葉福成 Victor in Hong Kong

Year Out, Year In, Jan 2012

2012-01-01T22:29:00.000-08:00

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.

Blessed, Dec 2011

2011-12-05T23:02:00.000-08:00

I was blessed Sunday (4th) by the response to the only Mandarin sermon I spoke in Hong Kong so far - the fourth in my all-time career. The message was on Abraham's sacrifice, with Bob Fitts' Sacrifice as the ending song, which brought a lot of tears to hearers' eyes. For one reason or another, I seem to be preparing a number of new sermons, which is energizing even at though at times I prefer to slack off. With Tien Dao's promotion of my new book coming out next week, I am already dreaming of the next book. I am also enjoying two sermons on 1 Samuel 3 and Luke 1 - for Christmas.

Last week (5th-7th)I met my new coworkers from the seminary. One group of three coworkers was previously very involved in Chinese ministries. Another group are fresh Ph. D. graduates. I am the only rep from Hong Kong. The meetings over three days were lively and encouraging. It makes me committed for the long haul even though I was not sure previously how it would work out. On Sunday (11th) a pastor in the audience paid me a good compliment for the sermon on 1 Samuel 3, the best compliment for a long time. It makes me proud and humble at the same time, complimented by one of the most experienced, Rev. Lee.

The Yaps had a great time this week; first of all, my first visit to Stanley yesterday (16th), thoroughly enjoying the local market scene. Two days ago (15th) our pre-study group gave us a farewell after over a year with them. We have made quite a few friends there, but nevertheless we are eager to help out other groups after a deserved break. Today was the last pre-study and we were given gifts, including a wall painting and two lightweight jackets, which we can use for the winter! God has a wonderful way of returning me to pastoral ministry after three years teaching at the seminary level.

It's been sweet and bitter this week. On Monday (19th) I received the news that I have been accepted as an EFC pastor and yesterday our new book made its debut, but today (22th) my friend and former colleague Rev. Jon Hon (韓寶龍牧師) passed away in the morning. I went to the hospital but he was already gone. He's been immobilized for more than two years, so the Lord has His time, but not before Hon's book came out to a roaring success last year. His two closest friends Caleb and Luke visited the hospital in the morning. Hon and I were about the same age. I couldn't hold it in but shed tears when I prayed for the family.

Christmas Day (25th) is a fitting climax to the year for me. Today I preached two messages at church, the song Mary Did You Know really touched a lot of hearts. More than ten hearers wanted the song. Like Mary, this has been a year of grace and thankfulness for me. Wife got well and I joined missions. We have also settled into church life, both teaming up to good effect. Our new book was released last week. Everything from now on is step by step. Wife's health comes first. Missions is next because ministry is multiplied training pastors. Church is good so far as long as administration is not a burden. This will be my last entry for the year. Tomorrow we are headed for Macau to help Wife move some stuff over since the next two days are holidays. We will see how well I do next year juggling my missions, teaching and preaching ministries.

Trips, Nov 2011

2011-11-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

I returned four days ago from a week in Gentleland after nearly a year's absence. The 24 youngsters aged 18-25 is a year older now and it shows physically and mentally. This batch will graduate in June next year. This time I was teaching Numbers and Deuteronomy. They are getting better with observations, but their rate of progress is limited with no affordable Chinese Bible software in sight. The frustration is I can do little about it.

The slum community still surprised me. The worse was the sight of a man urinating publicly in daylight just across the church. Other than that I have no complains. One student said they could finish all food on the table in their first year but now could not manage so in their final year. It could be that prosperity in the country means more food on the table. By the way I was treated to good food at Coco's the night I arrived on Sunday night. That was probably because the driver failed to pick me up for 2 hours and I had to call an emergency number. At least I have a phone card, unlike last year when I had to find my own motel.

The hardest thing is fighting boredom because there is no going out anytime and internet censorship limits popular websites to go. I was so bored I read my church's history online. Later I found some videos from other online services. On the last two days I had diarrhea that lasted another two days when I was bad. Going is harder than ever, but I am glad I went. Like I say there's not enough good expository preaching in Hong Kong, but there's nothing north.

I returned from two strenuous but rewarding trips. The first week I was in Gentleland for 5 days teaching 75 people, mostly coworkers in the field. This is their third course in school which started recently but my first time teaching them. They are very passionate in study, worship and relationships. Like the last two times in the area, no one greeted me at the airport. Again I was stranded and I have to call contact upon arrival. Some of the halls here are so big that you have to see to believe it. I have been to one that can sit 2,000 people. I’ve been told another can sit 4,000.

The Gentleland venue is in the beautiful countryside with scenic mountains and a vegetable landscape. The compound also holds a senior home. It rained during the last three days of training, so everything, including the floor, was wet and soggy. This time I felt needed because the harvest truly is plentiful. One student came more than 20 hours away from Mt East.

The next day I headed to the northeast, where it was freezing cold. I arrived to snow, which students said I was fortunate to see because previous teachers did not get to see snow. After trekking a hundred miles or so to the car, the rest of the trip was alright because it was mostly heated indors. My extra overcoat was brought in vain. Two men were spotted peeing alongside the airport freeway, just like old days.

The 80 students in Blackland were mostly farmers or from farming families, and they were so grateful of my presence, taking in every word I said and every skill I offered. I did my best to turn them into expositors, and I must say I did a good job, working after hours at night to listen to their homework.

Life is very simple there. My private bath shower barely trickles every morning, so patience is required, but at least I do not have to go outdoors for shower or join the students in their hard brick bed in the dorm. Food is simple and flat, and no coffee is served. I was glad I brought some from the leftovers in Gentleland.

You have to see their worshp to believe it. At night they sing for over an hour when class was not in session before they continue doing their homework. On thanksgiving day celebration last night, they even danced around in circles, Fiddler on the roof style! Ministry here would be hard for overseas coworkeers.

Over two weeks I have trained over 150 students here, which would take me more 20 years in Hong Kong, so this trip got me thinking. I believe a talented pool of preacher will emerge fron this pack, more so than from Gentleland because this group is much younger and they have a good mentor in the energetic school founder. The blessings were mutual this week. The only regret is there is no direct flight back to Hong Kong early next morning, so I will have to fly nearby and take a bus home. I miss home a lot but I am thankful for a lot of work done. The students were very appreciative of me, but I have a sneaky feeling this could be my last trip there as now I see the need all over the land. At least I have close to three months rest before my next trip in February. An annoying thing happened on the return trip. My taxi driver stopped midway and passed me off to another driver and paid him off, to my horror.

A Good Start, Oct 2011

2011-10-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

The winds could not stop blowing in HKG. Last week's category 8 typhoon was followed up by a category 3 tropical storm today (3rd). Work was as usual but some schools were canceled. Today was a holiday for me, as for most pastors, so I can spend some time with Wife because it is a public holiday in Macau. The medical report came in today and the doctor said my health was ideal. On the way home I picked up a pound of sesame powder for Wife. With my new schedule, I work Tuesdays to Thursdays currently, and Friday is optional. Despite the winds, everything is good and the month could not be better. USA's Immigration Department informed me all documents for my siblings' file are complete last week. There is nothing more to do but wait for a visa to open up for her. With this done, work and housing resolved in the summer, I am off to a fine start.

There were blessings these last two days despite the rain. When it was drizzling yesterday the seniors at Ma Wan still went for an early 7a swim at the club house pool, which certainly surprised me that none failed to show up. Today (12th) the rain was heavy, a downpour even, but all five seniors were in the pool ahead of me. Altogether there were ten, doubling yesterday's count. Their tenacity and determination remind me of the need for perseverance. A little hardship should not hinder our resolve. I was also delighted that training part three started today with a bang. At least the participants were engrossed. Another thing to be grateful for is finalizing the book title for my new book to be released at the end of the year. It came out of the blue. A present coworker and a former worker, who are unaware of each other's suggestion, suggested the same title the same day, so I am happy for the suggestion and considers it God-sent.

Yesterday (15th) we had a dream day, which included the five S - swimming in the morning, snoozing in the afternoon, studying the Bible with couples later, shopping after study, and strolling/sharing at night. We were thankful for all the blessings we received. Today we finally brought a friend to church after they were not allowed to enter the 1030am service last week when they were over half an hour late. The husband texted: "We have arrived but they said we re 15 mins. late and they do not allow us to enter. We have to join the 12:15 pm section." They learned their lesson and they were on time this time. The husband said earlier, "This time I won't ba late again." They were late by 20 minutes but just because they went to the wrong worship location.

I will be off to Gentleland this Sunday (23rd) after half a year's absence, this time officially with a sponsoring seminary and teaching a Bible course (Numbers and Deuteronomy) instead of preaching. I spent a lot of time in September for the whole month I was off, so I am quite prepared. Let's hope the structural markers would not throw the students off track, that they may enjoy the fruit of Bible study. My present job afforded me the opportunity to help out a young coworker yesterday and today (21st) in sermon preparation. We had a good time studying, fellowship, prayer and eating. Let's hope the presentation is as good as the preparation.

Waiting Period, Sep 2011

2011-09-06T00:14:00.000-07:00

This waiting period has been longer than expected, so I have gone to Macau twice since returning from USA. There is nothing much to do in Macau as well, but Wife is happy I can join her. At least I got to speak last week and it turned out much better second time round, a far improved version of the same message delivered a month ago. At least my good friend from USA is around this week to break my boring routine. He was lost around East TST, but I managed to locate his relative's residence after worship. It was rare another good friend came at the same time to the worship (4th), not knowing I was the speaker. Tomorrow (7th) we will eat at my favorite Engish diner at Festival Walk, then visit the biggest Christian bookstore in Hong Kong.

Yesterday (8th) I finally got my dependent visa renewed, surprisingly for a longer period of three years, which was unusual. The first time was a year, the second two years and now three. Sometimes it just seems like I arrived in Hong Kong yesterday, but I have three valuable years locally behind me now. I came back from a briefing today for my new work with a local church. All is set to go on 26th, where I will attend a workers retreat in Shenzhen. I am excited about returning to pastoral ministry, but I am not sure if pastoral ministry is the same anywhere, so we'll see.

As before, a lot of folks, including outsiders, are in Ma Wan to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival today (12th). It was a merry occasion. The supermarket was still flooded with customers when it closed at 10p. Wife and I strolled around and sat on our favorite bench before she called it a night while I continued walking for another round. I have taken up walking since returning from USA. Now I am hooked. I usually walk as much as 45 minutes to distance myself from 930p primetime TV, which is not worth watching. Most of the series involves revenge, money and sex.

Yesterday I had unplanned high tea with a friend. I had asked for help around lunch time and discovered he still had not had lunch, so I suggested we go to lunch together. By the time I reached his place and got things done, it was slightly past 2pm, so the logical thing is to order from the high tea menu, which is HK$10 off the lunch menu. I enjoyed the lower price, so today (16th) I did the same, having lunch after 2 pm. It is a sad commentary on Hong Kong that around 10 seniors and ordinary folks line up with me for the fast food bargain price (HK$23-24), which is the normal lunch price before inflation set in. Right now, people uses newspaper $2-$3 discount coupons to stretch their money.

I got my passport with a six months China visa back yesterday, which was good news for a change. It means I can join the Shenzhen retreat next week, something I am looking forward to, my second trip there. I also had to perform self-surgery on the pinkie of my left foot that has been bothering me for many weeks due to a blood clot. After repeated trys I managed to burst the thick skin with a pair of sharp scissors and a trickle of blood oozed out. Yesterday was a good time as any other since I figured I had to take a few days off walking anyway because I am leaving for Macau in an hour to help Wife move.

Moving yesterday (23rd) was accomplished in two and a half hours, minus packing time. We decided to move the things ourselves because the apartment was just two blocks across the street and it was hard to determine when we would be ready for movers to come. I took five trips and Wife four. The hardest things to move locally were her oversized executive-type chair, the fan, the humidifier, and kitchen ware. After that we had a hearty lunch and returned to HKG. Then I had to cart a foldable single bed mattress to the ferry back to HKG. We were thankful that things worked out as they did.

A number 8 typhoon blew into the city late last night (28th) at 11 pm when I was walking the blocks, even though the observatory did not announce it then. This morning all work stopped and most stores were closed except for Pacific here. According to the lone worker he was there before the announcement after 4 am, so he opened shop anyway, which was a good thing because I spent 4 hours there with my laptop. I also invited a friend and his family to breakfast. Tai Chi did not stop for a few students. but elsewhere a strong tree toppled and bus services were sporadic in Ma Wan. The funny thing was that I was supposed to start work, but so far the first work week includes a two-days' retreat, a briefing next day and a canceled day, but such is life.

Three Year Later, Aug 2011

2011-08-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

The first week of the month finds me back in L.A. but 2 hours late. We touched down two nights ago but LAX was "plane" lousy. Our 945p flight reached here half an hour later, the plane could not park for another half an hour, immigration another half hour, and even a new declaration point for the last half hour. It's crazy; no wonder USA is in decline. The good news is that Wife's bad back held up well with the last-minute TravelBlue pillow we bought at the airport for her back. The best piece of news is that my sister's police report for immigration purposes came the day before I arrive, just as she had hoped upon greeting me.

I preached at RCAC yesterday and met former church members. Most said I have either not changed or lost weight or "It rains when important people come" - it unusually rained that morning before church. At night they took us out for our anniversary dinner. Wife was happiest for a gift bag of oranges she got that was unbelievably sweet. We plan to head to Santa Barbara today (1st) after breakfast at Panera or Corner Bakery. We laughed because we could not remember these restaurant names, especially the former.

We had driven over two days to Santa Barbra, Solvang, Pismo Beach, Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay, revisiting our honeymoon route 12 years ago. At Santa Barbara's Wharf (2nd) I ate a US$24.95 one and a half lobster at Moby Dick for lunch and today (3rd) we enjoyed dinner at Rose's in Morro Bay where the Happy Hour crab cakes and avocado egg roll are unbeatable. After dinner we watched the sun set like an egg yolk into the sea, something that is hard to do in Hong Kong, wise said. Wife was at her happiest traveling. Rooms at Solvang yesterday was US$82 overnight but the crowd was sparse on weekdays. At Pismo Beach we went to Starbucks for breakfast, of all places, because we couldn't get any wi-fi signal at our hotel. Both the hotels we inquired at San Luis Obispo have savvy Indian owners. After going nowhere to the first with a coupon, we decided to ask about room vacancy and its rate first before we produce a coupon when the answer is yes, reducing the rate from $99.95 to $59.95. The owner accepted our coupon reluctantly but only after adding another $5 for a doubled bed. We will head back to L.A. tomorrow after breakfast.

Ramada's breakfast bar was not opened nor inviting when we left at 7 am today (3rd), so Wife drove, her first time, up to Los Alamos when she drove into a fog. I took over and two hours altogether into Santa Barbara's Peet's Coffee for multigrain and dried fruit scones. Their scones are way better than their rivals Starbucks. On the way home Wife bought two T-shirts at Camarillo's outlets and we stopped at Little Tokyo's Sushi Gen for lunch. I can't believe we did so many things over four days.

Thursday (4th) I met with my new employer and it took most of the afternoon and at night we met with the Ngs for dinner at Cheesecake, where we ordered our favorite Godiva Cheesecake, except that it does not taste the same. The next day fellowship members of my first church threw a dinner party for us and another family from NJ. It was such a happy occasion except that most are empty nesters by now because the kids were gone, mostly for school. Today (7th) I am headed to my first church to preach and I honestly do not know what to expect because it's been 15 years ago. We were also glad our host has an automatic medicine pot to boil Wife's Chinese medicine. She really needed it because the trip can take a toil on you.

The second half of our USA holidays see us traveling to San Diego (8th) to visit Wife's two sisters, one of which has been in a vegetable state for 28 years as the result of a car accident. Wife and another sister from Hong Kong arranged to join the local sister to visit the bedridden sister - four sisters altogether. We sang simple worship songs such as "Sing Hallelujah to the Lord," "God is so Good" and "The Steadfast Love of the Lord" to celebrate her life, sad as it was but nevertheless our sovereign God allowed it to happen for a reason. We took the occasion to view her nephew's new house. It seemed like years ago that Josiah stayed with us for two years in Walnut when he was in college. Another nephew Joshua went with me to see the final installment of Harry Potter.

Yesterday (11th) I joined CMA pastors in their monthly prayer meeting. It was such a festive occasion when we met together, reminding me how different USA Chinese pastors are from Hong Kong pastors who have no time and are too busy and stoic to fellowship together. I am looking forward to next week with other Cantonese pastors at U2.

We went to Lake Ave. for 9a worship this morning (14th) and met a pastor who is leaving for Hong Kong next week for a pastoral position, small world. After worship we returned to Whole Foods for lunch. Wife ordered a traditional breakfast with poached eggs and I had a $3.99 whole wheat pancake with fruit and walnuts for sides. The choices at this health food store is amazing, one of the best health food selections. Wife was happiest with the protein supplements such as Vegan that she needs for her health battle. It was an emotional day today when we visited our old house, probably for the last time. Tears rolled freely down our eyes as we said goodbye to our first home as a couple.

Yesterday (15th) I celebrated my birthday eve with two close pastors and friends with their families. There were three pastors three years ago before I left for Hong Kong but now the gentleman, Wife's mentor, is 78 years old, too late to drive at night. Time flies and people gray, that's the fact of life. The dinner was impressive, but time together was priceless. It was funny seeing the ladies and the men sitting to one side. It is two days to go to the arduous trip to Seattle and Vancouver, please pray for us. especially for Wife's health and mind during the travel.

The last two days before our departure must be the most action-packed and risk-taking of our lives so far in terms of time and urgency. I call it Our Mission Impossible. Just yesterday (18th) Wife took a continuing education class at L.A. that lasted till 340p, then we took a 830p flight to Seattle, stayed at a friend's place and talked till 130a. Without a GPS it would have been hard to navigate the country roads at midnight even with printed Google maps. I had forgotten to bring one I had borrowed and rented it at the airport. Early 6a the next day we woke up and had breakfast at Peet's before we headed to Vancouver at 730a. Wife drove for 55 miles before I took over again and lined up about the 10th car in our lane (out of three) at the Canada border. At the airport I parked as she got her boarding pass to HKG but the plane was delayed for 2 hours. I had to dash over back to the border to take a 5p flight to LAX. The lines returning were so long that it took 45 mins. at least to pass. At the Seattle counter I requested her flight to LAX be canceled, but she had apparently done it through the internet on the Vancouver airport side. Better still I got on the earlier 345p flight to LAX. It was quite an adventure, one I am not eager to repeat. By faith wife must have boarded the plane, so I am traveling by myself as well. Here is her side of the story.

The travel home was 13 hours, but I was more patient than I thought possible. I arrived in HKG yesterday (21st) at 6p and hop onto the Ma Wan 7p bus. To fight against sleep I swam, which I had missed for three weeks, at 9p, then slept before 11p. The Lord has blessed us richly on this trip, opening doors for us I never thought necessary. I have seen relatives, friends and brothers and sisters; driven more than 1,000 miles from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo, from Los Angeles to San Diego and from Seattle to Vancouver; and shopped at neighborhood stores, outlet stores and department stores.

There were a lot of errands to run this week. Our Southern California holidays were barely over when we traveled to Macau (25th) on Tuesday, two days later. Wife bought a lot of health food from USA for her Macau home because fresh food is not easy to purchase there. I basically carried the food over for her, but I had time to complete the denomination assignments as well. Today (25th) I had to go to the Immigration Tower to extend my non-permanent resident visa, to be picked up in two weeks. It was half the wait the last time, two years ago.

I am in Macau again for the last day of the month (31st), probably my last trip here before work begins. There is nothing to do in Hong Kong besides waiting for the denomination interview. It is a good break and I can be with Wife, who has to stay over the weekend due a retreat. It could be boring but I had time to repair the many broken links on Preach Christ. Tomorrow a friend from USA will be arriving.

The Last Month, Jul 2011

2011-07-04T17:30:00.000-07:00

This month is my last month at my present office before I return to the States for a three weeks break. In fact I do not need to go in after taking all my vacation days, so today (5th) is the first day at home and I am slightly bored since Wife is at work. There are notes to edit for my new book and a sermon to prepare, but otherwise I have all the time to myself, which means I must look for lunch with friends.

Today (8th)is hang-out day at Tung Chung cafetaria in the morning and an exceptional HK$98 curry buffet for lunch. Yesterday I had a good class whereby I discovered that six times the word "served" is used in Gensis 39 to sum up Jacob's new-found attitude after leaving from his family. Small details like this makes the Scriptures come alive.

I had 3 hours to kill waiting for the next bargain-price ship at 3p to Macau today
(12th), but no one was available for lunch, so I hanged around and was surprised to see how busy lunch is. 20-50 patrons lined up patiently outside some restaurants for food. I needed to get out of the building for air, though it was drizzling. Outside I found a bargain lunch for HK$30, including noodles, bread and tea, better price than most tea restaurants here. With the extra time I wrote this part, too. Wife wrote a piece yesterday if you are interested to read.

In Macau the next day (13th) we had lunch at Macau's finest, but the price wa snot worth it! I bought a dictionary of Chinese phrases end of last year, but only managed to read 40 pages. However, I read another 60 pages in two days after six months of inactivity. And my plan was to complete it in a year. Returning home, the greatest joy was to find Pacific has opened its new store in Ma Wan. Now I want to buy a card and be a fan because Starbucks has nothing here.

Yesterday (18th) I had a great time speaking at TST. I was completely shocked that both my wife and I received a small gift from two different sources, people who hardly know us which reminds me of God' provision for our needs no matter where we serve and what we do in Hong Kong. This is important because I have an appointment for ministry tomorrow, which I hope will work out, but God's way, nevertheless, is not man's.

The big-decision day (20th) sputtered out deja vu-style. Again I was called to have another meeting with another group of people. I was calm, not annoyed. Things are what they are. Maybe the Lord wants me to do something else, who knows? Hopefully the next call-up is less complicated. I can only stay focused. At least I had good fellowship over lunch. It is so unbelievable that I can write a book on "How to Find God's Will for Your Life."

This is the first day (23th) we have been at Starbucks since Pacific opened nearby, and we totally enjoy the old place more. It's scary to say this, but the the food is better at S. There is no toast or egg ciabatta at P, so we missed that. Other than that the weekend is boring since the meltdown. We plan to attend evening worship at Tsing Yi today.

Last night (26th) Wife's back hurt the worst so far, so I put my years of treatment to good use and gave her a rub. Her fear is for her back if she has to sit on a flight for more than 10 hours to USA three days from now. After continental breakfast today, we submitted our residency papers and hope for the best. We ate a lot of fridge food at night to clear them before we leave. Tomorrow is my last day at class, boo-hoo.

The last day of class was a blast. I had lunch with a former student at an Asian retsaurnt at IFC; the Malaysian-Singapore food was great. One of my colleagues took me out for high tea and five students took me out for dinner. The best was from the night class students, who treated me like celebrity, taking pictures and all. They progressed the most. I was also happy that my project on translating my favorite gospel songs have taken flight, with Sacrifice and When God Ran for starters. Soon to come is Blessed Be Your Name.

Missions, Jun 2011

2011-06-02T04:18:00.000-07:00

Yesterday (1st) I rewrote to an interested missions agency and the group was still open to welcome me. I can do a lot in Hong Kong but there's much to be done outside too, so I hope to do both. Today is the second last day to the quarter. The students will give me a farewell tomorrow. The Lord is leading me elsewhere, that I am certain. With my domicile problems I have no choice but to leave. By the way I got a wonderful photo album with lots of students' photos in it.

Today (6) is a relaxing public holiday in Hong Kong, but the hot and humid weather tires me out. It is hard to get motivated. Morning was at Starbucks and afternoon was nap time after eating the traditional rice dumpling, which was really good. Starbucks was packed with students getting together to study for exams. We took a walk in the afternoon. I swam once more at 6pm to make up for tomorrow's trip to Macau. Wife put extra effort into the new book, which I do not think will be ready by October at the rate we are going.

My mind is quite made up about missions, even though a tiny door was still left open until today (8th). I know this is crazy, but missions school "will add another 200 full time master level students this year," according to the president. So now I know why the local door was closed to me at the last minute. The need overseas is much greater, almost overwhelming. I was asked inside the lift today if there is a chance I could change my mind. I said a small chance, but according to my previous request to teach in school. The answer given was that it is out of the reach of people in charge and we left it at that. I guess that is the last confirmation and the point of no return.

Graduation was yesterday (10th), my last with school. I had to fight back tears when "Make Me a Blessing" was sung at the end. It was a good three years, where I hone my teaching skills from general to good. Now I have a balance in teaching students literary and grammatical studies. The two are crucial and indispensable to jumpstart a preacher's teaching and preaching. I am sure it will make a difference, even an overhaul, in their ministry. Experience is priceless. I can't wait for the ten-year window ahead.

Day 2 in Taiwan, where I arrived last night to teach a five-days' Logos D Min class beginning today (13th). The airlines Eva was really impressive, lots of legroom.The president from L.A. was here for a change, so I gave him my latest book as soon as I arrived as he is leaving today. This morning he surprised me by bringing me breakfast, including mangoes, lychee and durian! The only thing missing is coffee, so I am determined to scour the neighborhood as I already spotted a 7-11. This morning was productive. I had already gone through half of a sermon that a former student edited.

I found my bearing in Taiwan on Day 3 (14th) after I strolled downhill for dinner. Our location is at Christ's College. At the bottom of the hill was the Danshui subway in Taipei and besides it was a Starbucks, where I enjoy a cup of coffee before trekking uphill, which was a challenge. Vendor food was okay, not spectacular, but eating at a table by the busy roadside was special. I paid T$120 for a large bowl of Ramen and T$60 for a small coffee. Just yeasterday I paid T$25 for coffee at local 7-11. I shouldn't complain because I also found a Wellcome supermarket nearby. Two more days to go.

Yesterday (18th) was my last day in Taiwan, my third straight year there. As a result I was more relaxed and had more fun with the students, ten of them. An older colleague there claimed he discovered me in theological education more than ten years ago. No matter what, I owe them, no doubt. I have quite a name among Taiwanese, more renowned than in Hong Kong. It was hot but I enjoyed my nights there. The Taiwanese are more passionate than Hong Kong people, who are quite stoic and less trusting, almost cold. Yet I am glad to be back, especially passing by a mall today.

Signed and sealed yesterday (20th) in more ways than one, literally. First, I returned my acceptance offer for missions that was sent to me more than a week ago, but the scan was not of good quality, so I will send by mail tomorrow. Second, is the completion of an 18-chapter manuscript for my new book on Bible Couples entitled 執子之手。I have rediscovered the joy of writing with this book. Wife's work on it makes it even more exciting.

I am close to the end of my three year service at school, and today the reality sinks in. This morning I was informed I have 6 days and 4 hours of leave left. A friend did the math and for me and said that I do not even have to go into Yuen Log office at all, but teach two days at TST till July 30, my last day, to finish my term. That got me thinking that I have to take things home from office and call time on Yuen Long office days.

It is a hot day over the weekend (25th) but we bought lychees and oranges and ate them at the pier. Up to that point, I almost gave in to high tea, which is not too good for health. English worshippers were supposed to visit us but they called to say that they would rather stay inside the a/c conditions at Noah's Ark. The rest of the day without the visit is rather boring. Swimming is out of the equation since we had already done it this morning.

Labor Day, May 2011

2011-05-02T00:12:00.000-07:00

We returned from a night's stay in Shenzhen yesterday (1st) due the Labor Day weekend. The 4 Points hotel was worth the RMB$599. We went to Coco Park (購物公園) and Book City (書城) on the first day. This morning we splurged on their RMB$139 breakfast buffet, eating a little over three hours to cover lunch as well to save money. There is nothing like a breakfast buffet catered by Westerners. In our first year here we had breakfast at Wangfujing provided by the hotel, but the style was too Chinese. after breakfast we headed to Shenzhen Univeristy and then caught a train to Hong Kong via Luohu. There are American stores in Shenzhen thst I do not even see in Hong Kong, such as Papa John's and Coldstone Creamery.

It's been a marathon of sorts the last few days. I just finished preaching two messages today (8th) and will speak another on Tuesday, culminating with four sermons since Thursday (5th). I am most satisfied with the work I did on Ephesians 5 marriage text, a passage I have never preached on in over 20 years of ministry. I was surprised but not shocked because I usually do the vows but not the sermons at weddings. The next three weeks would require less from me, though I have three more consecutive Thursday night messages to go.

Today (10) is a public holiday in Hong Kong and I spoke for a church at a one-day retreat in Wu Kai Sha's YMCA near Ma On Shan. It is a beautiful place, the most impressive retreat center I have been locally. The location, which is near the beach, is also clean and picturesque. I was glad when the talk was over because I had to spend a lot of time on 2 Peter 1, but the personal reward in preparing it was gratifying, too, one of my best. After the morning session I joined Wife for bakery at Simply Life. The food there was fantastic and the line was long. In the afternoon it was so hot and humid that I had to turn on the a/c to nap. In the evening we sat by the rocks for the first time at the beach, a highly enjoyable experience.

Yesterday (19th) a door to ministry unexpectedly closed, but maybe it's for the best because returning to the grind of pastoral ministry is not an option to me, especially as local ministries do not multiply. I have a ten year window in ministry open, so I must use it the best way possible. This week I have started to work on my new book on Bible Couples, so there is life beyond the horizon. Be patient, my soul!

There is good news this week from the publication end. My editor told me on Tuesday (24th) that he is happy with the work and that the materials for my new book on Bible Couples are stronger and more practical than my previous work on Parables of Life. I know it not a knock on what I did before but I was still quite taken back by the assessment, as I was quite pleased with the former. Well, I cannot complain about the compliment and he certainly has the experience.

Wife and I had a two-hour retreat today (28th), praying for a house locally, ministry, work, unsaved relatives, friends, churches, health, and Jon Hon. The latter's book on prayer inspired her to suggest a retreat. The weather was perfect for a morning outdoors. In the afternoon I worked again on the book before I send the first draft to the publisher after the weekend.

Today (30th) I finished all the observations I began a few days ago for the 18 chapters in my new book. It was quite a task but I learned a lot from it. Writing down all the Who, When and Where from the original text certainly helped me in exposition.

Spring, Apr 2011

2011-04-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

Today's weather (2nd) is the best in the year so far, with temperature over 70 F for the first time this year, bringing in the bright sun for a change. I feel good after telling the school two days ago my plans for the coming months. The school started on a right note this week, but already my assignments weigh heavily on them. For this weekend, I have to teach a pre-study today and Sunday school tomorrow and preach twice. What a load, but I have learned to thank God for the health to do so. Wife, also, has a talk today, so we are equally busy.

This is my second day in Macau due to a public holiday today (5th). I traveled yesterday after school, hoping to catch the regular 630p ferry but Chinese tourists have reserved all the seats, so I had to settle for the 645p ferry. Wife and her sister had booked a place at our favorite Italian restaurant at the mall but the food was not as good as before. My favorite breakfast cafeteria Savory was closed for the holiday but lunch more than made up for it. We went to Fernando for the first time and enjoyed good roasted pig, quail and salad for lunch. No wonder it is such a popular tourist hot spot, with a line forming before its noon opening. At night we had buffet at Royal Kitchen by the new Yaohan. The food was good, including sashimi, but we could not take in much. Tomorrow I will head straight to church from Macau for 10a training, the second time round for a smaller group of seven this time, unlike the 12 last time.

My heart was burdened yesterday (6th) by the weight pastors have to bear in ministry, but today a chapel speaker inspired me with the same principles I have always believed about ministry: serve God and not men, dwell on the positive and not the negative, faced them with grace and not the gripe.

We were talking tonight (8th) about what to eat when we get back to Los Angeles in August. Both agree on CHeesecake Factiry, Wife's list has Savoy Hainan Chicken, I have Buca di Beppo and Sushi Gen. It's been so long we forgot Buca's name for three days.

My wife made a classical statement today (9th) when looking at the latest real estate flyer in our box: "Flipping homes is better than going to work (抄樓後過返工)." Yes, homes are that pricey in Hong Kong. A less than 700 sq ft house in Ma Wan sells for HK$350,000.00

For the last two days sleep a struggle. I woke up at 3a yesterday, and 5a this morning (14th). The night before was probably due a night class but I have been thinking about my future. What do I do best? How do I fit in? Why am I uneasy? These are the things I have to work on these few weeks. By July I would have earned three precious years of working experience in Hong Kong, which allows me to have a better perspective of things.

Since its opening this month, Wife exclaimed about how refreshing it is to swim in the outdoor pool, which she tried once, after which she said she could never leave Ma Wan, so today (16th) I joined her. The weather was perfect, 80 F. I didn't feel the sun over my head. We enjoy the pre-study today, and Wife volunteered to teach the next two lessons as well since she had done it with her students.

Yesterday night was stuffy and murky, so we turned on the a/c unit in the miiddle of the night (3 am) for the first time (17th) this year. I drew the curtains to dim the lights beaming into our apratment, waking both of us at the same time. The morning sun in spring might have contributed to my lack of sleep. Rain, for no reason, poured and dampened the island in the afternoon.

I am looking forward to attending Good Friday service for a change tomorrow (22th) instead of leading one, which was what I was doing for the last two years here. My close friend from USA came by to visit two days ago, and Wife's close friend from Canada will visit on Sunday. We had a good cry. It is always good to see old friends, a benefit we do not have presently due our short history here. Speaking of friends, a quiet day at work makes me dull and the day long, so I prefer to talk and share than sit in an office the whole day without much verbal conversation and stimulation.

It has been a good day today (23rd) even though Wife struggled with the gloomy weather. We went to the Starbucks at TST's I-Square for the first time since it opened last year. The seats were very modern and the view overlooking Nathan Road is fantastic. Slightly before noon, we had lunch at a hamburger restaurant there, which was better than we thought. In the afternoon we napped and then swam before we headed to Sai Wan Ho for dinner with relatives. Wife's brother-in-law, who has not accepted the Lord, gave me the best compliment for a long time when he said my evangelistic sermon a month ago was not boring! Naturally, I paid for dinner in exhcnage for such kind words and also to treat her sister in San Diego who has returned to visit.

My eyes have switched from seeing a roach to a fly in the last few days, so there must be something wrong with my eyes. I consulted my brother-in-law but my symptoms are not as bad as his when he saw black patches and plenty of flies. Yesterday I started sniffing from a long day at church, but I am not sure if it caused by allergies or tiredness. There is a funeral to attend maybe today (25th) or tomorrow, my first in Hong Kong.

Attending a funeral in Hong Kong is different from one in USA, as I found out yesterday (26th). There, it is formal, here merely three people wear a jacket, including the hosts and I. I tried frantically to call last minute for advice, to which a friend texted in reply, "Dark color is OK." Here, the funeral service and the graveside service are on separate days, there the graveside service commences immediately after the funeral service. I had to take two roundtrips by ferry to Hong Kong for that day but decided to take one on train instead because of the choppy waters, which makes me wonder how Wife survives all the traveling.

I wanted to speak on Ephesians 5 for Mother's day in one church but Wife said women dislike the passage on submission, yet I was determined to do it. Surprisingly the Lord calmly moved me today (28th)to change it to Hannah's story. When I told Wife she said she did not want to convince me to change to another text even though she had Hannah in mind.

Busy Bee, Mar 2011

2011-03-01T05:02:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe the number of invitations I have been getting exactly these past two weeks - four, including one today (1st). I am scheduled to speak this Friday(4th)at a couples fellowship, next Saturday at an evangelistic meeting, a day retreat in May (10th)on 2 Peter 1 and now a speaking engagement in late May. I was nervous at first but now I do not have time for that, so I am going to take things one talk at a time. Many things are on my mind, including my sibling's immigration status and my coming domicile. We have bought tickets to fly to Los Angeles at the end of July. Like Wife said, these opportunities do not exist in L.A.

Yesterday's talk (4th) turned out better than I thought even though Wife said I did better previously on the same message. All my nervousness of speaking to believers were gone as soon as I realized I will have to face unbelievers next week. Today we had a good night walk at Ma Wan, thinking about the last two and a half years in Hong Kong, and how we are at the crossroads again, with her health and my domicile returning us to the starting point. Also, I am reminded I am still an outsider as I will not get the HK$6,000 rebate from the government's surplus that is promised to all locals. In fact we are glad some doors are closed so we that can look for new ones.

I woke up this morning (8th) from a dream which reflects my anxiety over speaking at this Saturday's evangelistic meeting. The venue was no longer before a packed auditorium, but a car port garage, so I am happy. I just finished putting the bilingual sermon together today. I hope my Cantonese is up to par. Just last week, I bought a bottle of conditioner instead of a shampoo, which goes to show my Chinese is not there yet. Hong Kong people are still very superstitious. The attendant at the apartment I rented told me today that my neighbor complained that I was hanging a frying pan by my kitchen window, bringing bad luck to her.

For the last few days I have been swimming seven laps after work, which is a big step for me. Yesterday (11th) I started working on my next given passage- Luke 4:15. It is a hard passage, so I am praying for a miracle. Today (12th) I managed to recover from the shock of a receiving a difficult passage. The preparation for the first part/point went well. I have more than two weeks to go.

Wife said the evangelistic message (12th) and all went well: my Cantonese, voice tone and appearance. Her brother-in-law attended and two people accepted Christ. Wife was my biggest fan last night. She said the preaching was a landmark in my ministry and the first time she felt my sermon was that good and I have earned the right to do whatever I want in ministry. On top of that, she was happiest that I was able to cook dinner, boil her herbal medicine and paid attention to her tiredness after her long travel home yesterday morning - all before attending the service. I was hardly nervous in the afternoon while Wife couldn't walk or sit straight. I stumbled for a few opening seconds but was at ease throughout, except I exceeded 20 mins. by 5 mins. I was told a night before to reduce it to 20 minutes but the message was already done by then. Wife shares her perspective.

Today (17th) my heart is heavy because it is the first anniversary of Doris' operation for cancer. I wrote a prayer for her. At this time last year, I rushed back from Taiwan, where I was teaching midway through a class, to be with her in the morning, but she did not come out of the operation table till evening. It was tough to see her crushed body for the month or so in recovery. Our lives have certainly changed since that day, but her struggle is even greater. Here is her reflection. Things will be more challenging in the future, but I am sure God knows things ahead better than us.

I wrote a prayer (17th) for Wife a year after her surgery, but she thought I copied it from the internet, only to say "Wow, now it is different" when she knew it was an original:
"It was a year to forget
But as you remember one year ago today,

May the Lord...
attend your need
bless your health
carry your burden
delight your day
ease your mind
free your chains
grant you peace
heal your body
impart you strength
keep you focused
lighten your load
mend your hurt
nurse your wound
order your life
quiet your struggle
restore your energy
scatter your weakness
toughen your character
uplift your soul
vindicate your pain
watch your step
x-ray your future
yoke to you
and
zap your darkness."

God’s presence be to you, with you and before you.

Hubby

It's been slow and sleepy going into the last week of the month. Today (26th) I couldn't keep awake in the morning even after coffee, so we decided to take a walk in our neighborhood park, where we spend more than an hour sitting and talking about our dreams and plans for the future in ministry. I hope to have a small vacation with Wife at the end of the month before returning to the States at the end of July to check on my domicile requirements. At night we took another walk before the winds made Wife give up.

Today (27th) we had wonton noodles for lunch at TY after worship - HK$97 for 2 combos and one drink. It was more satisfying than the last time I was there. On the way home Wife wanted to buy a MX mini-Mango cake, with four servings, but I offered to buy the chocolate cake instead, and that she would have to pay for the Mango cake since we already had one last week. She asked for the price and the salesperson said HK$88 or HK$68 with a Standard Chartered credit card. She balked at the $20 difference, so I bought three various pieces at our regular store for a total of HK$42, a 50% savings. We enjoyed the chocolate cake, mango cake and chestnut cake at home.

I was emotional today (30th) visiting my former colleague Jon Hon, whose nervous system fell apart nearly a year ago. Hon was supposed to live till September last year, but he persisted to the present. He has two daughters still in high school. God alone knows what the future is in store for him and his family. He could not talk, but when he laughed, he did with all his heart, which showed on his brightened face. My tears brought tears to his eyes as we prayed. It has been months since my last visit and so today was the best time since I did not have class with the young ministers at church. After that I went out for lunch with a student and checked on another minister in the afternnon at Tai Koo. In the afternoon tears welled in my eyes again, thinking of a minister who was fighting depression. Ministry is never easy.

Chinese New Year, Feb 2011

2011-02-02T04:14:00.000-08:00

On New Year's eve today (2nd) we had lunch with the young coworkers at church. They were excited to meet Wife for the first time and we were just as blessed by their presence. All laughed as they recalled how many interviews they had, usually five or six, before they were hired. Tomorrow we are heading to Macau, part of the visit was to help Wife to bring some teaching materials there. I expect to eat a lot there the next few days.

The new year began with swimming. Wife wore a new swimming suit. I wore a new vest getting out of town. It was an extremely busy day at the ferry with many folks unexpectedly getting out of town on the first day of Chinese New Year. We fell asleep on the ship but caught a local bus to the apartment. I was surprised today the Hong Kong queue is longer than the international line at Macau Customs. After two hours of sleep we headed to our favorite Italian restaurant by bus, but we could not get a seat because of the crowd. The replacement dinner at BF was average for the price, but the Gelato dessert from a stand was good. At night we could see Macau's fireworks in full display from the apartment.

My Macau New Year ended today (5th), highlighted by a big lunch at a posh Italian restaurant in one of the major hotels. By that time I was sick of eating, so I ate noodles for early dinner before I took a taxi to the ferry, putting myself on standby for the earlier 630p instead of 645p ferry home. I was the last five onto the boat. I got the ticket three days earlier, which was the last available ship home until next day's 5am morning ship. It was that packed over the new year. I think this may be my last new year in Macau.

Hng Kong has been cold lately. Nevertheless for two Saturdays now, including today
(19th) I have been swimming ten laps instead of the three laps last year that progressed to five this year. I felt fine; in fact, my pants are less tight, but it could be wishful thinking. The Chinese New Year has been good to me, so far I have been sticking closely to my plans and resolutions, including sleeping early. I have started to look for summer fights to Los Angeles to fulfill my domicile requirements and to see old friends. Pray that it will be quickly settled.

I was surprised to receive an invitation this week (24th) to speak at an evangelistic meeting on March 12, which I am not an expert at doing, but it is hard to turn down evangelism, so I am trying my best to prepare myself to face hundreds of people, expecting to convert some. The next two weeks is nervous time, that's for sure. On top of that I am not given much time since the event is 16 days away. I guess I am a standby. The advantage is I have less time to feel queasy.

Prayers and Wishes, Jan 2011

2010-12-31T07:12:00.001-08:00

There is nothing more important to me than wife, health and ministry - in that order. Wife will have a check up next week to determine what the shadow on the other side means. Ministry is at a crossroad because I may have to return to the States by summer to prove domicile in sponsoring my siblings, which the immigration department announces is close. Maybe it is God's way to prevent me from getting too involved in local ministries. I am looking forward to teach my first D. Min. course in Taiwan come June 2011. On the health front, hopefully I can lose some weight as my gut had expanded a few inches since arriving in Hong Kong. Preachchrist.com made a dramatic jump to 49,717 hits last month, which is more than twice 18,403 hits on the last month of 2009. My new book and overseas teaching have certainly helped spread the word. Hopefully by the end of the year it will top 60,000 hits. I have befriended a number of neighbors, and by God's grace I hope I can lead them to Christ or to church.

I had a good start to my teaching and preaching mentoring program. After teaching a dozen of young coworkers over three hours, I had individual tutoring for two of the bunch. They were quite receptive, the atmosphere was great and the two were very teachable. I was bothered by a friend who warned me that I may suffer the consequences if the coworkers do not improve in their teaching and preaching, but I discarded that kind of negative thinking. I remind myself that failure is not a big loss if I tried to help.

We celebrated Wife's birthday this first week of the month. She did not feel like dining out on the big day since we have done it the night before and she was worried about her health, but I persuaded her to go, and we were surprised by the good quality of a restaurant in the village that we have not tried before. We talked a lot this week about what the future is like, especially if I have to return to the States to prove my domicile. I sent out the letter yesterday (8th).

This morning (10th) Frontiers missions organization did a presentation at the chapel that made me pause and reflect on missions. It was not an emotional appeal but it gave me plenty of food for thought. Maybe God is inviting me join missions full-time because the harvest is truly plentiful but the workers are few. I might know quickly enough since my attempt to sponsor my family to the States have ran into a snag. Well, never say never to God.

To my horror today (11th) I realized I wrote five new sermons only last year, two less than what I managed in the first 16 months in Hong Kong. Looking back, I am glad one of the churches I help has designated Scripture passages, making me work harder on passages I missed or avoided. The next day I had a throat infection after mentoring the younger pastors, but it was worth it seeing how much they enjoyed it.

I unexpectedly got the flu traveling to Sha Tin to preach today (16th). It was a bummer because I also had a sore throat four days ago that had not gone away. The good thing after worship was meeting Wife for lunch at Tsing Yi, where I added a salad bowl and a drink to my lunch for HK$23. At first I was critical why customers were allowed one serving only, but later I enjoyed piling all the food in one bowl, which requires a lot of skill, more than going for seconds. This goes to show that moderation can be more enjoyable in practice. The next day the doctor told me I have throat infection, so I am following the medication closely.

Yesterday (19th) Wife resumed her Bible study with Mainland students that was cut short by her illness ten month ago, when she felt something wrong with her body while waiting for the students to arrive. This time the students were an hour earlier. Wife treated the two boys and herself to dinner after the study. It is one of her few unfulfilled dreams left - to start a Bible study group with them.

Today (24th) was an emotional day for me at school as I preached on Gen. 45, where Joseph reunited with his brothers. I shed a few tears singing the song "Psalm 19," which was a special song because that was the song that moved Wife after surgery when she returned to North Point's English worship for the first time. The best thing was a student was touched by the message. If not for North Point's strict preaching calendar and text, I would have no new messages.

Yesterday (28th) I made the decision to accept the challenge of missions. Maybe turning 50 has something to do with it. Local ministry is too slow and stifling. I actually felt relieved and relaxed. It is better to put out the notice earlier so that there is more freedom to explore.

Gentleland, Dec 2010

2010-12-15T17:44:00.001-08:00

I returned from my 10-day trip to Gentleland today (10th). It got off to a worst possible start. My ride thought I was coming a day later, so I had to find an inn nearby. The next day (2nd), I taught 60 excited M.A. students over the 20-hour weekend how to preach.

The next week, I was taken to a new location to teach 28 B Th students. Unlike before, where I was staying with a family in a spacious apartment that has a bathroom with enough exercise space, I was downgraded to slum-like conditions near some run-down factories, for less visibility. Churches here are very out in the open, their worship music travels to the streets, and "emmanuel" signs are all over the church exterior.

It was both a boring and a blessed experience. The backward living conditions are similar to the poorest Hong Kong neighborhoods in the 60s. Students live a very simple life. All basics and necessities are met but all else is stripped away. Still they bring their own snacks. They use a basin for washing but, nevertheless, they have meat to go with vegetables.

Since nobody but students live on-campus, I have to request for coffee, fruits, and a ride out. I have a makeshift reused fruit juice glass bottle for a cup to use in class and in the kitchen I use a bowl for coffee. The restroom soap is big and unsightly. The locals do not use toilet rolls; they use wafer-thin sheets of paper the size of our handtowels.

It's been an unforgettable five days with the 25 youngsters ranging from 18 to 25. So far, I have trained 88 students, which would take me 15 years to do in
Hong Kong! Many of them are bright but lacking opportunities. Since it is held in a low-key location, there is nothing to do but sleep during the afternoon recess of 2 hour and 15 minutes, including lunch. Nights are almost unbearable. No TV, no company, no transport. I am virtually a prisoner, but I am thankful for internet. It would have been unthinkable without it. It was time to leave after adjusting to my lodgings. To counter the hard bed and thin mattress I folded the mattress for more padding since I do not need to use the other half of the mattress. On the last day I heard prayers reverberating throughout the building, but to my shock I saw only four women praying. I am tempted to visit elsewhere in the future seeing the field is ripe for harvest. After this ten day trip, I have a fresh appreciation for missionaries ten years in the field.

Today's 8 degrees C (16th) is the coldest day I have experienced in Hong Kong yet . I had three layers of clothing and I was still shivering without head protection when the cold wind blew. The low temperature, however, did not stop me from my pool exercise or a lunch appointment with a student. It was hard to concentrate at work during this lull holiday break without the students or chapel. I was excited over my sermon on Genesis 45 preached last Sunday because it completes my 30 messages on Genesis, which I hope to be published in English for a change.

I thought the cold could not get any worse, but it did and got personal, giving me a full-blown cold today (18th). I have not sneezed like that for a long time. My nose was running and my eyes were red, so I took a nap after lunch to get rested before today's pre-study, which we thought was canceled. My only hope is that Wife would not be infected. Tomorrow we are headed for early worship so that she can join a school party. At night I-Cable showed my favorite Stephen Chow movie just as we were about to rent the last Harry Potter movie, which we missed. We also signed a new contract today with the new landlord that will increase our monthly apartment rent from HK$7k to HK$8,400. There is no stopping inflation or rent in Hong Kong.

It is Christmas day today (25th) and we went for breakfast with a friend visiting from SF. On the way home I figured out how to text 17 friends from my phone contact list a Christmas message, which took me a full 15 mins to type and send. Tonight we will have dinner with a friend who is returning to No Cal after two years of ministry in HK. It did not work out because he has to return to care for his wife and daughter who have medical conditions.

The day after Christmas was mostly relaxing. We spent time with a church coworker and talked for more than three hours. After that we had lunch and a walk outdoors before we headed home. The pleasant day was interrupted rudely by a flu I caught after swimming. I sniffed and sneezed for the next four hours, causing pain to the right side of my stomach each time I sneeze during the final hour. It was so bad I debated if I should see a doctor tomorrow. Let's hope Wife does not catch it from me.

Today (29th) is my last Wednesday off this year before I sign up to mentor pastors in teaching and preaching next Wednesday onwards in the new year. We were lounging around in the Elements' Starbucks when an alumni called me up for lunch. Wife said I had used both days off, including last Saturday, to benefit other people in our sharing. Thinking ahead, I expect work and ministry to be tough next year.

Finally the last day of the year is here. I have been busy restoring the broken links on preachchrist.com. I have no idea what is in store for the next year, but nothing could be rougher than this year. All is good as long as Wife's health keeps up. It has been cold for a few days, so yesterday I got some thermal wear for both of us.

School Newsletter, Dec 2010

2010-12-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

務要傳道
本院碩士科主任
葉福成博士

當我仍在美國時，有一間福音機構邀請我加入他們的夏季短宣教師團隊。我當時幾乎要答應，但一想到是要前往亞洲，我心中有保留。雖然當日我沒有答應，但這次的邀請並沒有白費，因為這就成了我和我太太兩年前決定移居到香港的影響。當日該機構向我們發出呼聲：「釋經講道是今日華人教會最大的需要！」

可悲的是，當今的講道滿有智慧又風趣，但缺乏「道」。講員花那麼多時間講一些對經文沒有直接關係或經文沒有記載的東西。傳講神的道是沒有捷徑，也不能繞道而行。一個人如想得到釋經講道的「產品」(the sermon)，就必須瞭解研讀的「生產過程」(the study)。這個過程是最具挑戰性的，但大多數講員很自然又直接的方式是看參考書，而不是閱讀聖經，因此我們認識註釋家比聖經更多。

今日華人教會講道的弱點就是對於經文的文法和文學缺乏瞭解，而這卻是釋經講道的特色：先運用歷史 (historical)、文法 (grammatical) 和文學 (literary) 的方法，來尋找經文的主題、大要概念或中心思想，然後才把它們應用在聽者的身上。可惜，許多講員不知道怎樣以超過人物、地點和事物的原則，來表達講章的主題和大綱。

在歷史方面，參考書當然有其適當的位置，但教科書 (textbooks) 絕不能取代經文 (text)。聖經 (Bible) 是我們的首要材料，書籍 (books) 是第二的。牧師和神學生必須先是聖經學生，然後才做聖經學者。

在文法方面，如今傳道人可以使用最新的軟件，幫助他們理解原文的語氣 (mood)、時態(tense) 和語態 (voice)。我建議傳道人可以試用一些免費的分析工具（scripture4all.org，http://bible.fhl.net），特別是找出經文中的三大「I」，即是：命令式 (imperatives)，不定詞 (infinitives) 和直說式 (indicatives)。

在文學方面，識別經文的鑰字（比較、對比、重複、漸進），能彌補我們有關文學技巧的能力。我建議傳道人能花 80％的時間做釋經的工作，而不是80％做應用，因為「觀察」錯誤，會導致「解釋」和「應用」的錯誤。

好的釋經講道者能教導、吸引、啟發聽眾。著名的釋經講員邁爾博士 (F. B. Meyer)，分享早年他的導師比樂博士 (Dr. C.M. Birrell)，如何鼓勵他走出專題式講道，同時指導他朝著釋經講道的道路和方向邁進。在一次聚會的結束後，比樂對邁爾說：「今晚你講道的信息非常好，可惜它是一篇專題式的講章，如果你要以專題式講章作為你講道的模式，可能很快你會用完那些主題，接下來你要怎麼辦呢？因此我建議你可不要像我過去三十年的做法。不如讓你自己成為一個釋經講道者吧！這樣你會一直保持神話語原有的新鮮感，並且建造一個健康有力的教會。」 (Listening to the Giants, Warren Wiersbe 97, Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1980)

Coping, Nov 2010

2010-11-01T07:36:00.000-07:00

Wife's experiment with Chinese medicine got off a good start. The doctor we see has no lack of patients. She got six small packs of medicine the first time, and 12 last Saturday (Oct 30). I am getting good at boiling the medicine in claypot, which requires 1 to 1 hour 15 minutes heating time. Yesterday (Oct 31) my heart was blessed by one thing and touched by another. The blessing was a note my wife received from a congregation member at a church where I was a guest speaker for the last year. The note says, "I pray for you and your family...You are not alone." The second, the plight of a resident, whose kid is autistic, moved me. The father has not worked for two years to care for his son. I hope to find a church and help for the 8 year-old.

It rained boxes from heaven yesterday (3rd). We could be moving anytime now that the owner has told us he wants to sell his property, but we had thrown the 20-odd boxes that came with us from the States for fear that dust from the boxes could complicate Wife's recovery when she was sick. Last week Wife expressed doubt on how we could manage without the boxes - 14 of them. Yesterday on the way home from swimming I saw a couple throwing some boxes away, and I asked them if the boxes are good, to which they replied they threw them because they just moved into the neighborhood. It is heard to purchase boxes in Hong Kong, unlike in the States, where you can buy them at almost all stationary stores. Here most people do not owe a car, so transporting them home is out of the question without delivery fees.

I need lots of prayer this Sunday (14th) as I am up to my neck in preaching. The three worship services are in three different locations, from 830a to 1030a to 1215p. The early worship was a last minute call on Monday (8th) from a megachurch. The second one is a church anniversary, cannot avoid that or disappoint a friend, too. The last one is an English one, where I excel. The hop to the third one, from Tsuen Wan to North Point, is most challenging. May as well stretch myself and see if I survive. Actually I like last-minute substitutions, at least the panic is just for a week.

Yesterday morning at 930am (9th) I received a call from a church secretary saying that they double-booked speakers for this Sunday, so the pastor's wife suggested dropping me instead of the other speaker (who is a friend I had dinner with last week). I had no problems with the arrangement, since I had my hands and plate full with three sermons one day. I thought prayers were answered and called Wife to tell her the latest. At 1038am the secretary called me again, saying the pastor wanted to speak to me. He asked me if I would like to preach instead, seeing the other speaker had spoken at the church before. I said OK. When I logged into my computer, Wife indicated in her e-mail that she was glad I was dropped to lessen my load. When I wrote that it was on again, she replied with a terse "Oh!" By the second day (Tuesday) I was calm and today I am spending my day off in Macau, working on translating my sermons into Chinese. I feel like my anonymous, low-profile and off-the-radar days are over with the release of my new book.

It's been an exciting and busy day today (14th) rushing to speak at three churches, from a mega church to a church anniversary, from Tsuen Wan to North Point. After my first stop, at the megachurch, a friend in the congregation texted me and said, "A very good job. Though a little bit nervous. Pray for you." The anxiety evaporated by Wednesday, the day after the second call. I also discovered one thing about myself. I am still the person who could handle one thing without ado and a few things the same way. In other words, this stretching exercise was good for me. The best response, surprisingly, was at the last stop, where a few members came up to me and said the message spoke to them. We celebrated our relief by going out to dinner tonight. The next day, I signed a new contract, transitioning to a four-day work week. I have no idea if it works. It is deja vu time, like starting all over again.

Today (17th) is my weekly day off. In the morning I called a friend to encourage hi. Next, I did sermon preparation at Starbucks for my given next sermon on Genesis 45. I finished the first point on the uplifting story of Joseph's reconciliation with his brothers. After that I met with a church to discuss the possibility of using my day off to mentor incoming pastors. Lastly, I picked up my ticket at Mongkok for my coming overseas teaching trip. A friend texted me this piece of mental health advice: "Take vitamins, talk to two people, and play brain games on the web."

Wife gave me the news Thursday morning (18th) that all is not well with the other side of her body. At the morning chapel tears slipped from my eyes. The next day, we had a good talk about how to face the future in the (1) worst scenario, (2) bad news, or (3) no change. We have peace. Life offers no guarantees, especially after the 2.4 earthquake that hit yesterday. This morning (20th) I woke up before 4 am and tears welled up before 5 am. I couldn't imagine life any other way.

Praise God, we survived the checkup yesterday (23rd). Wife's doctor said her mangled hands are the worst she had seen and that she could not determine if her other side was cancerous as well. The nearest date for a mammogram screening appointment is, no kidding, in 2012! The alternative is for testing at a private hospital, which is our next step. Reading Hezekiah's sickness and prayer (Isa 38) in the morning comforted me. At night we celebrated with a buffet, which is out of our body's reach at our age and in her condition. At night, we slept well. Another storm passes for the time being.

I had a gum inflammation scare two days ago (24th), but last night (25th)my back gave way and I could not lie straight sleeping, curling to the side at times and waking more than a few times. This morning I went to my Chinese masseur to rub over the pain, followed by a visit to a medical doctor to certify I have back pain, topping it with spa at the club after an afternoon nap. The last was most special because it was Wife's first trip to the pool, where she exercised for twenty minutes spotting short hair in public for the first time. I was assigned the task of preparing dinner while she returned to her nap after the swim.

My New Book 比喻人生 (Life of Parables), Oct 2010

2010-10-01T19:39:00.001-07:00

I am looking forward to see the response to my new book 比喻人生 that will be introduced at this year's Christian book fair in Tsim Sha Tsui from Oct 14 for a week. It is so unreal that the publisher (Tien Dao) could get it ready in four months. Not bad for a two years' and counting sojourn in Hong Kong so far. The excitement died down after I got hold of a copy, which goes to confirm the journey is better than the end. By the grace of God, I hope I could generously put them into the hands of pastors, who truly are in need of encouragement more than ever. Despite the book, the month began with a bad dream last night (1st), featuring my brother, that kept me awake from 3 am on. Middle age has its angst.

On my day off (6th) I went with Wife to Tsuen Wan's mega J store for the first time and bought two new pants, my first after two years here. I was supposed to get HK$142 change but on the way out I realized I only received HK$112. I returned to tell the young men at the counter, who then told me they would return the HK$30 only if they have extras unaccounted for. I did not mind because I just wanted to be a good citizen and tell the truth. It took them some time to count the money but, under eight pairs of eyes, two of them supervisors, they found HK$89 extra. Still they counted a second time. I promptly told them I had no reason to lie by now as I am a pastor. By this time Wife was worried and looked for me. I did not hear how much extra they had the second time but they returned the money and said "Fair." I asked what it meant but they avoided answering and said they will return the money to me. They also did not answer my question on how much extra they had the second time. I objected and said I do not want the money if their money is not balanced. On the way out the young man at the counter had softened, knowing I am pastor, and said they would have to call the police and review the monitor if there was a problem, so there was no fault on my part. Can you imagine they still have customers' HK$59 extra from the first count?

Yesterday (10th) night I sent out an announcement that my new book is released: "親愛的弟兄姊妹, 感謝神, 我的新書「比喻人生」終於出版了！由10月14日至20日, 天道書樓將在今年的基督教書展 (尖沙咀街坊福利會) 給消費者85折. 今天在美國是慶祝"教牧日" (National Clergy Appreciation Day
http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/clergy ), 你不防考慮送一本給你的牧者.葉福成牧師"
The responses have encouraged me:
"Dear Pastor, Thank Lord for your new book published. When can we purchase the book here in US? May our Lord continue to use you and glorify HIM. May our Lord continue to bless you and Doris. You are in our prayer always. Love, J.J. and Tan Chu"
"Dr. Yap, 恭喜！恭喜！我會買的。支持你！Carmen"
"Dear Victor, Thank you for your sharing and may God continue to bless your preaching ministries. Ellis"
"叶老师, 哦，感谢主，有机会能买到你的书。"
"Dear Victor, Congratulation for your new book! I called you today and could not reach you. Hoping you to see you in the coming Saturday. God bless! Luke"
"Congratulation! Ruth"
"好的，謝謝通知及提議！"
"Dear Victor, Congratulations on your new books. Good Job! Hongi"
"親愛的葉牧師：多謝您推介，願天父祝福您及保守您的身體壯健，使您的事奉更有力﹗你的學生"
"Victor, Congratulations. I will get a copy and read it. Allen"
"葉牧師: 為您感恩。我已想起六位朋友了，我會送您的新書給他們呢! 雖然我們沒多聯絡，但我每星期會一、兩次讀您和師母的Blog。繼續為您們祈禱。祝平安！主內, Wing"
"hi Pastor Yip, Congratulations, I will definately buy one...Ivy"
"Dear Pastor Victor, Thank you for your sharing. Congratualtions!! God Bless, Pauline"
"Dear 葉牧師：恭喜你出書，希望在中心書房也可以買的到。In Christ, Rachel Lin"
"恭喜Victor！timlam"
"good, congratulation to your book's publish. i will go to buy one and hope is fruitful. alice"
"葉博士: 恭喜大作完成，我們稍後會到書展。謝! Henry & Amy"
"Dear Rev. Victor, Warmest regards: Congratulations. Keep on writing and publishing.
Dr. Tan Kim Sai."
"葉福成牧師：感謝主！恭喜你的新書《比喻人生》已面世，真為你爭光，將一切榮耀歸與神。Lok Wong"
"你好！我是大陆的教徒！我想问一下！你们出版的书籍「比喻人生」是不是要卖！这本书你们这么卖！卖到杭州要多少钱！邮递费要多少！谢谢"
"Victor, I would like to get 10 copies but as you know, I am inside China. Hope to reserve the copies and perhaps I can get them later. H Hui"
"恭喜老師！願一切榮耀歸我們天上的父神！懇求主繼續大大的使用您成為眾多人的祝福！Rubin"
"葉牧師：Congratulations! 我還是縂從您的講章裏得到許多獨特的領受，感謝主賜您如此的恩賜。
May you continue with the good works. Boon"
"Dear Pastor & Professor Victor: It is very,very good news to hear that You press a new good Christian book. May God use you through his power and grace. In Him,Anna"

Today (11th) is the last treatment day for Wife. She decided to stop writing her blog, with her last entry appropriately entitled GOODBYE!. We celebrated by having German pork knuckle for dinner at our favorite restaurant in Ma Wan. At home we ate the Mango cake Wife bought in the afternoon for the occasion - she ate a fourth and I an eighth. Tomorrow she will return to work. By God's grace we have survived the last 9 months, but it could have been worse. A lot has happened to friends during these 9 months too, including unemployment, death and marital problems.

A weird and amazing thing happened today (12th). Our landlord called today and said he is selling our rental unit to a buyer who will be coming to look at the house this Saturday, four days later. I thank God that yesterday was the last treatment day and we can move on, no matter the rent, which is over the top now. The buyer bought it in August last year for HK$1.8 million and was looking to sell it for HK$2.15 million, but got HK$2.3 million instead. There is no reason to be jealous.

Today (20th) is my day off, a day I took in midweek to work with younger pastors, but I ended up ministering to Wife instead before the pastors' ministry gets busy. This morning I cleaned the floors of the apartment. Next, I carried her books and trekked up the school hill with her when the school bus did not show up. After that, while she is at work, I bought two 2-ltr bottles of mineral water for the apartment. Now I have just finished an American breakfast and read my e-mails. The schedule for the rest of the day includes shopping for food, followed by lunch at the cafetaria and reading a book I brought. I will head home early tomorrow morning and hope to make it to work before 830am, thus ending my 2 nights midweek stay experiment in Macau.

I just returned from an early morning swim just when the weather started to turn chilly in Hong Kong (16 C). At first I hesitated but I saw a friend's dad 20 something years older twisting/wiggling his body before he dived into the water. If a seventy something year-old man can brave the cold water, I have no excuses. Well, I survived, without a sneeze. Today (27th) is my weekly no-pay day off again, set at Wednesday this quarter. Instead of joining Wife, I will be speaking a school chapel.

Here is what a night student has to say about my new book:
"我已拜讀了大半的《比喻人生》, 很吸引呢!! 有點像你教導的部份查經法, 歸納在一起, 只是有些現代生活化的比喻, 我尚膚淺不太理解與整章的關連, 但你也引用不少電影題白, 我相當有共鳴, 因早年我觀戲甚多, 尤其是西方電影, 當中也蘊含了不少值得再思的片段, 故此讀下去很有親切感呢! 我會推薦予我們查經組的肢體呀. 請繼續分享你的恩賜呵!!Carmen"

Night swimming is no better than a morning swim, it is just as cold, as I found out today (28th). There was no one in the water when I arrived at 630p. I thought maybe the indoor pool is opened, but it wasn't. The lifeguards also had left their post with no swimmers around. A lady joined me later but she left before I did. On the way home I saw a teenager cycling on the no-cycling pedestrian walk, and told him off. I felt good later because the cyclists cycle fast and could hurt kids and seniors. Locals usually keep to themselves.

The same night I spotted my neighbor in the floor's corridor and exclaimed, "I haven't seen you for a while." She said, "I am here everyday." I countered, "I haven't seen you walking your dog." To which she replied, "It left." I asked, "Why?" She said, "Birth, aging, sickness, death." I added, "Then you must have cried sadly." She said, "Yes." A dog can't have a better life outside of Park Island. Previously in the summer, I asked her what she did for her summer holidays. She replied, "What holiday?" and then told us she cannot take a holiday because she had to take care of the dog every night after she got home.

Radiation, Sep 2010

2010-09-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

The hospital called on Friday (3rd) and radiation for 5 weeks begins Monday (6th), tomorrow. Wife is recovering as well as she could but the last cycle of chemotherapy was most tumultuous. She was sick with a fever on days 11-15 and one more day after a two days' break. Her next challenge is just as taxing. She goes back to teach at class from the middle of the month on, so traveling takes a toll. Today we are in Macau attending dinner sponsored by a school program, where she plays a prominent role. The school could not find a substitute for her session, so we are here, but we took our time traveling after the harsh lesson from last week, when she rushed back to school for an office move that never materialized and got sick the day after arriving and for the next four days. So far she stood the test at the dinner, smiling broadly much of the time, but the ultimate test is today, when she is scheduled to lead a session.

The school retreat this year ended on a high note yesterday (10th). It was a four days, three nights affair, one day more than previous years, the extra day allowing the students to quiet down before school begins. There are 12 new students this year, breaking the last two years of four each, increasing our overall enrolment for the undergraduate program at 23 while the graduate program has five new faces. Everything worked out fine for me at the retreat because Wife's chemo ended last week at the right time and she had recovered from her fever. Radiation started this week. Monday (6th), the first day, was frustrating, requiring Wife to raise her hands for more than half an hour, while Tuesday was a 15 minutes breeze, but the machine had problems on Wednesday, making the waiting period hours longer, and it was canceled on Thursday (9th) due machine problems.

It has been a busy day for Wife's first day of class back in Macau today (15th). We took a cab to the ferry on the Hong Kong side after her 810a radiation appointment and caught the 930a ferry to Macau, arriving there at 1045a. After a bite at the canteen we headed to her office for a rest, waiting for her 330p class to start. We plan to head back to HK after her class because of radiation the next morning. This is our schedule for the next month or so every Wednesday. After the class ended, Wife met me at 540p and we got into a taxi that took us to the ferry and miraculously made the standby list for 6p. There we waited patiently and were the last few to be awarded seats. Onto the Hong Kong side an hour later, we ate dinner and caught the 810p ferry back to Ma Wan. What a day.

I was sad to hear an old friend Kenny passed away while scuba diving. 20 years away, the day he first came to church, was like yesterday. Death, dying and brushes with death are inescapable nowadays. He was a young 41 and he left behind his wife Ling and two young daughters. I cannot imagine losing my spouse at any moment of my life, especially after her brush with death, so I can understand how Ling feels. No wonder seniors feel vulnerable when their friends pass away; losing a friend is like losing a part of you.

Today (22th) is the second Wednesday in a row I returned to Macau with Wife. Her radiation was at 820am but it was delayed till about 9am, which was frustrating for her as she has to teach at 130pm. On the Hong Kong ferry side we had breakfast at a cafeteria and took the 1005am ferry. The boat was about the worst ride I ever had due the effects from the Taiwan typhoon. The ship heaved up and down and I was seasick 20 minutes from departure, praying for time to fly. Once thee, Wife had less than an hour to rest to get over the hangover. I slept for more than an hour and I was sure she would be too exhausted to last for the next four hours. We went for dinner at 610pm before the return trip and we managed to get the last table despite forgetting the crush due MidAutumn Festival today. We reached Hong Kong at 815pm but Wife was too tired to rush for the 830pm ferry to Ma Wan, so we had a cone at Mickey D's, settling for the 9pm ferry instead. Another exhausting Wednesday, two more to go. It took a toll on her body the next day.

Today (20th) is the third successive Wednesday we travel to Macau together. First we had breakfast on the Hong Kong side with a longtime friend from the States who arrived yesterday. Then we caught the 1030am ferry and upon arrival paid the taxi driver $50 Macau dollars to take us to the university. The local wifi failed me 45 mins into its use, so I am looking forward to lounge in the cafeteria instead of waiting for Wife at the office. At least I am glad I brought a book. Her mini-laptop, to lighten the strain on her back, is not my cup of tea for sure. Friday is a public holiday here, so I have taken Thursday off as well to spend more time together. She is ten daily trips away from completing her radiation treatment. At the end of the day she was as thrilled as ever about teaching.

Milestones, Aug 2010

2010-08-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

It's been one milestone after another lately. Yesterday (Jul 31st) was our wedding anniversary, which we celebrated at a local restaurant, eating our favorite German pork knuckle. However, it was Wife's worst day yet after her 5th shot four days ago, and she had a fever at night. Praise God, she was fine the next day. Upcoming milestones this month include turning half a century (16th), facing the final sixth shot (17th), living two years in Hong Kong (18th), wearing out two pair of shoes, doing mentoring ministry with a local church (September), and getting published (October). On top of that, preachchrist.com surged over 30,000 visitors last month for the first time for a single month this year.

It is difficult to make and keep friends in Hong Kong even for one as sociable as I am, so I was glad when old friends visit, one from the States last week, one next week from Singapore, and another from USA again in two weeks' time. Local people and pastors just do not have the time to socialize or chat unless it's business. I must admit my night class students are different and more mature; they love to eat out and have fellowship with me. I found out yesterday (3rd) I will probably lose another friend due to job change.

I had a great time at the Kowloon Hong Kong revival meetings today (7th), being the only day I could go. The experience and exposition were much better than last year's and I was proud that I could go two years in a row since we have been here. After worship I had lunch with one of the speakers, whom I got to know in Los Angeles. It is good to take my mind off things and it is exciting to hear a good message for a change. The speaker tells me that only 200 max would attend a similar revival meeting if held in Singapore.

How do you stop a plagiarist? A minister had plagiarized my writings since the beginning of this year. When I asked him to stop naming himself as the writer of my sermons on his church webpage, he apologized, asked for forgiveness and took down the titles I named promptly. Later I found out that he did not take down the titles I did not mention, of which one of those left was also mine. Then we did a Google comparison of the ones left on his church website and found out most writings belong to other writers who also contributed to the same website I do, which the plagiarist conveniently swiped. I wrote to him again yesterday (12th) but he no longer cared to reply.

It is my birthday today (16th) and I took the day off to accompany Wife to hospital to check whether she can get her last shot tomorrow. I am actually writing this paragraph from the hospital. We brought the PC and wifi because we anticipate it is going to be a long day, usually staying till 3 pm. At least I got to have an earlier birthday dinner with a good couple friend from the States last night. I was worried I won't get to have dinner with close friends since I do not know enough local people long enough to have that kind of deep friendship. In response to Wife's question, my birthday wish is none other than Wife's health. The checkup ended at least an hour earlier at 220pm, when she was cleared for the last shot tomorrow, which unfortunately was not the case for a lady there from Tin Shui Wai. Wife was happy as a lark, so we went for hight tea, later she bought a Mango cake while I bought half a soy sauce chicken for tonight's celebration. However, I am not forgotten this day in Hong Kong. I have received three calls from locals for lunch/dinner. Who am I to moan after seeing this video of an armless man two days later and the World Blind Football Championship highlights?

Time flies and we are into the last Monday of the month (22nd). The next week or so is crucial to wife and I. She will return to work and it would be a stern test for her. I will take some days off to be with her there. As for me, the next phase is mentoring ministry and a new quarter at school. I am looking forward to meet the new students, especially at the Master's level, which I find more challenging to teach than the Bachelor's level, where independent thinking is unpopular.

We had a scare with Wife's persistent fever that started five days ago (26th)till today (30th). A doctor at Macau's Kiang Wu Hospital said it is abnormal, but a doctor at Hong Kong's Princess Margaret Hospital today says it is normal for her condition from medication. It seems the last shot is most upsetting, but not to the doctor who said that she missed out on the reactions on her previous cycles. The reactions are usually from day 8 to 11, but this time it is day 11 to 15 and counting. We rushed home from Macau early this morning, catching the 6am ferry from Macau and hopping into a taxi to take us straight to Princess Margaret. Wife's temperature was taken at the immigration checkpoint but they did not detain her, praise God. The hospital tests were done by 1220pm and I bought groceries after our lunch while she headed home directly.

Taxotere, Jul 2010

2010-07-01T20:19:00.000-07:00

July 1st is a public holiday in Hong Kong. We were blessed with a visit from overseas church member Wilson. He said it's been a long six years we have not met. Otherwise the day was a light one. We went for coffee, bought lunch home, caught a nap, exercised after rest, and relaxed after dinner. The next day I looked on the web for Wife's next drug in chemo: the fearsome taxotere.

Wife had a scare today (6th) after her 4th injection, TAC for the first time. She thought the 150 ml dosage was too strong and she panicked, so she emailed her physician brother in UK who said the dosage was OK. Nothing can calm her at times like this, but she was happy as a lark later. Checking too many website was counterproductive this time. The steroids kept her energized, but HGH is next, from Friday till Monday, four days after TAC. Read her version.

The HGH effect set in with a vengeance. For the last three days, Wife has sleep, bowel and pain issues. There is no relief in sight as tomorrow (12th) is the fourth and final day of HGH injection. At times, she has to rest on the bed with two arms extended to relieve and release the stress. Thankfully today I bought her tiramisu, which she enjoyed the taste even though everything else has been bland and flat to her. The caffeine helped, too.

The last few days, with the 4th cycle, have been wild, reaching a crescendo two days ago at night (12th). Wife had a high fever and almost admitted herself at night into hospital. She waited to see if the next day was any better, preferring to hold it off since she was going to have a checkup in two days time. The next day the fever still refused to leave her. Only today did it subside. Come to think of it, she has not been sick since March, still it was rather abrupt.

Three days ago (13th) I dreamed of talking to a prominent pastor in Hong Kong about the possibility of coaching the newer or younger pastors in his sizable church. After nearly two years in Hong Kong, I realized my heart is in training the younger pastors who are already in the field. This is an untested ground for me and for the local church here. The pastoral side in me wants to help out the younger generation, a way for me to give back.

Hong Kong can be quite a heartless city. Yesterday (19th) four men ranging from their early 20s to early 40s sit defiantly on their MTR seats without budging, refusing to give up their seats to a nearby woman in the 50s with a little baby hanging around her neck. I stared at them to make them feel uncomfortable but they were too thick-skinned to bother to look at me. At night I returned to my apartment to witness a young man by the lobby mail boxes picking up a notice that was already lying on the floor. I complimented him but he said it was minor, all he did was lift a finger(舉手之勞). Well, all is not lost for Hong Kong then. San Diego in-law Henry forwarded a link of a Hong Kong architect who transformed his tiny apartment to 24 rooms.

I was shocked to learn a pastor took my sermon as his literally, changing my name to his name. Check out the original I posted. In fact six of his sermons under his Breakthrough series were from my "Miracle of Faith" series. The plagiarism is so blatant and obvious. Wife was madder than me. He could be in trouble if his church finds out.

Second Cycle, Jun 2010

2010-05-31T19:03:00.000-07:00

Wife's veins were swollen on the third day after the second injection on May 25th. Mocha was tasteless on the fourth day. We tried using a cream (Hirudoid) a colleague suggested but the effect was minimal. The domestic helper could not come last week, but we coped quite well, so we are thinking of using less help, which frees Wife to do work and think by herself at home.

Wife has been giving me ideas for the preface of my new book 比喻人生, which my editor requested. The preface is much harder to do. All I wanted to do was to complete the task, but she reminded me of my dream in expository preaching. After working on it last night and this morning, I sent it to her for checking and she replied: "I think it is great in English! I don't know after translation whether this would be lost. The preface allows more storytelling about you as a person too." I dedicated the book to her, which she declined. Rev. Choy has been most gracious, agreeing to write a recommendation of 100 words for my book on the same day (June 9th) I e-mailed him. The editor-at-large had warned me when I presented him with a recommendation wish list: "O! That is a very strong list. They are all very busy, so you better ask and send material to them as soon as possible." Recommendation deadline is end of August.

Today (16th) is SAR public holiday in Hong Kong. We have a restful day after yesterday's third injection. I bought food for soup just after my morning pool exercise, before the crowd swelled at the supermarket. Breakfast is French bread, and lunch is noodles. In between I was stuck to live TV cheering the Lakers against Celtics as they cream their rivals in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Wife's friend from college days visited her for half an hour before lunch. They had a good talk and a good walk as well.

I was powerless to help Wife who suffered a lot of pain on the third day (17th) of the third injection due to her swollen arm. She could not sleep or rest and her injected arm was black. The pain was evident on the first day as well, somehow bypassing the second day, which is a public holiday. Shortly before I woke up the next morning, I had a dream she was crying. Her San Diego sister who is visiting Hong Kong was in the dream as well. As I told an overseas church memeber, "Every day is a blessing. Everyday is a bonus. Everyday is a battle." At night we listened to Somewhere Out There.

Wife was at her functional best yesterday (22nd) after a trip to Starbucks in the morning. Her eyes were big and bright all day. It seems mocha at home does not do the same job. She is thretaening to go again tomorrow. After the caffeine wore out, she was flat, drained and listless the next day. On Thursday (24th)she woke up and yesterday's day-long headache was gone, praise the Lord.

I could not bear to listen to the USA vs Algeria minute-by-minute gamecast on ESPN. All was not well when residents erupted in cheers in our apartment complex, which means England has scored, much to delight of previously-colonized Hong Kong fans. It also means USA was on the way out unless they score, which they did 1-0 in overtime. At half-time I turned off my PC. I knew we had won the next morning when I saw the highlights on TV before going to work, but later in the day only did I realize it was done in overtime. Ghana is next.

Wife was in a happy mood today (29th). I know for sure because she was singing. We are waiting for the dreaded 4th injection next week, otherwise known as the taxotere regimen. Yesterday was a terrible day for me. I ate a breakfast that sent me to the bathroom three times. At night after the first night of the intensive class I was so tired, but I woke at 4 am and could not go back to sleep, so I was dead the whole morning at work.

The Dreaded C Word, May 2010

2010-05-01T15:50:00.000-07:00

The first day of the month started off on a bright note. We went out for breakfast, followed by Italian breakfast, took a nap and ended with a walk in the park. All went well but for a lump in the armpit at night shortly before rest. Our worst nightmare could begin again. I woke up before 5 am praying that it did not rear its ugly head again. Lots of thoughts crossed my mind, wondering what God is doing. I am sure we cannot go through an operation all over again. No doubt feelings of "being punished" surfaced. It couldn't come at a worse time. We are feeling helpless because we can only see the doctor tomorrow and chemotherapy is supposed to start in two days. Tears rolled down our eyes when we had Sunday breakfast together. Per request, I sang a song for our comfort. The emotions ran high into the night. The next day the doctor assured us the lump was unlikely cancerous.

We went on a tiring one-day trip to Macau yesterday (7th) for some unfinished business at the hospital, as requested by the school. The rains poured in the morning, stopped when we left for Macau at noon, and drizzled when we returned to Ma Wan. Into the fourth day of chemotherapy, Wife had more energy than me. I napped twice as the humidity worked overtime. Her health held up the whole time we were there but she slept on the ferry returning to Ma Wan. All praises to God. Next week is a crucial test; already her face is swollen this morning.

Into the fifth day, Wife drank two bowls of soup, with rice added, in the morning. Soup is appealing, but not food. After that the appetite disappeared the whole day, eating only a potato for lunch and bits of spare ribs/pineapple. Everything is bland except for pineapple. She feels like vomiting to meat. Wife had mocha in the afternoon after church, which made her day. Day 7 comes with acnes on the face and day 8 by swelling in the mouth. Day 9, the acnes have been aching the last two days. Wife discovered the soothing and healing power of bitter gourd for days 9 and 10, using it as paste for her hurting acnes. On day 11, after day 10's faint spell and shortness of breath, all is well. Happy as a lark, she grabbed a cup of mocha today (14th). Days 7 through 10 of the three-week cycle are supposedly the toughest to bear due to the lower white blood cell count.

The new normal since day 11 is quite pleasant even though hair is noticeable all over the tub today (day 15). On the same day we went out for Dialogue in the Dark exhibition, a worthwhile exploration into the world of the visually impaired or the blind. We were led by a blind guide into a darkened and spacious room, stepping into a grass area and then a stony (pebbles) area, feeling our way around assisted by a cane. I held on to Wife's shoulder as she led the way, later depending solely on my cane. Rich sounds of birds, rivers, and insects surround us. Without giving anything away, our guide expertly guided us as we mainly depended on our touch and cane to figure out a tree, flowers, a bench, a waterfall, fruits (orange, apple, onion, carrot, lemon). Without visual help, the visitors have to take a boat, cross the road, find a bench. A few things were lost to our sense without the guide's disclosure, including touching glass and a car.

Today is Day 17 (21st). Yesterday was characterized by sores in mouth, but hair fell like leaves today. I had to take a broom and sweep up the hair Wife left behind using the hairdryer after morning shower. The tub, too, was covered with hair; there was no escape the strands everywhere. A bald spot is noticeable at the neck behind the head. She said her worst will be in July and August. It aches to see more than half her hair gone the next day.

It's finally the last day of the first three-week cycle. Yesterday (23rd) we finished the last reflection question for the book to be released by Tien Dao in October (比喻人生). The credit was mainly Wife's. She surprised me by finishing the last four set of questions Saturday morning, two days ago, at Starbucks while I dozed off. She can really put her mind into the work once she gets going. To reward ourself, we ordered takeaway German pork knuckle and sip a can of coke together for dinner.

Last night (25th), day 1 of second cycle -we have as good a fright as any. Wife had pains in her stomach that refused to go away from evening on, so bad she thought she was dying. I asked if we need to call emergency but she said to wait till morning. In the middle of the night her bowel movements started and the pain was flushed away with the diarrhea, just in time for a brighter morning.

I finished my last class of the quarter today (27th). Two weeks ago, one of my colleagues said this quarter goes by so fast, but I begged to differ, which reminds me not to trust our feelings. This is the busiest week of activities in school so far, with the anniversary celebrations this weekend and graduation in two weeks. So far, it has lived up to expectations. On Monday's last sharing of the quarter (25th), a faculty raised hands in worship to a lively song, surprising all in attendance. Today a 1948 graduate shared in chapel, bringing tears to the faculty's eyes.

The Calm After the Storm, Apr 2010

2010-04-18T06:45:00.001-07:00

April cannot come soon enough. No March could be worse. Here's a song by Alison Krauss to lift spirits up. All went well today at NPAC's English-language Good Friday worship. It was well-attended. The hymns brought more than a tear to my eyes. The clips - one of Steve Green and another of Peter - were impressive on the big screen. I was happily surprised to see Rocky and Claudia. God's angels are watching us through family, friends, brothers and sisters. We cannot ask for more.

What a miserable holiday. When sneezing replaces my allergies in the morning are replaced, then I am really sick, like I am today (5th). My throat is lousy, too. I just hope I do not pass it to others. The funny thing is all the wheezing is gone the next day (6th), so I am truly thankful.

Life has really changed since the dreaded C word. Early morning, before I go to work, I would boil hot water, pour it into a flask, do some stretching, mop the floor, and exercise in the pool (which I used to do after work), so that I can get home straight after work. Today (8th) I hope to visit the wet market after work to buy fish for dinner. It may be a weekly thing from now on since patients require fresh food. The landlord has told me rent would increase to HK$7,600 from the present HK$7,000 if we want to sign a new contract to guarantee the new owner would not raise rent, in the event the apartment changes hands. It seems he has put it on the market (for HK$2.1 million for his HK$1.75 million purchase) the day after his purchase! Hong Kong is about flipping homes, he said.

We have a turning point in our ministries in Hong Kong. Two weeks later Wife will do two days of video recording on "Bible Parents" to be broadcast on cable. As for me, yesterday (13th) a local publisher confirms they will release my new book on parables in five months time if all works out. Per my request, they will also allow me to post my online sermons in Chinese on the same series, minus the illustrations. I can live with that. With all my heart, I believe new media (internet) will drive old media (books) sales with just a simple link to the book. The target we agree on is selling 600 books first year, and 300 each year after that for the next four years. If I can do that, it goes to show my internet ministry does not hinder sales.

Today (18th) is the best day yet for us. Wife could go with me to TCAC, where I had to speak. We reached Tung Chung an hour earlier so that we can have breakfast. After worship we had buffet at Essence, a bargain at HK$128 per head. Wife tired out by lunch' end, but it was along day for her since we had left at 9 am and returned home nearly 3 pm.

I lost my cell phone last Wednesday (14th), so it was really inconvenient for me. After noticing it missing when I got off the bus at Yuen Long MTR station, I rushed to the bus headquarters to no avail. The people at the bus depot called the driver who did not see it or was handed one by passengers. It not only costs me HK$1,388 to get a new cell; it also costs me lots of missing phone numbers.

We really had to fight and refuse to give up at times, like yesterday (27th). On the way to the recording studio we left a backpack at the Ma Wan bus station. I caught the return bus from Kwai Fong as it was leaving but the driver won't allow me to board. The driver argued with me 2-3 minutes when he could simply press a button to allow me to board. My reason/neglect was not good enough for him. I shouldn't be mad but the bus left 5 minutes ahead of the 8:15 am schedule, so I filed a complaint today. All's well that ends well when I returned 30 minutes later to find the backpack untouched. It was not about the bag, but the notes we need in the bag for the recording. What riled me also was a mother and a child were refused boarding, too. Imagine not able to board the bus even when you are early to school. The reason the bus left early was they needed more buses at Ma Wan to bus people to work in the morning.

Wife admirably led a friend's father to the Lord on the last day of the month. She had shared with the person for the last two days and the harvest was ripe today. The man had brought her food when she was sick but had heart problems the last week. She visited him twice and reaped the results in his salvation.

Fog and Humidity, Mar 2010

2010-03-01T05:14:00.000-08:00

The humid and foggy weather officially ended yesterday (Feb 28). It was so bad that the walls in Ma Wan were leaking water and an exposed cough drop in a container melted. I thought my toilet bowl had sprung a leak, leaving a wet pool in the restroom whole week. I even called the management office for service but they could not find anything. Now I realize the kitchen windows must be closed in the future in the event a fog arrives. If not, the humid air would blow through the kitchen window into the restroom, attracted by the walls there. On the same day I found the best bargain for a haircut yet locally, for HK$30 in Shum Shui Po. The lowest was HK$38 previously in North Point.

I have not blogged for two weeks due to a serious family illness. How deep were my feelings stirred. It seems like my world crashed with the bad news. No container could bottle the tears. It changes our priority. As a result Wife and I find time to walk the beach, sit on benches, eat a cheesecake and talk more often. Wife even rented an hour piano's time at the club, which calmed her spirits. As I leave for Taiwan tomorrow (14th) to teach at Logos, I am apprehensive of more challenges ahead, which I hope the Lord would spare faithless me.

It is five hours from the operation and I have been tossing and turning in my bed for the last three hours since 11 pm. I cried when I think of the surgery. What if something goes wrong? Being so far away does not help. The peace of God has certainly made a difference in us. I cannot ask for more than the courage and comfort at home.

Recuperation after a major surgery is hard on the family, but God sent a lot of angels to surround us with TLC. The doctor was kind and home help from a church sister, including cooking and cleaning, was priceless. We eat lots of pork and drink plenty of soup. Today we found out that Ma Wan has free shuttle rides for hospital checkups, which we have one four days from now. We managed to book a shuttle to the clinic and a return pickup two hours later, isn't that a miracle? We did not know about the free ride until we called for assistance to check on why our toilet bowl flushing system was not functioning today after the whole block's system was cleaned today (25th). A toilet meltdown turned into a family blessing.

Sermon Comments:
"我曾經在網站上看過葉牧師部落格十分欣賞,也十分得幫助若您是葉牧師向您致謝。楊師母"
"謝謝分享。很同意你所說："配偶是另一位的良心，而不是同謀。" 事實上，配偶是我們警衛和守望者，能提醒我們免犯過錯。願主賜福。C K"

Chinese New Year, Feb 2010

2010-02-03T23:00:00.000-08:00

Well, all my January visitors have come and gone. Even the weather is mellow now. We are really blessed despite the costly recession in the States that affected us. The new Masters program is on a good start in its second quarter. I have received news that five to seven new students may join us the next school year. In the meantime Wife is really enjoying teaching the Sunday school adults class. I have stuck to my resolution of writing ten new sermons a year. In fact, I completed two so far.

I am excited that an article I wrote for CCCOWE's Pastoral Magazine was in the mail yesterday (6th). Of course, the publicity for http://www.preachchrist.com/ is invaluable. I still believe that my web ministry will outgrow my preaching and teaching ministry since it is global as well as local. In the meantime my local ministry is getting crowded. In less than 24 hours I have received two invitations to speak - one for a July 1st holiday retreat, and another for a weekend retreat in May, another public holiday.

After four months at Ma Wan I finally ironed my own clothes on Friday. I had to. There are no cleaners here that cater to a shirt or two, so I may as well save time and money. Sunday's rainy day (7th) was the longest that I can remember. It rained before I woke at 7 am and did not let up after I got home at 5 pm. A tall man like me dislikes the rain because short ladies keep poking me with their open umbrellas. They open their umbrellas for no reason even under a sheltered area. My consolation is a visitor e-mailing me and thanking me for my "encouraging" message.

Chinese New Year is four days away, I am feeling it. Today I threw away most of our recycled newsletters and magazines. This year we are heading to Zhongshan in Guangdong with our relatives for the new year. None of us will be in town, so we may as well celebrate together on the tour package we booked. But before that there's still a lot to be done, especially in getting rid of old stuff. This is the part I like best about the new year - when you live in a small apartment of less than 500 sq. ft. I got a cherished thank you e-mail from a sermoncentral.com visitor: "Hello Dr.Yap thanks for the message God Bless and more power to your ministry In Christ, Pastor Alvin."

I returned yesterday (15th) from a rich three-day HK$1,500 Chinese New Year tour of Zhongshan, Toishan, Hoiping, etc. Hoi Ping was most interesting. The Diaolu (碉樓) houses, built by returnees from the States, were hailed as Guangdong's only world cultural heritage. One of the finest hotels on our tour was the famous King Century Hotel. Another delight on the trip was staying at a spa resort, which boasts of 108 spas on the premises. The food was OK, but visits to the Mongolia and Yunnan cultural centers were disappointing. After the trip I got an email from buddy Michael, who told me his family was from Hoiping. The next day Dickson of Chicago, whose parents were from Hoiping, visited me in Hong Kong. On the shopping front I found bargains in a Lee Jeans jacket for RMB$75 and a Slazenger sports pants for RMB$50. Overall, it was good to take a break. For the new year, I break in two new shirts, a new T-shirt, two Chinese New Year boxes of Kleenex and a bag, besides the new jacket and sports pants I bought.

My first day of work after Chinese New Year was the only day, as far as I could remember, I managed to catch the early 7:40 am train to Yuen Long. Today (day 5) I do not feel so good because I caught a flu in the cold just by walking to the building next door in the morning to get coffee. (Hong Kong Observatory recorded the lowest temperature of the year at 8.2 degrees Celsius) Anyway I received an e-mail from China to warm me up:
"Hi: 感谢您每次发来的信息！我虽然忘记了是在哪里订阅的您的邮件，但每次发来的这些文章都使我受益匪浅！这些文章虽然比我订阅的别的每日查经都要长，但是我看得是最仔细的，因为每次都有收获。愿神继续带领您的这些文字事工！以马内利！Bu, Lake (布拉克)"
"Dear 葉牧師，新年快樂，主恩常在。多謝你講章的分享，它對我們教導現今的弟兄姊妹對愛情、婚姻有正確的觀念。謝謝！C K敬上" (19th)

Chinese New Year comes with an expensive price. I noticed my hairline receding, which is is bad news. There is so much one can do to hold age off. Hong Kong is as humid as it gets. The humidity level here is over 90%. It wasn't like that the first year I was here, but the floors on the streets have been wet since Monday (22nd). There is no letting up. Even my bathroom floors and refrigerator seem to be leaking water.

Happy New Year, Jan 2010

2010-01-07T16:50:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to everybody! Better say it on the morning of the first day into the new year, 2010. Yesterday we met old friends Waylon, Esther and Matthew for dinner with their family. Today we meet Chris and soon Betty and Chuck will visit; RCAC is in Hong Kong.

The old year has been very good to me. My e-mailed Chinese sermons has been a hit. I am now on http://preachchrist.vinemedia.org/ and I have been out of Hong Kong twice to train seminary students and church leaders preaching, even to an unspeakable place. For the new year, I hope to write ten new sermons. I have been unmotivated in this area. For the last 15 months, I only managed to write seven all-new sermons. Next, going to another all-new city overseas to train more pastors/leaders will be an added bonus. Anther goal is to trim an inch off my tummy, which was in vain after three months of pool exercise. In fact, this morning I have started to increase another 100 high kicks into my regimen.

Today (3rd) I heard a great song (無言的讚頌) at church and Wife and I taught our first Sunday school class together. It went well, praise God.

This is such a busy week due to the start of the new quarter. I can't believe how fast I moved on Monday (4th) to get my Greek class going. Yesterday (5th) the buses skipped me three times, I was the last one to board the fourth bus to from Yuen Long to school. Today (6th) I took a later ferry to Tsuen Wan when I miscalculated the time, so I had to run to the terminal in three minutes instead of the regular seven minutes. I was glad I made it, the exercises helped. At least the students were excited by the all-new message I gave yesterday on the two builders (Matt 7).

I did the most swimming today (9th) in the new year - four laps. A pastor joined me and we had afternoon tea together. I asked him how to go about publishing my new book in HK on parables, which I finished yesterday. The content is solid, it will be an eye-opener over here, I am sure. We talked about the possibilities. One thing I am sure is not to give away the copyright so that readers can enjoy it online as well. Distribution is important as well. I hope to buy locally so that I can give to friends as gifts. There is so little one can cover geographically in a lifetime, the pen is still mightier than the pulpit.

I was so clueless yesterday (11th) that I literally took Wife's keys to work, making it a very incovenient day for her as she had to go to Macau. Last week I was caught up with the idea of putting my three published books on the internet for others to download since ordering and shipping them to Hong Kong is so troublesome, so today I went ahead and did it and linked the dowload to http://www.preachchrist.com/. You can find it at the end of all books.

It must be the American holidays, so far I have met Chris, Waylon and Esther, Chuck and Betty, Herman and Eleanor, and Karl yesterday (15th). The last three nights have all been restaurant dinners. Stanley is supposed to meet me, too, but he has not called yet. The last two weeks of classes have been great but the present concern at school is recruiting students and increasing funding. My wish is find a publisher for my new book on parables before my August birthday, I can only dream.

The highlight last Saturday (16th) was bringing Wife's old friends and Ma Wan residents Calvin and Helen to Yan Fook's evangelistic meeting that is held every third Saturday of the month. We first went out for dinner together at Kwai Fong. Calvin was so excited after the meeting that he said he was looking forward to read the Bible. To cap the night, we had dessert before returning home.

Finally I sent out the first message of the new Sunday school series on Bible Couples that Wife and I are teaching. The response has been swift, good and encouraging:
"Dear Victor, Thank you for your touching message! God bless! Luke"
"Dear Pastor Yap, Thank you very much for this wonderful sermon. Best, Ruth"
"很棒的分享，謝謝你每次寄來的資料，對我及教會有很大的幫助！名山教會"
"我很喜歡前兩天收到的有關夫妻關係的文章，當中有很多提醒，很好看，謝!! 秀慧"
One down, nine more messages to go in the series.

Christmas Break, Dec 2009

2009-12-13T20:13:00.000-08:00

My trip OVERSEAS has been a resounding success. The people I met were warm and gentle. They thirsted for theological training in a place where they did not have any for decades. I was the first instructor in this new Bible college-based extension program, with credits and all. 20 attended the week-long course 9am-5pm, Monday through Friday. The majority of the attendees were lay preachers with primary education, but they preach two to four times a month among their many gospel points throughout the city. I was energized, too. Intensive courses are the way to go due time constrain and many of them were busy businessmen. Now I realize why another school has classes Friday to Sunday instead. Maybe I can be the preaching coach for the same people dotted throughout the big land. The funny thing was that I was invited to train the same group in a different city but there was miscommunication, so I got another invitation to train here last minute.

For the Christmas break we decided to go to Beijing. Wife said I should go before I have further knee problems and cannot climb the Great Wall. As Mao once said, "You aren't a man till you've been to the Great Wall. (不到長城非好漢)." It was cold at the wall when the winds blow, but we had no other dates nor place to go. We stayed at WangFuJing, popular among tourists and we walked out for food most of the time. The tastiest black sesame dessert I have tasted for a long time is at the renowned restaurant Da Dong, The subway is the most convenient to travel and we did our share. Typical tourists we were, we visited Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, Ming Tombs, Empress Dowager's Summer Palace, and the Olympic favorite - the Bird's Nest. It was worth the endless walks and dripping noses on this chilly five-day trip, I can assure you. If you go there, avoid the kebab silkworms and fried milk I had, with compliments from Wife. In Peking we attended church at bicf.org, an approved worship center for expats where people enter showing their passports. The HK$10 gloves I bought from Shum Shui Po did its job, even though I regretted carrying them with me earlier. I was delighted to witness two young people giving their seats to a gray-hair man on the subway train; unfortuantely, the man was me. Wife grinned to no end.

Returning to Hong Kong (8th) brought me back to reality. I had allergies in the morning again after missing them in Beijing and I started coughing today (10th). There are papers galore to grade. Hopefully I can start preparing for the book of Job. In my absence vinemedia.org notified me they have posted the first of my parables series in the simplified script as well, which will be useful to folks in China. Also, my preachchrist.com promotional pens arrived yesterday.

The next day I was sick as a dog. The doctor said I have a fever besides coughing, and asked if I had been abroad. Then he gave me some medication. I am resting today but my mind is active. At least I get to rest for the whole weekend as well. I ate lots of fruits to perk me up. After more than 15 months here, we got our first credit card, courtesy of Citic Bank.

Unfortunately I have been sick for three days in a row. An ill wind blew today (12th) and I could barely survive two hours outdoors. I hope I did not catch anything nasty from my Beijing trip. Beckoning me this weekend is Sunday school, school dinner on Sunday and alumni lunch on Monday, what a time to get sick. My coughing is gone, to be replaced by a running nose. I was touched by two things staying home: (1) Hong Kong's football team winning the East Asian Games (2) the RTHK broadcast on overseas Chinese immigration history (華人移民史). The former makes me want to go out and purchase the team's shirt and the latter makes me understand more how the Chinese dispersion around the world had impacted many lives, including mine. My mom used to work as one of the "red-headcloth" day laborers interviewed in the documentary.

I have recovered yesterday (15th) from my three days of sickness, but all is not over. I still have mild diarrhea, coughing and sleepiness. The weather is a headache. If I wear a sweater, I want to rip it off. No sweater and I'll sneeze. Drinking Chinese medicine eased my throat irritation. The funny thing is that I did not get sick in freezing Beijing but here in balmy Hong Kong. Besides finishing the doctor's medication, I have also purchased Strepsils. I am a man of various medication.

Here is my favorite among YouTube's top videos of 2009: David after Dentist. Have fun watching!

Christmas time. We had dinner Sunday (21st) with relatives at Central's HKU Alumni Association. The food there is always good, but I had a headache, so I could not enjoy myself. Our office was treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet the next day. Buffets are dangerous to the tummy. I controlled myself but still ate a lot. At night a student took me to Genki Sushi, my first time, which is so-so, nothing comparable to Sushi Gen. Tomorrow we will have Christmas luncheon/potluck at the office. After work I will go to Macau to spend Christmas there, returning on Saturday for weekend preaching at NPAC. We cancelled our upcoming Macau buffet due too much eating. Hopefully we can go to a theatre over the break - my first of the year.

Today is Christmas in Macau. We did our best to enjoy our holidays here. On Wednesday (23rd) I went straight from the ferry at 7:30 pm to Venetian's Portofino, where I enjoyed my mixed grill dinner. The next day we had a fantastic appetizer and dessert lunch at MGM's Rossio. The price is inexpensive for the fine dining, one that you cannot get in Hong Kong or Los Angeles. This morning I had veggie scramble for breakfast at our favorite breakfast place, Savory Crab, followed by shrimp eggs noodles for lunch at Wong Chi Kee (黃枝記), then dessert at Starbucks. Hot pot is planned for dinner before we head home to Hong Kong tomorrow.

We returned home (26th) to watch Bodyguards and Assassins, which was an exciting and emotional movie for me watching how much people have sacrificed for China. I highly recommend it. This is the first movie I have watched since Ip Man. Ironically, the two movies star Donnie Yen. At night I watched the third episode of History of Chinese Overseas, It was just as touching as the first episode; this time it is about how Chinese history and politics from Sun Yat-Sen on impacted Chinese overseas.

School Newsletter, Dec 2009

2009-12-09T00:54:00.001-08:00

將神的道教訓他們
葉福成博士：本院碩士科主任

在一個星期天的早晨，一名老美國印地安人去參加主日崇拜。那天牧師的講道缺乏屬靈餵養，所以這位牧師就用大聲喊叫並擊打講台，來掩飾他不充足的準備。其實，可以說，他講得「風大浪大」。禮拜後，有人問那印地安基督徒，覺得牧師的信息如何？他想了一陣子，就用六個字綜合他的見解：「高風、大浪、無雨。」

過去十年我都在海外和本地教「釋經講道學」，因講道既是我主修的範圍、也是我的專長、所熱衷、所看為優先，也是我所引以自豪的。不過當我來到香港事奉，基於必要性與時代性，我發現教導事工應得到該有的尊重和地位。

今年，我教授了一門有關「教學法」的課程。當自己好好檢視聖經中有關教導的經文時，我發覺當今教會過份強調講道以致忽略了教導的重要性。

四福音記載了耶穌講道 (kērussō/preach) 32次，但提及祂的教導 (didaskō) 卻有59次之多。嚴格來說，福音書中羅列耶穌「講道」的活動，只有八次1，他的「教導」卻共有30次 2。不但如此，在約翰福音中，根本沒有記載「講道」(preach)一字，反而列出「教導」(didaskō) 共有10 次。

耶穌傳道之初，正是施洗約翰被監禁之時。耶穌走遍加利利，在各會堂裡教訓人(didaskō)，傳 (kērussō) 天國的福音，醫治百姓各樣的病症 (太4：23) 。之後，耶穌走遍各城各鄉，在會堂裡教訓人，宣講天國的福音，又醫治各樣的病症 (太9:35)。耶穌吩咐完了十二個門徒，就離開那裡，往各城「施教傳道」(太11：1)。

在福音書裡，「傳講」與「教訓」同時提及的只有三次，都出現在馬太福音中(太4:23； 9:35； 11:1)，而且「教訓」總是被放在「傳講」之前。「教訓和傳講」，而不是「傳講和教訓」。很可惜和合本在馬太11:1把「傳道」放在「教訓」之前，新譯本則譯作「施教傳道」。甚至在強調差傳事工的使徒行傳中，「宣講/傳講」只提到八次，而「教訓」則有1 6次之多。

在新約中，有三處經文提到屬靈恩賜：羅馬書 12:6-8、哥林多前書12:7-11, 12:28-31和以弗所書4:11-12；其中只有教導的恩賜在三段經文都被提及 (羅12:7；林前12:28；弗4:11)。到底「教導」和「講道」有什麼不同？簡單來說，教導是裝備眾信徒，而講道則是向未信者傳福音。福音書裡有四次的「傳」都是與福音有關 (太4:23; 9:35;可1:14; 16:15)。

牧者絕不能二選其一，教導在牧養工作中是不可缺少的，且是不能分離的。誠如以弗所書4：11 所說者：牧師和教師的事工是不可分開的。該節經文的希臘文記載：「而他所賜的有 (冠詞 “the”) 使徒、有 (冠詞) 先知、有 (冠詞) 傳福音的、有 (冠詞) 牧師和教師。」可見「使徒」、「先知」和「傳福音的」均有冠詞 (“the”)放在前面，但「牧師和教師」前面則祇有一個冠詞 (“the”)。

為什麼要強調教導的事工？因為牧者在教會的角色與事奉，必須以教導為中心，而講台的事奉只是他「教導事工」的一部分而已。教導是今天稀有的珍寶，卻也是一種失落了的藝術。大多數牧者在事奉中發揮不了其影響力，就是因為他們不教導神的話、不明白如何教導神的話、也不理解或經歷過教導神的話語所帶出的大能。他們教導有關聖經的資料，卻未教導聖經本身。現代人對於演講與教導也是模糊不清，把聖經當作二手資料，而不是最重要的資源。現代的講道講究形式過於實質 ( style over substance)，充斥著許多書本上的研究，卻忽略了個人的查經。可悲的是，現在的神學生與牧者們只會閱讀許多的解經書，卻不會自己去查考聖經。

牧者們，請加強教導，淡化演講！教師們，務要教導神的話語，不要傳遞人的智慧。教導比講道更豐富，因為教導包括：經歷耶穌的同在、細察經文的內容、進而把教訓延伸他人。願我們回歸教導的角色與根源——與主同行、效法祂的事奉，並分享祂的作為。

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 (太 4:17，4:23；9:35； 11:1；可 1:14，1:39；路 4:44； 8:1)

2馬太福音7次 (太4:23；5:2；7:29； 9:35；11:1； 13:54； 21:23)，馬可福音13 次 (可 1:21， 1:22；2:13； 4:1， 4:2； 6:2， 6:6， 6:34； 8:31；9:31； 10:1；11:17；12:35) ，路加福音10 次 (路4:15， 4:31； 5:3， 5:17； 6:6； 13:10， 13:22； 19:47； 20:1； 21:37)

The Cold Front, Nov 2009

2009-11-16T22:25:00.000-08:00

I went to the HKGLS conference on Saturday and Sunday (1st). It was inspirational, which is very American but is lacking in Hong Kong. People in Hong Kong work so hard for so little to show, and there is not much time left for relationships, rest or recreation. I wake up today to the realization that there is nothing more precious to bottle and sell than hope, especially in Hong Kong, where 20% of households earn less than HK$8,000 (US$1,032) a month and one in 10 lives in poverty. I was inspired by a song (普通的人) sang on the second day of the conference, which is posted below.

The cold front officially arrived today (Nov 2nd), the same day when snow hit Beijing, so I wore more clothes. I was already sick last week - on a Sunday (Oct 25th) and on Friday (Oct 30th). Wife says I should do less since I usually get sick over a long Sunday which begins from 730am till 430pm. Moving to Ma Wan helped. I forget my fatigue after 20 minutes in the pool, no matter how tired I am, isn't that amazing?

Swimming in the cold outdoor pool the next day was a new experience. I had no choice because my day was rather full. It was either a morning swim at 17 degrees Celsius or nothing, so I chose the former. It was not so bad, especially after 15 minutes in the water; I was even tempted to swim a few laps after my pool exercise. Today's class ended perfectly, the students have turned a big corner.

Receiving mail like Boon's makes http://www.preachchrist.com/ ministry especially sweet:
"Dear Rev. Yap, Thank you so much for your sermons which always encourage me. I feel as though I am continuing learning from you as I did in the class. (I was in your last summer intensive course at LOGOS). Really appreciate. May God bless you and continue to bless many others through you. Boon - now serving in N.Thailand"
"平安謝謝你傳遞過來的文章給了我們很大的幫助" Minsan Church
"請問牧師，這一篇是要投稿給信望愛 http://bible.fhl.net/ ，與讀者分享嗎？"

The response to switching the distribution of my sermons in Chinese instead of English has been tremendous. This morning (6th) 信望愛 asked if they can post my latest sermon (The Cry of My Heart) to their website, which I responded with wholehearted "yes" because they do a tremendous online ministry, see above. I had a request from China the same day, too, but I turned it down because our ministries do not match.

I think I have my fill of kids for now. Yesterday (10th) a parent at the pool persuaded his baby daughter to call me "Pak Pak" (伯伯). Fortunately she is not at speaking age yet or I would have to turn down the greeting of a clueles kid. Gray hair is really a big disadvantage in Hong Kong.

The first full-week of cold weather that began today (13th) blindsided me even though it did not come without warning. The news warned of today's conditions last night but I was in a hurry to catch the ferry to work and I did not think I have the extra one or two minutes to spare to return from the lift on my floor into the house to get a jacket. Poor decision. My eyes were burning for the rest of the day and at night I had a sore throat. Wife, not too great herself, was worried I could pass what I have to her. My voice even cracked by the next morning.

After two days I have slightly recovered from the flu. It was worse than normal. My eyes were so tired that it did not want to open when it was at rest. Today (15th) I was at Galilee Chapel to speak on her 41st anniversary. The worhship was most vibrant - one of the best, and they have youth as well as adults. The future of Christianity in Hong Kong lies in smaller churches 100-plus in attendance like GC as much as in the mega-churches. The same night I started coughing through the night; I think I need a scarf.

Cold, windy days like today (17th) make me thankful I am in Ma Wan. I went to the indoor pool when they open at 7 am because I have a lot on my plate, including getting my visa, having my foot treated and eating lunch with an old friend. I have the luxury of swimming 3 laps on top of my exercise routine. The funny thing is I have not found a store that sells turtlenecks yet.

Two days later I found a set of "long johns" for HK$90 in Yuen Long, of all places, in a wet market! It was pretty good and effective for the price, although the short sleeves are better suited for Hongkongers. The winter here is comparable to the winter in Los Angeles, chilly but not bitter.

Wife thought I was mad mixing winter melon and green raddish for soup, inisting that the two do not match and I had spoilt the soup instead. At the end of the day (20th) it was one of the sweetest soups I have ever tasted. Nobody I know has blended the two before, so I am happy that my adventurous spirit paid off.

Surprisingly, the parable of the sheep and the goats struck a chord among readers. Internet ministry is the same as literature ministry - you don't know who you are helping, but someone out there is thankful, as the response below shows. The text is as difficult as it gets. I had to rework on my exposition and illustrations the second time round till I was satisfied with the work I did. Appropriately, today is Thanksgiving Day, so I am happy as a small fat sheep (小肥羊):
"親愛的主內弟兄平安! 最近常常收到您的信息、非常感謝您的關懷。今天這篇信息真的是對我講的、讓我在日常中好好思考、成為行動。我們雖然從未謀面、但神的愛就是這樣奇妙。感謝主!相信您的信息不但感動我、同樣也感動有需要的人。神祝福您!" Emmy
"Thanks so much for sending me your sermons, I got a lot of encouragement from you. I love it and was inspired by your sermons. Happy Thanksgiving." 翁牧師娘

The last quarter of the school year ended on a high note. There is much to be thankful for. The students are fun and more relaxed; the atmosphere is pleasant and team spirit is high. We ate more than usual these last three days, including yesterday for Thanksgiving and the day before benefitting from the snacks I bought at Yuen Long. To cap the day, Wife suggested going to Tsing Yi for dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving and the the last day of school this year, which we did at C'est Bon. Here's to a promising new year.

Less is More, Oct 2009

2009-10-22T20:12:00.001-07:00

"飄流日記"

Today (1st) is a leisurely day and a public holiday in Hong Kong due China's 60th Anniversary. I bought a new monthly pass (HK$180) when Green Green opened her doors at 9 am, allowing me unlimited access to the pool this month, so I intend to go twice today. An hour later we had breakfast (HK$24) at Blue Blue, read the papers there and shopped at the supermarket, arriving home at 1145 am. We prefer to stay in Ma Wan on Saturdays and holidays to enjoy a quiet rest and to avoid paying for fares. After having fruit salad for lunch, we slept till 3 pm. Wife prepared soup and watched a cable movie at the same time, while I headed for the pool again. After dinner, we went to the pier for an hour's walk, returning home to do the laundry.

Mid-Autumn/Mooncake (3rd) festival is a festive occassion and a big thing at Ma Wan. I don't know where the revelers are from, but they brought their lanterns, candles, towels and even picnic tables to the beach. It was quite a sight. We could not resist and joined them for a stroll.

After 40 days at Park Island, we went to the third, last and grandest of swimming pools - Chic Chic - the moment they opened the doors at 9:30 am. I swam five laps, the first time I do so in Hong Kong. Like I say, I live in Ma Wan, not Hong Kong, because it is more like a hamlet community than a city estate. No wonder I hear that kids sometimes cannot adjust to schools or living outside the island.

Flu season is in, I feel it today (5th), and I am one of the first victims. I am so used to sneezing in the morning that I dismissed the symptoms. Thankfully, I survived the rest of the morning's class, but the full effects were felt in the afternoon. I can not get sick yet because I still have a class to teach tomorrow night. After work, I took a rest and then went for my pool exercise, which was quite relieving, but the symptoms reappeared again after exercise was over. So I intend to take Panadol - my first in Hong Kong - and sleep earlier tonight.

After mid-autumn's arrival the weather has cooled down considerably. Occasionally I sleep without the ac unit on. I sneezed today (9th) after exercising in the outdoor pool. In the coming weeks I will try to stay indoor to avoid catching a chill.

DHL is a joke. It took making at least seven calls and talking to seven employees in two days to get a package in my name. We had a package (9315 727 831) sent from the States on Friday that landed in Hong Kong at 1 pm the Saturday but did not get to its Tsuen Wan facility as promised by 11 pm. So we asked it to be transferred next day to its only 24-hour center in Cheung Sha Wan since all its other centers were closed on Sunday (11th). We went there at 8:15 am but they refused to let me have my package for the next 45 minutes even though I was in person and I have my I.D. with me. They said I do not have the documentation for the transference, which I had sent. Plus, I am not allowed to do the documentation on the spot. They said it is policy. Say what? Is policy more important than the person? Is man made for the Sabbath, or the Sabbath for man? What is the purpose of a policy? Seems that its purpose it to protect the company rather than the customer. Such policy will spell its doom. Already it is not competitive in the States, the biggest market, with UPS and FedEx grabbing the lion's share of the market. Then I found a blog with worst complaints than mine.

Today I was grouchy because a new ferry leaving Ma Wan at 7:24am was late arriving at Tsuen Wan by one or two minutes, making me barely miss my 7:42am train to Yuen Long. The next train was due in 3 minutes. I wonder why the new ferry service in a newer ship and all is slower than the old one. Such is life in Park Island due its distance from land, but it is a small sacrifice for the tranquility there. Thanksgivings abound, too. I was blessed today (21st) reading a comment from Iraq, which also reminds me not to miss out on others, see below:
“Mr. Yap, I am in the US Air Force Stationed in Iraq. I have enjoyed reading the first three sermons you posted for Nehemiah. Have you finished this series? If so, is it possible to get an email copy. I would love to finish them. Thank you for your assistance.” In Service to God, Paul MSgt Paul Lyman United States Air Force
“Every time I receive your message, it's great helper for me, thank you very much. God bless” David Lee, Ethnic Ministry Pastor, Matthews, NC 28105, Oct 14th
“Thank you Rev. Yap, this is what we need to do on the earth in such dark hours. God bless your heart and work, it is so encourage, we helping people not because of man, but of God.” Judy, Oct 14th

I have been doing some soul-searching, examining how can I best use my gifts for ministry. After a year here, my heart is still on developing Bible study and preaching resources for my website http://www.preachchrist.com/, then translating all my sermons into Chinese, which is halfway done, and doing more intensive courses in Asia. The first two are priority because my internet project and writings travel around the world far quicker than I can. Today (29th) vinemedia.org requested my materials for their website. It seems like literature ministry might best compliment my vision.

Hong Kong Stories

2009-09-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

* Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai: "Those [who build] inflated buildings will definitely be scared to death. If Cafe de Coral came, it would be even more dreadful. Those are the real man-eating devils." South China Morning Post

* Four in 10 people say they work too many hours and would consider changing jobs for a more balanced life, a survey of 1,009 employess by the University of Hong Kong found. The mean working week was 48.7 hours. Near 60% of employess complained of prolonged fatigue, and 35% suffered from insomnia due to work pressure. "Four in 10 say they work too long," South China Morning Post Oct 20,2010

* One in five credit card holders is unable to meet even the minimum monthly payment and 70 percent barely make it, a study by the University of Hong Kong reveals. According to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, there were more than 13 million credit card accounts in the second quarter of this year. Chung said 70 percent of the 506 cardholders interviewed said they can only afford the minimum payment each month while 21 percent pay less. All of the respondents are aged 18 or above, with 69percent between 25 and 35. They have on average 2.5 credit cards, though one respondent has 14. Pollster in swipe at card craziness

* A July (2010) poll of 657 parents with children aged five to 16 showed nearly 90 percent have maids, 80 percent are unable to do homework on their own and fewer than 7 percent manage household chores such as sweeping floors and folding clothes.

* Around 50 percent of people in Hong Kong and the mainland are spending 11 to 25 percent of their income on their parents, mainly due to the weak social security systems, and that most of them are finding it hard to cope. Also, around 36 percent expect their own children to provide for them in the same manner. Standard

* The Census and Statistics Department said the average lifespan for women in Hong Kong may exceed 90 years in 2039, while men's lives will increase by 3.9 years to 83.7 years in 2039. The Standard

* Nearly all of last year's University of Hong Kong graduates have found a job - but most had to settle for lower pay than the previous batch. The average salary of graduates dropped 11.4 percent from HK$18,755 to HK$16,625. The Standard

* The Census and Statistics Department revealed that the SAR's 2.8 million workers earn a median hourly wage of HK$58, but the lowest-paid 10 percent of the workforce makes less than HK$27 an hour, with those in security and cleaning services getting just HK$27.60. The Standard

* HK ranks 31st among world's most livable cities

* Since The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal came out with the Index of Economic Freedom in 1995, Hong Kong has been named the freest economy in the world every year. That hasn't changed. For the 16th straight year the city topped the index, again beating Singapore for the title, with Australia and New Zealand at Nos 3 and 4. The Standard

* According to a survey by the Hong Kong Christian Service, which interviewed 400 respondents from September to November last year, the happiness score for those between 20 and 28 is 4.14 points, compared to an average of between 4.5 and 5.5 points for the whole group. The Standard

* A total of 157 people aged below 30 committed suicide last year, compared to 129 in 2007, an increase of 22%. The Samaritans pointed out that suicides had accounted for nearly 10 times more deaths in the past 5 years than those caused by traffic accidents. The group (Samaritans) received 31,000 calls for help in the budget year of 2008-09, while 28,296 calls were received in the previous year. Confirmed male callers accounted for 34%, while 30% were female callers. The other callers declined to speak. "Youth Suicides on the Increase" South China Morning Post Dec 29, 2009

* Hong Kong still ranks as the world's second most expensive retail rental market behind New York, despite suffering from the global economic crisis, with values of US$976 (HK$7,613) per sq ft per annum, according to study by CB Richard Ellis that was released on December 7. The Standard

* World's Greatest City: 50 Reasons Why Hong Kong is No. 1

* A survey, covering 849 Primary Three to Form Five students from poor families, was conducted by the Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong. About 52 percent of the respondents said they feel “totally useless” while almost 43 percent considered themselves “sometimes useless.” And about 30 percent believe they are losers. The monthly family incomes of all those surveyed is less than the median of HK$10,500 and some 40 percent live under the poverty line - with their families earning less than half the monthly median figure.
The Standard

* Hong Kong's wealthy lost the most. The ranks of those in Hong Kong whose net worth totaled US$1 million or more shrank by 61% from a year earlier, the study said. WSJ

* According to the United Nations Development Program's report on human mobility and the best places to live, Australia is 2nd, Canada is 4th, USA is 13th, Singapore is 23rd, Hong Kong is 24th, and China is 92nd.

* Researchers interviewed 6,700 people, including 1,002 from Hong Kong, by telephone in July. They found local consumers were the least likely to plan for a shopping trip. They were the most likely to shop whenever they had time instead of setting a regular time - 32% compared with the global average of 17%. While 62% globally said they usually took a shopping list, just 32% of Hongkongers did.

The survey also found the city's fast-paced lifestyle help support the rising number of convenience stores, with 21% saying they bought groceries from such outlets, second to Russia with 25%.
"HK has most impulsive buyers" SCMP, Oct 7, 2009

* The number of people living under the poverty line in the first half of the year reached a record high of 1.23 million people. The definition of poverty in the study involves people earning an income of equal to or less than half the median monthly domestic household income, which is set according to the number of members in a family. The median for the first half of 2009 was HK$3,300 for a single member family, HK$6,750 for a two-member family, HK$9,150 for a three-member family, HK$12,650 for families with four or more people. SCMP, Sept 28, 2009

* The decline in gross floor area (GFA) efficiency rates through the years:
1980s - 78-89%
1990s - 72-84%
2000s - 68-77%
SCMP, Sept 27, 2009

* Hong Kong remains the most expensive place in the world to run an office, according to Colliers International. In the latest Global Office Real Estate Mid-Year Review, which features 170 office markets across the globe, Hong Kong topped the list again despite seeing a 35 percent slide in Class A rent to US$138.08 (HK$1,077.02) per square foot per year in June. The Standard

* Singapore was rated the easiest economy in the world to do business for the fourth year in a row by the World Bank and its private-sector lending arm, the International Finance Corp. The ranking came in the Doing Business 2010 report. New Zealand was ranked as the second-easiest place to do business, with Hong Kong lagging in third place. The Standard

RTHK's Hong Kong Stories I enjoyed viewing:
Barbecue Meat
Bamboo
My Old Friend
The Invisible People
A Fisherman's Story
Condiment with a Tradition

Park Island, Aug 23rd-Sep 2009

2009-09-21T23:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a good long day today (Aug 23rd), the day we finally moved to Ma Wan (Chinese name: Horse Bay). The movers charge us HK$1,700 for packing and moving 20 medium-size boxes of books and about 10 boxes of household items, three book shelves, two tables and four chairs, a bed and a sofa. It was a a fair price for both parties. We panicked momentarily when both the moving company and the cable company called to bring forward their appointment by about two hours to 11:30a-12p, which was an hour and a half after the 8:30 am worship I attended ended. I rushed to get my haircut - there is none in Park Island - and bought a bag of rice, Skippy peanut butter and LKK oyster sauce, with 1o minutes to spare before the movers arrived. (To Be Continued)

All through the afternoon Wife and Sister-in-law reorganized the things at home and we grabbed an early dinner at 4 pm to take a break before our relative left. At night Wife opened the 20 or so boxes to unpack her books into two shelves, leaving the third one empty. A little later, we took a walk and visited the supermarket before it closes. By night time, with the exception of unpacking a few more things and boxes, the moving was almost completed.

Most friends think Ma Wan is too far from city and work life. It takes me 55 minutes to get to work in Yuen Long on the first day; not bad, most would say. On the first night, I walked around the block in my shorts and T-shirt, something I would not do in the city, to enjoy the cool breeze with Wife. The buildings are built by Sun Hung Kai and all numbers "4" are missing from its blocks and flats, which means no 4th, 14th or 24th block or flat - 4 sounds like death in Chinese. There is only one ATM machine (Bank of China) and one supermarket (Parkway) on the island. It is dog paradise for canines and their owners. Wife commented "no dog is ordinary here." Indeed, all dogs here are elegant. Ugly dogs have no standing and cannot compete here.

While dogs are welcomed, cars are not, so rich people do not spare a thought to live there due the absence of parking. Also, school conscious parents could live there for so long only since the the city has more schooling choices. There is one primary shcool only and no secondary school there, so teens are few and between. The young adult and young family groups are visibily represented.A day in Hong Kong without the Octopus debit card is quite a nuisance and an experience.

On the first day traveling to work from Park Island (Aug 24th), I forgot my card and had to find other means to board the ferry, the rail and the bus - in that order - without the card, which is by cash. I could not return home and still catch the 7:41 am ferry for work. The terminal here is really backwards; they don't even have tickets to sell. Everything is by swiping card or inserting coins (for the entrance box). Fortunately, the nearby bakery changed a $100 bill for me and I have enough change to the office - $8 for ferry, $11 for train, and $6 for bus, where a coworker supplied change for the return trip. The return trip is at 6:05 pm or an earlier one at 5:48 pm, which is nearly impossible to catch with my work hours. The Tsuen Wan pier, however, smells, so I prefer to be on time rather than early.

We have a goood first week here. Today (Aug 29) we went to the local club (Blue Blue) and asked if our memberships are ready. Previously, a clerk told me there is a 14 days' wait. They checked and completed it on the spot while we wait, reading the papers there. There are three clubs here and inside the clubs are restaurants, swimming pools and magazines and newspapers, even a libray at the Green Green club. At 4 pm we took our first pool visit. Everything there fuflfills our expectations; like L.A. Fitness, they even have a hot spa by the pool with water streaming from a jet massaging the spine of the person seating by it. There is a machine to wring out water from wet swimming trucks, similar to what I have seen at some L.A. Fitness centers before, except that this one does not stop by itself. This is important because we did not have a plastic bag for the wet suits and we were heading to the supermarket for groceries before returning home, so it is incovenient and heavy to have wet suits in our bags. We couldn't be any happier now that we have found "our space" in Hong Kong finally, literally our place in the sun.

I have a perfect start to scheduling in September today (1st), catching the 7:24 am ferry instead of the 7:41 am ferry to Tsuen Wan, where the West Rail arrived a minute later to take me to Yuen Long, but the wait was longer than five minutes there. On the way home I hop onto the ferry a minute before it departed. My plan was to buy some groceries and head to the pool on the way home, but the line was long at the supermarket, so I tried swimming first. Unfortunately the indoor pool is closed until the 14th. Without any option, I used the outdoor pool for my pool exercises, ending with swimming three laps in Hong Kong for the first time, a lap more than last month. After reading today's papers at the club I returned to the mart but the line was longer. Still I had to buy bananas, vegetables and some meat. This would be my last time competing for groceries after work hours. Perfect as it may, I still eat at 8 pm and finish dinner at 8:30 pm. Hmm, I am still stuck with the old eating hours even after moving to Park Island, leaving for work earlier and making all my rides. I suspect in Hong Kong nobody gets done with dinner by 8 pm. It is just not possible on weekdays after work. With my perfect scheduling, I made little progess, so I wonder how others do it. However, I am satisfied as I can swim earlier rather than the 7 pm opening hours in Lai Chi Kok. It is less tiring than resting first and swiming later.

This morning (4th) I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep, and so I went to work five minutes before 7 am. What was weird was I dreamed of the possibility of working in Park Island or having an office here in the future. Now this is way off base and radar, but never say never. Also, I managed to finish my pool exercise and dinner by 8 pm lately. Maybe now things will stabilize and improve, not that I am complaining, especially when most locals have a later dinner time than me. This weekend will be the start of a busy church quarter for me, beginning with preaching on Saturday at Man On Shan (where I saw a talented but blind young pianist play for the choir and heard the praise team sing a beautiful song which I later found on the net), and on Sunday teaching Sunday school and preaching at North Point. Because of my schedule I will restrict speaking engagements to churches I have not been before.

Yesterday (Sept 6) was the last straw for me when I measured my gut for the first time and realized it is six inches over its ideal size - confirmed by a tailor 2 weeks later. One year's absence of pool exercise can do that to you. The next day I started a new exercise regimen in the pool that includes 400 high-kicks in the water. That will hopefully keep the bloating in check and reduce it by an inch at the end of the year. Last week I was in absolute pool heaven, making it seven days to the pool. I was tempted to exercise Sunday morning before worship, but decided against it. After worship Wife wanted to hit the pool before dinner, and I obliged.

Dogs at Island must be the most pampered in Hong Kong. Today (9th) I saw an owner wipe a dog's behind, then I noticed he has laid a piece of paper on the ground to collect the dog's poop. Sometimes there are couples who have two dogs, not one. I don't know how people who live in 500-700 sq ft apartments can accomodate dogs, sometimes maids as well. Despite all their rights, dogs have to be on a leash or in the owners' arms when taking a lift; and in a bag or with a mouth cover on a ship. Taking the ferry is the only downside for me here. On the way to Central Pier after our first official rental housing trip here, I felt like vomiting on the ship. I learned my lesson of not drinking milk tea before boarding a ship. Other than that, the ferry to Tsuen Wan is a a breeze, and a snooze on the way home. At least I have 20 mins rest before swimming.

The No. 8 typhoon today (14th) is the longest blowing wind I've witnessed since I've been here. It started around 6 pm and it is not letting up three hours later. I was advised to leave earlier at 4:15 pm because, unlike others, I had to take the ferry. The winds are expected to die down early next morning, in time for school retreat that begins in the afternoon.

Registration day today was refreshing, especially seeing the new and eager Master's program students. My second school year in Hong Kong is about to begin next week, I can not wait.The typhoon warning finally stopped the next day at 10:15 am but the rain did not stop until 3 pm at least - the most rain I have seen so far, as close to a deluge for me. Getting out of Island after the storm at the same time with those going to work was a nightmare. The buses skipped our stop within the community due overloading. Thankfully the management had more buses operating. At Kwai Fong a long line of passengers awaited their buses while the MTR rides were smooth.

I heard a good message at the retreat by Rev Tsang (曾立華牧師) and am thankful to see the eager students. I better stop writing at Suen Douh retreat center as "lights out" was 15 minutes ago!I was awakened at 6 am by a pesky bird this morning, yet I was fascinated by her shrieks, may as well since we are in the countryside. An hour later I began my search for birds and found four magpie-like birds singing in the soccer field. After a while there, they flew away. Sad to see them go, I wandered to the back corridor outside my room looking for more birds, only to find three parrots in a cage. They didn't move initially, so I thought they were figurines. Finally the red one cocked its head. I left the parrots but returned a second time, this time I heard the noisy bird again, then I realized the screeching was from the parrot all along. The worker there explained that the parrot makes noise when it is hungry, not because of sunrise. Day 2 at the camp was just the tonic for our small community in need of encouragement and strength. Rev. Tsang was in fine form. Reading Rev Kwok's (郭文池牧師) book was a bonus. I feel ready and optimistic for the new quarter. All of us needed a boost. The rain did not let up either, but it did not dampen camp mood.

It was with some reluctance that I have to leave the camp parrot that I have grown fond of. On the final day she woke me up at 6:05 am, again cackling so noisily away. After finally finishing the book I brought, I went to see the bird for the last time. She was quite a character. After literally enjoying a full brekast she walked up the catapult-shaped bar/stick in the cage, resting her divided legs and nodding her neck up and down on it for more than 30 times. She was like a rock star in concert. Later she shifted from tossing her neck up and down to swinging her body side to side. What a showstopper. I asked a colleague to snap a picture of her, that's her at the top.

I have been so busy this is my first full Saturday in the Island. On a leisurely Saturday (19th), we went for breakfast and sat at the clubhouse with our computers until it was time for salad lunch at home. I underestimated how tiried I was after the camp, that I slept for more than an hour before I woke up for pool exercise, followed by a home call to Wife's friend in the neighborhood for cake and ice-cream, the latter we brought to complement the cake. I joked that we have quota with our light lunch. It is hilarious that the plan to limit our food intake backfired by a last-minute invitation. An hour later we decided not to cook and ate a nice New Zealnd steak (HK$58). At night we watched a TV movie and now Wife is fast asleep. Tomorrow is her first time teaching at Yan Fook.

The school kickoff day (22nd) could not be any better. I have eleven students and two visitors for the historic first Master's degree class. New students are usually shocked by the amount of work they have to do in my class. The students are primarily pastors, so we get along well due our closer in age. I cannot complain, most students by now have warmed up to my loud and livey ways. Four of us teachers have a new office hours schedule that is more flexible (8:30 am - 5:15 pm), which greatly benefits me in my daily attempt to catch the ferry that leaves at 5:48 pm from Tsuen Wan Pier, which is a bus ride and two rail stops away from my Yuen Long office. The next day I will teach a night class at TST, so I will do pool exercises in the morning and take the opportunity to go to the bank, which I could never do with my regular work hours in Yuen Long.

Suddenly I am an old man to people in Hong Kong. For one time too many I have been discriminated because of my graying hair. Today (22nd), to my disgruntlement, a man (Charles) at least four years my senior stated out loud that he was the youngest and volunteered to eat the last bite of sandwich. Last week, an older gentleman 10 years my senior looked with disbelief and lost for words when I said I was ten years his junior. At a retreat in April, a 62-year old man thought he and I, the invited speaker, were the oldest in the camp, but embarassed leaders rushed to my defence and admitted they are older than me. At a lunch with TST's Rev. Kong in January, he passed the last piece of shrimp dumpling to my older coworker, remarking, "This is for the youngest at the table." For the record, I am not 50 yet. I can't help it when people mistake me for an old man, so from now on I have an excuse for acting young.

One Year Later, Aug 2009

2009-07-31T23:15:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday (Jul 30) I offically ended my first year of teaching in Hong Kong, with the last class an intensive class on Monday and Thursday nights 7-10pm, altogether nine sessions. Intensive classes are killers for teacher and students. I do not know how students can endure it, especially attending classes two nights a week after their long day at work. I truly appreciate lay students. Two of them who work with drug addicts really impressed me. After 18 months of rehab themselves, they remained at the center as workers, what a story, One led the other to Christ, and they are now coworkers at the drug center.

Yesterday (Jul 31) was our major anniversary. I bought Chinese cakes from Yuen Long's 大同 for colleagues and invited relatives to join us for dinner at Tsing Yi. We are so blessed together. When Sister-in-law said grace and thanked God for the sweet, sour, bitterness, spice (甜酸苦辣) of life, we were amazed we could only recall sweet but not the last three taste.

Today (1st) I went to the yearly Hong Kong Revival Meetings in Kowloon City. The speakers, both from TEDS, were good in exegesis. I tried to call graduates to go with me but they said they have to work on Saturdays in Hong Kong, which is news to me after nearly a year here! Also, I noticed not many youngsters were in attendance. Christians are graying in Hong Kong as they are elsewhere in the world. Gone are the days when youth, college and young adults flock to these meetings, especially overseas.

Yesterday (3rd) my landlord informed me that my request to be released of my lease a month earlier, end of August instead of September, is granted as she has found a new tenant. We are excited because just a day ago Wife said she was praying hard for an earlier release. This Saturday we will check out a rental housing area that is less crowded and has better air. I have a friend who lived in the area and he has lined us up with a neighbor who has an unit for rent and another with a unit few blocks away.

I must be away for a long time, so much so that I am longing to see a former student from the States who will be visiting me next week. I have adjusted quite well to Hong Kong aisde from the weather, which makes me want to get outside my skin at times. Even so, I think my last sermon (Elijah) before my first anniversary here must be my strongest yet. It is not that easy to speak outside one's congregation although I have been preaching for the last 20 years. North Point's seats are in four columns, so focusing is terrible. My eyes are always focused on the audience to my right because I find it hard to turn my head left as well with my eyes are on the notes as well.

Hunting for rental housing on a hot day is no fun regardless of the place and its potential. Today (8th) is 35 C , which is 95 F, enough to drive a person crazy and any resident indoor. The good news is I went to the swimming pool four times this week - the first time in a year here - and even swim two laps with ease, but the bad news is I feel just as hot. There is way to cool down even if you are an ice pack when the sun came up after my swim in the morning. I hope tomorrow is better because the English worship at North Point is at noon and fellowship ends near at 4:30 pm.

Unfortunately the apartment we visited and liked yesterday was rented by today. The owner did not think we were interested and rented it at a higher price to somebody else. That means we have to find something fast because we have to move out of our current apartment as it has been rented out already. Now it is a race against time and yet we are so busy this coming week with a friend coming by and a birthday to celebrate. I couldn't call earlier to confirm our interest since I have church till 4:30 p.m.

The next apartment we's going to see is on Friday after work. This time we should do better since the owner does not come to open the apartment enough for viewing because he is so busy himself and does not live in the area, so less competitors are expected. If it does not work out, panic and sweat will set in. We may even consider staying in a serviced apartment, but I hate the idea of someone coming in to my apartment to do free cleaning, no privacy. Postscript: I received news today (13th) that a one room apartment with seaview is available, so we'll see it as well on Friday.

I have a lot of firsts yesterday and today (13th). Yesterday I boxed six boxes, getting ready to move out of our apartment. The earlier I get started the better, even though apartment viewing is moved to Saturday now. We brought to Hong Kong 22 boxes, I think. I wonder if we have gained more stuff since. For the first time, I have been to the pool for four consecutive days, which is an accomplishment to me.

My birthday celebration on the month's third weekend turned out better than I expected. First our rental application was accepted and we hope to move next week after we sign the formal contract coming Saturday (22nd). We have a good bargain and pay HK$1,000 less than what we pay currently. Today we made history by testing the first day of West Rail's extension all the way to Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a pretty good ride from Mei Foo but unfortunately this will also be our last week in this area. We had dinner in Woolloomooloo (Australian steak house) near the East Tsim Sha Tsui station and enjoyed dessert at the Starbucks by P2 exit. The dinner was okay, not great.
An old friend in Hong Kong always makes me feel special on my birthday. Before, he would always e-mail me when I was in US. Now that I am here, he invited me and Wife to Saturday breakfast. At least it forces us to see each other once a year, so thank God for friends and birthdays. I miss and like old friends.

I took three afternoons off to accompany a misisonary friend who was in town. After lunch at Jade and a trip to the Immigration Tower to obtain my visa extension, we went to the Peak; the bus ride there was oustanding and breathtaking. Taking the tram down was empty after the bus ride. At least I located the route from Hong Kong Garden. After that we went to Mongkok's Woman Street and Langham Place. The next day a student at my previous semianry called and the three of us had dim sum at Lai Chi Kok's 於滿人家, one of the best dim sum places few people heard of. After that we talked with Rev Ho before he caught a place back to China, a day earlier because he cannot change his ticket.

Since I have taken the next day off I may as well use it to get treatent for my foot. My right foot has been giving me problems, so lately I am seeing a foot masseuse in Shum Shui Po highly-reccomended by a pastor, but it's hard to schedule appointment, with my office in Yuen Long and my pending move to Park Island. I did try a different way to exercise in the pool today (19th) to work on different leg muscles, but it is so speculative I do not think it will work. Maybe all the walking in Hong Kong is taking a toll on me, though it does not stop me walking more for less, like needlessly visiting the new Pacific Coffee on the other side of Mei Foo today out of curioisty. It is huge. Too bad it is my last week here. Even if it is not, it is too far to walk. Anyway I am a Starbucks person.

I had the nicest day yesterday (19th) taking the half day off. Dropping off at the Nam Cheong station instead of Shum Shui Po, I walked ten minutes to my destination. The time was 2:15 pm by the time it was over. I ate some noodles, went home and rested, then did my half-hour pool exercise at 5 pm before it closed at 6p to reopen at 7 pm. This is the first time in Hong Kong I could exercise before the 6 pm break. Life sure is hectic here. If your health is none the better, you will sure to suffer because you don't have the time or the break to get treatment. Taking more half days off is nice but not an option because I need to save my holidays for mission trips.

We finally got our apartment but not before some misses. An owner showed us a two-bedroom but thought we were not interested, so he rented it the next day (10th), an hour before we called to confirm our interest. The reason we did not call earlier was because Sunday was church day and our activties did not end till 5 pm. Next, we were supposeed to see a one-bedroom apartment on the 15th, but the owner could not make it and had to postpone it to Saturday (16th). On that day the realtor scheduled another one-bedroom to show us but also told us the Friday turned Saturday appointment was also rented out, this time to owner's relative, so we were down to one apartment left to see, which turned out to be everything we were looking for. It is a 488 sq. feet, one-bedroom apartment in Park Island overlooking Noah's Ark and the Tsing Ma bridge. Wife says, "We can see the people entering the ark, reminding us that Jesus’ salvation is complete and our task is to bring people to the Lord." The best thing with the apartment is there are lots of closets and storage, and the rent is HK$1,000 less than Ching Lai Court. In retrospect, God knows and provides what we need.

Reunification Day, Jul 2009

2009-06-30T20:00:00.000-07:00

Today (1st) is a holiday in Hong Kong, the only holiday I am aware of so far in nine months here, since I almost went to work the other holidays until I was warned otherwise the day before by Wife. Also, I received two e-mails today informing me of their last day at work, one by a pastor friend reflecting his transition to a new ministry, and another by an instituition president informing others he was leaving his post. I like the latter's light spirit. The International Herald Tribune reported in an article today that Malaysia’s new prime minister has announced that the country would severely weaken a 40-year old requirement that companies reserve 30 percent of their shares for ethnic Malays, the country’s dominant ethnic group.

With the free time I could update you about the trip I took to to Singapore and Penang last week. We took the subway in Singapore and realize how slowly the local pedestrains were walking compared to their Hong Kong conuterparts. In Hong Kong escalator riders step to the right so that walkers can pass the stationary riders; in Singapore they stood pat side by side blocking the lanes. The next day I realized they were not as slow, but not at the Hong Kong pace. The city is highy rated as an international city, but I do not see as many expatriates on the streets or riding the subway, nowhere near Hong Kong streets. I wonder where they are. The Singapore streets are not crowded at all, not even at its most frequented Orchard street. The crowd is a fifth or less than those at Mongkok and Causeway. In fact there is no crowd or atmosphere. The only thing the two cities - and Penang, too - have in common is that their Starbucks are crowded, which is not a surprise because they are the only businesses savvy enough to offer free internet.

I never took a liking to Singapore food despite visiting Hongkongers' generous praise of it, but what do they know since they are known to enjoy the Malaysia and Singapore food in Hong Kong. Indonesian food is far, far better in Hong Kong. My brother joined us to visit my mother who lives in Singapore. He was more critical than me, if that was possible, saying that Malaysian food and Singapore food are heaven (former) and earth (latter). An Aussie who sat next to me on a plane said that Singapore bak kut teh is watered down. He should know since his wife is from Klang, Malaysia, a bak kut teh stronghold. The two best eating places for me is Vienna Buffet at United Square in Thompson Road and the rojak on fourth floor of Orchard Road's Atrium Square.

Penang life is slow, very much like Macau. The bus I rode on a quarter of a century ago is still operating on the same route, chugging along at bicycle's pace. No wonder the governement has introduced a new bus 101 from downtown to the hugely popular Batu Ferringhi tourist route, but the locals still ride the first bus that comes. Penang food is delicious, especially at Gurney Drive near Gurney Plaza, the most popular local shopping mall, where American stores dominate. I lined up with at least ten other customers for a plate of Char Kwai Teow at Gurney Drive, but even that hawker is not the most popular in Penang, I was told. Holiday Inn Batu Ferringhi is good value but Wife saw a roach that sprinted from the restroom into the closet. We had a tasty M$45 breakfast per head buffet, lounging there three hours for our breakfast and brunch's worth, unlike my brother who ate non-stop for three hours at Vienna's in Singapore. On my two-country trip, I had sampled chicken rice, rojak, rambutan, jack fruit, star fruit, chiku, nasi lemak, rendang, grilled fish, griiled cuttlefish, spicy cuttlefish, satay, roti prata, coconuts - need I say more?

I was encouraged my last message on Luke 12 (Easy Come, Easy Go) has helped a person and provoked a response or two: "這晚上睡得不好，原本想給__電郵說說不平的事情，看完這篇講章，就覺得沒甚大不了，這個世界每天都會發生不平的事情，很多人比我可憐，不用將「我」放得那麼大，應該慶幸自己不是魔鬼的使者，只是受害人…。應該將時間用在正當的事情上，事情自有神看管的，一切都不能越過祂的掌權，就看是「學習的功課」。看魔鬼又能將我怎樣辦？謝謝這篇及時的講章，記念你更能看得明白中文。" Wong
"叶牧师，平安谢谢您的这篇信息，帮助了我很多，尤其是这个星期日，我的信息也是讲有关奉献的信息，你的数据帮了不少，谢谢。愿神大大使用您让更多人的祝福。祝健康平安喜乐。" David

For a month beginning last week (2nd) I will be at TST office in the morning for a half day's work but return to teach a night class there. It is my first time teachng an intensive class. TST has its advantage, escpecially I have a lot of things to attend to in the afternoon. To begin with I went to the Revenue Board in Wanchai today to see why I have not received my tax info yet. Not wasting much, I checked the web for good food in Wanchai and ate at netizens' most popular restaurant 再興燒臘飯店, which I admit is worth a try just to see the line for takeout. The line grew from 20 to 30 people by the time I finished my lunch. I was quite a gentleman waiting to be seated but a lady at the back of me sat on the stool a customer just vacated. After lunch I noticed a line was forming at the neighboring Taiwanese restaurant, too, so I'll be back. The officers at the Tax Board was very efficient and helpful. Turns out that they are not ready to tax me yet until next year.

Here is a comment on Psalms 52 (The Last Laugh):
"谢谢您：叶牧师！您每一次送来的信息，读后真是受益匪浅。愿神不断加添您的智、心力、体力和能力，使您成为更多教会的众人的祝福！以马内利" Tian Zhong
"葉牧師,謝謝您的分享, 也是一篇很好的查經題材." Betty

Yesterday (12th) was my last of ten Sunday class sessions I taught at Yan Fook until the next ten beginning September 13th. Yan Fook is the biggest church in Hong Kong, heading to the 10,000 mark soon. The class dwindled from 45 to half, no thanks to swine flu, but the coordinators tell me the drop-off is normal, esepcially for the early first class. Five attendees received a reward for full attendance and students even get to evaluate the teacher. Well, at least I was evaluated by those who were appreciative enough to last the course, so it is not all bad, but the weak in heart better not teach there. I had a good time and a great experience. Since I am merely a guest teacher and not church staff, I have no pressure. I even initiated weekly breakfast with students as early as 7:45 am before class an hour later; later we changed to 7:55 am. The work is minimal since few can wake up that early. Each staff has to be the advisor of one or two fellowships that consist of 200-400 people, isn't that amazing? As guest, I do my best "caring" for them, but "taking care" of such a big group must surely be a headache even for the staff. Interestingly, students in this megachurch hardly know one another before the sessions, so breakfast helps, but I must confess I know less than half of their names when it ended. To lighten matters and encourage participation, I divided the class into lecture (40-45 mins) and group discussion (20-25 mins) and the students loved it. Praise the Lord, I have a new ministry designing group study questions, which is quite challenging in English and Chinese.

One of the most authentic dumpling places is in Tsim Sha Tsui quite far from my office in the same city. Distance, however, is not an excuse for ignorance in your backyard, so I walked in the hot afternoon to Peking Shiu Gau Shop for probably netizens' highest rated dumplings in whole of Hong Kong and ordered a Beijing and Shanghai dumpling combo for HK$26. It was worthwhile seeing dumpling in another style. There were lots of film stars on the glass counter and Northern China snacks on the menu. A couple squeezed next to me on my table in the mini store told me it was their first time there, too. I will return for more snacks, such as the inviting fried spring roll that I saw another customer ordered.

After 11 months in Hong Kong I headed back into the pool this week, twice in fact, including today (18th) with Wife before 7 am to avoid the sun and heat in the outdoor pool. The HK$19.90 is worth spending. We felt like fish returning to water, it feels that good. I did my routine 1,000 times kicking exercise in the pool before swimming two laps in the Olympic size pool. By then my lungs were hurting. In the States I could swim 10 laps in the much smaller LA Fitness indoor swimming pool. My goal is five laps here. Hopefully I can swim at least twice a week from now on. Being sick and having swollen gums four days ago sure motivated me to take better care of my health in Hong Kong as the quality of life and air here is not as good as the States. Besides, the hectic pace and the lack of exercise and rest here may have contributed to my bout with sickness.

Friends and former students wasted no time in responding to my last sermon (God of All Comfort), some were somewhat hilarious. I even received a request for permission to have it republished, praise God:
"老師這收信平安：這是一篇使人心靈得幫助，好像聖靈的風吹在人的心裏，滋潤人的心溫暖人的靈魂的一篇講章，真是棒極了。謝謝你的這ㄧ篇講章，成為我即時得幫助，請問我可以使用它在我所服事的教會嗎？願神祝福你和你的家。"Melody
"Thanks Victor,I see the environment does help in language skills." TK
"Hey Victor, Did you yahoo your translation? I have to read backwards into English to imagine what you were saying!!!" Ng
"叶牧师,你好我是传扬杂志 http://www.efccc.org/ ....., 我想将你此文删成2500字左右的文章,放在11月的主是文章中,我删好后给你过目.不记得我?我上过你的释经讲道,终身受用.谢谢"
"Thanks so much for this sermon. I just finished my preaching at the retreat of Surrey CBC, Vancouver." Pastor Leong

I am thrilled to hear that TVB will show one of my favorite shows "24," beginning next week. There is a dearth of good free dramas on TV since most of them have migrated to cable in Hong Kong. Maybe CSI would follow.

Working hours are long in Hong Kong, especialy when you are not well and your eyes are on the computer whole day in the summer when school is out. It was so bad my eyes hurt when I close it for a few seconds of rest. As a result, for two consecutive days I exercised in the pool after work and a short rest since the pool does not open till 7 pm. I feel better after catching up to my regular routine in Los Angeles.

Yesterday (23rd) student Carmen gave me and another student passes to attend the Book Convention at Wan Chai Exhibiton Hall. With the passes we bypassed the incredibly long lines, probably due to the cheap HK$10 entrance fee. This is the first time for me and it was quite an interesting experience. The next week (27th) I had to go to Wan Chai to extend my visa and meet a friend there for lunch. His first words when we met were "It was a bad idea" due to the bumper crowd at the Book Exhibition. Going to the Immigration Tower was a nightmare due the Exhibiton next store. The passage was blocked, so we made a U-turn and took another bypass two blocks away. The two hour wait at Immigration was extended another 45 minutes, but at least I got it done.

Internet Ministry Relaunched, Jun 2009

2009-06-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am a happy man with my Internet ministry relaunched on May 31st, this time with a new face in Chinese and an English version link, which is fitting since I have relocated to Asia. Come to think of it, I have not sent a message out, Chinese or English, for more than nine months I have been in Hong Kong. It's been so long I had even forgotten the password to one of my group lists. The group list's breif malfunction did nothing to dampen my joy.

The kick-off sermon is none other than Job, which is one of my favorites. The feedback is gratifying. A good pastor friend alerted me: "Your sermon got recommended by one of our brothers to the fellowship group -- last Saturday, they discussed the topic of suffering and then Philip saw your sermon... which probably touched him much and so he recommended that to others. This is really something!" Mike

Other heartfelt responses include:
"Thank you Prof. Yap, You are sooooo great! I hope I can learn more from you. How's going out there? May God use you to bring an abundant blessings to all the students you teach there ." Maria

"Dear Pastor Yap, I like your sermon. The truth comforts my heart. Blessings." Zoe

"謝謝葉牧師，信息給我很好的Rhema 與鼓勵，在我目前服事的困難中。您好嗎？忙不忙呢？願神祝福您！謝謝您想到我們。" Alice

"Dear Rev. Yap, Thank you for your message. Thank you for being consistent in preaching His word and preparing good messages. You have set us a great model and you have really inspired me. I am thankful to the Lord that I had a chance to be one of your students. Thank you and may God bless you." Boon Har

"Hi Rev. Yap,Thank you very much to email this to me in Chinese, thanks again for your faithfullness to help us!" Ellen

"葉牧師：多謝你愛心的預備，使我們在網上得很多聖經資料，在聖經上更深認識。但願神加能力給你，在事奉上得勝有餘。阿們。" Ann

Any bit of cheerleading helps. Internet writing is worth something and worth doing. The only snag is Yahoo Groups cannot display the Chinese font, so I have to send mail to 1,400 recipients manually 15 times over two days because Yahoo has limits on daily mail!

The weather is strange lately, but who am I to say so in my first year here? Last week it was so hot that staff persuaded me to use an umbrella, which I am sure I can never live it down. Today (June 8th) it is raining but the humidity has not changed much. I am looking forward to my bimonthly haircut at the end of the month.

The next day I was caught in the rain in Yuen Long without an umbrella, which I refused to carry indefinitely. I stopped in the omnipresent 7/11 store but the price did not change from the HK$44 umbrella I last bought there two months ago. Crossing the street I found a road store that sold one for HK$20. I had no choice since I have a long way to travel to my appointment in Mongkok. Within two months, I had bought two umbrellas, but the rainy season has just started. It is so stuffy, humid and hot in HK that the air doesn't go anywhere even when it is raining nowadays.

This quarter's layman night class at Tsim Sha Tsui ended today. It is the most satisfying night class yet because I found the lay students most eager to learn - far more hungry than day students. Believe me, they did the as much coursework in their 2-unit course as seminary students did with me in a 3-unit course of the same name last quarter. They took turns to take pictures with me, which seminary students had never done. One student - Charles - did not require the class for graduation but audited it upon the recommendation of a fellow student. He even brought a durian for the last class. I think I am most effective with working professionals and older students.

The hot and humid weather is taking a toll on most Hongkongers. I was sweating shortly before bedtime. When I told a colleague I finally gave up and initiated turning the air conditioning on to sleep yesterday (19th) - for the first time, she replied, "Wow, you have strong endurance. We already turned it on days ago." Wife gave up and cut her hair in response but I will hold on for another week, to stick to my bimonthly haircut at the end of the month. Last night we open the windows and turned the fan on and we survived another night without turning it on. Wife's sister admitted she turned the a/c on finally last night (20th).

Finally graduation was over yesterday (20th). The ceremony was a huge success and the speaker Rev. Morley Lee of CCCOWE gave an inspiring address. This year's graduates were quite a handful. Many of them are in their 40s and are parents themselves, so they come with experience, ideas and opinion. The conservative and traditional spirit at school was quite a learning curve for them. Nevertheless I am quite proud of them. I have no choice since this is my first graduating class. My only regret is having them for one year only. I could have done more with more time, but at least I have done my part. Hope they will return for the master's degree.

Picture Taken May 2009

2009-05-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Nine Months Later, May 2009

2009-05-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Today (1st) I almost went to work but for Wife's reminder last night. She said are you serious? I was. It takes some time to get used to Hong Kong holidays. May 1st is not a holiday in the States. This is the second time I did not know the next day was a public holiday, almost going to work the next day. The previous day was April 11. I must be losing my menory at record pace. Wife remembered most of a movie we previously saw on cable, but I merely remembered two minor parts.

For four weeks in a row I attended a worship service not as the Sunday preacher but as a regular worshipper, twice at Yan Fook, twice at North Point. Ironically, I will also be shuttling between these two churches for ministry, helping out the English worship at North Point and the Sunday school at Yan Fook. It is good for me not to get caught substituing corporate preaching for personal worship. Also, much as I want to improve my Cantonese, I keep getting requests to minister in English.

Along with a "headache" today (8th), I have an infection on my left hand from peeling a loose skin on a finger nail. Wife handed me an antibiotic cream and the swelling went down after a few hours. At least I do not have to go to a doctor for now. I was worried since I have never had an infection like that before. The next day I had pus in the skin near my nail, but I used a needle-like instrument to open up the skin and let the pus out. I felt like a surgeon, but it worked! Funny, I don't even remember the last time I had pus under my skin anywhere.

Sunday (May 10th) was my first day navigating ministry at two churches. At 8:45 in the morning I taught Sunday school at Yan Fook and 12:15pm in the afternoon I preached at North Point. In between we managed to rest at Starbuck. It was more relaxing than we thought but still we had to sleep an hour or so in the afternoon after all is done to recover. The ministry at Yan Fook is for 10 weeks and the ministry at North Point English worship is twice a month.

The last week or so has been humid. I sleep with little to light clothing on. After exercise with staff and students in the morning, I usually raise a sweat not seen before. I missed this time of the season last year since I did not arrive in Hong Kong until last August 18th. The next few days are going to be the same, news report indicates.

I found a gray hair on my right eye brow today (17th). After a single attempt to pluck it in a public restroom , I gave up. At home I successfully rid the hair. The problem is, at this rate, I could be browless in no time at all, which is not pretty.

It has been hot and humid since the middle of the month. My idea of putting up a fight is turning the fan on when I am at home, even all through the night. It has been nothing short of a revelation and a miracle. Relatives say the most humid time of the year is over, but others dispute that prediction.

Last week HSBC offered an annual savings interest rate of 0.001%, or HK$1 annually for every HK100,000. It used to be 0.01. What a farce.

Taiwan Trip, Apr 2009

2009-04-12T16:25:00.000-07:00

I returned five days ago (Mar 27th) with a bad back from a good time in Taiwan, teaching at my former US seminary's Taiwan campus for a week, Friday to Friday, minus Sunday, 9am till 5 pm. Wife went with me and returned to Hong Kong on Monday. I was invited to preach in the church by seminary and I had to accept since I was teaching them in Mandarin on how to preach, no excuse. It turned out great for my second try in the language, according to Wife. The first time was many years ago, After church we travel by train to Taipei, ate Shanghai food at the Breeze Station (微風台北車站), then visited the tourist spot Xi Men Ding (西門町), Red House Theater (紅樓戲場) and Shin Kong Mitsukoshi (新光三越)before returning to the train station for dinner and head home. At the theater we saw Cape 7 (海角七號) actor (林宗仁) taking pictures with fans.

My back gave way just like that on my fourth day there while I was sitting comfortably in a chair. It took me a whole week to recover enough for me to do my normal stretching exercises today (Apr 1). On the first two days of injury, I needed to hold on to railings for support to get up. I could not toss in bed and sneezing or coughing hurts. The host seminary had an employee drive me to a local clinic for a back rub that eased the pain. It is a bargain at Taiwan $300 (less than HK$100).My first trip to Taiwan is an eye-opener. The campus was in Zhongli (中壢市), almost next door to Chung Yuan Christian University (中原大學). The city is full of hawkers and motorbikes. The streets are narrow and the setting is rural. Noise is everywhere, from the speaker-blaring garbage collection truck to the government tow trucks that operate from the early morning.

The 14 students I taught were excited, fun and attentive. Like students I meet everywhere, they starve for hands-on expository preaching, which is my expertise by now. They were so appreciative that I felt extremly welcomed. It took a while to reach the last two students who had difficulty doing the work, so I returned at night to read their work. It was no big deal since I decided to return to the class for free internet to IM with Wife, who left days ago.Strangely enough, my trip reminded me of what guest missions teacher Ho exclaimed to me a month or two ago when she realized I was not local: "Oh, you are a missionary!" I never thought of myself as one since my Cantonese blends in well locally, but in truth I am one. Missions is not in my blood, but it is starting to boil. Taiwan wants me to return. Maybe I can also go to Malaysia/Singapore to teach in the future as well, which means reaching a full cycle for this accidental traveler.

I am still alien to the local system, which benefits the landlord. Today (Apr 8) the landlady presented me with a bill of HK$250 for repairing the jammed steel door lock in our home. In the States the owner pays for all things, down to the lightbulb.

The first week of classes passed by. The class I am most apprehensive about turned out well, but I really gave them a lot of work for a 2-unit class, work comparable to previous 3-unit classes, but I think they wil thrive and do well. Hong Kong people always strive to get ahead, even in their studies, so they take night classes, including Bible study, to "add to their value 增值." This group is different from previous classes because they are diploma students, not Bachelor or Master's level, but they sure get the money's worth and work equivalent in my class. One teacher asked me to ease up on them, but they sounded eager to take the challenge.

I just returned today (Apr 12) from speaking at Emmanuel's church retreat, my first retreat engagement in Hong Kong. We met some amazing people at Breakthrough Youth Village, including Breakthrough founder Dr. Philemon Choi (蔡元雲醫生) and his son Jonathan, Ruth Tseng (曾路得) -the renowned singer of 天各一方, and CGST lecturer Joe Kok, Wife's former pastor. Tseng and Kok are associated with Emmanuel. Dr. Choi's passion for youth for the last 30 years is refreshing. We had the opportunity to observe the work at Breakthrough, including a 30-minute skit, an impressive hour or so live playback theater, and an hour's sharing from Dr. Choi.

An annoying remark has dogged me in Hong Kong, climaxing at the retreat. A camper said I looked much older than I do on my blog picture. It was a surprisng remark since the blog picture was taken merely years ago. The biggest blow was when a 62-year old man said he and I were the oldest in the group! How can I be older than all the parents with teenage kids at the retreat? The pastor introduced me on the first day by saying he used to hang out with the younger pastors at denomination meetings in USA while I with another group. I explained to the congregation on the last day that I was not much older (2 years only) than their younger pastor . The problem is my gray hair have dramtically surfaced lately. Maybe I should put up a more recent picture on my blog.

I did not know the Monday after Easter is a holiday in Hong Kong, so I inadvertently canceled an appointment. So far, Hong Kong is the only country I have resided in to have the holiday. It is for the best since I am fighting a losing battle with the flu.

Local news: Hong Kong is the most competitive city in Hong but Shanghai is catching up fast, news reported yesterday. Today's news was very unflattering to the Big Two supermarkets. The local Consumer Council found that the prices of some products sold there actually increased on Fridays but reduced later to normal on Saturdays to make Friday offers appear like a bargain.

A humid heat wave swept through the city since Tuesday (Apr 14), making exercise in the cooler morning quite difficult. I hope to hold out for another week before cutting my hair so that I can keep to my bimonthly haircut goal. It is so hot that I sometimes had take my tie off in my office to cool down.

I watched for the second time how the dream of Susan Boyle played out on the internet to millions of viewers. Never-kissed 47-year old, CNN reported. She sang one of my favorite songs from my favorite musical, Les Miz! How can people not cheer and root for a dreamer like her?

My childhood was widely awakened by three Cantonese operas I heard when I was barely in my teens, as performed by 鄧碧雲, 張月兒 and 陳良忠. Most songs are better heard than told, so you can click to a fan's classic selection at Youtube. Th next day (Apr 22) I found "old cucumber" 老黃瓜 at the supermarket to take a break from the delicious pumpkin/tomato soup I have been boiling and drinking. It's been two decades I haven't seen the cucumber gourd, but I found pumpkin is still one of the sweetest soups I have tasted. So I will return to pumpkin soon. A colleague asked me if I stick leftover soup by separate containers in the freezer like Chinese Americans do, and I replied yes. The concept is foreign to locals because the Chinese market is nearby.

A local barber tried to convince me to dye my hair today (Apr 22), which is to his advantage. A normal haircut is HK58 (US$7.50), but dying the hair is HK$120. True, my gray hairs are in full blossom and a colleague mistook another faculty member to be the youngest even though I should have the honors, but I will wait till I am past 50, which has another year and a half to go yet.

Chicken and Duck Speak

2009-04-01T07:43:00.001-07:00

What they say in Hong Kong (and what it means):
Shroff (payment office)
Hash (pound #)
Perambulator (stroller)
Gangway
Pontoon
Gangplank
Coxswain

Durian, Mar 2009

2009-03-02T05:32:00.000-08:00

Leftover durian is really smelly, I must admit. A week ago (Feb 24) I bought a durian at 10pm after night class at Tsim Sha Tsui. The price was reduced from HK$31 to $21 shortly beofre closing. It is strange that shopping at night for food after a long class makes me more relaxed. I ate two of the four pieces packed in a wrapper and stuck the rest in the freezer, out of the sight of Durian-intolerant Wife. The reason for leaving it in the fridge is that eating more than two pieces, especially that late at night, is not good for health. Worse, I drank sesame soybean I bought at the same time - a new favorite of mine, instead of water like we used to do after eating durian when we were kids. True to form, I woke up about 4-5 am looking for water to cool down my warm body. A week later, when Wife is not home, I took the leftover durian out again and it smelled like never before. OK, I have learned my lesson, one durian at a time. The next week after class, durian was on sale again , but I had learned to discipline myself. The temptation never ends.

I cannot help but notice the plight of Hong Kong's cage men, whose misfortunes were highlighted in SCMP today (8th). At night, 100,000 or so residents of poor parts of Kowloon - such as Shum Shui Po and Tai Kok Tsui - sleep in a 13 1/4 sq-ft wire coop no different from a chicken. The irony was today I was at Shum Shui Po, buying a netbook for Wife. Today was as busy as can be. I spoke twice today - 830a at TST and 11a at Alliance Mandarin in Shum Shui Po. The former was an unexpected SOS.

Souperman said...
"Hey Pastor, you don't need tax return to apply for credit card. For Bank of CHina, Bank of East Asia, all you proof of salary (3 months), proof of resident address and HKID...well, maybe it's because you don't have HKID."

Believe me, we were turned down in letter by BEA even when we have all the above. No use crying over a minor inconvenience. We are used to it by now. That goes to show credit card is not everything.

I am done with night classes this quarter, with the last class two days ago (10th). At least I get a two weeks' break before the next night session begins. The students are wonderful, but subway traffic at 10p in Tsim Sha Tsui is a sight to behold. The coaches are mostly full, a lot connecting to West Rail at where I stop, too. One of the things I enjoy doing is to shop at the supermarket nearby that closes at 10 pm, giving me minutes to get what I want. There are quite a lot of customers, especially South Asians, frequenting the store before it closes. I saw one buying a discount durian - one third or one quarter off, like what I did three weeks ago, so I am not the only one looking for a bargain.

My phone carrier is a thief. Two months ago I signed up for an account. Yesterday I was charged double than what I ordered. When I called, I was told it was for other services, like music etc, which I do not even use. Unless you tell them, they will keep charging, isn't that daylight robbery and outright fraud? No wonder the company is in turmoil.

As the quarter draws near, I have a major case of disorientation. Because my Tuesday night class has ended, I did not need to track home this Tuesday afternoon (17th) for a short break before the night class. Since I was in the office, I thought today must be Wednesday, especially when I woke up from a short lunch nap minutes before class began. Panicking and not realizing today was Tuesday and thinking I was late for Wednesday class, I hurried into the class, to the students' amusement and disbelief. Worse, today's real teacher was later than me arriving, I realize when I looked into the class, so making me believe I was the teacher on assignment.

Six Months Later, Feb 2009

2009-02-06T16:10:00.000-08:00

(My dryer) Yes, it has been that long or short. The funny thing is I still do not have a credit card yet because we have no tax record. It is nothing short of incovenience but not the end of the world. I will get a new cell number tomorrow (8th). PCCW really bumbled my phone. First they persuaded to keep my old cell number from the phone I was using which my relatives do not mind me keeping, then Smartone would not release it, later PCCW gave me a new number which did not work out, now they give me another new, new number. Already I miss the new number they previously gave me because my year of birth is on the number, what a mess. Fortunately I did not start using it yet.

Hong Kong media reported Li Ka-shing's fortune dived from US$32 billion to US$16.2 billion, as of January 23. The wealth of No. 2, the Kwok family of Sun Hung Kai Properties (0016) remained at No2 on the list, with a net worth of US$10.8 billion. eroded by 55 percent.
Self-proclaimed investment guru Lee Shau-kee saw his wealth fall to US$9 billion from US$23 billion. Casino mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun lost 89 percent of his wealth. It dropped from US$9 billion to US$1 billion.

Riverside church member Patrick dropped into my class completely unannounced tonight (10th), taking me by surprise. I did not know he was in town. He called my office while I was away and knew that I was at TST teaching a night class. We took a picture and he had to go, but later he decided to wait another half an hour till class is over to walk me to the subway, how considerate. Well, the phone finally worked on the 10th - two days late, on the day of PCCW strike. TST students in my Kings class finally made a breakthrough tonight - on the sixth week of class. I couldn't be any prouder.

I just found out yesterday (10th) that Hong Kong is the fifth most expensive place to live in the world, at an average price of US$16,125 (HK$125,775) per square meter, according to the 2009 Global Property Guide. The most expensive residential real estate market is Monte Carlo at US$47,578 psm, Moscow second at US$20,853 psm, followed by prime London's US$20,756 psm and Tokyo in fourth at US$17,998.

My manuscript on Paul was rejected this week (10th) a week after I submitted it to a publisher. The VP told me they were interested in some blog series I have posted but not on Paul, which made me curious enough to ask her which one in particular, but she replied she did not read it; her editors read it. I did not know what to make of it. Well, I will have to cut my losses and look elsewhere.

The streets of Hong Kong really did a number on my shoes today (13th). It almost broke apart today, but for the sole that held it together. To be fair, I have been wearing it for two years now, but I have never had a pair of shoes tearing up on me before. Worse, I was on my way to Macau, so I have no time to change into another pair. All I hope is for it to hold up for another two days before I return to Hong Kong, returning to speak in a local church on Sunday morning. I still have two pairs brought home from USA that I got from the now defunct Mervyn's. Wife said I should buy immediately, but I will risk it.

It is such a strange weekend, my weirdest day yet in Hong Kong. First, my shoes almost split in two on the way to Macau two days ago on Friday. The weather on Saturday made things worse, drizzling each time we went out, slightly wetting my only pair of socks. Today (15th) I left Macau at 8am to catch the 9am ferry back to Hong Kong, where I am scheduled to speak at 11am. The ferry and disembarking take 75 minutes and the chapel is just minutes walk from the ferry, so I have ample time. Unfortunately, I took the wrong bus, 26A instead of 28A to the ferry, and ended up at a remote spot 媽祖花園 where taxis do not run, says a gas station employee there. By the time I took the return bus back, I had only ten minutes to catch a taxi. I found one that got me there 2 minutes before the ferry leaves. I rushed to the counter and requested those in front of me to let me pass the immigration counter first. When I reached the counter the officer changed shifts and another few precious seconds ticked away. I entered at 9:01am, thinking the ferry had left, but a fog enveloped the harbor before I arrived, so the ferry was delayed. In fact, the ship did not even arrive the harbor yet. I paid $40 for the taxi but saved $160 for another ticket I would have to buy, since I was late. To make matters worst, the delay was for another hour, not minutes. I asked the manager to loan me his phone so I can call Wife to alert the church I was held up. In return I was his English interpreter over the bullhorn.

We were set to board and leave an hour later, but another delay was ordered. This time I asked a passenger next to me if I could borrow his phone, since I do not have carrier service in Macau. I called the pastor twice with the phone, the man hesitating to help me on my second call. Upon reaching HK I called the pastor but he did not answer since church is on. In the process my phoone batteries ran out. There is nothing else I can do but call a taxi to the church, arriving just as members were leaving. I had lunch and fellowship with the pastor, and all was well because they had sharing instead. I had advised him to download my sermon from the web and read it to the congregation since the church already had my powerpoint, but he said he could not process the sermon as he speaks. Besides tedious questiions to employees about when we are leaving, one frayed passenger wanted to speak to the manager and another questioned why ships can come in and not go out. The only good news is that my shoes made it home without bottoming out. I even stopped at a cafe, read papers at the library and bought grocery on the way home. Wife had frantically called me but my phone was dead, so we did not touch base until 3:50pm. This day has no equal, it could not be more dramatic than this.

Hong Kong's population has officially passed the seven million mark. The number of people living here was 7,008,900 at the end of 2008, up 56,100 or 0.8 percent on the previous year, according to the Census and Statistics Department (February 17, 2009).

It's been eleven days since I last blogged. If you do not understand y typing fro now on, it's because y PC is on its last leg, as witnessed by the issing "m" letter, the last one which I cut and paste fro previous files. Today (28th) we had a wonderful dinner at ho-e thanks to y good friend fro the States who visited three days ago, bringing drunken chicken in a jar fro a store in Taiwan on his transit there, besides the truffles and Taiwanese beef jerky. On top of that, we also bought sashi-i fro a local store, ate vegetables donated to school, and consued soup Wife boiled. It is so filling that I even skipped rice altogether so that I can finish the fish.

Yuen Long, Jan 2009

2009-01-17T07:53:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year to everyone! I started the new year on a wrong foot, literally. On the first day at work in the new year, I forgot to get off at the right stop. I could not blame the relocation because I was busy reading free Hong Kong morning newspaper. Instead of Yuen Long, I stopped at Long Ping, took the return train that shared the same platform, disembarked to catch the local bus and made it to office a minute before 8:30 a.m. Just when you think things could not be any worse, it did. On my return trip home I noticed the train leaving the platform, so I sprinted into the coach, only to realize it was heading in the opposite direction from my home. I was so embarassed that I walked to the nearest coach to get off, not to disappoint those who marveled at my athleticism just a minute ago. Overall, it is aboout 45 minutes from my Mei Foo home to Yuen Long office, not much different from my travel to the Tsim Sha Tsui office, except that there are snacks, fruits and drinks to buy in the TST district, whereas there is nothing but a roadside eatery around the Yuen Long office. I heard there is a Parkway at the Yuen Long station. Hopefully I can buy some goodies and make it to school by 8:30 am. At least I brought an apple today but I also bought Vitasoy for $6 from the nearby vendor/store. Before moving I was enjoying Sesame flavored soymilk. Lunch was at the same store with those present at school today. My pork chop rice costs $26. Pictures only will do justice to the neighborhood I am describing.

I finally succumbed to flu today (Jan 9). The day started off innocently. I must have caught it in between using the restroom after waking up and walking to the West Rail line. In vain I zipped up my windbreaker that did not stand a chance aginst the winds. Soon my eyes were red and I sneezed my head off non-stop, so badly that the staff encouraged me to leave 45 minutes before office ends. After dinner with a friend I popped into the local MTR station and got a bargain, two Hang Ten sweaters for $80. On the way home I stepped into the library and sneezing ensued inside the building and at home later. That was when I realize I was most likely to sneeze when the surrounding temperature changes, even when it is warm after the cold, not necessarily when it is cold.

I bought a pullover sweater from M & S on the weekend (Jan 11). Things are really expensive at the mall. I paid HK$175 for a sweater already discounted, but other stores are more expensive, from $200-500. Things are not that expensive in the States, but I doubt if locals believe it. 50%-75% discounts are common at the right time. On Tuesday (Jan 13) I found an inexpensive but inferior $99 sweater from a roadside vendor.

After two weeks in Yuen Long I am quite an expert in taking the West Rail, stopping exactly by the down escalator to the mall exit. It takes less than 20 minutes from Mei Foo. Food is another matter. I could not find a restaurant I like. Not that there are none, but I do not know what's what yet. Yesterday (Jan 14) I took a bus home instead. The travel was 25 minutes.

My wife laughed her head off as I told her I had to track down to a store farther from our residence to buy hair gel today (Jan 19) because our neighborhood store sells my father's Brylcreem only! How ridiculous. I thought the brand died out years ago. That must be the biggest joke in Hong Kong yet for me. I went to two good restaurants in Macau over the weekened, Savory Crab in Taipa for breakfast and the ground floor restaurant in Macau Tower.

Service is as good as it gets in Hong Kong. Today (Jan 20) I returned the sweater I bought exactly a week ago from a ROADSIDE VENDOR because the seams ripped apart at the bottom of the V-neck after five days of use. I can hear Wife's remarks at the back of my mind: "Nobody in Hong Kong returns things!" To trump it all, the lady politely gave me a new sweater without questions asked; she just threw it behind the cart without checking.

Exactly two weeks had passed and I have the flu again today (Jan 24), I cannot believe my misfortune! This morning as I left home, I noticed my nose was running. After lunch at Causeway Bay's Curry-in-a-Hurry, which I have not frequented since moving to Yuen Long, relatives suggested going to New Year Fair to see flowers at full bloom, but what I got was a full-blown running nose and non-stop sniffing and sneezing visiting the stalls at Victoria Park in cold weather. Hong Kong weather is around 10 degrees Celsius (50 F). Curry-in-a-Hurry is still the best fastfood curry around. Now I am worried as I have to preach tomorrow. Postscript: Preaching yesterday was well-received.

Today is Chinese New Year in Hong Kong (Jan 25). Wishing everybody a spiritually prosperous new year! At first, I thought all I have for the ocassion was a pair of new socks, a new singlet and a new sweater (the replacement sweater from the roadside vendor), but later I realized I have brought home from USA an old but unused shirt, a pair of unused pants and shoes, so here I am all brand new, feeling like a million bucks, wearing the whole nine yarn, just like when we were kids. I don't think I can do better next year. Unfortuantely, Wife said, they are mostly black. I called relatives and friends at 9 am. The festive mood here is good but not great due to the financial crisis reminders in the media. We meant to head to Tsing Yi but took the wrong West Rail coach to Kowloon, where we unexpectedly stumbled upon the exquisite Elements Shopping Center. We were impresssed. Even Shanghai Tang was there. We were surprised most shops were open. The mall was designed and arranged according to the five elements: gold, wood, water, fire, earth (金、木、水、火、土). The xiamian noodles we ordered for lunch were merely average. After dinner with Wife's sister at our place, we went to Kwai Fong for the first time and had my favorite dessert at Honeymoon Dessert (for the first time too), where I had Durian & Thai Glutinous Rice (榴槤忘返). It was really good, gives Shau Kei Wan's Ming Kee a run for the money. The latter offers durian and mango. By now I am an expert at Chinese desserts. Kwai Fong is one of those MTR stations with exits ("E" exit) leading into huge malls. We hope to visit all of them, one by one, someday.

On the third day of Chinese New Year, which is still a holiday in Hong Kong, we took a tram to The Peak, hiked the hour-long trail there, had a surprisingly pleasant lunch at 360 and enjoyed a cup of coffee while reading the papers at Starbucks, then caught a bus downhill to enjoy more sights. Hiking at the Peak trail is the lowest level of diffculty, according to Wife's side. It was truly enjoyable. No steps, low elevation, wide roads. Riding the bus, not the subway, is the way to see Hong Kong. Sometimes we take the hour's drive from relatives' place to home, just to see the streets and scenes of Hong Kong.

Our Christmas Newsletter

2009-01-17T07:51:00.000-08:00

Blessed Christmas and a Joyful New Year

From Victor
We arrived in Hong Kong on August 18th 2008. This truly is turning a new leaf in our lives. Hong Kong is a fast-pace, hustling and crowded city. After some adjustment I am keeping pace!

I am pleasantly surprised and very thankful at how quickly I have adjusted to full-time teaching and how responsive the students were to my Bible classes. Last quarter I taught Expository Preaching, Practical Greek and Ezra, Nehemiah & Esther. While my major is in Bible Exposition, I have never taught a Bible class previously. After all, I was in the pastoral ministry for 20 years and the adjunct courses I had taught at Logos Seminary before were mainly in preaching.

After enjoying a honeymoon period at church (and seminary), I will take up more responsibility in the coming year. So far I have agreed to preach nearly once a month in English at North Point Alliance and teach Sunday school at Yan Fook Evangelical Free. More is coming, since churches here have a tradition of inviting outside speakers. Most pastors speak twice a month in their churches, thrice at most. I will also be traveling to Taiwan in March to teach an intensive class at Logos Taiwan campus.

Of course there are still many unknowns - I am not sure how my knees will hold up since my exercises are now restricted to the ground – no swimming at all. Both my English and Mandarin have somewhat deteriorated. I miss all my friends and my usual routine in U.S. Nevertheless, I trust that the Lord will guide step by step. His grace is sufficient!

From Doris
A few days ago we celebrated the beginning of our 5th month in Hong Kong! We are very thankful for all your prayers and words of encouragement. I finished my first semester at the University of Macau, working with my colleagues to develop a new clinical psychology program. After 8 years at Azusa Pacific University, it is a special treat teaching Chinese students! Letting go of the past and starting new things from “scratch” is at times difficult. However, I am thankful for all these learning and growing opportunities that draw me to the Lord.

Churches in Macao are quite different. Many of the leaders are missionaries from overseas and Hong Kong, with few originating from local. I am observing and understanding the local culture. Most weekends I travel back to Hong Kong. There are lots of opportunities to serve in the area. I am still seeking the Lord’s guidance regarding church ministries, desiring to focus only on things He wants us to do.

Let’s continue to remember one another in prayer. His blessings are wonderful, may we be filled with His presence richly in 2009!

In His love, Victor & Doris

We're Moving, Dec 2008

2009-01-17T07:50:00.001-08:00

Yes, school's out for a month before restarting Jan 5, 2009. In the meanwhile I have lots to prepare for the next quarter, where I am scheduled to teach four classes, one at night. I should be glad for the break but I miss the students already. Last Friday (Dec 5), with BBQ and last week at school, was a lot of fun. I experience Hong Kong BBQ, in Yuen Long, for the first time. No wonder Wife talked about the fun she had those days. All in the BBQ party were given a BBQ pack, which includes two wings, two "lion's head" (獅子頭), two sausages, two fish balls, a piece of pork chop, and an extended BBQ rod to stick the food over burning charcoal. Conversations around the fire quickly killed the hours. Before long, we were done with eating at 2:30 pm, and we had to start packing for our 3:30 pm ride home!

After the picnic I took the 6 pm ferry from TST to meet Wife in Macau, where we had a leisurely weekend eating, walking and relaxing. Of course we met new friends and went to church, and I even ventured to talk to a stranger at the supermarket who speaks the same motherland language about going to church. He confessed he had been to church before working in Macau. On Monday I took the 7 am ferry from Macau to arrive at work in TST by 8:30 am, not bad for a maximized weekend. The sea got to me and I had to use medication in my bag that was intended for Wife to combat the motion sickness.

Yesterday was a rush but today (Dec 11) it was a rumble at the school when the movers came to the library, packed all the books and dismantled all the book racks. Besides moving, some students came to decorate the school for Christmas. The school treated the students for lunch and I did the same for a staff worker who stayed late. On the way home I bought two towels for $25 and an egg biscuit for $12. Like the last time in Macau, I bought the food because there was a line for it, silly isn't it? But my days in Tsim Sha Tsui are numbered. It is strange to feel a loss after less than four months there. Maybe I am making up for the lack of emotion in leaving Los Angeles in the summer. I miss friends from USA but the city (TST) in HK.

I said to my wife after reading Thomas Friedman's analysis of the mortgage mess : "I thought America has lost her way, but now she has even lost her soul."

My first Christmas is Hong Kong is over in three hours. It was a quiet and relaxing day. We went to Pacific Coffee in Cheung Sha Wan, a mere station away from Mei Foo, but it was not open, so we went to our regular Starbucks. A little before noon, we returned home for takeout sashimi, taking the food to the local park along with a can of coke from 7 Eleven.We tried to catch a movie at the local cinema but there was just one martial arts movie showing, which did not interest Wife. The long walk home was good. We were tired and slept. At 6 pm we went to eat at the local Shanghainese restaurant after failing to find a hotpot eatery. We took the long way home instead of the regular route for better food digestion.

The next day relatives called to see the same movie Ip Man (葉問). I truly enjoyed it. Both movies I have seen in Hong Kong so far are really good, including Dark Knight on the day I arrive, Aug 18. I was dying for hotpot, which we found next day. Thanks to a tip from a relative, we finally found hotpot at one of the Big Three HK fastfood chains, but the $59 they charged for five strips of beef, one stale tiger shrimp, one piece of tofu and a bigger piece of mushroom, vegetables and noodles was too much for me to stomach. A pack of NZ beef is merely $20, so go figure how much beef one can buy for $59? Definitely more than five strips. After dinner we went to Japan Home Center to buy ourselves a big pot for HK$119 for home hotpot. Now we are searching for a matching stove.

We finally moved today (Dec 30). It began with the library two weeks ago (Dec 15). The movers were so professional. The view at the new campus is scenic and peaceful. Nature is right next door. I am on the second floor of the administration building with two colleagues - perfect inside corner spot. Everyone is excited and delighted. The wait was worth it after all. The school had planned to move last quarter but the building was not ready. I missed the old school even though I was there for one quarter only, but the new campus softened the blow and dimmed the loss.

School Newsletter, Dec 2008

2009-01-17T07:48:00.001-08:00

神學教育 ── 倍增的事工
葉福成博士
本院專任講師

讚美神帶領我們夫婦二人可以有份於祂在香港所作的事工！過去二十年，神安排我在美國的事奉，大多的時候是在南加州；但現在卻引導我和妻子來到精采活躍地帶和我們心願之處──亞洲！香港，是通往亞洲的門戶，東方之珠，而且莊稼已經熟了。

我是第三代南洋的東莞人，我的妻子則是一個道地的香港人。我們在神學院開學前的一個月 (8月18日) 抵達香港，從美國運來了一千磅重的行李，卻要等到10月1日才能搬入所要租住的房子。對我們而言，參加這個「海歸」運動的確甚有意義。過去二十年我除了在亞洲和北美有牧會的經驗之外，期間也有機會在神學院任教了九年，出版了三本著作，並在互聯網上設有自己的「空間」。五年前我在互聯網設立的講道網頁，[1] 每年平均有二十萬人次上網溜覽，我也將自己過去十年的20個講道系列的信息放在網上，[2] 與主內同道分享。

我想，假若神給我再多十年或二十年全時間事奉的機會，我必需精打細算。牧養明顯有其價值，但那是屬於一種加增的事工 (ministry by addition)，而神學教育則是屬於一種倍增的事工 (ministry by multiplication)。牧會是地方性的；神學教育是全球性的，因神學院的畢業生可分佈到世界各處活躍傳福音，而不是僅僅局限在教會的四面牆壁。史祈生牧師曾說，「一個傳道人，在年輕的時候應該出去佈道，操練信心的功課。中年時，定下來牧會。年紀大了，找間神學院教書，把自己的經驗傳授給下一代。這樣，神學生學到的才不僅是書本上的知識，不致於與事奉生活脫節。」。[3]

本質上，神學教育是超越且多於知識的教授；它包括了品德的塑造，教員必須活出真理和身教，去指導學生成長。此外，更令我興奮、鼓舞甚至引以為慰的就是能幫助神學生們挖掘與實現他們從神面前所領受的潛力。

在達拉斯神學院進修神學碩士時，我主修釋經學和教牧學；在三一福音神學院進修教牧學博士時，我的主修是講道學，我甚認同中華神學院創辦人畢路得教士 (Ruth M. Brittain) 向兩名傳教士宣稱他們到中國的任務時所做出的感人回應。據《我看見了神的作為》所記載，有一名傳教士說，「我去中國將以文學為媒介，推廣基督教；」另一位說，「我要以科學為傳教的工具。」但畢路得院長卻說出了我的心聲：「我要教聖經，使中國青年人獻身為主，明白聖經真理，藉著他們推廣基督福音給全國人民，達到中國人傳福音給中國人的目的。」當時畢教士創辦中華神學院的心意乃是「要設立一個信仰純正，以神的話語──聖經──為主題科目的高級神學」。[4]

聖經中的培訓模式是要鼓勵信徒事奉 (encouraging them to serve)（提前4:15）、裝備他們服侍 (equipping them for ministry)（弗4:12）和委託他們教導 (entrusting them the task) （提後2:2）。神學生正如一些未經琢磨的鑽石，老師們的責任是要清除他們生命的雜質。前任惠普公司（Hewlett-Packard）總裁菲奧莉娜（Carly Fiorina）曾經在一個大會上向一群領導人作出如此的分析，「領導與崗位、名稱、地位或權力都沒有任何關係。領導是一個選擇以帶來影響，去做別人不願意做的事。它是一件屬乎發掘他人潛力的職事」。[5]

神學院老師最大的報酬就是看到學生們能忠心地和精巧地去分解神的話語。我們的福分就是從神接受了這份寶貴和實際的託付，去激發引導下一代，成為一群帶有抱負，重視釋經和傳道的牧師和教師。

[1] preachchrist.com
[2] esermons.blogspot.com, epreaching.blogspot.com
[3] 滌然：《主僕史祈生》，香港：宣道出版社，1995。第48頁
[4] 何守瑛：《我看見了神的作為》，香港：中華神學院出版部，1961。第21頁
[5] http://www.sabinet.co.za/abstracts/mantod/mantod_v22_n1_a2.xml

Unfinished Business, Nov 2008

2009-01-17T07:45:00.001-08:00

I finally got to use a washer for the first time (Nov 3). Before that we were using a tall bucket and a flat bucket to coordinate washing. The tall bucket is to soak and rinse clothes, and the empty flat bucket is to contain the clothes while the dirty water is changed and the tall bucket is refilled four times. The chore, alien to creatures used to convenience and comfort, is not such a hardship once you are used to it. I welcome a washer but I sure welcome a dryer more, so that I don't need to do ironing, which I seldom do anyway, so pardon the wrinkles on my clothes. I bought a few shirts to try out which ones need less ironing - to be my future brand of choice.

The next day (Nov 4) IKEA delivered the three book shelves I ordered to accomdate Wife's books, which were still in their unpacked boxes in the living room. Due to space constrain in Hong Kong, the over 6 feet "Billy" shelves I ordered were taller than usual. Two of them are in the guest room and one in the living room. The shelves are HK$499 each and assembly assembly and delivery are 10% each. We cannot help it, there's hardly a nail, a hammer or a plier in our house.

It might surprise you to know that we have a guest room even though our flat is merely 480 feet. Yes, we do provide friends lodging in land scarce Hong Kong. Last week we met Wife's former classmate who is presently living in Yuen Long's California Gardens, where the houses are more than 2,000 sq. feet. I surprised myself when I asked, "What do people do with over 2,000 sq. feet of living?" The irony is that my former home in Corona is more than 2,500 sq. feet and now I survive quite well on 480 sq. feet. Surprisingly, the unpacked 600-700 lbs of books covered only two shelves, I have one to spare. The living room now looks pleasant without the stacked boxes lying around. If only the building management company would hurry with the clothesline, which we do not have in our flat (apartment). Drying clothes without the dryer is hard enough.

Where's the recession? On the day (Nov 16) Hong Kong news reported the city is officially in a recession - two successive shrinking economic quarters, we could not find a lunch table at Maxim Palace in Tai Koo. How ironic. At 11:30 am we were designated # 130 plus but the immediate numbers called were in the # 90 plus, so customers clearly had to wait. There was no way in the world we would wait that long, so we wandered to the nearby Peking Garden 北京樓 just a few stores away where there was no waiting. The two are sister restaurants.

I am obligated to write this since today (Nov 29) is Thanksgiving weekend in USA. We have been in Hong Kong for 3 months and 13 days since our Aug 18 arrival. I am most thankful for the opportunity to be a transplant here after 20 years in USA. We had our share of sacrifices - house, comfort and space - but it was all worth it. Wife said I have discovered that teaching Bible courses fit me like a glove. It does, as the students no doubt agree. This goes to show, as the spouse says, that I have talents lazy to use! The last nine years in USA brought out the best of my teaching skills to in the field of preaching, but teaching Bible courses is just as satisfying, if not more. Students are excited and encouraged by the stride they have made in exposition, especially after working through Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther. Believe me, they know more those books than me now. Usually, I let them do the talking, letting them see their unlimited potential unleashed before their eyes.

Home Sweet Home - Oct 2008

2009-01-17T07:41:00.000-08:00

The new month got off to a perfect start. Yes, I moved into my new apartment near Mei Foo MTR, but the address is in Kwai Chung’s Ching Lai Court on 264 Lai King Hill Road. I wrote this part on the first day of the month (Oct 1), which is a public holiday in Hong Kong. The IKEA movers called a day before to deliver my sofa and bed at 1 pm, Sept, 30, but I told them my appointment was at 6-10 pm. They apologized and said they will come at 6:30 pm, but they did not arrive till 11:35 p.m. and finished assembling the furniture the following day at 12:35 a.m. in the morning! They charge 10% more for delivery and another 10% for assembly.

While waiting for the movers, I scouted the nearest Starbucks located within Princess Margaret Hospital, minutes walking uphill on Lai King Hill Rd, the same road. After that I visited the Parkson Superstore on Lai King Hill Rd, which I regretted because I ended up buying a lot of stuff, including a big container of liquid detergent. Walking uphill home was murder with three bags of groceries. I promise myself not to do something that stupid again since there is a neighborhood store nearer us. Dinner was simple bread and bbq pork sandwich, the lateer courtesy of Wife’s sister. At 9:04 pm I went downstairs to the neighborhood store to get soap and shampoo, but they were closed, so I had to trekked all the way to the Parksons near MTR. Since I was there I decided to pick up a bag of rice, too, which I previously chose not to do due its weight. The movers did not come, so I watched the classic “Dragon Inn” which a colleague loaned to me. His father was one of the bad guys in the movie!

Moving day cannot be more dramatic: IKEA’s midnight delivery yesterday, and today local movers transporting my belongings from relatives’ residence besides another trucking company's 800 lbs. of overseas shipment arriving the same day, and finally, TV/Internet technicians coming on Saturday. I can hardly complain because all went well. The stacked boxes at home did not bother me even though competition for space is fierce. Home is merely 480 sq. feet and rent is HK$8,000 monthly, which less than a fifth of my previous house size but thrice its cost! Amazingly we still have room for house guests. The real estate agent told me there are around 60 real estate offices around the Mei Foo MTR area.The simple life purchases so far (HK$):
Sinomax 3” mattress, $2,040.50
IKEA Solsta sofabed, $899
IKEA Dalsev bed frame, $599
24 cm frying pan $179
18 cm saucepan $49.90
Adjustable rails-hooks (for wardrobe) $209
Hanging sweater bag (for wardrobe) $70.90
Used refrigerator $580

Be careful for what you wish for. The hot weather made a dramatic turn on Sunday (Oct 5). It was raining cats and dogs, so we took a taxi from Mongkok to the church I was speaking. I heard an MTR official said that it was "yellow level," next serious to "black level." A friend remarked he has never seen rain throughout whole day like that for a long time. Yup, not even on typhoon day. I asked Wife if we can share an umbrella to save labor, she answered, "Are you kiddig me?" The next day I was still OK and the weather was not hot and sticky like before, so much so I forgot to take a shower by 11 pm, which was too late to do so because my hair needs at least 90 minutes to dry in humid Hong Kong before I go to sleep. By Tuesday morning I was sneezing. I told a friend I met over lunch that I had allergies, but he said Hong Kong has virus, no allergies, meaning I was sick. I sneezed till my shoulders ached. The weather is so cool today (Oct 8) that I almost forget to shower again another time. I even begin wearing those cotton singlets again for a week to keep my body warm after giving up on them for good just last month.

Hong Kong cable is so lame. I finally bought a TV (Oct 15) to go with the cable I had already ordered and had installed more than a week ago, but to my frustration (and to the apartment management) I couldn't get it to work. I even invited the building security person to lend me a hand but he failed, too, even though it was not his fault. He came twice, the second time after 11 pm, to check on me and the TV. The next day a staff from the school who was formerly a handyman came over and he couldn't figure out the problem either. The cable guy came by the next day and discovered that the cable line is faulty; according to him, a problem common to many customers. Also, TV and cable are not integrated in Hong Kong. He said I have to use the TV remote "source" button to switch to "TV" for regular programming and to "AV" for cable, isn't that ridiculous? One has to be a genius to guess that cable is hiding behind the AV screen. By the way, can someone tell me what does AV mean and who came up with these devices anyway? It makes me regret ordering cable because I still have to buy a $12 TV line at Japan Home Centre日本城. Well, at least I have a student's help. The cable guy said previously they had a box to integrate both. How in the world do they live up to their "smart boxes" name in Chinese, I do not know!

I finally opened a bank account yesterday (Oct 21) at HSBC after two months two days in Hong Kong! Neither BEA nor HSBC would allow me to open one without proof of address, which I did not even have after renting an apartment on Oct 1. I had a government-stamped apartment contract but they would not honor it. Next I brought my cable bill, but they want to see my passport. Even after I finally brought bill and passport, they almost demanded to see my work contract, until they realize I have an identity card, even though it is not a permanent residence card, isn't that ridiculous? A pastor who returned to Hong Kong a month earlier than me told me he couldn't get an I-phone without a credit card, which is my next target. HSBC wants us to open a HK$50,00 time deposit in exchange for a credit card with HK$40,000 limit. Of course, giving them free cash flow is not an option. A few days later, I found out that I do not have checks sent to me because I have to use my ATM card to order them. Why didn't they tell me that in the first place? Or did they? Maybe they did, but the sytsem is too unfamiliar to pick it up all at once. By the way, do you know the Hong Kong postman does not pick up mail at home on the way out; he is only responsible for dropping them off! Customers will have to mail their letters at the post office. How inconvenient.

Tsim Sha Tsui - Sept 2008

2009-01-17T07:40:00.001-08:00

This is my first day at Tsim Tsa Tsui and at the office. One of my colleagues took me out for lunch at Spaghetti House, a franchise similar to Spaghetti Factory. The $62 set lunch I had was a good price for what we had: soup, mini-salad, entree and coffee. Nothing to shout about but the coffee helped me last the rest of the afternoon at the office. However, the $33 Italian set dinner I had at Maxim's was better. With a $3 coupon in my hand, the entree and soup combination was unbeatable. The day went well. I arranged my things, hung my diplomas, wiped my office, loaded some programs, visited the library and read some office brochures, minutes and history.

Hong Kong people are notorious for working late. I tried to leave at 5 pm but no one budged, so I washed my mug, used the restroom, and checked my mail. My stalling did not work, no one made a move, so I asked for an office handbook to see if the office hours are till 5 or 6 pm, but there was none at hand. I finally left at 5:25 pm, the first to leave. This will be in my record for years to come, I guess. Curiously enough, a colleague even called me at 5:01 pm to discuss a matter. At least I was not the last to arrive at the office. At 8:15 am, I was 15 minutes early, yet all but one was earlier than me. I found out next day that office hours were till 5:30 pm, so I had left five minutes early, not overstayed 25 minutes!

Going to Macau on the weeked (Sept 5) was a comedy of errors. First, I forgot my passport, but I read on the internet that identity card holders like me with numbers that begin with "R" can just use their I.D. to enter Macau without any other travel document. A colleague told me the same thing, but I was stopped. So I called sister-in-law, who offered to rush the passport to me at the Tsim Sha Tsui ferry terminal. I had wanted to meet her halfway at other subway stations but I had too many luggages. A number of complications ensued. I rushed to the ticket counter to change my ticket, but the agent said I cannot change it with part of the stub missing, since I had passed the entrance hall once but was stopped by customs agents. My only way out is to go to the entrance again and asked for the first half of the stub back, which I did, half-running another 100 meters. After changing my ticket I could not go on the next ferry that operates every half an hour, supposedly the next one at 7:30 pm. The complication is that the ferry operates every HOUR after 7 pm at this less popular ferry (Another destination - Seung Wan - is more popular since it has ferry service to Macau every 15 mins ). I ended up taking the 8 pm instead of the 6 pm or 7:30 pm ferry. No wonder my leg cramped again sleeping that night. It happened to my weaker left leg when I turn my body to the side in the night. On my return I asked a customs agent why I still needed a passport with "R" on my passport, she replied, "Not that 'R," it's another 'R' at another place on the card!" Macau is pretty boring, but not all is lost. We ate Portugese food at the fisherman's wharf after an savory experience at a tea restaurant when I ordered a bowl of Portugese spicy fish noodles. What Portugese fish? It was laughable sardine fish right out of the can, plus three mini chilis! On, Macau working hours: 9:30 am- 1pm; LUNCH - 1-2:30 pm, 2:30-5:30 pm!

MTR Madness (Sept 9). Speaking of sardines, that was how I felt when I took a coach from Admiralty (Chung Wan) to Wan Chai at 6:40 pm to dine with my American friends who were in town. They told me they were in the previous train that reopened three times due to passengers obstruting or crowding the doors. When my turn came, I was no better, being the last to enter the door. The young lady beside me had her hand firmly holding the pole by the door to stabilize herself, thereby giving me no room to enter or maneuver without pushing her hand away, which would be very rude. I have never seen so many people packed in a train, never mind been in one, which reminds me of a scene from Japan where porters shove borderline passengers in with a big broad broom. Canned sardines have more space, I swear. The weirdest thing is the exit at the next stop is not on my side anymore, but on the other side. Not to risk missing my stop, I began saying "excuse me" to the nearest one of ten people blocking my exit. To my relief, she was getting off too, so I just followed her lead.

The next day, I was disoriented catching a train. I usually stop at Admiralty and then change to Tsim Sha Tsui, but that day, while reading the papers, I got off a stop earlier at Wan Chai without knowing it. Of course, I couldn't find a connecting train and so I stopped on the escalator like others to the concourse, but the surroundings look different, so I did not exit. Asking the ticket office, I realized the mistake, dashed downstairs to continue on the next train to Admiralty. To compound my mistake, I went up the concourse area again at Admiralty, thinking I was at Tsim Sah Tsui, because I was used to making two stops to reach the office. I scurried downstairs again only to bump into Wife's friend, who later told my wife she saw me at the subway. I still made the office by 8:30 am.

The most unique lunch I had so far was at Tsim Sha Tsui Canton Road Harbour City's Curry-in-a-Hurry. I went there twice in one week, once with a coworker and another with a spicy enthusiast. I must admit I have enough of Chinese fast food at Maxim, Cafe de Coral and Fairwood, and also mooncakes from well-wishers at the office.

The first attempt (Sept 15) to withdraw money from a Hong Kong ATM machine was laughable . My Hong Kong cash reserve was running low due the inability to set up a HSBC bank account until we get a local address, which is pending till the landlord signs a contract with us at the end of the month on the flat we seek to rent. So far so good? Further, I will get my salary only after my first month's work, not before. Not dipping into the Hong Kong (BEA) branch of my US bank account was not an option with $60 left in my wallet and $17 left in my Octopus card. I did have some cash from office reimbursement but my wife's need was more urgent and she left the ATM card to me. So Wife and her sister brought me to a Bank of China (sister bank with Bank of East Asia) teller in the nearby mall to teach me how to withdraw from my US account. However, that failed, too, not because I was too slow reading the Chinese words (which I was), but because the screen ended saying "Connection Busy," not the more common "Out of Cash. Please Try Again." Wife's sister exclaimed she had never ever saw the sign before. Feeling broke did not stop me from putting my last $60 into my Octopus card so that I can return home from lunch at Jordan with old friends . Finally, I was penniless and the beneficiary of two lunches in a row - one yesterday after worship. I went to the same unfriendly teller on the way home and tried again; this time I managed to withdraw $1,000. Besides feeling guilty, I needed the money as cushion since I am going to an office retreat that stretches over three days this week.

So far I have stuck to my stubornness of showering only once a day despite the heat. The secret is to shower when you no longer need to go out again and when the sun is down. The biggest threat was when a friend called before 9 pm (Sept 16) the night before he was to return the next morning to the States. I was reluctant to meet him at Central after taking my shower, but I had a receipt to give to him. He took me to IFC the day after the Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy. It was eerie but all was normal. I caught the MTR before 11:30 pm and returned home at 11:41 pm, skipping the shower and just "wiping the body" going to bed, since the bedsheets were due for a wash the next day.

After retreat (Sept 19) we took a regular bus instead of the min-bus due heavy rain that day. As I was about to get off the bus with everybody else, a friend I have not met for 25 years stepped into the bus. Hong Kong is that small. I noticed him and greeted him, but alas I could not get off the bus while I was still talking since I was the last in line to disembark, too. The students called me and asked if I was OK, worried that I was new in town.

The day before the second typhoon (Sept 24) hit was a hot day. After the typhoon barely left by morning, I had to go to work even though most schools were closed, but I am not complaining. If classes were canceled that Wednesday, I had to make it up with students and I already have next Wednesday's class to make up since it is another holiday. Can you imagine having to make up the first two of 10 Wednesday morning classes before school even starts? I wanted to wear long sleeves to school but Wife insisted I should wear a singlet especially when I wear white because of its transparency. I tried it but could not stand cotton sticking to my skin, so I stuck to wearing long sleeves without a singlet underneath my white shirt. I do not know how Hong Kong men could stand wearing singlets or undergarments here with the stifling heat.

Guest Book

2009-01-17T07:38:00.000-08:00

Guest Book
Visitors to my office:
Frankie (Sept 9, 2008)
Waylon (Sept 9, 2008)
Albert (Sept 10, 2008)

Visitors to my home:
Michael (Sept 28, 2008)
Hongi (Oct 14-16, 2008)
Joan (Nov 22, 2008)
Paul, Ruth, Thomas, Theo (Dec 28, 2009-Jan 2, 2009)
Calvin (Jan 1, 2009)
Seahawk (May 20, 2009)
TY (Aug 17-19, 2009)
Alan (Oct 17, 2009)

Pastor Yap, I enjoy very much reading your blog

2009-01-17T07:37:00.001-08:00

Pastor Yap, I enjoy very much reading your blog
Pastor Yap,

I enjoy very much reading your blog of your first week experience in HongKong. Take care of your body and don't get more blisters. Are you taking vitamin and mineral pills to prevent cramping during sleep?

May God bless you new ministry in HK?

Love in Christ

Corona

*****

Hey Victor,

Good to hear from you. Good summary on your first 8 days. You better get use to walk your legs off in Hong Kong. I totally agree with you on getting the change back from the waiter. I had the same uncomfortable feeling every time they hand me that folder with change. Never sure what to take from the change. So different from the U.S.

Keep us posted on how you are doing in HK. Are you going to teach in English or Cantonese? I would love to hear you teach in Cantonese.

New Jersey

*****

Dear Doris and Pastor Victor,

Thank you for sharing your first week’s experience with us. I enjoy reading your blog. If my spiritual life keeps on growing, someday I will enjoy reading your sermons as much as reading your blogs. Haha!

Monterey Park

*****

Hi Victor -

Ho yeh--escape from L.A.! Blessings on your new adventure. Thanks for all the sermons you've sent out, I especially like so many of your opening illustrations.Would love to visit you in H.K., maybe someday.

No Cal

*****

Dear professor Yap,

We really enjoy reading your blogs and attending your classes.Your messages help us a lots. We like to refer your blogs to friends.Thanks for your kindness to share and your great sight from God.May God bless your stay in Hong Kong.Albert and I will miss you a lots, and Hope you come back soon.Thanks again! please keep us in touch with your e-mail.
With blessings
El Monte

*****

Blog to Blog:
Gummy said...
Hey Pastor!! =) Glad you are safe and (semi) settled in HK! Say Hi to Doris for us! =)-G&S
August 26, 2008 7:23 PM

Cheong-Yin said...
Hey Pastor Yap, welcome to Hong Kong~ You are here already?! Where are you living now? Yuen Long is a long way. Haha now all my pastors are in Hong Kong. This is calvin
August 26, 2008 9:01 PM

tapeinophrosune said...
Hong Kong is a colorful place! Hope you enjoy it. It will take some time to really get to know it. It carries valuable memory of my first 17 years on earth. I'll see you in a month perhaps. I'll call you when I get there. Michael
August 26, 2008 9:44 PM

It is hot in Eastvale said...
I really enjoy reading your blog. A lot of your new discoveries are old songs to me. I should've gotten you a "Hong Kong Survival Guide" before you left. But then again, my life are full of should've and could've...I miss talking to you already.
August 27, 2008 10:15 PM

Welcome to Hong Kong

2009-01-17T07:32:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Hong Kong
After arriving in Hong Kong on Aug. 18, we bought train tickets (Octopus HK$100 cards) at the booth on the left to the "City Train" entrance. The train whisked us to our destination, Hong Kong (stopping either at Tsing Yi, Kowlooon, or Hong Kong), where we paid $90 (US$1=HK$7.8) for a taxi to take us to Kornhill Gardens, $15 for luggages included. It was really convenient, inexpensive and painless, even with 4 big luggages and 4 carry-ons, 2 laptops. Porters were at the destinations preparing carts/trolleys for users.

The next day we proceeded to the Immigration Department in Wan Chai to get a temporary identity card as a walk-in, lining up with a bunch of others before the office opens. We were given a 10 am appointment and, sure enough, all was like clock work. Next we went for early lunch at the nearby Crystal Jade, where I was given a lesson on finer dining. It seems the definition of fine dining is when 10% gratuity is included in your total bill. It was initimidating collecting the coins left from the change the waitress handed to me in a folder, with the waitress hovering beside holding it. After that, Wife and her sister said to leave the change behind next time in "high-end (gao dang) restaurants." Now they tell me.

On Thursday we took the 8:45 am ferry to Macau because Wife had to get some things done there. We exited to the left and within walking distance was the beautiful and unique Fisherman's Wharf, second to none of its kind. The architecture reminds me of Malaysia's Malacca, another Portugese colony. The weather report the rest of the day was ominous. A typhoon was brewing, possibly the worst of its kind, and it was expected to touch down the next day, the date of our return ticket to Hong Kong. Passengers may change their tickets to another time within the day, but not to another day. Early the next morning we rushed to the ferry but all services were canceled that day due to the No. 8 typhoon weather, which last occurred five years ago. About 150 plane flights in Hong Kong were grounded. By now, our hotel privileges have expired, so we decided to find a hotel near the ferry before cars are turned away from crossing the bridge to the city in a typhoon. We instructed the taxi driver to drop us nearby an inexpensive hotel.

What happens next is most amusing, which is a reminder that there is no escaping from former churchh members even half the world away. We bumped into a youth from church and his father on the way to the hotel. I vaguely remembered his mother in US telling me five days ago his son was leaving on a trip, which was the reason he was not at church the last day I was in the States. Before we were able to leave the next day, we had bumped into one another four times in the hotel lobby, even staying at the same floor.

At the end of the first week (Monday) in HK, I have finally found my bearing, all in the form of an old friend - Starbucks! Sunday was the worst day so far. I was so spent and frustrated due to the list of things to do. After attending ECC's 9:45 am service in TST's YMCA, we had lunch and headed to Mei Foo to hunt for an apartment, altogether viewing seven units, and then we proceeded to Yuen Long to scout China Bible Seminary's new location. At the subway in New Yuen Long Center, we waited in vain for two mini-buses to stop for us due its limited capacity, wasting 30 minutes in the process. We finally found the seminary after half an hour walking in the blazing sun searching for its entrance, which is right next door to the Vineyard Gardens. Returning to the subway, we stopped for a drink before we dropped into another realty office, this time seeing four apartments in the center itself. It was 6:45 pm by the time we reached home. After dinner, I trekked out by myself to Pacific Coffee, ordered a drink and read the papers for m,y downtime.

There is no "air" to breathe or place to relax in HK, so I have to stake out my space, which I did not realize I need. On Monday, Wife told me she was heading to Starbucks to do some work due to the stifling heat at home, her sister's place. At first I thought she meant the Starbucks that is at least a bus stop away, but then she said, "Oh, you didn't know a new one opened in the mall across the street?" Seated on the sofa enjoying reading Herald Tribune and Wall Street Journal provided there but not at other coffee places, I realized I was home. Just as new immigrants to the States are dismayed at USA papers' extended coverage of local news and limited view of foreign news, I felt the same way about South China Morning Post and China Daily News. The local papers are rich in content but not in commentary, focuing on activities but not analysis. I had trouble with the electrical outlet there, but an employee single-mindedly solved it.

In the first eight days, I have cramps four times in my sleep - one longer than others, and three blisters to show, two on my left foot and one on the right. We must have walked 5 miles yesterday (Aug 26), walking from the Central Libary to Causeway Bay with a full-size laptop on my backpack in search of a cellphone and back. Unfortunately we cannot do a thing without the proof of a local address (utilities), including opening a bank account and getting a credit card. From Causeway Bay we took the subway back to Quarry Bay, walking endlessly in the local farmers market for fresh produce and ending up with three mini plastic bags in each of our hands - mine with tofu, fish and mushrooms. We decided to shop at the supermarkets in the future in return for higher prices but less walking. Oh, I also got online with my laptop for the first time at the Central Library, which offers free wifi.

I have finally sent out my first weeks' blog, the reward is reading friends' comments (see next blog). Yesterday (Aug 27) was a good day. I have mastered the art of minimum sweating, so seeing a pastor in Lai Chi Kok and house hunting in Mei Foo and then in Sheung Wan were not so bad after all. The average rent in Mei Foo's Ching Lai Court is $9,000 and in Sheung Wan's Hong Wai Garden is $12-13k. The secret to sweating less is to leave home by 8 am, walk in the shade provided by the tall buildings and, if need to, take a bus to connect from the subway to your destination. Further, the fan is working overtime when I use the computer, sleep at night (not directly though at the person) and laze in the living room. I am even considering turning the fan on when I exercise. Nowadays, I pay the $2 bus fare instead of climbing the countless steps (188, I counted!) leading to my sister-in-law's place.

Tipping is not an exact science. If 10% is included in the check, leave the coins behind but take the bills. If dinner in the air-conditioned neighborhood diner, leave less than $20 for less than $400 bill, which was what I saw Wife did. If in local eatery (wonton noodles), tipping is not expected. If relatives change the rules, I'll let you know. One time they talked about taking the leftover coins in a 10% inclusive restaurant. If they bend more rules, I will make my own rules.

I had dinner with a friend in Shatin last night (Aug 28). Taking the subway by myself there for the first time is a challenge. Fearing I did not have enough Octopus fare for the return trip, I added $100 to the card. The first two times were a failing venture because the money did not slip into the slot, so I have withdraw my Octopus card. When the first time failed, I shifted to the machine of the the successful user next to me, thinking mine must be fauty. Reading the instructions the second failed attempt, I realized that the user must wait till a green light flashes before slipping the bills into the slot. The third time was a bust, too, which I did not reliaze until I had crossed the turnstiles, which indicated that my Octopus card was till at $59. I was sure I had shoved the money in as prompted by the green light, but now I realized I may have ejected my card before value was added. No wonder I remember seeing a customer assitance light flashing. At first I thought I bumped into buttons by mistake, but I was in a hurry to check. Well, I would not have figured out what I did wrong anyway. Another lost cost?

Today is the last day of the month, and tomorrow is my first day at the office. I gave up trying to beat the heat, so I bought singlets by myself today. Sweating on the first day at your job may give others a different idea and the phrase a different connotation. Ringing up a purchase at a HK departmet store is quite different from elsewhere. The customer does not go straight to the cashier; instead a sales rep will write an order for the customer to pay at the counter before he returns with his paid receipt in hand as proof to the same rep to obtain his purchase. Weird, isn't it? A sales rep wrote up a $40 slip for the single round-neck T-shirt singlet I liked before I saw a special offer of $43 for two T-shirts for a different brand. I took the two-piece offer to the register and bought that instead and did not hand in the former write-up or return it. I wonder if that is allowed? Guilt feelings followed me though. Can you believe that the average T-shirt here is more expensive than the Hanes 3-piece pack at Target? I still resist exchanging my thick socks for polyester socks. September weather promises to be more favorable.