FRUSTRATION

I'm learning that once something is posted, it's posted. I also cannot figure out how to date this with Hong Kong time - you may have noticed.

JOY

In spite of the cloudy and cool weather in Hong Kong, the Lord brought joy to the day. Worship. lunch with friends and a visit with Kenas.

We're now in the 50's for the weather - I guess more like this time of the year. Without the sun and with the higher humidity, the temperature only reached about 57 degrees today. Definitely, after sitting in worship for 10 minutes with the windows wide open, I had to leave to don my long johns. There is some truth that for the worship the windows need to be open so that there is fresh air. And believe me, when the wind is blowing, I don't understand that philosophy well.

Pastor Samuel shared a message on Luke 7 with a focus on wisdom.

During the sermon time, the children were excused for children's church. GEO Dustin and a visiting friend from the U.S., Lauren, student at Moorhead U., joined Pastor Albert and Idy (teacher) in singing and a Bible lesson. Here they're joining in the fun of singing "Father Abraham."

The service lasted about 1.5 hours with a fair amount of singing. Probably 50 were present for worship. Next Sunday, I will do the message with an explanation of "The Diving Plan."

I joined Hilda (coordinator from China), Sharon and her children, Lauren, along with Alan and Shirley Piepenbrink for lunch at a dim sum restaurant. The wait was so long to get in that I was only able to be at the table with them for about 20 minutes.

My appointment with Kenas was for 2 pm. She arrived by bus and we walked over to a "Chinese fastfood" restaurant for a snack and some conversation. It was great to catch up. Kenas came to Stevens Point about 2004 for one year of study before she transferred to UW Madison where she finished her degree in 2007. As an active Christian, she particpated regularly with us for worship and other activities. She remembered Karol's deviled eggs with fond, appreciative memories.

I was brought to a clearer understanding of some of the challenging problems in Hong Kong with the massive influx of Mainland Chinese. I could relate to many of the challenges as in the United States we are confronted with the question of illegal immigration.

We had a wonderful time together, and by a little after 4, she was on her way to her English speaking non-denominational congregation in downtown Hong Kong (American pastor).

Kenas works in the area of finances for an upscale clothing retailer.

My evening was spent in preparation for tomorrow class time.