Sister Good Keeps it Brief

Greetings, faithful readers! Although I am not known for my brevity when blogging, today I will make a grand attempt so I can work on my upcoming exegesis paper. I’ve put a few lists below for your perusal!

Highlights from this week:
1) Michelle took us out to Hong Kong Baptist Theological Seminary on Tuesday so that we could pick up some books for the aforementioned paper. She gave us a tour of the campus and we were able to get a short glimpse into seminary life in Hong Kong. The seminary is set in a beautiful location by the coast in the New Territories and has a very peaceful atmosphere; I enjoyed the brief respite from an otherwise ordinary Tuesday.
2) On Thursday we joined the form seven girls at Pooi To (equivalent to high school seniors) on a school trip to a small island. I can’t remember the name of the island, but it had a YMCA campground on it. We ate lunch, played games, and were able to participate in activities set up on the campground, such as the ropes course, shooting pistols, or archery. Margaret and I both went to the ropes course. Despite my experience as a ropes course facilitator at Jewell, I got a rather unfortunate (and painful) rope burn on my right hand in the process. I’m not sure which stung more—my pride or my hand.
3) I randomly decided to get a haircut on Friday. The haircut itself barely rates as average as far as haircuts go, but the ten minutes it took to shampoo my hair and massage my head made it absolutely worth it.
4) The Thai English class is a highlight every week, so it is certainly worth mentioning. This week Margaret taught the ladies about colors and foods, and, as always, we had a blast.

As we draw towards the end of our time in Hong Kong (only two weeks left in the internship), I’ve begun thinking about some of the things I will miss about Hong Kong. This is what I’ve come up with so far:
1) The openness of Hong Kong people about things that Americans are typically tight-lipped (bodily functions, illnesses, monetary/salary questions, etc.). For example, I would love to be able to give you all the gory details about my hand, but that just wouldn’t be appropriate in this venue. I would also love to tell you about my finances so that some wealthy patron would feel compelled to sponsor me in a trip around the world, but money is also a largely taboo topic in polite American society, so it looks like I'll be doing things the old-fashioned way and getting a job.
2) The thrill of living in a big, international city. While my hometown of Higginsville is a lovely place, it is not exactly a bustling metropolis; it will probably be a bit of an adjustment to re-enter the quietness of rural living while I figure out what comes next.
3) The shopping. There are few things that thrill my parsimonious soul better than finding a trendy garment at a bargain price. Finding a garment at a bargain price that actually fits me (the clothing is rather small here) is much more difficult, but I will still miss the hunt!
4) The people. I’ve met a lot of really great people while in Hong Kong, and I think I am just now coming to truly appreciate them. Just about the time we've started to really get to know people it’s time to leave!

Here are some prayer requests for this week:
· Please pray that we would be a positive Christian witness for the girls at Pooi To during our last two weeks. I was able to offer some Christian encouragement to one of the form seven girls on Thursday’s outing, and Margaret and I continue to lunch with students. Pray that we would seek ways to be a blessing to these girls before we go.
· Pray for my hand. This is a selfish request, but things like writing, typing, cooking, eating, or basically anything that requires the use of my right hand have become increasingly more difficult since Thursday’s incident. It’s not serious, just annoying, and I would appreciate your prayers for a speedy healing.
· Please pray for Margaret and I as we make plans for our leisure travel during the first two weeks of December. Because we will be traveling during the last weeks of our semester at Central, the month of November is proving to be a bit manic as we try to get ahead of our work.