Ministries of LOVE

Here are some different outeaches we've done:

We went out to deliver food to the drug addicts of the city the other night. We prayed then packed boxes of white rice, steamed veggies and chicken. We passed them out to the people. These people have no jobs and spend their days by the clinic because the government will give them drugs to keep them from doing dangerous  crimes. Yes, logical. I like that we are able to bless them in a practical way. I tried to start conversations, but no one really spoke English. It was mostly awkward, but I smiled a lot to make up for the barrier. The little girl I tried to befriend kept running away from me shyly. Anyway, KP and I were fascinated because the little girl was blowing bubbles. So, her uncle came up blew cigarette smoke into the bubbles to make smoke bubbles and she giggled as she popped them and the smoke drifted out.

The same evening we went downtown to do a late night prayer walk. We were specifically targeting the red light district. We went around and noticed all the hourly hotels that we actually had passed by many times earlier in the trip. After they were pointed out to us, we saw the signs everywhere. The most heart wrenching moment for me was when we walked by a sign that listed: “Chinese, Russian, Malaysian, Vietnamese…ect” with various prices next to the different races. Girls bought for their race. The reality hit me and I literally got sick to my stomach. That’s never happened to me before. We went to a nearby park and prayed for the city, for the girls and worshipped God. Life is so different for so many people. And it’s culturally accepted that businessmen hire prostitutes on the weekends. What an empty way to live. We continue to pray.

KP and I visited a Napali church service this evening. The worship is an hour and the message is about an hour. Of course, it was in Napali, but there was a friendly 12 year old boy to translate for us and tell us which Bible verses to read. “It’s okay, I speak English,” he whispered kindly with a smile. The spirit of God does not know language barriers because God was speaking to me so strongly in that service. The church was small with white walls, neon lights and minimal Christmas decorations. The people are humble and simple. As they sang, tears began to well in my eyes because of the purity of their love and worship. I don’t know if you have ever been overwhelmed by the beauty of a specific people or community, but their peaceful yet passionate worship was enchanting. After every service, they eat traditional Napali food, and can I just say, best chicken wings I’ve ever had. Rice, curry, spice- so good. The children adored Kristine. Most everyone our age and younger spoke English, so we made a lot of friends and quickly. One of the little girls asked KP if she would be her BFF right before taking cute, goofy pictures together. Great. Now I have to compete with an adorable 8 year old. It was truly a pleasure to go and they wanted us to come back and stay in HK longer. This seems to be a theme with the people we meet. God has given us so much favor with people on this trip and we have had the honor of making so many instant best friends. Sheesh, why can’t I make friends like this in LA?! The C3 and YWAM people also want us to stay. KP and I were talking, “It’s a good thing we are going to Thailand next week. I’m already getting emotionally attached to everyone.”

FRIENDS!!!!!!

We have been loving the YWAM people here! Very few are Americans, but they are all so kind. We teach the Chnese students English in the afternoons. I got a beginning group of 6 year olds. The cute, quiet one is my favorite. I imagine if I was 6 and Chinese, I would be like her. They are a little rambunctious, but we have a grand time. We are also washing cars, painting windows, scrubbing mildew and washing walls to get the facility ready for the next season. Everyone is really grateful for our help. On our off time, we see the city with our new best friend, Eric. He has lived in San Diego for 3 years working with C3 there, so we have a lot in common. He takes Kristine and I around to all the “hot spots” in the city. We all laugh and joke around so much it hurts. Lots of fun memories!

 This is eric, our pretty legit tour guide.

 Above is our other San Diego friend, Verilu! She took us out for these AMAZING burgers with bree (spelling?) cheese melted on top!!!

 Tim Shau Tsui or TST as the locals call it. The downtown place to hang out, shop and get street food!!!

 Mang Kok ladies market- most densely populated area in the WORLD….as you can see here….where’s waldo (or Christina) haha. Can you find me. Although this game would work better with Kristine. Her black hair blends better…

 Micky D's!!!! We went there to sit down because, oh yeah, China has no benches. none. too many people. That's proably why they are all so skinny....

 Did I mention we lovvvvve the metro???. This is one of the views.

 In the back is the skyline of HK Island. I heart my bestie!!!!! Oh and it's Christmas EVERYWHERE in China because they just delete thanksgiving. The malls and tourist areas are all decorated and even the village houses have wreaths!

 We had to get boba with true Chinese green tea!!!!! So good!

I figured I should put up a picture of me actually doing the "mission" part instead of just hanging out. It's hard to take pics when you are working on the houses. We are pretty tired after these work days, but they are very rewarding :)

# 1 Spot in HK!!!

The Buddah Lookout

 Took a tram to the giant buddah (don’t know the official name…lol) The tram was 20 minutes long and the view is indescribable!!!!! The pictures don’t do justice. We literally could not stop snapping our cameras…

then you get to the top and it looks like giant Ireland mountain descending inot the water… at least to someone who'e never been to ireland before...

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 This is the view of the Budda from the tram- The YWAM friends say they walk around it and pray -the base of it has a giant crack and every year it gets bigger.. It's just a good reminder of who the real true God is

 It is a HUGE hike to the top!

 It is a gorgeous view of the surrounding dense vegetation. The view combined with the old Chinese traditional structure and the golden afternoon sun made the moment simply beautiful, like the call of a vast adventure and ancient mysteries.....

OHH and there was definitely this European couple at the top of the buddah making out hard core…Oh, Europeans...... just sayin’

 This is the entry way. It just looked cool. I'm sure it has some kind of meaning...

 This is the fishing village at the base of the buddah- soooo CUTE (i know i've used that word a billlion times ;))And of course it has the token starbucks.

Mainland China

We’ve been crossing the Chinese boarder daily to work with the Church in China. It’s a lot of traveling and we get 4 stamps in our passport each day x4. It makes our passports look super cool, but only an actress would think that. Our work is slightly dangerous, so we are very focused.

We are in love with the food here and we walk soooo much that we just try everything. One of our favorites is this bowl of chicken and rice and the edges of the bowl are so hot that the rice gets cooked and crunchy around the edges…. and the sauce. AH! So, I may or may not turn into a total fatty on this trip. Haha, but for real.

The metro is so crowded in the morning, you can’t always make the first or second or third train and then the crowd control lady comes and yells at people in Chinese to move because you are literally that pathetic. May or may not have happened. The CUTEST CLOTHES IVE EVER SEEN IN MY LIFE!!!! Why aren’t our malls this cool?!!! Every time we walk by a store, I have to say out loud, “Christina, you are on a mission trip, not a shopping spree.” It’s been difficult. And it’s okay, unless you are a stylish person, I don’t expect you to understand.

Tomorrow, we begin our work with YWAM for the next couple weeks. We are excited to meet all the staff. We get to start the day with worship in the morning. Oh….. and one last thing. Our roof has this SUPER legit balcony where you can see the sparkle of the distant skyscrapers, the clay roofs of houses for miles, and the metro zooming somewhere else (every 3 mins).The view combined with clinking dishes, childrens’ laughter and dog barking somewhere near truly let the moment land. I’m in Hong Kong. A beautiful city with this beautiful night all to myself and there is something intimate about the moment, something deep that you will remember fondly. I know, I’m such a girl sometimes haha. 

 Here we are at the Schenzhen boarder in Mainland China! We are here to work with the church in China and we are so honored to be working with a people so devoted to their faith. They love God so much and it’s very encouraging. These people also have incredible faith. We are already attached.
 

 This is Dennis Balcome, a very influential missionary in China. He ministered to Kristine and I for over an hour. His stories were absolutely incredible. Lots of blind being healed, raising from the dead, people in wheelchairs walking. He has been here since 1969. We were so blessed to spend time learning the recent history of the Chinese church from a firsthand account.

 Also, there is a huge shopping center right by the Schenzhen Chinese boarder with lots of name brands, floors and floors of shops and people grabbing me to come inside. Because Kristine and I looked obviously western we got a lot of attention. We bartered for things and got them down to less than half the original asking price, which is what our HK contacts instructed. Of course this involved us “walking away” a couple times. So fun, but exhausting!!! Thank God we don’t have to barter for everything in the US. I’d be too overwhelmed to go to the mall.

 These are the toilets in China… um, yes. Very SCARY!!!

 This in Nuen Long, the city closest to us (we are staying in a suburb). Everyone is out and active in the evening and the weather is perfect- a warm breeze in the evening excitement. Lots of traffic, yelling, stands, beggars, signs, lights and it sounds like you’ve won the lottery every time the crosswalk bell goes off. Kristine and I already have “our” noodle place. SO good and spicy, they hand roll the noodles and it’s so cheap. I will be on the hunt for authentic Chinese noodles in LA!!!!

 The Nuen Long fruit and veggie and meat market, noisy, but has it’s own beauty. The beauty of everyday life, the simple things.

 

This is the fountain in Hung Hom, by the water in Kowloon. It’s where all the westerners come to stay. You can tell because from the starbucks window while sipping a gingerbread latte, I was convinced I

was in Manhattan for a second.

Our Chinese church friends gave us peanuts ( WAYYY better than the peanuts in the USA, we are getting jipped. Just sayin’. I am looking for Chinese peanut butter) and dragon fruit (stains like a pomegranate, but with the texture of a kiwi, you scoop it with a spoon), grapes and baby apples. This is our dinner J

We're OBSESSED with this city

Kristine and I are in LOVE with Hong Kong!!! EVERYTHING is so cute and we are suckers for aesthetics. We don’t have to window shop because we just stare at the women passing by, our pitch increases whenever children are near. Our viliage is so calm and wonderful to come back to. And the Ramen here is spicy. I’m packing a suitcase-ful to bring home! Here are some snapshots of our adventures (the internet is in chinese over here and I can' figure out how to rotate the pics so bear with me haha.....

 Everything in Hong Kong is so Cute. This is an upper end coffee shop on the Island side, where all the westerners live. We had a personal British guide from church take us to the Island hot spots (in blue). Hong Kong is a tight-knit community for westerners and they all have dream jobs and posh social lives- a fun idea.
 

 We had Dim Sum in China for lunch. So cute!!! Comes in little bamboo baskets. Our Hong Kong friend Christy helped us pick out things. Lots of Dumplings with meats and veggies- most similar to pot stickers, only jucier and more flavorful. So Yum!

 waiting in the hectic line for Victoria Peak

 This is right next to the IFC tower (2^nd tallest in Hong Kong with claws at the top) Huge skyscraper with mall below with Korean guys playing jazz. Inside, white marble floors echo voices as everything seems to sparkle. On the deck here above, are tons of chic bars and couches where the “cool” kids hang out.
 

 Irish Coffee!!!! Everything here is so stinking adorable!!!! Fun coffee shop

 Japanese style food (which is apparently very trendy right now in hk)- you pick your own raw veggies and meat and cook them in the pot. It took us 90 minutes to eat and with chopsticks is one of the most frustrating meals I’ve ever experienced, but the cooking time left moments for Kristine and I to connect with our new church friends who soooo welcomed us and took us out to eat. They love that we are from San Diego and want us to move here. They are from all over Singapore, Indonesia and other parts of Asia. We will be going to church with them every Sunday at C3 and seeing some of them throughout the week J yay, hk friends!!!

 Ladies market- 20 blocks of mom and pop stands with everything you could possibly imagine, very local.

The peak is AMAZING!!! Breathtaking. You feel like you are on top of the world and you can see the entire city. Incredibly romantic. It wouldn’t be hk if there also wasn’t a mall attached. Kristine and I jammed out to Brittany Spears in the bookstore and met the cutest girl named Kelsey in a souvenier shop. She was 8 and far better dressed and polished with curly hair and shiny shoes. She made us look like bums. All the asian children here are sooooooooooo cute!!!!

 Every Sunday the entire Filipino population lines the streets of saks ffifth, Armani, Prada ect and trade clothes, exchange food, and just sit on the side of the street for hours, def some staged Gangnam style dancing to PSY happening #mademyday

 All the Chinese wash their chopsticks, bowls and cups in the tea before using them- a fun little custom before teatime

Absolutely beautiful. The picture cannot do justice to the moment

Pictures :)

 Our Room, so cute!!!

 One of the many brilliant skylines

 Kisses from Hong Kong

 A pure moment in Paradise

With my bestie in Nuan Long.... We are the only white people lol

The adventure Beckons

I suppose I did fall victim to jet lag because it is now 6:30 am in Hong Kong and I haven’t been successful at trying to sleep for the past three hours. But the light in the sky is new, the mist is settled in the crests of the mountain, birds sing as the wind sends a cool chill through our village. We are staying in the New Territories, where it is very local and very little English is spoken.

Hong Kong is very beautiful- the perfect mixture of nature’s serenity and metropolitan wonder. We went to Nuen Long yesterday- we were the only foreigners I saw and our friend directed us to this place to get Chinese noodles for lunch. Seriously AMAZING! Way better than any pho I’ve ever had. The lady didn’t speak English and I don’t even know how to say hello in Chinese, so our conversation was reduced to pointing and facial expressions. And apparently, you don’t tip here. I LOVE the metro here!!!!!! La needs to catch up. And can I just say, free government wifi?!!!!!! #WelcometoHongKong

Kristine and I went to the clock tower by the sea and wandered the avenue of stars, but our favorite was this two-story starbucks where we sat enjoying the sunshine and breeze for hours over green tea frapps. Let me attempt to paint the picture: A soft breeze, the sun welcoming you like an old friend, the choppy sea is just feet away and across the harbor is the most expansive and dense skyline I’ve ever seen with name brands for the world to see. All the locals are well dressed below us tenderly sipping wines of all kinds. And speaking of well dressed, there are malls EVERYWHERE. And I thought the Us was a consumer society. Most people downtown have a louis vutton, Gucci or otherwise accessory.

It’s quite a romantic city with lots to do. Dim Sum is supposed to be this amazing dish to get here, not really impressed- the texture is too gummy. . Our apartment is soooo cute! I love coming back to it. And it’s just the first day!