happy birthday josh

slow motion

Under 3 minutes to load it all... from gcmhk on Vimeo.

the first cupcake.

fun.

hot. rain. steam. 230 boxes. ocean bound.

After a great evening with our team, their parents, and our board - we met early yesterday morning and loaded the container for our team. We had everything prearranged in the street, taped off, and ready to load.

Then the dark clouds appeared. Hmm. Cardboard + sound gear + moisture + heat + no air circulation = a moldy nightmare.

So... we undid our prepacking and like crazy people did a mad dash with all the boxes into garages. The skies opened up. Solid, fat rain drops. Talk about team-bonding. It was awesome. Seriously. We were all-in. Men, women, and children picking up whatever we could. The truck arrived an hour later.

When it was time to load-in, we packed the container in 1:30:00. Not bad. Not bad at all. So for the next two weeks, it's air mattresses, paper plates, and time with family and friends. Even as I type, the boys are sitting in their mini-lawn chairs watching Noggin. Sometimes, furniture is overrated.

kinda like an hgtv show

So, when you are moving across the world, sometimes pictures don't do justice. Therefore, a good taped out version of what could be is helpful... I think the "pros" call this staging a room. I call it a couple mosquito bites and peace of mind for my wife.

art class and spears.

After art class was finished, they ran like crazy people outside.

Then they made spears out of tree branches.

i see boxes... everywhere.

happy birthday caleb!

This morning, we had a special pancake breakfast.

not crazy.

Sometimes, the only way to know you are not crazy, might actually be to do something that some might say is crazy. Tonight, I sat and listened to a woman share from the past two decades of her life spent on behalf of others in a foreign country.

She had instant credibility. Who she was and how she has chosen to live could not have been more providential for those on our team to experience tonight. To honor her work, there is not much more I can say in this format, other than she has made much of Jesus with her life. Talk about crazy -- she said the very things most difficult about serving in that foreign context were the very things she most needed. What most aggravated her or disappointed her, or left her broken-hearted, were the tools wielded to soften her heart towards Him.

Three generations ago, April's aunt served as a missionary in China. From reading her journals, we can see a genuine, respect filled love for people in her life. She adopted a girl being sold on the streets and worked for the good of the people there for the remainder of her life. She was humble and made herself available to care for others. Before she died in China, she received treatment at a university hospital that would later relocate to HK.

The crazy thing? Our soon-to-be-home in HK, looks across the water at that university. What a great reminder of God's providence and faithfulness.