Day 2 (I can scarcely believe that we have only been here two full days!) was filled with grace and joy. I will never cease to be amazed at the kindness and compassion that we are shown by our hosts. They share the love of Christ with their actions of attentiveness. I can't help but want to be like them. Our hosts are forever making sure that we are safe, comfortable, and happy, no matter how long of a day it is. We wander around the school and city like baby ducks, clumped together, oblivious, and occasionally unwittingly walking into dangerous (very mild) situations. But they swoop in like mother ducks and scoot us back onto the sidewalk and to safety. I think that we have to be exhausting, always snapping pictures, stopping and pointing at slightly inconvenient places (almost missed a MTR connection once) and behaving a little silly when we are walking home late at night. But they smile and are patient with us, guiding us where we need to go and keeping us on schedule. It reminds me of our Heavenly Father and the relationship with all of us. As much as we are here to witness to the people here, they are also a witness to us. I thank God for these amazing people.
On to the day's events... First, we started the day with a worship service on campus. Although we couldn't understand a word of it, the service was very moving. The Holy Spirit speaks all languages and we witnessed another language of praise today. The songs of worship from God's people was a sweet music to my ears. I watched the upraised hands and hearts of the Chinese congregation and I was reminded how vast, enormous, and complete is His mercy for the people of the world. How big is the heart of God to hold ALL of his people! I praise God that began its journey throughout the world over two thousand years ago and that it still continues to spread.
After the service, members of the congregation graciously took us to a lovely family restaurant for lunch. We were introduced to even more amazing dishes and a few...surprising ones. A few adventurous members of our team tried cow stomach. They said it was spicy....I'll take their word for it. Following lunch we made a quick stop to the supermarket to grab a few treats for our loved ones and ourselves. I personally was thrilledto discover Diet Pepsi, which is called Pepsi Light here. I've got a couple chilling in the fridge and am curious to see if the formula for the carbonated delight is the same as the States' version. Yes, I have a soda problem.... :). But I'm not the only one excited to try variations of American treats. We also picked up a bag of Green Tea Kit Kat, and let me assure you, they were delicious!
The evening activity picked by our church and school hosts (to complete our cultural immersion) was a trip to The Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. We took a bus, MTR (subway), and walked (as distracted ducklings) to the tram station to ascend to the Peak. We were greeted by shops, restaurants, and a sea of humanity at the top. Made Omaha look like an outpost in Antarctica, tiny and far away. After riding numerous escalators, we arrived at the observation deck and were awestruck by the amazing view. All of Hong Kong was laid before us and we watched the ships sail around Victoria Harbor. We frantically snapped pictures and mourned that they would never be as good as the real thing. As 8pm approached, we secured our places near the railing to watch the light and laser show that would take place. We also watched the storm clouds roll in at that time... Despite our sad and sorry faces, the clouds opened up and poured on us. We shrieked and ran inside as our guides ran behind begging us to slow down, don't slip, and please be careful! But the little ducklings were scattered and wet. The rain stopped suddenly and we decided to go back outside and try to see the show. Just as we got to the rail, it began to drizzle again. This time we pulled out our umbrellas and banded together, much like the Romans did with their shields in battle. We were a hysterical sight. Alas, it was not meant to be and the clouds once again opened up and we decided it was really time to go. The walk and ride back was quite soggy and now these weary ducklings are tucked back into the school, safely returned, and attempting to dry off.
After having our evening devotion and share time, we are getting ready for bed and looking forward to setting up our VBS program tomorrow. Now it's our turn to give! And we can't wait to share the love of Christ in our hearts.
May God be with you, our dear friends and family. We love you so much.
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