complete tourist I was. Everywhere I went I was snapping pictures left and right. This put me in grave danger as the chances of stepping on something or being plowed over by a moving object are quite high when one is distracted, even for a moment. I decided the risk was worth it, even though deep down inside I knew that no matter how hard I tried there was no way I could capture what I was feeling and seeing.

One thing I thought about a lot was all the contrasts that were around us. One moment we were out in the country surrounded by newly planted rice fields and everything was so fresh and a vibrant green. Soon after we were on a bus passing factory after factory, tall, drab, and depressing. One minute we wondering the aisles of a huge department store, the next we were in the wet market passing piles of jumping frogs and side-stepping pools of chicken blood. One morning we walked through a rural village with a population of about 30; by evening we were walking a city street that had 100 times that many people.

It only took a few moments in this place to realize that it isn't Hong Kong and everything moves at a much slower pace. I really enjoyed the laidback feel, but after spending more time there and discussing this with June we realized that it was actually a hopelessness we were seeing. But was there a contrast to this hopelessness? Yes, there certainly was. Hope in the form of a teenager who has no longer been bothered by evil spirits since committing his life to Christ. Hope in the form of several churches in this region that have been able to re-open since being closed during the cultural revolution. Hope in the form of a baby being dedicated to the Lord by her parents and church family. Praise God for the way He's moving among these wonderful people!

Praises:
- We had a safe an enjoyable trip to China.

Prayer Requests:
- We will be leaving for Cambodia tomorrow and then going from there to Thailand. Please pray for safety as we're traveling, continued wisdom and energy as we take care of the kids, and a relaxing vacation!

Funny English 2

Here is another tiny taste of the phenomenon that is bad English. Sometimes I wonder how it would turn out if I tried to write something in Chinese.
and Greetings, all of you faithful readers, as I'm living in Hong Kong! Enjoy every blog...Boony

If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! stop it!
"many old people thought by themselves and earrled ll oul." Also says "noving nation" under Iron block 66.
And for the high class, we have fountain rens
"I'm a surfer and I'm surfing all day. When I don't surf I eat some food. I'm always in " (the surfer's head cuts off the rest)

found on the edge of a fountain/pool. Our best guess is that padding is something done in the water?

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #19
The Balloon-Making Master
April 14, 2008
by Joshua Blank

"What animal would you like?"
"I would like a...a dog."
"What color?"
"Red. I would like a red dog."
(Here's where I would insert cool sound effects, but since I don't really know how, you'll just have to make up your own.)
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
"What animal would you like?"
This is a short example of what my day was like yesterday. I was making balloon animals for kids, and trying to get them to speak some English before handing over the balloon. On my left, Mike, a teacher who just recently has come to Hong Kong after teaching in China for about 10 years, ran an "English Corner" where he played simple games with the kids which forced them to use some of their English. Also close by, Ben helped the kids do the really cool hole-in-one mini-golf challenge he had built earlier in the week.

It was all part of the festivities the Tuen Mun Center held on Sunday. After a joint worship service with the 3 Hong Kong Mennonite Churches, they held a small flea market kind of thing inside the Center and also set up six stands in the square in front of the Center for interacting with the kids in the area. It was all designed to bring awareness about what is happening at the Center -- for both church members and the surrounding community.

I think it's really been neat to see the Center grow. When we first arrived, it had just been purchased and we helped with the renovation for two weeks. It had it's official opening around Christmas, creating a place for classes to be taught, Bible study groups to meet, and for people to gather for the many other activities that occur there -- including the church service that is held every other week. But the work behind the opening of this Center has been in process for over 10 years. It involves a long story about how God has clearly called some people to work in the Tuen Mun area, and how God has opened the right doors at the right times, allowing everything to fall into place in His perfect timing. I won't attempt to go into all the details since I'm not all that familiar with them myself, but I do know enough to say that it is a truly amazing story of God's heart for the people of Tuen Mun. Just as it was difficult for the kids to tell what part of the balloon animal I was making at any particular time until I was finished (and even then sometimes it was still difficult to tell, but that's not the point), so also it is often quite difficult to see the good things that God is doing until He's put the finishing touches on it and is handing you the balloon. While during the process it often looks like a jumbled mess, in the end, you can see what the intent was all along. And fortunately for everyone, God's the balloon-making Master.

Praises:
- There was an amazing turn out for the festivities yesterday, not to mention the beautiful weather.
- On Friday we had our lunch time Bible study with some Form 4 (about 9th grade) students. There were more students than the previous time, and our discussion went well.

Prayer Requests:
- On Saturday we are leaving for a 4-day trip into China.
- Continued guidance and creativity as we are planning activities for the kids during the EMM Cambodia retreat in early May.

Here you can see some of the stands they set up outside.



This is Ben's hole-in-one challenge. He made it out of some extra wood one of the missionaries had lying around from random pieces of random furniture. On the left you can see Glenn and Austin Kauffman looking into the prize box.



Here's the line of kids waiting for a balloon. I learned how to make some of the animals really fast.



While the stands were doing their thing outside, it looked like complete chaos inside. On the right, you can see Pastor Jeremiah, with his back turned to the camera.

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #18
A Change of Plans
by Karen Martin
April 7, 2008

Plans were set for Maria and me to do child care on Sunday. We were going to read the ever famous story of Noah and then have the children color a picture of the ark and animals. Sometimes plans change. Instead of entertaining the kids, the kids entertained themselves. Meanwhile, Maria and I spent the morning talking with Rachel (named changed because of my inability to translate Chinese names into English pronunciations). She told us how touched she was to celebrate Easter this year. With tears in her eyes Rachel shared that she is still moved by the sacrifice Jesus made for each of us. I could sense a burden on her heart. Rachel went on to describe how busy and unfair life is for her family. Her desire to grow in her walk with Christ was very evident. The stress of a job and caring for her two small boys leaves little time for quiet reflection on God and his Word. As the three of us sat in a tiny cluttered room surrounded by chattering children we prayed that God would fill Rachel with hope and joy.

Rachel came to us to share her story and in turn we were able to pray and support our sister in Christ. I have found that it is somewhat rare for those who are native to Hong Kong to share openly about their faith with us. I know and believe that God is at work here in Hong Kong, but this experience left me very encouraged. These were not my expectations for Sunday morning, yet God was most definitely working in the midst of it all.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9

Prayer Requests
-We have much creative planning to do in preparation for the EMM retreat which will be held in Cambodia at the end of April.
-On Sunday we will be part of festivities at the Tuen Mun Center. Many activities are planned for this day to allow the local community to become involved with the Center.

Praises
-Hosting the Blanks and Herrs was fun, encouraging, and a blessing to each of us.
-There are 6 people from Agape Church who will be baptized in a few months (several of them are youth who we have been working with).
-Praise God for His work here in Hong Kong . . . and that it is not limited to what we see!