Some productive days ...

It's been a busy couple of days! On Saturday, we loaded a 40 foot container to ship to Uganda, full of desks, chairs, and clothes for a small school struggling there. It was a hot day, but the hands were willing and I was able to photograph the loading. We have a team that handles loadings, so I'm not always involved in that part, so I really appreciated being able to see that part of the work in action. The really unique part of this was that the person who connected the school with us was able to come to the site and help with the loading (I don't want to name him since he's a refugee here). Since I work in Communications, I was tasked with interviewing him and doing a short write-up about his story (the write-up is used for the website and also for the team to use in newsletters to supporters). He has had a difficult and amazing journey. In a country ravaged by war, much of his family has been killed or died of disease, and he is actually an asylum seeker here in HK, and cannot return to Uganda. But he chooses to liase between the school and CRV, because his heart is still very much a part of that school educating the many street children in Kampala who have been orphaned as a result of the rebels and government battles prevalent in the country. You can see in the picture the container being loaded, and he is doing his part to help. I could just see in his eyes and hear in his voice the years of struggle and hardship he has faced. I was really impacted by my conversation with him. I'll post the write up once it's finished.

I was also able to spend Saturday evening with another girl here who married another team member last year. They have such a beautiful, MD-filled love story, and I was able to listen to her describe the wedding (I had really wanted to come, but it just wasn't feasible). There are just some people that are so grounded, so close to the MD, and so caught up in their love of Him that you just want to sit and let it rub off on you. She and her husband are those kinds of people. I was so blessed to hear their story, and spend some quality time with her.

I spent the weekend painting my room, and unfortunately I'm still not quite done. But it already looks so much better! I also spent a large chunk of time cleaning. There is just so much dirt in the air here, and I always felt dirty, so I swept and mopped every surface I could find, and I feel so much better now. I was especially glad I'd done this because I ended up shortly babysitting a 6 month old baby girl on Monday, and if she'd come over two days before, I wouldn't have felt comfortable having her crawl on the floor. But when she came yesterday, it was fine. I have a cute photo of her, but haven't uploaded it yet. She's a sweetie, though, and she and her mom and dad live below me.

I also had the experience of eating hand-made noodles on Sunday, which are so much better than processed noodles! And I also went to this place called Sam Tseng yesterday (pronounced Sam Ching - the "ts" is a "ch" sound). The problem is there are two very different places - one is Sam Shing and one is Sam Tseng. They sound so similar, I was afraid I'd end up at the wrong one. But luckily I got it right, and when I exited the bus I immediately was lost. I had gone there to go to this plant store to get something for another team member's birthday. In some places in HK, there is a good enough mix of Westerners that I don't stand out too bad. The New Territories is not that place, and that's where I live and where Sam Tseng is. So I was wandering, lost, hot, and dirty (because there's dirt everywhere!) and couldn't even ask anyone for help because no one spoke English. And of course there's the people looking at me, wondering what I'm doing in their town. But no worries - I can handle it, and I eventually found what I was looking for, and so now I know should I need to go back.

Also on Sunday, I made a feast of spaghetti and bread for some of the kids who wanted to come over. I love that they feel so comfortable with me, and I really enjoy spending time with them. We had a great time, and ate lots of pasta. This is a photo of Hilary, 15, and Georgie, 14.

So those have been my adventures thus far. Each day is a new challenge, but I'm really loving it. I remember the day before I left to come here, wondering what on earth I was doing. I couldn't picture life in HK being better than life at home. But the MD is always faithful on His promises, and I am so happy here despite the periodic difficulties. I still love and miss home, but I am absolutely confident this is where He wants me, and He continues to bless me and the work being done here. I'm getting to see lives changed first-hand, and that's a very precious thing.