Coming to Crossroads

From the moment we got on the K51 bus to Tuen Mun, God poured out his love and care for us by providing people to bless us at our unexpected and new temporary location in Hong Kong.

• Man on the K51 who paid the bus toll for Amy, Ashli, Jo, and Lauren because they didn’t have the correct change
• Denise, a teacher from Texas on the K51 with us, who introduced herself after we got off the bus. She gave us her phone number and invited us to a Christmas party with other teachers from a local Chinese school.
• Tyler and Lauren, our neighbors, who had us over for hot chocolate and took us out for dinner at a Chinese seafood market.
• Kate, a Hong Kong native, who teaches with Denise.  She took me to church and treated me to a whole day in Hong Kong, including lunch at a Chinese diner, a trolley ride through Hong Kong Island, and a tram ride to the top of Victoria’s Peak.
• Crossroads Staff– Helen, DJ, Mimi, Jennifer, Blessing, Gwen, and many others who made us feel right at home here and found ways for us to serve and be involved for the week. 

Crossroads is an amazing organization.  I cannot express how much good they do for Hong Kong and nations around the world. 

My week was spent in the Local Distribution office.  Clients apply through a social welfare or non-government caseworker to receive furniture, appliances, household goods, and clothing at no cost.  Once approved by Crossroads, the client is given an appointment to come and “shop” for new and gently used items they requested.  I had the privilege of taking clients out to find their requested items over the course of the week.  Each time a client found something they needed and also really liked, I was so happy to be a part of the connection between need and resource.
 
Global Distribution (local and international) is just one of the four working components of Crossroads Foundation.  Crossroads also meets needs through Global Hand, Global Handicrafts, and Global Village. 

 
Global Hand is an online network linking for-profit and non-profit organizations together so that donors can find people in need, and the people in need find resources.
 
Global Handicrafts is made up of a fair-trade shop and café where visitors and volunteers can shop and relax.  All the items in the shop are hand-made by women in Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
 
The Global Village is made up of simulations that take you through experiences of suffering people worldwide.  My team got to participate in three of the global experience simulations this week: Struggle for Survival, Blind X-perience, and HIV/AIDS X-perience.  We were all affected by the simulations and gained new understanding of global suffering and need. 
 
Crossroads does an excellent job of bringing the desperate needs of people into the spotlight and connecting them with people who have a willingness and desire to help.  I have been touched by the stories I’ve heard this week and also the lives of the people who work here, volunteer here, or come here as clients.  It is clear to me that God is using this place to further His Kingdom. 

 
When you come to a crossroads in life, you have a decision to make and your path can be changed forever.  However corny it may sound, I know coming to Crossroads was a change in the plans we had, but it was part of God’s plan from the beginning and it has changed me.  I see the world and the needs of hurting people and know that there is hope and help for them.  It takes just one person, one at a time, to make a difference.