My week's update

I realized I hadn't posted in a while, so here goes with my week's update.

Although I had said I wasn't going to work with the kids again this year, it turns out I am. :) Liz and Maria, two amazing, MD ladies here, lead the kids in a weekly, one hour Book Study. Maria has been here five years, and has felt the MD calling her back home to Sydney to continue training to be a counsellor. (She actually leaves tonight.) They asked me to step into Maria's role, and it was odd how excited I was to do so. I guess the MD really does work miracles! The kids come over to see me all the time, and I am amazed at what a great relationship I have with each of them. I'm excited to lead them in their growth and answer their millions of questions about the MD. They are so inquisitive, and ask such thoughtful questions ... I really enjoy it. I'm trying to come up with some unique activities for them to do, so any suggestions are very welcome! (keep in mind, they range in age from 5 - 15, which makes it a little more challenging!)

Also this past week, I've had to say good bye to two friends that I had made while here last year, that are now both leaving this week (today and tomorrow). I'm grateful my time overlapped with them a little so I could see them again, but I hate good byes, so I am just chatting for peace and to be able to keep in touch with them.

This past week I've spent just getting my arms around the work some more. They really do some incredible work here. Since they are the only organization of their kind (hard to imagine in the States, since we have Salvation Army, Good Will, and many other such places), they actually get a lot of media attention. This is soooo helpful, from a communication perspective, because we don't have to lobby for attention as much as we would if there were others like us. The attention helps secure donations and funding, which we need since we make zero revenue. For example, World Refugee Day is coming up this summer, and there are quite a few refugees in HK, and CRV helps promote awareness of the difficulties faced by refugees. We're working with UNHCR and putting on a simulated refugee camp, with speakers and other performances, to illuminate the battles faced by refugees all over the world. CRV does a lot of these kinds of events, and they are always well attended and life changing for so many. Since I work with Communications, I get to sort of project manage this, which I am SO EXCITED to do, because it's a great, impacting event and I love working toward a goal I am so passionate about. We work with many refugees here, and their plight is so downplayed and misunderstood, so shedding light on it and giving people a glimpse of their hardship helps promote better relations between them and the HK community.

So other than all of that, I've been just trying to adjust still. I am fortunate enough to have my own (small) bedroom, and have decided to really make it comfortable - my inner sanctum. :) We have lots of paint available here at CRV because they've been fixing things up, so I'm going to paint the trim in my room a chocolate brown color (my walls are cream already), mostly because the trim is this awful pastel purple color and I don't want that for all the time I'm here. Someone randomly gave me brand new red curtains, which match the blanket I already had (thanks, MD!), so I'm excited to make it feel more like mine and be a restful place for me.

And speaking of decorating, on Thursday, just after Maz got out of her bed, a huge chunk of ceiling fell onto her bed! Turns out there's lots of water damage that is corroding our ceiling, and a piece decided to come down on Maz's bed. She cleverly stuck a post-it to the chunk, and stuck it in the office of our maintenance guy asking him to fix it. We came home that evening and huge chunks had been taken out of the ceiling in the sitting room as well (they came in to take out the other pieces that looked loose). Lots of people here theme their living areas, like Garden of Eden and will make it look like that (some very creative people here!), so we decided our theme is "War Torn." I told her we should cover the walls in thick tent material, and make it refugee camp-like. Just a suggestion. :)

And other than that, I've been helping Maria pack herself up to go back home to Australia, and trying to offer what encouragement I can. She loves being here, and living here, and keeps saying, "I can't believe I'm doing this." It's a huge, hard move for her to make, but she knows it's the one the MD has asked her to do, so she's following beautifully and is a testimony of faithfulness to us all. I will miss her dearly, and as I told her last night, "Now I have to come to Sydney some time!" So anyone up for an Australia trip in the next few years? Let me know ... I know just the place to stay.

Well, that's all for now. Still settling, getting my bearings and have done surprisingly well getting around and not getting lost! I've found "normal" things I can eat when I need to, and am feeling comfortable and most of all glad to have followed the MD to this point. I was able to share my feelings on leaving with Maria, because it was very similar with my thoughts of, "I can't believe I'm doing this!" and leaving my comfortable home and job and everything familiar, but how glad I am I did and am able to be here now. The MD is amazing in setting up the timing the way He did so I was able to share from the same experience she is having.

I appreciate all your chats as I continue to adjust ... can you believe I've been here for two weeks now? Thanks for reading. Until next time ...