Season's Starting!

Finally got my ball hockey club together this year! All the work off bringing sticks over (thanks Keith and Timmy) and collecting sticks painstakingly from the YMCA. This year the club got approved which means we have a budget to get more sticks. What started out as 5 kids shooting around has turned into a 17 person co-ed team. So thankful.

Here are some pictures of our 2nd practice.





Passing drills






Stickhandling and using the body to shield the ball.






Pass to slot for one-timers.




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Not Knowing

It has been great to still keep in touch with friends back home. Thanks to iPhone technology, I got to facetime with Debbie during my lunch break last week. As brief as it was, it was a blessed time to encourage and pray for each other. Something in our conversations struck me. She mentioned in passing how it was a big decision for Tintin and I to move to Hong Kong. Her words caught me off guard. It never really occurred to me that moving to Hong Kong would be a big decision, until now. I had a reality check. Tintin and I are in Hong Kong, setting up “home” here for the time being, until God calls us elsewhere. Sometimes this realization might be overwhelming. I wonder, “Why did God call us back to Hong Kong? Have we realized what our purposes are yet or will it be fully realized in the future? When will I go back to Vancouver? What lessons does God want me to learn?”  If I dwell on these questions too long, I might start freaking out. But what I have learned from the past year is that it is to our benefit to not know too much.

If I knew I would be in Hong Kong for an indefinite period of time, away from family and friends, I probably would have chickened out and stayed in Vancouver. My fears and doubts would have consumed me. But instead, God only told me what I needed to know for my good. That way, I would be able to proceed forward with the little faith that I have. And I guess that was what we did. I (We) learned that as we proceed, God will reveal and confirm the next steps. In this way, it makes us depend on God more. I guess that was what happened in the past year with Tintin and I. Somehow, the little steps brought us here. So, if you ask us what are the plans for the future, our answer would probably be, “I don’t know.” And it’s okay to not know too much. It’s probably for our own good. So, if you want to pray for us, pray that we would be faithful in the things God has given us. Pray that our ears and hearts will always be open to hear the confirmation and revelation of God for the next steps.

Weird Dreams

Last night I had this really strange dream where my dad was chasing me around trying to convince me to go visit my grandma for dinner. I kept running away and refusing to go. It was strange because the dream took place at UBC and I was taking the bus to get away from him. Afterwards I felt so guilty about not going. I woke up feeling as if I was abandoning my parents. 

To be honest, I haven't really interacted much with them since getting married. I've seen then a handful of times since coming back from Vancouver. But since the summer it's been a little awkward because every time I see my parents the conversation always steers towards my sister and how she is doing. I think part of me just can't handle it anymore. I don't have the energy to solve my family problems anymore and get into their mess. 

I think the struggle for me since getting married is that I need to find the balance between my time with Michelle and how I relate with my family. My parents have been really good in not demanding a lot from us (which is something I appreciate) but I have trouble with not feeling guilty about the freedom I have. Part of me of course wants to spend time with them. But whenever we do, I always feel guilty for their problems. I dont' want to feel guilty anymore. I just want to be their son and brother.

This morning Michelle and I were talking about Faith, Hope, and Love and how one day there won't be a need for faith and hope anymore because we'll be redeemed in heaven. We will just have love- the love of God that we will bask in and the love of fellowship that we share. Those are things I look forward to. Right now I'm finding it hard to have faith to hope for that. I need to be reminded that our God is good and does keep His promises. He promises to redeem and make all things new (2 Cor 5:17), and promises that one day there will be no sadness or weeping (Rev 21:3-4). Please pray I'll remember that.

This year vs. last year

It my second year teaching at a local highschool in HK and I've noticed a couple differences in terms of how I yeah this year compared to last year. It's kind of interesting how things change

Last year I told the students I didn't know any Chinese and asked them not to speak to me in that language hoping that it would push them to practice their English. Instead, I found myself constantly worrying about being found out that I had lied to them. Whenever parents called or came to talk to me I got so nervous about speaking to them because my secret would be exposed. It ended up hurting my teaching more than it helped.

This year I just told my class st the start that I knew a little bit of Chinese, enough for me to understand that they are fussing each other or swearing in class. Kids have responded nicely and haven't hounded me asking whether I know Chinese. It's freed me up to actually talk to parents and focus on my teaching. It's a liberating feeling.

Another difference I've noticed is just how calm I am about things that have happened. Last year I stressed so much about what to do when, which rules needed to be obeyed, etc. This year things are more familiar and I don't stress the small stuff. When kids don't follow the rules I just explain what the expectations are and move on. When coworkers butt in and interrupt I just figure it's expected and the culture here. I just roll with it.

Last thing I've noticed is that I've been able to spend so much more time marking and doing actual planning during school as opposed to wedding planning every spare moment I had. It's nice because when it's 5, I cab clock out and go home. Not that its a badge of honour I am proud of, but I am happy that I am able to balance my work and home life to spend time with Michelle and continue building our marriage. It's important in a culture that values work at the expense of family. I'm glad that things are more familiar so that I can be more productive.

Overall I'm relate happy about this year. It's exciting because I feel free to do the actual parts of teaching I enjoy like interacting with kids and hopefully getting to know them as individuals. And what's more is that I was able to start a ball hockey club after school so that has me planning for practices and matches to come in the future!





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Medicare

It sucks being sick. Being sick in HK especially sucks because there is no Medicare. I realize how awesome it was to hbe consultations covered in Canada. I just had to spend about 80 CDN to see the doctor and get flu medicine for 6 days. I don't remember it ever being so pricey in Canada, but then again I don't remember a lot of things.

I should stick to not getting sick then I'd have no problems.




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Wedding Reflections

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve arrived back in Hong Kong to begin our teaching years. And though some things are familiar, (and even eerily comforting) like the constant hum of the air conditioner and anonymous crowds, we miss home. We miss the meaningful conversations and the heartfelt fellowship we can only find in friendships steeped through years of joys and heartache.

We are ever-grateful that we had the opportunity to share our wedding with the best of friends back home in Richmond. This is where we’ve grown up. This is where our faith was formed. This was where we were challenged to follow Christ with our band of believers and pursue Him recklessly. What an honour to celebrate with those who have walked with us over the years!

Over the last year, when Michelle and I planned our wedding, we really didn’t know what to expect. Frankly speaking, neither of us had ever given our wedding any thought. There were no dreamt-up childhood fantasies of a special wedding dress or a little white chapel. In fact, we hatched out most of our plans quite unromantically, bumbling around ideas and breaking etiquette. The fact that our wedding turned out is a testament to our friends- both to their love and competence.

Michelle and I joke about how God used our friends to hijack our wedding day. Throughout the planning we had just hoped for the best and prayed that somehow our wedding would be a testimony of God’s goodness in our lives. God took that prayer and showed us the full spectrum of his goodness. The sun blasted its radiance and held off the rain until the evening. All the details we had labored over for months were perfectly set by our friends and helpers. The music and sermon at the ceremony was awesome. Our polaroid cameras actually worked and our guests had fun! The day went so well.

At the end of the night many guests at the reception dinner commented that they could sense the deep love and fellowship we shared as a church community – that we had something that they had never really seen before. They saw a Christian community whole-heartedly celebrating not just the love between two people, but the love between the church as a body.  They shared that they could see a God who was real, who indeed changes people and works in wonderful ways to bring about His purposes and glory.

The thing that Michelle and I miss most about home is being able to celebrate with friends. Not just celebrate in extraordinary ways for weddings and such, but in the ordinary ways when we simply live life together. For in those moments of genuine fellowship, the body is united and Christ is shown to the world.

What do you mean?

It's surprising that a couple colleagues have come up to me to congratulate me on my wedding and follow up with the question, "Is your wife living with you here in HK?"



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