Singin' in the Rain...

Saturday, June 02, 2012

It has been another full day for our team in Hong Kong today. As our time comes to a close here, I think a lot of us have come to enjoy the city and culture that surrounds us. I know I have enjoyed our time here and all the people and organizations we have worked with. Today, our team spent the whole day volunteering for a nonprofit organization in Hong Kong called Crossroads. It is a really amazing organization that takes advantage of the surplus of resources in both Hong Kong and other places across the world. They have storage unit after unit of anything from mattresses, to desks, to clothing. We did a number of things while there today. In the morning, half the group helped pack up a giant storage unit that was going to Uganda. They helped load it up and did an amazing job. They definitely put in hard labor and sweat, but the reward in knowing that all these items are going to people who truly need it is incredible. The rest of us did a simulation, called the Blind Experience. This is something unique that this nonprofit does. What basically happened was we experienced what it was like to be blind in an African village. It was a really “eye-opening” experience and something that helped all of us, who participated, to grasp what this may be like. After the morning, the team split into three groups and did various service work that Crossroads needed done. Some of us tested and packed electronics, others loaded large appliances onto a truck, and another group cleaned and packaged used computers. All of these items have been donated to Crossroads and sent all over the world, as well as in Hong Kong, to those in need. It was quite hot and lots of hard work, but we all really enjoyed helping a great nonprofit like Crossroads in the small way that we did.

We finished the day on a really fun note when we all got caught in the rain walking back from dinner to High Rock. What should have been something that made us miserable ended up being a blast. A bunch of us were running around the streets of Hong Kong dancing and laughing in the rain. The girls even continued this in the courtyard outside our rooms. It is such a joyful memory of our team and how much fun we have together that I will not forget from this trip. As I mentioned earlier, our time here is coming to a close. It has been such an amazing experience. Any prayers for us to keep our eyes and hearts open to what else God has to teach us here would be much appreciated, as well as safe travels back home! Thank you all for reading about our time here in Hong Kong/China…see you in a few days,

-Emily Mills