In Jesus name, we press on.

hey everyone. my wonderful husband called and reminded me that it has been a little while since we posted a new diary entry about the ministry thats going on out here. so i'm going to try to let you all know everything thats been happening, as briefly as possible. i have a tendency to write a lot, so i apologize for my long-winded-ness. haha. :) so this is whats going on with Hope's Refuge, Local Ministry and our daily lives.

kristen and i took a trip to the island a few weeks ago to apply for my new passport. on our way back, the weather was absolutely gorgeous so we decided to go to the harbor in tsim sha tsui and sit and talk about the Lord. well, we ended up sitting there for about an hour until we were joined by two men from nigeria. i must admit that the reason these two men came up to us and started talking to us was to flirt and hit on us. but we were able to change the topic and talk to them about the Lord, give them the gospel, invite them to church and learn what is holding them back from living life for the Lord. the man i spoke with, his name was wilson - he knows a lot of scripture, he seems to have a huge fire for the word of God when he speaks about it. i told him the gospel and then he finished my sentences for me. i think the major thing that is holding him back is the fact that he does not think anyone is interested in hearing, he doesn't think people will really care, especially coming from him. the other man, whom kristen was speaking with, his name was freddie and he was fighting accepting Christ because of the lust of money. you could tell that after hearing about the things of the Lord, the Spirit was working on his heart. unfortunately, they have not come to church - but hopefully they will one day.

Hope's Refuge. i've been making phone calls, emailing lots of people, talking to people here in hong kong about my ideas and i am learning a lot. just recently i received 2 large manuals and 1 smaller one from the organization "heartbeat international" who, if you recall from a previous entry, has told me that i could be affiliated with them once i get Hope's Refuge up and running. they have been a huge help and everything i'm learning is both exciting and even more of a confirmation of the desire and vision that i have, but also a bit overwhelming. its scary, looking at everything that goes into starting a pregnancy center just in the USA and then trying to figure out how to take those tips and fit them into the hong kong life and such - its a bit intimidating. but its a good way to keep the Lord as the head of everything and know that when it starts it was totally by His hand being over it. so that part is very exciting. :) so i am learning a lot. i am going to post some of the things i'm learning on a separate page and once i do, i'll post the link on here. but one of the things that is standing out from the research from the heartbeat international manuals is "do not aim for perfection, you won't get anywhere. instead, aim for excellence." and i'm reminding myself of that all the time.

recently i have had the privilege of giving lunch to a local homeless woman. i still do not know her name and i still do not know how to speak to a chinese woman who obviously has some mental instabilities and she speaks no english and i speak very poor cantonese (hardly any!). but i see her poking through the rubbish bins daily wearing the same gray and blue floral shirt, carrying a plastic bag and wearing sandals. she is very sweet but does not like all the stray dogs. she swings that bag wildly at them, sometimes even at monster so i make sure that monster doesn't go around her. but i've been making her a pb&j sandwich everyday i see her. and when she leaves, i simply say "jeh sou oi nei" which means "Jesus Loves You". i also had the privilege of meeting two foreigners last week in tsim sha tsui at the harbor. we talked for 2 hours. one has invited bud and i to visit her in mainland china. both taught english, one taught english in korea and obviously the other is in mainland china. i hope to continue talking to them and start a good relationship. :) if you remember, please pray for claire and tiffany. those were their names.

and last but not least - whats going on with bud and i as of late. we were having a hard time finding a place to live that was closer to bud's work, affordable, as well as a place that would allow animals. we really thought we were going to have to get rid of at least the dog, which is hard because these animals have become part of the family. its kind of silly i suppose but its SO true. :) so with all of that prefacing what i'm about to say, let me first say we DO NOT HAVE TO GET RID OF THE ANIMALS!!! we found a place in sai kung, its another village house like what we have now, which is near the beach, an hour closer to bud's work, big enough for me and him and has a spare room if we ever have visitors or need to offer the room to someone in need. the only downfalls are a) we need to fully furnish the house as there is nothing in it. and b) the bus fare from the village to the train station is a lot more expensive then we're used too. but it is worth it and totally a God send. :) we will be moving in on or a little before november 1 and we are really excited. oh and one more thing - bud and i and i think danny and kristen, are going to visit a new church this sunday, so we can see what is available all over hong kong. :) i will let you know how it goes and once i have all my research up online, i'll give you all a link to that as well. :) we love and miss you all.

agape,

christin joy.