a typically bleak morning, though not altogether without cheer...

Lately, after our morning team meetings on particularly chilled and bleak days, we either go to drink McDonalds coffee (the only coffee in immediate walking distance- we have to take the metro to get to any other options) or go out for an early lunch together. Today it was coffee. Understandable, as it was a gray and ugly day here in our rather impersonal looking stretch of 'neighborhood'. Our team time today was encouraging and refreshing- sharing with one another from the Word and singing together- but there was definitely still a legitimate case for coffee:) But there was more cheer to come.

We devote much talk and consideration to speculating about the fire station near our apartment. They simply are not normal. The goings on there have long mystified us and typically result in a great deal of laughter. Maybe there just isn't enough fires in this city to keep this many recruits occupied. Maybe the fire trucks are just elaborate props. But its undeniable: the guys in the fire station dance. And rollerblade. To music. Together. Often. We walk by daily and find several dozen young men in uniform and camouflage -supervised by officers-doing coordinated hip hop routines and skating in formations, dancing as they go. First forming conga lines, then attempting break dance moves- all with dance jams blaring from the station speakers. All of this, of course, amuses us greatly. The fire station proves a seemingly inexhaustible source of entertainment and conversation.

The cheer is welcome in the midst of gray days.

We continue have glowing times with our local friends as we teach the Word and answer questions about the faith- however, with the local new year holiday, many students leave the city to visit family in other provinces. Our schedule thus slows down for a few weeks, and we find ourselves considerably less busy. Its important for us to continue encouraging one another, studying the Word, and having a good laugh when the gray of the bleak days threatens to spread to the team morale. At times like this, we thank God for the lightness of heart He gives... even through such things as the mysterious dancing fire station.

out of order

I am sorry for the recent lull of activity here on my travelogue. I have been sick pretty much for a week straight- spending most of my time in bed. My camera has pretty much just been gathering dust over on my shelf, so no photography has been accumulated during these days either. I feel like someone could have stuck an "out of order" sign on my forehead on Monday, and only yesterday would there have been evidence of good reason to remove it. I hope to be back in circulation this week...so stand by for further reports from oriental Asia :)

another day at kung pow

There is a restaurant a few blocks from our apartment where we eat frequently- we call it Kung Pow. We have no idea what its real name is. But they have great and inexpensive food- in the spicy style of another province. I love their potatoes and eggplant with peppers, and their spicy cold cucumbers with peanuts are a consistent team favorite. I have enjoyed much better food on this trip than my last- a welcome change:)

reality versus ideal

So this is the city as it typically appears this time of year- and then the city as the marketing mural/banners depict it. Haha. i think i can imagine a slight disillusionment for visitors arriving with this ideal:) But despite the bleak appearance, there is sweet people here and many unexpected little delights. Like cold milk tea. But more on that another time.

something uncanny about being alone in the elevator with her

Perhaps the addition of the word surgical would help clarify the thought? This advertisement in my complex's elevator creeps me out. A minimally invasive hospital? I'm assuming thats a hospital for minimally invasive surgery. But still...with the woman's friendly here-let-us-take-your-organs look...yeah. She creeps me out. This is just a glimpse of the good times provided by the badly translated english that abounds here. Yep, you don't have to go far for a good time-the fun begins close to home. Right here in my own elevator.

the maddening crowd

Across the harbor lies a less gleaming district of Hong Kong- in the Kowloon area, the Mong Kok neighborhood's population density is extremely high. According to the Guinness book of world records, Mong Kok has the highest population density in the world- 340,000 per square mile. I figured a visit to Hong Kong wouldn't be complete without a plunge into the street markets and retail venues of Mong Kok, so Candy and I immersed ourselves in the thick crowds to do a little shopping before heading back to the train station. Finally, with weary feet and lots of new memories, we boarded a through train and headed back across the border. It was a bittersweet return. Though just a couple hours away, the weather greeted us back in the city here was considerably cooler than what we had enjoyed in Hong Kong. And there is a feeling of breathing easily there- both from the clearer air and the freedoms. Yet, though the city here is still brim full of people, it was a relief to be back- far from the maddening crowds we experienced in Mong Kok. We were only gone for a day, but it felt worlds away. It was an adventure i think both Candy and myself will cherish for a long time.

the skyline- above and beyond

My past visits to Hong Kong have not allowed for much sightseeing- only the incidental seeing of the city. This daytrip allowed the opportunity to venture further afield. We trekked across the Central district of Hong Kong Island on foot to reach the Victoria Peak Tramway. Built in 1885, this network of steel track and cabled street cars ferry passengers up and down the steep peak to a look out point- where additional admission fees allow access to a rooftop observation deck with unsurpassed and unobstructed views of the city. I am not sure i had ever looked down on skyscrapers before taking in the view from that platform! It was remarkable. Candy remarked that though her friends had visited Hong Kong more frequently than her just to go shopping etc, she was sure none of them had ever done something like this- and she felt sure she had now seen all of Hong Kong:) The view was above and beyond what one expects from a skyline - even a skyline as iconic as Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor.

girls day out: the international edition

Due to the limited visa I was granted, this week marked the necessity for my first visa run. I decided on a day trip to Hong Kong, since after two brief prior visits I have a general orientation of the place. Happily, it proved an excellent occasion to invest in relationship with a good local friend of mine here as well!

My friend Candy had never been outside her country- despite being adventurous at heart- and had just applied for and received her passport. (Passports are relatively easy to obtain- permissions to leave the country much less so. Hong Kong is an exception- permissions for locals to travel there are easily obtained and not prohibitively expensive.)

So I had the privilege of taking Candy to Hong Kong with me this Saturday. I figured with only one day outside of her country, we needed to make it count! So we started with eating foreign foods that are not available in her home, but are sold in Hong Kong due to the international nature of the city. She tried hummus, brie cheese, an almond croissant, and salt and vinegar chips:) We rode the Star Ferry across Victoria Harbor and Causeway Bay, taking in the the cityscape... and Candy just kept saying that she couldn't believe she had already experienced so much within just a couple hours of crossing the border. It was a pretty sweet experience for us both.

Cold indoors and out

The weather has been the cold winter i remember from last year. Not that its subzero or anything- rather its just cold all the time...even indoors. Apartments stay notoriously cold- even if the weather warms up, it takes a few days for the climate inside the house to catch up. Its all the cement, stone and tile, i guess. We are outdoors quite often, and typically walking briskly which helps the chill- but indoors, we depend on our electric hot water cushions and a steady flow of hot beverages.

Outdoors, i am presented with the age old challenge of how to keep my head and ears warm when my hair is up. A high pony tail under a hat is unacceptable- it looks malformed. So after some consideration i finally gave in to the solution of my childhood...and of Asia: earmuffs. I bought the most amazing faux rabbit fur earmuffs this past week...i laugh out loud every time i wear them. Haha. One really has to keep a sense of humor about these things. I can only take myself so seriously when i appear to be wearing small baby bunnies over my ears. Happily, my ears stay cozy and warm- though not without the marginal disadvantage of impaired hearing. Haha- oh the things the weather brings out in me:)

one of my favorite nights of the week

I love the Friday night discussion nights that my team and i hold at my apartment. It is absolutely tailored to the training course in Maui- every time we debrief from one of these evenings our entire group -without exception- is in awe of how God prepared and equipped them back in Maui for conversations of this very nature. I just love how our friends and totally new acquaintances come over to hear a short teaching about the Faith and discuss the ensuing questions in small groups. And I love seeing my team effectively articulating the Truth entrusted to them and being used by God to speak His Word. This night exemplifies and encapsulates the whole of why we are here, and weekly recast our vision and encourages us to to "...not grow weary in doing good, for when the time is full we will receive a harvest."

adventures in boiling unfamiliar edible substances

The other day, several of our student friends took me and my girls out to a tiny hole in the wall restaurant for a food style they translate for us as Hot Pot. In the center of our large round table was a depression with a burner resting within it. A large divided pot of two distinct broths was brought out and laid upon the inset burner and rapidly made to boil. Facing me was an ominous spicy red broth, and out of my reach was a basic paler broth- presumably derived from onion and the like. Food was ordered by the plate- each plate a portion of some different raw ingredient to add to one side or another of our soup. Noodles were recognized (even though they were green) but an array of unfamiliar vegetables puzzled us- as did odd piles of something that appeared like kelp. The meat could have been considered a fearful sight, but i am accustomed to exercising the discipline of withholding judgment on such things. All of these things are periodically added to the stew in shifts. When a certain combination is considered cooked through, it is eaten out of the pot and replaced with new combinations. The brew on my side of the table was mouth scaldingly and lip numbingly spicy. Happily, it all tasted awesome. I loved our steam drenched little gathering, in a tiny cold low ceilinged upstairs room, with burning mouths and warm hearted relationship- partaking in our friends' lives and culture. All the unknown edibles that entered the soup emerged as delicious morsels- and had they not, its unlikely I would have known, owing to the numbingly hot flavor. Such a great time! Hot Pot is something i am so happy to have shared in- because I would have been rather intimidated trying to navigate the process without local insight, though it has long interested me. Knowing now how to go about the whole production, I am excited to eat this style again with my team and other local friends.

more of what we do

Relationship is at the core of how we are able to share the Truth here. Our evening Bible studies, Discussion groups, and English corners connect us with new friends- and from there we have the privilege of building one on one relationships with these precious individuals and participating in what God is doing in their lives. There is lots of walking, talking, eating and drinking. These are the places where relationship opens doors for God's Word. From sharing His good news with some for the first time ever, to helping others work through intellectual obstacles that hinder them from making a commitment, we walk with our new friends as they consider faith in the Person of Jesus Christ. I love seeing God engage the hearts of the young women i have met here- its truly miraculous the way He calls our hearts to Himself. It is so amazing to have fellowship with God in this way, doing with Him what I see Him doing before me.

rooftop kung fu

Nothing like a little rooftop kung fu to get your new year started! Truth be told, as energetic as the beginning of my year appears, leaping off water pipes on my roof till after 1am left me conked out in my cozy nest of covers with my electric hot water cushion till ten in the morning. I am trying to summon back my inner night owl these days (since many of our outreach venues are evening events), but with limited success. God's grace is continually found sufficient though, even for my sleep cycle:)

When I did come around this morning (having forgotten to set my alarm) one of my first thoughts (before even remembering that it was January 1) was the sudden conviction that i had accidentally thrown away the rubber insoles i bought in Maui (to make all my boots extra comfy). An old pair of boots had blown out the other day and i had thrown them in the trash- without remembering to remove the insoles which i rotate from pair to pair. so the first thing i did after waking to a new year was to roll out of bed and run out into the cold cement stairwell in my sweats and uggs to did through a trash can full of chopsticks, banana peels and styrofoam take out boxes from the whole thirteenth floor- much to the consternation of the cleaning lady that i met there. And all that to no avail. Happy 2011 to me.