Hong Kong Harm is ready to exit the big city for awhile. Bring on the big sky! Give me a breath of that fresh air! Ahhhhhh! I fly out of Hong Kong at 12:35pm. I arrive in Regina, Saskatchewan, CANADA at 4:35pm. It always throws my mind for a loop, the whole time zone thing. It will actually be 6:35am in Hong Kong by the time I arrive in Regina, and for those of you who know me well, you are well acquainted with my disposition at this time of the day! Ha ha! Nah, it will be sweeeet to be in the homeland. Can't wait. Hope to see you soon!!! (I'll be in Calgary, Regina, Saskatoon, Kennedy, Yellowknife and Victoria over the next 7 weeks, so I hope to have great visits with many of you!)
Signing off from the 32nd floor...
Harm
Friday, June 29, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
5 of My Favorite Hong Kongers!
The tennis ladies came over tonight for fondue and cake! I love these gals! It was so much fun to have them over!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Hark! Tis My First Medieval Feast!
We are down to 2 teaching days left! It's hard to believe! A great part of me is extremely excited, and another part is creeping towards sentamentality (is that a word?). The final days with the first group of kids that have been "mine" for a year are here. It has been good.
Today we capped off our medieval study with a Feast. Thankfully, yesterday was a holiday in Hong Kong (dragon boats), and so I had the day to prepare. It ended up being quite the adventure, and finally ended late in the night/early in the morning with the final touches on a castle cake and the fastest possible home-made tinfoil costume for a knight. The day included a desperate search for icing sugar (eventually found), a more desperate search for a "herald's" costume (which was not found and resulted in a run to Toys'r'us for a knight's sword and shield), the making of my first stew (medieval style), and two trips to the Island.
It was worth every bit of a time that went into it, though! I was lucky to have 5 wonderful moms come and help out, which made the morning so much easier. The students came up with some impressive costumes! We had lots of peasants, a most entertaining jester, a number of damsels, princesses, Robin Hood, and a very elegantly dressed King and Queen! For entertainment, our little jester had us all laughing (and a couple of surprise jesters stopped by with a juggling and yo-yo act), the minstrel was great, and then capped off by a performance of St. George and the Dragon. We learned some old English, so I was pleased to hear students asking me "whither is the privy?" and "good morrow!" throughout the day. Our classroom was ready for the occasion as we've been doing this unit for some time now. We have monstrous castles, a door that is a castle drawbridge with a moat, a castle wall, coats of arms, and stained glass windows. We had cheese, crackers, "ales" and fruit to start the Feast, followed by the main course of medieval stew (it turned out pretty good, Mom!) on trenchers (bread), and big drumsticks to gloriously rip apart like those big fellas on all the medieval movies. We had apple crumble for dessert, as well as my not-so-authentic but high in fun castle cake. We also played chess and Capture the Flag later on. I'm tired tonight, but it really was a fun day and I'm surprised by how well it all went over! A nice way to finish the year! I see no reason to stop the flow of parties at this point- tomorrow we'll do the bowling/pizza party, and then on Friday we'll cap it off with a "monster smartie party".
Well, I'm more than ready to hit the hay tonight. Farethee well!
Friday, June 15, 2007
Cracked Pot
This is a post I never ended up posting a couple months back...
One way that God strengthens my spirit and lifts me up in times of weakness is through pictures. I've had two pictures in the corners of my mind for the last three months.
The first was inspired by a Brian Jones e-votional. It was timely encouragement for a shaky heart.
"Jars of clay" is a powerful analogy. At the time Paul wrote this passage, clay pottery, dishes, and cookware were common. Clayware was common because it was so inexpensive to make-clay from the ground and fire to harden it were all that was needed. "Jars of clay" were also very brittle. Our minds and bodies are a lot like those jars of clay. We're frail. We break. We crack and fall to pieces. Clay pots don't hold up real well under extramarital affairs, depression, and bankruptcy. When we manage to keep our lives intact when they should be scattered across the floor in a million pieces, we-and others-realize that something supernatural is holding us together.
His comments gave me a clear picture of my heart at that time- cracked but held together. I found resilience in that, and felt Christ's "holding me together". Paul says it best:
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
The second I'll save for another day!
One way that God strengthens my spirit and lifts me up in times of weakness is through pictures. I've had two pictures in the corners of my mind for the last three months.
The first was inspired by a Brian Jones e-votional. It was timely encouragement for a shaky heart.
"Jars of clay" is a powerful analogy. At the time Paul wrote this passage, clay pottery, dishes, and cookware were common. Clayware was common because it was so inexpensive to make-clay from the ground and fire to harden it were all that was needed. "Jars of clay" were also very brittle. Our minds and bodies are a lot like those jars of clay. We're frail. We break. We crack and fall to pieces. Clay pots don't hold up real well under extramarital affairs, depression, and bankruptcy. When we manage to keep our lives intact when they should be scattered across the floor in a million pieces, we-and others-realize that something supernatural is holding us together.
His comments gave me a clear picture of my heart at that time- cracked but held together. I found resilience in that, and felt Christ's "holding me together". Paul says it best:
We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body.
The second I'll save for another day!
Friday, June 08, 2007
MTR Song
This is the fastest way to travel in Hong Kong, and it's even more fun now that I've heard this catchy jingle...
Life is a Verb
Enjoying...the facebook frenzy
Listening...to Jason Mraz, Jim Brickman
Reading....Grade 5 poetry, and not much else
Watching...the French Open (go Roger)
Thinking...about a barbecue on Barb's deck
Missing...the red dirt at second base
Loving...my tennis club
Anticipating...finishing those blasted report cards
Eating...Greek salads
Drinking...water (it's smokin' in Hong Kong)
Disliking...my feet
Celebrating...my Dad
Counting...days til June 30
Trying...to finish well
Listening...to Jason Mraz, Jim Brickman
Reading....Grade 5 poetry, and not much else
Watching...the French Open (go Roger)
Thinking...about a barbecue on Barb's deck
Missing...the red dirt at second base
Loving...my tennis club
Anticipating...finishing those blasted report cards
Eating...Greek salads
Drinking...water (it's smokin' in Hong Kong)
Disliking...my feet
Celebrating...my Dad
Counting...days til June 30
Trying...to finish well
Friday, June 01, 2007
Heart Change
I wish it didn't have to take a mess-up to bring me to my knees before God, but it usually does. I'm frustrated with that, but at the same time, I'm glad for the moments that remind me of my brokenness.
I messed up yesterday. I mess up a lot, but yesterday I actually felt it. Prick. A guilty conscience, an awareness of something...not right, not pure. And I'm glad it happened because it helped me see my heart more clearly. It's dirty. It's easily calloused to sin. And I am blind to the dirt. But I saw it yesterday, and I loved God's love in a more real way than I have in awhile, and I saw his desire to change me into someone with a heart like his Son.
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. "
-Ezekiel 36:25-26
I messed up yesterday. I mess up a lot, but yesterday I actually felt it. Prick. A guilty conscience, an awareness of something...not right, not pure. And I'm glad it happened because it helped me see my heart more clearly. It's dirty. It's easily calloused to sin. And I am blind to the dirt. But I saw it yesterday, and I loved God's love in a more real way than I have in awhile, and I saw his desire to change me into someone with a heart like his Son.
"Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. And I will give you a new heart with new and right desires, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony heart of sin and give you a new, obedient heart. "
-Ezekiel 36:25-26
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)