June 2006

Well, well, well believe it or not...my first school year in HKG is coming to an end!!!

This week will be our last one before our children go on their summer holidays..and so do we, teachers...

and so we are ending our school year on the theme of thankfulness with reference to the bible verse 1Thessalonians 5:18

"In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you"

Indeed, there is so much I am thankful of...not only with regards to school but in every aspect of my life since relocating in HKG

let's go one step at a time...

1. @ SWCK-
as I said it was indeed a great time working with those little ones with whom I grew fond- imagine, receiving hugs from those little boys and girls 5 days a week...
My co-teacher and I are thankful that 3 out of our 4 targetted children are moving onwards- 2 are admitted to primary school, the 3rd one is admitted to a special school, while the 4th will remain with us for another year.

It is indeed an encouraging results.
The educational psychologist who works closely with this pilot project, has assessed those children and gave a positive progress in all of them. We are thankful

the next step...
well, we are looking forward to our next class...it is filling up. We already have our 4 targetted children. As for the typical children, it is slowly coming up. I have faith that the right children will be there. On an encouraging side, one family has enrolled their typical child into this program as they somehow heard how it also help their child socially, emotionally.

2. Church..
well, I thank you guys ( you know who you are) who were concerned and were praying for me with regards to looking.
I am thankful to find an English -speaking church. The church's name "The North Point Alliance Church- English Ministry." I remembered the day I stepped in that church, the sight of the youth serving as ushers, welcome team and some of them were on the praise team, I knew that I would like to be in this church.
Now, I am also attending their one and only young adults group known as the...Tentmakers!! and am also involved in the church praise team.
I am still praying about other areas of serving that the pastor mention to me about...again one step at a time:):)

3. Home
My home has been a 2 bedroom flat located on one of the outlying island- Lamma island.
I know it has been a blessing to those who came to visit and to stay-it was a place of rest( as one of my friend said) . I knew it was, as in my time of prayer, God said that this flat will be a place of rest, restoration and healing, not only for me but for others who will come and stay.
I see the faithfulness of God in His promise with regards to the flat.

Besides that, this "home" has been a place of prayer. In HIS faithfulness, He answered my prayer by bringing a prayer partner and we've been praying for each other, being accountable to each other and sustaining each other whenever we were going through some hard time.
This "home" has also been a welcome place for a little boy of 11 years. This boy is a local boy who lives on the island. His dad passed away in a tragic way at the end of last year. He has been on my heart ever since . About 2 months ago, I offered to tutor him in English in preparation for his exam. I remembered, on the eve of one of his dictation exam, I asked him whether I could pray for him...he did allow me. That was a precious moment.

Although I enjoy my life here on Lamma, I know it was for a season and a reason to be here. Very soon, I will move out of the island and will be looking for a new place to rent...I will keep you update.

During the month of July, I will be in China doing the TESOL Certificate program with TEFL International (website:www.teflcorp.com). It will be a month long and the centre is just located "next door" to HKG!! At the same time, it will be an opportunity for me to put into practice my Mandarin while I am there.

Once again, thank you for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers, they are much appreciated. I know that there is more to come in my life while being "a tentmaker" in HKG.

I would like to end with this article that I read from "Asia Harvest" who published a few articles of different missionaries. This one is from a lady by the name of Betty Stam

"I want something really worth while to live for, like most young people, I want to invest this one life of mine as wisely as possible, in the place that yields richest profits to the world and to me… I want it to be God's choice for me and not my own. There must be no self-interest at all or I do not believe God can reveal His will clearly. I know very well that I can never realise the richest, most satisfying, life Christ meant for me, if I am not giving my own life unselfishly for others. Christ said:" He that would find his life shall lose it,' and proved the truth of this divine paradox at Calvary. I want Him to lead, and His Spirit to fill me. And then, only then, will I feel that my life is justifying its existence and realising the maturity in HIM that Christ meant for all men, in all parts of the world."

She and her husband went as missionaries inChina and soon after they both died leaving their new born daughter behind...

I do not have the exact details of their life story. But when I read it a few years ago, I have kept it with me reminding myself how I should invest my one and only life into what He wants me to do and where HE wants me to be.

May this be also an inspiration to you all, wherever God has placed us, let's give our fullest for HIS and HIS glory only.

Finally, another thing that I am thankful of is your friendship, to all of you who have stayed and kept contact with me, no matter how far or how close we are.

I am thankful to God for putting you in my life.

thank you for reading my little blog

God bless

cheers

Doris