2024 Favourite Pics

2024 Favourite Pics

Alright, it's the end of one year and the beginning of another. It's time to reflect on favourite memories from 2024. Tracy and I did a lot this year. Honestly, it's been hard for me to limit myself. There are so many pictures that I'm proud of and want to share. You will find links to blogs that go into more detail but to start off with just enjoy the pictures. I have been doing this for several years now. Feel free to check out favourite pics from 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020. A New Camera In March of this…
Watoto’s Better Days Tour

Watoto’s Better Days Tour

Watoto is back in Hong Kong. If you want to see clips from last years concerts click - Watoto Children's Choir Shares From Their Hearts. This year’s theme is "Better Days." I think lots of us are believing for better days. Tracy and I attended their first concert at St. Andrew's Primary School. You know if the people of Uganda, Africa were rich you might get away with thinking - "Of course, these kids are happy." They have all the modern conveniences a person could ask for, but that’s not true. These kids have lost their birth mothers and fathers.…
Go Home to the Country

Go Home to the Country

The average person in Hong Kong lives in less than 250 square feet of space in a crowded area. That's not much space. They prioritize convenience and that means they generally live close to an MTR station. Choosing to live further away from an MTR station means longer commute times to work, and as you know work is a huge part of life in Hong Kong. Check out - Overtime - Because You Want it. However living further away from public transport can also mean more space and a nicer environment. Unfortunately, it's rare to find a place that has…
Take Steps Towards Your Goal

Take Steps Towards Your Goal

Ever watched Rudy? It’s a film about a young man’s dream to play football at Notre Dame. Rudy’s family, his dad and his brothers love football. They watch it all the time. Rudy knows all about the ND coaches, and culture. He has immersed himself in it, so it is not unusual for him to dream of playing football for the Fighting Irish. What is extra ordinary is that he actually does. Rudy had to overcome a lot of challenges to play football at Notre Dame. From the time he was a boy his brothers and dad told him that…
Awakening the World

Awakening the World

I started teaching in China back in the Summer of 1999. I remember being told Chinese people don’t believe in God and a number of students told me that they were atheists. I just said okay. I had grown up hearing that every person has a God shaped hole in their heart that only the Lord can fill, but what could I say? It didn’t feel like there was anything I could say. Tracy and I got to go on a 6 day trip to JiuZhaiGou, China this past summer. It was amazing. Probably the icing on the cake for…
An Insiders Look at a Thai Refugee Camp

An Insiders Look at a Thai Refugee Camp

My wife and I had been hoping to go visit the Myanmar refugees in Thailand for quite some time now, but due to the political instability we didn’t know if we would be able to or not. We visited Maesot. It is one of 9 refugee camps in Thailand and it is about a 6 hour drive from Chiang Mai. Along the six hour drive there were several check points, where we were asked to stop and let officials to examine our passports. I don’t think we could have done it by ourselves. I am so glad we went. Hearing…
Buying Shrimp Without Thai

Buying Shrimp Without Thai

The alternative to connecting with others around language is body language, noises, acting, use of a smartphone and whatever else one might have at their disposal. Of course, people don’t bother going through all of this hassle unless they have a good reason. For us, my wife, friend Ting Ho and I that good reason was dried shrimp. We wanted 5KG of it. If you want to see the video of the trip chick here. We didn’t know exactly where we were going, but my Ting Ho was pretty familiar with the market and the process. He also had an…
Fake it Till You Make it?

Fake it Till You Make it?

Fake it till you make it? A few years back, I interviewed a friend Hubert. Hubert’s English is native. That makes sense. He grew up in Singapore and they speak English and Mandarin there, but that’s not all. Hubert speaks Cantonese. Yes, his family spoke it to him when he was growing up, but he didn’t use it a lot. Hubert’s Cantonese ability really took off when he moved to Hong Kong to go to university. I know that’s crazy; learning Cantonese at university because he had to. Of course, all of his subjects were in Cantonese. One of the…
Nature’s Paradise – JiuZhaiGou

Nature’s Paradise – JiuZhaiGou

JiuZhaiGou, China really is nature's paradise. We got home from our trip to Maesot and ChengMai Thailand about 1:30 am and were off the next day for a trip to JiuZhaiGou, China. This trip really exceeded our expectations. There were mountains, water, tourist attractions, minority performances, delicious food and more. Going With Friends It was a blast. Yes, we were warned about high altitude and Tracy did have to use oxygen, but everything worked out. Tracy and I met our team leader JoAnn in the airport. Immediately she showed concern for me and wanted to know if I could understand…
How We Treat Others

How We Treat Others

How we treat others says a lot about us. It's okay not to like everyone and we definitely don't have to be friends with everyone, but we should extend a certain level of respect to everyone. At school, at church, on the street, or at work we are bound to meet new people. Sometimes we will welcome those individuals other times we may not. Regardless of whether that person is an angel or a villain. We owe to ourselves, them and God to extend basic kindness. Fred's Immaturity Some weeks ago, I was at church, a man named Fred (not…