My Diary

Diary for July - December 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong on the last day of the first half of year.
Form 7 results out today.
Annual public holiday in HK tomorrow to mark establishment of HK as part of China.

On this 30th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Shanghai & Tianjin

Recent photos

2010-06-30 Signs of life in Hong Kong

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Smile 01: Last Sunday afternoon when I went to Chung Ching Mansion in Tsim Sha Tsui (...a little United Nations shopping center...) to look for Hindi, Punjabe and Urdi magazines, I was asked by three young guys from a country I won't mention: "Would you like to buy some hash?"
- to which I replied I spend a large part of the week visiting their countrymen now in prison....please stop selling hash.

10am - noon each Friday, from July 9, I am due to have a Mass or prayer service in the chapel of Lai Chi Kok detention center. About 30 inmates are expected to attend each week. I have permission for up to nine volunteers to join me each week. Just need to be 18 years old or over & have a HK ID card.
Two weeks before each Friday, I need to submit (by email) each volunteer's name and ID card number to Correctional Services Department in Wanchai for approval. If any kind friends would like to join me in this most worthwhile ministry, please contact me: jdwomi@gmail.com or mobile - 6709 5674

Also: if anyone could please help me obtain old/new Bibles/magazines/books for the prisoners I'd be most grateful. Need Chinese, Dutch, English, Hindi, Punjabe, Spanish , Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese. There are many inmates from Africa, India, Nepal, Pakistan, South America, Vietnam - as well as from HK & Mainland.

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday July 4: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate
Sunday July 18: 8am & 9.30am Masses at Notre Dame College, Ma Tau Wei
Sunday July 25: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate

Saturdays - July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison visitation (Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok)

Many thanks:
- local Jordan Nepal bookstore for weekly donation of old newspapers for prisoners

Looking for work: European man, speaks fluent English and Cantonese. Been in HK many years. Please contact me for more details
jdwomi@gmail.com

Smile 02: Last Monday when I visited inmates at Hei Ling Chau Island detention centers, one man, a Chinese Evangelical guy who lived in South America for many years, gave me a Bible exam. He didn't believe I worshipped Jesus. He said "you are a Catholic. You worship Mary". I explained that Catholics honor, not worship Mary. "OK", he said, "if you worship Jesus, tell me what Jesus said to his friends after he rose from the dead". To which I replied "Peace". And he said "Yes, you do worship Jesus" and shook by hand!

One billion people starving - what can I do? Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

China library General library Items available for loan from Matteo Ricci Center in Jordan ( John 6709 5674)

New movie now in library: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney animation - excellent)

Why Australia has a new prime minister - a lesson for all leaders
Australia Rudderless
New prime minister born in Wales
Will new prime minister care about Gaza?
New p.m. "doesn't believe in God"

As our world gets crazier, we need a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 30 -    from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 30       Listen to Chapter 30

Leah gave birth to four sons
- Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah.

Rachel had no children and was jealous of her sister Leah.

Rachel gave her servant girl Bilhah to Jacob
and Bilhah gave birth to two sons - Dan and Naphtali.

Leah then gave her servant girl Zilpah to Jacob
and Zilpah gave birth to two sons - Gad and Asher.

Leah herself had two more sons - Issachar and Zebulun
and a daughter - Dinah.

Finally Rachel had a baby, a son whom she named Joseph.

For many long years Jacob worked for Laban
but Laban would not let Jacob return to his own land

第 30 章

肋阿诞下四个儿子 - 勒乌本、西默盎、肋未和犹大。

辣黑耳没有孩子和嫉妒她的姐姐肋阿。

辣黑耳把她的婢女彼耳哈给雅各伯为妾
和彼耳哈诞下两个儿子-丹和纳斐塔里。

之后肋阿把她的婢女齐耳帕给雅各伯为妾
和齐耳帕诞下两个儿子-加得和阿协尔。

肋阿自己再生两个儿子-依撒加尔和则步隆
和一个女儿-狄纳。

最后辣黑耳诞下孩子，她给儿子命名若瑟。

雅各伯为拉班工作多年
但拉班不会让雅各伯回到他的故乡。

Dear God, please bless everyone in my family

亲爱的神，请祝福我家庭的每个人

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 2,000+ prisoners.....especially to the 400 men from Mainland China.     If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in HK, the Mainland & overseas.

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, June 23, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong which, like most other places, is closely following the World Cup.....except in the prisons, where sports results are a taboo subject (...sports pages from newspapers are removed...) because of a man called Gam Bling.

On this 23rd of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Guangxi

Recent photos

2010-06-20 Sunday afternoon visit to Jordan/Yau Ma Tei poor areas by Deacon Edwin and group from Hong Kong Cathedral

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Islam: Because I now come into contact with more and more inmates who follow Islam, I've started re-checking a few facts re Islam:
- Islam doesn't believe Jesus died (..."someone else took his place on the cross"...)
- Islam regards the four Gospels as counterfeit (..."original Gospel was lost".. - for which an argument is used that is also used by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code - see "Problem 2" in this article)
- Unlike the Bible, the Koran has never been subjected to historical tests....and it's dangerous even to suggest such a thing
- It's a crime to possess a Bible in Saudi Arabia
Holy Spirit of Truth, fall afresh on Saudi Arabia!

Smile - for World Cup

God and the devil met up at the Word Cup. The topic of conversation turned to who could turn out the best football team.
The devil proposed a football match to settle this question.

As God was leaving he said to the devil, 'Don't you realize that all the best players go to heaven?"

The devil responded "Yeah, but I've got all the referees!"

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday June 27: 7.30am & 10.30am Masses at Star of the Sea Church, Chai Wan
Sunday July 4: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate
Sunday July 18: 8am & 9.30am Masses at Notre Dame College, Ma Tau Wei
Sunday July 25: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate

Saturdays - June 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison visitation (Hei Ling Chau &Lai Chi Kok) + English classes at St Eugene (Tues afternoon) and Oblate Primary (Frid afternoon)

Many thanks:
- Deacon Edwin & group (HK, June 20) for donations to supply Bibles for prisoners in HK + to support work for the poor in Yau Ma Tei
- St Benedict's Parish, Shatin (HK, June 20) for donation of 800 old liturgy books for use in Lai Chi Kok detention center

One billion people starving - what can I do? Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

Library: Items available for loan from Matteo Ricci Center in Jordan ( John 6709 5674)
Autobiography Fred Hollows	Fischer: The Life of Gandhi	Girzone: The Joshua books	DVD "The Cross - Jesus in China"
Benge, Janet & Geoff: Something Greater than Gold - the story of Eric Liddell (1924 Paris Gold Medallist, as in "Chariots of Fire". Born in China, studied in UK, returned to China as missionary, died in Japanese POW camp)
China in the 16th Century - The Journals of Matteo Ricci, translated into English by Louis Gallagher
China library General library

As our world gets crazier, we need a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 29 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 29 Listen to Chapter 29
Jacob went to the home of his uncle Laban, in Haran.

Laban had two daughters,
Leah and Rachel.
Jacob fell in love with Rachel.

Jacob made an agreement with Laban:
Jacob would work for Laban for seven years
in return for marriage to Rachel.

For Jacob, the seven years went like a flash
because he loved Rachel so dearly.

But Laban forced Jacob to marry both Leah and Rachel
and made him work for another seven years as well.

第 29 章

在哈兰，雅各伯去他舅父拉班的家。

拉班有两个女儿，肋阿和辣黑耳。雅各伯爱上辣黑耳。

雅各伯与拉班达成协议：
雅各伯将为拉班工作七年
以换取跟辣黑耳结婚。

对于雅各伯，七年像剎那间过去 因为他深爱辣黑耳。

但拉班迫雅各伯与肋阿和辣黑耳两人结婚
并使他再为他另外工作七年。

Dear God, please help us to enjoy our work

亲爱的神，请帮助我们喜爱我们的工作

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 2,000+ prisoners.....especially to the 400 men from Mainland China. If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful

A new friend in Heaven: Mr Leung Yu Wa, formerly a resident of House of Hope for homeless men, died last Friday night at Wong Tai Sin hospital after a long illness. I visited him about five hours before he died. Many thanks to kind friends who visited Mr Leung during his illness.

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland. Dear Lord, please especially bless A-Ming (in a coma in a hospital in Guangzhou) & a 20 year old HK girl in a coma in a hospital in Brisbane!

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong where there is a public holiday today for the Dragon Boat Festival

On this 16th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Qinghai

Recent photos

2010-06-16   Matteo Ricci Group - meeting no. 2

2010-06-15     Paws for Prayer

Previous HK/Australia photos                   Previous Zhaoqing photos

On Monday, at one of the detention centers (prisons) on Hei Ling Chau island, a Mainland inmate asked me if I could get him a copy of the Koran, in Chinese & Arabic. On way home in the evening, I called in to Kowloon Mosque in Tsim Sha Tsui. Very friendly Imam in library kindly gave me requested Koran. Another man with the Iman, not long arrived from Egypt, was so impressed by a priest helping a Muslim, that he invited me for lovely curry at nearby Indian canteen. A beautiful experience....except for fact that the Imam, as is his job, gave me some literature in English about Islam (from Saudi Arabia)...which contains claim that "the Gospel which was revealed to (sic) Jesus was lost. Four other gospels composed by men were chosen by Athanasius, a fourth century bishop, to replace the lost Gospel of Jesus Christ" - with a footnote to New Encyclopaedia Britannica, vol. 14, p. 814 - which I can't find on internet (anyone have EB? ...please check this for me) - but I did find this article which shows that above claim is "Dan Brown history". Same claim is repeated on many Islamic websites, including Facebook. Come Holy Spirit of Truth!

Smile A Christian Puppy (to go with recent photo, paws for prayer, above)

A Baptist couple decide that they want to get a dog. As they are walking
down the street in town, they notice that a sign in the pet shop is
advertising "Christian Puppies." Their interest piqued, they go inside.

"How do you know they're Christian puppies?"

"Watch," says the owner, as he takes one of the dogs and says, "Fetch the
Bible." The dog runs over to the desk, and grabs the Bible in its mouth and
returns. Putting the Bible on the floor, the owner says, "Find Psalm 23."
The dog flips pages with its paw until he reaches the right page, and then
stops. Amazed and delighted, the couple purchase the dog and head home.

That evening, they invite some friends over and show them the dog, having
him run through his Psalm 23 routine. Impressed, one of the visitors asks
"Does he also know 'regular' commands?"

"Gee, we don't know. We didn't ask," replies the husband.

Turning to the dog, he says, "Sit." The dog sits. He says, "Lie down." The
dog lies down. He says "Roll over." The dog rolls over.

He says "Heel." The dog runs over to him, jumps up on the sofa, puts both
paws on the owner's forehead and bows his head.

"Oh look!" the wife exclaims. "He's CHARISMATIC!"

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday June 20: 10.30am Mass at St Benedict's Church, Shatin
Sunday June 27: 7.30am & 10.30am Masses at Star of the Sea Church, Chai Wan
Sunday July 4: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate
Sunday July 25: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate

Saturdays - June 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison visitation (Hei Ling Chau &Lai Chi Kok) + English classes at St Eugene (Tues afternoon) and Oblate Primary (Frid afternoon)

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, June 11 and Anon (HK, June 12) for donations to support my work for prisoners in HK + to support work for the poor in China

Last Friday, I was greatly helped with a difficult book-binding job by (Christian) staff at OCEAN OFFICE MACHINES in Shanghai Street, near corner of Austin Road, Jordan. If anyone needs a photocopying/fax/scanning machine etc, I really recommend this center. Contact Karen 94996588

Recent items of interest

China: Companies warned - wages are going to keep rising (and this has ramifications for the rest of the world + c.f. article in last week's diary "Steel Mills in trouble"

One billion people starving - what can I do? Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

Library: Items available for loan from Matteo Ricci Center in Jordan ( John 6709 5674)
Autobiography Fred Hollows	Fischer: The Life of Gandhi	Girzone: The Joshua books	DVD "The Cross - Jesus in China"
Benge, Janet & Geoff: Something Greater than Gold - the story of Eric Liddell (1924 Paris Gold Medallist, as in "Chariots of Fire". Born in China, studied in UK, returned to China as missionary, died in Japanese POW camp)
China library General library

As our world gets crazier, we need a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 28 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 28 Listen to Chapter 28

When Rebecca sent Jacob to Haran,
she and Isaac told Jacob to find a wife in Haran.

While Jacob was on his way to Haran,
God appeared to him in a dream and said to him
"I will keep you safe wherever you go,
and I'll bring you back safely to your own land".

第 28 章

当黎贝加打发雅各伯到哈兰，
她和依撒格吩咐雅各伯在哈兰找一位妻子。

当雅各伯在去哈兰的路上，
神在他的梦中显现和对他说:
“我将会保护你，无论你去哪里，
并且我会带你平安地回到你的故乡。”

Dear God, please keep us safe wherever we go

亲爱的神，请保护我们无论我们去哪里

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 2,000+ prisoners.....especially to the 400 men from Mainland China. If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, June 9, 2010 Dear Friends

On this 9th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Henan

Using Cheap International Phone Calls link at top of this page, last Friday I phoned Melbourne (returning a call) for 16 minutes for AUD$0.88 (= HK$6)

Smile: The value of a torch

Recent photos:

2010-06-03 Signs of life .... in Hong Kong English

2010-06-03 Mr Leung, former resident of House of Hope for homeless men, now at a new nursing home, in Tai Kok Tsui

2010-06-05 Visit by Shatin friends Anthony, George and Judy to Jordan, Yau Ma Tei and Tsai Kok Tsui

2010-06-06 Signs of life in Hong Kong

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday June 13: 10.30am Mass at St Benedict's Church, Shatin
Sunday June 20: 10.30am Mass at St Benedict's Church, Shatin
Sunday June 27: 7.30am & 10.30am Masses at Star of the Sea Church, Chai Wan
Sunday July 4: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate
Sunday July 25: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate

Saturdays - June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison visitation (Hei Ling Chau &Lai Chi Kok) + English classes at St Eugene (Tues afternoon) and Oblate Primary (Frid afternoon)

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, June 3) and Anon (HK, June 8) for donations to support my work for prisoners in HK + to support work for the poor in China

One billion people starving - what can I do?

Recent items of interest

Tough times ahead for Chinese steel mills (a surprisingly frank article, which didn't last long on govt website....was moth balled after only half a day? - economists will see huge ramifications in this article - especially when you also check this article re the domino effect of wage hikes

Attack on Gaza ship - More than just a massacre Eyewitness account 01 02 - Australian journalist 03 - Australian student

Cut all U.S. military aid to Israel

Experts who persuaded governments to stockpile swine flu drugs .....had their snouts in the trough
(c.f. this diary on June 16, 2009: Swine flu vaccine ready for trial: manufacturer After hearing the costs involved (USA alone ordering $289 million worth)...which means big money for drug companies....and remembering how an Australian scientist said this flu might have started when germs "escaped" from a research laboratory ...maybe the heading should be "Swine flu manufacturer ready for trial"?)

China's cancer villages

Should celibacy be optional, not compulsory, for priests?
(excellent program from BBC - includes interview with Bishop Geoff Robinson of Australia)

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

Library: Available for loan from Matteo Ricci Center in Jordan ( John 6709 5674)
Autobiography Fred Hollows	Fischer: The Life of Gandhi	Girzone: The Joshua books	DVD "The Cross - Jesus in China"
Benge, Janet & Geoff: Something Greater than Gold - the story of Eric Liddell (1924 Paris Gold Medallist, as in "Chariots of Fire". Born in China, studied in UK, returned to China as missionary, died in Japanese POW camp)

As our world gets crazier, we need a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 26, 27 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapters 26, 27 Listen to Chapters 26, 27
God blessed and protected Isaac all his life.

When Isaac grew old and was nearly blind,
he followed the usual custom
of giving his final blessing to his sons.

He wanted to bless Esau first,
since Esau was his older son.

But Rebecca and Jacob tricked Isaac.

Jacob dressed in Esau's clothes
and put hairy animal skins on his arms.

Before Esau came home,
Jacob asked for Isaac's blessing.

Isaac said "Your voice is that of Jacob,
but your arms and scent are those of Esau.
Are you really Esau?"

Jacob said "I am"
Isaac then gave him his solemn blessing.

When Esau found out what had happened,
he was very angry and planned to kill Jacob.

So Rebecca got Jacob to go to Haran
until Esau's anger cooled down.

第26、27章

神祝福和保护依撒格一生。

当依撒格年老和几乎失明时，
他跟随一般习惯给他儿子们最后的祝福。

他想先祝福厄撒乌，因为厄撒乌是他的长子。

但是，黎贝加和雅各伯欺骗依撒格。

雅各伯身穿厄撒乌的衣服，并把多毛兽皮放在他的手臂上。

在厄撒乌回家前，雅各伯要求依撒格的祝福。

依撒格说：“你的声音是雅各伯，
但你的手臂和气味，都是厄撒乌的。
你真的是厄撒乌？”

雅各伯说：“我是。”
然后依撒格给他庄严的祝福。

当厄撒乌发现了发生什么事，
他非常愤怒，并计划要杀死雅各伯。

因此，黎贝加要雅各伯去哈兰，直到厄撒乌的愤怒消失。

Dear God, please bless everyone in my family

亲爱的神，请祝福我家庭每个人

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 2,000+ prisoners.....especially to the 400 men from Mainland China. If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, June 2, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from a raining Hong Kong.

On this 2nd of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Fujian

1989-06-04 Tiananmen Square - A Massacre?

Smile: English teacher had a very troublesome little girl in his class.....so teacher gave her a name that would cause her plenty of trouble in
the years to come as she was introduced by her friends.... Mywife (pronounced "my wife")

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday June 6 (Corpus Christi): 7.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday June 13: 10.30am Mass at St Benedict's Church, Shatin
Sunday June 20: 10.30am Mass at St Benedict's Church, Shatin
Sunday June 27: 7.30am & 10.30am Masses at Star of the Sea Church, Chai Wan
Sunday July 4: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate
Sunday July 25: 9am & 10.30am Masses at Queen of Angels Church, Shun Lee Estate

No new photos the past week. Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Many thanks:
- Stephen (HK, May 29) for donation to support my work for prisoners in HK
- Maria (HK, May 31), for donation to support work for the poor in China

One billion people starving - what can I do?

Recent items of interest

China Daily- new article on Zhaoqing (5 pages)

China Daily 2010-05-28 "The first foreigner who became truly Chinese (Matteo Ricci)

China Daily 2010-05-28 A wise man from the West (Matteo Ricci)

NCR 2010-06-01 Matteo Ricci during 400 years of changing papal policies

Israel's security cannot come at any price (see 2nd last paragraph: "Far from ensuring its own security, Israel is unravelling it: no-one should be surprised if Israel has just succeeded in recruiting the next generation of martyrs keen to attack it."

People forced to sign deportation orders (...I know a bit about this...I also declined to sign such an order in Nov 2008)

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

Smile: Did you hear about the foetus that was an atheist? ....didn't believe in life after birth

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 25 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 25
After Abraham died,
God blessed Abraham's son Isaac.

For a long time Isaac's wife Rebecca
could not have children.

Then after Isaac prayed for her,
she had twin boys - Esau and Jacob.

Esau became a hunter.
Jacob helped at home.

Isaac favored Esau.
Rebecca preferred Jacob.

There was a strong rivalry between the two boys.

Once when Esau came home seriously ill,
he agreed to give Jacob his rights as first born son
in exchange for some soup Jacob had made

第25章

亚巴郞死后，神祝福亚巴郞的儿子依撒格。

依撒格的妻子黎贝加很久都不能怀孕。

当时依撒格为她祈祷后，
她诞下双胞胎男孩-厄撒乌和雅各伯。

厄撒乌成为猎人。 雅各伯在家里帮忙。

依撒格偏爱厄撒乌。黎贝加比较喜欢雅各伯。

一种强烈的对立存在二个男孩之间。

一次厄撒乌回家时患重病，
他同意给雅各伯他的长子名
份以换取一些雅各伯刚煮好的羮。

Dear God, please help childless couples to have a baby

亲爱的神，请帮助不孕夫妻有一个孩子

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I'm giving copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 2,000+ prisoners.....especially to the 400 men from Mainland China. If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, May 26, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong. One happy story from the past week: last Saturday night as I went for a walk after getting back from English classes, I started talking to a group of men from Nepal, in a local park. One of them immediately said: "I played table tennis with you last week in Lai Chi Kok prison"! He had graduated the day before. I'm now trying to help him find a job. Any HK friends know anyone who'll give a job (even a temporary job) to a 26 year old who has just finished a 3-month sentence (his first, and hopefully last....unless he can't find a job soon??)

On this 26th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Xinjiang

Smile: - for this computer age

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Trinity Sunday May 30: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan

Saturdays - May 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison/hospital visitation + English classes at St Eugene (Tues afternoon) and Oblate Primary (Frid afternoon)

Recent photo:

2010-05-22 Final Saturday morning English class at Oblate Primary School for Australian P.I.M. volunteer Josie Howard

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Many thanks:
- Catherine (HK, May 22) for donation to support my work for prisoners in HK
- Manly State School (Brisbane, May 25), for donation to support work for the poor in China

One billion people starving - what can I do?

Recent items of interest

Last Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, I enjoyed this program from the BBC:
Dangerous Mission - what it means to be a Christian missionary in a hostile country

Jewish knight defends Pius XII

Australia: - Gerard Minack re coming financial crisis? Gerard Minack at Mazenod College in 1975

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 23, 24 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapters 23, 24 Listen to Chapters 23, 24
Not long after his wife Sarah died
Abraham told his number one servant
to go back to Haran and find a wife for his son Isaac.

The servant went to Haran, to the town of Nahor.

When women were getting water from the well in Nahor
the servant prayed to God for help to find a wife for Isaac.

He said to God,
"If I ask a woman for a drink and she answers
'Please take some of my water,
and I'll give some to your camels, too'
may she be the one you have chosen for Isaac".

He had barely finished his prayer
when Rebecca, daughter of Bethuel came to the well.

She was very beautiful and not married.

The servant asked her for water and she said
"Drink, sir...and I'll get water for your camels, too".

Bethuel, a relative of Abraham,
gladly agreed for Rebecca to go with the servant to be Isaac's wife.

Rebecca herself was happy with the plan.

Isaac married Rebecca and loved her dearly

第23、24章

他的妻子撒辣依死后不久 亚巴郞告诉他的老仆人
回到哈兰并为其子依撒格找妻子。

老仆人去哈兰，纳曷尔城。

当纳曷尔城的女人们从井打水
老仆人祈求神帮助，为依撒格找妻子。

他对神说:
“如果我问一个女人要水喝，她回答 ‘请取一些水，
我也给你的骆驼水，' 如果她是你为依撒格选择的。”

他刚刚结束了他的祈祷
当黎贝加，贝突耳的女儿来到井。

她非常美丽和未婚。

老仆人问她要水她说：
“喝吧，先生...我也给你的骆驼水。”

贝突耳是亚巴郞的亲戚
欣然同意黎贝加跟老仆人去作依撒格的妻子。

黎贝加对这提议满意。 依撒格娶黎贝加和非常爱她。

Dear God, please help people to find "Mr/Mrs Right"

亲爱的神，请帮助人们找到“理想先生/太太”

I have started going to Lai Chi Kok Detention Center twice a week, and I am giving copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) to some of the 1,500 prisoners ....especially to men from Mainland China (they number about 300). If anyone would like to support this work, I'd sure be grateful.

Sincere sympathy
- to Lenore in loss of her dear Father, Max Thompson in Brisbane on April 20 - a dear family friend
- to Denise, Joanne, David and families in loss of Barry in Moe on May 22 - a loyal friend of the OMI's in Moe

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, May 19, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from a very warm and very humid Hong Kong, expecting top of 30 today + showers

Twenty three years ago today, on May 19, 1987, I paid my first visit to Zhaoqing.....stayed for one night ..... in men's quarters above bus station ...for Y3!....see receipt!. I arrived early afternoon....spent rest of afternoon with Rosary doing a Jericho around the central part of the city...left the next morning. Reason for going to Zhaoqing? - that was where Matteo Ricci lived for six years when he first went to China.

On this 19th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Shanxi

Smile 01 - Answering machine at Australian school (this one a big hit in USA)

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Pentecost Sunday May 23: 9.00am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Trinity Sunday May 30: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan

Saturdays - May 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + prison/hospital visitation + English classes at St Eugene (Tues afternoon) and Oblate Primary (Frid afternoon)

Recent photo:

2010-05-16 On a very hot Sunday night - meal at Matteo Ricci Center (formerly Jordan Center) for men from House of Hope for homeless men

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Many thanks:
- A-Yau (HK, May 13), for donation to support work for the poor in China
- Anon (HK, May 18) for donation to support my work in HK

Smile 02 - Toilet sign at a HK hospital

One billion people starving - what can I do?

Recent items of interest

Iceland - more info re the second volcano (five times larger than the present one in news) that might soon erupt and cause much more chaos

Thailand - a clear explanation of who the Yellow Shirts and Red Shirts are. This article has changed my thinking from Yellow to Red!

USA - father of six to be ordained a priest - "a special exception"

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy".
Let's digest Genesis 22 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 22

Abraham loved God very dearly.

Once when God put him to the test
Abraham was even willing to sacrifice his only son Isaac
if that was what God wanted.

When God saw Abraham's love and obedience
God renewed his promise
to make Abraham and Isaac's descendants
as many as the stars of heaven

第22章

亚巴郞深爱神。

一旦当神试探他, 亚巴郞甚至愿意牺牲自己唯一的儿子依撒格
如果这是神想要的。

当神看到亚巴郞的爱和服从
神再次承诺，
使亚巴郞和依撒格的后裔
多如天上星辰。

Dear God, please help us love and obey you

亲爱的神，请帮助我们爱和服从你

Happy Pentecost (this Sunday)!

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, May 12, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from a warm and humid Hong Kong, expecting top of 26 today.....on this second anniversary of the Sichuan earthquake....and the start of new governments in two countries made up of islands: the Philippines and the UK. God bless President Aquino and Prime Minister Cameron! (one interesting comment re UK elections: Low hanging fruit).

12th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Jiangshu

Smile: one for the politicians

Gordon Brown is out jogging one morning, notices a little boy on the corner with a box. Curious he runs over to the child and says, 'What's in the box sonny?' To which the little boy says, 'Kittens, They're brand new kittens.'

Gordon Brown laughs and says, 'What kind of kittens are they? 'Socialists', the child says. 'Oh that's lovely, 'Gordon smiles and he runs off.

A couple of days later Gordon is running with his colleague Tony Blair and he spies the same boy with his box just ahead. Gordon says to Tony, 'Watch this.' and they both jog over to the boy with the box.

Gordon says, 'Look in the box Tony, isn't that cute? Look at those little kittens. Och aye laddie, tell my friend Tony what kind of kittens they are.'

The boy replies, 'They're Tories.'

'What?' Gordon says, 'I jogged by here the other day and you said they were Socialists. What's changed?
'Well, 'the lad says, 'Their eyes are open now.'

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 23: 9.00am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 30: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan

Saturdays - May 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + hospital/prison visitation + other English classes (including Tues afternoon at St Eugene and Friday afternoon at Oblate Primary). DV Thursday afternoon will be usual time for visiting Lai Chi Kok prison (...no phone...)

Recent photo:

2010-05-02 After Mass & lunch at Tuen Mun - former Notre Dame Parish basketbaler Raymond and his wife May

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, May 4), Anon (HK, May 6) - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China

Yesterday was the 400th anniversary of the death of Matteo Ricci in Beijing in 1610 (see last diary......+ one new link: Australian Jesuit newsletter - interview with jw re Matteo Ricci ).
From yesterday, my little center in Jordan has a new name: "Matteo Ricci Center".
A number of HK people have said they would like to form a Ricci Study Group. Anyone interested in such a group, please contact me: jdwomi@gmail.com or 67095674

Recent item of interest Thailand - A ministry among the truly abandoned

Brother Bernard WIRTH o.m.i. tells us of one of his days at the Detention Center.

To avoid a bottleneck, I arrived at 6:30 this morning. In that way, I could have a quiet moment to find out what had happened since my last visit. And I could plan the day’s activities.

First of all, I visit the Vietnamese prisoners in cell number 4. Two of them escaped last week through the sewers: 200 persons are suffering the retaliation. There are a about a hundred of them, confined 24 hours a day in their cell of 20 by 4 meters, with a cement floor and walls. There’s no television, no visits, no releases. There is but one bathroom but the W.C.’s are still blocked. Last week, I fought to have them unblocked (at our expense, of course!) Everything has to be done over. When I left, at 5 p.m., the authorizations and contacts with the repairman were OK, but he was not yet there. The atmosphere is tense! I listen and I try to calm their spirits…with little success.

I move on to the cell of the Burmese. They too are about a hundred, between 18 and 25 years old for the most part. Newspapers around the world have spoken about them: they were abandoned in the middle of the sea, beaten back and rejected by everyone. Dumped first of all in a camp, they arrived at the Center in a pitiable condition. Fifteen of them could not even walk. Most of them do not know how to read or write and they speak only their dialect. Contact with them is difficult, but sometimes I make them laugh at my own ignorance. In January, I hope to get permission to teach them a bit of Thai or English.

With the Africans, it is easier: most of them get by in English or in French. As I enter, Mohammed calls me: “Why do we see you so seldom?” (It’s true that I often give them over to other volunteers.) I bring them newspapers and magazines. We discuss sports; we laugh. We mention the problems only later. How to contact their friends, their family; how to get money to return to their own country? Our organization helps, but they have to wait for months since the list is long. Others have health problems. A fan is broken. The drinking water leaves something to be desired. The images on the television are fuzzy. I take note and the list in each cell is often long: I do what I can.

Here I am, back at the office of the NGO which is helping with the Center. I meet Anne, another volunteer from the group: she shares with me what she heard in other cells, for example, of the women. She points out those who would like to see me.

All together, there are 15 cells: between 1,000 and 1,200 prisoners, most of them undocumented, besides the political refugees and those who have finished long terms in other prisons.

Sometimes, there is a ray of sunshine: I think of that woman from Somalia, with six children between the ages of 2 and 10, abandoned by her husband. She is leaving tonight for Canada with her six children. She will be taken into a UNO project. She is sitting on a bench with her little brood, proud to say that she is going to take an airplane that evening. Everyone shares her joy and the youngest child is passed from one person to the next: even the policemen take him in their arms.

Another joy was being able to celebrate Christmas with them. Ten or so prisoners from each cell were able to come down into the courtyard to take part in a ceremony: we prayed and sang in the language of each one: English, Ibo (Nigeria), Nepalese, Chinese, Korean, Tamil and Thai. Then we went into all the cells to wish each one a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year…at least a little more happiness! We also had a little gift for each one and I appreciated being able to shake the hand of my friends other than through bars!

So there’s a brief look at a little corner of life here in Thailand. I spend only fifteen hours a week there. But I am quite attached to them because many of the prisoners are truly the poorest of the poor. They live in indescribable conditions. (in Audacieux pour l’Évangile, April 2010)

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing One billion people starving - what can I do?

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 20

Chapters 20, 21

Abraham and his wife Sarah were old people
but God blessed them with a son.
They named their son Isaac.

Sarah again made life difficult for Hagar and Hager's son.

Hagar and her son had to leave Abraham's home
but God protected them and found them a new home.

第20、21章

亚巴郞和他的妻子撒辣依是老人
但神保佑给他们一个儿子。
他们给他们的儿子起名叫依撒格。

撒辣依再次让哈加尔和哈加尔的儿子生活艰苦。

哈加尔和她的儿子必须离开亚巴郞的家
但神保护他们，给他们找新家园。

Dear God, please don't let me make life difficult
for anyone else

亲爱的神，请不要让我导致别人生活艰苦

Happy Ascension (this Sunday)!

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2. I'm due to be on retreat, Sunday night May 2 to Friday midday May 7, in HK

Next diary: May 12 DV

Wednesday, April 28, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong where my breakfast just included a lovely "Kiwi Crunch Royal Gala" apple from New Zealand ....can buy 7 of them for HK$10....about AUD$1.40

No new photos recently. Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Smile 01: (Thank you Gordon...)

THIS MAY COME AS A SURPRISE TO THOSE OF YOU NOT LIVING IN LAS VEGAS , BUT THERE ARE MORE CATHOLIC CHURCHES THAN CASINOS.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, SOME WORSHIPERS AT SUNDAY SERVICES WILL GIVE CASINO CHIPS RATHER THAN CASH WHEN THE BASKET IS PASSED.

SINCE THEY GET CHIPS FROM MANY DIFFERENT CASINOS, THE CHURCHES HAVE DEVISED A METHOD TO COLLECT THE OFFERINGS..

THE CHURCHES SEND ALL THEIR COLLECTED CHIPS TO A NEARBY FRANCISCAN MONASTERY FOR SORTING AND THEN THE CHIPS ARE TAKEN TO THE CASINOS OF ORIGIN AND CASHED IN.

THIS IS DONE BY THE CHIP MONKS

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday May 2: 9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 2 to Friday May 7: annual OMI retreat, at Sheung Shui
Sunday May 9: 8am & 9.30am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 23: 9.00am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 30: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan

Saturdays - May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + hospital/prison visitation + other English classes (including Tues afternoon at St Eugene and Friday afternoon at Oblate Primary). DG my prison pass has finally been renewed......and as well as being able to visit all the prisons on Lantau Island, I also may now visit Lai Chi Kok Reception Center (not far from Jordan/Yau Ma Tei)

Tuesday, May 11 is the 400th anniversary of the death of Matteo Ricci in Beijing in 1610. Ricci was an Italian Jesuit priest who spent 27 years in China, the first six of them in Zhaoqing (...which is the main reason I went to Zhaoqing!). Ricci eventually got to Beijing and spent his last ten years there.

Someone has put it so well:
" It is very enlightening to follow Ricci’s journey, step by step. It is not only a geographical passage of places and people on the way to Beijing. It is also a mental and spiritual journey towards an ever deeper understanding of and respect for Chinese culture"

As China and the West/Rest try to understand each other in today's complex world, the example of Ricci has much to offer. Ricci is THE pioneer of Sino-Foreign understanding.

Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F.
I've been invited to give a presentation, for which I will use this summary (which is still not quite in it's final form)

Today's Australian Jesuit Newsletter has a podcast interview which I did while in Melbourne a few months ago

New movie tracing the journey of Ricci in China - "Beyond Ricci" (...can anyone please help me get a copy of this?...thank you...)

Smile 02 (a joke about the Jesuits, for anniversary of Matteo Ricci...sorry, Matteo):
How are the Jesuits and Dominicans similar?

They were both founded by Spaniards: St. Dominic established the Dominicans, and St. Ignatius of Loyola established the Jesuits.
They were also both founded to combat heresy: the Dominicans to fight Albigensianism, and the Jesuits to fight Protestantism.

How are they different?

Have you met any Albigensians lately?

Recent items of interest:

Volcano no. 2 soon to explode in Iceland? (...and it's 5 times bigger than the first one...)
(a new game being played "Volplanic: airplanes cause global warming, global warming causes ice above arctic volcanoes to melt, less ice means less pressure keeping volcanoes quiet, less pressure means volcanoes erupt more easily, erupting volcanoes stop airplanes from flying!)

Nelson Mandela's guiding principles - beautiful

Church:
- Catholic Church needs total reform (Bishop Pat Power)
- while people like Bishop Pat are calling for the church to be more humble, more simple, avoiding the trappings of power etc., last week in Washington D.C. a U.S. cardinal said a Tridentine Mass with all the trappings, including a 20 yard (!) "superman" cape - see especially the second picture in this report
- this BBC report on Toyota has many similarities to present church situation: problems, unwillingness to change etc
- open letter from Hans Kung to Catholic bishops ....."must read" (if print is too small, increase "100%" at bottom right of screen)

Smile 03: A few days ago, in an English class with some Year 12 students, as we studied an article about Turkey in that day's newspaper, I asked one of the students "Where is Turkey?". He replied "in Japan".....thinking "Turkey" was "Tokyo"

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 19

Chapter 19

The men of Sodom practised sodomy.
They wanted to abuse the two angels who looked like men
when the angels visited the home of Abraham's nephew, Lot.

So the angels struck the threatening men with blindness.

Then the angels told Lot and his family to leave Sodom immediately because it would soon be destroyed.

As soon as Lot and his family had left Sodom
the town was destroyed by a volcanic storm

第19章

索多玛城的男人进行鸡奸。
他们想虐待那两个看似男人的天使
当天使探望亚巴郞的侄儿，罗特。

因此天使把威胁他们的男子击致失明。

之后，天使告诉罗特和他的家人立即离开索多玛城
因为它很快就会被毁灭。

罗特和他的家人离开索多玛城不久
该城市被火山风暴毁灭。

Dear God, please help people avoid sodomy

亲爱的神，请帮助人们避免鸡奸

The whole of Genesis, in above simple form, in English and Chinese, is now ready for the printer. Copies of Genesis in small booklet form can be given to visitors from Mainland etc. Any kind friends like to help sponsor this work please? One copy costs about HK$7.00

Recent discovery: For many months now my favorite drink has been lemon water. I cut up a lemon each morning, put it in a cup, then keep adding water during the day. But in the last month or so my gums have been getting sore. At first I thought the problem was too many sweets, too much sugar etc. Finally a few days ago I put "too many lemons + sore gums" into Google....and discovered that the sore gums were being caused by too much acid from the lemons! Now....no more lemon drinks....and no sore gums! DG!

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

Accommodation needed: A friend of mine who works with sick people in China has arranged for another patient - this time a 16 year old boy - to visit HK for medical treatment in July. Treatment may take a month. Friend is looking for somewhere for boy to stay, preferably in Shatin area, since medical treatment will be in Ma On Shan area. Anyone able to help please? jdwomi@gmail.com or 6709 5674

"I was hungry and you.....": 2009 meeting in Rome said that 17,000 children die of starvation each day. At same meeting Pope Benedict called on weathy nations to live more simply (& see comments at end of link!). See also: One million children go to bed hungry each night - in USA! and One billion people starving as I write this. What can I do? World Food Program

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland. Good news in past two weeks: two cancer friends, one in HK, one in Australia, have been given a big and very important "all clear" by their (somewhat amazed) doctors. DG!
And Dear Lord, please especially bless A-Ming (in coma in a hospital in Guangzhou) & a 20 year old HK girl in coma in hospital in Brisbane!

Happy Easter Season!

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong. This time last week I typed a sentence something like "Last night on the TV news there was a story about snakes surfacing in most unusual places and numbers in Guangdong Province....maybe a sign of an approaching earthquake?".
Then I deleted the sentence, not wanting to wish an earthquake on anyone.
But only two hours before this, Qinghai Province experienced an earthquake that claimed more than 2,000 lives and left more than 100,000 people homeless.
Maybe we can learn from animals a bit more about earthquake detection? c.f. reports re unusual behavior of chickens/birds etc before quakes.
Yesterday, after reading this appeal, I made an online donation to a most reliable group which has a team on the ground at the quake site.

Recent photo (+ 2 very special stories)

2010-04-16 SCMP: Wen raises eyebrows with praise of Hu Yaobang (a most important article... some of the sentences in this report are like sticks of dynamite...)

2010-04-16 HK man dies trying to save earthquake victims in Qinghai This is the sort of person who should be canonized

2010-04-20 Visitors to Yau Ma Tei and Jordan Center - loyal parish friends from Tung Chung, Mr & Mrs Wan

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday April 25: 10.30am Mass at St Bonaventure School, Tze Wan Shan
             April 25 in Australia/New Zealand is Anzac Day....public holiday on 26.
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 2 to Friday May 7: annual OMI retreat, at Sheung Shui
Sunday May 9:    8am & 9.30am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Tuesday May 11: 400th anniversary of death of Matteo Ricci in Beijing - see this summary taking shape
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays - Ap 24; May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Monday - Friday: Street ministry in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + hospital visitation + other English classes (including Tues afternoon at St Eugene and Friday afternoon at Oblate Primary)

Smile: (for Easter time!)
A man bought a donkey from a preacher. The preacher told the man that this donkey had been trained in a very unique way (being the donkey of a preacher):
The only way to make the donkey go, is to say, "Hallelujah!"
The only way to make the donkey stop, is to say, "Amen!"

The man was pleased with his purchase and immediately got on the animal to try out the preacher's instructions.

"Hallelujah!" shouted the man. The donkey began to trot. "Amen!" shouted the man. The donkey stopped immediately.

"This is great!" said the man. With a "Hallelujah" he rode off, very proud of his new purchase.

The man traveled for a long time through the mountains. As he headed towards a cliff, he tried to remember the word to make the donkey stop. "Stop," said the man. "Halt!" he cried. The donkey just kept going.

"Oh, no..."

"Bible...Church!...Please! Stop!!," shouted the man. The donkey just began to trot faster. He was getting closer and closer to the edge of the cliff.
Finally, in desperation, the man said a prayer..."Please, dear Lord. Please make this donkey stop before I go off the end of this mountain, In Jesus name, AMEN."

The donkey came to an abrupt stop just one step from the edge of the cliff.

"HALLELUJAH!" shouted the man.

Spot the difference: top of my diary no longer has this link 1421 - 1434. Why? Well, two days ago, while I was working on Ricci summary for May 9 presentation, I read this and this! So I now realize I am one of millions who have been duped by Gavin Menzies & Co in recent years.

Recent items of interest:

China:
- Grain of salt needed story
- Rio Tinto trial - details
-Premier goes to quake zone - as this diary has often said before, would that the world had more leaders like Wen

Europe's volcanic ash:
- Imagine a world without planes

UK:
- World pays tribute to atheist turned believer, Anthony Flew (who died recently)

USA:
- Goldman Sachs case just the beginning (...a no-punches-pulled article..)

Church crisis:
- Turn this dreadful moment into a graced moment (Fr Michael Ryan)

Many thanks:
- Stephen (HK, April 15) - for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 18

Chapter 18

One day at Mamre, God and two angels appeared to Abraham.
At first, God and the angels looked like men.

Following the ancient custom of hospitality
Abraham prepared a feast for them.

God told Abraham that the town of Sodom was going to be destroyed because of the evil done there.

Abraham pleaded with God not to destroy Sodom.
God agreed to postpone Sodom's destruction for a while.

第 18章

有一天，在玛默勒，神和两个天使给亚巴郞显现。
起初，神和天使看似男人。

遵循古代的殷勤风俗习惯，亚巴郞为他们准备了盛宴。

神告诉亚巴郞，索多玛城将要被毁灭
因为邪恶在那里进行。

亚巴郞恳求神不要毁灭索多玛城。
神同意延迟一段时间毁灭索多玛城。

Dear God, please help people avoid sodomy

亲爱的神，请帮助人们避免鸡奸

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland.
And Dear Lord, please especially bless A-Ming (in coma in a hospital in Guangzhou) & a 20 year old HK girl in coma in hospital in Brisbane!

Happy Easter Season!

John W omi

p.s. Mighty Lions on top of ladder!

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

Wednesday, April 14, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong where Winter (on way out) and Summer (on way in) are having a tussle for control, the situation being complicated by abnormal weather in China

Smiles:

01: (per a Jewish friend I visited in hospital last Sunday night) - How is it that a nation descended from Abraham won't eat pork?

02: Guard in one of HK's prisons on charge last week for taking porn into prison. But isn't there porn in every prison?

Exodus 14.15 The crossing of the Sea of Reeds - Powerpoint presentation using scientific findings - thank you, Francis!

Recent photos:

2010-04-10 OMI friends from Australia: Josie (Gold Coast; PIM volunteer), Sandra and George (Melbourne, St John Vianney's Parish)

2010-04-12 Visit to Yau Ma Tei and Jordan area by dear friends from Canberra Jane and Zhang

2010-04-12 Mr Leung, now at Wing Fat Nursing home .....with new tray and (second hand) TV

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday April 18: 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 25: 10.30am Mass at St Bonaventure School, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 2 to Friday May 7: annual OMI retreat, at Sheung Shui
Sunday May 9:    8am & 9.30am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F  (about 100 registrations so far; room for another 80)
Tuesday May 11: 400th anniversary of death of Matteo Ricci in Beijing
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Ap 17, 24; May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Recent items of interest:

China:
- 500kph train!
- SCMP - a disturbing report
- Rio Tinto playing monopoly?

Church:
- crisis - so many articles....Vatican continues to put feet in mouth.....I can't help thinking there should be a law requiring pope/cardinals/bishops to retire at 70......Ben 16 & JP2 (in whose time this issue should have been faced) too old to cope with such pressure
- previous items re new missal - see diary March 10, below

UK/USA:
- Exporting what sort of democracy? (a lot to think about...)
- The Irishman who lives without money (has great line: I once wiped my xxxx with a (newspaper) story about myself)

HK:
- Cathay Pacific emergency landing yesterday: This account, like radio news HK, has the sentence" It appeared there were some engine problems that the aircraft experienced on (landing)". Today's SCMP explains "some engine problems": (!)

Two Australian pilots have been called heroes after a miracle landing of a stricken Cathay Pacific plane with hundreds of passengers on board in Hong Kong yesterday. Both engines on the Airbus A330-300 malfunctioned on its approach to Chek Lap Kok, the pilots told a colleague. For at least several seconds of the plane's descent, it was flying with no power in either engine, effectively gliding at high speed towards the airport.

Colleagues of the two pilots said it was a miracle the plane made it to the airport intact. The captain and first officer lost the use of the left-hand engine shortly after the aircraft reached cruising altitude after taking off from Surabaya in Indonesia on a four hour 40 minute flight to Hong Kong, one colleague said. They either shut the engine down or left it idling after unknown problems developed early in the flight, he said.

With the plane able to fly and land safely on one engine - provided it is in range of an alternative airport - the Airbus, carrying 322 passengers and crew, continued towards Hong Kong.

Shortly after it began its descent, however, the second engine began to cut out inexplicably, leaving the pair to cope with dips and surges in power and the prospect of the plane plunging into the sea short of Chek Lap Kok.

Working together, the two pilots somehow managed to half glide, half fly the aircraft towards the runway in a tense and extraordinary 20 minutes as the power in the right-hand engine came and went.

The second engine cut out and restarted several times as the two pilots struggled to bring the aircraft in to land at Chek Lap Kok without lurching off course, the colleague said.

The pilots struggled to control the plane's approach as the dips in power left them flying too low while surges took them too high as they approached the airport at what the colleague said was "far in excess of the normal approach speed".

As the plane was making its final, perilous approach over the sea, they managed to get enough thrust in the right-hand engine to carry it safely to the runway.

Landing at a high speed, the pilots managed to use reverse thrust as well as other braking devices to bring the plane to a stop, setting the tyres on fire as they did so but bringing the aircraft to a safe standstill, the colleague said.

Most, if not all, of the injuries were caused by people hurting themselves as they went down emergency chutes, not during the life-or-death approach to the airport.

"It was an amazing piece of piloting in extremely testing circumstances," the colleague said. "One engine was shut down completely and the other was going on and off. They effectively landed the plane on half an engine.

"The passengers who were on that plane should be praying to whatever God they have that they got down safely after what happened."

The colleague said: "The two guys who landed the plane safely are pretty shaken up as you'd imagine and I expect they will be dreaming for some time about that second engine stalling and restarting."

Another colleague of the two men said: "Their stories will come out in due course when the investigation is complete but what they did was nothing short of heroic. It's a miracle they managed to get the plane down safely.

"If this had happened on another airline or if this had happened to less skilled and resourceful pilots, there is no way those passengers would have all walked away from that plane alive."

One of the two pilots is based in Hong Kong and was expected to return to his family last night, while the other is based in Australia and will stay in a hotel in the city for the time being.

A Cathay Pacific flight quality controller said it was extremely rare for an engine to break down during a flight unless it was hit by an object such as a bird or birds.

"Even with both engines dead, our planes still have a backup power supply that should allow it to glide for up to hour, with the help of flaps and spoilers."

-----

So now it appears, that we, it appears, know, it appears, the meaning of " It appeared there were some engine problems that the aircraft experienced on (landing)"

Many thanks:
- Anon 1 and Anon 2 (HK, both on April 8) - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 17

Chapter 17

God appeared to Abraham and said to him
"I will make an everlasting covenant with you and your descendants.

As a sign of this covenant, all your males must be circumcised.
Baby boys must be circumcised when they are eight days old.

Also, Sarah your wife, even though she is old, will bear you a son.
You will name him Isaac".

第 17章

神给亚巴郞显现并对他说:

“我将跟你和你的后裔订立永久的盟约。

作为盟约的标记，你所有的男子必须割包皮。

男婴必须割包皮当他们八天大。

此外，你的妻子撒辣依，虽然她年老，将为你诞下一子。

你给他起名叫依撒格。”

Dear God, please bless all the babies in the world

亲爱的神，请祝福世上所有的婴儿

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

One more smile: The South China Morning Post has apologized for giving the wrong Chinese name for President Hu Jintao in a story on its front page. The name, printed in Chinese characters, was "Hu Jia" - the same as that of a prominent mainland activist who's serving a three-and-a-half year jail term.

Happy Easter Season!

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-04-07 Dear Friends

Happy Easter again to everyone! Hong Kong people (except students) back at work today after 5 public holidays (for Easter and Ching Ming). I was at St Bonaventure Church for all the Easter ceremonies - including the baptism of 53 adults on Saturday night and 11 children on Easter Sunday morning. A lovely experience.

Smile (not unlike last week's smile...)

A friend was in front of me coming out of church one day, and the preacher was standing at the door as he always is to shake hands. He grabbed my friend by the hand and pulled him aside. The Pastor said, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!"

My friend said, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor."

Pastor questioned, "How come I don't see you except at Christmas and Easter?"

He whispered back, "I'm in the secret service!"

Reflection 01: Yesterday as my computer went to the doctor for several hours, I was thinking how a good description for Baptism is the re-formatting of a hard drive!

Recent photos:

No photos of the past week - maybe some will be posted at a later date

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday April 11: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 18: 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 25: 10.30am Mass at St Bonaventure School, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 2 to Friday May 7: annual OMI retreat, at Sheung Shui
Sunday May 9:    8am & 9.30am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F  (about 100 registrations so far; room for another 80)
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Ap 10, 17, 24; May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Recent items of interest:

China:
- Worst drought in a century
- Grave drought - will increase impact of annual floods in May/June
- Mekong water? - c.f. SCMP background articles
- 115 miners rescued after being trapped for 8 days

Church crisis: (articles in chronological order)
- The future?
- Reflections of Fr W. Steckling, OMI leader
- Is middle ground possible? (John Allen)
- Bishops: "sorry"; Vatican: "idle gossip"
- 50,000 protestants at Vatican October 31?
- a Year of Shame? (by a former priest)
- Pope should resign?

Religion: Richard Dawkins has done religion a favor by stirring up interest c.f. Richard Dawkins preaches to the deluded

Previous items re new missal - see diary March 10, below

Many thanks:
- St Bonaventure Church (HK, Ap 1 & Ap 3), - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Can anyone please help? Mr Cheung (formerly a resident at House of Hope for homeless men) after two months in hospital is now confined to bed at a nursing home near my Jordan Center. He's unable to leave his bed to go to a tv "lounge". I have promised, with ok of nursing home, to buy him a tray table (as for each bed in a hospital) and a small second hand tv. I can get the tv for HK$300, the tray maybe one or two hundred. Can some kind HK friend please help me in this endeavor? - my mobile: 6709 5674

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 16:

Chapter 16

Abraham and his wife Sarah had been married many years
but they did not have any children.

So Sarah said to Abraham,
"Take my slave Hagar and have children by her".

When Hagar bore a son,
Sarah was jealous and treated Hagar badly.

Hagar ran away from home, but God said to her
"Go back to your mistress and submit to her;
I will bless all your descendants".

第 16 章

亚巴郞和他的妻子撒辣依已结婚多年
但他们没有任何孩子。

如此撒辣依对亚巴郞说:
“娶我的奴隶哈加尔并和她生孩子。”

当哈加尔怀了儿子，撒辣依嫉妒和苦待哈加尔。

哈加尔离家出走，但神对她说:
“回到你主母那里并屈服于她，我会祝福你的所有后裔。”

Dear God, please help childless couples to have a baby

亲爱的神，请帮助不孕夫妻有一个孩子

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

Reflection 02: In China there are more than 1,000,000 abortions every month....that's 12,000,000+ per year....that's 120,000,000+ for the past ten years....and since 1970's maybe 500,000,000. May those little ones be at peace in the next life, and may the prayers of so many little saints in Heaven help more and more people in China to know the Easter story

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland.
And Dear Lord, please especially bless two men in coma - Oscar (Queen Elizabeth Hospital, HK) & A-Ming (in a hospital in Guangzhou)

Happy Easter Season!

John W omi

p.s. 1: If you're computer gives messages like "you need to delete uninstall shield" or "you have exceeded your profile space" or "requested lookup key was not found in any activity account" - hard drive might need to be baptized!

p.s. 2: Keep going Lions!

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-03-31 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong on the last day of March. I wish everyone a Happy Easter!
May this Easter Season bring our troubled world a bit more of the hope that comes from Jesus' Resurrection.

Recent photos:

2010-03-29 Dear OMI friend Grace with Manny, Marlyn & Melvin from the Philippines for visit to Oscar in Queen Elizabeth Hospital

2010-03-30 Visit by Sr Stella & group to Shek Kwu Chau Island Center run by The Society for the Aid & Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Did you know? Facebook has a second internet address....no need to type www.facebook .com ....just type www.fbme

Smile - for Easter
There were three country churches in a small Texas town: Presbyterian, Methodist and Baptist.
Each church was overrun with pesky squirrels.
One day, the Presbyterian church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels. After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will.
The Methodist group got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creatures.
So, they humanely trapped the squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back.
It was only the Baptists who were able to come up with the best and most effective solution:
They baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they see them only at Christmas and Easter.

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Friday April 2 (Good Friday): 8pm liturgy at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 4 (Easter Sunday): 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 11: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 18: 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 25: 10.30am Mass at St Bonaventure School, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9:    8am & 9.30am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Good News from the past week:

01 - Johnny (tall boy at back, zip showing, next to teacher). Because of his serious visual impairment (for which doctors have no solution),
Johnny never went to school.....until Ricci Center opened when he was 11 ...he was one of our first students. When Ricci Center (Marco Polo Center) closed at end of 2008, Johnny was once again school-less. But now he has been taken on by a massage therapy center run by blind people....who are good friends of Martin Luther, so to speak. DG! Johnny is good at English. If anyone would like to support him by helping him get English CDs etc, please email me: jdwomi@gmail.com

02 - Wendy.....from very broken and very unsafe home....used to live at Marco Polo. When MP closed, she went back to very unsafe (and school-less) conditions. But now some friends have helped her return to safe conditions in Zh. DG. Wendy is due to go back to school in Zh in September. If anyone would like to help sponsor her (...has to pay extra fees because not a local person...) please email me.

03 - Here in HK there's a 7-11 shop opposite my Jordan Center....where each morning, after the Temple Street Market is dismantled, a group of Nepalese men (and sometimes some Nepalese women) gather from about 2am to 7am and get drunk and loud....keeping neighbors from sleep. Neighbors have often called police....police unable to solve the problem (no HK law against loud drinking in public place). Social workers also unable to do anything.
A couple of times I tried asking the group to "keep it down to a dull roar", only to cop insults etc.
After one such encounter I went back to the Jordan Center and opened my Bible for a bit of encouragement....at the place where I was up to that day in John's Gospel ....only to find (who said God has no sense of humor?) the passage was about Jesus changing water into wine (for wedding party group already under the weather)! After thinking about it, I said "OK, if you know how to change water into wine, you must know how to change wine into water"....so each morning as I go out door for meditation walk, I have been looking across road to group at 7-11 and blessing them with my cross.
This morning as I went out, the main noise man and one of his chiefs were just down road from 7-11, as sober as judges...."no money, no drink". I was able to say hello....make friends.....then invited them for simple breakfast at local canteen....got their names and phone numbers....and they have accepted invitation to join me for lunch at Jordan Center on Saturday.....after which I'll accompany them to local Evangelical Nepalese Center (who so far have been unable to touch base with them) ....and DV this contact will be the start of a better life for them.
In HK, young Nepalese men are the fastest growing group of alcoholics and drug addicts. Their fathers were Gurkhas, famous for being among the bravest soldiers in the world. But when HK went back China, the Gurkhas lost their jobs - many became security guards - and their sons lost their sense of identity (...like the Jews in Babylonian exile long ago...didn't want to build homes, plant vineyards, get married "cause we'll be going home soon" = "exile syndrome")

Many thanks:
- David & Trudy (Switzerland, March 26) and Simon (HK, March 29) - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest:

Afghanistan: I've just finished reading "Stones into Schools" by Greg Mortenson. What an inspiring book

Africa: Congo - yes indeed

China:
- Trial 1: Stern Hu - my only comment: maybe history will show there was a kangaroo in the court?
- Trial 2: Tainted milk campaigner
- Trial 3: There were more executions in China in 2009 than in the whole of the rest of the world
(and....as an English teacher, I just noticed that the word "liar" is in the word "trial"....)

Church:
- Keeping the record straight on Benedict and the crisis - John Allen
- Italy next - Guardian

Korea: Beautiful report from Fr Vincenczo omi - C elebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year (30/03/2010 - Korea)

Today, February 14, is the beginning of a new year for us in Korea: the Year of the Tiger, according to the Chinese calendar. On this date, early in the morning, it is the custom to celebrate in every family the “Ritual of the Ancestors.” It is an observance which every first-born son must do with care, respect and devotion for deceased parents. In what does it consist?

To explain it in a few words is not easy because it is a complex and important reality; to reduce it to a few lines would be to risk not understanding the deeper meaning. Maybe that explains why, in 1500, Fr. Matteo Ricci, the great Jesuit missionary in China, an astrologer, mathematician and man of great culture, when he spoke of these traditions before the Roman Curia, he was misunderstood and from that time, Catholics were forbidden to celebrate these rituals because they were considered to be pagan. The question became totally complicated because from that time on, China has always seen the Catholic religion as an enemy of its own traditions and has blocked any rapport with the Church of Rome. Only in recent decades have they understood that the worship of ancestors is not a form of idolatry but rendering of homage to family members who have preceded us in heaven and for that reason, it is permitted that Catholics too may celebrate it.

And now, on this first day of the Year of the Tiger, I am getting ready at 7 in the morning to celebrate this important ritual of the oriental culture, together with the boys of our family home. I have seen it done many times but I have never done it myself. But today, my expert worker has the day off and I must manage to do it myself. That is not easy, given the complexity of the action which requires much attention to gestures and form. A table with two candlesticks must be prepared, along with a small tablet on which are written the names of the deceased persons and bowl for incense. Then, in a set order, one puts on the table a large quantity of cooked food to offer to the ancestors: steak, chicken, fish, apples, pears, persimmons, candies, chestnuts, wine, rice, took-cook (a special soup that is eaten only on this occasion), meat patties and pancakes. When everything is ready, one bows before this altar-table with great devotion, twice touching the ground with the forehead; then there is a third but less profound bow. One prays in silence for a few moments, entrusting to these departed souls all of one’s desires and hopes for the new year that is about to begin. Together with the boys, I too bowed, remembering my loved ones in paradise and praying for them.

Then the boys bowed again, forehead to the ground, before the oldest one there – in this case, me – as a sign of respect; next, after some words of best wishes and advice for the new year, I gave them a nice “tip”…perhaps the most exciting moment for the boys. Afterwards, with great joy and happiness, everyone ate together those foods that had been offered and joyfully, we celebrated with traditional games. In this way, today, celebrating the worship of ancestors with my boys, I spent my Chinese New Year.

Someone could turn up his nose and say: “How does a Catholic priest, acting like that, not create scandal and confusion in the faith of these young Christians?” The God in whom I believe and whom the Bible reveals to us is a Great Lord, infinite, omnipotent, who can only smile upon a ritual done out of love for one’s parents who have passed on. Jesus would certainly not be scandalized by these small gestures that are totally human and full of such affection and devotion. For whoever might be puzzled at such a statement, I offer an important clarification, in a sense strictly technical. Catholicism is not primarily a religion, that is, a group of rituals, prayers, signs, ethical-moral norms, acts of submission to the divine Being whom one must follow to the letter with fearful devotion. In reality, it is the overwhelming experience of Jesus, risen and alive. It is a life that is lived following Him. It is an encounter with a person who is alive and present among us.

In fact, the first followers of the Lord were never preoccupied with founding a new religion but only with giving witness to what they had seen and lived: that the Messiah whom they had loved, after his violent death on the cross, was risen and they had seen Him, they had touched Him and they had eaten with Him. They had had such a wonderful experience that now they were teaching everyone, fearlessly, this New Way (Acts 16:17; 18:26). In the first decades of Christianity, the followers of Jesus were known as those who followed the “New Way” and no one ever mentioned a new religion. (John 14:6)
-------------------------------------------

Previous items re new missal - see diary March 10, below

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 14 - 15:

Chapters 14, 15

In the land of Canaan there were many kings.
Sometimes they went to war against each other.

Melchizedek, king of Salem, was also a priest of God.
Abraham gave Melchizedek 10% of all his possessions.
Melchizedek gave Abraham bread and wine.

Melchizedek asked God to give Abraham a special blessing.

God said to Abraham, "This land of Canaan is yours;
I give it to you and your descendants".

第 14、15章

在客纳罕有许多国王。有时他们反对彼此发起战争。

撒冷王默基瑟德，也是神的司祭。
亚巴郞把他所有财产百份之十给默基瑟德
默基瑟德给亚巴郞饼和酒。

默基瑟德求神给亚巴郞一个特别的祝福。

神对亚巴郞说:“客纳罕这片土地是你的;
我把它给你和你的后裔。”

Dear God,
please help all the kings and leaders in the world to be friends

亲爱的神，请帮助世上所有国王和领袖成为朋友

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

2 days to Good Friday - Stations of the Cross song

Happy Easter!

John W omi

p.s. Five public holidays coming up in HK: Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday, Easter Monday and Ching Ming

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-03-24 Dear Friends

Good morning from the world's largest mega-region, where the air pollution reading went "off the chart" a few days ago ....and not far from the worst drought for 60 years.

May this coming Easter (Sunday April 4) help our world remember the things that matter

Recent photos:

2010-03-21 Happy meeting & visit to Jordan Center: dear Ma Tau Wei friends Alfie, Yvette & Adrienne

2010-03-22 Lunch at Jordan Center for firemen Chris & Ken (English students) and Sisy (speech therapist)

2010-03-22 Evening meeting at Jordan Center for YMT social workers' team responsible for House of Hope for homeless men

2010-03-23 Former Mazenod College student Mark Harrick + A-Ming + Temple Street Park + nursing home + Jordan Center

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Friday April 2 (Good Friday): 8pm liturgy at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 4 (Easter Sunday): 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 11: 11.30am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 18: 10.15am Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday April 25: 10.30am Mass at St Bonaventure School, Tze Wan Shan
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Mar 27, Ap 10, 17, 24; May 8, 15, 22, 29; June 12, 19, 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug 7, 14, 21, 28:
English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.10 - 10.40), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Smile (for first day of next month)

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida, an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover Holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians and Jews and observances of their holy days..... The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, How can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays..".

The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant."

The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that, if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, March 21) - for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest:

The Americas: Romero's resurrection (an inspiring article, for Romero's 30th anniversary, yesterday)

Church - abuse crisis:
- Trying to make sense of the whole business - John Allen (an unusually strong article by his standards)
- Ratzinger's Responsibility - Hans Kung

- Previous items re new missal - see diary March 10, below

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 12 - 13:

Chapters 12, 13

God said to a man in the land of Haran named Abraham,
"Leave your own country and go to a new land I will give you.
I will make you into a great nation".

So Abraham and his family left the land of Haran
and moved to the land of Canaan.

God said to Abraham,
"I will make your descendants as many
as the number of dust particles on the ground
....an uncountable number".

Even though Abraham and his wife Sarah
were old and had no children,
Abraham believed God's promise to give them many descendants.

第12、13章

神在哈兰对亚巴郞说:
“离开你的故乡和去我将给你的一块新地。
我将让你成为一个大民族。”

所以，亚巴郞和他的家人离开了哈兰
并移居到客纳罕。

神对亚巴郞说:
“我将使你的后裔多如地上的灰尘微粒的数目....不计其数。”

虽然亚巴郞和他的妻子撒辣依年老和没有孩子，
亚巴郞相信神的承诺给他们很多后裔。

Dear God, please help me to trust you like Abraham

亲爱的神，请帮助我如亚巴郞那样相信你

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

9 days to Good Friday - Stations of the Cross song

John W omi

p.s. AFL new season begins this weekend. Go Lions!

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-03-17 Dear Friends

Top of the Mornin' to you from Hong Kong on St Patrick's Day

Recent photos:

2010-03-11 Visit to Jordan Center by OMI friend Kirby Wong from Melbourne

2010-03-12 Today's South China Morning Post: worrying articles about situation of NGOs, and petitioners, in China

2010-03-14 Dear friends from Notre Dame Parish at Jordan Center

2010-03-15 Paschal omi & Jun omi visiting senior omis John and Stan in Sheung Shui +...visit to Jordan Center

Previous HK/Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
Sunday March 21: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 28 (Palm Sunday): 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Mar 20, Mar 27, Ap 10, Ap 17, Ap 24: English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50),
St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Smile - Irish joke for St Patrick's Day

An aging man lived alone in Ireland. His only son was in prison, and the father didn't know anyone who would spade up his potato garden. The old man wrote to his son about it, and received this reply, "For HEAVENS SAKE, don't dig up that garden, that's where I buried the GUNS!!!!!"

At 4 A.M. the next morning, a dozen British soldiers showed up and dug up the entire garden, but didn't find any guns. Confused, the man wrote to his son telling him what happened and asking him what to do next.

His son's reply was: "Just plant your potatoes."

Many thanks:
- Tony (Peng Chau Island, March 11), Oblate Primary School (March 13), Notre Dame Parish friends (March 14, 15) - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Did you know?
- even when your mobile phone is locked, you can dial your country's emergency number
- even if your Sim card is not in your mobile, but the battery is in, and mobile is turned on, you can dial your emergency number

Recent items of interest:

Australia: Richard Dawkins preaches to the deluded ("must read")

China:
- Girl's lonely heart advt attracts mob (see picture!)
- Millions of children denied education

Ireland: Mary Robinson coming home

Israel:
Snub to Biden could backfire (this article says a lot of things that need saying)
- c.f. Israel keeps stretching the friendship and Not next year in Jersualem

USA: How 7 year old Carlos saved his family from burglars - This video was on TV news in HK and in most countries. And see this story re 8 year Australian girl who saved her mother's life

Church:
- Kung's full statement re compulsory celibacy
- Previous items re new missal - see diary March 10, below

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's digest Genesis 9 -11:

Chapters 9, 10, 11

Noah's descendants spread to many lands.
They started speaking new languages.
They discovered how to make bricks.

In one place, Babel, they tried to build a very high tower.
But God was not pleased with them.
God scattered the people of Babel to many places.

第 9、10、11章

诺厄的后裔分布到许多地方。
他们开始讲新语言。
他们发现如何做砖块。

在一个地方，巴贝耳，他们尝试建造一座非常高的塔。
但神对他们不满意。
神分散巴贝耳人到许多地方。

Dear God, the human family uses so many different languages.
Please help us to live peacefully together on this earth

亲爱的神，人类家庭使用许多不同的语言。
请帮助我们在地球上和平共处

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China
Reflection: China has 31 provinces/administrative areas (excluding HK, Macau, Taiwan). Most months have 31 days. I now pray for one province each day. Hope you can join me in this work.

R.I.P. Fr Henry McFall o.m.i. who died on March 12 in Perth, Australia, aged 86. Thank you, Henry, for teaching me how to study, and many other things. Iona photos: 1964 c.1962 2008

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-03-10 Dear Friends

Hello from Hong Kong on a cool but sunny afternoon.

Recent photos:

2010-03-06 South China Morning Post: China's nine leaders ; unofficial schools closed in Beijing

2010-03-07 Former NDC teacher Dorothy with her former student Rosa, husband Danny + children Michael & Christina

2010-03-09 South China Morning Post - comment re Oxfam situation in China

2010-03-09 Two special friends from Hunan Province, Mr Jiang & Mr Tang - at Jordan Center

Previous Australia/ HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
Sunday March 14: 10.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure School (not church), Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 21: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 28 (Palm Sunday): 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday May 2:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9:    9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Mar 13, Mar 20, Mar 27, Ap 10, Ap 17, Ap 24: English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50),
St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Smile - for Lent

Very overweight person to pastor: I have an evil spirit.
Pastor: what sort of evil spirit.
VOP: a spirit of fatness.
Pastor: this sort can be expelled only by prayer and f a s t i n g

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, March 3), Susanna (St Bonaventure Church, March 7), Anon (HK, March 8) - for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest:

Africa: Rich countries growing food for themselves.....in poor African countries

China:
- 30 unofficial schools ruthlessly closed in Beijing - an amazingly frank article for a government website. Read it before it's pulled!
compare this report with SCMP report (above, photos, March 6)
- growth and hidden debt
- which city has the most billionaires - Beijing or Shanghai?

Climate change: The unpersuadables

Church: Celibacy linked to abuse - Kung

Previous items re new missal:
update on coming (2011) new missal	Official site of new missal - with many samples of changes	Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
Battle lines in liturgy wars (this whole issue is about....p o w e r)	What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....	NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
Background info 01	Background info 02	Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety

The “What If We Just Said Wait?” initiative asking our bishops to slow down the implementation of the new Roman Missal has 17,896 signatures and counting!

9,726 lay people
3,087 lay ministers
5,083 priests, deacons and religious
74 countries

Samples of the new translations have now been posted to our website. Please, encourage friends and colleagues to judge for themselves by reading and comparing these texts. Other ideas:

Help us reach 25,000 signatures by sharing this email with friends and colleagues.
Has your parish priest signed on? If not, ask him why! Tell him it's important to you.
Above all, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. As one of our signers commented, “Prayer is the greatest petition!"

If you like Bible items, you might like to check this

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom now have no access to training or therapy.
Update March 10, 2010: "Appeal has been transferred from Intermediate Court in Zhaoqing to (a?) High Court in Guangzhou".	Closure of learning center in Zhaoqing - similar to closures in Beijing
	Amazingly frank report about Beijing school closures
This report helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father - notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics	2010-03-09 - comment re Oxfam situation in China

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's reflect on Genesis 7 & 8

Chapter 7, 8

Noah's family and many animals went into the big boat, the "ark".

Then for about 40 days there was heavy rain which caused a great flood. The ark floated on the water.

The people and animals inside the ark were safe
but people and animals outside the ark died.

When the rain and flood stopped
Noah and his family and the animals went out of the ark.

God made a special agreement (covenant) with Noah
to bless Noah and his family.

God told Noah that the rainbow would be a sign of their agreement.

第7、8章

诺厄的家人和许多动物进入大船“方舟”。

之后大约四十天的大雨造成了大洪水。
方舟漂浮在水面上。

人与动物在方舟内都安全
但人和动物在方舟外的都死亡。

当暴雨和洪水停止
诺厄和他的家人和动物走出方舟。

神与诺厄立了特别的盟约
祝福诺厄和他的家人。

神告诉诺厄，彩虹将是他们立约的标记。

Dear God, thank you for making the rainbow so beautiful

亲爱的神，感谢你做这么美丽的彩虹

The whole of Genesis, in above simple form, in English and Chinese, is now ready for the printer. Quote from printer is HK$9,000 for 1,000 copies of Genesis in small booklet form that can be given to visitors from Mainland etc. Any kind friends like to help sponsor this work please?

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in Australia, HK & the Mainland

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive

2010-03-03 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong at the start of another month....after the most humid month for half a century.
But I shouldn't comment about HK's weather ....after reading article from Canada at very bottom of this week's diary

Recent photos:

2010-02-25 Camera shop; Daisy, Fanny, Ling & Peter; Natalie & Dr Greg Scalia

2010-03-01 Welcome back Aron to HK. Aron a past student of Iona College & a former teacher at C.A.S. in Zhaoqing

Previous Australia/ HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
Sunday March 7 - 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 14: 9.00am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 21: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 28 (Palm Sunday): 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday May 2: 9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: 9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Smile
On their way to get married, a couple has a fatal car accident. The couple is sitting outside heaven's gate waiting on St. Peter to do the paperwork so they can enter. While waiting, they wonder if they could possibly get married in Heaven. St. Peter finally shows up and they ask him. St. Peter says, "I don't know, this is the first time anyone has ever asked. Let me go find out," and he leaves

The couple sit for a couple of months and begin to wonder if they really should get married in Heaven, what with the eternal aspect of it all. "What if it doesn't work out?" they wonder, "Are we stuck together forever?" St. Peter returns after yet another month, looking somewhat bedraggled. "Yes," he informs the couple, "you can get married in Heaven." "Great," says the couple, "but what if things don't work out? Could we also get a divorce in Heaven?"

St. Peter, red-faced, slams his clipboard onto the ground. "What's wrong?" exclaims the frightened couple. "Oh, Come on!" St. Peter exclaims, "It took me three months to find a priest up here! Do you have any idea how long it's going to take for me to find a lawyer?"

Many thanks:
- Daisy, Fanny, Peter & Ling (HK, Feb 25), Grace & Leanne (Peng Chau Island, Feb 26), Oblate Primary School & St Eugene Primary School (Feb 27), Maria (Notre Dame Parish, Feb 27), Alex (St Teresa's Church, Feb 28), Mrs Zhu (St Alfred's Church, Feb 28) for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Thank you, Dr Greg Scalia, for telling me about Dropbox storage program and thank you Fr Yan for telling me about The Online School of Evangelization

Recent items of interest:

Australia: Being frank about Fraser (info in this I never knew....) More

Afghanistan: Why are we there?

China:
- 13 newspapers unite to call for end to "2nd class citizens" registration system
- China & Australia sign new airways agreement
- China's rural population continuing to drop - many deserted villages made up of old people and grandchildren
- China's international rescue team
- How to get around the Great Fire Wall One program that lets people get around the GFW: Witopia

USA:
- Los Angeles broke
- Ambassador Beazley presents his credentials at White House (This diary on Nov 21, 2007 had this comment: Kim Beazley for next (Australian) ambassador to USA/UN?)!

Church: update on coming (2011) new missal Battle lines in liturgy wars (this whole issue is about....p o w e r)
background articles:
Official site of new missal - with many samples of changes for people and priests
What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
Background info 01
Background info 02
Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety re Mass translations

On Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom have no access to training or therapy. Update January 6, 2010: "The matter is still before the courts".
Jan 7 story helps explain my situation: - In the name of the Father ( notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics)

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's reflect on Genesis 5 & 6

Chapter 5, 6

Among Adam and Eve's descendants
were Seth, Enosh, Kenan and Enoch.
Enoch was a special friend of God.
Enoch walked with God.

Another good man who walked with God was Noah.
In Noah's time, most people had forgotten God.
Most people did bad things.
So God decided to cleanse the earth by a great flood.

To save Noah and his family from the flood,
God got Noah to build a huge boat for his family
and for two animals of every kind.

Even though most people forgot God,
Noah believed in God and trusted God.

第5、6章

亚当和厄娃的后裔里
有舍特，厄诺士，刻南和哈诺客。
哈诺客是神的一位特别朋友。
哈诺客与神往来。

另一位好人，他与神往来的是诺厄。
在诺厄的时期，大多数人忘记了神。
大多数人做坏事。
因此，神决定以大洪水清洗地球。

为从洪水中拯救诺厄和他的家人，
神叫诺厄为他的家人和每种动物一对建造一只庞大的船。

即使大多数人忘记了神，
诺厄相信神，信任神。

Dear God, please help me to remember you, to walk with you

亲爱的神，请帮助我记着你，跟随你

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 31 special friends on my cancer list - 10 in Australia (including my dear sister-in-law Yve), 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

A Week of Blizzards (24/02/2010 - Omi Lacombe) - Weather in Australia/HK nothing like this!

In the Arctic, the second part of January is a time of cold weather and blizzards. January, February and the middle of March are the months when the temperature normally stays under -40ºC degrees, but this year, as elsewhere in Canada, January was rather mild. The temperature stayed around -25ºC. Yet, the last week was full of blizzards and freezing cold.

Nunavut is the largest territory in Canada. It covers one fifth of the whole Canadian land mass, so the weather also differs greatly across this vast region. Some areas are stormier, some are quieter, there are parts with high mountains, hills and flat areas, islands and vast lands, ocean and lakes. There is everything but trees!

Kivalliq region, which is situated on the shores of Hudson Bay, is known for its strong winds. My town is called, in English, Repulse Bay. It was probably called that by whale hunters long ago (you still can see their stone shelters in the vicinity of our hamlet) because it’s almost always windy here.

It is said that global warming is seen very clearly in the polar areas. I would say that it’s true if we consider global warming as something that causes extreme and unpredictable weather. This past week we had three blizzards … and they were three very different storms. The first started on Sunday, January 24 and lasted until Wednesday morning. It wasn’t a very strong blizzard; the visibility wasn’t too bad as I could still see the buildings next door and when night fell, I could still see the lights of houses some distance away. Yet, the next day the school and offices were closed – conditions were bad enough that the heavy equipment to clean the roads could not get out! Wednesday, once the wind died down, was a beautiful day and they started to work on clearing away the snow, but then the next afternoon it started all over … this time with an extreme cold wind chill in the range between -50ºC to -55ºC. That storm lasted until early Saturday morning. It was cold but the visibility was not too bad. Once the last remnants of the blizzard had passed, Saturday was a clear, sunny day; in fact, the brightest day since the sun once again started to rise above the horizon as winter slowly wanes. Then, early Sunday morning the next blizzard came with very strong winds of sixty kilometers an hour gusting to eighty and very, very poor visibility. That blizzard is still howling outside as I write these words. The forecast says it should end tonight or on Tuesday morning.

These immensely powerful storms have many effects on the community. A low pressure system causes the blizzards but it also makes people tired and leaves them with a headache. The school and offices are closed and while the stores are usually open, they become progressively emptier and emptier each day since the plane with groceries and other supplies cannot land until the storm ends. A lack of groceries is bad enough, however, that’s not the biggest problem. The biggest inconvenience during a blizzard is not the cold or the lack of supplies in the store but the lack of water. Every day the water truck makes its deliveries to each home in the community as for an average family the household water tank holds a one-day supply. If a blizzard lasts longer than that, the water starts to run short. Yes, there is an endless supply of snow outside but it’s not something you would want to drink!

Those unfamiliar with the community might assume that people spend these stormy days captive within their homes. Far from it! People still go out to visit and they still come to church. When walking on the road during a blizzard and in its aftermath, one passes abandoned trucks and ski-doos but that doesn’t stop people from getting out of the house. They are Inuit. They are made for the cold weather. Even during the storms and intense cold, children and adults alike still come to church … those eight or ten years old come by themselves while the younger ones are accompanied by their parents. One may be surprised but it is often the children who encourage the parents to go out in severe weather and come to church.

Sometimes a mother talks to me, worrying about her child going out in a cold weather. I always say: “Don’t worry. He’s an Inuk. He’ll be fine”. We too go through many blizzards in our personal and spiritual lives and we too worry if we will make it. No worries… we are Christians; we will be fine! (Submitted by Daniel Szwarc, for www.omilacombe.ca)

p.s. from jw - re Winter Olympics in Vancouver: In 1838, when V was still called "Fort Vancouver", the bishop of Montreal sent two priests to establish the first Catholic church in FV. The two priests were Oblates of Mary Immaculate....both deserve gold medals!
-----------------------------

Also in North America:
Oblate released from prison (02/03/2010 - United States)

Father Carl KABAT, an American Oblate well-known for his non-violent protests against nuclear arms, was released from jail on December 22, 2009, where he had been detained since his August 6 act of civil disobedience. In his lifetime, the 76 year old priest has spent a total of 17 years in prison, at various times, for such actions.

This time, he was arrested on the anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, Japan, by the United States in 1945. He had illegally entered a missile site in the State of Colorado. Before being arrested by the authorities from Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Carl had cut through the fence surrounding an underground nuclear missile. He had time to hang up some signs of protest and to pray.

At his trial, he was sentenced to 137 days in jail, the time already spent behind bars, even though the local district attorney had asked that he be sentenced to a year for each crime committed.

In his statement to the press after his arrest, Carl said:

“The Roman Catholic Church, of which I am a priest, at the close of its Vatican Council II in 1965, condemned nuclear bombs as a crime against humanity and are to be condemned unreservedly.

The World Council of Churches has proclaimed that ‘the manufacture, deployment or use of nuclear bombs is a crime against humanity.’

I support President Barack Obama’s desire and have attempted to do my little bit in his effort.

The nuclear bomb that is in the ground here is more than 20 times more powerful than the atomic bombs we dropped on the Japanese. Each of those bombs killed more than 100,000 people. At lest twenty times that number totals more than 2 million people.

The Bible says in the words of Isaiah. ‘They shall beat their spears into pruning hooks and their swords into plowshares.’ May the Holy One have mercy on us for not doing so.”

See also: Peace vigil at Los Alamos (John Dear)

2010-02-24 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong on the eleventh day of Lunar New Year time (which continues until the 15th day). In HK as on the Mainland, people are still wishing each other a Happy Lunar New Year.

Over the past week I have phoned a few friends in Zhaoqing area on the Mainland to wish them a Happy New Year. Life on the Mainland is still a struggle for most people..... people like:
- Maria - Paddy, Janet & Leeanne's cousin - expecting her first baby early next month, planning to go to cheap hospital which has a history of delivery problems ..... because she cannot afford a better hospital.
- Lina & Danny, both handicapped, Danny at home minding two children, Lina working 12 hours a day in factory, seven days a week, to make ends meet.
- Ming Ming, blind orphan girl, aged 9, no school since Marco Polo center closed, being kindly looked after in welfare center, but not getting an education (....like 40,000,000 other little girls around the world...).
- Gordon & Wendy, handicapped children, since Marco Polo center closed, vegitating at home.
- Helen & husband, continuing to look after their handicapped son who continually needs expensive medical treatment, husband working two jobs to try to pay for latest bills. Once before some kind friends helped this special family. If anyone would like to help them again, please phone Helen (86) 1355 6541 246 or email me jdwomi@gmail.com

Smile

Priest - a keen golfer - to old monk: will there be golf in Heaven?
Monk: give me a day or two to pray about it

After two days' prayer, monk to priest: I have good news and bad news.
The good news: Heaven is full of 24/7 fabulous golf courses.
The bad news: you're due to tee off next Monday

Calendar:
Sunday March 7 - 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 14: 9.00am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 21: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday March 28 (Palm Sunday): 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday May 2: 9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: 9.30am & 11.00am Masses at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.
Sunday May 9: (to be confirmed): Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F
Sunday May 16: 9.30am Mass at Holy Redeemer Church, Tuen Mun N.T.

Saturdays Feb 28, Mar 13, Mar 20, Mar 27, Ap 10, Ap 17, Ap 24: English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50),
St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

Monday - Friday: English classes & work for street sleepers etc - Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area

Recent photos:
After visiting several doctors in Australia, my virus-infected camera is now in hospital in HK. Hopes to be home in next few days. So....no photos from the past week

Previous Australia/HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Now on www: Two brief recordings (in Cantonese) of Peng Chau parishioner Andrea & friends of the Living Spring Foundation. The first recording is entitled "Forgiveness". The second recording is entitled "Parents". These two recordings are the first and second last green buttons here

From former Zhaoqing CAS teacher, Liam, now in UK: "I have a favour to ask, involving my Linguistics research project. I'm looking at the ways in which brand names are translated from English to Chinese, and trying to find out what the preferences are. I've devised a questionnaire for native Chinese speakers, which I've put online; could you please put a link to it in your next diary page?"

Many thanks:
- Yve (Australia, Feb 4) Bassanio & Connie (HK, Feb 17), Yuki (HK, Feb 18), Teresa (HK, Feb 20) for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest:

Africa
- South Africa: Surfing dolphins!
- Zambia : Oblate bishop criticized for speaking up for the poor (18/02/2010 - Zambia)

Australia:
- Why wine is so cheap: The wine industry round the world is drowning in a glut of grapes and a sea of wine.
- Woman of faith (to be canonized October 17)

China:
- China has 230,000 people in nursing homes (think about it....what a tiny drop in the ocean....what a need...)
-Google update Two universities in China linked to computer attacks?
- Oxfam the latest target of China's continuing "Mugabe-izaton" Guardian report

USA: - Ben Salmon and the army of peace (someone I've never heard of......someday will be canonized?)

---------------
Previous articles, especially re coming Mass translation changes - see diary of January 18

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's reflect on Genesis chapter 4

Chapter 4

Two of Adam and Eve's sons were Cain and Abel.
Cain was a farmer. Abel was a shepherd.

Cain was jealous of his brother Abel.

God said to Cain: "Get control of yourself".
But Cain let his anger take over, and he killed Abel.

God asked Cain, "Where is Abel?".
Cain answered, "How should I know? I'm not his security guard".

God replied, "I can hear your brother's blood crying out to me from the ground. That same ground will no longer give you any crops".

第 4 章

亚当和厄娃的两个儿子是加音和亚伯尔。
加音是农夫。亚伯尔是牧羊人。

加音嫉妒他的弟弟亚伯尔。

神对加音说：“管束你自己。”
但加音让他的愤怒操控，他杀死亚伯尔。

神问加音：“亚伯尔在哪里？”
加音回答说：“我怎么会知道？我不是他的看守者。”

神回答说：“我能听到你弟弟的血由地上向我哭叫。
那相同的地将不再给你任何收成。”

Dear God, please help me not to get angry with other people

亲爱的神，请帮助我不对别人生气

The whole of Genesis, in simple form, in English and Chinese, is now ready for the printer. Quote from printer is HK$9,000 for 1,000 copies of Genesis in small booklet form that can be given to visitors from Mainland etc. Any kind friends like to help sponsor this work please?

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2010-02-17 Dear Friends

Ash Wednesday hello from Hong Kong on the fourth day of Lunar New Year. "New Year time" continues until the 15th day. Days 1-3 are public holidays in HK. Most schools have at least a week of holidays. On the Mainland schools have about a month of holidays.
Again I wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year of the Tiger. A common greeting these days is "May you be like a tiger with wings".

Smile - click here

Calendar:
Each Saturday from Feb 20: English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)
May 9 (to be confirmed): Matteo Ricci seminar 2.30pm - 5.30pm at HK Diocesan Center, 9/F

Recent photos:

2010-02-17 Thank you Bassanio for buying clothes at Salvation Army shop for street sleepers + visit to Jordan Center

Previous Australia/ HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Welcome Josie from the Gold Coast in Australia - now in HK as a P.I.M. volunteer at HK's OMI schools. Josie previously helped at CAS in Zhaoqing. Welcome back, Josie!

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, Jan 5), Anon (HK, Jan 6), Anon (HK, Feb 3), Anon (HK, Feb 8), Bassanio & Connie (HK, Feb 17) for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest:

Afghanistan: important info - Another hyped-up push

Browning, Valerie Maalika ***** Australian Christian nurse Valerie Browning & her Muslim husband Ismael have spent 30 years helping famine victims in Ethiopia. An inspiring story.

Mortenson, Greg Stones into Schools ***** inspiring story re promoting peace in Afghanistan & Pakistan with books, not bombs.
(this book also has details of Chinese earthquake-proof designs for simple buildings - hope Haiti & other places use such designs)

Suenens, Cardinal L.J. Baudouin, King of the Belgians ***** True story of King Baudouin, died 1993. Queen Elizabeth broke with tradition and attended the king's funeral in person - such was his stature of goodness. A truly inspiring book

---------------

Previous articles, especially re coming Mass translation changes - see diary of January 18

Reflection: as usual Premier Wen Jiabo gave up his Lunar New Year holidays to visit poor areas. But (China's) media coverage of his visit
was minimal, almost grudging, compared with previous years. This downgraded treatment has been going on for about a year now. "Let those who have ears to hear, hear"

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's reflect on Genesis chapter 3

Chapter 3

A creature hostile to God took the form of a snake
and tempted the first man and first woman.

The snake tempted them to disobey God.
The man and woman then disobeyed God.

When God asked them why they disobeyed him,
the man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the snake.

God said to the snake:
"You are the enemy of the human race.
Someday a member of the human race will defeat you".

God said to the man and woman:
"From dust you came and to dust you will return."

The first man's name was Adam (meaning "man").
The first woman's name was Eve (meaning "life").

第 3 章

与神敌对的生物形状是一条蛇
及其诱惑了第一个男人和第一个女人。

蛇诱惑他们不听从神。
之后男人和女人不听从神。

当神问他们为什么不听从他，
该男子指责女人，而女人指责蛇。

神对蛇说：“你是人类的敌人。
日后人类的成员将击败你。”

神对男女说：
“你是灰土来的和你将来归于灰土。”

第一个男人的名字是亚当（意思是“人”）。
第一个女人的名字是厄娃（意思是“生命”）。

Dear God, please help me understand how evil in the world
started when Adam and Eve disobeyed you

亲爱的神，请帮助我了解邪恶如何
在世界开始，当亚当和夏娃不听从你

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

Please note: I'm due to fly from Melbourne at midnight tonight (Feb 13) and arrive in HK early tomorrow morning (Feb 14).

2010-02-13 Dear Friends

Saturday morning hello from Melbourne, where the grass is quickly turning green after lovely storm rain over the past few days.
I wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year of the Tiger! Tomorrow is the first day of the LNY - see the Chinese zodiac.
Tomorrow is also Valentine's Day - have you seen this one?

Many thanks OMI Camberwell community in Melbourne for your kind hospitality over the past week....and for the time before I went to Queensland

Smiles:
Where can you always find a tiger's head?
- Four foot from his tail

I think you need a face lift..................... Chin Tu Fat
Stupid man.......................................... Dum Gai

Staying out of sight.............................. Lei Ying Lo
I thought you were on a diet.................. Wai Yu Mun Ching?
It's very dark in here............................. Wai So Dim?

Photos: Camera has been on holidays the past week. Previous HK -Australia photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Recent items of interest:

China-Australia record coal deal: (this old man felt something was wrong from when deal was first announced last weekend:
why no one from China involved in the news release?)
Then next day, China website reported Australian report, but still nothing from Chinese horses's mouth.
Following day: Chinese company said it signed only a memo of understanding.
Next day: Australian report that Australian company got name of Chinese company mixed up.
Feb 10 ABC report: Confusion

Rio-Tinto case going ahead: China report 01 ABC report 01

From HK RTHK mid-week (unable to link...link goes after one day):
"A number of senior British business leaders say they are considering whether to pull their companies out of mainland China because of regulations that are often impossible to meet and a climate of overwhelming protectionism. In a series of interviews with the British newspaper, The Daily Telegraph, they say almost every sector has been hit by new requirements that aim to force foreign companies out and boost China's domestic players, particularly state-owned firms."
Reflection: some years ago I heard a very wise HK Chinese person say that China plans to take over all foreign firms in China....i.e. foreign firms welcome to come and set up factories etc, but these will eventually be taken over once they have served their purpose of modernizing the economy

China - Church: Cardinal Zen's comments need grain of salt

USA - a disturbing article: Obama and the works of death

---------------

Previous articles, especially re coming Mass translation changes - see diary of January 18

"I was hungry and you.....": Recent meeting in Rome said that 17,000 children die of starvation each day. At same meeting Pope Benedict called on weathy nations to live more simply (& see comments at end of link!). See also: One million children go to bed hungry each night - in USA! and One billion people starving as I write this. What can I do? World Food Program

As our world gets crazier, we need - more than ever - a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy". Let's reflect on Genesis chapter 1:

Chapter 1, 2

God made the world.
God made the sun, the moon and the stars....the whole universe.
God said "Let there be light" and there was light.

God made the earth with all its plants and trees
and animals and fish and birds.

God made the first people.....the first man and first woman.
God made them in his own image and said to them
"Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth".

God saw all that he had made, and all of it was good, very good

第1、2章

神创造天地。
神创造了太阳，月亮和星星....整个宇宙。
神说“要有光”，就有了光。
神创造了地球与它的所有植物和树

和动物和鱼和鸟。

神创造了第一个人.....第一个男人和第一个女人。
神按自己的肖像造他们，对他们说
“生育繁殖、倍增和充满大地。”

神看见他所造的一切，所有都好，非常好。

Dear God, thank you for making such a beautiful world!

亲爱的神，感谢你做这样一个美丽的世界!

John W omi

Calendar:

Wednesday February 17 is Ash Wednesday. DV someday it will become Ash Sunday, more convenient for working people.
Feb 17 is also an OMI special anniversary - when the Congregation became international by being approved by the pope and received the name "Oblates of Mary Immaculate".
Which reminds me: 45 years ago tomorrow, on Feb 14, 1965, I left my parents' home in Brisbane to go to the seminary in Geelong. The Lord is my Valentine.....
And .... 8 years later on Feb 19

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

Please note: I'm due to be in Australia until February 13. Australia mobile number: (61) (+ 0 if in Aust) 4166 45047
I wish everyone a Happy Lunar New Year on Feb 14 (...the Year of the Tiger)

2010-02-07 Dear Friends

Sunday afternoon hello from Iona College in Brisbane where I've spent most of the past few weeks. Has been an enjoyable time helping with Sunday Masses and taking some classes to talk about the history of Iona + life in HK/China. If teaching is like driving, then teaching at Iona is like driving a Rolls Royce -so good/friendly are the students/staff/facilities. Many thanks Frs Pat, Paul and Peter & staff for your kind hospitality.

I've also had a few stays at the home of my dear brother Peter and his wife Yvonne on the Gold Coast. What a great cook my little brother is!
And Yve is at the top of my list of 30 dear friends battling cancer. Thank you for a prayer for everyone on the list.

This Tuesday Feb 9, I'm due to fly to Melbourne, then fly from Melbourne to Hong Kong on Feb 13-14.

Last week I mentioned how my former Iona student, Bill Mulcahy, has started a project to help AIDS orphans in Uganda - see his new site www.ww.china8.org
This morning at Mass at Iona I met Elaine Vanderburg whose home I visited in 1984 when teaching her son Phillip at Iona. Phillip's younger brother, Richard, also a former Iona student, recently received an award from the president of Vietnam for services to the poor through the organization Operation Smile which provides free surgery to repair cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities for children in poor countries.
Hearing how former Iona students like Bill and Richard are helping the poor makes one proud to be part of the Iona family.

Speaking of Smiles:
A thief broke into the convent of the Sisters of St Joseph.
Then a voice was heard: "Joseph is watching".
Voice again heard: "Joseph is watching".
Thief used torch....saw that "voice" was a parrot.
Thief went on putting items in his sack.
Voice then said to huge guard dog: "Get him, Joseph"

Recent photos:

2010-02-04 Congratulations Jane and nephew Paul on birth of Harvey, a grandson for Yvonne and Peter

2010-02-05 McDonald's gathering in Ipswich near Brisbane for Peter & Bruce Wotherspoon, with John Ruthenberg

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
February 09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February 14: due to return to Hong Kong

Recent items of interest:

Invictus - Guardian review: Clint Eastwood scores yet again with a rousing tale of the moment when Nelson Mandela harnessed the power of rugby to unite South Africa: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/feb/07/invictus-review

Monbiot continuing to chase Blair : http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2010/02/02/the-reckoning/

---------------

Previous articles, especially re coming Mass translation changes - see diary of January 18

Haiti's largest orphanage is run by an Oblate priest:

Haiti’s largest orphanage has agreed to welcome over 100 orphans to their village. Named Pwoje Espwa Sud (Project Hope South), the orphanage is located near Les Cayes and is already home to more than 650 abandoned children. The director of the orphanage, Oblate Father Marc Boisvert stated that, “With our staff of 250 and over 140 acres, we have the capacity to handle the extra children left helpless because of this devastation.” The orphans will be coming from Leogane, a town just a few miles west of the earthquake’s epicenter.

Pwoje Espwa also feeds and educates 1200 other local children. This requires a total preparation and serving of over 4000 meals each day. Boisvert said, “There was a point where we didn’t know where our next meal was coming from but we are starting to see supplies arrive in now.”

Funding for Pwoje Espwa is largely provided by Free the Kids, a United States non-profit organization. Executive Director Jami Vass said: “We are seeing a rapid increase in interest and donations. We believe we will have enough financial resources to feed, clothe, house, and educate these children, thanks to our most generous American friends and the international community.”

For further information: www.freethekids.org

What If We Just Said Wait?
The case for a grassroots review of the new Roman Missal

The “What If We Just Said Wait?” initiative imploring our bishops to slow down the implementation of the new Roman Missal recently reached another milestone: 13,000 signatures and counting!

7,200 lay people
2,265 lay ministers
3,882 priests, deacons and religious
61 countries

Please help us reach another milestone, 20,000 signatures, by forwarding this e-mail to friends and colleagues and helping to spread the word about this initiative. Many people have asked what they can do to help. Here are some possibilities:

Discuss the issue with Catholic friends and colleagues (most are still totally unaware that new translations are on the way!)
Share your concerns with your pastor and bishop
If you serve on a diocesan or parish council, consider raising the issue of the new translation for discussion there
Encourage those who are still studying the issue to explore the extensive web resources available at www.whatifwejustsaidwait.org
Above all, pray for the Holy Spirit’s guidance. As one of our signers commented, “Prayer is the greatest petition!"

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 30 special friends on my cancer list - 9 in Australia (including my dear sister-in-law Yve), 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2010-02-01 Dear Friends

Monday afternoon hello from Iona College in Brisbane on the first day of February. May the Lord bless all students and staff as they commence the new academic year in this part of the world. Stirring the academic pot is a new government website www.myschool.com.au which compares results from all schools in Australia (...similar to a New York program....)

A former student of mine at Iona, Bill Mulcahay, now an assistant principal at at St Patrick's Primary School in Nanango, has begun his own website to get more support for his work for AIDS orphans in Uganda. Please check: www.ww.china8.org ("under construction")

Smile:

Catholic priest, Jewish Rabbi and Anglican bishop in car going along highway. Car hit a large rabbit which was crossing the road. Rabbit was thrown to side of road.
Three holy men decided to stop and minister to dead rabbit.
Rabbi prayed....nothing happened.
Bishop prayed...nothing happened.
Priest took out bottle and sprinkled rabbit. Rabbit came back to life....stood up...waved.....went about 10 metres...waved again....another 10 metres...waved again.

Rabbi & bishop to priest: what did you do?
Priest: I just used some hair restorer......with a permanent wa

Recent photos:

2010-01-26 Australia Day at Brisbane's Southbank

2010-01-27 Happy family re-union with John Ruthenberg, Michelle, Charles, Alison and Jett

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
February 09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February 14: due to return to Hong Kong

Recent items of interest:

China
01: Football corruption update - http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/jan/27/china-football-bribery-claims
02: Spin the pope - (excellent article) - http://ncronline.org/blogs/future-church/playing-spin-pope-china

Haiti The rest of the story is ours (& see diary of January 18 for other items)
http://ncronline.org/blogs/where-i-stand/haiti-rest-story-ours

UK
Monbiot launches campaign to arrest Tony Blair for Iraq invasion (many years ago, this diary said that Blair, Bush and Howard should stand trial for unlawful Iraq invasion)

USA
Capitalism is evil - Michael Moore update -
http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2010/jan/30/michael-moore-capitalism-a-love-story

----------------

Previous articles, especially re coming Mass translation changes - see diary of January 18

Movie review: Invictus I saw this movie last week - excellent. Mandela's example is truly inspiring. Last week I also saw "Avatar" -
will give courage and hope to "small people" faced with oppression/exploitation etc

Recently found out:
01: In Australia and in UK, the USA emergency number, 911, is so well known, that it can be used as well as the local emergency number.
02: ICE ("In Case of Emergency") mobile numbers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_case_of_emergency

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2010-01-25 Dear Friends

Monday afternoon hello from Iona College in Brisbane. School year begins here on Wednesday, with some 1,400 boys due for Iona's 53rd year.
I have many happy memories of the very first day of the college on January 28, 1958

Weather in this part of Australia is very hot and humid.......the opposite of North West China which recently had minus 42 degrees
..... and parts of Russia which had minus 55 degrees

Smile:
University students sitting at table in park next to McDonald's.
Old couple come and sit at nearby table.
Old couple have one bag from McDonald's, with one Big Mac, one French fries - which they divide in two.
Uni students: "You must be very poor to have only one meal between two people. We will buy you another meal"
Old couple: "No need, thank you. We share everything. That's the way we do things"

...after a while.....uni students notice that although the old man and old woman are sharing the one cup of coffee, only the old man is eating the Big Mac & fries

Uni students to old woman: "why aren't you eating anything?"
Old woman: "no problem. We share everything. I'm waiting for the teeth"

Recent photos

2010-01-18 Tennis to raise money for Haiti. A memorable day (see last week's diary for other Haiti items)

2010-01-24 At Brisbane home of Doris & Elvin, with Mary, Rene, Warner, Vonnie, Jan, Denis, Steve, Angel, Jessica & Andrew

2010-01-25 Happy meal at home of niece Natalie, husband Dan and son Aston

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
February 09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February 14: due to return to Hong Kong

Recent items of interest

China
01: (What a headline) : New soccer head named, former may face death
02: Avatar pulled - Grain of Salt report No Salt report

Haiti: see diary of January 18

Movie review: Invictus I saw this movie earlier today - excellent. Mandela's example is truly inspiring.

----------------

Previous articles - see diary of January 18

Thank you for a prayer. God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 30 special friends on my cancer list - 9 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2010-01-18 Dear Friends

Good morning from Melbourne where the sun is shining brightly.....well, it was, one minute ago...but now the clouds and rain are returning....lovely, much needed rain of course, for which everyone is most grateful. One of those "four seasons in one day" times. Cold overnight, about 12 degrees. This time last week we had 43 point something degrees. Australia has five seasons: summer, autumn, winter, spring.....and ....melbourne (and...last night the local high mountains had Summer snow!)

Smile: (from Fr Ken Barker mgl, who lead last week's refreshing retreat at Newman College):

Plane had pilot and 5 passengers: the USA president, the UN secretary general, a famous Nobel prize scientist, an old priest and a backpacker.
Pilot: "plane's going to crash...we have to jump....but only 5 parachutes...I'm taking one...bye bye"
US president: I'm a very important man...I'm taking a parachute...bye bye
UN sec'y gen: I also am very important...I'm taking a parachute...bye bye
Scientist: I'm one of the smartest people in the world....the world needs me....I'm taking a parachute...bye bye
Priest to backpacker: Well son, two of us and only 1 chute. I've tried to live a good life. I'm ready to meet my Maker. You take the chute.
Backpacker to priest: No need for that, father. There are still 2 parachutes. The smartest man in the world just took my backpack

Haiti:
01: Eight Chinese policeman among UN dead
02: One OMI seminary student among the dead: 28 year old Brother Weedy ALEXIS was found dead under the rubble
03: Haiti's sad history
04: Yesterday - I went with 3 friends to Hit for Haiti, which raised AUD$250,000
I have used my visa card to make a donation for Haiti to Oxfam and to Medecins Sans Frontieres.
Reflection: aid distribution agencies need more UN soldiers to accompany the aid - to keep law and order etc.

Recent photos

2010-01-10 Newman College, University of Melbourne: annual charismatic retreat - Fr Andrew o.f.m., cap. & his altar boy of 55 years ago

2010-01-17 Tennis to raise money for Haiti. A memorable day

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
January        19: due to fly to Gold Coast   (changed from Jan 20).     Due to be on Gold Coast + Brisbane until Feb 9
February      09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February      14: due to return to Hong Kong

Recent items of interest

China
01: Why is China so terrified of dissent?
02: Rio Tinto case: Report 01 Report 02
03: Google to leave China? Without salt report Grain of salt report

Good News story - honest taxi driver in New York

Hong Kong - acid attack from building above OK shop in photo. My Jordan Center a few doors along from OK
Report 01 Report 02

Philippines - grenade hurled at hurled at cathedral served by OMIs

------------------ previous items ---------------

Climate change: excellent arcticle on Pope's message re climate change and world poverty

Church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ???
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02
05: Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety re Mass translations
06: Official site of new missal - with many samples of changes for people and priests

Thank you for a prayer. God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 28 special friends on my cancer list - 7 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

25 years ago Thank you, Lord and all who have prayed for me and helped me over the past 25 years

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

Next diary update: Jan 18 DV

2010-01-10 Dear Friends

Good morning from Melbourne ....for a brief update before I attend retreat starting tonight, finishing Sat Jan 16

Hope friends in HK, UK & North America are not too cold .....as Melbourne prepares for 41 degrees tomorrow

Recent photos

2010-01-04 Happy visit to Moe, 90 minutes East of Melbourne

2010-01-08 Melbourne - Game of "Upwords" at Camberwell: Fr Michael Clarke o.m.i., Fr Mark Edwards o.m.i. & Mrs Tineke Edwards

2010-01-06 Melbourne: Happy visit to Glen Waverley home of aunt Dorothy, with Mike & cousins Helen & Ken + Chinese family playing cricket

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Recent items of interest

Africa: Ethiopia's Aung San Suu Kyi

Australia: Keeping vigil for murdered Indian student

China:
01: A "must-read" story - In the name of the Father   ( notice how the group "almost got kicked out of China" when new rules were introduced before Olympics....helps explain my situation)
02: Semester ends early because of cold - school has no fuel
03: Cold and coal
04: Collapse of AUD$40 billion LPG deal between China & Australia:    (I haven't see anything about this in Australian media. Has it been reported yet?)

Climate change: excellent arcticle on Pope's message re climate change and world poverty

Church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ???
new commentary - 06: Official site of new missal - with many samples of changes for people and priests
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02
05: Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety re Mass translations etc

Thank you for a prayer. God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2010-01-06 Dear Friends

Good morning from Melbourne on "The Twelfth Day of Christmas". I hope you have had a happy start to the New Year.
Again I wish you every blessing right through 2010

I arrived in Melbourne from HK on Dec 30; enjoyed a weekend visit to Sorrento parish Masses Jan 2 & 3; then to Moe Jan 3-5 for annual golf day

Smile
Q: How did the pig get up on the roof?
A: The swineflu

Recent photos

2009-12-30 Qantas Flight from Hong Kong to Melbourne

2010-01-04 Happy visit to Moe, 90 minutes East of Melbourne

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:

January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        19: due to fly to Gold Coast   (changed from Jan 20)
February      09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February      14: due to return to Hong Kong

Many thanks:
- Catherine (HK, Dec 31) for donation to help House of Hope for homeless men,   & Christian F (Melbourne, Jan 3) for holiday donation

Looking for (even temporary or part-time) work: Please phone/email me if you can help: jdwomi@gmail.com 67095674
- divorced lady with two sons in prison. In Shatin area if possible.
- former male prisoner. Has "1,2" driver's licence
- two young men who graduated from technical college in May but still can't find jobs (...thousands of such graduates in HK...)

Recent items of interest

China:
01: Copenhagen negotiator punished
02: Premier continues to stay close to the people
03: "Black whistles" in China's football world - a sad symbol of life in general in China

Climate change: Renewable energy super-grid for Europe - the way to go!

Gaza: Hunger strike

USA: War on terror - excellent update by Gary Younge

Church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ???
new commentary - 06: Official site of new missal - with many samples of changes for people and priests
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02
05: Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety re Mass translations etc

Thank you for a prayer. God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2009-12-29 Dear Friends

Happy New Year from a cold and wet Hong Kong. Two days ago was the coldest day so far this Winter (9 degrees).
May the special peace of Christmas bring our troubled world a bit more caring and sharing for 2010.

My plane to Melbourne is tomorrow morning.....hope the air traffic controllers have sorted things out for the HK-Melb flight since near miss last week. Or maybe it wasn't a near miss, depending on how many seconds two planes flying in opposite directions take to travel 20 miles!

Over the next 6 weeks while I'm in Australia, DV, I'll try to check email each day. And I'll try to update this diary each week.

Recent photos

2009-12-25 Christmas Day evening meal at House of Hope for homeless men (& links to previous Christmas photos)

2009-12-26 Visit to House of Hope by Andrea from Peng Chau Island church

2009-12-28 Monthly meal and meeting at House of Hope, for residents & Salvation Army team

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
December    30: due to fly to Melbourne
January 02-03:   due to help with MAMI appeal at Sorrento
January 04-05:   due to attend annual golf day at Moe
January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        19: due to fly to Gold Coast   (changed from Jan 20)
February      09: due to fly from Brisbane to Melbourne
February      13: due to return to Hong Kong
Sunday Feb 14: 11.30am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon (...Lunar New Year's Day & Valentine's Day!)

Many thanks:
- Mrs Zhong (Notre Dame Parish, Kowloon, Dec 27) ) for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest

Africa: Africa now has one billion people

Australia: Average debt owed by adults is $74,000

China:
01: China now has the world's fastest train (394 kph .....Lord, please bless the track maintenance people ....)
02: Today, Dec 29, China set to execute UK man with mental disorder, for drug trafficking. Guardian: "Fury"
03: China's intransigence a sign of insecurity

Trial of Liu Xiabo in Beijing
01: "Trial was open to public and his family were present" - This story "pulled" after only one day....comments at end of story too sensitive. Trial was not open to public.
02: Guardian report
03: Australian report

Copenhagen:
01: Monbiot Dec 21 - US more to blame than China
02: Eyewitness account of how China sabotaged the talks

Church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ???
new commentary - 05: Humpty Dumpty at Vatican - Asian anxiety re Mass translations etc
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02

Church: Another commentary on Vatican's outreach to Anglicans ...has some interesting new points

Smile: last Sunday at St Bonaventure Church, on the Feast of the Holy Family, I invited children to come up to the front during the sermon.
When I asked them "What is Jesus' mobile phone number?", one 9 year old girl immediately replied "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit". "Out of the mouths of babes..."

Thank you for a prayer. God bless everyone right through 2010, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2009-12-23 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong on the eve of Christmas Eve. I wish everyone the special peace of Christmas right through 2010.
May this Christmas see a bit more sharing, caring, peace and justice in our troubled world.

Recent photos

2009-12-17/18 Visit to Jordan Center and area by Alex from St Teresa's & the Kong Family from Peng Chau

2009-12-19 Saturday English classes at 3 OMI schools; Mainland students & visitor at Notre Dame; Bus carolers

2009-12-20 Macau visitors Thomas and Fatima, at a "caged home" and at Jordan Center

2009-12-21 Chris from St Bonaventure Parish - visited Yau Ma Tei are, House of Hope & Jordan Center

2009-12-22 Visit to caged homes by Fr David o.m.i.

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
Thurs   Dec 24:   8pm Chinese Mass at St Teresa's Hospital, Kowloon
Friday Dec 25: 10am Chinese Mass at Tai Po Church + 11.30am Chinese Mass at Valtorta College, Tai Po
Sunday Dec 27: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon

December    30: due to fly to Melbourne
January 02-03:   due to help with MAMI appeal at Sorrento
January 04-05:   due to attend annual golf day at Moe
January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        19: due to fly to Gold Coast/Brisbane   (changed from Jan 20)
February      09: due to fly to Melbourne
February      13: due to return to Hong Kong

Many thanks:
- Anon (St Alfred's church HK, Dec 18) ) for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.

Recent items of interest

Copenhagen:
- if you have time to read only two articles, try this one - Monbiot Dec 21 - US more to blame than China
and this one Eyewitness account of how China sabotaged the talks
Also:
01 - Monbiot Dec 18
02 - Chinese Foreign Ministry Dec 20
03 - Blame Game Dec 20
04 - Fiasco - ABC Dec 21 - uses Monbiot to compare Copenhagen with 1914 war times. Like 1914 war, climate change will only be stopped by ordinary people, not by politicians.
05 - China's Stonewall Dec 21

Christmas
01: Why December 25? - a most interesting history of Christmas
02: How John Dear is spending Christmas - in Gaza

Catholic church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ???
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02

Amnesty looking back on the year, on the decade

Christmas English Christmas songs Christmas photos Advent reflection: "Why wait till mid-December to mention Christmas?"

God bless everyone this Christmas, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2009-12-17 update (Monbiot): Mr Obama, here's your Copenhagen speech:
Only one person can now rescue these climate talks. This is the speech to turn shambles to success

2009-12-16 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong with only 9 days to Christmas. May this Christmas see a bit more sharing, caring, peace and justice in our
troubled world.

As Copenhagen continues, I keep thinking: no need to wait for international agreements. Let's just get straight into saving every bit of power, saving every drop of water, saving piece of scrap paper ....and everything else. And let's get into renewable energy!
The best article I've seen about Copenhagen climate change meeting - the big picture, really excellent
Quote of week - from Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson: "China's decision re climate change policy is purely an internal domestic matter"

Recent photos

2009-12-10 Former Guangzhou teacher, Matt from Australia, at Jordan Center, with English students Chris and Kenneth

2009-12-11 Confusing tourist map at corner of Nathan Road and Jordan Road in Kowloon

2009-12-12 Christmas card game English at Oblate Primary School, St Eugene Primary School, and Notre Dame College

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar:
Sunday Dec 20: 11.30am English Mass at Tai Po church
Friday Dec 25: 10am Chinese Mass at Tai Po Church + 11.30am Chinese Mass at Valtorta College, Tai Po
Sunday Dec 27: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon

Monday - Friday:   English classes    & work for street sleepers - Jordan area
Saturdays (Dec 19, then re-starting Feb 20 DV): English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

December    30: due to fly to Melbourne
January 02-03:   due to help with MAMI appeal at Sorrento
January 04-05:   due to attend annual golf day at Moe
January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        20: due to go to Gold Coast/Brisbane
February      14: due to return to HK from Melbourne

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, Dec 9) & Doris K (Australia, Dec 13) for donations to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.
- Parishioners of St Bonaventure parish for donations of warm clothing for street sleepers

Recent items of interest

China: List of public holidays for 2010

Christmas - why December 25? - a most interesting history of Christmas

Catholic church - proposed (crazy) liturgical changes.....in a crisis time of global starvation/warming....church is pre-occupied with ?????
01: What if priests refuse to use new book? ...a good idea....
02: Petition to try to stop new book (I have signed it ....hope others will too)
03: NCR Interview with Fr Ryan
03: Background info 01
04: Background info 02

USA: Obama's Nobel War Speech

Christmas English Christmas songs Christmas photos Advent reflection: "Why wait till mid-December to mention Christmas?"

Poster in MTR stations shows that Wai Ji Christian Service is having a walk-a-thon next month. Link has history of how the WJCS grew from the idea of a local doctor in October 1977

Another dedicated group that we could remember at Christmas: The Crossroads Foundation (...how old furniture is given to the poor...)

One year ago on Nov 3, 2008, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom have no access to education or therapy

God bless everyone, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2009-12-09 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong where the East Asian Games are being held without much public interest.

Reflection re climate change meeting in Copenhagen: no need to wait for international agreements. Let's just get straight into saving power, saving water, saving paper and everything else. Let's get into renewable energy! (a fascinating article.....solar power stations in the desert...hurry up!)

Recent photos

2009-12-09 Visit to Jordan Center by former Notre Dame parishioners Susanna and her niece Michele

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Few recent photos, but many things happening....e.g. yesterday I was privileged to lead two school Masses (each with some 300 children) for Immaculate Heart Primary School in Shatin......one Mass at 10am, the other at 1.15pm. Then at 6pm another privilege (no other word): I was able to attend a drug addicts' prayer meeting in the Yau Ma Tei center of The St Stephen's Society, the meeting led by Jackie Pullinger (whose beautiful ministry to drug addicts is told in her book "Chasing the Dragon")

Last Sunday after Mass when a kind man said he liked my sermon, I invited him for a cup of tea in the cafe of St Bonaventure church. Turns out he is a director of The Hong Kong Satir Center

Not long ago my kind dentist spared me the ordeal of a root canal treatment....by just a simple filling + a crown. I suspect this procedure could be done more often....at 20% cost of a full root canal treatment....which is probably why it's not so common. May I again recommend one of the best dentist's in HK: Dr Kitty Louie, G/F, 26 D, Parkes St., Jordan (Jordan MTR Exit C2) Ph: 2781 0008

Calendar:
Sunday Dec 13: 10am children's English Mass in Caritas Centre hall next to St Teresa's Church, Kowloon
Sunday Dec 20: 11.30am English Mass at Tai Po church
Friday Dec 25: 10am Chinese Mass at Tai Po Church + 11.30am Chinese Mass at Valtorta College, Tai Po
Sunday Dec 27: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon

Monday - Friday:   English classes    & work for street sleepers - Jordan area
Saturdays (Dec 12, 19): English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

December    30: due to fly to Melbourne
January 02-03:   due to help with MAMI appeal at Sorrento
January 04-05:   due to attend annual golf day at Moe
January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        20: due to go to Gold Coast/Brisbane
February      14: due to return to HK from Melbourne

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, Dec 3) & Susanna (St Bonaventure parish, Dec 9) for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.
- Parishioners of St Bonaventure parish & St Alfred's parish for donations of warm clothing for street sleepers

Looking for (even temporary) part-time work: divorced lady with two sons in prison. In Shatin area if possible. Please phone/email me if you can help: jdwomi@gmail.com 67095674

Recent items of interest

Canada: Last week's article "not true"

China: Soccer/football in a mess (...a sad symptom of wider society...)

Climate change: Himalayas are melting (main source of water for Ganges, Mekong, Yangtze rivers on whom hundreds of millions of people depend)

Philippines: A crime that cries out to heaven (see link of Dec 4, 2009)

USA: : Our New War President essential reading for people in US, UK, Aust and other nations with troops in Afghanistan

R.I.P. Fr Brian Morrison, died Dec 2 in Perth. Moving summary of his life at Channel 9 news report in this link. My memory of Brian: top organizer of seminary students annual sports day in Melbourne c. 1968-72

Usual reflection for Advent - "Why wait till mid-December to mention Christmas?"

One year ago on Nov 3, I returned to Zhaoqing after an overnight stay in HK ....only to be expelled when I got off the train at Zhaoqing station. Please email me if you'd like the full story. Each day I hope and pray to be able to return to the Mainland. Thank you for a prayer to help me get back. My hope is to be able to resume my work for the poor, especially the handicapped children, most of whom have no access to education or therapy

God bless everyone, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

p.s. All Silent, from Aust, running in international race at Shatin this Sunday, Dec 13 (...all silent....near Christmas Eve...silent night...shhh)

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

2009-12-02 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong, where the East Asian Games are due to begin on Saturday. Nine countries/regions competing:
China, Guam, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan. 17 of China's 2008 Beijing gold medalists are due to take part.

No recent photos (...camera on holidays...). Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos
In lieu of photos, an IQ question: What is the difference between Bird Flu and Swine Flu?
For bird flu you need tweetment; for swine flu you need oinkment

My Calendar:
Sunday Dec 6: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon
Sunday Dec 13: 10am children's English Mass in Caritas Centre hall next to St Teresa's Church, Kowloon
Sunday Dec 20: 11.30am English Mass at Tai Po church
Friday Dec 25: 10am Chinese Mass at Tai Po Church + 11.30am Chinese Mass at Valtorta College, Tai Po
Sunday Dec 27: 10.15am Chinese Mass at St Bonaventure Church, Tze Wan Shan, Kowloon

Monday - Friday:   English classes    & work for street sleepers - Jordan area
Saturdays (Dec 5, 12, 19): English classes at Oblate Primary School (9.20 - 10.50), St Eugene Primary School (11.20 - 12.50) and Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00)

December    30: due to fly to Melbourne
January 02-03:   due to help with MAMI appeal at Sorrento
January 04-05:   due to attend annual golf day at Moe
January 10 - 16: due to attend annual charismatic retreat, Newman College, Melbourne
January        20: due to go to Gold Coast/Brisbane
February      14: due to return to HK from Melbourne

Many thanks:
- Anon (St Bonaventure church, Nov 29) for donation to help my work for the poor in Jordan/Yau Ma Tei area + support for the poor in China.
- Parishioners of St Bonaventure parish for donations of warm clothing for street sleepers
- Friends who use Cheap International Calls. Your use earns me bonus points, as a result of which I can make free long-distance calls

Recent items of interest

China:
"Tighter grip over society" in China: (SCMP 2009-11-26)
2009-11-22 Shenzhen TV drama series banned - for showing frustration/unhappiness/perils involved in trying to buy a flat in China
2009-11-26 Four daily newspapers "severely punished for lying" after publishing reports that 70% of the mainland's wealth is in the hands of just 0.4% of the population....and that most of the super-rich have close ties to senior party officials.

Congo: UN mission making things worse

Copenhagen: The urgent threat is.....Canada!

A most interesting group The Community of Sant'Egidio who are taking action on a number of fronts about important world issues

Mobile phone = mobile microphone. "Big Brother", especially in Mainland, can listen to you and friends talking, even when you are not using your mobile. Many people now leave phones at a distance if they want a private conversation.

Usual reflection for Advent - "Why wait till mid-December to mention Christmas?"

"I was hungry and you.....": Meeting in Rome this week said that 17,000 children die of starvation each day. At same meeting Pope Benedict called on weathy nations to live more simply (& see comments at end of link!). See also: One million children go to bed hungry each night - in USA! and One billion people starving as I write this. What can I do? World Food Program

God bless everyone, especially the 26 special friends on my cancer list - 5 in Australia, 18 in HK, 2 in Zhaoqing area, I in Shenzhen

John W omi

If you email me and don't receive a reply within 2 days, please send email again to john@china8.org or jdwomi@gmail.com
Maybe your message or my reply did not arrive 　

Diary 2009 January - November