Typhoon Season

Well typhoon season is upon us now. And it looks like Hong Kong is going to be getting a direct hit on Friday (Hong Kong time) But luckily the typhoon which was forecasted to be a category 3 didn't make it that high and is only going to be a category 1 when it hits.

Lots of New Posts

Well I just posted a bunch of new posts. Not including this one, I just posted 6 new posts. I hope you enjoy reading them all.

New Church Location/New Worship Pastor

Back in May our church officially opened its doors. Well, the doors to the new location. For the last 8 years, my church has been nomadic: every Sunday a different location. Every Sunday God provided a location for us to meet. Back in October, the church Elders announced that they had finally found a location for the church and asked for a church vote. The church also needed to raise money to be able to do the building out of the space. The people of the church voted positively for the location and they also pledged to give the entire amount that was needed for the buildout. $20million Hong Kong (almost $3 million US) By the time the building was complete in May all of the money had been raised. The new address for the church is 633 King's Road. If you are interested here's my church's website. Island ECC

Along with a new building, we also got a new worship pastor two weeks ago. His name is Jeff Caylor. He's originally from INDIANA!! Most recently, he worked in Colorado Springs for Focus on the Family. Besides being a worship pastor, Jeff is also a recording artist. He has a great CD that you will want to check out. jeffcaylor.com I think you will really enjoy it.

Ann Leaving

I mentioned back in May that Ann Osburn was going to be coming to Hong Kong for 2 months. Well, that two months has already come and gone. She arrived on May 13th. I had made plans for the next day's lunch for us to eat with the Nelson's who are from Evansville and currently live in China. They were passing through Hong Kong on their way back to the states. So for Ann's first official meal in Hong Kong she had Italian food. Since I had to go back to school, they took her on a bit of a whirlwind tour of Hong Kong island and took her to a very popular place.

Krispie Kreme Donuts.

Ann spent the next few days getting over jet lag and adjusting to life in the big crazy city. She started her classes on Monday May 19th. She had two classes a day one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Form 5 students who had been out of school since February, studying for and taking public exams, came back to the school to be in her classes. This was additional practice for their oral English Exam that they had to take during June.

Towards the end of the school year, the Form 5 students have a graduation dinner with their teachers, and since Ann was currently working with them on their exam practice they invited her to join too. It was a nice evening. I hadn't seen some of the students since February, so it was nice to see them again. It was funny to see some of them too, because I am so used to seeing them in their uniforms and for this dinner they get all dressed up.

Ann, Janice and Me

Vivian, Iris and Phoebe --
(They call themselves the VIP girls: because of their initials)

One of the things that Ann was hoping to do while here in Hong Kong was visit an orphanage in Mainland China. Unfortunately the Chinese government has stopped all groups going to volunteer at orphanages until after the Olympics. But Ann got to do something that she wasn't expecting to do. I have two friends here that are Bible Smugglers. I introduced Ann to them and they asked her if she would like to go with them. So the week before Ann left she went across the border twice smuggling Bibles.

While Ann was here we also did quite a few fun things...Disneyland, Shopping and Massages in Mainland China and Afternoon High Tea at the Grand Hyatt.

Ann left on bright and early on July 7th. It was really hard to see her go and not to be getting on the plane with her. I cried at the airport and pretty much the whole way back to my apartment. It was really weird walking in and not seeing her and her stuff. I had gotten used to having a roommate for the last two months and now I had to go back to being by myself.

Ann hadn't been feeling well right before she left Hong Kong, so as soon as her plane landed in Evansville she went to the doctor and found out that she has Mono. Please pray for her as she continues to recover from that and also as she continues to seek God's will for her life. For me, please pray that I won't be as homesick as I have been this past month. It really makes it hard for me to be an effective witness when I really want to be in the States. I apologize if you emailed me this month and I didn't get back to you. It's hard to write when you are homesick.

Navy Visit

At the end of June another group of Navy Ships were in town. This time I hosted 4 sailors from the USS Decatur. The end of the school year, we only have half days, so I was able to meet up with them in the afternoon and take them through Hong Kong Park and to the Peak. Then Ann joined us for another great dinner at the "American Peking Restaurant." We had a great meal and a fun time. After dinner we headed to the ladies market so they could do some shopping.

Charles, Ann, Me, Nichole, Beth and Sonya

Nikelle's Bridal Shower

My dearest friend here in Hong Kong is Nikelle. She and I lived together the first time I was here and over the four years that I was back in the States, we continued to keep in touch: she came to visit me and I came back to Hong Kong to visit her. Then when I moved back, she was very generous to open her home to me until I could find a place to live.

Well she is getting married this October, so I decided to throw her a Bridal Shower. Apparently, Bridal Showers are an American thing. None of the ladies in the English Department had ever been to one. Not even Nikelle: she is from Australia. It was a pleasure to plan this for her and a blast to be at since everything was so new for all the ladies.

Working on the word scramble

Using Toilet Paper to design a wedding dress

The three TP brides

The whole group
Back: Koey, Melva, Daphne
Middle: Christina, Teresa, Ann, Nikelle, Katie, Natalia
Front: May, Florence, So

Filipino Ministry

Back in January I got the opportunity to do a cooking class for some Filipino ladies who are a part of the Filipino ministry that my church runs. This ministry is an outreach to domestic helpers. The cooking classes are so that the women can learn to cook "Western" food for their employers. I found out the end of May, what good cooks these ladies really are. The church held a cooking contest for them and I got to be a judge. We had to judge not only on taste but also the presentation of the food. It was all so good; it was hard to declare a winner.

Shannon Hilliard--Pastor's wife gave the devotional

Yummy Food!

Some of the ladies

If by chance you know some different Filipino foods, here is a list of the dishes and drinks that they prepared.

Ube Halaya, Fresh Lumpia, Pancit Malabon, Puot Pao, Guinattang Halu-Halo, Glutinous Rice in Lumpia wrapper, Maja Blanca, Banana Turon, Biko, Bibingka, Buko Salad, Palabok, Leche Flan, Bihon Guisado, Suman Inangit, Calamansi Juice, Sagot & Gulaman, Pinamansi, Halu-Halo, Mango Puree Sago.

Prayer Request

Why do I seem to start my newsletters with some variation of "it's been too long" I don't know about you but time just seems to slip away and I don't always find the time to sit down and write out all that has been going on. I need to get better at doing little bits when I have time, rather than trying to find big blocks of time.

It is definitely Summertime in Hong Kong. The combination of heat, humidity and pollution makes it awful to be outside. I am so very thankful for Willis Carrier and his wonderful invention of Air Conditioning. I wouldn't be able to make it in HongKong without it.

Back in May, I sent out some prayer requests so I thought I would update you on these.

1. One of my students, Ruby: her father just passed away last week. It was very sudden and unexpected. Please pray for comfort for her and her family and also for any financial needs that they may have without him. (She is doing fairly well, I don't have much of a chance to talk with her, but when I see her in the hallways she is always full of smiles, so I think that is a good sign)

2. One of my students, Phoebe: her mom has been diagnosed with Cancer. I am not sure what kind, but they are doing more tests on her. (Phoebe said that the tumor is not cancerous after all, but the doctor wants to watch it and will be doing follow-up checks regularly on it)

3. One of my co-workers, Teresa: her daughter was rushed to the hospital yesterday due to some kind of epileptic episode. The doctors are doing tests, but are unsure of what is causing this in her. Her daughter is 7 years old. (Teresa's daughter is home from the hospital and hasn't had another episode. Please pray for wisdom for them as they try to decide if they should put her on medication or what type of treatment that they should do.)

4. A friend of mine: she has been dealing depression. (She has realized her need for Jesus, realizing He is beyond just a distant thing that is talked about at church, but rather that she is able to trust Him with all of her needs and rely on Him for strength to deal with all things. Please pray that she will continue this searching and reaching out for God. She is starting to come to church with me and we are doing a Bible Study together every week.)

In all of the situations please pray for wisdom for me in talking with them and comforting them. Pray that they will see Jesus through me and that I can point them to the one that will give them the ultimate healing and comfort. (God has truly given me wisdom in a variety of situations. As it says in I Corinthians, I am able to “boast in the Lord.” I have been able to point people to God and explain that the wisdom I have is not my own, but rather from God.)

5. Ann arrived last week. Please continue to pray for her adjustment to life in HK. Also pray for the time she spends with the students that she will be able to connect with them quickly, help them with their English and show them Jesus. (Ann has come and gone already. The eight weeks she was here flew by. I have more about her time here in a post on my blog. )

Thank you all so much for your prayers and the continued financial support, I am so thankful that I have this support team behind me. I couldn't be here without you.

Earthquake in China.

I have heard from quite a few people wanting to make sure that I am ok since there was an earthquake in China yesterday. I am fine, I didn't even feel anything. To give you a perspective on where I am vs. the location of the earthquake...the distance from Evansville would be if there was an earthquake on the Kansas/Colorado Border (approximately) As you can see from the map below, the earthquake was in central China and Hong Kong is down on the coast.



But just because I'm ok, don't stop praying. Almost 10,000 people have died and many more are still trapped/missing. Also please continue to pray for the victims of the cyclone in Burma/Myanmar. The Burmese government is hardly allowing aid to come into the country and hundreds of thousands are going with out food and clean water.

Newsletter 6

Well it has been too long since I last wrote an official newsletter and for that I apologize.

Sometimes when you are in the moment of life, you don't always see the ways that God is working. Not because you don't want to see it, but rather because you are so busy living life. A few years ago, my Pastor from my church in Indiana challenged the congregation to look for God in little things of everyday life. It was something that I tried to do but I have to admit I got back into the hustle and bustle of life and I didn't always see how He was working in the little things every day. I have a friend who often send emails telling of how and where she sees God working. These "I Spy" emails have been my little reminders that I need to be looking for God, not just in the big things but also in the little things. Imagine how much more wonderful our worship would be if we really saw Him working in everything in our lives.

I have been trying lately to look for God in the little things. Here are some ways that I have recently seen God working in my life and through me.

• Moving and settling here cost me quite a bit more than I expected. In the last two months, people have continued to donate money to help with these costs. I am so very greatful. ( Since the checks were given through the church, at this writing I am still not sure who gave, but please know that I am so thankful for your generosity.)
  
• Good Friends--God has blessed me with good friends both at home and here. There have been many times when I have been homesick and I have come home from school and a friend had sent me a card. They have all been so encouraging.
  
• A few months ago my friend Liz asked me if I knew any teachers that were needing a job because her school was looking to hire. I told her I didn't but I would keep my eyes and ears open. Days later I was contacted by an old friend from Evansville, Josh. Josh and his wife Patricia had been living in China, but this past summer they were arrested for having a church meeting and kicked out & banned from China. He was wanting to be as close to China as possible to be able to still work with the pastors he worked with there, so he was hoping to move to Hong Kong. Did I know of any jobs or any other connections. Long Story short...Josh and Patricia moved to Hong Kong 3 weeks ago and he is working at Liz's school.
• At the end February my friend Nikelle and I were driving in her car in a very congested area of town and we were basically sideswiped by a bus. The bus was pulling out from a bus-stop and didn't accurately judge where his back end was. He hit us starting at the front tire and finished by ripping off the front bumper of her car. God protected us in that Nikelle was paying attention and was able to stop before we were hit. If she hadn't stopped, we would have been farther up and the bus would have hit right where I was sitting. When the policeman arrived, we were so thankful that he spoke English.
  
• God has given me the gift of gab and hospitality and I have been able to use that when the US ships have come into town. I have been able to host 3 different groups for dinner. This last group that was in town used my talents of tour guide too.
  
• Last week was English week at the school. We had lots of different activities for the students to participate in and I was in charge of quite a bit of things. God has also given me the gift of administration so I was able to use that in preparing things. There were sometimes when I was needed in two different places at once, and wasn't able to give 100% to either thing, but in the end everything ran smoothly and the whole week was a big success.
  

I know that I could go on with more things, but then this letter would be too long. So, on to prayer requests.

Prayer Requests:

Students:

• Health--There has been a scare recently of a flu outbreak in Hong Kong. So now everyday the students have to check their temperatures before coming to school and show their homeroom teacher what it is. In March there were 2 primary students in Hong Kong that died from the flu.
  
• Endurance--School doesn't end here until the middle of July. The students are already seeming antsy to get out for the summer.
• Form 5 & 7--They are taking their public exams now.
  

Orphanage in Mainland China: The orphans have been sick a lot recently and so the visits have been put on hold

Church Move: Since my church here was first started, it has been a nomadic church. We haven't had a church building that was actually ours. The church has tried to rent the same space at the convention center every week, but it hasn't always been available so we have moved around the city. You always had to check the church website to make sure you knew where to go for church. Well finally the church has found a location for a permanent venue. As long as the construction work stays on schedule we will be moving into the new facilities in the middle of May. Please pray that the move goes smoothly and that this new building will be used for the glory of God. Having a permanent venue will open a lot of doors for the church to do ministries that they haven't been able to do before.

Josh and Patricia--That they will continue to get settled in their new home and that their adjustment to life in Hong Kong will be smooth. Please pray for their ministry that they have had in China and that the distance that the pastors will have to travel to meet with them will not be a hindrance to them.

Ann Osburn--She will be coming to volunteer at my school. She will be here from May 13-July 7th. I listed a bunch of prayer requests on the blog for her. The big ones right now are for her preparation time and her China visa. One of the things she is hoping to do is to go to the Orphanage while she is here and she needs to have the China visa for that.

Accountability Groups--I am currently in an Accountability group with 3 other gals. Please pray that we would be consistent with meeting together and praying for each other. Also I am going to be meeting with the leaders of the other groups in hopes to try to encourage them to be accountable as leaders and to be mentors for the gals in their groups.

I would love to hear how you have seen God working in the small things in your life. Leave me a comment or if you don't want to share it on the blog drop me an email.

SPECIAL VISITOR

In less than 30 days I am getting a special visitor to my home.
My friend, Ann Osburn.

Ann and I met last in February '07. I was standing at the table for the Hong Kong mission trip and she came up to the table and said that she was interested in learning more about the trip. Well fast forward a few months and Ann was one of the 1o who went on the trip to Hong Kong and China last summer with me. While on the trip, Ann was able to build relationships with students both in China and in Hong Kong. During this trip, God also worked in Ann's life regarding the direction she should go for her education and future. Ann decided to change her major to English Education and is now currently working on her degree at USI. God has opened the door for Ann to come to Hong Kong again this summer. This time she will be here for 8 weeks.

Ann arrives in Hong Kong on May 13th. During her time here she will be doing a variety of things:

1. Connecting again with the students she met last summer and doing Bible Studies with them.
   
2. Working with Form 5 students as they do last minute preparations for their Oral exams
3. Doing presentations at Morning Assembly
   
4. Visiting the Orphanage in China
5. And anything else for which God may open the door
   

Please pray for the following things regarding her trip:

1. All of her support will be raised.
2. Her preparation time will be fruitful.
3. She will be able to get a visa to China. She doesn't need one for Hong Kong, but to be able to go to the orphanage she will need one and China is not accepting applications for them here so she must get it before she leaves the USA.
   
4. She will have safe travel
5. She will be living with me...Two girls living in less than 400 sq. ft. YIKES :)
   
6. Our time together would be a time that will bring us closer as friends and will bring us closer to God.
7. She will quickly adjust to HK life
8. She will not experience homesickness
9. She will quickly reconnect with students from last summer.
10. She will quickly connect with new students.
    
11. She will have good time management
12. She will have discernment--She will have the opportunity to work with about 200 students, pray that she will be able to see where God is already working in their lives and she will be able to come in and work along side God.
    
13. Her relationship with God will be strengthened and deepened by this experience.

Anchors Away

The USS Nimitz was recently in town with its fleet. This time I got the chance to host 5 sailors that are on board the USS Chafee. It ended up that Friday the 4th was a public holiday, so I offered to be their Tour Guide for the day. We started off with a trip to a tailor and then Indian food for lunch. We made it up to the Peak in the afternoon, but unfortunately it was so overcast that they couldn't see the harbor. Then we headed to dinner for some wonderful Chinese. HoHo Mei. (delicious)

We got together again (plus two more sailors) on Sunday for some Market Shopping. I took them to the Ladies Market and then we went for dinner. It was a really nice time spending those two days with them.

Jatan, Nate, Matt, Paul, Me, Nick, Michelle and Jen

My birthday

Tuesday was my birthday. And here's the funny thing...When I lived in Hong Kong before(2003), I celebrated my 29th birthday and here I am celebrating that one again. And this year my little sister caught up to me. She just turned 29 on Saturday. Happy birthday, Sarah!!

In all my years, I have never met anyone who shared my birthday. Until Tuesday and I found out that 2 of my students have the same birthday. How crazy is that?!?!

Since my birthday was in the middle of the week, some friends and I went out to celebrate on Saturday night. We started out at Habibi Cafe for some really good food. Then we went to Honeymoon Dessert for my favorite dessert...Mango and Black Glutenous Rice in Vanilla Sauce. (you have to try it before you say gross...It's very good)

Lynn, Nikelle, me and Rachel


Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, emails and gifts!

Thank you!

I thank you, dear readers, for your letters, emails and prayers over these last 7 months. I have really felt your prayers and have also enjoyed getting your emails and letters via snail mail. Your correspondence has been very encouraging as I have been adjusting to life in Hong Kong.

I thought you might enjoy seeing what one of my friends, Lauren (8yrs old), has been sending me. Over the last few months, I received 4 letters with puzzle pieces in them. Today, I received the last letter and have been able to complete my puzzle!!

Thanks, Lauren. I really appreciate your hard work in making the puzzle and that you and your mom took the time to send it to me.

The Beginning of my puzzle
The middle stage of the puzzle
The finished puzzle!!!

Sweet Potatoes

Around the corner from my apartment is a street vendor selling Roasted Chestnuts and Sweet Potatoes. I have walked past this vendor since I moved in and haven't stopped. I guess part of me has been a bit nervous about buying from a street vendor and the other part of me has actually wanted to stop. Well today that part of me won. I stopped and bought a Sweet Potato for dinner. (I also realized that the other item is not Roasted Chestnuts...I'm not really sure what it is) I got home and cut into my sweet potato and got a big shock. I have never seen a white sweet potato before. But, oh, was it good. I think I will have to stop there again tomorrow after school.

Kung Hei Fat Choy!! Happy Lunar New Year

So today is the first day of the New Year on the Lunar Calendar. One of the great things about living in Hong Kong is that we have two new year celebrations. So, if you make new year's resolutions on January 1st and have already broken them by February you get a chance to start fresh on them.

Please pray for the people of China and Hong Kong as they participate in the Celebration for this holiday. Many will be traveling to their hometowns and as you may know China has been hit very hard with snow and the travel situation is not good. Also pray for those who have become Christians while away from their families and are now going to be traveling to visit these families for the first time as Christians. May the light of Christ shine through them as they spend time with their families and friends.

Navy visit

This week the USS BlueRidge was in Hong Kong. As I mentioned before I have gotten involved with the American Women's Association and I host a group of sailors for dinner when they are in town.

Caysie, Me, Loren and Steve

This time I hosted Caysie, Loren and Steve. Caysie is originally from Brooklyn, New York and is 21. She has been in the Navy for almost 2 years. Loren (a fellow Boilermaker) grew up in Haiti and is now a helicopter pilot. Steve is from Springfield, Missouri and is the Chaplain on the ship. Loren is also a Christian and is getting ready to start leading a Bible Study on the ship.

I took them out for a true Chinese Meal. They loved it.

Dried Beef and then you put it in the pockets behind it.

Peking Duck...(A Christmas Story anyone?)

Dumpling Soup.

Everything was delicious (hohomei)

Our time together was really a lot of fun. I think I was blessed by them more than they were by me. Please pray for them as they are out at sea for sometime and pray for the ministry that Steve is trying to build and for God to raise up more women and men like Loren to help work along side Steve.

Form 7 Last day

Today was the last day for the form 7 students (seniors) to have classes. They will now start their self-study as they prepare for the public exam that starts in March. Even though I didn't teach these students this year it is sad to see them go. Many of them were on the trip with our group this summer to Mainland China, so we grew close and it was so good to see them in the halls everyday.

Please pray for them as they prepare for their exams.

Cooking

In my newsletter I wrote that I taught a cooking class for the Filipino ministry at my church, and I know some of you who know me well probably don't believe that I actually did it. I promise I did and to prove it I have pictures.

It was delicious!!

Newsletter 5

Warning this is a long one, but I have so much to share....and if you haven't checked the blog recently, I have added a lot of new postings below.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! A few verses from the Bible came to mind as I was thinking about the New Year. I thought I would share them with you:

2 Corinthians 5:17-21Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

What an encouragement to me that as a Christian, I am a new person. Christ is working in my life and making me the new person that he wants me to be and he will not stop working on me.

The month of December was a busy month here in Hong Kong. Here are some of the Highlights:

SPORTS DAYS: We started off the month with Sports Days. For two days the entire school participated in track and field events. Those who weren’t running, jumping or throwing, they were cheering their team on. They have heat winners, final winners, overall team winners and even a prize for the best cheering team. The best cheering team would be what I would have won if I was still in school since I am not very athletic. J

ORPHANAGE IN MAINLAND: Every Saturday a group from my church goes to an orphanage in mainland China. This orphanage is for special needs children. The special needs range from something as small as a split lip(which has been fixed) to children that have severe mental retardation. I went up on the 15^th with the group to do a Christmas party with the children. It is against Chinese Law to share the gospel with anyone under 18 and of course there is a language barrier, so we just loved on the children, and they loved right back. I can’t wait to return. I am going to try to go up once a month or so.

LEVI SCHEU: Dec 16-24 Levi was on the mission trip this summer with me. He really connected well with the students when he was here over the summer and was able to find a cheap ticket to come visit again. He was busy, running non-stop. He gave a little talk at one morning assembly., shared a song at another , joined me in my classes, and spent lots of time with the students: Dinners, lunches, shopping and sightseeing. He even went to places that I have never been. I know that students really enjoyed having him here, almost as much as I did.

SHELLEY HUGHES: Dec 20-28 Shelley is from my Bible Study at home. Our last day of school was on the 20^th and that evening I picked up Shelley at the airport. It was so good to see her. It’s always fun to get to do the tourist thing here, so that is what we spent most of our time doing, and just relaxing. On Christmas day we went to the store to get an apple pie and ended up eating lunch at the grocery. Both of us agree it was not a good Christmas lunch. That evening some of my friends got together to have a potluck dinner. Are you ready for this the main meal was KFC—And yes KFC means the same thing here as in the states Kentucky Fried Chicken.

FILIPINO MINISTRY: In Hong Kong, many people have domestic helpers and nannies, and most of these ladies come from the Philippines. My church has a ministry for these women. The ministry has many different aspects to it. Usually these women only get one day off a week and they live with the family they work for, so this gives them a place to come and fellowship with other women. They have a Bible Study and a time of worship and they have cooking classes. I know this is going to be a big shock for those who know me well, but I actually did a cooking class for them Sunday. Some of them work for families from Britain, America or Australia and so they want to learn to cook things that are from those cultures. It was really a lot of fun and the food was really good, if I do say so myself. I am planning on doing this again. So if you have any good and EASY recipes forward them on to me.

Praise:

Holidays: I wasn’t really homesick.

Levi: His visit to Hong Kong was really good, he was able to connect with Students that he had met over the Summer on the mission trip. (please continue to pray for him as he seeks God for direction for his future)

Shelley: Having a friend here for the Holidays kept me busy and not thinking about home.

Prayer Requests:

Students:

Form 1-4 and 6 are taking final exams these next two weeks.

Form 7 has their last day of school on Feb 1^st. They then start self study for about a month and then they start their public exams.

Form 5 has their last day of school on Feb 29^th, and then they also start their self study to prepare for their public exams.

Bible Study: I lead a Bible study with Form 7 girls. We had two new girls this past week and both are non-Christians. Annie and Suki. Please pray for them as they are seeking to find out more about God.

Anna: A Filipino who works as a domestic helper here. She is working for a family that is not very good to her. Her work hours are 6am-Midnight and then she has to get up with the baby in the night. She has a really positive attitude about it, but her concern in wanting to get another job is because she doesn’t have time to read her Bible. Please pray that she would be able to find another position, preferably with a Christian family.

Orphanage in Mainland China: Pray for the stressed/overworked/untrained workers. Pray for the Children to feel that they are loved.

Filipino Ministry: Pray for those who are not Christians that come to the gatherings. Pray for these women who are very overworked to be granted strength and endurance and that those who are Christians will be a light to the families that they work for.

Again, Happy New Year!!!

God Bless,

Katie

Singles Group at IslandECC (my church)

The Singles group had a really nice fancy dinner on the 28th. It was a fun evening and a great excuse to get dressed up. I knew there was a reason I packed that top.

Me and MinoriMe, Minori and Sarah

Me and Karen

Shelley

Shelley was in my Bible Study at home. We had a really nice relaxing time. We did the tourist thing and spent time relaxing.

Shelley's first night here some friends got together for Indian dinner.
starting on the left. Julie, Lynn, me, Liz, Shelley, Levi, and Minori

Shelley's last day, we went into Mainland China. We did some shopping, got massages, and had a dim sum lunch.

Shelley, thanks so much for visiting me. I had a great time with you.

Levi

Levi was part of the group that I traveled with to Mainland China with this past Summer. Our group spent one week in Hong Kong working at Cheng Wing Gee College and then we took about 30 of their students into mainland with us. All of us really had a great time connecting with the students. Levi was able to find a very good price for a ticket and so he came back to visit: the students, Hong Kong and me. (in that order) He really has a heart for these kids.

Levi spoke one morning at the school. Here's the video of his talk. He did a great job considering he was suffering from some Jet Lag and he was having to talk in front of 1200 students. Hopefully my camera holding abilities don't make you seasick. I didn't realize I had such a hard time not moving. ;)

One of the nights that Levi was here we got together with a Bible study group. These guys with us were some of the ones that were our helpers this summer. They did so much stuff for us. They are the BEST!!!

The English teachers all love Levi. We had an English Department "meeting" at the dim sum restaurant next door to the school.

Count Down for Levi and Shelley

Growing up we at Christmas time used to make paper chains to count down until Christmas. So this year I did a chain that counted down to Levi and Shelley arriving. But since they were arriving on different days, I had to have a link that said Levi and a link that said Shelley and because I couldn't just have a plain boring white paper one, I decorated all the other links with Christmasy things

Since Levi arrived on a Sunday night, I hadn't torn the link off for his arrival so here he is tearing his link off the chain.
And of course you have to have a poinsettia for Christmas decorations.