SLC 2008

Here are the motley crew from SLC 2008 (most of them anyway!). From the 17th - 23rd November I was at my second student conference of the year with TSCF. I am still learning my way with being involved in organising these events but by God's grace things ran smoothly!

It was a great opportunity for me to build on relationships I had made with students at mid year conference in June and also to meet lots of new students. It was a very tiring week full of har work but also lots of fun as I worked with collegues I don't often get to work with and students who I rarely get to mix with.

I tried to do my work while students were in their sessions and seminars which enabled me to spend some of the free time in the afternoons with students, playing sport, dancing and generally getting to know them better. It was an exciting end to the week when one of the students gave his life to Christ. What a privilage it was to witness the power of God in his life.

I had been told that historically SLC has always had bad weather so I was prepared with lots of warm clothes but as it turned out, we had amazing weather every day and I now know that sun block is an essential addition to the first aid kit!

I am enjoying some time off this week, recovering from the hours put in during the conference but I am very thankful of the job I have.

Hong Kong

After a really good deal on some flights, I took the opportunity to go and see one of my best friends Abi in Hong Kong. Abi moved to HK a couple of months to volunteer for an organisation called Mothers Choice. She works in the nursery of the orphanage looking after 24 babies.

I had such a fantastic time and really enjoyed the chance to chill out and see another new country! It was also fantastic catching up with Abi and spending some quality time with her and her friends.

Hong Kong is a stunning place to visit with so much to see. I was really struck by the smog when I first arrived, it is certainly a contrast to New Zealand air! The humidity was also a big part of being in HK, but to the locals, compared to the summer it was actually quite a dry heat! There were also some interesting smells as I explored HK.

We have such a lot of internation al students in New Zealand, the majority of which are Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Malaysian etc) so it was great for me to visit an Asian country and understand more of the Asian culture.

The public transport in HK is fantastic and makes it very easy to get around whether by MTR (underground trains), bus, taxi, tram or walking - I did sooooo much walking.

Hong Kong has so many beautiful beaches, vibrant street markets, great shopping, and fantastic people. It was good fun being around so many people, coming from NZ with a total population of 4 million, I think I shared an MTR ride with about 4 million people during rush hour!!!!! ;o)