Wednesday, July 11, 2007
MISSION TO CHINA
This blog is dedicated to posts to stay in contact with Pastor Clint & Bonnie during their mission to China from July 27 - August 12.
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Our trip to China begins on July 23 as we travel first to Idaho to leave our beloved children with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. We know they'll have a great time there.
On July 26 we depart Boise, Idaho and fly to San Francisco. After a 6 hour layover, we fly from San Francisco at 1:20 a.m. July 27 and land in Hong Kong at 6:25 a.m. July 28. In other words, we'll lose an entire day.
Pray we get sleep during this red eye flight because we'll need a good start to our mission trip.
Please let us know you're praying for us. We'd love to hear from you. Hopefully I'll be able to update this blog frequently in China.
God go with you both. May this be a both a mission and a well-deserved vacation. Eccleastes 2:24 is for you: A man can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in his work.....Candy
We depart from Boise today. The kids are safe and sound with grandparents and they will have a great time with cousins for the next two weeks.
We fly from Boise to San Francisco at 6:50 p.m. Our PLI Mission team will be arriving from all over the US to join us in San Francisco (Florida, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Texas). After a 6 hour layover we will depart San Francisco at 1:20 a.m. July 27. We should arrive in Hong Kong by 6:30 a.m. July 28. Pray we get some sleep.
Saturday, July 28 - 9:00 a.m.
Our whole group arrived safely in San Francisco (Clint & Bonnie Lutz, Wade & Lisa Meyer, Charlie & Sharon Miller, Dave & Jill Albers, and Rita Wagner). The Millers had a challenge getting to SFO out of Houston since a dog was running free on the Houston runway. After closed runways and a long delay, they got rerouted to Oakland and then had to catch a shuttle to San Francisco. They literally made it on our flight to Hong Kong minutes before takeoff. Praise God.
The flight was almost 14 hours long. Clint and Bonnie slept the first 11 hours of the flight (God bless sleeping pills). Charlie and Sharon watched movies the whole time.
We arrived safely in Hong Kong at 6:00 a.m. Hong Kong time. Hong Kong is exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Time Zone. After passing through customs, we were greeted by Ed Strohschein, our LCMS Hong Kong Missionary host.
At 8 a.m. it's already 85 degrees and very humid.
First impressions are it's a very large and very modern city.
Hong Kong is comprised of 3 regions: Kong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories.
Our first day here will be comprised of checking into our hotel rooms, adjusting to the new time zone, and some sight seeing.
No one seems to have jet lag because of the excitement and energy of being here. We can't wait to get started. There's a lot of anticipation about getting to our mission sites and sharing the good news we've prepared to bring.
I'm so glad all went well with the flight and that you got to sleep! Sometimes the excitement keeps that at bay. Bonnie.... Kyle, Melinda and I thought of you today as we were eating the best Chocolate Cake (notice it's in caps) on earth today at the Hoffman House in Geyserville. Our treat when you return. I pray for God's hedge of protection around all of you.
Liz
Bonnie/Clint,
It is Friday evening here. Weather is cool and pleasant. Rick and I have to comment on how well the JWAR sessions have gone this week. We participated in a session with Andy this week- incredible stuff. We are all recognizing that we need to move from our cocoons of safety be open and receptive to our next steps in this process.
Keep sharing your travel details with us. We miss you already.
Pastor and Bonnie,
Thanks for sharing your flight details. Glad you had sleeping pills (ambien?). I've only used them on flights and they haven't worked for 11 hours!!! I imagine you were tired from your time in Boise. Praise God the Houston folks made the plane. What a hassle. We had 12 again at our JWAR group here on Wed. night. We miss you and pray for you daily,
Candy and Leroy
Hi you Lutzes, ( I almost said Clutzes, my apologies)
We do miss you both, but we're muddling through. Rev. Matthew had a thought provoking message today as we focus on the JWAR series. It was about Gods story and our story. He encouraged writing down our story so that it becomes natural when we are presented with the opportunity to share Christ.....so it becomes our story about how Christ has and is working in our lives.
Those of us in the sales world have our "30 second infomercial" about what we so for a living. Why not have a quick testamonial that about Christs work in our lives that we've written down and practiced? It's something to build on as the Spirit moves us in each situation.
Be safe and God Bless you all.
Liz
Hi Pastor and Bonnie,
I'm glad to hear your flight over was uneventful. I'm eager to hear how you are received by the China mainlanders. Keep us posted...we'll hold the fort down for you.
Ken
Sunday, July 29 - Day 2
Today I woke up at 5:30 a.m. since my personal time clock is still not fully adjusted to Hong Kong time. So I threw on my running shorts and shoes and went for a jog. I was fortunate to find Kowloon Tsai Park – a massive outdoor fitness park with a track and field, soccer fields, tennis courts, swimming pools, exercise machines, and on and on. There were hundreds of people there early in the morning – obviously morning is the coolest and really the only time a person can workout outside.
At 8:00 a.m. we boarded our bus to go to the Church of All Nations – the partner church of Hong Kong International School. The Church of All Nations is an LCMS congregation served by Pastor Dale Koehneke. Summer attendance is extremely low as 60% of the congregation takes vacations to the U.S. and other places during the summer. It was a traditional Lutheran service.
Before church we listened to a presentation on Hong Kong International School. What an amazing school this is. HKIS has almost 2600 students in Kindergarten through High School. It came into existence 40 years ago when China kicked Christian missionaries out of China. When that happened, missionaries planted HKIS in Hong Kong. HKIS is comprised of about 50% Christian students. It’s also about 50% U.S. students. Tuition begins at $17,000 a year. There are two campuses to HKIS dividing the primary school from the middle and secondary school. Their presentation focused on the mission and service HKIS provides to China. HKIS is a very mission and service oriented school. Each year groups of students and teachers go to places like China, Cambodia and Viet Nam where they share the love of Jesus with the entry points of Health, Education, and Welfare.
After church we drove to the HKIS middle school and high school campus. Since land is so valuable here in HK the school is literally a multi-story building (six stories in most places) built on the hills. Bonnie is ready to take a teaching position at HKIS so our children can have a world class education for free. She’s going to have to like Chinese food more, however.
After the tour of HKIS we went to “the Peak.” From “the Peak” you can see almost 360 degrees around the island of Hong Kong. It’s a beautiful place about 1500 feet above sea level with a shopping mall on top of it.
Then we went to Stanley Market where there were hundreds of outdoor shops in every nook and cranny on the streets. Prices in Hong Kong are about the same as the US so shopping consists mostly of sightseeing.
Today was the final day of adjusting to Hong Kong time and sight seeing. Tomorrow the work begins.
Monday, July 30 – Day 03
Today we traveled to the center of Kowloon to Lui Cheung Kwong Lutheran College. This college is actually a high school in American terms. Although school is out for the summer, hundreds of kids came to the school for the opportunity to interact with Americans. Our entry point is English. At a very young age, these children begin learning English and as high school students are very fluent in English and love the opportunity to practice.
We met in the auditorium where we were greeted by a formal welcome by the students and with a beautiful gift from the staff.
After the greeting, we broke up into 5 groups and the children rotated from one classroom to another to meet with us. Clint and Bonnie led the singing of silly American camp fire songs. Dave & Jill taught the story of the Good Samaritan. Wade & Lisa gave all the children the Colors of the Faith Bear that our churches purchased with VBS offerings and they taught them the gospel with it and a new song written by his DCE in Minnesota. Charlie & Sharon played games. Rita showed our PowerPoint presentation of slides all our families, homes, churches, and towns.
This was a very exhausting day. I played guitar and sang for 4 hours with different groups as Bonnie jumped up and down and taught all the fun hand motions. We had a needed break for lunch and the high school kids took us to one of their favorite Chinese restaurants. We had Dim Sum and lots of other great dishes. I was proud of Bonnie; she tried everything even though she was pretty sure she wouldn’t like it. Since it was high school kids who took us out to eat, we offered to pay for the meal but they insisted and taught us it was the custom and a great honor for the host to pay for the food.
Bonnie and I worked with a high school teacher named Christina (everyone has an English name in addition to their Chinese name). Most memorable for me was her energy and love of Jesus. After the day was over, she expressed that her Christian church travels to mainland China each year to share the gospel. Every year they teach kids to sing songs about Jesus. She was very excited about all the new songs we taught her. When I offered to give her my music she was very grateful. What a wonderful thought to know that the love of Jesus that we taught people in songs here in Hong Kong will continue to go out and spread throughout China. God’s Word never returns void.
After the day was over, we exchanged email addresses with our high school helpers whom we had spent the whole day with.
Again, the high school youth took us out to eat for dinner at a great local favorite. The restaurant looked like a very upscale restaurant in a nice shopping center. The kids explained that this was a favorite restaurant of locals because it was clean with really great food but a cheap price. Both at lunch and dinner and the walks to and from the school the kids asked us hundreds of questions about us and American customs and we in turn asked them questions. We explained the biggest difference we observed between Hong Kong and America was the density of living. With 7 million people living on this island you just have no idea how people literally are stacked on top of one another. There are only a few homes on the whole island for the extremely rich. For example, a home would be worth more than 50 million dollars here. Therefore everyone lives in high rise apartments. Businesses, restaurants, shopping centers and the like all open early and close late to service the vast population. The kids talked about how impossible it is to be alone in a quiet place. It just doesn’t exist. Everywhere you go you are very close to people. This gave new meaning to the song I taught them “In the Secret.” In the secret, in the quiet place; in the stillness you are there. In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait only for you, because I want to know you more… The solitude and peace we have in the US is a wonderful gift. However, we shared how they can find this peace in Jesus too.
My favorite parts of the day were the opportunities to share the gospel with each group of kids when we taught them the songs “Jesus Loves Me,” “Romans 16:19,” and “Big House.” For example, there’s no such thing as a “Big House” here. The average home/apartment is about 900 square feet with 4 or more people. So in the song “Big House” I shared from John 14 that in heaven our Father has a house for us where Jesus is preparing a place for us. There’s no greater riches than a big house here in HK and spiritually speaking, there’s no greater riches than to have faith in Christ and have him prepare a place for us.
Tuesday, July 31 - Day 4
Today was our second day at Lui Cheung Kwong Lutheran College in Kowloon. Today we spent the morning hours with one group of about 20 junior high kids. Our objective was to prepare a presentation for Wednesday’s closing ceremony. Bonnie and I wrote a funny modern version of the Parable of the Good Samaritan and taught the kids how to act out the skit. In the skit, Bonnie and I do all the narrating as two street reporters on the streets of Hong Kong where we observe a young man who is mobbed by a group of thugs and left to die. First a priest walks by, then a teacher, but neither stop to help the poor, beat up man. Finally a tourist walks by and helps the man, puts him in a taxi, and pays for a hotel room until he is better again. The kids really enjoyed the skit and making lots of props and signs. We also taught the kids a song to sing the song we sing in church “Love the Lord” at the presentation as well.
In the afternoon we were taken to lunch by high school youth. They are most eager to visit with us each day and practice their English and learn more about Americans. After another wonderful Chinese lunch, they took us on a tour of downtown Hong Kong. It was quite an adventure riding buses, trams, and mass transit railways to get around. Only the extremely rich can drive in Hong Kong. Parking alone would cost $1000 a month. Therefore it has one of the best public transportation systems in the world. What’s most remarkable from an American perspective is how clean and safe the public transit systems are.
In the evening we ate dirty noodles and walked and walked and walked. After a long day and hundreds of photos with our new friends, we exchanged email addresses, and rode the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) back to our hotel.
We have been overwhelmed by the hospitality and friendship of our Chinese friends in Hong Kong. They are eager to learn about us and it’s especially wonderful to talk about God’s love for us through his son, Jesus Christ. On the final walk home tonight, an 18 year old boy named Jonas was asking me questions about why we would come all the way to Hong Kong just to teach about Jesus. In Jonas’ own words, he is not a Christian yet, but is considering it very seriously. It was that JWAR moment where the Holy Spirit was tugging on my heart to share with him the gospel of Jesus. I know many great seeds were planted in his heart today!
What a joy to hear how God is moving in your hearts for the people of China. What a joy to hear the eagerness they have to get to know you. God is opening doors for some "Big Kingdom" stuff to happen there. I pray that He speaks so clear to you both as you share God's incredible story with them. I stand in awe of our great Creator and King. Blessing to you both my friends.
Dear Clint and Bonnie:
Glad to hear everything is going well and exceeding your expectations. Your honest hearts will shine through any language barriers.
Hopefully we are all (back here at GSLC) being transformed by the JWAR series and you won't even recognize the congregation when you return! You can show us your slides and we can tell you our
100-word-or-less stories!
Love from Jennifer
How is Wade and Lisa Meyer getting along?
George Brandon
Dallas, Texas
When is the next update?
Hey guys! Sounds like you are having a mountain top expierence! You are in our prayers for safety and productivity. Can't wait to hear the stories. Keep running Clint!! Was that a one time event?
So any updates???
Laura
Wednesday, August 1 – Day 5
Today was our final day at Lui Cheung Kwong Lutheran College. Yesterday we were organized into seven different groups with about 20 junior high youth and 3 high school youth in each group. Today was the day to show off our work before the whole school and many of the children’s parents as well. Bonnie and I worked hard on a modern version of the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Hong Kong. I was very proud of how well our kids did, especially their singing. Each group was judged by two of the teachers from the school. Bonnie and I didn’t win, but the group that did win deserved it as their presentation was wonderful. The best part of it was each group’s presentation gave a gospel presentation by the kids for the kids and their parents. After the awards were handed out, we were presented with more gifts and thank you’s. We considered our time at this school a wonderful success and we believe it opens the doors for future teams of people who would desire to travel to Hong Kong and work within this school. It’s a great opportunity.
Before we could finish our finger food buffet luncheon, we met Pastor Albert who would lead us to our next mission site. He was a pastor at a school the government was going to close because of declining test scores. However, Lutherans were given the opportunity to run the school (with government funding) as a Christian school. In only one year the school completely turned around and has become a success story in the community. Test scores are way up. There’s a waiting list now to get in the school. And the government is paying for thousands of dollars to renovate the school with air conditioning and all kinds of modern upgrades. In a country where we as Americans think the communist government is so anti-Christian, it’s ironic that there’s more Christian liberty in the schools of China than in America.
At this new school we worked with only 30 kids, but this provided us a chance to get closer to individual kids. Most amazing was the energy of Pastor Albert. He was so on fire for the Lord. He taught us a couple of songs in Chinese that we sang with the kids. Then we taught them some of our songs. It was a great time. The kids also shared with us the story of the lost sheep and the good shepherd. It was well done and it was wonderful to see how they were learning bible stories in their school. We then shared our Colors of Faith Bears with them. The kids loved their gifts and Wade did a great job sharing the gospel as we gave them to them. Each kid was given two bears, one to keep and one to give to someone else as they share the faith with their friends. Finally, we broke up into small groups as the kids taught each of us how to write our names in Chinese. I also learned how to write the phrase “God Is Love.” Our time ended with more gift giving. We all received wonderful gifts that Pastor Albert had gone to great lengths to make for each of us. They are scrolls that say our name and God Is Love in Chinese. They are very beautiful and I’ll hang mine on my wall in my office.
It had been a long 3 days of teaching hundreds of kids so we were glad to head back to our LCMS headquarters at the end of the long day. Ed greeted us with pizza and it was wonderful to have an American meal again. Our group was bouncing off the walls with energy sharing all our stories with one another. It’s hard to say who was blessed more, the kids or us. That’s the blessing of doing the Lord’s work.
Tuesday, August 14
There's a big gap between our last post and this post because blogs are blocked in mainland China. I also have to re-write some of my journal entries because we don't want to endanger any of the missionaries in mainland China with detail that could expose them. I'll post our happenings as soon as possible, but for now I just wanted to write and let everyone know that after a long day of traveling (25 hours of flights and layovers) we are finally back in the U.S. We arrived in Boise, ID on Sunday evening and it was wonderful to be greeted by our children and my sister, Majorie. Now after a day of trying to adjust to a new timezone, we'll begin the long drive back to Californing tomorrow morning. The kids will actually miss the first day of school but we were just too tired to try to make the drive any sooner. We miss our home, our own beds, and especially the people of Good Shepherd. We'll be home soon! Love you all.
More blogs of missing days coming soon!
Welcome home to ALL the Lutzes, You were so missed. We are grateful to God to have you in our midst (and in the USA!)
Candy and Leroy
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