Water into Wine

Now that I have recuperated from last week's illness I am ready to jump back into work--and blogging! The last few months have been lacking in posts so I'm going to try and get more up.

Since the Taize service last week I have been thinking about the miracle of changing water into wine. The reading was the wedding at Cana, during which a reluctant Jesus tells some servants to fill some jugs with water, and then when they fill their flasks it turns into a delicious wine.
                                                       
During Father Nigel's sermon he talked about changing our lives, changing them from 'water into wine', and this resonated with me.

It's no secret I am interested in All Things Churchy, so I like knowing random things (like the names for   things in the sacristy--and where a 'sacristy' is)... a couple of years ago on

a young adult retreat we had an Instructed Eucharist. We held a service (in a gazebo in Sewanee in the fall, you can imagine how gorgeous it      was) and Father Polk went through the Eucharist and explained it to us--i.e. why he does or says certain things. One of the things he told us was that the reason he pours a little bit of water into the consecrated wine   was that the water represents the people, humanity, dwelling with the divine. It is representative of Christ,   who was both human and divine. To me this was a powerful image. (there are several theologians who go more into detail about this, and I will direct you to St. Cyprian, St. Thomas Aquinas, and the Council of Trent.)

Fast forward to last week and Father Nigel's message about changing our lives from water into wine. Pouring out our humanity and being filled with the divine. Letting go of our egos, our grudges, our human weaknesses, so that we can embrace compassion, forgiveness, and our fellow human beings. I probably won't be able to empty myself of all of my humanness--not by myself anyway. I might be more water than wine sometimes. But in striving to be like Christ-- water and wine--I will hopefully be just as sweet.

Go, eat your food with gladness, and drink your wine with a joyful heart, for God has already approved what you do. (Ecc. 9:7)

Grace and Peace,
Kathleen

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Happy Year of the Water Dragon!

The last week has been full of Chinese New Year activities. This year is a Dragon year so there are dragon decorations all over the place. I have learned a lot about Chinese customs for the new year as well.

One of my friends told me that on Chinese New Year's Eve it is traditional to clean your entire house top to bottom so that no "bad luck" follows you into the new year. Well, my place needed a good scrubbing anyway so I spent time over the weekend sweeping, mopping, scrubbing, and re-arranging my apartment. Since my place isn't that big it didn't really take me that long.

Sunday evening I went to the Taize service at St. John's. I love Taize, the YAMs back home have been doing a couple services a year and I always looked forward to it. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that several of the chants in the service were ones that we had used. Father Nigel gave a great little homily too (the reading was the wedding at Cana, and Jesus turning water into wine.. much food for thought!), and I left feeling centered and positive.

Me & Kyle in Tai Po

Monday evening I went over to a friend's house to have dinner and say goodbye to another friend of ours who is returning to the States. It was sad to say goodbye but we enjoyed a few hours together before loading her up on the bus and chasing after it to wave at her.

The Wishing Tree

The next day we all went up to Lam Tsuen to The Wishing Tree to visit some friends who live nearby and to throw wishes at the tree. You can't actually throw your wishes onto the wishing tree anymore due to an accident that occurred a few years ago (a branch fell and hit two people...) but they have fake ones set up nearby. Mine stuck on the first throw! Yippee!!

Hong Kong's Famous CNY Fireworks

In the evening we headed back to Tsim Sha Tsui to the home of Rev. Catherine and her husband to watch the fireworks from their apartment. Hong Kong's Chinese New Year Fireworks are famous world-wide, and after a good 30 minute show I understand why. It was good to hang out with some of the Cathedral clergy and other folks from St. John's.

My Fellow Hikers

Rev. David invited me to go on a hike with some other folks on Wednesday, so even though it was kinda cold and rainy I suited up in as many layers as I could manage and headed down to the pier. There were five of us all together and they were much better suited for a cold rainy hike than me--mainly, waterproof jackets... We rode the ferry to Lantau Island and took a bus to Pui O where we then got out and walked along one of several trails. After about an hour or so of a soggy hike we stopped for lunch near an abandoned prison. Rev. David's wife had brought along some delicious hot soup which she shared (although the rain kept spattering the soup!). Since my feet were getting soaked and she was also getting cold and wet, we decided to head back and wait for the others in Mui Wo. We warmed up in a cozy little place with hot toddies and when the others met up we took the ferry back to Central.

mmm soup! it was so good

 

Cloudy Lantau

On the trail

cold and wet on lantau

It may not have been the greatest idea to hike in cold rainy weather but it was fun and I had good company. But, sadly, now I am dealing with a resurgence of tonsillitis and have spent the last couple of days at home snuggled in blankets. I saw the doctor yesterday and she prescribed some medicines for me (thankfully I got this one early so it wasn't as bad as when I had it last fall). Hopefully I will be back on my feet tomorrow. Your prayers are appreciated!!


Next week: preparations for the next Give Care day on Sunday and a visit from Peter Ng! Looking forward to both events :D

Grace and Peace,
Kathleen

Planning

Plans are underway for upcoming events in the next few months! We have had staff meetings about things that will be going on as well as data gathering from last year. I will be putting together a booklet that will give details on the number and types of cases that the Mission handled last year. 

The next Give Care to Our Caregivers event will be Feb 5 at St. John's. It is only going to be a half day this time due to space and time constraints, but it is still going to be an amazing event. I will be putting my cosmetics experience to use (before I came here I worked at a skin care/make up counter in a department store) at a make-over booth. I am so excited! One of the best parts of that job was giving women a boost of self confidence and helping them feel great and I am excited to do it for such a great community of people.

The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church, Katherine Jefferts-Schori, will be visiting in late February and I am very much looking forward to meeting her. I met her once when she came to the Diocese of Tennessee and I really enjoyed her sermon. I don't know what all she plans to do while she is here but I hope I get to spend some time with her! Accompanying her will be my "bosses", David and Peter. I haven't seen David since the orientation in June so I am also excited to spend some time with him. 

The Mission's 31st anniversary happens in March and there will be several events going on that day. We are partnering with the Equal Opportunities Commission on some events about the Sexual Discrimination Ordinance. 

Life is busy--mostly compiling data from the database and tweaking the new database that I created--but wonderful. I'm so thankful to be here and ready to tackle the next six months. My friends who went home for the holidays are back in town and we have lots of things planned to do together. Time is passing so quickly!! Thanks to everyone who has helped to make this experience possible.

Grace and Peace,

Kathleen

Akemashite Omedetto Gozaimasu!!!

 After a crazy, crazy trip to Japan visiting fellow YASCers Katie and Nicole, I am back in Hong Kong!

Some highlights of the trip:
1. Spending time with Katie and Nicole!
2. New Year's in Nagoya -- we went to a Buddhist temple where they rang the bell 108 times and we got little fortunes for the new year.
3. New Year's Day traditional food with one of Katie's friends
4. All those crazy train rides where we got lost, went in the wrong direction, got on the wrong train, left a backpack (she got it back eventually!), talked to Japanese people, watched movies, or conked out.
5. Genbaku Dome and Peace Museum in Hiroshima
6. Free upgrade at the hostel in Hiroshima to a private 3-person room with tatami and futons!
7. The Floating Torii Gates at Miyajima
8. OKONOMIYAKIIIIII! oishii :D
9. Golden Pavilion (Kinkakuji) in Kyoto
10. Ryoanji Temple in Kyoto (they have a famous rock garden)
11. GION! And the fake geisha that let me take a picture with her... It's been a dream of mine to visit Kyoto/Gion since I was 14.
12. Meeting a couple of Katie's friends who let us hitch a ride with them back to Nagoya
13. Getting stuck in a snowstorm on the drive back to Nagoya--3 hour trip took 6 hours!! But we passed the time with English lessons and naps.
14. All the laughs we shared despite the frustrating situations we encountered
15. Meeting a guy on the plane who, turns out, knew one of my clients!!

and now, some photos! back to work here in HK and lots going on this month. Stay tuned for more posts this month! <3 Kathleen

Nagoya

Three Amigos

Soba Noodles!

New Year's Day Traditional Food

SNOW!!!

Okonomiyaki! 

Genbaku Domb in Hiroshima

Torii Gates at Miyajima

Kinkakuji - Golden Pavilion in Kyoto

Nicole & Kinkakuji

Buddha Statue at Ryoanji

famous rock garden

you have to attain enlightenment to see all 15 rocks

Gion!

Okiya in Gion

Merry Christmas / Happy New Year!

Glory to God in the highest and peace to all people on earth!

Apologies for the sparse updates this month. It has certainly been a busy one!

Midnight Mass Servers

Let me be quite honest here: It was hard being away from family and friends this time of year. As excited as I was to celebrate the joy of Christ's coming into the world with my dear friends here, I missed being home. I missed my parents and my brothers and my friends. I missed St. Paul's! I let myself slip into a bit of a funk and found it hard to enter into worship with a happy heart. Midnight Mass is one of my favorite services; it feels so full of love and mysterious wonder. The Cathedral was packed and extra seating was set up in the garden and in one of the indoor halls and people were still standing!

Me and Darcy

I met up with a friend of mine from the Cathedral for dinner before the service. She was so gracious and we had a great dinner together. I enjoyed spending time with her and our conversations.

After the service was over I sprinted home (thank goodness the subways were open late--the service didn't end til 1am!) so I could skype with my family. It really lifted my spirits, although it was hard not to feel a little sad that I wasn't there in person. My nieces and nephew had already opened the presents I sent them (they are still learning "patience"... come to think of it, so am I) and I opened a few I had been saving for when we skyped. The best part, though, was just talking with my brother and his fiancee, my mother and father, my sister in law, and my nieces and nephew. That time was precious! 

practicing for the competition

Christmas Day I pulled myself together and headed down to Chater Road for the UNIFIL Migrant's Christmas Party. There was a caroling competition, dancing, a counseling booth from the Mission, and lots and LOTS of people! My friend Mark met me down there and we headed to The Flying Pan--I was CRAVING a Western style breakfast--eggs, bacon, toast, grits (!!), and some fresh fruit. Oh, and coffee! It was amazing.

After that we headed up to Sham Shui Po to the apartment of a friend of his for a little Christmas party. We played games (Hong Kong Monopoly and Pictionary) and generally had a blast. By the end of the day I had been lifted out of my funk by the kindness and love I experienced through my friends here. It was definitely the most International Christmas I have ever experienced! I celebrated with brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the world. It made the immensity and inclusiveness of the Body of Christ all the more real to me.

Chapel at the Mariner's Club

The next day, Boxing Day, aka The Feast of St. Stephen, I went to Rev. Catherine's home at the Mariner's club for a service and lunch with other clergy members and some of their friends. Her husband, Rev. Stephen, celebrated and I served with him. The simplicity of the service after the laud and fanfare of Midnight Mass was humbling and intimate--just shows there are many ways to worship and connect to God and one another. 

A full table and full tummies!

The Christmas lunch was delicious! For dessert we had sherry trifle and the traditional English Christmas pudding. We also played several rounds of charades before ending with a cheese plate. Fellow missionary Joy and I waddled off home around 6pm, with full tummies and full hearts. What a wonderful day!

Enjoying some Christmas Pudding

As we approach Western New Year's (gotta love living in a place where, when discussing plans for New Year's, you have to specify Chinese or Western) I am thrilled to the gills to be heading to Japan to visit fellow YASCers Katie and Nicole. Nicole is serving in northern Japan at the Asian Rural Institute and Katie is in Nagoya at a youth center. I fly into Nagoya around 9pm, and then will be traveling around with them for a full week! We have plans to visit an onsen, Hiroshima, and Kyoto, and I am excited to see them both and spend time with them. 

2012 is going to be another great year! I don't really have any resolutions other than to travel as much as possible and to start my Master's degree in the fall at Belmont. The Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church will be here in February so I am hoping to see her while she is here. I have tentative plans to visit Thailand, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and hope to squeeze in a trip to Beijing as well. My work here continues to be difficult at times, but also full of redemption and reconciliation. The women I serve here are incredible, amazing people and it's hard not to stand in awe of their sacrifice, love, and strength. 

Pray for the Mission. Pray for the Migrant Workers. Pray for me.

Happy New Year!

What's Up Lately

Things are buzzing along here in Hong Kong. Lately work has been fairly busy; I have a couple of somewhat complicated cases going on that keep me on my toes. Here are some of the highlights of the last week:

SUNDAY: I attended the event of one of the Indonesian organizations. There were speeches on different issues (the participants attended a public speaking workshop by one of the AMCB members), dances (both traditional and modern... I love watching the Indonesian Horse Dance! So interesting), and a fashion show where different smaller groups had created outfits out of recyclable materials. I was one of the judges for the fashion show and it was tough! They were really created--and talented! Some of those definitely could have been from a challenge on Project Runway...

I also attended an event protesting sexual violence against women and victim blaming. Some of you may have heard about these events, called Slutwalks, that came as a response to a Toronto policeman's statement that if women didn't want to get raped they should change what they wear. (i.e., it's her fault she was raped because of how she was dressed.) There have been walks all over the world and my friend Angie organized the one here in Hong Kong. There was a media frenzy and a large group (maybe 200 people?) walked from Causeway Bay to a recreation area in Wan Chai for speeches and presentations.

MONDAY: I was off and spent most of the day at my apartment cleaning and catching up on housework. Funny how that laundry monster seems to grow and grow... I skyped with my lovely mother that evening and it was so good to catch up with her.

TUESDAY: Day at the office working on case files and meeting with clients. I took notes at a meeting in the evening of the 3rd National Consultation of Service Providers to Ethnic Minorities in HK (CSPEM-HK). Service Providers in HK (like the Catholic Centre and some of the shelters and other migrant organizations) came together to talk about ways to improve the situation for migrant workers in Hong Kong. They came up with a "wish list" of things that would make a big difference to MWs. There will be more meetings next year to advance the proposals with the appropriate government agencies and individual initiatives. Afterward I went to my friend Becca's house in Yuen Long since I had to be in Tuen Mun in the morning and she lives close to there. It was also her last night in Hong Kong! She left the next morning to go back to West Virginia for Christmas. I will miss her!! Most of my ex-pat friends are departing for home in the next few weeks.

WEDNESDAY: I met with my client in the morning at the Tuen Mun Police Station. She is out on bail at the moment while an investigation is going on (this is the client whose employer accused her of hitting the child--when really it was a light smack on the hand when the child was kicking and hitting her and trying to spit in her face). They ended up extending her bail until Sunday, so she has to report back then (drat! I can't go). They will either extend her bail again, say that they concluded the investigation and did not find sufficient evidence to charge her with anything, or say that they did find enough evidence to charge her. Really hoping for situation #2... I headed to the mission in the afternoon, and then served with Rev. Catherine at the evening 6pm service at St. John's. She is delightful! And she invited me to her flat on Boxing Day (gotta love the brits!) since we are all so busy on Christmas Day. Really looking forward to that!

TODAY: Went to a demonstration at the Philippine Consulate in honor of International Human Rights Day, which is actually Saturday but they are closed on Saturday. I went by the post office to mail my Christmas Letter (which I will also post here) and gifts for my family back home, and then in the afternoon spent time with clients working on paperwork. It was quite a full day!

TOMORROW: Another full day, with a workshop on epilepsy and first aid and keeping case files updated and the database too. My friend Kyle's birthday is this coming weekend so some friends are getting together in the evening to celebrate. I'm serving on Sunday, and next week is shaping up to be another busy week!

Thanks for tuning in! I hope you are all having a blessed advent and preparing for the joy of Christ's coming into the world.

Grace and Peace,
Kathleen

December Update

Hello Friends!

December is here and it's finally getting chilly! I had to break out my coat this evening when I went out with a friend. 56 degrees tonight! The little Christmas tree Spencer left is out on my table but that's about all the decor I've got going on. I've already received two Christmas Cards and I was thrilled to the gill! Keep 'em coming :D

I'm almost at five months here in Hong Kong and the travel bug has bitten. December 30th I am traveling to Japan to visit Katie and Nicole (fellow YASCers) for a week and I can't wait! We are tossing plans around for what sounds like a great week of fun and good times together.

I am handling six cases right now, involving accusations of child abuse and illegal terminations of contracts (i.e. fired because she found out she's pregnant, fired while on medical leave). One client's employer was also trying to convince her that they had cancelled the letter of termination that she had sent to immigration so that she would have to stay with them. So grateful for my amazing co-workers at the Mission who give me advice when I'm not sure how to proceed. I am surrounded, daily, by an incredible, dedicated, loving group of people.


Blessings to you all in this Advent season! I wrote an Advent wreath lighting liturgy focused on Mission if you are interested. (it's not too late!) Just email or comment!

Grace and Peace,
Kathleen