Sunday, April 26, 2015

GOODBYE HONG KONG

LAST BLOG FROM HONG KONG

Our three weeks in Hong Kong just flew by! We have had wonderful visits and enjoyed working with the great staff at Bethany Ministries. The weather has been unusually mild with low humidity! Our last blog from Hong Kong includes candid photos around the territory.










Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Hearts & Hands Booth

Craft Sale This Weekend


Come to St. Joseph Parish this weekend for their annual fair trade event. Since I am in Hong Kong, the FTE committee members have volunteered to serve at the Hearts & Hands booth. My thanks to the ladies for making this possible. Come support many worthwhile causes that make a difference in the world.

Don't Miss This

Book Signing Time at International Christian Assembly in North Point

We will be at the 
this Sunday (26 April)to visit/share and sign/sell books.  Please come and join us.

We will be selling the following books, plus we plan to have a few of the latest book, The House, available.

Do drop in and let us see your smiling faces.


Smashing Centipedes, side-stepping snakes

Smashing centipedes, side-stepping snakes

It's best to remain agile while working at Bethany. You don't know what may appear in your path to Bethany.

A snake slinked across Jane's path between the Cottage and the House one afternoon.  The next night I was saying 'howdy' to a couple headed up the path as I turned into the back gate of the House. I looked back to see I'd just passed a snake. He looked a bit bewildered then crawled back under the stump from whence he'd come.
Thankfully he wasn't interested in me.  We think it may have been the same creature - a rat snake - for which we give thanks. They are harmless, other than appearing scary. We continue to pray that the bamboo vipers and cobras stay far away.

I encountered a centipede in the same location the following night. I smashed that one and he still lies crumpled along the path.  





Monday, April 20, 2015

Kunming Connections

Our Kunming, Chile, Washington Connection - Eduardo Martinez in Hong Kong.

Eduardo and Susan and their 3 daughters moved from Chile to Kunming the same time we did.  We became good friends and always enjoyed great fellowship with them.
Eduardo was passing through Hong Kong, returning to Chile after a short visit to Kunming. We were able to go into the city to visit with him briefly.


Wednesday, April 15, 2015

NEW RECORD- 14,000+ STEPS




VIEW ON THE TREK DOWN THE MOUNTAIN 




  WALKWAY IN CENTRAL ON HONG KONG ISLAND



Yes! On our day off yesterday, we went to Hong Kong island and Kowloon. You never realize how many steps you take when you do not have a car for transportation.

A few years ago I bought a watch that count steps, calories and distance. After we trekked down the hill and walked all over Hong Kong and Kowloon, I was over 12,000 steps before heading back up the hill to our room at Bethany Lodge. I definitely burned more calories than my watch indicated because the last 2,000 steps were on a 45 degree incline. Hopefully a few pounds will come off during our two weeks on Cheung Chau.

Saturday, April 11, 2015

GOOD TO BE BACK!


LeRoy standing on the main walkway to the beach in the village


Almost feels like coming home. Two years ago we cut our trip short to return to the US for Marianne's surgery. We had just completed serving at Bethany Ministries on Cheung Chau and were planning to travel in the Mainland.

Now we are back filling in for the Pastoral Care directors for two weeks as they have holiday with their children in Thailand. All the staff at Bethany is the same so it does feel nice to slip back in our roles as relief staff.

We arrived at the end of the Easter holiday in Hong Kong and our island was packed with visitors.
All four buildings at Bethany were full, with people from Hong Kong, America, England, New Zealand and Australia.

Both of us are almost over jet lag and are thankful for sleeping longer each night.


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Singing Sleepy Songs

I wonder if my grandkids have these conversations about my singing to them. Surely not.

A doting father used to sing his little children to sleep until he overheard the four-year-old tell the three-year-old, "If you pretend you're asleep, he stops."

HONG KONG ARRIVAL




After two flights, one  taxi and a train, we boarded the three-decker ferry to Cheung Chau to begin our time at Bethany Ministries. LeRoy napped on the 50-minute trip to the island.

Hong Kong Easter holiday continues to this weekend so the retreat center is packed with guests including 18 children. The past two days have been filled with good visits and reconnecting with staff members. 

We officially begin tomorrow (Friday) morning. Today we had meetings to bring us up-to-date with the new procedures. Also enjoyed a morning devotion with staff and guests.  

So good to be back!