Monday, February 22, 2010

I chose the road to...playing catch up

I have decided instead of constantly apologizing for being the most inconsistent blogger ever, that I would just do the best that I can in the future and hope that my followers will forgive me. I had planned to be a bi-weekly blogger, or at least monthly, but I had no idea how busy I was going to be once I got started with my work in HK and unfortunately it just hasn't been feasible. So enough excuses...

Here is my blog that I should have written in December (LOL)
I really enjoyed the Advent season in Hong Kong because for the first time in my life I was able to truly do some thinking, anticipating, and preparing. For His coming. My holiday season was not filled with thoughts of what to buy and what I was going to get this December 25th. It was an incredibly peaceful time and at certain points I experienced my first bout of homesickness. Not that I really had the desire to go home, but more that I wanted to bring home to me in Hong Kong. I began to miss my family and friends. Nonetheless I kept busy and on Christmas Eve enjoyed the most amazing midnight mass at St. John's. One that I will never forget as long as I live.




The Children's Christmas Pageant was the cutest thing ever.



And as you can imagine, Jesus was the most precious, spirit-filled child of all. He ran laughing all the way up the aisle and then again all the way back down the aisle. It was a sight to behold.


The service was so large it was standing room only.

There were seats outside as well, with a video screen showing the service. The church was so beautifully lit and full of people and there I was for the first time on Christmas Eve sitting on a pew by myself filled with gratitude for the amazing life that I have been given.

It was a glorious day.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------PART TWO -----------------------------------------



Earlier in December we had a special treat. One of our clients at the Bethune House wanted to celebrate winning her case by having a Barbecue at "Monkey Mountain" before she was due to leave to go home to Indonesia. She bought the food and for days the girls were preparing our adventure up the mountain.








We had a pesky monkey that kept stealing food. He stole our corn and ran up a tree with it!!!

We had a wonderful time just being with each other. I become very attached to the girls that live in the Bethune House, I can't even fathom how attached they are to each other. When they leave, as they do weekly, it is so hard to watch them go.

The client who won her case received about 80% of the money that was owed to her and for us that is considered a win. The unfortunate thing is that it took over a YEAR for her to get it. She has been living in the Bethune House the entire time. She was here before I got here. It was very hard to see her go, but I can't imagine having to live in a safe house that long..just waiting, never knowing if your case is ever going to end. I am grateful for her to be reunited with her family and that for us we get a rare, but bitter-sweet happy ending to a very long case.

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