A few little lobsters!

We set off for church this morning at 8am - it takes over an hour and 3 train journeys to get down to Evangelical Community Church on HK island. The Pastor spoke on Psalm 73 and I think we all got a great deal from the sermon.

After church we decided we needed to find a beach to relax on our last full day and headed up over the hills (by bus!) on HK Island to a place called Repulse Bay. It was a cool 42 C when we got there so we desperately searched out some trees for shelter! Those of us who were a little more adventurous headed into the South China Sea on 2 green lilos, the rest took refuge near or under the trees. As you can imagine the water babies are a little like lobsters tonight!

We spent the evening with the Hutton Family (Andy, Emie, Joshua, Caleb and Daniel) It was a good chance to catch up with them and Emie cooked us a beautiful meal.

We finished off the day with the last of our studies on faith. I think each of us can honestly say that we have seen God work in many ways during our trip and that we have learnt alot from our studies, the people we have been working with and the work we have been involved in.

We will make one final trip into China tomorrow morning before a debriefing session with Andy in the afternoon. The plan is then to leave for the airport sround 8 pm.

I hope that each of us can put into action the words of Ps 73:28:

But as for me, it is good to be near God.

I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds.

"Missy, Missy!"

Yesterday was quite a successful day with 27 runs in total and just 4 confiscations. In the morning we thought it was going to be worse. There seemed to be senior management at the customs desk - men dressed in navy uniform and white gloves, and this seemed to be putting the officials under pressure. We think it was some sort of inspection. Their every move was being watched and so security was even tighter than other days.

The 4 confiscations all took place at this time - Cheryl, David N, Kyle and Louise. There was also alot of Chinese people stopped and we were thankful we were foreign because the officials were being very harsh with them - shouting and throwing their bags around. Fortunately, they seemed to just want the 4 of us out of there and so didn't keep us too long and didn't ask any questions.

In the afternoon, this whole situation worked to our advantage because there was a different area marked off to walk through. It was extremely busy and so many of us were just able to walk through in the crowd. David N and Kyle again got stopped but even when the officials took out children's packs and read them - they just put them back in and sent them on their way! This would not have happened on a normal day as this literature is even more frowned upon than the main books. Thank God for these circumstances in the afternoon. It also meant many of us were able to do a third run.

After work we stayed in China for a while as we had not spent much time there. Beside the border is a place called The Blue Mall where there are literally hundreds of tiny shops selling anything you could imagine! But there is alot of bartering done. All we heard was 'Missy missy, looky looky!!' 'Do you need a watch?' 'Do you need a handbag?'...Hello...missy missy...you buy, you buy!! ...And so it continued! The boys didn't really find it amusing but all the girls eventually gave in and we got a bag each! We did well with our bargaining too so that was even better. Once finished, we met Andy for dinner and went to a Chinese restaurant in the mall. It was good to spend some time with him.

Today we took a much needed lie in and then went down to Hong Kong Island this afternoon. Went shopping for a few hours and returned to the Outback Steakhouse for another 'normal' and fantastic meal! Tomorrow we are planning to go to church in the morning and maybe spend some time with the workers in the afternoon.

In Him,

HK 07

Delhi-fantastic Thursday!

Back to work again bright and early on Thursday - the glorious 12th! We started off our day with a look at Joseph and the faith he showed throughout his life, in God's promise and the forgiveness he showed to his brothers. Then we hit the road with the first team leaving at 9am.

The small groups were heading for both the hotel and the office at various times along side those from the American team. Everyone was feeling quite exhausted after the day off and probably a build up of everything we have done over the last 10 days but we were all quite keen to try to do 3 trips in our last 2 full days.

Praise God that out of 23 trips, there were only 2 confiscations in the morning - EJ and once again Kyle.We thought that the officals had maybe started to recognise Kyle but he said that they were different each time. It was a great encouragement for him to get through ok in the afternoon! Some of the guys made 3 trips but for the rest of us there was either no one left from the full time workers to take us to the office or our feet were just too sore.

We ate in an Indian restaurant and it was truly Delhi-fantastic! Imagine an Indian restaurant in Hong Kong! I'm sure the aroma in the apartments on Friday morning was delightful!

Adam finished the day off with a devotion on 3 of his favourite stories from the Bible comapring them to what we are doing here. Praise God for another successful day doing his work!

In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever. Ps 44:8

Tough day...followed by Disneyland!

Yesterday was another hard day in terms of confiscations with 6 in total. Keri and Alana had their first confiscation and Kyle was the first team member to be stopped 2 times in one day. Cheryl also was stopped and experienced a harsher side of the officials when they just ordered her around and seemed very angry. She got only 2 books through and usually during a confiscation, we can manage to get at least 5. This can be discouraging because when we push ourselves to make as many crossings as we can, it's hard to understand why God doesn't turn the situation around for His glory. But we know He is always working out His plans and have noticed that sometimes, when one person gets stopped, it provides opportunity for one or two others to get through because the officials are busy. We have seen many miracles and thank God for them.

At present, we are delivering our books to a hotel where they are stored temporarily. The room is booked in Matthew's name so pray nothing goes wrong and the staff find no problems with our comings and goings.

The American team that arrived at the weekend are getting on well and have made a good number of crossings. However, it has been frustrating for us at times because our schedule is delayed with so many groups going across the border. We are finally at a point where we feel we could do 3 crossings a day but now, it just doesn't seem possible because all groups have to be staggered and timings don't allow for a third crossing. Again, pray that we would trust in God's plans and His timing, knowing that He can see the bigger picture.

Today, we had a much appreciated break and went to Disneyland Hong Kong! I think every one of us returned to our childhood and were carried away by how magical it was...not least of all Alana who loved every minute!! We had alot of laughs, seen a few shows and parades, and of course tried a few rides...some of us more than once as the boys went on Space Mountain rollercoaster 6 times!! Class day had by all.

As we look ahead to tomorrow, we see our trip coming to an end. We have just 2 more days of border crossings, and possibly a half day on Monday. We are all eager to do our best for God and know that He will give us the strength to cope with whatever lies ahead.

HK 07

The start of another week ... it's hard to believe it's over a week since we left home. In many ways it seems less and others more. A few of the team members are already planning where they'll have their first Norn Irish feast when we get back!

Today was pretty successful - 17 out of 20 got through customs without being stopped, praise God. Some of us had to put our bags through the x-ray machine but somehow the guards didn't see what was inside. It definitely is a test of our faith when we put the bags on the conveyor belt and pray that God will get them through without the guards realising what is inside or else not caring enough to stop us.

It would be easy to become complacent and think we are doing this in our own strength but with a prayer time before each journey and constant prayer as we walk towards the guards we put our whole trust in God to get us through.

Andrew once again was stopped coming back into Hong Kong (on what we were told were very random routine stops!) to have his passport checked in more detail. Thankfully they did not question him this time and he did not have to wait for as long (approx. 15 mins) but it was enough to sap his energy. We had planned to do 3 runs today but felt that we did not have enough energy and feared that we may get held up again if we did. Perhaps another day!

We finished the day with team devotions focusing on Psalm 71 v 1-6

In you, O LORD, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame.

Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me.

Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me,

for you are my rock and my fortress.

Deliver me, O my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of evil and cruel men.

For you have been my hope, O Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.

From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother's womb.

I will ever praise you.

Thank you for the comments you have left on the blog - they are a source of constant encouragement to us all when we meet together! It is so reassuring to know that you are lifting us up to God throughout our trip.

Thanks

HK Team

R+R!!!!!!

ITS FINALLY THE WEEKEND - YEO!!!

Saturday we got the KCR (train) to The Star Ferry which took us to Hong Kong Island from there we got another boat to Lantau Island and from there we got a bus to the Tiantan Buddha. We climbed 268 steps to the top and had picturesque view of Hong Kong and Lantau Island! The Buddha is a big landmark in Hong Kong and he is enormous!!!!!!

That night we FINALLY had some REAL food!!!! We found an Outback Steakhouse and needless to say we ate for all we were worth!!! With steaks and burgers and pork chops coming at us from all angles!! And the girls enjoyed some well needed dessert!!!

Sunday we went to an english speaking Church with the full-time workers in Hong Kong Island followed by a traditional chinese lunch!! It was kind of like a buffet, they came at ya with all this gunk and you kinda felt obliged to eat it, needless to say some enjoyed it alot more than others. We had dumplings, shrimp, eggplant, and alot more - all with chopsticks!!! Oh and also chinese tea (personally i wanted to boke at the food!!)

This afternoon we visited Victoria's Peak via tram with the full-time workers and another Amercian team who had arrived the night before! We had some crack teaching them our lingo such as 'wind your neck in.' This evening we went to some outdoor markets but ended up inside a shopping mall as none of us were to keen on buying either a goldfish or a dog!

After having a few days to relax we again are all feeling very apprehensive about the week that lies ahead, and wondering what God has install for us. You mightn't realise it but everyday it gets harder especially for those who have not been stopped and are wondering if 'today its gonna be me'. Please continue to pray for our team and the team that has just arrived from America and the full-time workers.

HK 07

Yesterday (6th of July) was the worst day yet regarding confiscations, over half of us were stopped and all items confiscated. As i am sure you can imagine this is very discouraging especially for those who seem to be facing it on a regular basis.

Last night i was listening to my MP3 player and the first song to come on was Casting Crowns 'The Voice of Truth' one part goes like this:

But The Waves Are Calling Out My Name
And They Laugh At Me
Reminding Me Of All The Times Ive Tried Before and Failed
The Waves They keep On Telling me
Time and Time Again
Boy You'll Never Win
No You'll Never Win

But The Voice Of Truth
Tells Me A Different Story
The Voice Of Truth
Says Do Not Be Afraid
And The Voice of Truth
Says This Is For My Glory
Out Of All The Voices Calling out To Me
I will Choose To Listen and Believe
The Voice Of Truth

Instead of the waves laughing at us it is the custom officials reminding us of all the times we have tried before and failed. Please pray that we will not let man intimidate us and that when we hear voices it is only the voice of Truth telling us 'Do Not Be Afraid' reminding us that this is for His glory.

When EJ and Andrew went back later to reclaim their confiscated goods they had trouble getting the attention of the man in the booth, they later realised he had been reading a Bible!!! Earlier on in the day, Matthew, Kyle and David Nesbitt had left a Bible purposely in the reclaim area and possibly this was the one he was reading.

On our way back from the first run of the day Cheryl, Keri and I had a well earned rest in Starbucks before going back for a second run that afternoon! We sat in silence for 20minutes enjoying REAL food and drinks...I thought I had gone to Heaven early!!!

Food is still leaving alot to be desired, last nights was the worst yet and only a few enjoyed it! Some got melon soup which actually came in a melon cut in half, it had to be the most disgusting thing i have ever tasted in my life. I would rather eat Mc.Donalds for the rest of my life that have one more stinking Hong Kong dish!!! I kind of put my chopstick through the side of the melon, which may i add was HAIRY!!...yes hairy!!!! which then caused all the soup to come flying out and flooded the tray!

It is now Saturday morning and we have the weekend off. I think it is safe to say that everyone is pleased that we get the chance to rest and relax and do 'touristy things'!!

Please continue to pray that God will protect us and encourage us while doing His work, without Him we are nothing.

Alana
c/o HK 07

Day 3

I think we're all glad to be able to give a more positive report today. After looking at the faith of Noah in our team devotion this morning, we were feeling re-energised and ready to go - knowing that no matter what circumstances God would put us in today - we just needed to keep strong in our faith.

We had a total of 25 crossings and only 3 'delays'. Two of those were confiscations but the third showed us again how the eyes of people can be blinded in an instant if God wills. We are all still very nervous. Not least of all Andrew, who has been quite unfortunate! Today his passport was taken and he got sent to an interview room. We had not been briefed on this and so he did not have a clue what was going to happen. Thankfully, after a very long half hour, he was free to go without questionning. We are definately learning to pray more effectively!

In general, the team are feeling more upbeat today and are starting to gain more energy. We each made 2 crossings and a few of us who were feeling strong completed a third trip. Pray that we will continue to gain more energy and do all that is required of us. In the last blog we said we were getting across an average of 20 books per person per crossing. It is actually more than that. We can take anything from 30-60 in one crossing which is really great when we get lots of good runs through.

Thanks for your contined support and comments. They mean alot to us and are read out each morning and evening at our devotions.

HK 07

tiredness has struck!

Hello again,
Just a quick update from day 2 - we all managed 2 crossings today but it has to be said some unfortunatly did not go to plan. 5 people got their bags confiscated this morning and needless to say were left feeling quite deflated and extremely nervous as they were stopped and questioned! Today: a total of 22 crossings with 17 being successful though, so i suppose we have to be thankful for that. Hard to say the number of books taken over but on average 20 per person per crossing, maybe more. The bags are very heavy and so we are limited to how much we can take in one go without keeling over somewhere! The fun will begin again tomorrow with who knows what in store!

The team are all feeling exhausted, drained and as already said, some discouraged, so would really value your prayers at the minute for strength (physically and mentally), motivation and enthusiasm . Its only day 2!! None of us fully realised the intensity of the work and how much it would take out of us. The high temp and humidity doesn't make it any easier!

On a more upbeat note..... we have just had another team devotional and discussion which has lifted the mood and everyones spirits again , ready for another day tomorrow! It is exciting and there is a definatly a buzz when the crossings are a success but we know to expect some which won't be that way. Its all about how we respond to it and move on.

Thats all for now....more soon
HK Team 07

Chickens don't make sausages!

Our first full day in HK - Tuesday 3 July. We started off with some briefing from Andy about what's what, visited the office and then went to the supermarket to buy lunch - anyone fancy some boiled cheesy frogs?!! Honest - there were live frogs in a tank in the supermarket beside another tank of fresh fishes saying 'Please do not wash your hands!' (as if you would!) We managed to find enough to grab for lunch - some nicer than others! Alana discovered that chickens don't make sausages - that would be a pig!

In the afternoon we all split into our teams for the first trip across to China. It was a little nerve racking, not sure what exactly we were to do but we got all our forms filled in for the border, collected our suitcases, said a quick prayer and headed for the train. It was only then that we realised just how heavy a bag could be, especially in the heat! We all got across - some with their nerves still in tact and others in need of some magicool, having had to open their bags at the request of customs staff. Thank you God, that they let everything go on through. Then it was off to the office to empty the bags and make the journey back home. All together it took about 3 hours from start to finish for each group. Some of us even had time for a little Chinese tea!

We went out for dinner together and told all our stories from the day, then finished off with a little devotion in the apartment from 2 Chronicles and prayers of thanksgiving for all that had been accomplished.

We were just thinnking that maybe we'd all head back into China tomorrow!

Billy, George and Freda

This is the mother/father/sister/brother/grandmother/grandfather/aunty/uncle/cousin/step-brother/sister/wife OR husband of George or Freda, our appartment cochroaches. oh bOkE!! We found this guy last night when we arrived and found another this morning at 4.30am in ur bathroom!! it's wee friend then decided to come out and join the party but they both escaped...and are now looming around the appartment. Billy (the one in the picture) faced a death of falling 18 storeys...serves him right for trespassing! Alana c/o HK 07!

Our first day!! =]

Hello people!

We have arrived, its warm, its sticky and its wet.

We arrived safely but with a few hiccups along the way. We got evacuated from Heathrow airport, a wee man came into the food court and started screaming "get out, emergency evacuation" something to do with a 'suspicious package'. We were in the middle of eating our flipping tea and we had to leave it and scadaddle. Keri risked her life and went back for her coke, i was tempted to do the same for the pizza. We returned to find a group of chinese people in our seats, eating our left overs!!!

Then unto an 12 hour flight. Shortly after lift off dinner was served, fried (noodles) spicy chicken and rice and a tub of pure chocolate pudding. Louise was so overcome that she decided to put pepper in her tea and hoked it out with a spoon and continued to drink it!

We had great fun playing with the inflight phones, EJ and myself phoning each other to see what we were having for dinner! And then Keri and I playing a JT song to davy knox down the phone!!!!!!!

We got breakfast at 4pm in the afternoon (hong kong time) fried eggs....with CHICKEN AND RICE FOR BREAKFAST!!!!!! Keri had potatoes in hers - boke!

Got the bus from the airport to the appartment and near passed out with the heat. Had a quick tour of the area and first stop...McDonalds!! Andy Hutton made us get photos taken for our Visas and to say that we looked a little worse for wear is a huge understatement!!!

Now its bedtime, update you with more shenanigans tomorrow!!

Alana c/o HK Team '07!

The countdown hits zero!

It's officially the day we leave to go to Hong Kong and Louise's birthday!

I can safely say that most of us feel a little apprehensive about what lies ahead - probably because we're not quite sure! I heard two stories of others who have just returned from Hong Kong - one didn't get stopped at all and the other got stopped everyday and had his Bibles removed but still managed to get 15 across in his back pack!

I know we will all have a stronger prayer life as a result of this trip as we have to rely on God to get us through the border each time. We will also be doing a bible study on Faith (Hebrews 11) while we are away. I pray that God speaks to us through it also.

I've some last minute packing to do and then some much needed sleep so it's bye for now! The next time this is updated hopefully we will all have got to Hong Kong safely with all our luggage.

EJ