Have you ever seen...? (twenty four)

... chicken cookies?

Deaf and Youth Asian Ministry

My readers from Perth will recall my involvement in the Deaf ministry at Woodvale Baptist Church. Through a "coincidental" conversation with a colleague at ICS, I heard about a similar ministry in Hong Kong and that there would be a presentation this week at Harmony Baptist Church in Jordan. Of course I went along to hear about it.

The church was located two floors above a shoe shop and one floor above a massage parlour.

The stairs reminded me a bit of the 22 flights we climbed for the kids' carols practice in November 2009.

A woman named Hei gave a short talk about how the Deaf and Youth Asian Ministry works in Hong Kong. You can read more about it on their website here.

The presenters also showed the congregation a few simple signs in Hong Kong Sign Language, such as the following: "Thank you, Jesus".

After the presentation I spoke to Hei at length about my options for getting involved in Deaf ministry in Hong Kong. I do not know Hong Kong Sign Language, and as it is based on Cantonese it would be hard for me as an English speaker to learn. We exchanged contact details at least, so we'll see what happens down the track. I'm hopeful!

Lego Wonderland

Okay, forget about going all the way to Kennedy Town to buy your Lego! Mong Kok is much closer, has more variety and cheaper prices! Today I explored In's Point, a famous toy arcade, at 530-544 Nathan Road. So many Lego stores!

I was tempted by some of the big sets, so I think I'll be back around Christmas time to buy presents for me the kids. I love being able to choose individual pieces and people which we can't generally do in Australian stores. These were my purchases for the day: two minifigs for Keegan (a boxer and baseball player), a monkey, a turkey, a carrot, a pizza, a cream pie, a laptop, a map, and a stereo.

Tirzah's first week of school

Tirzah is full of praise for her kindergarten class. Every day she comes home with drawings, songs, and information that she has learned at school. It is so precious to hear her little voice reciting new Bible verses. She especially loves her teacher, Mrs Davis, and a fellow student whom she simply refers to as "Hello Kitty Girl". 

Here are some photos from her first week.

Come on in...the water's fine!

Our friends Tom and Marieke had an appointment last night, so their children came over to our house for a sleepover. Craig took the six kids to the pool here at Forest Hill.

Sophie, Jemilla and Natasha

Jakob and Keegan

Tirzah

The girls had a "crazy-positions-for-jumping-in" competition.

Soaking up the sun

Wrinkly feet

Six tired kids watching "Yogi Bear" before bed.

Wordless Wednesday (twenty six)

The Story-Tellin' Man

I have participated in and attended many different Christian musicals in my life, from "The Music Machine" to "The Witness", but Ken Medena's "The Story-Tellin' Man" was new to me. Children from Hong Kong International Baptist Church performed the songs and stories about Jesus' parables for us at KIBC this afternoon.

The Good Samaritan

The Lost Coin (Interestingly enough, the girl in front and on the right is wearing a robe made from what looks like our old bedspread. Manou, can you verify?)

The Lost Sheep

The Prodigal Son

It was great to see an African Jesus on stage again.

We liked the song "Let's have a party" best.

Party!

With this many shoes outside our door, it must mean it's time for a party! This afternoon Jemilla celebrated her ninth birthday with a few friends.

After a bit of a play, the kids all did a craft together. We brought some sticky mosaic kits back from Australia, and they each chose a design to decorate which took about an hour to do. The children concentrated really hard on their projects, and the finished pictures looked fantastic.

Keegan

Grace

Michael

Jane

Joe

Jemilla

 

Natasha

Ava

Jakob

Sophie

Tirzah

Kayla

After the craft we sang "Happy birthday" and Jemilla blew out her candles. For this party we ordered cupcakes from a local bakery.

Contrary to Asian culture, Jemilla opened her birthday presents in front of her guests. 

My friend Sarah also blogged about the party. Click here to see more photos.