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!

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #17
Friday Lunch
March 31, 2008
by Ben Herr

Hello, all

This will probably be my most informal newsletter as I'm writing it quickly during a break in the busy schedule. Joshua's and my parents are here and we've been busy taking advantage of them arriving simulateously with a bit of a lull in our schedule. We've had fun showing them some of the different places around here and introducing them to people we've been working with. So far, we've gone hiking, walked around different streets of Hong Kong, and visited a small island in eastern Hong Kong. So as not to bore you with small details, however, I'll talk briefly about things you are really interested in.

On Friday, we had our first "over lunch Bible study" at the school where we did the Easter production. We will be meeting with a group of students over their lunch break on Fridays (if you couldn't deduce that from the previous sentence) and the first one went really well. The kids were a bit quiet at first, but as the hour went by, and we started the discussion on the Bible passage (parable of the lost son), they opened up a bit and talked more. We're all excited about the upcoming times with them and there will be about twice as many students next time as there were this week. We've really liked the kids we've met so far, and we look forward to getting to know them better.

Prayer requests:
-Friday lunches. We hope to get to know the students and eventually invite them to church.
-At the end of April, we will be in charge of the children/youth (ages 2-17) at the EMM retreat. We have a lot of planning to do and want to be able to make it beneficial for both the young kids and the older kids.

Praises:
-The afore mentioned visit from the Blanks and the Herrs and being able to see them again.

Here is a view of Agape and the surrounding area. Agape is the white building that sticks out behind the other buildings in the village on the left.
Me and my family at the top of Needle Hill, the destination of our hike. (note to self: finish chewing before having a picture taken)
On the way down

On the island Tap Mun, amid driving wind and rain

Team Hong Kong Newsletter # 16
Easter Fun
March 24, 2008
by Maria Sensenig


"Scratch a friend's back, scratch a back next to ya, scratch a friend's back and sing along!" I sang with all the energy I could muster as I wandered through the crowd of 7th grade students, who were all avoiding eye contact and hoping that it wouldn't be their back I chose to scratch. This was our attempt to get everyone engaged and interested and although they seemed a bit skeptical at first by the end some were participating and the rest at least smiling and enjoying the song. Really, who can resist such a cheery tune, especially when it's accompanied by Josh and his accordian?

We were asked to do the Easter program for about 200 students of a nearby Methodist school. Despite the fact that the school is Christian, most of the students are not, and it really doesn't differ much from any other school around here. We saw this as a great oppurtunity to share the real significance of Easter, through our words, as well as more songs and a skit.

As we planned for our time there, what we would sing, what we would say etc., I kept thinking about how I wanted it to be perfect and I really wanted these kids to grasp what we were trying to say. But then I was reminded that this isn't our job. Of course God wants us to put thought into what we're doing, but ultimately we won't be changing any hearts. It is my prayer that even though our time there was short, and even though everything had to be spoken in simple English, that it will have made an impact on the students.


Prayer Requests:

- We will be returning to this school on several occasions to have a Bible study with some of the students during their lunch hour. Please pray for wisdom as we prepare and a responsiveness from the students.

Praises:

- The first half of outreach went well and we are eager to see what the next half has in store!

Needle Point

This past Monday, Ben and I went on a hike. There’s a very tall mountain that we can see from the church. The first time Ben saw it, he thought "I want to climb it and see the view from there." Well, he finally got to try it. We didn’t really know where to begin so early in the morning we packed our bags and headed off in the direction of our objective. I wasn’t sure that we’d be able to do it, because I wasn’t sure we’d find a trail -- even if there was one -- until we were very close to the top.


Our objective, as seen from Agape

So we walked through Tai Wai village proper and began walking along the range of hills of which our goal was part. We saw a path headed up. It seemed a little early, but we wanted to check all possible routes so up we went. The path led us to a highrise under construction that we could see from the roof at Agape, but also revealed a little village in the hills. Unfortunately, the path ended with a fence and a gate, so we went back down and continued on along the base of the hills. As we drew nearer to the base of the mountain, it became apparent that it was actually a series of 3 peaks, with each one getting larger as you went. Our objective was of course the tallest one, much taller than the other two.

We found a road leading through a valley along the base of the mountain and followed it back in. But then the path veered off to the right, in the opposite direction of where we wanted to go. We were about to turn around again, when we spotted a staircase over to our left. Staircases like this are quite common and used for maintaining the drainage systems built into the steep hillsides in order to prevent landslides. Usually they go as far as necessary and then end abruptly, but we wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a trail so we went up to have a look. The stairs led us up right along the highway and were indeed used for maintenance. However, where the concrete stairs ended, a dirt trail began. The shacks of several squatters dotted the area and the path was probably used by them. As we continued on, the trail faded away. Fortunately, one of the drainage canals ran along side the remnants of the path, so we walked along this and continued up the hill. Then we ran into some more stairs used for maintenance and walked up to a small road.

We looked up and down the road, but both directions seemed to be going down. But we saw another path leading up. Where the path started, there were signs informing us that there was some kind of station (for water or power or something) up the path. I was afraid it would be another dead end with a gate a fence, but we walked up just to make sure. We found some more squatter shacks and again the concrete stairs ended and again a path began.

By this time we were quite close to the top of the first peak and commanded a good view of the Tai Wai area, but the tallest peak -- our objective -- still seemed just as far away as it had previously. As we continued on, the path meandered around and along a ditch that rainwater had formed flowing down the mountain. At times the path seemed to disappear, swallowed by the tall grasses and shrubs that bordered both sides, but then we were always able to find it again.


The view from the first peak.


The next 2 peaks, as seen from the first one.

We pressed on until we reached the second peak. I guess maybe I should explain at this point that what I call peaks were really not peaks. We never traveled down, but only up. The "peaks" are really just points that stick out from the main hill and were good vantage points. However, the view from this second peak was not really any better than that from the first one. So I began to doubt the wisdom of continuing on to the third -- but since to stop now would be giving up, we kept hiking.

The trail got steeper and steeper. Looking up ahead and back behind, it looked almost impossibly steep (although we were never in any real danger of falling. It wasn’t quite that steep, but it did feel like it). Eventually, very close to the top, our little trail took us to a main hiking trail, wide and well-maintained. We traveled up this last part quite quickly the short distance to the top. Here a sign informed us that we had reached the top of Needle Point, about 1,745 feet above sea level. From this vantage point we commanded a 360-degree view of the surrounding area -- so we could see parts of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, and even Tsuen Wan. It was spectacular, even though the air wasn’t clear enough to see anything real well or get any good panoramic pictures. We gratefully dropped our bags and enjoyed the view, as well as our lunch.




Ben is supposed to be pointing out the steepness, although the picture doesn't make it look steep at all.


There, now you can see how steep it is.


That's me, at the top.


Shing Mun Reservoir. In the upper left corner, you can see a bit of Tsuen Wan.


The winding path down toward Sha Tin.


- Joshua

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #15
Taboo, only without the Taboo
March 17, 2008
by Joshua Blank

"I like them, and you do not like them."
"They look like umbrellas."
"The colorful ones are toxic."
"They grow anywhere."
"They are soft."
"Do you know what it is?"
This is an excerpt from part of our Friday night English class. Above my head where I could not see it but everyone else could, Ben held open a picture book filled with simple English nouns. Similar to the game "Taboo," each person around the table took turns giving me clues about the picture without saying the word itself.

The class went pretty well, but our only students have been members of Pastor Jeremiah's family and one of his neighbors. But although we have not had very many students in the class so far, I think that it will grow. We have only had 2 classes, and there have been a number of people who have told us that they are interested in coming -- even if they have yet to actually walk through the door. There have been some scheduling conflicts and some other things which have prevented some of the people from participating in the class.

The purpose of the class is to provide a comfortable, casual atmosphere where people can practice what English they know and hopefully learn some more through the process. I am quite excited about how God can use this ministry to introduce the students into a setting where they can hear about His truth and the life that He alone can bring. Jeremiah's neighbor, Bruce, is a 16-year-old recent immigrant from mainland China. Since the class has started, he has taken an interest in some of the other activities in which the youth from the church are involved, including Saturday night youth group.

Praises:
- On Monday night, we had the opportunity to invite Pastor Jeremiah and his family over for dinner. Although it was an interesting and sometimes awkward mix of cultures, we were very grateful to serve the Choi family as they are such a blessing to us in so many ways.
- The weather is beginning to warm up, allowing us to wear some different clothes (like short sleeve T-shirts and shorts) without having to wear a coat.

Prayer Requests:
- That we would be able to reach out to people in the community through our English class.
- On Thursday, we have a presentation at a secondary (middle/high) school. Pray that we would be able to effectively share with the students there. Also, this presentation may bring about some other opportunities for us to get involved in the lives of students at this school.
- There has been an outbreak of the flu at a few primary (kindergarten/elementary) schools in different parts of Hong Kong, resulting in the death of two students. Extremely cautious in light of the SARS and bird flu scares, the Hong Kong government has taken the drastic step of closing all the primary schools in Hong Kong until after the Easter break. Please pray for the peace of Christ to guard the affected families from the fear that can so easily grip their hearts. For more information on this situation, feel free to follow this link.

Team Hong Kong Newsletter #14
Out To Eat
March 11, 2008
by Karen Martin

Every Tuesday morning we leave at 8:45am. After riding two buses, which total to one hour of travel, we arrive in Tuen Mun. The morning is spent learning Cantonese taught by June Kauffman. One way of practicing the words we learn is simple hands-on experience. This is done at HoHo Restaurant. It is important to note and remember that in Cantonese hoho means 'very good'. Now back to the story. HoHo isn't just any restaurant. It's the place where we eat lunch every Tuesday. If by chance it was closed for a day, we would be absolutely heart broken. The place is know in Cantonese as a 'Dye Pie Dong' which equates to a highly authentic and cheap Chinese outdoor restaurant. We sit on small plastic stools around a small table under the shade of a tree. Sometimes seats are offered to us before the table has been cleared from the previous customers. I've learned that this can be good thing. Looking at other peoples plates of food expands my own ordering options.

The process of ordering at HoHo gives an interesting perspective on our team. Typically it goes something like this . . . We sit down and Maria places before us the pink tattered menu she faithfully carries for our reference (we've translated nearly every item on the menu). After staring at the menu for a few seconds, our waiter (affectionately named 'HoHo') appears. June encourages us to order in Cantonese. Ben looks at the menu for reference then rattles off his order to HoHo (in Cantonese). Next is Maria's turn. She barely has to open her mouth before Hoho says 'sing jua chua my'. Singapore noodles have become a predictable favorite for Maria. Now it's my turn. I turn to June telling her that I would like to order what the person is eating at the table next to us. The words aren't familiar to me, so June gets the task of explaining my order to HoHo. My love for variety can be a nice disguise for not remembering many Cantonese words. Next we turn to Josh who isn't ready to make his meal selection. He's looking at the papers on which he has listed every food item we've learned or heard of. After contemplating for a few more seconds, he clearly states his order. HoHo seems very impressed (along with June and the rest of us). In a matter of minutes huge portions of rice, noodles, pork, beef, and vegetables will be sitting in front of us. HoHo Sik (delicious)!

Prayer Requests:
- We are preparing to lead an Easter themed presentation at a local school on March 20. We'll be sharing in 'simple' English with 400 students. This is a new and exciting challenge for each of us.
- We are going to Cambodia for a few days in May to be a part of EMM's retreat for the missionaries here in Asia. Our task is to provide activities/teaching for the children. Pray for us as we make preparations - for creativity, excitement, wisdom, and discernment.

Praises:
- We now have visas for China
- Karen's hand is healing quickly after being burned by hot coffee