Bob's posts with tag: hong kong
 Easter Friday: Morning -Family movie with Bob, Mia and Ashley who is 6 years old: saw "Arctic Tale" followed by lunch out. Afternoon - Mia and Ashley went home and I went to the Golden Arcade in Sham Shui Po. Looking for a power converter from 120V (US) to 220V (Hong Kong). Evening: Husband and wife movie: Every Friday we have our own night, which is very much like the five years that we dated prior to our marriage in 1997. Went to see 'Charlie Wilson's War' followed by dinner out.
Easter Saturday, We stayed home all day in Tai Po and played with the kids, Ashley and Joshua (19 months old) How many times can you say "go get the ball" to a 19 month old in a one hour period?
Easter Sunday, Ashley and I went to our church in Sha Tin. Mia and Joshua stayed home. Deadly virus alert in Hong Kong for children under 5 years old and we agreed to keep Joshua at home. followed by family lunch out. Walked around "Tao Fung Shan Christian Retreat Center" famous for its large white cross that can be seen on a hill top across the city of Sha Tin. Easter Monday: Flower show on Hong Kong Island at Victoria Park. Victoria Park is transformed twice a year into a focal point for blooming flowers and costs about $2US per person to enter.
Tuesday: Tennis! The other sites:
dailyverse.multiply.com (blog this week: "Does it make sense to believe in miracles?")
tennisministry.org
This video gives you a good idea of what life is like in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year. - Note this is not Bob in the video. Import.flv (12.6 MB)
 Cold - Lowest is 6C (43F) for a record 20 days. No indoor heat in our house.
Mia - My wife; windows open 24 hours a day for fresh air. Ashley and Joshua - My kids; loving them! Chinese New Year - Everyone out for family gatherings! Watch a good video on CNY here. Tennis Class organizing - God's miraculous provision! Coffee - One cup everyday. The small pleasures of life!
 I arrived home on Tuesday, January 29th at 6am after an overnight flight from Melbourne to Hong Kong. My Monday was spent with friends that have developed in Melbourne. The temperature was a great 24C (75F) and before my midnight flight I had dinner at an outdoor cafe with my host family, The McKenzie's. This is my fourth year of staying with them and they minister to international university students from various nations by having the students stay in their home.
The last day of the tournament (Sunday) I attended the final of both mixed doubles and men's singles. I knew the teams well in the mixed doubles and spent time with both teams before, during and after the match. I did not know either player in the singles final with only the briefest of family contact with one of the players. It reminds me that I have to keep reaching out to all the new comers as the younger players arrive on the tennis tour. Read how the last week of relationship building went at the tournament on the 'The Daily Verse blog'.
Arrived home back in Hong Kong and my family is great. Thank you for all those who have been praying for my family. I saw Ashley, my six year old, getting on the school bus. Joshua, my 18 month old, kind of blinked, did not smile and then later came around wanting me to pick him up. (yes, I do call home every night where ever I am in the world, but it is not the same as face to face) Joshua has a cold and is on medication. My wife arrived home from teaching school and we opened the gifts that I had brought from Australia for my family. Fruit cakes, T-shirts, caps, the free Qantas Airline child goody bag and a tournament sponsor bag of health care products. Thank God, for family!
Previous journal entry: Face to face - Australian Open
 I was the guest of a player in a Hong Kong exhibition January 3rd, that I first met as a 15 year old junior. She went on to become the number two junior singles player and now has made the transition to the women's pro tour. The family,originally from eastern Europe, and I have known each other for sometime. I was able to spend time with four players that I know that day.
Flying out on Friday with a tour around Perth, Australia the next day, including the complex where the Hopman Cup tennis tournament had just finished (I am scouting for future trips). A really lovely city and most agreeable to my own personality, laid back. Sunday and Monday meetings with Pastor Margaret Court (read her testimony), her husband Barry and the staff of the church Victory Life Centre, that Margaret and Barry started. Four services are conducted weekly. with attendance at around 2000. The membership is very active in community outreach including a food bank that distributes 5 tons of food weekly to those in need and in addition addiction and family counseling and a Bible training school that is accredited by the Australian government. Margaret's father in law had his funeral January 4th in Perth and as a former Premier of the State, he had a National funeral. It was an interesting time to arrive and hear Barry speak on Sunday of his Father and Margaret speak on the Sir Charles Court's deep spiritual life. It is great for me to see what God can do in and through a player.
A short flight of about 5 hours over to Sydney on Tuesday. I am staying with a youth Pastor of the Anglican church and his family. Players are very supportive with access to the tournament. More than 20 players have emailed me since I left Hong Kong a few days ago in response to me sending them a personal message the week before. I will go on site from 8am to late evening for the next two days (I am scouting it out for future trips and visiting players) before I head off to the next stop on the tour, Melbourne. More later...
PS: you might want to check out the other web blog "The Daily Verse" and read my newest posting "The Vice of Gambling"
| Start: | Sep 9, '08 | | End: | Dec 31, '08 | | Location: | Hong Kong, China |
Office and Hong Kong Tennis Ministry Association
| Start: | Aug 12, '08 | | End: | Aug 17, '08 | | Location: | Hong Kong, China |
Office and Hong Kong Tennis Ministry Association
 I gave $20 Hong Kong dollars (that's $2.56 in US dollars) yesterday to an old women collecting used aluminum cans from the garbage for resale. I was surrounded by a group of Boy Scouts and families; of which my family is one, and the old women with her cart of cans in our midst was glaringly overlooked. Her response to my handing her a gift; a big smile and then it appeared that she thought I was making a mistake and tried to hand it back. Suddenly, it occurred to her that I wanted to notice her, give it to her and it was for her. She smiled and I could sense it touched her heart. It is Christmas and we are surrounded by people who really need our help. How many old soda cans do you think an old person would have to collect to have a meal? I am not sure of the answer to that question but I assume that it would take a lot. With so little of our resources, we can bless someone so much. It just takes a willing heart, attentive eyesight and a helping hand to find a need!
| Start: | Mar 4, '08 | | End: | May 20, '08 | | Location: | Hong Kong, China |
Office and Hong Kong Tennis Ministry Association
 Spent the better part of this week planning my trips up to July 1, 2008. Called and made flight reservations to three cities for tournaments in Australia (Perth, Sydney and Melbourne), covering January to February and then a short trip for me to three cities in the USA -- Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Saint Louis, Missouri and Bloomington, Illinois covering late February to March. The wisdom in traveling from my home in Hong Kong is to call the travel agent 3-4 months before looking to get the best price and maybe a confirmed seat. Seems like all is go on these trips. The most amazing part of the Europe trip in May to Paris and London is looking out the window of the Oasis Hong Kong Airlines plane and seeing the remoteness and flatness of the Gobi Desert in China rising up to meet the highest snow covered peaks in the world of the Himalayan mountain range. That is as far as I could see into the horizon for over a period of three hours. A remote and amazing world that we live in!
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