Out first full day and boy did we make complete use of it. Many of us were awake fairly early and lounged around, updating ourselves via facebook, e-mails, and texts. Mickie and I took a short stroll through Kowloon Park and then had breakfast at one of the nearby Starbucks. At 10 am, the group met to officially begin our day. After a quick prayer, Bryan led us on a tour through Hong Kong City. We rode the MTR to Hong Kong City which involved travelling under the harbor. We took a Ding-Ding Tram from the financial district towards a more residential part. Hong Kong City is more centered on money - banks and financial institutions - and also has the massive convention center. Kowloon has the majority of the high end shopping stores. We strolled along the harbor waterfront in HKC, and as we were leaving, passed a booth where a woman was handing out free tote bags. Jesus Loves You is imprinted in English on one side and we presume that the same message is what the Chinese characters on the other side represent. The lady was quite delighted that we were believers. We also saw a few signs that were Christian based and it was comforting to see. We had lunch at a Japanese restaurant and then went to Victoria Park for an afternoon devotional and to pray for you, our families, and Nick Magnotti. More on that in a moment. The Star Ferry was the mode of transportation used to return to Kowloon. We started under the water and ended above the water. We went back to the hotel to rest before dinner, and then went to the Chinese Kitchen for dinner. Afterwards, we went to the harbor waterfront on the Kowloon side to take an evening stroll and to watch the Symphony of Lights. Several buildings participate in a light show set to music. Afterwards we strolled along the "Golden Mile" (Nathan Road) where several very high end shops are located. The crowds that I had anticipated during the day had finally come out to play. Late evening, people are off work, and the temperature is mild - great combination to bring out the crowds.
Hong Kong is full of sights and smells. Most of the smells are quite pleasant - salty ocean air, flowers, wonderful scents from the myriad of perfume stores, and food (noodle broth smells deep, dusky, and salty - I love it!) There were a few unpleasant ones such as vehicle exhaust and an occasional sewer but those were pretty few and far between.
During our devotional, Cathy read from 2 Corinthians14-16 which talks about the sweet perfume of a Christ-like fragrance. "But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume."
What kind of smell are you giving off? Fragrance brings to mind a light, caressing, pleasing smell that makes you want to lean in closer. Stink brings to mind an over-powering, strong unpleasant scent that makes you wrinkle your nose and look to back away at the first opportunity. Do our words and actions emit the right scent? Are we allowing God to use us to spread that sweet perfume? Do people see us and want to lean in close so they can get another whiff of the sweet, sweet scent that is Jesus? Do we let people get close enough to us so that they have that opportunity? Each day we armor ourselves against our bodily stench - showers, clean clothes, deodorant. We make a concerted effort to not stink because of the unpleasant-ness it creates for us and those around us. I ask you, and myself, what have we done today, and what can I do tomorrow, to armor myself against the stink of sin and regret and allow the perfume of Jesus to eminate freely so that we can share it with others.
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