Year End, Dec 2012

This month must be the slowest I have started blogging; it is already the fifth, but I have been busy with missions and seminary meeting. I enjoy meeting up once again with teachers I last saw a year ago. Some were new, but it is good to get to know new faces. I also met my mentor, close friends and a relative in between meetings.

I will be busier than ever as I have taken on an advisory role in a ministry officially last week (5th). Juggling two churches is not an easy matter, but I cannot choose because it is God's work and I have bonded with both. Well, I just do what I can until one group has their ministry needs met and new workers in.

Today (13th) is the last day for the Tsuen Wan to Ma Wan ferry service, which is a terrible thing for the residents. I and buddy Walter took our last ride together, reminiscing of the rides I took when I used to work in Yuen Long. Alas time, modernization and greed turned everything swwet to sinister. Residents have to transit to who knows where to get to their destination from now on.

It's been a quiet Christmas break, but I got to enjoy Christams eve carols from two nearby churches in Ma Wan. These two days we sat in coffee shops, ate the turkey I ordered, and walked the neighborhood, as slow as it gets. On Christmas day we will boil soup to counter the cold weather. Wife has not been feeling well the whole week, so soup is good for her. Here are two Christmas evangelistic videos sent to me:

Home Sweet Home, Nov 2012

For more than a week I have been at the Epicenter teaching two classes in Expository Preaching for two weeks, my first time there. I have been so active in Hong Kong that slowing down was hard. Praying helped. It was difficult for me to get going this time because I had not done two weeks for the last six months but the reward is big. Buying my book earlier, the students were so excited that I was here.

On day 2 (20) we went to the disaster area, where I could not help but cry as I laid flowers at the memorial, so did the driver who has been there four years now. It affected him terribly as he quit his KTV operations to volunteer for three months that turned out to be more than four years in ministry.

I have recorded four testimonies of relief workers with my new phone.

The students' interest are keen but they were slow to learn initially, especially for fulltime ministers. I did my best to train them and broke through in three days. I am so proud of both classes of altogether 50 students as they are of me, seeing them transformed literally before my eyes.

Oh I have a mouth blister because everything here is hot and spicy. I also got a haircut because a student's wife is a professional. I promised if I were to return maybe two years from now, I would cut it to army length, total reformation. I know it is time to leave today (1) because my blister is gone.

By God's grace I have trained 450 students in Asia, 150 of them in structural diagramming. One day I hope the students will take over my role. I have also taken a more active role to encourage students to pray with me at 630a before classes start at 8a. It is weird because I was rarely that direct. The students here are very friendly, which helped me to settle in. On the downside I will miss church for two weeks now because classes are held on Sunday as well.

This month has been quite uplifting for me becasue I have also gone to Grassland and trained close to a hundred there, even though half of them were just there to make up the numbers. The only disadvantage was that I was away from home for too long, close to three weeks, and I missed family and friends. After the second trip I realized I was the rigth candidate to do missions, because I am the right age and with the right personality. It took me a year to feel right at home being away even though the response has been nothing less than rousing.

 

Mooncake Festival, Oct 2012

The first of the month (1st) is a holiday in Hong Kong. I was invited by two parties to go travel, but I do Wife's tired body cannot make it, so we do the best we can locally. Yesterday I received two mooncakes, so I had to start eating and devoured the small one and two small taros for lunch after breakfast with relatives in the morning. Surprisingly more things happened yesterday rather than today. The three Southlanders (Augustine, Alan and I previously lived in Souther California) sang "The Impossible Dream" at our church carnival. Augustine was the star because he stuck to his bass part while we blew our tenor parts and I even fluffed the lines. Mostly, it was fun and joy. It has been more than ten years since I sang in a choir of some sort. The parts were beautiful, wished I had put in more practice. On Tuesday Wife asked me what is my impossible dream. I said to develop future expositors and lead the Chinese church into exposition. Now that is a tall order.

Three generations ago my grandparents immigrated from Donguan to Nanyang and I was Americanized in the States for 21 years, but on Thursday (4th) I became a Macau brother. My Chinese roots are reconnected in a strange and wonderful way. Now I have a reason to remain in Asia and to resume in missions. In the meantime I am still determined to be a Hong Kong brother as well since I spend most of my time here now. Maybe I should do more for Macau but I am up to my neck.

The ferry tragedy was too painful for everyone. Tears just dripped from my eyes when I read some stories, especially one I handtyped from a newspaper in the library titled "Trapped in Sea with Rope Around My Neck, I Cried "Lord Save Me." Hopefully there is healing for those who read this story.

Prayer has led me to two visitors to church and two wondrous preaching sessions on Sunday (14). I managed to bring a relative and a neighbor to a gospel meeting on Saturday (13). Even though they did not accept Christ but I was satisfied to know that God had answered my prayer because I prayed before inviting them, not ask them first. Further, for the last month I have prayed more for the audience than the sermon. This is a breath of fresh air. I can imagine how immature I was before, caring for performance rather than people. Now I pray for my next mission trip and my next church audience.

Pastoral Ministry One Year Later, Sep 2012

A year flies by and in a short time I have bonded with coworkers in pastoral ministry. I come to understand that pastoral ministry is second nature to me. My three years of transition into theological education did not slow me down; it made me more eager, but this time the target is coworkers, not the congregation. At the end of four years in Hong Kong I realized my closest friends presently are at church. This year our church has started a buddy system for new coworkers, and I have a special relationship as buddy and mentor to Augustine since March. I am the old hand and he is the rookie minister. He brought out the best in me – nurture - and I taught all that I know and gave all I had, but I take as much as I give and I am the first to benefit. It is a challenge to nurture a smart, energetic and passionate Ph.D. graduate. I could use some of his boundless energy. Like a parent, I could not be prouder of his progress and transition iinto ministry. I entered pastoral ministry with passion for teaching and preaching, but mentoring surprised me because the experience has touched, deepened and enriched me.

On the first day of the month I realized that there is no fire in old sermons. There was no spark at all when I preached this morning, so I had to rewrite it when I went home. Even my buddy last week did better than me. Maybe my Cantonese failed me. Some words could not come out, but mostly freshness is missing. It is different when you spent a month preparing it. It goes deeper into the heart. There is no passion whatsoever with a sermon several years old when it is a mere product with no process involved. God has taught me to rely on Him and pray for others.

I am getting ready to leave for a one-week mission trip. Local pastoral ministry is great but I do not want to lose my involvement and impact on global missions. I just cannot forget my fellow coworkers in the mission field, nor would I suffer them to labor alone. My only regret is that I did not have the vision to come initially, but God has changed me since. I will be teaching Bible study and preaching, my two favorite subjects. It is also good to withdraw to reflect on God and not to be overworked.

It's been a long time since my last missions trip in April and this second week I've been sent to the City to teach at Hope College, a new accredited program with 33 students in the MACS program. What surprised me was five graudates from Gentleland's Bachelor program have enrolled there waiting for my arrival. So I was a little touched by the gesture and the youngsters who could not get enough of expository preaching. In the future our team will spend less time in Gentleland and with farmers and more time in major cities.

There was a commotion the second day in class even though we were aware of an expected spot check. The locals hid me in the childrens' nursery class more than an hour until the men were gone. The down side was I had to make up an hour of class for them. The class is learning as fast as possible. The students are delighted and defeated at the same time learning expository preaching.Usualy the students' breaktrhough happens the third day in class. I had to drink four cups of coffee to stay alert whole day.

On day 3 I learned that next week's class will be canceled due the political climate. The students were disappointed because they were waiting for our famous new professor from Taiwan to teach them. The students were good into the second point until I introduced structural diagramming and there was disbelief and distress again and the class ended at verse 7 of Philemon. For the last four years I have taught close to 400 students, intorducing 100 of them the last two years to structural diagramming. They are excited and grateful for the skill of first-hand work into the text.

Day 4: The class ended on a high note when they diagrammed the whole book od Philemon with high anxiety. Tomorrow all 33 students will take the floor even though three students have to share a sermon! It is a joy to hear their feedback, which reminds me of the value of missions and the need to do my part. I am happy to report that the hardest nut to crack in the class finally made a breakthrough on day 4. It's been a short trip. Overall the trip has been good to me reminding me of the need to be on fire for missions. I have been blessed.During the trip, I also worked on my new Chinese book. It is almost done, with one chapter to go, but I won't get to speak on the last chapter until the end of the year.
I have to get back to reality soon. Sunday (16th) was my first day teaching Sunday school this quarter. Thankfully I am partnered with a coworker who did all the terrific legwork and kicked off the class last week. The disorientation lasted till this morning when I translated the last of my English materials into Chinese. With that accomplished the class went by smoothly. Last night also was a bonus. I attended a revival meeting at church and the meeting was packed. The speaker was at his best and next week's speaker could be a bigger draw.

It has been an emotional roller ride lately. First the morning worship with overseas students on my mission trip brought tears to my eyes, so much that the nearest student handed me tissues. Today (18th) we said farewell to a coworker who is returning to the States after 19 months. We have been good friends for sure. I also had to comfort his staff. Then the Lord impressed upon my heart to care for another coworker to see if a certain ministry is right for him, which was exactly what he had in mind this week, I later discovered. To be ont he same oage made me teary.

Someone sent me a promotional poster (see image below) I did not know even existed. It seems our publisher has put our two books together for promoitonal display. We are glad but the thrill is gone. I visited Robert Morrison's grave today (21) for a special reason, but it was not emotional at all. So I gather my emptional ride was over yesterday.

A coworker I have been helping with  using the traditional OIA Bible study method have a breakout day leading his prestudy group on Saturday (22) on his eight session.  No disrespect to me, but some of his observations were so shockingly good that he had even eclipsed me, to his credit and God's  praise. Previously there were still rumblings of discontent from study leaders who were used to the lecture method. This serves to strengthen my belief that a person's breakthrough occurs seven times after practicing the method, especially in Bible study and preaching.

Spurgeon's devotional book on Sep 25, 2012 reminds me of the simplicity of Christ and the shallowness of philosophy:
"Who of God is made unto us wisdom." 1 Cor 1:30
Man's intellect seeks after rest, and by nature seeks it apart from the Lord Jesus Christ. Men of education are apt, even when converted, to look upon the simplicities of the cross of Christ with an eye too little reverent and loving. They are snared in the old net in which the Grecians were taken, and have a hankering to mix philosophy with revelation. The temptation with a man of refined thought and high education is to depart from the simple truth of Christ crucified, and to invent, as the term is, a more intellectual doctrine. This led the early Christian churches into Gnosticism, and bewitched them with all sorts of heresies. This is the root of Neology, and the other fine things which in days gone by were so fashionable in Germany, and are now so ensnaring to certain classes of divines. Whoever you are, good reader, and whatever your education may be, if you be the Lord's, be assured you will find no rest in philosophizing divinity. You may receive this dogma of one great thinker, or that dream of another profound reasoner, but what the chaff is to the wheat, that will these be to the pure word of God. All that reason, when best guided, can find out is but the A B C of truth, and even that lacks certainty, while in Christ Jesus there is treasured up all the fulness of wisdom and knowledge. All attempts on the part of Christians to be content with systems such as Unitarian and Broad-church thinkers would approve of, must fail; true heirs of heaven must come back to the grandly simple reality which makes the ploughboy's eye flash with joy, and glads the pious pauper's heart--"Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners." Jesus satisfies the most elevated intellect when He is believingly received, but apart from Him the mind of the regenerate discovers no rest. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." "A good understanding have all they that do His commandments."

A friend gave his resolve with one of the most joyous lines I have heard (28th): "My word is my bond." Hope his commitment holds up.

 

 

 

Anniversary, Aug 2012

Three days ago we celebrated our anniversary with Wife's two sisters by having high tea at an American hotel in Admiralty. The food was OK but the best part was 15% discount with HSBC card. I ate as much as I could to save money and bypass dinner. The next day (31st) was the real day itself. We ate at a restaurant nearby work but we were the only customers for the night because It is an industrial area. Everything is as is at work, which I enjoy, and I am spared from many meetings.  On the same day (31st) a leader told me he spent 200 days in a year for meetings. I am most thankful that a coworker did well over Sunday 10 days ago and another two are scheduled to do so this week.

Today (5th) was an amazing day because I had to preach twice, one at 10 am and another at 1215pm. Surprisingly with all the rush I discovered that this is the best use of my gifts. The first was a small church of 100 in Tin Shui Wai. Wife and I enjoyed ourselves at the smaller one, which is a flashback to days gone by. More satisfying is knowing that two other coworkers did well with all the preparation we had done. Today I have a breakthrough in writing thanks to a person I never imagined. One of my biggest blessings lately is that my former prof at seminary Roy Zuck has offered to edit graduates' work at a bargain rate. He took less than two weeks to cover over 180 pages, so my Parables of Life in English could make its debut as soon as I find out how to market it, maybe e-book if I have a lead. He did a peerless job and now I have a persoanl tutor and writing mentor.

Wife's summer is almost over, so we decided have lunch buffet on my day off at Tsuen Wan Nina Lounge (10th) for HK$100 lunch. It was well worth the price for all the sashimi they have. After lunch we walk the new Citywalk 2 and took the 40-mins-once ferry back to Ma Wan. We had a wonderful time, and so do the seniors and middle-age men at the malls who got to see the Olympics games free at the mall's big-screen TV. Next we are planning to celebrate my birthday.

I played the guitar for a praise team for the first time today (11th) in more than ten years. It was enjoyable because it was the first time they have a guitar group to support the praise team. We have a short rehearsal and my hand skin is thicker and sorer after. An overnight compliment: "Brother Victor, I'll never forget you scratched your wound in order to heal my wounds and encourage me. That is an example of the incarnation of Jesus. I took it and am grateful to you for it."

Today is my birthday and Wife greeted me when we woke. A brother will take me for lunch and hopefully I will get other offers of afternoon tea. I couldn't help but think of Psalms 51 again this morning like the mornings before. By now it it is whole new message. In the meantime a typhoon is threatening to rain on my parade. I had a buffet lunch at the Tower and tea at Mickey D's.

I finally got a big load off my chest after preaching twice today (19th). Not that I didn't enjoy it; I did, but there was much writing to do and I almost drowned in Psalms 51. The second one was a redo, so the excitement level is not that high, which is good because no one can do two new ones in one week. The greatest blessing is influencing others to spend more time in studying God's word.

On Monday (20th) we took an early 7:45am ferry to Macau to help Wife clean her room before school begins. It was shocking to know that I was last there six months ago, such a long time ago. We finished cleaning by 11 am and took the bus to have buffet lunch at Rossio's, which we truly enjoy, leaving for Hong Kong after lunch. I reached home at 4pm, swam and got ready for dinner with two coworkers here.

I wrote this email to coworkers yesterday (23rd):
"After close to a year together, our final Preaching Class for incoming workers ended yesterday with a bang. I was proudest to see Year 2's Alan Lau (moderator) and Year 1's Augustine Chow both tear with their uniqueness into the same passage (Col 1:24-29) at full speed and with full might! It was good to see coworkers equipped as expositors to accept the challenge of the church tomorrow.

On the Tuesday of DECEMBER 4, 18, 2012 and JANUARY 8 2013 (3 alternate weeks that coincide with ECM) I will do three weeks of understanding Old Testament structure, which is quite similar to New Testament, using the book of Obadiah. Tuesday could be best for everyone since most coworkers have to
attend afternoon coworkers meeting, so they don’t have to take another trip. Let me know if you are interested so that I can start booking rooms.

Come February 2013 onwards (1st and 3rd Tuesdays), I hope to lead a group to study Pastoral Epistles with the goal of encouraging coworkers to preach from 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus on Sundays at whatever worship they are or use it for future fellowship study. I hope group study becomes a part of YF culture because Group Study = Group Support + Group Synergy. Let me know if you are interested in this as well.

Both groups are open to all except new coworkers. I will have another group for new coworkers."

At night I benefited from a dinner given by committee members. Wife was invited but she was not around, texting: "Unfair." I received a box of L chocs.That could appease Wife. I woke up the day after thinking my fellow coworkers, weird. The work must be getting to me.

On Tuesday (28th) we had a round of singing the oldies but goodies after most people left the office. We had so much fun that my wife called us Wild Boys, including Alex, Wing Chuen, Jim, Augustine and staff Dixon. Alex's mandolin was so special that I wonder what music in heaven is like. I hope we can do one more round at retreat. I can't believe my favorite is I Started a Joke since I am not into Bee Gees.

Preaching Month, Jul 2012

I woke up today (2nd) to the European Final when Spain scored its second goal. This is the first time I get to see a live match in the wee hours of Hong Kong. Spain is too strong, so it is not entertaining at all. July is  a busy month. I preached in the morning and did baptism in the afternoon yesterday. I have two more sermons to do, one on the third, and the second on the fourth Sunday, thankfully none from scratch. The bonus is I am a few sermons from completing my next book. The last weeks have been good for prayer as I spent more time on praying for family, friends and peers. Praying for them really affects your view of them. You become more compassionate and positive in the way you relate to them.

For two days in a row I received compliments on my new book. On Wednesday (4th) we said goodbye to Prof. Simon. He has been very encouraging for the short time we know him He especially likes the illustrations. On the way home our 10pm bus was stuck for an hour at TsingMa bridge due to a collision on the bridge. Fortunately, no one had to go to answer nature's call, except for the bus driver. At least, it is better than big business, he admitted. On Thursday (5th) I bumped into the Editor. He also enjoys the illustrations and creative writing.

It has been such along time I have not received feedback, but yesterday we received wonderful SMS feedback from friends immediately after my message yesterday (15th):
"今天葉牧師講道叫我有很大得著, 我的工作面臨考驗."
"葉牧師, 多謝你今天地訊息, 給我有很大的提醒."
I am not starving for attention but compliments are always welcome and edifying.

Today (19th) I learned from a friend a new Cantonese slang, which is “跌watt” and a netizen explains that it means, "体力下降,动作变慢." Simply said, his battery is low and he has lost his motivation for ministry.

At my urging, my favorite free Bible software (20th) has decided to answer the call and add Chinese script to its software, except it is in simplified script:
Dear Victor,

We will add the CUV to the next ISA version.
See picture: http://www.nexteon.nl/demo/images/CUV_Chinese.png
André
Scripture4All.org

I had a double dose of campus nostalgia today (22th) when former DTS president Dr. Charles Swindoll came into town and had lunch with graduates. His voice boomed like no other man in the late 70s I know. I was glad to be at the airport to see him and his team off. The best came in the morning when former professor Roy Zuck told me that he has finished editing the English version of my book Parables of Life. The ever-so-humble man wrote:
Victor,

I just now finished going over your manuscript. You did a great job. Good expositions, good illustrations, good study questions, etc. It took me 12 hours...
I made a number of minor changes here and there. I hope you are pleased with what I’ve done. One thing you’ll note is that I’ve added a comma before “and” in a series of three or more items. This is a commonly accepted rule. I enjoyed your many trilogy phrases and words.

Thanks for the opportunity to edit this for you. Did you say you have another one you are working on? If so and if I can help you with that too, let me know.
Gratefully,
Roy Zuck

Swindoll was a blast. At 77 years old he spoke as if he was from a radio broadcast. I accompanied my former colleague, who was in charge of seeing them off at the airport, holding Swindoll's bags for him when he checked in. When he said, "Thank you," I replied, "It's the closest I ever get to you." He smiled and said, "Like my kids say, 'What's the big deal?'" His team fortunately missed the typhoon that hit Hong Kong the next day, the strongest in my four years here. The No. 8 signal was hoisted from 6pm till 10am today (24th). The winds were howling so strongly outside our apartment corridor that Wife pleaded to go inside to the bedroom. We came home after her Chinese herbal doctor appointment just in time to see the supermarket close at 6pm, so we could not get any food, but we could survive on her canned fish diet.

A few days ago a preaching student said he wanted to do what I do in the future and asked for tips to prepare for it. I thought abut it these few days and woke up to four words in the morning (29th): language - different ways of thinking, literature - selection of words, learning - heading overseas for higher learning, and leaping - trying new things.

Father's Day, Jun 2012

Lately I have been forced to acknowledge and address the part fathers play in our lives. Not that I want to, but I see how friends from broken childhoods struggle with their need for a father figure. Sociologists explain that people neglected as kids tend to seek for a father figure to compensate for the loss of attachment  Of course I am no different but I have learned not to place my trust in father figures, but in God as Father. I have no answer how to help these friends, but maybe love is still the answer. I seldom see my father, maybe once a week or two, but only for a few minutes to half an hour when he came home to check on us. Definitely less than an hour. Like most fathers then, my father never kissed or hugged me or held my hands. After I left for the States at 27, we saw each other once every three years or so until his death. The happiest memory of my father is seeing him at my wedding, where he had fainted spells. He passed away a month later after the wedding. I am indebted to him, but I wished we were closer.

I had to visit the doctor today (19th) for a sore throat, but was more surprised that I have dropped another few pounds. Now I am down to 157 lbs. The exercise is really paying off since I have lost more than 15 lbs. from summer on by walking 45 mins at night and eating nothing more than a small bowl of rice. Even though I have sore throat, I am pretty rested this week. Sometimes work is overstimulating, so half-time is just right for me. Humor: I called Wife to ask her if we still have bananas at home. She said, "1 香蕉 (Hong Kong Cantonese) left, but no 公蕉 SEA Cantonese)!" I hope you get the joke.

Relocation, May 2012

I could not have been busier the last two weeks. We have moved into a new 2-bedroom apartment and are now enjoying the new house. Wife is the happiest since she needs to spend a lot of time this summer at home trying to kickstart her new practice. It is two buildings from the swimming pool, a flight of stairs from the bus station, and near to the supermarket and the coffee house, what else can you ask for? The moving (Apr 29th) actually started off on a bad foot because it was raining that day, but it stopped in the afternoon, so we began moving earlier, but there were still sporadic drops to wet the boxes. The refrigerator arrived next day but it rattled, so it needed repairing the next week. A swimming neighbor helped to repair the toilet bowl and added two more planks to the existing book shelves here .Yesterday I ordered a 2-inch mattress for the window seat and a TV cabinet, and today (11th) I bought a drying rod. So far, my only claim to house repair is putting in a new light bulb. There are still ten boxes we have not unpacked but we are happy at the progress made.

Today (21st) I attended two workshops, one with Drucker Institute in the morning and one with Greg Ogden in the afternoon. I was surprised I learned more from Druckers than Ogden, but both have their merits. The Druckers workshop equates management (overall) with leadership (know-why and know-who) + administration (know-how). The middle levels are know-what and know-when. It also reminded me of the uniqueness of the contribution of all body parts and the need for impact on society, my mission in life and to do what I am good at and not stray from my goals. Ogden plays a video of Ortberg that differentiates an admirer and a follower, Lately, there have been many distractions in Hong Kong, so I have to focus more and reach out more. I also hope to spend more time to pray for others by my side, that they may have the strength and wisdom to fight the good fight.

Mission Accomplished, Apr 2012

A change of scenery on the first day of the month was in store for me, all for the better. The last two weeks of last month were busy because I had to help a few coworkers with their messages, so a trip was the best way to forget everything.

The first week's new Gentleland class students were smaller, 22 students, but they were great, absorbing like sponges what I taught them. I was surprised that they learned so fast and so well, better than Hong Kong and North American coworkers and students. Wife said that was probably because they were blank paper ready for me to write on, but Hong Kong seminary students were just as blank but they were slower in development. Maybe because they are experienced preachers waiting for someone to light them up. On average they speak once or twice a week. On day three, they so inspired me when a few of them studied in groups to get ready to plot the grammatical structure of Philemon, which I told them I expected them to come out one by one to do on the board.

Some things are yet to change here. The site is more than respectable, with marble floors and lots of shower, but students still wash their hair from a basin and still spit in the small and modest old kitchen. The internet is slow as a snail. It took me an hour to read 5 minutes of news at worse and internet traffic was jammed at 4:15 minutes listening to church’s internet sermon.

After five days, I was headed to another site for a weekend with 50 students. The class was just as hungry for expository preaching. By the way I was out of loop on the holidays in Hong Kong such as Ching Ming, but I still attended Monday worship at the local Saddleback to compensate for Sunday Easter classes. The hardest thing to do away was to handle all the emergency financial matters relating to a water leak, overdue bills and IRS, but by God's garce all matters were resolved. The food was excellent with no assignment at the ghetto. As a whole I miss the students, and I wonder what would God have me to do for the future. Returning home, Wife and I enjoy swiiming in the afternoon and strolling at night . Two weeks away felt like 2 months this time, for sure.

Moving is in two days (27th) and we have cleaners to help us with the a/c unit and overall cleaning. We have lived in a one-room 488 sq. ft. apartment since August, 2001, but we need more space for Wife since her sickness. The movers won't be here till Sunday, but we decided to sleep overnight at the new place right after the cleaning a day before moving, even if it means having no furniture. Tonight we brought our wedding picture to the new apartment and prayed for the residence. However, the next day I hurt my back trying to do one last laundry before moving. I strained it bending my back but not the kness while picking up the bedsheets.

Tired, Mar 2011

I just came back today (3rd) from a two-week's trip. The cold weather for the first two days and rainy days since were the hardest to overcome. Initially, I was reluctant to embrace another two weeks of isolation but the visit paid off in many ways. First, the students I have been teaching the last two years are graduating in the summer, so it was good to bid them goodbye. Second, expository preaching has rubbed off on them in a good way. Some of them are better after my first class on expository preaching, but the Bible study methods class this week have made them even better, especially when they have to do the structural diagramming of 2 Timothy in Chinese with PC software on the side, and principle outlines of each chapter. Some of the kids (21 years old on) have matured and are confident and no longer shaky in understanding and delivery. This last class helped to put shape into their teaching and preaching. I favor the direct grammatical and literary approach, which I had them doing effectively when the week was over. On this note, I am glad I exchanged theological education in Hong Kong for the more strategic and biggest slice of the market north. I can envision a paradigm shift taking place in a few years, if I can help it. My vision is to train 1,000; so far 1/4 of the job done. All the 50 books I brought were taken.

Wife skyped me, asking how the class was, and I answered, Close to perfect (except for the cold); I was not kidding. I have even adopted four more students from previous years, and they are just as good. I am counting on them to make an impact locally. Things were busy in the building because the Koreans are speaking in the building as well. Often people knock and enter my room next to them by mistake when they sought them for prayer.

After being holed up for close to a week, I was invited to a buffet dinner by one of the new students. Then my troubles began. I had diarrhea for three days and the cold caught me off guard. The students bought me more clothing to keep me warm, I slept six hours in the day to recover! The Yaps suspect the sickness was a Satanic attack. Wife told me she visited Robert Morrison's grave on Friday (Feb 24), the day I felt sick. Two days later, I read Robert Morrison's entry from Wikipedia and had a good cry the next day. Being a missionary those days was one's worst nightmare, I noted.

The food and lodging the second week in another location was good and the air was fresh, unlike the ghetto in the first week. I had lined up 60-70 students to hear them speak after my notes. Many of them were nervous but it was the only way to spot the weaker ones. On the last day 12 groups came out to share on 12 chapters from the pastoral epistles using the grammatical diagramming I taught them. It was satisfying to see the progress. Most of them got the hang of it. This week was a total success though I could use another week to make them better, but I felt I have been away for a long, long time. Truly the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

I was blessed yesterday (11th) speaking at a church worship gospel meeting because a youth accepted Christ out of the more than 100 people present. The text on John 9 on the man born blind's condition took a lot of emotions out of me before I spoke. It also just so happened that was Wife's Sunday school lesson, so we were doubly blessed because we talked about the text a few times. The quarter is coming to an end this week for her, the next quarter is in Mandarin, which is quite a challenge for us.

Yesterday I had a throat infection that did not go away, so I went to see a doctor today (15th). To my surprise, I was lighter by 10 lbs. since summer. I have been eating half a bowl of rice and walking 45 minutes each night for six months, and it worked. The challenge now is to keep it as is.

Sunday (18th) was the high point of house hunting. I could not even finish my dinner with friends at TST before the agent called me many times. On the same busy day, I preached on The Prodigal Son. It was challenging because I had scrapped a previous one and wrote a brand new one and it turned out maybe better than before. This week I have to help coworkers with their sermon preparation, which is more difficult than I thought. Well, at least I do not have to preach it myself.

Confusing, Feb 2012

The first day of the month was a emotional one for me. We had group sharing in a park after lunch and the struggles of a friend touched me ever so deeply. The last time I felt this way was umpteen years ago when I left for continuing education at TEDS. The group comforted me with prayers and were very supportive, knowing by now my strong passion when it stirs. A day later I was calmer but the lingering effects were still there. I am looking forward to the trip to Macau tomorrow to attend a missions meeting and to meet other local coworkers.

I ran for my dear life after sending Wife off to the Sheung Wan ferry yesterday (6th). I looked at the cellphone and discovered that only 6 minutes were left, but the ferry back to Ma Wan is a good 8 minutes away. I decided to make  a mad dash for it rather than wait for another half an hour for the next ride. I made it before the departure bell rang. I swear I won't do it again at my age, but the temptation is always there. I preached on John 15:10-17 last week and also completed the translation yesterday, which I am proud to get done, not wanting to do it a year later and add to my misery.

We had our Valentine's dinner the day before the big day to beat the big rush and the expensive prices. Last year our favorite local restaurant made it a dinner set so expensive that we could not spend it in good conscience. As usual we had our German pork knuckle with extra rice and ginger ale for HK$189. I felt good and left a HK$10 tip, not bad for local standards. Tonight a friend invited me to meet an old friend for dinner. Otherwise the weekend was occupied by house hunting and church, where I taught Sunday school this week.

The last week has been another drama due a friend's mother passing away. Sometimes a relative's death triggers a peson's emotions, mostly a release, which happened to my friend. He talked to pastors, confidants and friends. At least I get to know friends better as a result. Other than that, I am delighted with the slight progress in  the three preaching groups I lead. I really feel that seminaries today do an inadequate job preparing their students in teaching and preaching. It is really sad that graduates labor and struggle to get a point across with the lack of Bible study skills, especially OIA. Tomorrow (19) I am off to Gentleland again for 2 weeks. Let's see if there is progress there.

Year Out, Year In, Jan 2012

The New Year started out with  a bang, I couldn't be any busier. I attended a 645a prayer meeting and altogether three churches in a day, no wonder my eyes were tired by late afternoon. A church family invited me to lunch at their new home, it was a heavy lunch. After that I had to buy five books for a friend and get a haircut. Reaching home, wife and I went for a swim at the clubhouse. We were too tired for our regular night walk. At night I counted and posted the new sermons I preached last year. There were 14, double the previous year, so it was the most fruitful time so far, and many of them unforgettable ones. On a positive note, I found out last week that my blogs are on a class reading list. On a negative note a certain John Montgomery who has plagiarized my sermons for a while, seem to have disappeared into thin air, leaving my sermons on the internet under his name. Oh, well. This year, I wore a new long-sleeve, a T-shirt and a vest to break in the new year.

The second week of the year has been sobering. I attended the memorial service of a former colleague, the memorial service of the mother-in-law of a present colleague and another of a coworker's mother. At least the family took it real well due to old age and known diseases. Other than that, life passes by like a whirlwind. My three preaching classes started off on the right track this week, with one numbering 20 students. Today (15) I finally delivered my first new message on the family, taken from the Laban-Jacob account in Genesis 29-31, in preparation for my new book. I think I did justice to it because my biggest critic was pleased with it. The next thing everyone in Hong Kong is waiting for is the Chinese New Year.

Happy New Year everyone! I can't believe it has been so busy that I only get to write this paragraph on the first day of the new year. The month's third week see me hard at work, trying to translate all my past year's messages, about ten of them. To enjoy the experience I started with my favorites. I have finished two this past week, and I might do one today. I hope to send out my first Chinese sermon out today in two group lists to a few thousand recipients, reviving what I used to do with English-written materials in the States. I intend to send out one a month and see how it works out. I am excited with its rebirth after exciting the pastoral ministry for three years.

Suddenly a week has passed by into the Chinese New Year. We have three dinners with family members this year, a big change from previous years because a relative has returned home for the occasion. Other than that, I enjoyed this year because it has been pretty relaxing. We went out for coffee in the morning and swam later in the morning. I accomplished a lot in translation, almost caught up last year's new sermons. It taught me a lesson not to procrastinate, but to translate every one as soon as it is done and not let it pile up.