Bryn Welcenbach gave a presentation before the church service yesterday telling about the mission field in Hong Kong. I know how impressed I was with her presentation and obviously many others were as well since we had our first meeting after church for a tentative October 2011 team. If you would like more information or would like to support Bryn here is the link http://blog.lcmsworldmission.org/2009/04/01/from-geo-missionary-bryn-welcenbach-in-macau/
Keep praying for Bryn that she meets her financial goals which will enable her to return to Hong Kong and serve.
Keep all in prayer as they deliberate their journey in the mission field for the October 2011 Hong Kong trip.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Monday, November 8, 2010
Our safe return and many picutres
Thanks be to God for the safe return of our entire mission team. Please continue to pray for Bill and Roberta while they are in Hong Kong with the Missouri team.
It has been a week since I have been home now and I continue to think about the time I spent over in Hong Kong with the kids there. I have many fond memories and hope to return again soon! I have learned that I am just a seed planter hoping to plant the seeds of Jesus Christ. When it takes root only God will know.
I have enclosed a link to a photobucket where I have over 1100 pictures of the Mission Team.
http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/horswill/Hong%20Kong%202010%20October/
It has been a week since I have been home now and I continue to think about the time I spent over in Hong Kong with the kids there. I have many fond memories and hope to return again soon! I have learned that I am just a seed planter hoping to plant the seeds of Jesus Christ. When it takes root only God will know.
I have enclosed a link to a photobucket where I have over 1100 pictures of the Mission Team.
http://s160.photobucket.com/albums/t169/horswill/Hong%20Kong%202010%20October/
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Hong Kong Pictures
Here are some pictures from a home visit with Donald and his family.
Click on the link below to see pictures. It will take you to facebook.You don't have to join facebook. It just allows you to view the photos. Be sure to look at all of the post on this blog to get the links to the different groups of pictures.
Click here to view the pictures.
Click on the link below to see pictures. It will take you to facebook.You don't have to join facebook. It just allows you to view the photos. Be sure to look at all of the post on this blog to get the links to the different groups of pictures.
Click here to view the pictures.
Hong Kong 10.24 Photos
See the photos from Sunday, 10.24 here in Hong Kong. We have had technical difficulties in posting directly to the blog. Click here!!
Hong Kong 10.23 Photos
We have been having some technical difficulties adding photos to our blog, but if you follow this link, you should be able to view the photos! Very sorry for the delay!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
We made it here!
Because of health issues Bill and Roberta were not able to join us on our journey here today, but will be with us in spirit and prayer as we continue to work here. Bill and Roberta helped us to prepare for our adventure with their wisdom and experiences in the mission field and our preparation and Bible studies. God willing they will be able to travel here to Hong Kong in November and join the St. Louis team.
The Lord has blessed us with a safe journey over to Hong Kong.
We left Manitowoc around 7:30 AM on Thursday, the 21st of October. We flew out of Green Bay, leaving the airport around 10:30 AM. Our flight took us to Detroit, with only a very brief layover. From Detroit we had a direct flight to Hong Kong, a 16 hour flight. We arrived here around 7:15 PM (Hong Kong time- please keep in mind that you are 13 hours behind back in WI).
Saturday, October 23rd, we met at the school, meeting students and teachers and getting acclimated with the surroundings. I will be posting pictures as I am able to.
Just a little info for you:
Hong Kong is beautiful! It is a place with bright lights, 7 million + people, and many tall, tall, skyscraper type buildings. Many of these tall building are the home in which the people here live. Look at the windows and you will notice that many of the people, actually, the majority hang their clothing out to dry, they don't have dryers or a yard to hang out their clothing. (Boy are we spoiled!)
Only about 10% of the general population is Christian. That so amazes me when you consider the amount of people living here. The 7 million I talked about are the people who live here, not even the ones who visit every year. That number is over 33+million a year. Think of all of the people who don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Think of the great opportunities we have here. I knew I wanted to be here doing this mission but now that I am here, I think I am even more fired up to be here sharing the Gospel. I can't imagine a world without knowing the love of Jesus and the blessings we have been given by his innocent sufferings and death and most important, his resurrection! Everyone should know this! That is what God has commanded of us.
We have been treated so kindly by the staff at the school that I don't even feel like a foreigner here! It feels like our Christian family that we have come home to visit!
The Lord has blessed us with a safe journey over to Hong Kong.
We left Manitowoc around 7:30 AM on Thursday, the 21st of October. We flew out of Green Bay, leaving the airport around 10:30 AM. Our flight took us to Detroit, with only a very brief layover. From Detroit we had a direct flight to Hong Kong, a 16 hour flight. We arrived here around 7:15 PM (Hong Kong time- please keep in mind that you are 13 hours behind back in WI).
Saturday, October 23rd, we met at the school, meeting students and teachers and getting acclimated with the surroundings. I will be posting pictures as I am able to.
Just a little info for you:
Hong Kong is beautiful! It is a place with bright lights, 7 million + people, and many tall, tall, skyscraper type buildings. Many of these tall building are the home in which the people here live. Look at the windows and you will notice that many of the people, actually, the majority hang their clothing out to dry, they don't have dryers or a yard to hang out their clothing. (Boy are we spoiled!)
Only about 10% of the general population is Christian. That so amazes me when you consider the amount of people living here. The 7 million I talked about are the people who live here, not even the ones who visit every year. That number is over 33+million a year. Think of all of the people who don't know Jesus Christ as their Savior. Think of the great opportunities we have here. I knew I wanted to be here doing this mission but now that I am here, I think I am even more fired up to be here sharing the Gospel. I can't imagine a world without knowing the love of Jesus and the blessings we have been given by his innocent sufferings and death and most important, his resurrection! Everyone should know this! That is what God has commanded of us.
We have been treated so kindly by the staff at the school that I don't even feel like a foreigner here! It feels like our Christian family that we have come home to visit!
Reflections from Pastor Kolonich….
10/23/10 10:03 PM
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
It has been 2. 5 years since I was last in Hong Kong. It was such a joy to be reunited with old friends: Charles, Ivan & Hilda. It was good to meet up again with newer friends Travis & Debbie who we met in South Dakota during their summer exchange program in July. And it was good to meet Bryn for the first time, even though I have feel like I knew her already. (Jennifer and I were in Japan with her sister Stacey.)
The team feels incomplete without Bill & Roberta Hilgendorf, however God’s ways are not our ways. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. We continue to lift them up in our prayers that God would open the doors for them so that they can join the team coming from St. Louis in November.
God has paved the way for us here in Hong Kong. Super Typhoon Megi was aiming for a practically direct hit on Hong Kong earlier this week. Our creator, God, who commands the wind and the waves redirected the typhoon away from Hong Kong.
Today (Saturday 10-23) we will be participating in an open house for MCDH school, when prospective families come to view and learn more about area schools. We will also be making a lot of rice krispy treats!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
It has been 2. 5 years since I was last in Hong Kong. It was such a joy to be reunited with old friends: Charles, Ivan & Hilda. It was good to meet up again with newer friends Travis & Debbie who we met in South Dakota during their summer exchange program in July. And it was good to meet Bryn for the first time, even though I have feel like I knew her already. (Jennifer and I were in Japan with her sister Stacey.)
The team feels incomplete without Bill & Roberta Hilgendorf, however God’s ways are not our ways. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. We continue to lift them up in our prayers that God would open the doors for them so that they can join the team coming from St. Louis in November.
God has paved the way for us here in Hong Kong. Super Typhoon Megi was aiming for a practically direct hit on Hong Kong earlier this week. Our creator, God, who commands the wind and the waves redirected the typhoon away from Hong Kong.
Today (Saturday 10-23) we will be participating in an open house for MCDH school, when prospective families come to view and learn more about area schools. We will also be making a lot of rice krispy treats!
Thursday, October 21, 2010
They're Off!
A team of 6 people are on their way to the airport. Bill is still in the hospital and I, Roberta, am going to stay with him of course. At least physically we will be here, but the team will always be in our thoughts and prayers over the next 10 days. God's ways are not our ways, but we know he is always right.
As the typhoon Megi swirls its way toward Hong Kong we add extra prayers, especially for safety for the airplane as it lands, though the typhoon isn't supposed to hit HK until Saturday and they land Friday. It promises to be a very wet week. We were warned to bring umbrellas, rain coats and water proof shoes. It's just part of life in that part of the world.
My special prayer is that the Holy Spirit will inspire them to be witnesses to those around them, whether on the plane, in the airports, and then to the teachers and students in HK. We are only acting as part of the body of Christ, his feet (we took a picture of our feet this morning), his voice, his hands. When you let God take over your actions, it's amazing what you will witness being done through you. God bless.
As the typhoon Megi swirls its way toward Hong Kong we add extra prayers, especially for safety for the airplane as it lands, though the typhoon isn't supposed to hit HK until Saturday and they land Friday. It promises to be a very wet week. We were warned to bring umbrellas, rain coats and water proof shoes. It's just part of life in that part of the world.
My special prayer is that the Holy Spirit will inspire them to be witnesses to those around them, whether on the plane, in the airports, and then to the teachers and students in HK. We are only acting as part of the body of Christ, his feet (we took a picture of our feet this morning), his voice, his hands. When you let God take over your actions, it's amazing what you will witness being done through you. God bless.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
The time is approaching!
We are only 2 days away from leaving. I can't believe how fast the time has gone since we first booked this mission trip flight. It seemed so far away!
Well, we may have all had obstacles along the way in our personal lives, businesses, or some aspect of our life but we have continued to pray and ask God to help us reach our goal. I have really enjoyed getting to know my fellow team members as we have done bible studies, fundraising and packing for this venture. Bill and Roberta especially have the wisdom of missions from past experiences as do Pastor and Jennifer Kolonich. We found out that Bill will be unable to attend due to health reasons at this time, but we pray he will be able to join the MO team in early November. Roberta amazes me as she has been through trials and tribulations that many of us have not, yet she continues with a smile and simply says, "We've learned over the years to expect some things like this before our mission trips, knowing indeed that the more effective the Lord will be through us, the more Satan tries to discourage us. So.... this trip is going to be awesome!" Pastor Kolonich reminds us in person and texts and emails us that we need to be vigilant in pray. Oh how true that is!
This past Sunday, we were commissioned at church. Redeemer Lutheran Church and Preschool have been supportive beyond our wildest dreams. The congregation members greeted us, wished us well, giving us God's blessing and their support before we go. Our community just keeps on giving. The Manitowoc Company has generously donated a DVD telling how the cranes are made and a big model crane to be donated to the school.
Time flies when you are having fun and I have had fun just preparing for this journey! I can't imagine how great it will be to share the love of Jesus with those abroad, or on the plane. We need to remember too, as Pastor Kolonich has reminded us in this weeks sermon that we can be missionaries right in our own back yard.
Well, we may have all had obstacles along the way in our personal lives, businesses, or some aspect of our life but we have continued to pray and ask God to help us reach our goal. I have really enjoyed getting to know my fellow team members as we have done bible studies, fundraising and packing for this venture. Bill and Roberta especially have the wisdom of missions from past experiences as do Pastor and Jennifer Kolonich. We found out that Bill will be unable to attend due to health reasons at this time, but we pray he will be able to join the MO team in early November. Roberta amazes me as she has been through trials and tribulations that many of us have not, yet she continues with a smile and simply says, "We've learned over the years to expect some things like this before our mission trips, knowing indeed that the more effective the Lord will be through us, the more Satan tries to discourage us. So.... this trip is going to be awesome!" Pastor Kolonich reminds us in person and texts and emails us that we need to be vigilant in pray. Oh how true that is!
This past Sunday, we were commissioned at church. Redeemer Lutheran Church and Preschool have been supportive beyond our wildest dreams. The congregation members greeted us, wished us well, giving us God's blessing and their support before we go. Our community just keeps on giving. The Manitowoc Company has generously donated a DVD telling how the cranes are made and a big model crane to be donated to the school.
Time flies when you are having fun and I have had fun just preparing for this journey! I can't imagine how great it will be to share the love of Jesus with those abroad, or on the plane. We need to remember too, as Pastor Kolonich has reminded us in this weeks sermon that we can be missionaries right in our own back yard.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
One more week
One week from today we leave. It's hard to believe it's really happening, except for the pile of things accumulating on my dining room table for the trip: teaching aids, sleep masks for the plane, a feather boa, Bible study lesson plans. Pastor Eric's office is filling up with team supplies and suitcases full of quilts, Wisconsin memorabilia, and many other teaching materials.
We're getting our class teaching schedules, dividing into teaching groups, sending out prayer support letters and digging out the suitcases. Ice breakers, lesson plans, dramas, a cheese head hat, EAA posters, personal photo albums, all these things are being planned and packed. But they are all just resources that we are taking so that we can be flexible. Plans can be made, but as every person who has gone on a mission knows, things change. Schedules change. Situations develop that we have no control over. So we go with some trepidation, but also confidence in knowing that we are not a team of 8, but of 9. As the Chilian miners said there were not 33 people trapped down in the mine, there were 34 down there. God was with them, and he will be with us.
We ask everyone reading this to lift up your prayers for us. Where God's Word is being preached, that is where Satan works the hardest to stop it. Only through the prayers of many people will this trip be a success.
We're getting our class teaching schedules, dividing into teaching groups, sending out prayer support letters and digging out the suitcases. Ice breakers, lesson plans, dramas, a cheese head hat, EAA posters, personal photo albums, all these things are being planned and packed. But they are all just resources that we are taking so that we can be flexible. Plans can be made, but as every person who has gone on a mission knows, things change. Schedules change. Situations develop that we have no control over. So we go with some trepidation, but also confidence in knowing that we are not a team of 8, but of 9. As the Chilian miners said there were not 33 people trapped down in the mine, there were 34 down there. God was with them, and he will be with us.
We ask everyone reading this to lift up your prayers for us. Where God's Word is being preached, that is where Satan works the hardest to stop it. Only through the prayers of many people will this trip be a success.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Fundraising and fellowship
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| We are so happy, this was the last pizza! |
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| Time for a taste test! |
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| See, I can do this! |
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| Roberta has a smile on her face even after rolling out almost all of the pizza crusts herself. |
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| The last pizza of the day! The End! |
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