The Colours of Lent in Hong Kong

Lent 2013 has come with an explosion of colors and holidays in Hong Kong:

Chinese New Year with vibrant, springtime reds.

Chinese Hibiscus Feb. 14, 2013

Valentine's Day, and what I've called "Valentines from God"

A Red-Whiskered Bulbul Feb. 14, 2013

Chinese University, HK, Feb. 14, 2013

and, of course, the Christian season of Lent, with its





purples and deep blues of contemplation, fasting, prayer, Bible study.

Lenten colours captured at Kadoorie Farm, Hong Kong Feb. 15, 2013

It's an extraordinarily busy time... Wayne is starting the harrowing process of editing long dissertations from students whose primary language is not English (often English is their third, fourth, or even fifth language!)

and I have begun receiving the deluge of new international student applications, which is exciting, and challenging. Each new application demands a huge amount of time, downloading files and checking the paperwork, and next week I'm off to Myanmar again, to do personal interviews with potential students. Me? Discerning which candidates would be best suited/best helped/best served/best at returning the enormous resources invested in each student at the Lutheran Theological Seminary, Hong Kong? I'm overwhelmed with the responsibility.

Similarly Wayne is nearly overwhelmed with the responsibility of helping students through the doctoral process, since these students will return to their home countries - Myanmar and Indonesian students are scheduled to graduate this year -- as "experts" in the field of pastoral ministry. Lord have mercy!

It's a season where we ask ourselves, what is it all for? Is it worth it? Is this what we are supposed to be doing with our lives? Are degree programs in theology actually helpful for churches in cultures so different from that of the West? Are we doing it right? well?

And this Lent it turns out that both Wayne and I are involved in Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises. This week's Scripture verses included Jesus' deep compassion for a woman whose son had died (The widow of Nain, Luke 7:11-17 ) and also a passage from the Psalm 8, rendered here in a slightly different translation than the one I'm used to:

When I look up at your heavens,
    shaped by your fingers,
at the the moon and the stars you set firm -
    which you have set in place,
 what are human beings that you spare a thought for them,

or the child of Adam that you care for him?

Yet you have made him little less than a god,

you have crowned him with glory and beauty,

made him lord of the works of your hands...   -- Psalm 8

And so we are reminded to keep our eyes on Jesus... observing and imitating his deep compassion... and we are reminded to keep our eyes also on those works of creation God has entrusted to us....

I'll be reporting next on my trip to Myanmar!

In Lenten Peace, with Lenten eyes watching for Lenten colours and signs of Jesus --

Christa

New Year of the Snake!

Happy Chinese New Year (also known by some as Vietnamese New Year! :) )

Did you know the early Christian church was known for the coming together of cultures, and its JOY?! At Lutheran Theological Seminary we get that! 

Playing "rock, paper, scissors" - did you know this game
was invented by the Chinese?  

At one point during our International Student's Chinese New Year Party, I laughed so hard I thought, oh oh, I've had too much to drink... only to remember there was absolutely nothing alcoholic at the party.

My other joy this week is that I finally went in person to the Hong Kong Immigration Dept. to help plead the cause for one of our Mekong students applying for a renewal -- and we made it through the system!!! His approval should be arriving in the mail in a couple of weeks, which is great since the student in question is exactly the kind of good-hearted, smart, and culturally observant pastor who can benefit the most from the LTS education... and go back to benefit his community and the Christian witness in his home culture (of Cambodia).

So, as of Sunday, it's officially the Year of the Snake!! Despite the bad press snakes get from that early story of the serpent in Genesis, there are actually several positive pictures of snakes in the Bible, including Jesus' own teaching to his disciples, as he sent them out:

   

“…be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”  (Matthew 10:16b)

May we grow in wisdom, innocence, and joy in the Lord this year.

Happy New Year of the Snake!

After shocks from Blue Monday, Terra Cotta Warriors and More!!!

"This subterranean life-size army of thousands has silently stood guard over the soul of China's first unifier for over two millennia." -- Lonely Planet: China 11th ed. May 2009, p. 423

That's an interesting theological statement, don't you think? The Lonely Planet author continues:

Panoramic view of the warriors from above. Thousands and thousands of them,
each face is unique.

"Either Qin Shi Huang was terrified of the vanquished spirits awaiting him in the afterlife, or, as most archaeologists believe, he expected his rule to continue in death as it had in life..."

Big Goose Pagoda in Xian, China January 2013

I find myself in a January slump [aftershocks from Blue Monday the most depressing day of the year?] Here's what's on my mind:

-- I'm having more trouble with the Hong Kong Immigration authorities as I try and get renewed visas for our current wonderful, dedicated Mekong area theology students, who sacrifice so much to be here.
-- I'm very unclear where all the scholarships are going to come from for the next batch of Mekong and other international students.
-- I'm not sure the material, academic, financial, and spiritual commitment to LTS Hong Kong is as strong as it needs to be if this seminary is going to build and expand upon its current unique strengths to serve the inter-cultural mission of Lutheran and evangelical churches around the world.
-- Some of my other work responsibilities seem  unfocused and diffuse as I do things like spend hours updating international mailing lists. Is this worthwhile in the interests of networking, or is this time misspent?  Hard telling.
-- I miss my family back in the USA!

Our first time in winter weather in 4 years.... on top of the
Xian city wall

So, let me attack the January blues by sharing amazing photos with you from our recent trip to Xian (huge thanks to youngest son Eric Z. Nieminen, official event photographer, who was our only kid able to visit us at Christmas this year)

Side view of the same wall... we rented bikes and rode around
the top of the whole 14 kilometers of the wall.

Did I mention it was cold??!
Also, 14 km of bumpy bricks does
a number to one's hinie.

Tomb of Emperor Jingdi

Jenny, one of our LTS alumni, accompanied us through
the tomb --- it was definitely low tourist season in China! We
practically had this amazing world-class  museum to ourselves.

Jing Di's tomb features terra cotta women and eunuchs along
with the male figures, this is one of the female cavalry.

Before we went to see the Terra Cotta Warriars, we went to a lesser known Tomb of Emperor Jingdi where fifty thousand small terracotta figures were buried, including sheep, dogs, pigs, and people. The figures had originally been clothed in real silk clothing, but the years have rotted away the coverings, exposing them as females, males, and eunuchs.


And then we went to see the actual, utterly astounding Terra Cotta Warriors, which has made Xian a destination for travelers from all over the world.

Yes these are the fake terra cotta warriors, in a little side room to the
real warriors - photographs could be taken for a small fee,
which we were happy
to pay :)

Real terra cotta warriors... over 2,000 years old.
The real ones are all tagged... and not touchable!

Xian street scene 1

Xian street scene 2

Xian street scene 3
our back up photographer (Wayne)
trying to get the perfect shot of the
Goose Pagoda

And then a true highlight of the trip, a delicious Chinese dinner with
Jenny, in her home.

The chance to spend time with Jenny, one of Wayne's students from Mainland China, was amazing. She actually waited two hours to pick us up from the airport bus at our arrival, accompanied us on several of our excursions, and topped off our Xian visit with a home cooked meal.

Seeing students/ alumni and hearing about their good memories and appreciation of their studies at the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong helps make us feel it is all worth it, our work in Hong Kong. Living, breathing, loving, relationships, bonded in Christ... something that will last (we believe) much longer than even those amazing terra cotta figures.


⁴ A thousand years in your sight
    are like a day that has just gone by...
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us;
    establish the work of our hands for us—    yes, establish the work of our hands.  --Psalm 90

The Fourth Week of Advent...

Early morning view from the Tao Fung Mountain on which the
 Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong is located.
Not many people get a view like this from their workplace!

We celebrated graduation for two Lao, one Cambodian, two Mainland Chinese students...

and one very proud American student... who happens to be
our pastor's wife at Union Church!

After many many work hours in front of computers, books, and lecture notes,
it was wonderful to get out into God's creation...

and smell the flowers! (yes- many
flowers blooming in Hong Kong
in December)

Sunday Wayne had the privilege of baptising four young people.

the newly baptised were given gifts wrapped in red
 - the color of celebration and the Holy Spirit!

I think it's cool to see Chinese characters written
on Wayne's forehead when he's celebrating communion!

The youngest member of the Tin Yiu Life congregation - ready for
her first Christmas.

"That's what baptism into the life of Jesus means... 

Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going on our new grace-sovereign country." 

[Romans 6:3-5 The Message remix]

Photos from the First Ever (I think) Lutheran Women's Conference in Myanmar

The view from my hotel window.

Close up view from the same window.... I'm not in
Hong Kong any more... nor in Wisconsin!!!

Up the rather steep steps of the apt.
building which serves as church
and church headquarters of
the Lutheran Church of Myanmar.

With the organizer of the conference,
Rev. Dr. Philip Tan from the Lutheran Church of Malaysia.
This is church networking through the Mekong Mission Forum!

Here are two of the women servant-leaders from two different Lutheran
denominations, and a future woman leader! Their names are
Mary, Miriam, and Elizabeth. Pretty apt for a Biblical women's
conference!

Just call me the multi-media queen. And yes, the
projector did work, praise the Lord :)

The heart of any women's conference -
women with women...

laughing

studying and interpreting Scripture together.

I didn't take the greatest picture, but this is
one woman's hair, adorned with sprigs
of fresh flowers. I love it!

No conference would be complete without food.
I love the fresh ingredients... Burmese food
is among my very favorites. I ate so much at lunch, however,
that I couldn't eat any supper!!

Day is done.... down those same steps
and the dog was in no way bothered by
my stepping over him.

Back to the hustle and bustle of the Yangon streets.

 Coming soon... more photos from Yangon.

Here's something amazing.... I was able to access all the internet sites I usually access.... something not possible only ten months ago on my first trip to Myanmar (this is my 4th trip this year).

 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
    blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.  

---Psalm 34:8

Heading to Yangon

Leaving for Yangon -- Lutheran Church Women's event - - A Wise Woman's Way: Walking through Seasons of Life with Mother Mary and Other Women of the Bible -- should be great except rumor is I'll have a male translator :( Nothing against males, but really?)

Also, they say there's a keyboard but no keyboardist.

Also, I'm not sure if my carefully prepared keynote slides will work (It's my first time using keynote instead of Powerpoint. Also, electricity is sometimes an issue, as is the quality of the projector.)

Also I think my luggage is overweight because I told the students to go ahead and bring me stuff to bring home for them because I wasn't carrying much. Well, now I am :)

I ask for your prayers. But what better place to spend the first full week of Advent than in this amazing city, where the people are, indeed, waiting for all kinds of new realities -- political, material, developmental, spiritual.

-- Christa

Birds of the Table, Birds of the Air, Birds of Different Feathers...

This is our street -- come visit us sometime! It's been a busy time in the von Zychlin & Nieminen household... as you can perhaps tell by the lack of blog posts!!!

BIRDS OF THE TABLE - The end of November was filled with Thanksgiving themes... among other things, we introduced our three Cambodian students to the wonders of Thanksgiving turkey with a decidedly international flair at Union Church, where rice, sausages, ham and egg rolls supplemented the traditional turkey, stuffing and as my personal contribution and among my personal Thanksgiving favorites -- pumpkin pie!!! 

BIRDS of THE AIR On the way home from church we walked through the Hong Kong Park Aviary where Cambodian M.Div student Pisa got an up-close look at a fine feathered friend. Since the sermon topic had been "Consider the birds of the air..." it was a good way to continue the Sunday theme!

BIRDS OF DIFFERENT FEATHERS... [An old English saying, "Birds of a feather flock together" becomes subverted through cross-cultural Christians who embrace a whole variety of feathering types!!!]

Because Cambodia doesn't have a good system for theological education, we are hoping that LTS, as one of the preeminent seminaries in all of Asia,  can do even more in the area of "Forming cross-cultural servant-leaders, with a heart for local church ministries. (Okay, okay,  the "tagline" is a work in progress! Let me know if you have a better/shorter one in mind!)

To that end, our seminary teachers try to expose students to a variety of books, thoughts, ways of Biblical interpretation, and to a variety of practical experiences in ministry. For example, in his Crisis Counseling Class, "Dr. Wayne" recently took a whole group of students over to visit the "The Samaritans Befrienders Hong Kong" to learn about local suicide prevention right here in Hong Kong. For several of the international and local Chinese students, this was a very new and innovative idea for ministry. Besides the ministry itself, one student told me how eye opening it was to find out that those who serve as "befrienders" are volunteers, and most even pay for the privilege of undergoing the thorough screening and training necessary for those who would like to serve.

To further discuss Cambodian and Mekong-area ministries and the need for sound theological and practical education, we had... what else! Another of Wayne's Famous Pizza Dinners, with Cambodian, American, British, Hong Kong and Danish connections.  It does seem that pizza is truly and profoundly an "intercultural" food :)    (As is wine, which has the advantage of also being Biblical :)

Birds of different feathers...
feast together!

Cambodian inter-cultural servant-leaders
under construction in Hong Kong :)

So that takes you through November. Meanwhile I've also been preparing for a big meeting of the Mekong Mission Forum/Network Implementation Committee here in Hong Kong - a big name for a rather small group with a humongous task -- networking church ministries of the Mekong, with an emphasis on theological studies and Lutheran/ecumenical partnerships.   I was getting rather stressed out by the preparations (just ask Dr. Wayne, he'd be happy to tell you exactly how stressed out I was!) so it does me good to remember the sermon from the last Sunday in November...

"Don't worry!...Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" --  Jesus, quoted by Matthew 6:25f