Team Hong Kong Newsletter # 25
Unnoticed Disasters
June 9, 2008
by Ben Herr
We've been seeing a lot of umbrellas over the past couple days. That's not unusual, given that a lot of people here are worried about the negative effects of the sun, but let's just say umbrellas are finally being used for their intended purpose. After a few showers over the last two weeks or so hinted that the spring rainy season was on its way, it has rained non-stop, or so it seems, for a couple days. On Friday, Josh and I went to help take some furniture from the EMM Office to Crossroads, and my shoes were soaked before we even made it to the main street (a 30 second walk from Agape).
On Friday evening, Pastor Jeremiah was here and got a phone call that we should check to make sure the slope behind the church was stable. At first I didn't think much about it; the person who called works for the government doing stuff with slope stabilization or something, and he was probably just doing his job. No problem. However, the next day, we heard that there had been several landslides around Hong Kong due to all the rain. One had buried some homes and stores and (I'm not sure if this was the same one) killed two people from China who were visiting their families here in Hong Kong.
In light of all we've heard about the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar, my first reaction wasn't very big. Compared to all the pictures we've seen of the devastation in China, it wasn't all that big of a disaster. But the truth of the matter is, it was a disaster, just for less people. Even though it's easy for us mathematicians to say it didn't affect very many people, a handful of people lost their homes, stores, and/or family members.
It's always hard to know what to do when you hear about big natural disasters such as the earthquake, because it feels like there's nothing you can do that will make a difference in the big picture. However, it's important to remember that there are a lot more things happening than what we often hear about. Maybe we just have to keep our eyes and ears open. It doesn't even have to be a "small" disaster. Sometimes it's the smallest things like a smile that can make a big difference in someone's day. We just have to look for the opportunities. They are there.
Praises:
- We are anticipating the baptism of 6 people from Agape Mennonite Church this Sunday, four of which are youth that we have been very involved with during our time here.
- June 4 marked 6 months since we arrived in Hong Kong. It's amazing to look back over the time we've been here. Where did all that time go?
Prayer Requests:
- Remember to keep those affected by the earthquake, cyclone, and landslides in your prayers.
- There is an evangelistic night being planned for June 28.
Unnoticed Disasters
June 9, 2008
by Ben Herr
We've been seeing a lot of umbrellas over the past couple days. That's not unusual, given that a lot of people here are worried about the negative effects of the sun, but let's just say umbrellas are finally being used for their intended purpose. After a few showers over the last two weeks or so hinted that the spring rainy season was on its way, it has rained non-stop, or so it seems, for a couple days. On Friday, Josh and I went to help take some furniture from the EMM Office to Crossroads, and my shoes were soaked before we even made it to the main street (a 30 second walk from Agape).
On Friday evening, Pastor Jeremiah was here and got a phone call that we should check to make sure the slope behind the church was stable. At first I didn't think much about it; the person who called works for the government doing stuff with slope stabilization or something, and he was probably just doing his job. No problem. However, the next day, we heard that there had been several landslides around Hong Kong due to all the rain. One had buried some homes and stores and (I'm not sure if this was the same one) killed two people from China who were visiting their families here in Hong Kong.
In light of all we've heard about the earthquake in China and the cyclone in Myanmar, my first reaction wasn't very big. Compared to all the pictures we've seen of the devastation in China, it wasn't all that big of a disaster. But the truth of the matter is, it was a disaster, just for less people. Even though it's easy for us mathematicians to say it didn't affect very many people, a handful of people lost their homes, stores, and/or family members.
It's always hard to know what to do when you hear about big natural disasters such as the earthquake, because it feels like there's nothing you can do that will make a difference in the big picture. However, it's important to remember that there are a lot more things happening than what we often hear about. Maybe we just have to keep our eyes and ears open. It doesn't even have to be a "small" disaster. Sometimes it's the smallest things like a smile that can make a big difference in someone's day. We just have to look for the opportunities. They are there.
Praises:
- We are anticipating the baptism of 6 people from Agape Mennonite Church this Sunday, four of which are youth that we have been very involved with during our time here.
- June 4 marked 6 months since we arrived in Hong Kong. It's amazing to look back over the time we've been here. Where did all that time go?
Prayer Requests:
- Remember to keep those affected by the earthquake, cyclone, and landslides in your prayers.
- There is an evangelistic night being planned for June 28.
No comments:
Post a Comment