Happy Easter

 

Dear Family, 

The weeks are ticking by and with it my love affair with Hong Kong continues to grow. Cindy came back from England this week. She's been studying there for the last five months and came back only because her visa expired. When we had dinner this week it was obvious that her eyes have been opened a bit to how the world functions outside of China, and she likes what she saw. She did a bit of touring while there, visiting Paris, Italy, and Switzerland, she learned about Instagram and western social media, she discovered western art, and a variety of bits of information and truths that we take for granted. She is now hoping to do her PhD work in the west. We shall hope for that.

 

It's the end of an era in the Hong Kong OGC. After 17 years, Jennifer Chen is retiring in order to move to Japan to be where her children are. A single mom, she raised 2 children who as adults have immigrated to Japan. After 3 years of not being able to see them during Covid she is packing two suitcases and moving to be closer to them. She is a brilliant paralegal, but an even more beautiful human being. She is gentle and kind, and when she prays in our meetings you know your are listening to a true believer. You should know that every time she prayed she thanked Heavenly Father for you and asked for Him to bless you as you support us serving here in Hong Kong. I will genuinely miss her love and goodness. She leaves this Tuesday for a new life

In general it was a work as usual this week, even on Friday which was technically a day off for Easter.  Dad went to the office and I stayed home and cleaned up and worked on Wesley's blanket that I'm racing to finish so it can come home with Mark and Melissa next week.

But I started the day by getting myself a big hot chocolate and taking it up to this park on Signal Hill. I went there to study my scriptures and found myself joined by this group of Filipino women who had come for Easter worship services. I have seen this particular group before but didn't expect to see them on a Friday. So I sat on my bench overlooking the harbor and listened to their music and quiet prayer while a studied. 

Saturday Dad and I spearheaded an outing to Yin Tin Tsai, an island in the New Territories. We took the subway and a mini bus to a harbor in Sai Kong where we boarded  a small sampan boat out to the island that was occupied for hundreds of years by Hakka Chinese. They were fishermen and farmers and they also would make salt out of the sea water. They would pull the sea water into big shallow ponds inland and then in a way that is no longer practiced, they would systematically extract the salt as the water evaporated and in this way, for many decades they provided salt to a large part of Asia.  Sadly, after centuries of this simple living the island was completely abandoned in the 1990’s as people went looking for  other, more lucrative work. Now all that remains is a small church and a little museum where people are trying to keep the history alive. 

Loved this funky bench made out of two large trees that came down in a typhoon in the 1980"s. Just me hanging out with my friends.

A tidbit of Chinese history, at some point in time long ago a group of Catholic missionaries came to this island and lived and helped the people learn new and better ways of farming. In time, the people learned to love and trust them and the entire island converted to Catholicism. As we read their history we couldn't help but think of all the humanitarian missionaries that go into countries spreading love. It made me smile to realize that we as a church were not the first ones to try loving first before trying to convert. This is a powerful principle. This beautiful church is one of the only buildings still standing and well maintained on the island. Catholics will still return and gather here for religious holidays.

This old labyrinth was still swept clean in the backyard of the church and it still does its calming magic as you walk the path. It was a few minutes well spent!

 This art piece set on the shore where the fishermen would take off for their fishing voyages is one of my favorite things on the island. So white, so crisp and so elegant, these two doves are meant to remember the religious faith that the fishermen would take with them as they set sail. The solid dove on the right represents God the Father, and the outlined dove on the left, the Holy Ghost. A perfect Easter piece of art.

                      

After touring the buildings we went traipsing around the island for fun. What you can't see in this picture, but I want you to imagine, is the 200 lb wild boar that was rustling around in the trees five feet away from the trail! I'm not going to lie, it made my heart beat faster.

Love the little snippets of everyone's Spring break we see online. Please be safe in all your travels.

We love you,

Mom and Dad