Labor and Fruits of Hong Kong
While we spent a week in Hong Kong
we partnered with an American association, whose name I am not at liberty to
post online. There are over 1,000 Christian churches in Hong Kong and even
though there is spiritual freedom in Hong Kong, I cannot say the name of the
association we partnered with because they are active in a lot of mission work
in China’s mainland, where spiritual freedom doesn’t exist. We stayed in the
oldest village in Hong Kong, nearly 950 years old, at the compound of the
association. The village literally was a starting point for what is today known
as Hong Kong. Despite the towering skyscrapers and hustle and bustle of the
city only a few miles down the road, the village is very much so isolated from
city life.
The cement laden labyrinth is
congested with towering apartment complexes and ancient temples that are
frequently visited by local residents. Nearly one-thousand years ago cultural
and spiritual rituals were established here and are still practiced today. Ancestor
worship can be seen, and smelt, on nearly every block as incense is burned to
commemorate heritage.
Paul reminds the Corinthians in his
second letter to them that the battle we Christians fight is not one fought
between flesh and blood, but between spiritual forces in the realm unseen. Invitations
to all different sorts of spirits are sent out excessively with the amount of
prayers and rituals offered daily. Every couple of weeks there are festivals
with fireworks in the village to celebrate the new and full moon. The spiritual
atmosphere of this area could be described as nothing less than a war zone. There
is a dark, heavy blanket that seems to manifest and weigh down the neighborhood
but we took part in combating it daily.
Every morning we would wake up and take part in prayer and worship to
our Lord and Savior alongside our brothers and sister from the association. It
is sometimes hard to comprehend, but by simply worshiping God in a group, the
entire atmosphere morphs all of the surrounding area as His presence is ushered
in. We would ask for His covering and He would supply it amply every morning.
It is a real treat to be able to join together with other members of the Body
around the world and connect with them at all different levels.
I’ve discovered a reoccurring theme
of my team’s role on the World Race. We have played a vital role in energizing,
encouraging and inspiring people we meet and stay with as we travel along from
country to country. Specifically in Hong
Kong we were able to fellowship with a bunch of teenagers, and twenty-somethings
who were preparing to head into the mainland in a few months. Our team has been
there and done that, living in community in a foreign place, so lots of tips
were shared. I also shared the testimony of how God saved all of my
team-member’s and my own life in the car accident in Africa a few months
earlier. Exchanging stories about missionary living is always fun and
interesting because the conversation inevitably turns to talking about diarrhea,
uncleanliness and other delightful things… and everyone has a one-up story.
Oh
you think that’s bad? Let me tell you about this one time I at ‘belute’ in the
Philippines…. (Belute is a 17 day old duck embryo cooked like a hard-boiled
egg. Bones, beak, feet and if you’re lucky you even get feathers. Yummy.)
the train across the city to volunteer at a Christian organization called
Crossroads. Even though I was only there for one day, going there changed my
life. I have been keeping tally of different organizations I’ve come across on
this trip, but no organization has been quite as phenomenal as this one. What
started as a married couple sending a couple of boxes for disaster relief a few years
ago has turned into a worldwide goods distributer. Millions of items, from used
furniture from businesses, blackboards from schools, school supplies, medical
supplies, and just about anything you could imagine are donated to Crossroads
and then sent to people around the world in need. Click here to check out their website.
We spent the day organizing a shipment of chairs that were going to be sent to
Africa and a shipment of bedding that just came in from an airline.
Cross roads has a poverty
simulation on their compound that is open to the public for awareness and a
coffee shop which all proceeds go towards overhead costs.
Here is a shack that depicts a home in an impoverished community. A true representation of how a lot of people around the world actually live.
They have been blessed with many
helping hands from volunteers, many short term and a handful long term
volunteers from around the world that actually live on site in apartments. I
had the best conversation with a man from Canada who retired early, forfeiting
his retirement plan, so that he and his wife could spend their later years in
life making a difference in the world. It is never too late to make an impact
in the world we live in. Never.
Keep reading-
Chronicles of China:
