Andi's Trip to Hong Kong - 5

There are many things in the lives of full-time missionaries that I find inspiring.  Their dedication to the culture where they are working is one of the biggest.  Many missionaries give up the “creature comforts” of home and head off to live in places that are very different from their homes.  Although Hong Kong has many Western amenities it’s still different.  The people speak a different language, the signs are different, what is considered polite is different, and the temperature is incredibly different (it’s really hot and humid here!).  Missionaries dive into the culture.  They learn the language, they learn how to eat politely at a table (typically through making funny mistakes), and eventually their bodies get more accustomed to the temperature.

This week we got to experience another aspect of missionary life, it is the fact that there never really is a day off.  On Monday we returned from camp.  Everyone was a bit tired and ready to be home and get cleaned up.  But for Ken, the missionary, that didn’t happen.  One of the ladies in the church hurt her knee at camp and thought it was probably just a strain.  She came home from camp and was spending some time with her sister before she returned to the home where she works as a domestic helper.  As Monday wore on her knee began to hurt more and more.  At 7:00 pm she called Ken for a ride to the hospital.  Ken willingly came to take her to the hospital.  He arrived with a smile on his face and rode in the ambulance with her.  Ken didn’t complain, he didn’t whine, he just served and helped the lady and her sister get the care that was needed.  Ken didn’t get home until 10:00 pm and he still had a smile on his face. 

The next morning was supposed to be Ken’s day off.  On his day off he took us around and helped us figure out how to get around on the train system and show us some other areas of Hong Kong.  He stopped to send some money to help out someone who is sick at their sister church in the Philippines.  Then in the evening he led a bible study at the church.  I’m not sure if this can be considered a day off.  I’m tired just writing about it!

Maybe that is why Ken began to participate in another aspect of Hong Kong culture, sleeping on public transportation.  On almost every form of transportation we have taken someone has been asleep.  I think sleeping on bus seats or on train seats would be easy to manage, Anna had no trouble figuring it out. 

But the one that made me laugh the most was the man on the train today sleeping while standing up.  I wanted to take a picture so badly, but thought it might be rude.  He wasn’t even holding onto the hand rail.  He just stood, arms crossed in front of his chest, and slept.  I know he was sleeping because his head was nodding like others I’ve seen during really long sermons.  I’m going to have to learn to sleep while standing up, that is a piece of culture I could really get used to!