Remembrance

Hi all.

I’m sorry for going two weeks without any blog. I’m now going into my fourth week and can’t believe how fast it is all going. Anyway, let me take you back to week two.

Hong Kong Night market.

This week saw excursions into Hong Kong. We went from a traditional or very basic street market at night, where we sat and ate Chinese food on the street to Pacific Place on the Wednesday with its high end shops in a modern shopping mall.

This also saw me at immigration getting my ID card sorted out. Boy was that an experience, not quite as bad as Zimbabwe ID process but close. Did involve sitting and waiting for your number to be called, having your photo taken and thump prints, and then waiting in another line to pick up the temporary one followed by having to go again and pick up the original one two weeks later. Which is good since I’m still waiting for my Zim one for the last 18 years😁.

On the street outside Pacific Place waiting for the bus.

Hong Kong seems to be that. A blend of the old with the new. It’s good to remember the old with a look to the future and I guess that is what remembrance is about. I had decided even before I got here that I wanted to attend the remembrance service at the Hong Kong Memorial in central so I got researching and managed to find the time and place. I managed to go and get absolutely soaked as the heavens opened and it rained and not being prepared I had no umbrella or anything. Thankfully when you do go into shelter you dry quite quickly.

So everything is going ok, I hear you ask. The truth is when it comes to life in Hong Kong yes it is. I’m finding my way around, I’m getting on with the people I work with. I love the children and I feel very blessed to be getting this wonderful opportunity. You will be correct in regards to the there being a but, and it is a big but.

The Saturday before Remembrance Sunday whilst traveling back home on the MTR I received tragic news, and although I’m not going to go into details I was knocked. It’s amazing though how God puts the right people there as when I had got off the phone with regards to the news a lovely chap checked if I was ok, he allowed me to express my anger at above but he reassured me that there is light. When getting of the MTR he said he had just finished praying for me. This allowed me to keep it together (mostly) until I got back to the flat where I collapsed in tears then.

I will admit that that week went by in a bit of a numb state. It’s hard to feel totally helpless and so far away that actually what you need to do is just get on with the every day living. I went to work, I was able to give the work my best (hopefully) and allowed the children to be the balm I needed.

On my day off I decided to go out. The last thing I wanted was to sit at home and allow myself to think. As you know my brain is sometimes my worst enemy. I went to Hong Kong Park, it’s absolutely gorgeous. So green and quite in the midst of a city.

I then went and watched Loving Vincent which was lovely.

The week has gone on. I went to church with Nick and Christal which was wonderful. I then had a lovely lunch with them and realised again how blessed I am to have a wonderful family and to know again that what matters in life is not belongings but the people and relationships that you have. To allow yourself to be touched by people’s lives and to hopefully make a difference to theirs. So thank you for being apart of mine and that wherever you are and whatever you are going through may God bless you and hold you tight through good and hard times.