Out with Rachel and a friend last week and came across this building under construction. The red, white and blue with big Texas Star was a familiar site to this Texan. We can’t wait until they open!

I recently had a Ladies’ Night Out with the women I work with at Tianjin International School. My Chinese friend chose this Peking Duck restaurant which is famous because Chairman Mao actually visited this place to inspect their duck. My friend (in the middle in pink) has been frequenting this restaurant since she was a little girl and even had her wedding dinner here. We enjoyed the evening, getting to know one another better and our new leader, Vicky, (on the far left) from New Zealand.

The food…

Our appetizer……cooked duck feet in wasabi!

Today I was invited over to my friend’s house to learn to make Hainan Chicken, from her friend who is Chinese/Vietnamese. The key to having the best tasting chicken, according to my friend, is to buy a free-roaming one. I soon found out that this lady ordered from a free-roaming chicken farm, and that the birds were delivered to her house this morning ALIVE. She then killed and feathered them, to use for our meal today! Here I am with the chicken. I was amazed at the large feet.

After cleaning it thoroughly, the friend, cut off the feet, and tucked them inside the body (to give it a good flavor), she bent back the wings and placed the whole chicken inside the pot to boil. After the chicken had cooked and became tender, we removed it from the pot and let cool. Use chicken broth with equal parts rice and cook rice in an asian rice cooker. For example 4 cups rice to 4 cups chicken broth, and 1-2 tsp. salt.

Chinese use every part of the bird! The gizzards and heart were chopped and stir-fried with the green vegetable side dish. A group photo, the lady next to me is the cook. We are grating fresh ginger for the dipping sauce.

Recipe for the Sauce:

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce to serve with Chicken or eat over the rice
2 TBL freshly grated ginger with juice
2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced
1 small fresh red chili pepper, thinly sliced
2 tsp. sugar
2-3 TBL lemon
2-3 TBL Vietnamese fish sauce

Below our finished product, with some fresh cucumbers, fruit and chicken broth soup. Notice the plates of chicken, Asians simply cut the whole chicken, bones and all and place on a serving dish. Then they proceed to eat the chicken, sucking and spitting out the bones. (My contribution to the meal — in the top left hand corner — a plate of chocolate chip cookies.

TIS was invited to sponsor a booth at an Expo, this weekend. Sean, Megan and I ventured over on Saturday to support our school. However, what we had originally thought was an Expatriate Expo, turned out to be a huge event encouraging tourism in China. Large exhibit halls were filled with complex constructed, 2-story booths advertising famous Provinces throughout China. And to our BIG surprise, there was one exhibition hall filled with outdoor recreational “toys”, everything from campers, to RVs to tents, white water rafts, boats, four-wheelers, pick-up trucks, and even a small 1-seater airplane! We found our school booth located in the very back of the last exhibit hall.

Pictured below, Susan with her friends from the Admissions Office (colleague in the middle is our new Admissions Director, originally from New Zealand, she has a daughter in Jessie’s grade)

Sean and Megan with two high school TAs (teaching assistants)

Megan, ready for camping (however, where would one go in China since there are no campgrounds with plumbing, electricity, and water hook-ups?)

Megan at a booth advertising one of China’s minority groups, notice the lady’s decorative headpiece in the background.

I helped to set up our school booth the day before the Expo. Here is an exhibit in the making from the YunnanProvince, at about 4pm the day before opening day.

And Megan standing in front of the final product, all set up and ready by 8am the following morning. One thing China can do very well is mass setup and teardown.

Tonight we celebrated with our Malaysian friends’ family for her birthday. Being away from extended family can be tough when living abroad. Rachel and I were so happy to help make Sharon’s day more special by baking a 4-layer chocolate cake with buttercream filling and white chocolate espresso drizzle. (Rachel is practicing for her new cake business).  

Rachel’s delicious cake. Wondering about the interesting centerpiece? It’s a Chinese birthday candle that opens up as a flower and shoots sparkles out of the top, singing the Happy Birthday tune (like a singing card you might buy at Hallmark).  

Since 9th grade has started life has for sure been a whirlwind.  The high school fall camp was about 2 weeks ago and although my team only got 6th place out of 10 teams, we had a blast. It started with the whole high school leaving on a 6 hour bus ride to the camp site, yes the bus ride was so long and boring, but I was thankful to spend some catch-up time with Jessie. 

As of late, we have all been caught up in the whirl-wind activity of a new school year! Personally, I feel like I have jumped on a boat that I am trying in vain to steer through churning waters, (Anyone else?).  So what’s been so crazy about the beginning of this school year? – the real question is what hasn’t been crazy about the beginning of this school year?

For starters, dad, Maddie, and I had our annual Fall Camp, a high school retreat, last week!  Maddie is discovering the “joys”of a high school homework load, and I am discovering the “joys” of three AP classes.

Over in Hong Kong, Michael just returned from a church retreat which was very encouraging for him as he begins his sophomore year at Hong Kong University!

Rachel has been busy as a bee at home. She’s our “sweet little fairy,” baking delicious desserts, working in the blog room on her goals, and supporting us in school. Rachel too has been unusually busy this week; it seems that the news of her baking skills are getting around.  This week she has baked 2 layer cakes, pavlovas (tonight to satisfy me and Maddie’s meringue craving :), and biscotti. Sadly, the only above dessert we get to try is the white fluffy cookies in the oven now. The birthday cakes were made for a friend and a client!

On top of ALL of that, add the usual homework load, dentist appointments, student council work, and time spent with friends then you’ve about nailed down our lives as of late!

Me and my Fall Camp team during the campfire stew competition! ~Smokey~

The 3-layer Lego cake that Rachel baked for a boy in our community turning ten. It is a vanilla cake with multi-colored layers (red, blue and green), meringue buttercream filling, and marshmallow icing on top!

Michael’s Church retreat – seems like he had fun!

This year I led a group of 29 students into China’s interior provinces.  We experienced hiking on cliffs, white-water rafting, and strolling through an ancient town, but the most beautiful thing we saw were the affected hearts of the students. Throughout the trip, they became less and less interested in sights and outdoor activities, as they grew increasingly eager to participate in the “sharing time” we held each night at a crowded hostel. I believe the Holy Spirit worked deeply among the hearts of the students, as tears were shed and pent-up thoughts spoken.  Some highlights: 

1) One night, Rachel got the opportunity to prompt her roommate who then decided to make Jesus her Lord(!) 

2) Another student, in her own words:  ‘From 9th grade, I was cold and resistant to the things of Christ, but on this trip I saw that Jesus receives me just as I am.  Now I don’t want to resist Jesus any longer.’ 

3) After the trip, another student came to me in private and told me that he is ready to follow Jesus and had decided to start going to church with his mom that week.

So much happened at one time… it reminded me of harvest time. When planting a garden we wait and wait — watching and not seeing any progress.  But all at once the fruit [of God’s work] suddenly appears!  Obviously this season has been extremely exciting; for me to see God at work in so many students around me at the same time.  I have a growing sense that this is a ‘turning point’ and that the year ahead will reveal as many, and more instances of the Holy Spirit changing the hearts of the young people here.   I’m also sobered that ‘the Lord of the Harvest’ is always planting seed and I should be just as excited about planting them, as I am about the fruit.

“Pray you therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into His harvest.” Matt 9:38

This year has definitely been one of the most life-changing and also challenging years of my life (both spiritually and academically). 

I’m happy to be at the University of Hong Kong-and in so many ways I can see how God prepared the place for me and prepared me for the place. My studies in architecture have been exciting and have pushed me to search for innovation and creativity. Although growth in academics has been stimulating, even more powerful has been the my personal journey at HKU.

Through challenges in life away from family and academic pressure- I was really able to explore and learn about reliance on God, community and my place in His Kingdom. Displacement and change are truly a catalysts for transformation.

In the cycle of estrangement from God, repentance, rehabilitation and learning-I’ve seen God constantly chasing me and changing me. This passage from Romans has stuck with me throughout the last part of my second semester and my summer regarding my year, “we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5)

God has worked in so many ways, but I could really see him working through my church community, university fellowship, and relationships I’ve built this year. I got involved as a leader of my university fellowship and next year will serve as the administrative president of the group. Also, going to the Philippines has was another great experience where I learned so much about God, his people and his mission in this world.

Our Philippines Team. 

One of my close friends, Victoria, gets baptised.