Hello there friends and faithful readers!
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| Thomas, the night we met |
Allow me to introduce you to Teddybear Thomas. Thomas is my special friend and traveling buddy. We first met when I was home, in Chicago, for Christmas. He originally belonged to my 3 year old niece, Emma, who in turn gave him to me. The night before I headed back to China in January, I got to spend some quality time with my 3 nieces. I could go on for hours about how much they mean to me and how much I love and miss them, but for times sake, I will refrain. I will say this, these three little girls make it very difficult emotionally for me to be away- I love them SO much! That night, while saying our goodbyes, my heart was flooded with emotion and my eyes with tears. Emma in all her sweetness did all that she could to comfort me. In her efforts she gave me Thomas to travel with, care for and love, so that,"I wouldn't miss her so much." As overjoyed and blessed as I was by her simple act of kindness, my eyes only drew more tears - tears of gratefulness. I thank God for gifting our family with not one but three sweet girls. I'm so privileged to be their Auntie!
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| Missed our flight :( |
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| Passing the time in Beijing |
Since our meeting, Thomas and I have had many wonderful adventures. A few weeks back we set out on a trip to Hong Kong to renew my Chinese visa. Our journey began just like any other - with an hour and a half taxi drive to the airport in Beijing. Before we left, I had received an email stating that our flight was delayed 2 hours. Knowing this information I was able to plan accordingly and leave later, but still give us enough time to get there. The drive seemed ordinary until I noticed the scenery was like nothing I had seen before and then it hit me - our driver was lost! After stopping for directions 3 times, we eventually made it to the airport and still had an hour and 15 minutes to spare. I rushed to check in, but to my surprise I found no airport staff at the check in counter. Naturally, I assumed that my flight was delayed yet again... well, folks I thought wrong! I unknowingly stood in line for over 45 minutes for a flight to Moscow. To make an long story short, my flight had not been delayed a second time - in fact the airline made an error in sending me that email stating that my flight was delayed. It had not been delayed at all, it left as it should have at 7:30pm. Of course this didn't help our case seeing as that we didn't arrive at the airport until 7:50 and planned on getting on a 9:00pm flight that we had now missed too while trying to figure out this whole mishap. I finally was able to put in a call to the airline and they were able to get me on the next flight to Hong Kong....that departed Beijing at 3:10am! It was now 9:15pm. Time seemed to slow down, but eventually we boarded that plane and were on our way.
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| Finally in HK! |
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| MOUNTAINS! |
We arrived in hot and humid Kong Kong around 6:30am - only 5 hours after our expected arrival time. My only fear with this delay was being late to meet our contact. Knowing there was nothing that I could do, Thomas and I hailed a taxi to take us to the
ywam harbour city base. I was instantly in love with the beauty of this new place and it momentarily distracted me from the concerns at hand. I was given a phone number for the base and was instructed by the
ywam staff to have my taxi driver call for directions when I arrived, and was reassured several times that he or she would speak English so communication would not be a problem. When we arrived in the New Territories, I handed the driver the number and asked him to call. He politely waved his hand and said, "No English!" To say I was flabbergasted is an extreme understatement. So for all I new, we were in a new city with no means of communication, no way to contact my contact, no idea where we were or where we were going... I was distressed. Our driver eventually stopped and called the number I gave him. In that moment I stopped and said a quick prayer. I needed help and I knew only Jesus could get me out of this mess. My ywam contact answered after a few minutes and was able to instruct the driver on where to go. Moments later, Thomas and I found ourselves at the base being greeted by our new friend and ywam staff member who quickly got us acclimated to our guest house and surroundings. I was so happy to have finally made it!
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| Kam Tin |
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| Victoria Harbor |
Our first day was spent relaxing, reading and adventuring in the surrounding village. It was good to get away and relax in the heat of the south. The day following our arrival Thomas and I set out on another mini adventure to the big city. After getting specific directions drawn-out on a map, we headed out on a 20 minute walk to find the MTR (Mass Transit Railway aka the subway). The walk was pleasant and at times confusing, but we eventually found our way, paid our fare and boarded a train headed to the Avenue of Stars. Since we only had a short time in Hong Kong, I wasn't able to do any research in where to visit. It was recommended to visit the Avenue of Stars because of it's location on the harbor - which is what I wanted; I just wanted to be close to the water. We exitted the subway and were surrounded by skyscrapers and construction. Having no idea where to go, we followed the crowds towards the Hong Kong Museum of Art and onto the walkway. I was awed by the beauty of the harbor and city skyline! We spent most of our day sitting along the harbor, reading, drinking Starbucks, walking around the city, and praying. It was a refreshing time in the city. After adventuring for several hours, I felt it was time to start heading back.
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| Hong Kong Museum of Art |
As we again walked passed the Hong Kong Museum of Art, I noticed a sign in the window that I hadn't noticed before, "Today ONLY: Free Admission." Now, if you know me, then you know that I'm not usually inclined to visit art museums or performing arts events...normally my idea of art is football or hockey :) However I couldn't deny myself the opportunity to broaden my cultural experiences and horizons, so we went in. I saw several beautiful wood carvings created by a Chinese artist who had a disability. When I saw his work, I was so inspired! We also ventured into an Ancient Chinese paintings exhibit. Each stroke of the brush and every color was so uniquely chosen and placed - Simply beautiful! If I'm being truly honest, I was surprised how much I enjoyed the museum.
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| Riding the MTR like locals, ha ha! |
Thomas and I headed back for the base around 5 pm. Having knowing the in's and out's of the MTR we made it back with no problem... the only set back (if you will) was the rain that began to pour on our walk from the MTR station to the base. Although beautiful - it was indeed wet. The remaining hours of our trip was spent relaxing, reading, seeking the Lord for provision and preparing for my flight back to Beijing. We woke up early the next morning for our return flight, which went well with no hiccups, thank God.
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| Heading Home! :) |
Overall, the trip was good, lessons were learned and experiences had, what more could I ask for? Spiritually, I was constantly reminded to trust Him who knows me better than I could ever know myself. Lessons were learned. The adventure was grand and I was grateful to have Thomas with me for the ride :)
Enjoy the sights of our HongKong Adventure!!
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