Hey Everyone!!!
Today was my last day in Hong Kong. It was very bittersweet. I am looking forward to seeing friends and family and sleeping in my own bed, but I am going to miss all my team members who are going to their respective homes and my friends from Hong Kong (both of whom seem like family now). But looking on the bright side, let me tell you about what I did today.
Today we got to sleep in (PRAISE JESUS) before we went somewhere. As a group, we decided that we would go to Lantau Island to see the world's largest Buddha. The trip itself was an experience. We got on the MTR for a while and then we went on the Cable Car. I'll try to insert some pictures from that when I get a chance. I have never been so high up in the air but yet also felt so peaceful. Part of me was screaming inside because of the heights but I calmed myself down after a minute or two. After that, we finally made it to the place. I got to see a Kung-Fu presentation going on and after that we went up to see the Big Buddha. We went up about 100 steps or so and finally made it. Courtney said it best, "I felt like Po at the very end of Kung Fu Panda." Now this Buddha was huge! I got some pictures of it, but it may not do it justice. The interesting thing about this was there was a quote inside the building that said, "China has always been a place where freedom of religion has been protected for it's citizens." Interesting...
After we saw the Big Buddha, we made our way back for the BBQ at Thomas' house. He is a missionary/children's minister who helped put this whole thing together. We ate lots of food, sang songs, and just shared about how God was working this week. It made me feel like this is what the church in Acts must have been like.
Now, I need to go and pack for my flight tomorrow. I have a four hour lay-over in Newark, so that will be awesome! I will blog back when I get to the states to wrap up things. Thanks for following my blog. Sorry I couldn't be more detailed because of the time constraint.
Please play for all flight preparations tomorrow!
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Days 7 & 8)
Hello Everyone!
I finally found some free time to be able to tell you what has been going on the past couple of days. We have our VBS family night in about 4 hours, so we are all just resting and refreshing until then. I'll go ahead and briefly talk about what we did the past couple of days.
Day 7 - This was our fourth day of VBS. We talked about "How can I be like Jesus?" and there were several different stories and things to do. Nothing really big or exciting happened. The main difference was that Janice helped sit in on Courney and I's class and help interpret for some of the kids we felt may be having trouble. It was actually good to have extra help in that class. After VBS, we went to Stanley Market. We ate at a pizza place (which took most of our time), and then we shopped around the market. I got a couple of things and was happy with one of the paintings/pictures I got. If I upload the picture later, I may put it on this blog. After Stanley Market, we came back and dinner was on our own. Courtney, Zach, Janice, and I went to Hong Kong Island to eat at this Mexican Restaurant. It was good but...definitely a different neighborhood. I'll let you fill in the blanks for that.
Day 8 - Today was our last day at VBS! There was a feeling of excitement and a feeling of sadness as we were ready to be done with it because of the hard work and tiredness we were feeling, but we were also very sad to see it end because we got to know the kids and volunteers really well and tonight will be our last night to see most of them. We actually won't see the ICM kids tonight because they are busy. That was sad for me because Lacey and I will be leaving Sunday morning and that would be the next time we could see them. So this was my last day getting to see those kids. They did give me their names and (almost) all of them are on facebook, so I will probably hear from them again!
Things to pray for:
1) Family Night is in 4 or so hours. Some of the parents of these kids are not Christian, so pray that they get to see the program and hear the Gospel being presented.
2) Activities tomorrow. It is whatever we want to do. Pray for safety
3) Clearwater Bay Church. Pray that they will be able to follow-up on these kids and families.
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
I finally found some free time to be able to tell you what has been going on the past couple of days. We have our VBS family night in about 4 hours, so we are all just resting and refreshing until then. I'll go ahead and briefly talk about what we did the past couple of days.
Day 7 - This was our fourth day of VBS. We talked about "How can I be like Jesus?" and there were several different stories and things to do. Nothing really big or exciting happened. The main difference was that Janice helped sit in on Courney and I's class and help interpret for some of the kids we felt may be having trouble. It was actually good to have extra help in that class. After VBS, we went to Stanley Market. We ate at a pizza place (which took most of our time), and then we shopped around the market. I got a couple of things and was happy with one of the paintings/pictures I got. If I upload the picture later, I may put it on this blog. After Stanley Market, we came back and dinner was on our own. Courtney, Zach, Janice, and I went to Hong Kong Island to eat at this Mexican Restaurant. It was good but...definitely a different neighborhood. I'll let you fill in the blanks for that.
Day 8 - Today was our last day at VBS! There was a feeling of excitement and a feeling of sadness as we were ready to be done with it because of the hard work and tiredness we were feeling, but we were also very sad to see it end because we got to know the kids and volunteers really well and tonight will be our last night to see most of them. We actually won't see the ICM kids tonight because they are busy. That was sad for me because Lacey and I will be leaving Sunday morning and that would be the next time we could see them. So this was my last day getting to see those kids. They did give me their names and (almost) all of them are on facebook, so I will probably hear from them again!
Things to pray for:
1) Family Night is in 4 or so hours. Some of the parents of these kids are not Christian, so pray that they get to see the program and hear the Gospel being presented.
2) Activities tomorrow. It is whatever we want to do. Pray for safety
3) Clearwater Bay Church. Pray that they will be able to follow-up on these kids and families.
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Day 6)
Hello Everyone!
I am coming to the end of my day, but this was the only time I could really find to blog. Hopefully it won't sound to jumbled because I'm a little tired.
Today was the day we were presenting the plan of salvation. I looked over the passage about 4 times or so, and I had a good idea about what I would do. Basically what I did is I told the story from Zacchaeus' point of view. I was really nervous as several of my team members could tell. I did do drama everyday last year, but I also had time to think over it and practice last year. This was a last minute thing. I have to say though, it went very well! I had the kid's attention. I could see their eyes focused on me, and I think they were really following what I was saying. I got several compliments from different adults as well, so I think it went well. Zach presented the Gospel after I performed, and it was very clear and concise and done very well. In our classroom, Courtney was the one who explained the ABC's of becoming a Christian. He broke it down so they could understand it and used examples that were very good. We had two kids from our class talk to Zach about decision they would possibly make. We'll know more by the end of the week. Overall though it was a great day and nothing really went wrong! The only thing that was possibly a hindrance would be the weather (very very rainy) but it wasn't that big of a deal.
After VBS, we ate at the University where CBIC meets. Then we went back to the hotel. Some of the women went to the Jade Market and Zach, Courtney, and I went to the History Museum. It was great! I got several pictures. I wish I could make a day of it because there was so much information and so much to see. Being there for two hours felt like I was rushing through it. It was a great experience though. I hope to go back there again.
We just got back from dinner with some of the ICM kids and Caroline at a small Nepali restaurant. It is always great to see the kids and Caroline. The ICM is such a special place and wonderful ministry. There are a lot of ICM kids in Courtney and I's class and a lot of the kids are coming to the VBS this week, so we're excited that they are there!
Things to pray for:
1) Two more days of VBS!
2) The weather. It's tough to plan certain things when the weather is bad.
3) Strength. We don't get a whole lot of time to rest, and lack of sleep catches up with you
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
Scott
I am coming to the end of my day, but this was the only time I could really find to blog. Hopefully it won't sound to jumbled because I'm a little tired.
Today was the day we were presenting the plan of salvation. I looked over the passage about 4 times or so, and I had a good idea about what I would do. Basically what I did is I told the story from Zacchaeus' point of view. I was really nervous as several of my team members could tell. I did do drama everyday last year, but I also had time to think over it and practice last year. This was a last minute thing. I have to say though, it went very well! I had the kid's attention. I could see their eyes focused on me, and I think they were really following what I was saying. I got several compliments from different adults as well, so I think it went well. Zach presented the Gospel after I performed, and it was very clear and concise and done very well. In our classroom, Courtney was the one who explained the ABC's of becoming a Christian. He broke it down so they could understand it and used examples that were very good. We had two kids from our class talk to Zach about decision they would possibly make. We'll know more by the end of the week. Overall though it was a great day and nothing really went wrong! The only thing that was possibly a hindrance would be the weather (very very rainy) but it wasn't that big of a deal.
After VBS, we ate at the University where CBIC meets. Then we went back to the hotel. Some of the women went to the Jade Market and Zach, Courtney, and I went to the History Museum. It was great! I got several pictures. I wish I could make a day of it because there was so much information and so much to see. Being there for two hours felt like I was rushing through it. It was a great experience though. I hope to go back there again.
We just got back from dinner with some of the ICM kids and Caroline at a small Nepali restaurant. It is always great to see the kids and Caroline. The ICM is such a special place and wonderful ministry. There are a lot of ICM kids in Courtney and I's class and a lot of the kids are coming to the VBS this week, so we're excited that they are there!
Things to pray for:
1) Two more days of VBS!
2) The weather. It's tough to plan certain things when the weather is bad.
3) Strength. We don't get a whole lot of time to rest, and lack of sleep catches up with you
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
Scott
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Day 5)
Hello Everyone!
I am on a break right now before we go to the peak, so I thought I would go ahead and let you know how my day was and some ways to pray for us (and me).
Today was the second day of VBS. We had 3 more kids come to Courtney and I's class, so we had 11 today for the 5th-Preteen group! Today was a pretty tough day. It was raining this morning (and will probably rain the rest of the week) and that is tough from several different standpoints. One is that you have to re-think recreation and outdoor activities, the kids are typically more talkative and hyper, and it kind of drains your energy a little bit. I am personally having trouble trying to figure out how to effectively speak/teach to this group. I think that their English is good enough to read/write/and even communicate, but it seems like there is either something lost in translation or it is not getting through completely. It may be getting through and I just don't know it, but it just seems like they are having trouble retaining some of the information. The good thing is though we are building some good relationships with the kids and the volunteers, so I think we are gaining their trust.
The biggest thing to think about now is that tomorrow we are giving the plan of salvation. This is the hardest day of VBS. A lot of times on mission trips, this just typically seems to be the day where either a lot of different things go wrong or your attitude is just out of whack or just something hits you harder this day than on the others. I found out today that I am going to give a monologue as Zaccheus talking about what happened between Jesus and I. I am a little nervous because I just found out and I will also be telling them a story that is very important. I haven't written anything yet. I plan on reading the story several times and hopefully coming up with an outline of what I'll do. I just don't have that much time to do it...
Things to pray for:
1) VBS Team and Volunteers for tomorrow
2) My monologue
3) Kids coming to VBS
4) That even if something goes wrong, we don't let it get to us.
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
Scott
I am on a break right now before we go to the peak, so I thought I would go ahead and let you know how my day was and some ways to pray for us (and me).
Today was the second day of VBS. We had 3 more kids come to Courtney and I's class, so we had 11 today for the 5th-Preteen group! Today was a pretty tough day. It was raining this morning (and will probably rain the rest of the week) and that is tough from several different standpoints. One is that you have to re-think recreation and outdoor activities, the kids are typically more talkative and hyper, and it kind of drains your energy a little bit. I am personally having trouble trying to figure out how to effectively speak/teach to this group. I think that their English is good enough to read/write/and even communicate, but it seems like there is either something lost in translation or it is not getting through completely. It may be getting through and I just don't know it, but it just seems like they are having trouble retaining some of the information. The good thing is though we are building some good relationships with the kids and the volunteers, so I think we are gaining their trust.
The biggest thing to think about now is that tomorrow we are giving the plan of salvation. This is the hardest day of VBS. A lot of times on mission trips, this just typically seems to be the day where either a lot of different things go wrong or your attitude is just out of whack or just something hits you harder this day than on the others. I found out today that I am going to give a monologue as Zaccheus talking about what happened between Jesus and I. I am a little nervous because I just found out and I will also be telling them a story that is very important. I haven't written anything yet. I plan on reading the story several times and hopefully coming up with an outline of what I'll do. I just don't have that much time to do it...
Things to pray for:
1) VBS Team and Volunteers for tomorrow
2) My monologue
3) Kids coming to VBS
4) That even if something goes wrong, we don't let it get to us.
Thanks, and have a great rest of the day!
Scott
Monday, July 26, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Days 3 & 4)
Hello Everybody!
I am still on the computer that only allows a 20 minute session, but I will save a draft and continue my thought. Before I start on what happened the past couple of days, I wanted to thank those of you that have already commented through the blog/e-mail/facebook about the trip. Your support means a lot, and the prayers are definitely needed! I hope that the blog does justice to what's happening.
Day 3 - Day three was the day of our commissioning service and worship service at CBIC in Clearwater Bay. That is the church that we are partnering with for VBS. The people there are so nice. Some even remembered my name! Of course, who could forget a man as handsome as me? :-) Anyhow, the service is always a cool experience. We would sing a song and the first verse or so everyone would sing in English and then the next they would sing in Chinese...and then we would do Chinese and English together! (Obviously not together together like Chinenglish but those who knew English sang English those who knew Chinese sang Chinese). We got commissioned in the service and had to say our names, where we were serving, and what our job was in "real life." I wanted to say a Brain surgeon or something, but it's not good to lie in church. After that, Zach preached. The thing is that he would preach in English and then they would translate in Chinese. It ruins the flow and makes the message twice an long so you have to use 1/2 the content...and it's just difficult. Zach did a great job, but he said it was one of the hardest speaking engagements he has ever done in his life. Guess what? He gets to do it again next Sunday! You should probably pray for him now.
After the service, we had lunch (Dim sum...some of you know my personal feelings on this dish. If you don't, I'll tell you later). After we ate, we went on a boat ride to an outlying island where we relaxed. We then came back to the hotel, rested for 30 minutes, and went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. Zach and I split a pitcher of Cream Soda which we later learned was a mistake. A pitcher equaled about 5 glasses each. Did not make for a happy Scott (my clock is still off too. I woke up at 12:30 wide awake and didn't get to sleep until 2:00am and then took a shower at 5:45am because I was not getting back to sleep). But overall, it was a good day.
Day 4 - I am actually in the late afternoon of day 4 as I type this right now. It is difficult to find computer time, so I am blogging when I can. Today was our first day of VBS. I had a lot of energy until VBS was over, and then I felt like it all flowed out of me. It was a great day though. Courtney and I are leading 5th grade-Preteens. We had 8 in our class, and we have the potential to grow. We have this lady helping us whose name is Valerie, and it was wonderful. She is able to work with the girls and Courtney and I take the boys when we do small groups. It really helps. Plus, I feel more comfortable with a female talking to girls about life matters. At least girls that are preteens/teens. I didn't understand them when I was that age and I don't understand them now. There you go. Our lesson(s) went really fast (the time went by quick) but overall it was so much easier than last year because we are in a much bigger facility, have more help, and the transitions were just so smooth. I wore a cowboy hat which was a BIG hit (several people took pictures with me) and overall it went very well. Right now we are on a break, but we have no big plans for tonight. Just prepare for tomorrow, and see what happens.
Things to pray for:
1) Continued strength (Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual) for our team and volunteers at VBS. One of our members Lacey - the girl whom I flew with on the plane - has been sick for the past several days. She had horrible motion sickness, then jet lag, and then she had a case of Vertigo. She got some medicine today which should help, but it has been rough and miserable for her. Not to mention the jet lag for the other members. It's just tough adjusting to a 13 hour time difference.
2) VBS - Today we talked about "Who am I?" and tomorrow we ask the question "Does God care about me?" Pray for Courtney and Lacey as they lead the music, Zach as he leads the team and also Recreation, Mary Beth/Jacqueline/Kathleen as they lead 1st-2nd grade (they have the largest group out of us all...almost half of the kids were in that group), Allyson and Lacey as they lead 3rd and 4th, and Courney and I as we lead 5th- Preteens. Also pray for the volunteers and the church who hopes to cultivate relationships with the kids and families that come here.
3) My Group - We have 8 which is a size I like, but I also realize that we could get more or some could leave. There are some in there that struggle with their English and some that are pretty sharp so it's hard to find where the middle is to teach. I'm finding repetition and asking questions to help, but we'll see! Pray for good time management and that we hit the key points. Also pray for Valerie. She is with the church and will see these kids again and she is developing a great relationship with those girls.
I am going to leave with a few new cultural things that I experienced.
- I ate chicken feet soup. The chicken feet didn't taste like anything, but it was so annoying to spit out bones every couple of seconds.
- People here love to dress up their dogs, and I don't think any of them are neutered (at least from the place we went to the other day).
- You don't joke about Karaoke. It's serious here.
- Brown sugar with coffee is very good.
- If you see Ice cream, you better get some. It's like finding a prize in a box of cracker jacks (weird reference, but whatever)
Have a great rest of the day!
Scott
I am still on the computer that only allows a 20 minute session, but I will save a draft and continue my thought. Before I start on what happened the past couple of days, I wanted to thank those of you that have already commented through the blog/e-mail/facebook about the trip. Your support means a lot, and the prayers are definitely needed! I hope that the blog does justice to what's happening.
Day 3 - Day three was the day of our commissioning service and worship service at CBIC in Clearwater Bay. That is the church that we are partnering with for VBS. The people there are so nice. Some even remembered my name! Of course, who could forget a man as handsome as me? :-) Anyhow, the service is always a cool experience. We would sing a song and the first verse or so everyone would sing in English and then the next they would sing in Chinese...and then we would do Chinese and English together! (Obviously not together together like Chinenglish but those who knew English sang English those who knew Chinese sang Chinese). We got commissioned in the service and had to say our names, where we were serving, and what our job was in "real life." I wanted to say a Brain surgeon or something, but it's not good to lie in church. After that, Zach preached. The thing is that he would preach in English and then they would translate in Chinese. It ruins the flow and makes the message twice an long so you have to use 1/2 the content...and it's just difficult. Zach did a great job, but he said it was one of the hardest speaking engagements he has ever done in his life. Guess what? He gets to do it again next Sunday! You should probably pray for him now.
After the service, we had lunch (Dim sum...some of you know my personal feelings on this dish. If you don't, I'll tell you later). After we ate, we went on a boat ride to an outlying island where we relaxed. We then came back to the hotel, rested for 30 minutes, and went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. Zach and I split a pitcher of Cream Soda which we later learned was a mistake. A pitcher equaled about 5 glasses each. Did not make for a happy Scott (my clock is still off too. I woke up at 12:30 wide awake and didn't get to sleep until 2:00am and then took a shower at 5:45am because I was not getting back to sleep). But overall, it was a good day.
Day 4 - I am actually in the late afternoon of day 4 as I type this right now. It is difficult to find computer time, so I am blogging when I can. Today was our first day of VBS. I had a lot of energy until VBS was over, and then I felt like it all flowed out of me. It was a great day though. Courtney and I are leading 5th grade-Preteens. We had 8 in our class, and we have the potential to grow. We have this lady helping us whose name is Valerie, and it was wonderful. She is able to work with the girls and Courtney and I take the boys when we do small groups. It really helps. Plus, I feel more comfortable with a female talking to girls about life matters. At least girls that are preteens/teens. I didn't understand them when I was that age and I don't understand them now. There you go. Our lesson(s) went really fast (the time went by quick) but overall it was so much easier than last year because we are in a much bigger facility, have more help, and the transitions were just so smooth. I wore a cowboy hat which was a BIG hit (several people took pictures with me) and overall it went very well. Right now we are on a break, but we have no big plans for tonight. Just prepare for tomorrow, and see what happens.
Things to pray for:
1) Continued strength (Physical, Emotional, and Spiritual) for our team and volunteers at VBS. One of our members Lacey - the girl whom I flew with on the plane - has been sick for the past several days. She had horrible motion sickness, then jet lag, and then she had a case of Vertigo. She got some medicine today which should help, but it has been rough and miserable for her. Not to mention the jet lag for the other members. It's just tough adjusting to a 13 hour time difference.
2) VBS - Today we talked about "Who am I?" and tomorrow we ask the question "Does God care about me?" Pray for Courtney and Lacey as they lead the music, Zach as he leads the team and also Recreation, Mary Beth/Jacqueline/Kathleen as they lead 1st-2nd grade (they have the largest group out of us all...almost half of the kids were in that group), Allyson and Lacey as they lead 3rd and 4th, and Courney and I as we lead 5th- Preteens. Also pray for the volunteers and the church who hopes to cultivate relationships with the kids and families that come here.
3) My Group - We have 8 which is a size I like, but I also realize that we could get more or some could leave. There are some in there that struggle with their English and some that are pretty sharp so it's hard to find where the middle is to teach. I'm finding repetition and asking questions to help, but we'll see! Pray for good time management and that we hit the key points. Also pray for Valerie. She is with the church and will see these kids again and she is developing a great relationship with those girls.
I am going to leave with a few new cultural things that I experienced.
- I ate chicken feet soup. The chicken feet didn't taste like anything, but it was so annoying to spit out bones every couple of seconds.
- People here love to dress up their dogs, and I don't think any of them are neutered (at least from the place we went to the other day).
- You don't joke about Karaoke. It's serious here.
- Brown sugar with coffee is very good.
- If you see Ice cream, you better get some. It's like finding a prize in a box of cracker jacks (weird reference, but whatever)
Have a great rest of the day!
Scott
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Days 1 & 2)
Hello Everyone!
I hope this blog won't sound too rushed, but I need to get to the point quicker. The main reason is the computer I use automatically logs out every 20 minutes. So, I will try to tell the main points.
The first day is just all about survival. Getting to the airport, getting through security, catching planes, and even more fun stuff that for any of you travel know about. My experience on the planes this go around...was not fun. The last 15-20 minutes of my flight to Newark was very bumpy. Both me and Lacey were getting real sick and if we had to be on there for like 5 more minutes, I'm sure the people on the plane would not have appreciated what would happen next. We did get to Newark and caught our flight on-time, but then came the 15 hour 50 minutes plane ride to Hong Kong. It goes pretty fast if you watch movies and such, but we ended up having a lot of turbulence at points. At the end of the day I had two pepcids and two dramamines and I was still feeling sick. The important thing though is I got here safe and sound and I was even able to eat some good chinese food later on that night. So all is well that ends well!
Day 2- Today was good because we were able to set up for VBS. We have G-R-E-A-T facilities this year. We are meeting at Evangil College and have full classrooms and plenty of space. It will be a great environment to teach in and just be with the kids. We got our room set up for 5th-Preteens, and I think it looks really nice. The people in my group saw my C personality mixed with my OCD/anal retentiveness. I am who I am. I might as well just embrace it! After that, we went and took a tour of a buddhist temple as well as a christian retreat center. The Christian retreat center was really cool, but it was sad at the Buddhist temple. The saddest part was they had shrines that contained pictures (and the ashes) of deceased family members and you could burn incense and pray to them. There is a lot of spiritual darkness here that people are just looking for anything to help them spiritually.
I would go more into this, but frankly I have less than seven minutes and there are other people that need to use this. I am going to make an outline next time so I can go into more detail.
Please Pray For -
1. Zach as he preaches tomorrow with someone translating his message
2. Strength for the team as we continue to battle jet-leg
3. The volunteers that are working with us.
4. The kids coming to VBS
5. That all the planning will come together and there will be no big problems.
Thanks, and I will blog again soon!
Scott
I hope this blog won't sound too rushed, but I need to get to the point quicker. The main reason is the computer I use automatically logs out every 20 minutes. So, I will try to tell the main points.
The first day is just all about survival. Getting to the airport, getting through security, catching planes, and even more fun stuff that for any of you travel know about. My experience on the planes this go around...was not fun. The last 15-20 minutes of my flight to Newark was very bumpy. Both me and Lacey were getting real sick and if we had to be on there for like 5 more minutes, I'm sure the people on the plane would not have appreciated what would happen next. We did get to Newark and caught our flight on-time, but then came the 15 hour 50 minutes plane ride to Hong Kong. It goes pretty fast if you watch movies and such, but we ended up having a lot of turbulence at points. At the end of the day I had two pepcids and two dramamines and I was still feeling sick. The important thing though is I got here safe and sound and I was even able to eat some good chinese food later on that night. So all is well that ends well!
Day 2- Today was good because we were able to set up for VBS. We have G-R-E-A-T facilities this year. We are meeting at Evangil College and have full classrooms and plenty of space. It will be a great environment to teach in and just be with the kids. We got our room set up for 5th-Preteens, and I think it looks really nice. The people in my group saw my C personality mixed with my OCD/anal retentiveness. I am who I am. I might as well just embrace it! After that, we went and took a tour of a buddhist temple as well as a christian retreat center. The Christian retreat center was really cool, but it was sad at the Buddhist temple. The saddest part was they had shrines that contained pictures (and the ashes) of deceased family members and you could burn incense and pray to them. There is a lot of spiritual darkness here that people are just looking for anything to help them spiritually.
I would go more into this, but frankly I have less than seven minutes and there are other people that need to use this. I am going to make an outline next time so I can go into more detail.
Please Pray For -
1. Zach as he preaches tomorrow with someone translating his message
2. Strength for the team as we continue to battle jet-leg
3. The volunteers that are working with us.
4. The kids coming to VBS
5. That all the planning will come together and there will be no big problems.
Thanks, and I will blog again soon!
Scott
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Hong Kong 2010 (Pre-trip Blog)
Hey Everyone!
I didn't do this last year, but thought I would do it this year. When I went on the mission trips to St. John, we would do a Pre-trip blog all the time. Basically it was to say what you were expecting to get out of this trip, what you think God is trying to tell you, and what to pray for...or something like that. I'm sure you can find my old blogs and see about it if you are interested. For this one, I just want to share my thoughts about the trip and then leave you with some stuff that you can pray for my team and for myself. Does that sound alright? I hope so, because I'm going to do it anyway!
Well...it's finally here. After months of will I won't I, coming to terms with the decision and possible implications, and just all the stuff that has been going on with me from January to now, I am going to leave for Hong Kong in less than 12 hours. It almost seems a little unreal. Yet I'm sitting in my room with two packed bags, a carry-on, and listening to the sounds of my keyboard as I write about the upcoming trip. So, how do I feel? Other than the fact that I feel like I'm missing something (which happens on practically every trip), I feel nervous and excited. I feel mostly nervous about the plane ride. Lacey and I are leaving earlier than everyone else and we are going to meet them in Hong Kong (because we're coming home earlier). I don't like the fact that I'll be away from my whole team, but it will be all right. Will come to prayer requests later! I do feel pretty prepared for it, and I know I will have LOTS of time on the plane to get ready as well, so it should be good. Although you can't always prepare yourselves for what will happen because anyone who has ever been on a mission trip can tell you...anything can happen.
For those of you who are reading this, I am going to list some things that you can keep in your thoughts and prayers.
Thank you, and I will blog again as soon as I can!
Scott
I didn't do this last year, but thought I would do it this year. When I went on the mission trips to St. John, we would do a Pre-trip blog all the time. Basically it was to say what you were expecting to get out of this trip, what you think God is trying to tell you, and what to pray for...or something like that. I'm sure you can find my old blogs and see about it if you are interested. For this one, I just want to share my thoughts about the trip and then leave you with some stuff that you can pray for my team and for myself. Does that sound alright? I hope so, because I'm going to do it anyway!
Well...it's finally here. After months of will I won't I, coming to terms with the decision and possible implications, and just all the stuff that has been going on with me from January to now, I am going to leave for Hong Kong in less than 12 hours. It almost seems a little unreal. Yet I'm sitting in my room with two packed bags, a carry-on, and listening to the sounds of my keyboard as I write about the upcoming trip. So, how do I feel? Other than the fact that I feel like I'm missing something (which happens on practically every trip), I feel nervous and excited. I feel mostly nervous about the plane ride. Lacey and I are leaving earlier than everyone else and we are going to meet them in Hong Kong (because we're coming home earlier). I don't like the fact that I'll be away from my whole team, but it will be all right. Will come to prayer requests later! I do feel pretty prepared for it, and I know I will have LOTS of time on the plane to get ready as well, so it should be good. Although you can't always prepare yourselves for what will happen because anyone who has ever been on a mission trip can tell you...anything can happen.
For those of you who are reading this, I am going to list some things that you can keep in your thoughts and prayers.
- The Plane Ride - Pray that we make the connections on time, pray for the flight attendants and the pilots, pray that we may use the time on the plane for prep. and relaxation, and that we all meet up in Hong Kong
- The Team - Pray that relationships will continue to build as we work together. Pray for individual strength as well as group strength.
- The Volunteers - We have several volunteers that will help us at VBS this year. Pray for our relationship with them, their relationships with the kids, and communication between all of us to be effective!
- The Kids - We expect there to possibly be over a hundred kids there, so pray that their eyes and ears will be open next week and that we may build relationships with them.
- The Church - The church we are working with there is putting this on as well as hosting us. Pray for their pastor, congregation, and that they may be a light in the Hong Kong Community.
Thank you, and I will blog again as soon as I can!
Scott
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