Today concluded the third city route for the team.  There is just so much to see in this city that it is almost impossible to see everything, but the team is definitely experiencing Hong Kong’s rich and diverse culture. We hope that these tours gave North Metro a better grasp on life in Hong Kong, what the university campuses look like, and how to pray for this city.

I’m telling you, we’ve been going non-stop since the team arrived; so we decided to take them to one of our favorite villages for market shopping, a little down time, and good eats.  Stanley Village is located on the southeastern part of Hong Kong Island and is one of HK’s tourist hot spots.  Now, its quaint village feel definitely appeases the traveler seeking to escape the bustling city life, but you will still find yourself rubbing elbows with locals as you meander through the famous Stanley Market area.  It was a great way to unwind from the busy past couple of days.

Stanley Village

The famous Hong Kong Star Ferry. One of the routes takes this from Tsim Sha Tsui to Central (Hong Kong Island side).  The ferry offers tourist an inexpensive and efficient  mode of crossing Victoria Harbour.  There are 12 ferries that operate four routes and service close to 70,000 passengers a day!

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Today we broke into three groups with the N. Metro team and showed them a few of the university campuses. Our desire in these excursions over the next few days is to expose them to university life in HK, meet some of the students we’ve connected with over the past seven months, and allow them to see all the sights and… smells this city has to offer (yes, this means a lot of walking; thankfully the weather has been perfect). Every single team member has been a trooper; even as they battle through the misery that is jet lag.

And for those of you that are curious, the HK jet lag schedule is as follows:

> Wake up around 7 a.m. (ready to go) thinking you’re gonna be just fine and that you can handle this international traveling thing
> Have a great morning, lunch, and perhaps even an afternoon tea (still thinking the above-mentioned thought)
> Approach and run smack into the proverbial “traveler’s wall” anywhere from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
> Drag into a Starbucks and recharge on caffeine to drowsily push through to dinner
> Dinner hits and your metabolic activity spikes as you enjoy a satisfying meal = another solid 2 hours of energy
> Hit the pillow hard anywhere from 10 p.m. - 11 p.m.
> *Wake up and repeat schedule

* (results may vary slightly from traveler to traveler)

We are lifting up this city and its people as we walk. We are praying for revival and renewal; all for the Glory of God. Here are a few shots from route b.

(street food bravery) We were actually praying for him as he ate…

A visit to one of the most famous shrines in HK- Wong Tai Sin Temple.

Day 2 was finished off with a roof top BBQ with about 50 of our student friends. We’re convinced that these BBQs are the way to truly gather the students and just allow for life-giving conversations to happen… what a great way to end day 2.

Last night, (well, it would have been early Wednesday morning for all of our stateside readers), concluded week 2 of 6 in our English class we are helping out with at one of the local universities. It’s been wonderful meeting new faces on this campus. Most of the relationships that have crossed our path’s thus far have been graduate students, so it was awesome meeting not only NEW faces, but some more foundation year students. Now foundation year students are most often from Mainland China who are in kind of an adjustment period in HK. The idea is actually pretty cool if you think about it. Before their course work gets too stressful or their plate gets too full with activities, they have time to meet new friends and comfortably settle into this new thing called college life. These foundation year students will more than likely call Hong Kong home for the next 4-5 years as they pursue their prospective degrees. They’re learning how to be on their own for the first time, discovering the in’s and out’s of life in Hong Kong, possibly learning Cantonese and more importantly, learning English. Any Mainland student that is accepted into a Hong Kong university must test at a certain proficiency in English because the majority of their courses are taught in English. That’s where this class comes into the picture. We’ve seen that a very tangible way to share life with these students is by offering our expertise in this confusing language called English. These foundation year students are eager to grow as English speakers and I think it’s safe to say that Wednesday nights are becoming the highlight of our week.

It’s interesting to see how a class like this multiplies in attendance over the first few weeks. You have those that sign up early, those that might be a little skeptical and sign up the day of, and then those go-getters that come the first week and love it so much that they bring 5-10 new friends the next week (you get the idea). As volunteers, it’s rewarding to see the class grow like this. We hope it indicates a genuine interest in our abilities and more importantly, that they know we are committed to them as friends. It’s so apparent that these young college students just want a friend. (If we are honest with ourselves, we undoubtedly see our tremendous need and desire for community regardless of culture and no matter how introverted we think we are ). Our new friends have been completely removed from everything that is comfortable and normal to them in Mainland. I know some have even felt the sting of prejudice simply because they are Mainlanders living in Hong Kong. They want to be heard. They want to laugh over a cup of coffee. They want to learn English and understand Western culture more clearly. May we carry this opportunity and calling well!

“Father, may they know us by our love…”

We will be sure to share more Wednesday night experiences as we continue in the course. Continue to pray for us and these new relationships! Check back in soon for a short video, too.

Below are some shots from the past week-

zach

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Dinner was a success.  Our stomachs were full and content.  The team was enjoying community around couches in the Dean flat, much like every Thursday night in Hong Kong.  In that living room flat, we were drawn to a fantastic coffee table book that allowed us to travel around the world through picture and word for the next hour. We visited Afghanistan, South Africa, Brazil,  Guatemala and Thailand to name a few, all from the comfort of a couch and without jet lag haunting us or long airport security lines to wait in. Eventually we finished up by flipping to Hong Kong, naturally, right? Most of the facts and figures we knew:

• Close to 7 million people live in Hong Kong, check.
• It’s home to one of the most famous (and beautiful) skylines, check.
• Hong Kong is a city that never sleeps, check.
• The MTR (mass transit railway) services close to 3 million people per day, check.
• You’re always aware of a constant lack of personal space, check.
• Dumplings, dim sum and high tea are a “must do” when visiting, check.

“Hong Kong consumes more oranges than anywhere else on earth,” huh? Did you know that one? More than ANYWHERE else on earth! Now, it’s nothing extremely profound, but that’s why “fun facts” are called… “fun.”

Here’s what WIKI had to say about another way oranges are used in HK:

Religious and funerary supplies

In keeping with Buddhist and Taoist funeral traditions, Chinese specialty shops also sell incense and funeral items which provide material comfort in the afterlife of the deceased. Shops sell specially-crafted replicas of small paper houses, paper radios, paper televisions, paper telephones, paper jewelry, and other material items. They also sell “hell money” or currency notes. These items are intended to be burned in a furnace.

These businesses also sell red, wooden Buddhist altars and small statues for worship. Per Chinese custom, an offering of oranges are usually placed in front of the statue in the altar. Some altars are stacked atop each other. These altars may be found in many Chinese businesses.

Lonely Planet The Travel book.

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