Prior to July of 2010 we had not planned on coming to Hong Kong. For several years while living in the states, we had grown somewhat comfortable and were looking for God’s help in rescuing us from the snares of American materialism and apathy and Christianbubble living. I was especially moved by Dr. Tim Keesee’s “Dispatches from the Front” videos in late 2009. My wife also noticed our condition (likely before I did) and began praying. We weren’t looking for anything specific, but we knew that we needed His grace and direction to jostle us up and out from our rut.
This summer we were presented with an opportunity to come minister at a secondary school in Hong Kong and also to help kids4truth gain a footprint in that region of the world. From the very start this felt like it was a “God thing” and both my wife and I really wanted to go.
So, in late August of this year my wife and I landed in Hong Kong. It has been a whirlwind of activity and acclamation since arriving here. For the first few weeks we stayed at the Harbour Plaza Resort in Tin Shui Wai. As you can see the maker of beds there did not have people my size in mind (good thing there were 2 of um). We are currently renting a 700SF apartment close to the school. It takes us about 20 minutes to walk to the school every day. It’s a “deeeee-lux apartment in the sky-y-y-y” as we live on the 34th floor and have some really unique views of the “bedroom community” that is Tin Shui Wai.
During the weekdays both I and my wife work at the Chinese YMCA Secondary School (this is separate from the YMCA organization in the states). Because Hong Kong is a special administrative region of China, we enjoy many religious liberties at the school. We have been encouraged by the school leadership to teach students the Bible. Many of the students here need Christ. Recently I have been asked by one of the classes I teach (about seventy 18-20 year olds or “Form 7”) to do a class that contrasts Christianity and Buddhism. I think based on some responses received from a questionnaire that there are probably less than 10 Christians in the class, so roughly 1 out of 7-10 students are believers. Many are like the Form 7 student that replied when asked if he believed in God: “Of course not.”
I think this 1 in 10 ratio would likely apply to the rest of the 1200 students here at the school (for example, the very well-promoted Student Christian Fellowship had a total of 14 students attend). Please pray for the Gospel to run and have free course among the students. May God be pleased to open spiritual eyes and grant saving faith and repentance.
In a sense, we are tent-making missionaries as we receive a salary from the school. Only here, our “tent-making” is among our most significant ministries. We have daily opportunities to influence these kids with the Gospel. We have found many of them to be receptive and interested. But I think they are looking for the same thing teens everywhere are looking for: examples that live the Gospel. I write that with a humble and burdened heart knowing how short I fall of this. Stories like Jonah, David, and Balaam’s talking you-know-what give me glimmers of hope. God is so good and gracious to use us and to let us be a part of His drama of redemption.
On the weekends, we are actively involved with Grace Baptist Church in the Tuen Mun area. Pastor Cedric Wong has been a constant blessing and encouragement to us. We are partnering with him to translate the kids4truth curriculum into traditional Chinese characters and subsequently establish clubs in this area. Please pray for this endeavor! I think it is an important one. With kids4truth translated into Chinese the potential outreach of the ministry increases by about 1 billion lives. We have already begun one kids4truth club at the church; about 20 children attend every Sunday. Recently the first patches were awarded to some of the kids. It was a big deal. We are praying that the number of children attending would grow, and that more churches in this area would begin kids4truth clubs as materials become available.
We have found the Hong Kong people easy to love. We have already made what we feel will be lifelong relationships with so many here. The students at the school have been very kind and accepting of us, though because of the language barrier it takes some time and effort. Most of the students can speak English well enough to have at least some measure of meaningful conversation, but some are fearful to use this language foreign to them. We have used tools such as chess, Chinese chess, table tennis, Facebook, graphic design, drawing, music, and basketball to open doors of communication. The girls here especially adore my wife. They think she is beautiful. (So do I). As for me, they are just amazed at my height. I am “tai goh” (too tall).
The staff at the Chinese YMCA has also been wonderful to us: supportive and available. We feel that we are part of a team. It is difficult to think of not staying here as our hearts have put down roots attached to many of these people.
The church we’re partnering with feels to me like what an early and biblical New Testament church might have felt like. The church body is together A LOT…for no defined reason, for no planned program…they are just a community. The atmosphere at the church is extremely human. It’s a group of transparent people that have been touched by the Gospel and want to live for Jesus. How refreshing it is to go to Friday night prayer time and hear requests from congregants that confess faults to one another and pray spiritual prayers for spiritual help. People in the church are concerned about God and each other, and they live it. It’s really good. (Also, there’s no formal church on Sunday night and I’m pretty sure that this is biblical. :-) )
The church meets in a YMCA facility (not another school, just a center…and it has no relationship with the YMCA secondary school that has no relationship with anything YMCA in the states. Clear?) Tuen Mun is a very active part of Hong Kong and is considered a blue-collar region. There are people walking outside (and inside) the church location all the time so the opportunities to minister are overwhelming. Hong Kong is people, lack of space, and buildings! They don’t build out here, they build up!
Besides helping with the kids4truth program at the church, we have begun a basketball ministry called “The Silver Bears.” Check it out on Facebook and become a fan! We are also exploring ways how the church might better equip 
those people desiring ministry training in this region of the world. Pastor Cedric would also like to begin an internship program for U.S. single-college-grads that would like to come and minister for a few months. If you or someone you know would be interested in this, please contact me. We have had an intern here for the past couple months and she has had a significant ministry working at the church. She has been teaching a cooking class and several ladies in the Tuen Mun area have attended. She has also been teaching a free English class to elementary students. The opportunities for ministry are endless here. Come to the city!
So that’s what we’ve been doing the last few months. The great people at kids4truth have enabled my wife and I to go on this adventure. The kids4truth ministry continues to expand in the states and Canada. We’re also gaining a small footprint in Mexico as we are almost finished with the Spanish translation of the curriculum. Please pray for the k4t-into-Chinese translation endeavors. Please pray for us.
God is awesome.