One night in Hong Kong.....

So we landed in Hong Kong safely and will be staying here one night. We get to check in to our hotel, eat then explore! Not all of us went exploring cause some of us wanted a nice shower and bath for the first time in 2 weeks, others just wanted to rest on a bed with a mattress and not an inch thick mat. But those of us that did go exploring will not forget how worth it it was to go see the amazing skyline of the city of Hong Kong and the sights we saw on the way. We are only 3 hours from Cebu by air but yet t seems like a planet away.....

riding the train from the airport to downtown...

Good thing they speak a lot of english here and just about everything is translated so we can figure our way around the subway...

This nifty little contraption shows our progress towards each stop in the train. We actually stayed in Kowloon, which is the mainland section of Hong Kong overlooking the island of Hong Kong, which was the last stop. 

walking through the trains station it was evident we were now in a first world city. That's my fellow christian brother and world player of the year (2007) Kaka(that's in soccer for those of you not familiar!). :) 

We decided to walk our way from the train station to the hotel. We thought it was a bit closer than it ended up being but the walk was awesome to be able to see and experience the streets of hong kong. 

Newspaper and Magazine stand in Kowloon. 

They have some mega cool phones. Technology in Asia (specially Japan and China) is further ahead than the US. Most of these phones can play live TV and have the latest and greatest gadgets in them. Coming soon to america.....

duck anyone? 

Our hotel..wait till you see the view.....

First the inside view of our suite! We got the upgrade! :) That's me watching soccer! YESSSS! Finally a country that loves it's soccer! :) 

THey drive on the left hand side of streets here and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of cars. Very interesting to see....

Billboards....

around the district we were in Kowloon there is lots of shopping and it's very fast paced...very New York Cityesque....

Could be times square eh?

Dave took us to his favorite place to shop. He has been going to this guy every time he comes to hong kong. THe salesman is this funny guy who has a twitch and makes these funny faces as he tries to tell you his stuff is amazing and good price! See Dave and his negotiating skills here...

I love the city lights at night....

My man Bruce Lee is revered here and he has this sweet statue right on the Avenue of stars overlooking the skyline.

A close up of the skyline of Hong Kong Island. 

A full view of the skyline. One of the best I've seen! 

Walking back we ran into all sorts of 5th avenue like stores...

It's about $7 Hong Kong dollars to $1 US dollar. So that makes these dishes about 2-3 US dollars. Too bad I can't read any of them...

Before I went to bed I looked outside my window and thanked God for how good he is to me....

Philippines Day 13...Final Day..

This morning was our last few hours here in this community. For some of us it may be the last time we ever come here. For others it may be only one of many. Regardless, the people here have left a deep and lasting impression on our hearts. Their hospitality, love and care for us has been astounding. 

We often go on these trips thinking we have something big to give and usually end up leaving knowing we were the ones who received so much more than anything we could ever give. However I do believe that the people here feel like they received so much from us and so I'm realizing it becomes an amazing interchange of cultures, lives and love that happens. I'm excited and looking forward to the next one already! 

Yesterday as the students went around all the homes we told them that we would be doing family portraits in the morning. We weren't sure how many people would show up but a lot of them did. The following photos are probably my favorites from the whole trip. I am captivated by their eyes, their look, their glances, their faces, they reveal very little but say so much about the depth of life they have each lived. Full families, single dads, single moms, just kids. They all have dreams, hope and a future. It's hard to look away....