Friday October 21st was another early day. Kevin, Katherine, Cathy, and Tammy went for a jog in Kowloon Park. It was amazing to see how many people were up and active at 6am. We passed several Tai Chi sessions, as well as a few individuals on their own. Most were elderly but that was not stopping them. After the jog, we cooled down with some refreshments at a nearby Starbucks and had a short time of fellowship.
Our full group again met to officially start the day at 10am. We were headed out to Lantau Island to ride the cable car out to Ngong Ping and the Big Buddha statue. The cable car had a see-thru floor and we went very high over a pretty long distance. The views were fantastic. The entrance to Ngong Ping is a little village consisting of restaurants and souvenier shops to accomodate those who are visiting the Buddha, as well as other sites such as the Po Lin Monastery and the Path to Wisdom. Up the stairs we went, the steps to enlightenment, to see the statue up close. Pastor E had reminded us of the 4 noble truths to Buddhism and cautioned us regarding the fact that Buddhists consider this site sacred and as such, to monitor our comments and actions. At the top, the views of the island were spectacular - mountain peaks, dense vegetation, ocean bays. Truly a beautiful piece of God's creation. As a group, we prayed that others would see that Jesus is the Light of the World and asked for God's presence and mercy be upon those who do not know of these blessings. Afterwards, we split up for a short time so those who wanted to explore the grounds and those that wanted to do a bit of shop hopping could do so. Bryan and Tammy went out to the Path of Wisdom which was supposed to be a 15 minute walk to, but we did it in just under 10. Scattered along a small hillside are long planks that are inscribed with Chinese characters which replicate the Heart Sutra, a very old prayer.
On the cable car ride back, Pastor E gave us a short lesson in some Hindi phrases and words as the time to leave Hong Kong and go to India is quickly approaching. We were modestly successful in repeating him at the time, but I for one could use another "lesson" As a group, we also tried to spread a little bit of cheer and happiness by waving at the passing cable cars and trying to get them to wave back. Such an easy friendly gesture that created so many smiles and good cheer.
After a quick dinner, we took an evening trip to Victoria Peak and got a great view of the harbor from high above. Hong Kong is a beautiful city of lights and the sight seeing has been wonderful. We spent the day travelling to and visiting an icon of a religion that emphasizes self-improvement. I think we all want to be the best person we can be, but to what end? If you ask most people, they will say that a good person takes care of others, does good deeds, and aspires to have contentment and happiness in their life. I think that the word joy is a great example of how everyone can attain happiness and contentment, and in the process, take care of others and do good deeds. Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. J-O-Y. When we have the light of Jesus in our lives, we know that He considers love to be the greatest of all. If we know and love Jesus, then we know that He considers our relationships with others to be very important and we are called to care and minister to our fellow man. Our strive to be a good person is not centered on us individually at all. It involves moving past our own self-centered version of the world. If we have the J and the O in our lives and love Jesus and care for others for the glory of God, then the Y is taken care of. In fact, it is even easier to care for ourselves because Jesus and those we care about are taking care of us as well! This thought gives me a warm fuzzie - kind of like feeling that I am part of a great big, warm, group hug! I pray that each of you feel the same way.
In closing, please consider praying for us as we head to the airport and begin our ministry in India.
"See you in Mumbai"
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