Streetcars, Bubble Tea, Fish Balls, and Selfie Sticks, Oh...and Goodbyes :(

It's Suzy again. I have the privilege of blogging again tonight because everyone else is packing up for our journey home tomorrow.

We had a wonderful final day with our teacher friends. We ended up spending quality time with almost all of them today. Jaqueline showed us her English classroom and brought her Polaroid camera to take instant pictures with everyone. Light took us to her home and introduced us to her husband, David (he is a missionary who she met when he was over here from Florida) and her daughter. Dick and Jason escorted us around Hong Kong Island all afternoon and our whole group got to try fish balls, fried fish skin, and bubble tea. We are fans of bubble tea.

Walking around Hong Kong Island with our friends

Finally, we met up with Principal Ho, Vice Principal Monica, and Betty (the teacher in charge of organizing the VBS) for a very special farewell dinner. During dinner, we discussed the success of VBS. Everyone was pleased and they were very excited when we promised that we would return next year. We brought up the possibility of more joining us from Zion next year and that more children could be invited if more teachers came. Maybe that will happen?

One of the funny things on our trip is a new invention we found called a "Selfie Stick" it is a extendable arm that you attach your camera or phone to and then you can take group photos without asking someone else to take your picture. We really had a fun time taking group selfies all over Hong Kong.

Principal Ho and Tyler with the next big thing-the Selfie Stick

The Chinese custom is to give gifts and we had things to give our hosts as well. Nothing could have prepared us for the thoughtful presents that they gave us. Each of them is special, but Jason gave us something that we believe should be shared with our church family. He painted us a circle painting and wrote a message to us that really says it all. "We are all one cell in Christ".

Jason painted us a Chinese style circle painting

Light found us stamps to share with Sunday School, that say "Jesus Loves Me" in Chinese characters

Praise be to God for the blessings he poured out this week! I am personally thankful also for this team of hard working, fun, and flexible brothers and sisters in Christ and also grateful for a supportive congregation that boldly sends us!

That's all for tonight. It's a bitter sweet entry because I expect we won't post again until July 2015. Tyler already loaded a countdown app on his phone. 353 more days....

Typhoon Day!

This is Jinmei!

Today we got to see what a typhoon was like. There are 3 levels of typhoons, level 1, level 3, and level 8. We were under level 3 today.

We weren't sure what we should do. One of the teachers, Light took us to Hong Kong Disneyland.
Today was not too busy at Hong Kong Disney,but at point during the day it would just start pouring rain for like maybe ten minutes then it would stop. We would all run for shelter. It was also crazy to hear Mickey and Minnie speaking in Chinese.Another teacher,joined us and her name was Jacqueline and then after a long day she took us out to eat.

We also had the chance today to give bracelets and crosses that the ladies at church made.  The school is going to use the crosses as invitations to next year's VBS and the bracelets are going to be given to the church's Sunday School students.

It's been a great week!  Jinmei

VBS Day 3

"God loves us and sent His son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."  That was today's message. Does it get any more important than that?

This is Suzy, posting on my own log in. (You'll get that little inside joke if you've been following along all week!) The final day of VBS is always the best and the worst. It's the best because we get to tell the most important story ever, the children are always warmed up by now and really into it, they know the songs, they know the dance moves, and they want to share contact information to keep in touch. It's also the the worst because it is over, just when we are beginning to find out their personalities and get to  connect with them-it's all over and done and we are waving goodbye.

We take comfort in knowing that God's work continues in their lives even if it's time for us to say goodbye to them in person. We are all receiving Facebook friend requests from many of the students. It's very cute that they find us and want to say "Hi! I had a fun time at VBS!". So maybe God will still use technology for us to continue to spread His message with these little ones!

Thank you for your prayers for healing for my back. I'm not sure what I did to it, but it has been feeling pretty bad. Our amazing team regrouped and switched roles for today so that I could just sit and talk with the kids in Tyler's snack room. I started the day feeling pretty useless and like I wasn't pulling my weight for the team. My day was immediately brightened when those kids started running in and singing the songs with big smiles on their faces. Tyler's snack was a piece of bread (a novelty for Hong Kong kids) and a cross stencil with chocolate powder. We had plenty of time to tell the story and explain the message of the cross while they were in the snack room. I had been doing the games with Jinmei and that is a high energy room that doesn't allow any moments to sit and chat with the kids. I found it was actually a blessing that I was given the chance to talk with them. It turned out to be one of my best days. Isn't it amazing how God takes crummy circumstances and can make something beautiful out of it? Right before the second group left, one of the girls came back up to me and gave me the cross craft she had just made. She wanted me to have it. It brought tears to my eyes to see what she wrote and that she wanted me to have it. I felt like she was a little angel. Anyway-how could I possibly feel bad after that?

The cross that was given to me

When we were done with our rotations, we came together for the final closing. Jess had all the kids come up to the cross to bow their heads and pray. It was pretty moving and solidified in all of our hearts that we are where God wants us to be this week.

The kids praying at the cross

Our teacher friends have been wonderful and their concern for my back is touching. They insisted that I  go see a doctor with them so during our lunch break, I was escorted to see Dr. Chee. I have to admit, I was a little nervous. Thankfully, he spoke English and he was very helpful. I left with 4 bags of medicine (in Chinese) that I will do a little research on tonight and begin to take if I still need it tomorrow. But as I type this, I think I'm feeling a lot better. Really, I am.

Dr Chee was great, my Chinese needs some work 

The afternoon was spent with a new group of bitty ones. They were 4-6 years old packed with about as much cuteness as you can handle. Their moms also came and watched our "show". We only get two hours total with them and we really do it up with crafts, games, singing and dancing. I hope when it comes time to be old enough for them to come to the actual VBS, these kids and their moms will want to come and spend the week with us!

Crafts with the little bitty ones

We know from experience that the next couple of days will pass quickly. We will be spending more time with the teachers here and look forward to a special dinner the school will have for us. Those relationships are just as much a part of the mission as teaching VBS, and we cherish the opportunities to spend time with our Hong Kong friends.

God's blessings, thank you for your continued prayers. We all miss our families but are trying to savor every moment here knowing that all to soon, we will be boarding our plane for the journey home.
There is a typhoon that is due to hit tonight, that will be an adventure. But every day is an adventure in Hong Kong!   -Suzy

New friends

Greetings from St. Matthews Lutheran School, Hong Kong VBS Day 2, this is Paul posting under Suzy's log in name.  As you can see in the photos, the smiles of the children we are spreading God's word to are priceless.  Day 2 brought much more enthusiasm from the kids and they seemed to lose some of their shyness from Day 1, especially the older children.  The younger children, most of them are more at ease and love to interact, and giggle, a lot!  It was neat to see that the older kids are starting to learn the words to the songs we have been teaching and the dance moves that go with the songs.  Side note: Even this VBS instructor currently posting this blog is much more at ease dancing, singing and being in costume, which by the way, was well out of my comfort zone going into this.  But, as we know from Philippians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me," which would include singing, dancing, and wearing a costume all in order to praise Him, right?  It also helps, when your co-instructors are truly fun and pretty awesome people to work with.  Day 3 will come and go by quickly tomorrow, and it will leave me wishing we had a Day 4, because this truly has been so much fun and such a rewarding experience.

After VBS, and some down time to relax a while, we broke off into groups accompanied by one of the teachers from St. Matthews to act as translators, to go have supper with one of the students and their family.  I believe that each of us is of the opinion that this experience, outside of VBS itself, is the most rewarding of the trip.  To be welcomed into a strangers home in a foreign country to share such elaborate meals is really eyeopening.  Their homes, which are really very tiny apartments, are quite modest to say the least.  The food they prepare is of multiple courses, and multiple dishes, and there is so much it is hard to imagine that they can afford such an extravagance.  But every family was so welcoming, warm and gracious, you could tell they were genuinely happy to have us in their home.  While their homes may be tiny, and they may not have a lot of "stuff" like we have "stuff," it was obvious they were a happy family and it was easy to feel that sense of "home."  Also of note is that some of the families whose homes we visit may not be Christian.  Their children may attend St. Matthews, but that may be the only exposure they have to Christianity.  The home that Sharon and I visited was such an example.  Our teacher who accompanied us informed us that the parents of this family will attend functions at the school occasionally.  It was asked of us to lead them in prayer before our meal.  Who knows, maybe with their daughter in St. Matthews, and a prayer before a meal in their home by strangers from the other side of the world a tiny seed was planted?  It may take time to grow, but each time we come back here, more tiny seeds will be sown that may grow and bring someone to know Jesus Christ as their Savior.  That is what is really exciting about this whole experience.

Please continue to pray for Suzy, as her back is still in much pain.

I also have a personal prayer request for my dear friends in Christ, Curtis, Julie and Jaxon Klein, (members of Christ Lutheran Church, Lincoln).  This family lost their son and brother Keaton Klein earlier this week when he was called to his heavenly home while traveling and studying abroad in Europe with a group of students from UNL.  This family is in tremendous pain at this time due to this devastating loss.  Please pray for them during this time of confusion and pain.  Thank you.

Day 1 of VBS

Greetings from sunny (and hot!) Hong Kong!

Jess here, blogging under Suzy's login.  Today was a special day as we got to put our preparation into action as VBS officially kicked off.  The theme is "Weird Animals" and we brought a few extra items, costumes, and ideas to compliment the already phenomenal setup of the school.  St. Matthews does such a spectacular job preparing for VBS, gathering props, decorations, and volunteers to make sure the event goes smoothly.  We are so grateful to be partnering with such amazing people!

Speaking of amazing, we adore the students here.  We had about 50 Primary students join us for VBS and we sang, danced, snacked, crafted, played, and learned together.  It was a busy morning!  Our take home point for today was "Even when you're left out, Jesus loves you!"  God's people come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and kinds.  And He loves us all, no matter how "weird" we are. 

After lunch and conversations with teachers that are becoming very dear to us, we switched gears and had a VBS session for the Primary 1 (first grade) students.  We modified the program a little to meet their beginning English level but still brought plenty of fun and faith!  The young students were eager participants and fast learners.

I almost forgot, after the first session, we were formally invited by the students to 3 home visits tomorrow night.  Look for the details of the visits on tomorrow's blog post!

Alright friends, family, and prayer warriors, I've got a request for you.  Our teammate and fearless leader, Suzy, has injured her back and was in a considerable amount of pain today.  Please pray for quick healing for her.  Please also say a prayer of support for teammate Paul who received sad news from home today.   Your prayers mean a lot to us.  

Even when things get tough or our plans take a detour, we remember why we are here and who we serve.  We end every day with devotions, group reflection time, and always a few laughs as we recap our day.  We couldn't be more grateful for this experience.  Our hearts are with the students, staff, and faculty of St. Matthews in Hong Kong.  Praise God for his church here and all around the world!