Two months ago we moved into a flat two buildings away from where we were living. Unfortunately we lost our wonderful view of the park below us and the Marina beyond that. The picture above was taken looking to the left out our living area window. We were never able to see the skyline of Hong Kong from our old flat, so this is something we can enjoy.
This is our pedominant view out the window looking straight-on. We have put a large plant in the center of our window seat, so we at least look through some green at the other buildings.
The day before I was to visit Retta in the hospital with Maddie Rae, who was having her second surgery to repair her pallet, Retta asked if I thought I could find someone needing to get rid of a stroller because she had met a lady who was here in China from the States volunteering at a foster home in Beijing and had brought a baby down who needed surgery and could use a stroller. Thankfully, I was able to locate one very quickly just by letting the preschool next to the church know about the need. Within five minutes, the call came through they had one for us. When I brought it in, Annette, the lady in the picture above, was so thrilled. She is a pediatric intensive care nurse in Nashville and had donated five weeks of time to the foster home in Beijing. She had been in the hospital with this sweet little boy for a week!! She was on her own and both Retta and I could not imagine the patience and perserverance needed to take care of these children going through various needed medical treatments. When I asked if she would like a Subway sandwich (thank you, Lorne!) she did not hesitate to accept the offer, because she had been eating the hospital food and was desperate for a change. I asked her if they had a contact in Hong Kong and was so surprised when she told me they did not, so I told her that if they ever have a need, whether it be for a necessity, such as the stroller, or just a cup of coffee from Starbuck's, because most of the time they take the babies to this hospital, which is Seventh Day Adventist and there is not a drop of caffeine to be had there, to please let me know. The link to the foster home she volunteered her time at is:
http://www.hopefosterhome.com/. Check it out and I think you will be impressed with the incredible ministry they have there. I certainly hope we will be able to meet some of their needs here in Hong Kong in the future.
After our return from Huazhou, through the Huazhou Parents Yahoo group, I contacted a mom from the LA area, who I knew was coming to China soon to adopt her baby, who was also from the Huazhou Orphanage. The extra-special surprise was that Karen and her husband (who did not come to China, but stayed back with their two teenage children) attend a large Evangelical Free church. She was excited because they really wanted to find a place to worship while they were in Hong Kong. The morning after they arrived, they came to Discovery Bay to church and then we were able to spend some extra time at lunch afterwards. Karen, sitting next to Retta, was accompanied on her adoption journey by her mom, sitting next to Nadine, and her friend Destiney, sitting next to Retta. Destiney, who lives in Germany with her husband, who is an army chaplain, and their children, was also able to participate in our worship service through her beautiful voice. We enjoyed sharing our trip to Huazhou through our pictures and we are hoping to be able to work together through our two churches to raise the funds necessary for the playroom and playground.
Our church assisted in sponsoring a scavenger hunt for middle-school-aged kids and older a couple weeks ago here in Discovery Bay. The first prize donated was a helicopter ride over Hong Kong and neighboring islands - of course Lantau, our island, being one of them. The owner of the helicopter thought it would be a good idea if a few people could take the trip before the kids took it, so Brad, along with Jon, Retta's husband, and our youth coordinator at church and her husband, went on the "maiden" voyage, so to speak. Since Ellen found out what the first prize was, she talked non-stop about how she wanted to win so she could ride in the helicopter. She went to work on putting her "dream team" together, as the teams consisted of four people. It must have worked, because Ellen's team was one that came in first place and so on the 14th she will be taking the trip around Hong Kong. We'll dedicate a whole blog posting to that trip - I only wish I could tag along too. P.S. - do you see the black cow behind the helicopter? They landed near a private beach on Lantau where they spotted the local wildlife.
Our trip out allowed us to meet up with Karen and Doug and their beautiful daughter, Becky, when we made a stopover in Los Angeles. They took us to a lovely restaurant in Marina Del Ray and it was so nice to see a bit of this area and spend time with them.
It has been very relaxing sitting out on my dad's patio and having this for a view. . . to make it perfect, of course, all that is needed is a few cows and horses.
Zoe asked how long cars last as we were taking a little spin in our convertible. When I told her we planned on keeping this vehicle, she let out a very happy cheer!
Sitting with my sister on their deck and enjoying family time again.
Our trip out allowed us to meet up with Karen and Doug and their beautiful daughter, Becky, when we made a stopover in Los Angeles. They took us to a lovely restaurant in Marina Del Ray and it was so nice to see a bit of this area and spend time with them.
It has been very relaxing sitting out on my dad's patio and having this for a view. . . to make it perfect, of course, all that is needed is a few cows and horses.
Zoe asked how long cars last as we were taking a little spin in our convertible. When I told her we planned on keeping this vehicle, she let out a very happy cheer!
Sitting with my sister on their deck and enjoying family time again.
