Friday, November 28, 2008

Here and there...

This week has taken on a different rhythm than the usual. Jody Heywood dropped in for a fun visit at the beginning of the week. It was such a treat to have her! We had a lot of fun together; I'll have to post some pics soon.

The last three days of the week have been devoted to ICEC- the International Christian Educator Conference. Close to one thousand teachers from around (mostly) Asia have come to HK for the event. It has been great. I really enjoy the chance to gather new ideas, encouragement and wisdom from others. We've got a couple awesome speakers in town- Dr. Gary Chapman (think love languages), and Phil Callaway. Dr. Chapman's thoughts were very practical- many helpful reminders for healthy relationships. Phil was hilarious, as always. He gave insights into how can have "hope for the crazy kids", speaking from personal experience as he was a crazy kid himself! Oh, that guy can really get laughter rolling in a room. I think a speaker must be gifted when they can make you cry from laughing so hard, and then cry because you've been so moved by his thoughts. One simple take away from his first session was to remember to commit to praying for kids. I've got so many on my heart- and somehow I still forget to pray. I attended some interesting workshops focused on counseling students. I am quite interested in this and I was glad to gain helpful approaches for working with hurting kids.

Next weekend I'm going to Macau for a girl's getaway. There are seven of us, and we are going to Cirque de Soleil together. I'm really looking forward to it.

I had to apply for a new passport today because mine is full! That's kind of a fun thing, except that it still has three years of validity, and it costs $100 for a new one! I'm praying they return it on schedule, or else it will be slightly difficult to board my Dec. 20 flight home to Canada. I am so excited to be en route to Canada for Christmas this year. I will be in Regina from Dec. 20-24, Calgary from the 24-30, and then back to Kennedy for the McMillan New Year's celebration.

Lastly, the real reason I had to get a new passport is that I need room for my Indian visa! I am taking four good friends along with me this time. We will fly through Delhi on our way to Guwahati. We are all very excited (though certainly prayerful about the very difficult situations in India right now).

That's all for tonight. Good night from HK!

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