Progress and Familiarity

Jen here. A few weeks ago I received an invite to Newcomers Coffee, hosted by some women from IBC, a Baptitst church here in HK. You may remember my blog about this in October--the women were a great encouragement and blessing. Vicki, the host, is so friendly, hospitable and loving. I felt welcome the second I set foot in her home. :) Ahh...to think back makes me smile.

Well, we met up again. Vicki greeted me warmly at the door and I greeted Pauline as well. How nice to set foot in a familiar place with familiar people! Yes! We sat down and chatted, sharing how things have been since last time we met. Vicki and Pauline rejoiced with me in what God has done over these few months. More than they know, He has worked mightily in my heart and my life.

For the first chunk of time in HK, I was SO lonely and not sure what to do with myself. Everything was strange, I was just learning how to use public transportation. Now I feel confident navigating to most places on the island using all forms of transportation. I am meeting people and beginning to develop friendships. I attend a womens bible study on Thursdays; we're studying the book of Daniel--oh how much I've learned and been challenged! Not to mention, I get weekly interaction with women in all different life-stages. God blessed me with the opportunity to assist Roy with three of his chess classes, so now I am able to see ~50 adorable primary school students each week. What a joy they are to me! I was even able to teach two groups of beginners the basics of Chess. What fun!

God has been working in my heart, to show me sin and other things that don't glorify Him. He unveiled my covetous heart and took it away. He's rooting my worth and view of myself in what He says of me--that I am beloved, safe in Christ, having Christ's righteousness (though I don't deserve it!), and am worth His dying for me.

God is still at work...Newcomers Coffee served as a great venue for pondering His great works. Hooray! So, praise God for loving people...who invite strangers into their home and make them friends. What a blessing these women have been to me in HK!

Memorial.

On great recommendation of a friend of Jenny and I, we plan to blog on our time in Hong Kong:

to record the ongoing story of God's grace - the brief sentence our lives represent in God's eternal story.
to give God the glory for everything good that is done in us and through us.
to put this glory on display for all to see, and so glorify God.
to remember and meditate upon what God has done.
to turn away from the ways we will and do act sinfully and foolishly.




God often takes His people on journey's - away from their homes - to set them free - to change them - and to teach them - to trust in Him - to provide for them - and to make Himself their new home.


And sometimes on these journeys the people of God would raise up a memorial, nothing special, maybe just a pile of rocks, but it served as a reminder for themselves and future generations of what God had done, His redemption, grace, provision, sufficiency, power, wisdom, goodness, justice, mercy, love, wrath. So they would never forget that is was God that brought them out and set them free.


...this is our pile of rocks


-God, please be in this thing, for if you are not there is no point in it, let this not be about us, but about you, change us and make us more like you, in Jesus' name.