In June of this year we'll have been in Macau 12 years. After all these years, I feel like I have something of a local perspective on life in the city. So I wasn't surprised by an encounter Sarah and I had this past Friday night. But I was troubled by a reality of the city that is often hidden from our view.

Heading to a meeting in another part of town we encountered a policeman trying to talk with 2 woman and a man from Nigeria. They didn't speak Cantonese and the policeman's English was limited. So, not knowing what was happening, I volunteered my translation services. 3 hours later I was able to leave the police station and head home.

Turns out the man was being accused of forcing the women into prostitution. They claim that he had tricked them into leaving Nigeria and coming to Macau to work. They didn't know what kind of work he had in mind. As the process wore on, the stories got more complicated as they descended into the sordid details of their journey to Macau. In between my task as translator, all I could do was pray. Pray for the policemen - who I want to say were incredibly patient and kind through the whole situation. Pray for the man accused of such awful wrong-doing. He shared with me that he has 2 children living in Australia. Pray for the 2 women who represent the thousands or millions of women who are victim of human trafficking and virtual slavery in the sex trade around the world. The two we met are probably the lucky ones who hopefully will be able to return home. Many of the women subject to this blight never see their family and home again.

Like I say, this circumstance didn't surprise me. But it did mark me and remind me that behind the scenes in Macau there are dens of darkness that desperately need the cleansing light of Jesus.

Like I said on the front page, we put our tree up on Sunday. Putting up a Christmas tree is no easy task and should not be undertaken lightly. Getting things just so requires patience and grace. Turning on the lights for the first time can be magical or maddening. When they all work, Handel's Messiah. When they don't the strains of a dirge spill forth. This year, all the lights work and they look great.

Macau also puts up lights for Christmas. Down in the central square they have been working for the past few days to string up lights and build the Christmas tree. It is a wonderful thing that in this oh so worldly city the symbols of Christmas still break forth, calling people to stop and wonder. For the next few weeks, the city will be full of symbols and signs pointing people towards the greater and deeper meaning of Christmas. Sure, many people will miss the meaning. But many others will have opportunity to wonder and in their wonder they may actually dig deeper and seek the truth.

There is an old proverb, perhaps a Chinese proverb, that says, "When the wise man points to the moon, the fool looks at the finger." It's my hope that this year more and more people will be found to be wise as they seek the truth and the real reason for this season.

Peace!

Tags: Holidays, Culture

To celebrate the 58th anniversary of China's National Day - the day that the communist People's Republic of China was born - Sarah and I went to see what all the hubbub was about at the apex of capitalistic achievement - the Venetian Hotel/Casino/Shopping Mall/Entertainment complex. Billed as the world's second largest building and the world's largest casino, this had to be seen to be believed. Indoor gondola rides. Magnificent shopping. World class restaurants. There's even a Fat Burger (which somehow beat McDonald's to the punch on opening a shop) and of course Starbucks. It's all there, and yesterday so were thousands of people. But the building is so large, it never felt crowded.

But what it did feel is BORING! I'm serious. After eating a burger there was nothing to do. Booorrring! Dullsville. Unless you are there to gamble away your hard earned cash, it's just a big, ornate, expensive building. We got the basic Fat Burger meal and it cost us US$8.00 each. I know that doesn't sound all that much, but you can get the same thing at the local McDonald's for half the price. I came away from the whole time just shaking my head. Thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people will visit the Venetian. And perhaps it is worth a quick once through to say you've seen it. But if you ask me - don't waste your time. Oh, and by-the-way, it takes a serious effort just to get to the Venetian. Not someplace you'd just drop by because you were in the area. You have to want to go there.

Well, enough with the trashing of the new wonder of the world and dream of every person in Macau. Here's a few photos. Take a look at these and save yourself the trouble and waste of money from making your own visit.


Food Court Crowds


Grand Hall


Indoor Canal


Shopping Area


Fat Burger Sign


Hotel Lobby

Tags: Venetian. New Macau

The other morning I took Angus to the Macau Handover Gift Museum. He loves art yet had never been to the museum. He didn't even know the museum was there. I've been many times yet it was all new to me again as I enjoyed the art work through Angus' enthusiastic perspective. One thing I really enjoyed was getting Angus' take on the different artwork from around China. He pointed out details about the styles and especially regarding the materials used and the relation of the materials to the region the art came from. In most of my interactions with Angus, I'm the teacher, the English teacher. For a couple of hours this day, I could be the student and let him teach me a thing or two.

It's that time of year again, although this year the time is later than usual. Chinese New Year! Always an exciting time in Macau. This is the only time when the city truly comes to a halt. For some people this is their only time off all year. Stores close, the markets are silent. We bought 4 days worth of vegetables and food stuffs this past Saturday because there may not be anything much available until Wednesday or Thursday. It is a time to rest but also a time to relate. One of the customs for these days is to visit with family and friends. At each visit small gifts are exchanged and the guests are treated to small snacks of special New Year foods. I really like this time of year. Much that is positive about the local culture comes to the surface. And on top of it all, the fireworks are amazing! Wherever you are, find some people from China and wish them a Happy New Year - tell them you are praying that God will bless them with good health and good relationships in the coming year.

I know it has been quite a while since my last entry. I was too busy to think during December. Not a good thing. I'm trying to not let that be the case in 2007 and so far I've done better.

Today I had lunch with a friend I've know for about 8 years. He's 23 years old. A secondary school graduate. He's a very bright and active guy, full of energy and ideas. I hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks. He called me up wanting to meet for lunch. For two hours we talked, well, mostly he talked and I listened. As I listened my heart grew heavier and heavier. Here's why.

About 8 months ago he took the path that many of Macau's young people are walking these days. Taking a job as a dealer in one of the new casinos he learned the ins & outs of the gambling game. With this newfound knowledge in hand, he has set upon a plan to win his way to millions. After working his 8 hour shift, he heads to one of the rival casinos to take advantage of his insider knowledge at the card tables. It's been a stressful and trying time as he seeks to balance all the demands this pursuit is putting on his life.

Him: "Larry, about a month ago I realized that I had lost hope. I went to work, went home, went to work, back home. I didn't know why I was doing all that I was doing."
Me: "Like a rat on a wheel. I've been there too at times. How are you now?"
Him: "Well last week I realized that since going to work at the casino I had lost my goals, my vision."
Me: Thinking to myself, "here's a real moment of awakening and awareness in him."
Him: "But I have a new goal, a new dream. I want to buy a dream house. I realized that all this work and all the risk I'm taking is so that I can have my dream house. I also want a new car - a new BMW and a maybe a Rolex. Have you seen the Titus brand of watches? They are so beautiful but even more expensive."
Me: "But what if you lose when you are gambling? You know the casino always wins."
Him: "But I'm careful and I have a plan. I know what I'm doing. I may lose sometimes but overall I'll win and get my dream house."

And so the conversation went. He is chasing a dream that will never satisfy. He is Macau's living metaphor. My concern is for the day we have lunch and I learn that his dream has become a nightmare.

I've posted two brief news reports that I spotted this past week. Both concern the changes occurring in Macau. One report tells us that the population is exploding. For 2006, Macau's population is growing at a rate of almost 6%. This is very rapid growth and clearly is not from births alone. Immigration continues to grow and dominate the dialogue of many people.

The city is coming under increasing pressure from the growing population. Catching a taxi is almost impossible unless you are at a hotel/casino. The buses are increasingly crowded and unpleasant to ride during peak hours. (The other day I had to wait for over 30 minutes as 8 large buses passed my stop without stopping to take on passengers due to being full.)

On top of this population explosion, the economy continues to expand as millions of dollars are dumped into the city due to hotel/casino investment. A friend of mine recently began working as a dealer at the newest casino to open. With a high school degree he is making more than U.S.$1,200.00 per month. These are highly coveted jobs for young people. As such, the whole economy is being stressed. Higher wages lead to higher prices. High wages paid by the casinos mean that small businesses have a difficult time hiring staff. No one knows what to do and the main impression is that the city has a "tiger by the tail" and doesn't know what to do next.

For a number of years, we have sought to help Restaurant Workers in Macau. Macau has over 1,500 restaurants. Not bad for a city of 500,000 people. Many people in Macau eat out at least once a day. The restaurant industry in Macau is tough, just like in other cities. The people work long hours for not a lot of money. Serving these people who help serve so many others has been a concern of ours for a long time.

This past week we had an opportunity to work with the International Restaurant Ministry. Mainly Chinese who work with Chinese restaurant workers around the world. On Wednesday night about 70 of us spread out around the city giving away cookies and passing out invitations to a free Midnight Meal. The coupons for the meal were only good for restaurant workers. That night about 600 bags of cookies and invitations were passed out.

Thursday night at about 11:30 p.m. I showed up at the place where the meal was to be held. People were already arriving. By midnight there were more than 50 people excitedly talking and waiting to see what would happen. For the next 2 hours we all sang, talked over a buffet, played bingo, heard testimonial sharing and a clear presentation of the Good News. Many of the people communicated that they want to know more about following Jesus. It was a very encouraging experience for me.

During the night I was asked by a number of people about English classes. I had brought some information and now we are looking at beginning a number of small groups for restaurant related English classes. One man I met, Paul, had worked in restaurants in Guam. He asked me to help him improve his English. Then he went around asking his co-workers if they would be interested in a class. Hopefully, we will have many new friends through new English classes this fall.

Before things at Grace Baptist really got started this past Sunday, A-Fan shared with us that the doctors had given the OK for her to be baptized. Her back is almost completely healed and she no longer has to wear a bandage. Very good news. But then she asked us if we could postpone the baptism for one week to 9 July. The reason took us back a bit. It turns out that this coming weekend is the anniversary of her mother's death. The family will be going to the grave site on Sunday to worship. This activity is distinctly non-Christian in nature and intent. A-Fan assured us that while she is committed to Jesus and wants to be baptized, she also wants to worship at her mother's grave one last time.

By the time she had shared this a few other people had joined us. Her desire to participate in such a clear act of idolatry received a strong negative reaction from others in the room. What to do? How to help A-Fan honor her mother and yet move away from a spiritually crippling practice? What would you say to such a person at a time like that? Lay down the law? Say, "OK, but this has to be the last time."

Whether inspired or not I posed a new question to A-Fan. I asked her to consider this scenario: It's Friday afternoon and a man and woman are excited about their wedding ceremony schedule for the next day. They talk about the arrangements, the guests who have been invited and their new life together. Then the woman says to the man, "Honey, I was wondering if it would be OK for me to spend the night with an old boyfriend of mine? It will just be one night and I promise it will be the last time I spend the night with him. Is that OK with you?"

"What sort of reaction do you think that man will have? What reaction would you have? What sort of man would be 'OK' with such a thing?" I asked A-Fan. Straight away the point was clear. A-Fan decided that she would have to tell her family that she couldn't join them in worshipping at the mother's grave any more. We then spent some time sharing with her about how other people in Macau have taken a stand at this very same point in their families life. And we talked about how she could honor the memory of her mother in ways that put her mother in a proper perspective as she (A-Fan) gave her life to worshipping Jesus alone.

Afterwards I thought about how seldom it seems that this choice is so clear. I was challenged to examine my own life to see where I am being unfaithful - in small or big ways - to the exclusive relationship that comes with being a disciple of Jesus Christ.

I hope you will pray for A-Fan and for her family as she takes this step of faith. May the example of her obedience to Jesus result in blessings untold for her family and others.

One of the first things that everyone notices when arriving in Macau these days is the the way the city is being transformed by the new construction. Casinos and hotels are going up everywhere. Many roads are unusable because of the need to install new sewer lines that can handle the new hotels. The promise of "Grand Openings" to come has people feeling as giddy as a child before Christmas. But it has also been our experience that reality rarely matches the hype.

A couple nights ago we were wandering through the ghost town of Macau's Fisherman's Wharf "Theme Park" when I was struck by this notice:

Delifrance is a upscale fast-food chain popular in Hong Kong

The signs of opening soon have been up for 4 or 5 months. I told the friends we were with that I would believe it the first day I bit down on a piece of baguette. The promise of "Opening Soon" has started to leave me flat. There are signs that many others in Macau are feeling the same way. As the economy helps the rich to get richer, the poor and even the middle class are being left behind. These are heady days indeed for Macau, but the jury is still out as to whether or not the reality can even come close to the hype.

I wanted to introduce you to some friends of ours. They have been living and working in Macau for about 2 years. They are moving back to the USA later this month. They have been a great encouragement to us and a blessing to the people of Macau. We will miss them tremendously. Recently they shared a perspective on Macau in a creative form that I think you will find interesting. If this catches your attention, you can find more of their work here:

http://www.xanga.com/ChinandBao

Here's their take on Macau

A-Sing came dragging into our meeting about 30 minutes late. He looked exhausted and stressed. Come to find out that he had just finished taking a college entrance exam. It's that time of year for students in Macau. Exams to finish secondary school and exams to get into university. It is a stressful and demanding time for them. Through all of this is a mixture of excitement, hope, fear, anxiety and resignation. All the joys of youth mixed into a few months.

This past week I had a few unplanned encounters with life in Macau. The first was a visit to a local tutoring center for primary school students. Tutoring centers are clustered around every school in Macau. Parents pay for their kids to do homework and study in the centers after school and on weekends. Many times they are staffed by college students who supervise and instruct. The kids can spend as long as 4 hours or more a day in these places. I call them homework factories. The atmosphere is just like a factory - but the product is supposed to be good grades. Some friends of ours have taken over one of these centers. Their heart is to create a less stressful and more humane environment. We were visiting with them to discuss ways that we might be able to help. I'm not sure what we are going to do. What I am sure of is that the pressure-cooker atmosphere of that place overwhelmed me. Pressure. Stress. All on the shoulders of 7 and 8 year olds.

Later that same day I spent about 3 hours at a meeting for gambling addicts. Three hours with folks who's lives are stressed out by their addiction. People who's families are being torn apart by fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters gambling away their lives. People under the pressure of incessant opportunities to gamble. In fact as the meeting for these folks was taking place we could hear the clink-clack of tiles from a nearby place as people played mahjong - gambling. One fellow even commented about how hard it was to concentrate because of the sound - the sound of temptation calling him to surrender to the addiction again. Pressure. Stress. All on the shoulders of families.

Macau is a city under stress. The culture is changing before our very eyes. Sometimes it just becomes more clear than others.