Signs everwhere, insanely tall buildings, crowded streets, people hurrying, cantonese characters, lots of lights...
drug addict ministry, prayers, guard duty, worship in different languages...
that is what Hong Kong is to me. Hong Kong was our first destination on our 80 days around the world journey. It has the largest airport in the world which sits on its own island...the bridge that connects this island to the rest of Hong Kong contains the most steel cable used to construct a bridge. It also has one of the highest drug abuse rates in the world...the main addictions being opium and heroin.
We partnered with a ministry that helps drug addicts conquer their addiction through prayer and God's power. Over the 40 years this ministry has been in operation they have seen many miracles and witnessed 100's walk away from their addiction with no pain and no withdrawal side effects.
It was so amazing to listen to men tell their story of how they began using early in life but how God had led them here and they were now drug free...my friend Paul had been drug free for 11 days, just long enough to move from pajamas to normal clothes and normal household chores. When a person first is taken in they spend 10 days in pajamas...they are always accompanied by a staff person, and continually prayed over...24 hours a day! It is during this time that they detox without the use of any medication. Once these 10 days are over they join the rest of the brothers in the house in the daily chores, fellowships and eventually daytime outings. The day also includes morning and evening praise and worship and Bible Study.
This stone pool was constructed from the pieces of stone rejected in the building of the front gate...they are not held together by concrete, only by how they uniquely fit together...just as these men are those rejected and pushed away by society, but here they find their path and place in life!
We were allowed to join a house during their morning and evening praise and worship and Bible Study times, stay and talk with the brothers during their free time and each evening a few members of our group would head to the front gate to stand the night watch! During this time we prayer walked around the various houses, and monitored any who were coming in and going out.
While in Hong Kong we traveled downtown one evening to do some shopping,
see the crowded sign filled streets and
to see the light show...
I was challenged in Hong Kong to search scripture, and to pray for God's truth to be revealed into my heart and into the hearts of everyone I encountered...
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(downtown just before the light show began)