Pink Dolphins beat a Big Buddha Everytime

     I am very tired at the end of one of the funnest tourism days I've had in a long time.  The Himalayan Global Summit will begin tomorrow, but today was a holiday in Hong Kong.  So, I spent a great day with some old friends.  They treated me like an honored guest as they fed me Dim Sum in the morning, spicy Szechuan for dinner and nice little snacks in between.

     Most of the day was spent traveling out to Ngong Ping on Lantau  Island to see one of the world's largest Buddha statues.  The 250 ton monstrosity was impressive to be sure.  But I was more overwhelmed by the natural beauty of Lantau Island and its surroundings.  Mountains, forest, waterfalls, and plenty of ocean -- breathtaking.  Beyond that, the sheer image-of-God humanity of the Tai O Fishing Village was just unforgettable.  Tai O was my favorite place of the day.  Walking through the markets and narrow streets was other worldly.  I even nearly received a good caning from an old lady who apparently didn't want me taking pictures of her house (I thought it was a store).

     From Tai O, we got on a little boat and went out into the harbor.  It was there that we saw pink dolphins.  Yes, pink.  I must admit, I didn't think they existed.  They do and they are awesome. Clearly, all that man attempts to do in showing their skill is made to appear rather silly next a single pink dolphin conceived of and formed in an instant by our Creator.  Oh that the hundreds of devotees prostrating before "The Big Buddha" would realize that any one of them is more impressive than that statue.  Image bearers that they are.

      Made our way home via the "Night Market" in Kowloon.  I was blown away by the display of corruption in the form of idol shops, sex shops, fortune tellers, astrologers, and hawkers selling knock off products.  Mainly I was blown away because this market seemingly materializes out of nothing every night in the streets surrounding the Chinese temple I photographed yesterday.  To me it seemed very clear that Satan had established a spiritual stronghold in the blocks surrounding that temple.  My friends did point out a church that had started right in the middle of it all.  Praise God for them and their willingness to move towards opposition for the sake of the gospel.
     Finally, I was much more successful with Nepalis today than yesterday.  Apparently, many of them live and work right around the place where I'm staying in HK.  The "Night Market" seems to draw them out of the woodwork.  Anyway, I found a store that sold topees!!!  Also, picked up a couple other cool things.
     Anyway, I will leave Kowloon tomorrow and travel the New Territories -- further north in Hong Kong.  That is where the Summit will be held.   Pray that I'll have no trouble getting to the right place at the right time as no one will be available to take me there and I'll need to navigate the bus system alone.

Good night!!!


 

Overcoming Jet Lag in "Asia's World City"

     Well, I am ready to sleep after a great, day exploring and enjoying Hong Kong.  This is my second time here, but today I had most of the day completely on my own just to check things out.  I tried to think through my goals for the day.  I wanted to pray, enjoy myself, eat good food, and pick up some gifts for the folks back home.

Tin Hau Temple, HK

     Most of the day I just wandered around.  The parks in Hong Kong are beautiful and peaceful.  Old people practicing Tai Chi abound.  Early on I discovered a temple devoted to the deity Tin Hau - a patron deity of seafarers.  Seeing the temple there along with many small shrines in apartments and on street corners served as an important reminder of the indigenous lostness of Hong Kong.  So much work is left to be done among the Chinese.  Help us, Lord.

Kowloon Masjid

     Of course, I am always struck by diaspora as well.  Today I saw a huge mosque in Kowloon with lots of Muslims coming and going.  I doubt many people consider the importance of reaching Muslims in Hong Kong.  But the need is great.  I don't exactly how many Muslims are in this place but I know they are varied.  Today alone I encountered Indonesian house maids, Arab imams, South Asian Muslim men hawking watches on the street and even one Pakistani man who offered to sell me marijuana (I turned him down, by the way).  I also met a few Nepalis.  I have found them difficult to identify here, and also quite stand-offish.  They have seemed almost afraid.  Not sure what is behind that, I haven't encountered it in the past.
     I disappointed myself with my eating today.  Ended up with a McDonald's breakfast and a KFC lunch.  Pathetic, I know.  I just go intimidated with the prospects of ordering food in a more "local" establishment.  Part of it was not being able to decide.  Part was being afraid of prices being too high.  Most of it was just having no functionality in Cantonese.  Well, I do know how to ask for more chili sauce -- essential skill.  By mid afternoon I got up the nerve to get some fish balls on a stick -- wonderful, really.

Hot Pot

     Saw some other cool stuff that I won't go on and on about.  The highlight however was dinner tonight with old friends.  Yau, Kay, Ryan, and Carol were all students in our college ministry back in Oklahoma.  It was encouraging to see them and to hear what the Lord is doing among them.  They encourage me by their very existence.  I hope I was an encouragement to them as well.  It is always great to see people you invested much in continuing in the faith, walking with the Lord.
     Of course, we did have great food.  Per my request, we went out for hot pot and ate most of the food in the restaurant.  Delicious!  Tomorrow we will again share a meal -- dim sum.
     So, that was my day.  It is now 11:30PM and I haven't had a nap.  Was up at 6AM.  So, I feel sleepy and seem on my way to overcoming jet lag quickly.  Tomorrow will be focused on these Hong Kong friends and do some prep for the summit which starts Wednesday.

Arrived in Hong Kong!

Thank you for your prayers.  The trip here to Hong Kong was a great one -- really, Cathay Pacific is the way to go.  And I've safely arrived at my old friends' (Yau and Kay) home in the city. It was truly a delight to see them after 6 years.  I'm encouraged by their strong faith in the Lord Jesus and that their love and affection for me hasn't faded.  Tomorrow they'll be going to work and I'll be wandering about the city alone -- trying to overcome jet lag and look for Nepalis.  Should be fun.  But in the evening, we'll celebrate the Moon Festival together with other friends Ryan and Carol.

Also, I just finished Skyping with my friend at the Nepal Bible Society.  He'll be having some friends hand carry Bibles and other materials to me here in HK from Nepal.  Pray that there will be no complications with that.  I'm especially excited to get my hands on the Bible Society's new "simple" Nepali Bible.  Should be a big hit with the Bhutanese-Nepalis.  I could still use your financial support to help purchase these items.  Take a look at the below links for that.

• To make a gift of support for Cody's trip to Hong Kong to equip Himalayan Christian leaders click here!

• To make a gift of support for the general ministry or to meet specific needs of TIBMclick here!

• To pray for the ministry of TIBM click here!

What is Cody Doing in Hong Kong?!?!

Well, tomorrow (9/10) I will be on my way to Hong Kong for a week.  After a couple days of overcoming jet-lag and spending time with old friends, I will be attending the Himalayan Global Summit, a gathering of Christian leaders from Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, India and elsewhere.  The theme of the summit is "Himalayan People! A Missionary People!"


It is excited to be able to attend this event and to be a part of the equipping and mobilization of Himalayan Christians who have caught a vision for the Great Commission.  They recognize that the age of mission "from the West to the rest" is over and that mission today is "from everywhere to everywhere".  For my part, I will be leading two, 2-hour sessions on issues related to diaspora mission, refugees, and contextualization.


I definitely need your prayers for the trip.  My wife has posted some details about how you can pray and will keep that updated during the trip.  


Also, some of you are probably interested to know how my fundraising for the trip is going.  Good news!  While most people have not used the online giving options to do so, I have raised almost all I need for the trip.  Friends and family have been really getting behind me in this.  It was especially encouraging when "SK", my first-ever Nepali friend, who came to know Jesus as a student in Oklahoma City where I was a international student minister, send a gift of support.  He and his wife now live in Europe and were full of encouragement for this trip.  


SK's gift was followed by gifts from several Bhutanese-Nepalis who were waiting for my birthday to give money for my trip.  To receive such generous support from refugees who have come to know the Lord through our ministry in Chicagoland is deeply encouraging.  One sister even bought me some new dress clothes for my presentation!


In all, I believe I now have enough funds for the plane ticket, lodging, food, and conference expenses.  I am hopeful that some more gifts of support will come in today (on the eve of my trip) to help me buy Nepali-language resources at the conference to bring back here.  I'm not exactly sure what resources will be available, but I'm hopeful that there will be some really good stuff that we can use in our ministry here and elsewhere.  Particularly since our ministry opportunities are expanding all the time.


Just the other day, I received an email from a church in another American city that has been working among Bhutanese-Nepalis and other diaspora groups.  Dealing with the diversity of diaspora mission has left them feeling both excited and puzzled about what to do.  They write:


"Our leadership is in a quandary because we know we must help them in their spiritual growth but with the language barrier we are at a loss.  We don’t know how to grow in His name with the diversity that we are encountering.  We do know that God is leading us in this direction as He has opened up all the doors for us to enter and we must follow what He is giving us.  Is there any assistance you can give us?"


Well, this is the kind of thing we live for and love.  Please keep us in your prayers and me especially as I head to Hong Kong tomorrow.  Support us financially as well so that we can continue to do these sorts of things.  The ministry of TIBM has expanded beyond our wildest imaginings and God is doing marvelous things.  

• To make a gift of support for Cody's trip to Hong Kong to equip Himalayan Christian leaders click here!

• To make a gift of support for the general ministry or to meet specific needs of TIBM click here!

• To pray for the ministry of TIBM click here!