My Diary    (I'll try to update this each week, usually on a Thursday when I'm in HK/China)
Email:     john@china8.org        jdwomi@gmail.com
   Hong Kong mobile (only when in HK): (852) 6709 5674
Australia mobile (only when in Aust): (61)(0) 416 645047
China mobile 13030213703 - out of action for the time being
Mail address: Notre Dame, 51 Shing Tak St. , Ma Tau Wei, Kowloon , HK

China8	* Cheap International Phone Calls *		The next pope - a load of rubbish		AITECE
Matteo Ricci	Oxfam	MSF Guardian ABC (Aust)	Prisoners	Optional Celibacy
Jesus Tower	Zhaoqing Maps Zhaoqing History Aus Govt info re travel in China
					China Library Books The Cross
OneMinuteEnglish	Africa	School of Evangelization
Simple Bible	FairTrade

Thursday, December 30, 2010 Dear Friends

Happy (Solar) New Year from Hong Kong! (Lunar New Year is on Feb 3).
I wish everyone good health and every other blessing right through 2011

In this final diary for 2010, I sincerely thank the Lord for all his blessings over the past year.
And I ask the Lord's blessing on everyone who has prayed for me and helped me over the past year

On this 30th of the month, Dear Lord, please bless the people Chongqing

A smile from Father Time as the years go racing by:
Coming Soon sign outside picture theatre in YMT - with poster of a film named "Hereafter" !

New photos

2010-12-25 Christmas Day, 7pm Mass, First Holy Communion for A-Ming at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei

2010-12-29 Former Mainland students of "Mr Wu" visiting poor Mainland children - photos to gladden the heart!

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Fri Dec 31:    7.20am & 9pm Chinese Masses at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei
Sat Jan 1:   10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun & 7.30pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Sun Jan 2: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's, Tuen Mun
Mon Jan 3 to Frid Jan 7: 7.20am Chinese Masses at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Fri Dec 31: 7.50am & 9pm Chinese Masses at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Sat Jan 8:   7.20am & 7.30pm Chinese Masses at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei
Sat Jan 9:   10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's, Tuen Mun

Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Wednesdays: Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center

Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 14: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville Jan 14 or 15)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Sun Jan 23 - I'm due to take part in 7.30am Mass at Iona College, Brisbane.
After Mass a good chance to meet up if you have time
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Doris (Brisbane, Dec 23)
- "Fong Je" (HK, Dec 24)

Help needed A number of kind people to translate Simple Bible sections from English into very simple Chinese.
Please contact me if you can help - jdwomi@gmail.com Would love to have this job done before Lunar New Year if possible.
Many thanks to friends who have offered to do 25 - 29. Still need volunteers for 30 - 40 please

25 ok now	26 ok now	27 ok now	28 ok now	29 ok now	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us care more about our troubled world: Luke Chapter 2 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 2 (9 - 14)

Not far from where Mary had her baby, there were shepherds who lived in the fields and took it in turns to watch their sheep during the night

An angel appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them. The angel said "Do not be afraid. I bring you news of great joy, a joy to be shared by everyone.

Today in the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is Christ the Lord. Look for a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger"

Suddenly with the angel there was a great number of other angels, praising God and singing "Glory to God in heaven, and peace to people on earth"

"O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, O come let us adore him, Christ the Lord"

I go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Simple Bible & other items to some of the 2,000+ prisoners .....especially to the 400 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.
I have just bought an inspiring little book - for someone special in Australia. Can lend it to friends in HK -
Healed of Cancer, by Jodie Osteen (see the reviews...)
Also: HK Friends battling cancer are welcome to join me for a simple sharing and prayer at 3pm on Sunday Feb 27.
Please email me for location: jdwomi@gmail.com

May the peace of Christmas give everyone hope and strength right through 2011!

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 four year old boy saw kids lined up to see Santa Claus at a shopping center in USA. Having been taught as a toddler that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus, he asked his Mum, "where's the line to see Jesus?" ...and this has become a beautiful song on YouTube

Thursday, December 23, 2010 Dear Friends

Happy Christmas from Hong Kong! I wish you and your families the special peace of Christmas right through the New Year.
A beautiful Winter/Christmas reflection (at very bottom of page - "Let's make our winter warm")

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

Christmas smiles
- what Christmas Carol is a favorite of parents?    Silent Night
- why does Santa have 3 gardens?   So he can hoe, hoe, hoe
- what do you call people who are afraid of Santa?   Claustrophobic

New photo

2010-12-19 Sunday evening meal at Matteo Ricci Center - with Shatin visitors Joe, Maria and Winnie

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Fri Dec 24:    7.50am & Midnight Chinese Mass at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei
Sat Dec 25:   10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun & 7.30pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Sun Dec 26: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's, Tuen Mun
Mon Dec 27 to Thur Dec 30: 7.20am Chinese Mass at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Fri Dec 31: 7.50am & 9pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei
Sat Jan 1:   10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's, Tuen Mun & 7.30pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's, Yau Ma Tei

Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Coming Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center / Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Coming Tues/Wed/Thur/Fri - am English classes at Our Lady's School, Wong Tai Sin

Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 14:   Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville Jan 14 or 15)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Sun Jan 23 - I'm due to take part in 7.30am Mass at Iona College, Brisbane.
After Mass a good chance to meet up if you have time
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
Charmian & group (HK, Dec 17)
Augusto (Indonesia/HK, Dec 19)
Mrs Wong (Shatin, Dec 19)
Mei Je (Yau Ma Tei, Dec 21)
Mrs Yun (Mui Wo, Dec 22)

25 ok now	26 ok now	27 ok now	28 ok now	29 ok now	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

Smile (thank you, Louie) This is for all the germ-conscious folks that worry about using cold water to clean.

John went to visit his 90 year old grandfather in a very secluded, rural area of Saskatchewan. After spending a great evening chatting the night away, the next morning John's grandfather prepared breakfast of bacon, eggs and toast.
However, John noticed a film like substance on his plate, and questioned his grandfather asking, 'Are these plates clean?'
His grandfather replied, 'They're as clean as cold water can get em. Just you go ahead and finish your meal, Sonny!'

For lunch the old man made hamburgers. Again, John was concerned about the plates, as his appeared to have tiny specks around
the edge that looked like dried egg, and asked, 'Are you sure these plates are clean?'

Without looking up the old man said, 'I told you before, Sonny, those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them. Now don't you
fret, I don't want to hear another word about it!'

Later that afternoon, John was on his way to a nearby town, and as he was leaving, his grandfather's dog started to growl, and wouldn't let him pass.
John yelled and said, 'Grandfather, your dog won't let me get to my car'.

Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching on TV, the old man shouted! 'Coldwater, go lay down now, yah hear me!'

Recent items of interest

China
- land battles most dire social issue (an amazingly frank article)

Wikileakes
- "Sicko" not banned in Cuba! - and no big fuss re Fahrenheit 9/11 in New Zealand

USA
- debt crisis of 100 US cities and many European cities

Australia
- personal reflections on the Christmas Island tragedy

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us care more about our troubled world: Luke Chapter 2 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 2 (1 - 8)

The Emperor of Rome ordered that a census be taken of the whole
Empire. Every man had to go to his home town to be registered

So Joseph set out from Nazareth in Galilee and traveled to Galilee,
to the town of David called Bethlehem, with his pregnant wife Mary

While they were in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have her child.
She gave birth to a son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes
and laid him in a feeding box for animals, because there was no room for them at the local inn

Baby Jesus, born in Bethlehem, please bless all babies born in the world today

Thank you for a prayer

God bless everyone, especially the many special friends on my cancer list - in HK, the Mainland & overseas.
I have just bought an inspiring little book - for someone special in Australia. Can lend it to friends in HK -
Healed of Cancer, by Jodie Osteen (see the reviews...)

May the peace of Christmas give everyone hope and strength right through 2011!

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

Thursday, December 16, 2010 Dear Friends

Happy Christmas from Hong Kong! I wish you and your families
the special peace of Christmas right through the New Year.
A beautiful Winter/Christmas reflection (at very bottom of page - "Let's make our winter warm")

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

Christmas smile 01 Choir at Tuen Mun 10.30 Mass last Sunday surprised/shocked/scandalized the rest of us when for the final hymn
of Mass they sang ...."Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer"

New photo

2010-12-12 Pizza gathering at Ricci Center for very special friends

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Sunday Dec 19: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun
Mon 20 to Fri 24: 7.20am Chinese Mass at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei (Frid 7.50am)
Fri 24, Christmas Eve - Chinese Midnight Mass at St Paul's YMT
Sat 25, Christmas Day - 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun + 7.30pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's
Sunday Dec 26: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun
Mon 27 to Fri 31: 7.20am Chinese Mass at St Paul's Church, Yau Ma Tei (Frid 7.50am)
Fri 31: 9pm Chinese Mass at St Paul's YMT

Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays, Tuesdays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes (Dec 18)

Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 14: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville Jan 14 or 15)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Sun Jan 23 - I'm due to take part in 7.30am Mass at Iona College, Brisbane.
After Mass a good chance to meet up if you have time
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Michael Ho (Notre Dame, Dec 9)
- A-Yun (Shatin, Dec 12)
- Teresa (St Mary's Parish, Dec 12)

Special sites www.crossroads.org.hk www.marinersclub.org.hk

25Ecclesiastes	26 Song of Songs	27 Wisdom	28 Sirach	29 ok now	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

Christmas smile 02 Inland Australia....remote area....drought for 5 years.....not a drop from the skies. The day before Christmas.....clouds appeared...got darker and darker.....and it pelted down. Small 4 year old boy, had never seen drops from skies, ran to window and called out "Mum, what's that?" Mum replied "That's rain, dear" (reindeer...)

Recent items of interest

China
- peace prize has chaotic launch (HK's South China Morning Post, reporting this first Confucian prize, had headline "Confusion prize"
- 50 of Oslo's 65 foreign embassies represented at Nobel Peace Prize
- what the leaked cables say about Stern Hu and Rio Tinto

Sudan-Darfur
- excellent article re coming referendum

Climate Change
- why we're doomed (..let's keep turning off unnecessary lights/boilers/computers etc + use less fossil energy for travel..)

Wikileaks
- who is Julian Assange? (family background)
- WikiLeaks may make the powerful howl, but we are learning the truth
- WikiLeaks backlash: The first global cyber war has begun, claim hackers

Australia
- Harbour Bridge lights up for Oprah
- Oprah House
- Oprah and Australia's health care - ideas for USA ( by an American living in Australia)
- 28 refugees die in boat tragedy - Comment: Bad policy and the cruel sea

One billion people starving - what can I do?

Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing - has been updated with this sentence (as in grammar!) received from lawyer yesterday:
"No court wishes to hear the case and it is still being thrown from court to court! Too hot to handle it seems!"

A daily serving of God's Word to help us care more about our troubled world: Exodus Chapter 7 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 7

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh again
and showed him Aaron's staff changing into into a snake.

When Pharaoh's magicians were able to do the same thing
Aaron's staff swallowed up the magicians' staffs.

But Pharaoh's heart stayed stubborn
and he wouldn't listen to Moses and Aaron.

So God told Moses and Aaron to go to the river the next morning.
When they saw Pharaoh there Aaron struck the river with his staff
and the river and all water throughout Egypt turned into blood.

But Pharaoh still would not let the Israelites go

第7章

梅瑟和亚郎再见法郎
并显示给他亚郎的棍杖变成蛇。

当法郎的术士能做同样事
亚郎的棍杖吞下术士的棍杖。

但法郎的心还是顽固，
和他将不会听从梅瑟和亚郎。

如此神告诉梅瑟和亚郎第二天早晨去河边。
当他们看见法郎在那里
亚郎用他的棍杖击河
河和所有水遍及埃及的都变成血。

但法郎仍然不会让以色列人去。

Dear God, please soften stubborn hearts
that make life difficult for other people

亲爱的神，请软化使他人生活艰苦的顽固心

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

This coming Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent .....see my Advent file for ideas re Advent/Christmas/Lent

May the peace of Christmas give everyone hope and strength right through 2011!

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

Thursday, December 9, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong where cooler temperatures (15-20 degrees) are signaling that Winter is here.
16 days to Christmas - lovely to hear Christmas music in Metro stations/shops etc.
A choir from St Teresa's Parish, Kowloon, will be singing Christmas carols at the TST ferry pier - near McDonald's -
from 8pm on Saturday Dec 18. Choir is inviting everyone to come and sing a long

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

Smile - from Norway...where they make fun of Swedes: A Norwegian lorry driver was transporting a load of penguins to the aquarium in Bergen. In the middle of a mountain pass, his lorry broke down, and while he was standing by the side of the road, a Swedish lorry driver pulled over. The Swede asked if he could help, and the Norwegian asked if he could take the penguins to the aquarium. The next day, the Norwegian made it to Bergen. At the first stop light, he caught sight of the Swede standing at the junction with the penguins in a row behind him, waiting on the light.
"What on earth are you doing?" the Norwegian asked. "You were supposed to take those penguins to the aquarium."
The Swede replied, "That was yesterday. Today I'm taking them to the movies."

No new photos this week Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Sunday Dec 12: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Anon (HK, Dec 3)
- Alex & Toni (Adelaide, Dec 8)
- David & Trudy (Melbourne, Dec 9)
- Rita & Stephen (HK, Nov - Dec) for offering jobs to ex-inmates

25Ecclesiastes	26 Song of Songs	27 Wisdom	28 Sirach	29 Isaiah	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

Jokes from around the world - some better than others - the very last one ok

Recent items of interest

Wikileaks & Julian Assange: spot the difference between this this report and this one ( + comments)
and see this fascinating technical report

China
- soon, foreign owned hospitals ...so urgently needed...DV this will happen....then schools
- China has more than 83,000,000 disabled people

USA - cancer of militarism on the US soul (...the figures are mind blowing...and the last paragraph has a lesson for other countries..)

Nobel Peace Prize - (65 - 44 = 100?): spot the difference between this report and this one

Hong Kong Representatives Go to Norway to Attend Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony:
Mr. LEE Cheuk Yan, vice-chairman of Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, Mr. Albert Chun-yan HO, secretary of the Alliance and chairman of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, Ms. Emily Wai-hing LAU, vice-chairperson of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, and Mr. Patrick Kar-wai POON, vice-president of Independent Chinese PEN Centre and executive secretary of China Human Rights Lawyers Concern Group, are leaving for Oslo on 8 December evening (Wednesday) to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on 10 December to support Beijing writer Dr. Liu Xiaobo who is still in prison and can’t go to Oslo to receive the award

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

Who cares? Official website of climate change meeting in Mexico Nov 29 to Dec 10

A daily serving of God's Word to help us care more about our troubled world: Exodus Chapters 5- 6 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapters 5, 6

Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said
'God says: let my people go into the desert to worship me".'

Pharaoh not only refused to let them go;
he also made their life more difficult
by forcing them to gather their own straw for making bricks.

The people complained to Moses and Aaron
for having made their life more difficult.

So Moses prayed to God for help
and God said he would force Pharaoh to let the people go.

第5、6章

梅瑟和亚郎去对法郎说:
“神说：'让我的百姓进入旷野祭献我’”

法郎不仅拒绝让他们去;
他也使他们的生活更艰苦
通过迫使他们自己收集稻草做砖。

百姓对梅瑟和亚郎抱怨
使他们的生活更加艰苦。

所以梅瑟向神祈祷求助
而神说他会强迫法郎让百姓去。

Dear God, please don't let me make life difficult for other people

亲爱的神，请不要让我使他人生活艰苦

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

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday of Advent .....see my Advent file for ideas re Advent/Christmas/Lent

R.I.P. (from a newsletter for overseas teachers working in China)
Heinz Hesselfeld SVD, who worked in Nanchang for over 20 years, died on Dec 6 in
Taiwan.
Heinz resigned as dean of his department in Fu-jen University in Taiwan
to be involved in a German-Sino project in Nanchang University and in recent
years raised funds for dormitories for primary and secondary schools in
rural Jiangxi. He enjoyed going out into the countryside and visiting those
schools. He had a Green Card (permanent residency) in China.
He left for Taiwan in mid-September of this year because of his deteriorating health.
Heinz will be greatly missed by his many friends in Nanchang, both local
and foreign. His solid presence and deep commitment will remain in many memories

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

Thursday, December 2, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong where 25% of the population is thinking of leaving because of pollution (and they won't be moving to the Mainland where it's coming from and is even worse)

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

Smile Last Sunday afternoon on Metro on way back to Jordan from Mass in Tuen Mun, I met a middle aged couple from Northern China.
They had never been to Australia but when I mentioned I was from Australia, the first thing they said was "it's a beautiful country" and the second thing they said....which is a common joke on the Chinese grapevine apparently (.. must admit I've never heard it before) is that Chinese laugh when they hear a sporting crowd calling out "Aussie, Aussie".....because the sound "orsi" in Chinese means....."s h _ t".
So, best not to say you're an Aussie....best to say you're an Australian!

New photos

2010 November - Signs of life in Hong Kong

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Sunday Dec 5: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 14: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville Jan 14 or 15)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Sun Jan 23 - I'm due to take part in 7.30am Mass at Iona College, Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- A Jan (Notre Dame, Nov 27)
- Augusto (Indonesia, Nov 28)
- Lourdes (Yau Ma Tei, Nov 28)
- HK, Dec 1 - donors of copies of "Sunday Examiner" for prisoners

25Ecclesiastes	26 Song of Songs	27 Wisdom	28 Sirach	29 Isaiah	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

Smile Which newspaper do the angels read in Heaven? (The Guardian....guardian angels)

New link at top of this diary The next pope - a load of rubbish

Recent items of interest

Australia - Vietnamese migrant gets top award

China So many food items - including Nestles products - are being avoided by people in HK & many other places because of risk of Malamine. Is this article accurate or overstating things? Article taught me about barcodes....barcodes of items from China begin with 690 to 695

The next few months might be a Winter of Discontent in the Mainland:
- prices of food/fuel have risen dramatically in recent months.
- government is worried about a food shortage.
- each week sees more violent protests -e.g. students wrecking a college canteen because food too expensive; residents overturning a mayor's care because developers cheating them when re-claiming their land/homes.
- and the fuel heating every situation is the useless law in China....it protects no-one except the rich and powerful....and you get punished if you try to use it to protect your rights. No law = no means of address = take the law into your own hands = protests.
- just needs an unusually severe Winter to cut transport and cause food shortages for the pot to boil over?

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Exodus Chapter 5 - from www.simplebible.info

第7章

梅瑟和亚郎再见法郎
并显示给他亚郎的棍杖变成蛇。

当法郎的术士能做同样事
亚郎的棍杖吞下术士的棍杖。

但法郎仍然不会让以色列人去。

Dear God, please soften stubborn hearts
that make life difficult for other people

亲爱的神，请软化使他人生活艰苦的顽固心

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

This coming Sunday is the Second Sunday of Advent .....see my Advent file for ideas re Advent/Christmas/Lent

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

Thursday, November 25, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong on USA Thanksgiving Day On this 25th of the month, Dear Lord, please bless the people Ninxia

One month to Christmas....lovely to hear Christmas music in Metro stations and shops

Smile Why is something which takes people from the 25th floor to the ground floor called ....a lift?

New photos

2010-11-25 Welcome back to Hong Kong former CAS teacher Paul from Adelaide

2010-11-24 Welcome cousin David Wotherspoon to Hong Kong - and Happy Birthday Ed!

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar
Sunday Nov 28: 10.30am English Mass at St Matthew's Church, Tuen Mun
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 14: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville Jan 14 or 15)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Sun Jan 23 - I'm due to take part in 7.30am Mass at Iona College, Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Kowloon Mosque (several times in Nov and previously)
- Ed (HK, Nov 24)
- Paul (Adelaide, Nov 25)

Help needed A number of kind people to translate Simple Bible sections from English into Chinese.
Please contact me if you can help - jdwomi@gmail.com

25Ecclesiastes	26 Song of Songs	27 Wisdom	28 Sirach	29 Isaiah	30 Jeremiah	31 Lamentations	32 Baruch
33 Ezekiel	34 Daniel	35 Hosea	36 Joel	37 Amos	38 Jonah	39 Micah	40 Others

New links at top of this diary - Prisoners (click "China") & China Library - Books

Sudan - Darfur

On 9th January 2011 there will be a referendum in Sudan, in which southern states will vote on possible secession from the north of the country. It is a moment of hope – and of fear. Now more than ever, the country that only five years ago emerged from Africa’s longest civil war needs the support of the international community – including Australia– to prevent the return to full-scale violent conflict and to build a lasting peace. The Sudanese Church has asked us to stand alongside them, to call upon the international community, and to pray for peace – before, during and after the referendum.

· Sudan: A Fragile Peace - Illustrated Fact Sheet Sudan: A Fragile Peace - Text Only Fact Sheet
Statement by the Sudan Bishops Conference from their recent Bishops’ Plenary in Rumbek - A Message of Hope and Healing

New knowledge Last Sunday the local Bangladesh community celebrated EID (...to my shame, had never heard of it). See also this report

Recent items of interest

Sub-Continent - Pakistan's Gandhi - a most important article for anyone trying to promote friendship with Muslims

China
- toxic milk activist to be freed?
If he is put back in prison after President Hu's visit to USA, I would like to nominate him for 2011 Nobel Peace Prize!

World economy - a gloomy future?

Australia
- union leader questions focus on gay "marriage" issue
- the perils of redefining marriage
- priest risks his job by publicly calling for women priests

Chapter 4

Moses said to God
"What if the people won't believe you sent me"?

God said "Throw your staff onto the ground".
When Moses threw his staff onto the ground,
it became a snake.

"Catch it by the tail" said God.
When Moses caught it by the tail,
it changed back into a staff.

Moses said to God "I'm a poor speaker".
God said "Aaron your older brother can be your mouthpiece.
Now go back to Egypt . It's safe to go back now;
the people who wanted to kill you are dead".

Back in Egypt ,
Moses and Aaron gathered the Israelite leaders
and told them all that God had said.
The elders rejoiced that God was going to help them.

第4章

梅瑟对神说: “若百姓不相信你派遣我？”

神说:“扔你的棍杖到地上。”
当梅瑟扔了他的棍杖到地上，它变成一条蛇。

“捉着它的尾巴,”神说。

当梅瑟捉着了它的尾巴，它变回棍杖。

梅瑟对神说:“我不是一位善言者。”
神说:“亚郎你的哥哥可是你的喉舌。
现在回到埃及。现在回去是安全的;
想杀害你的人死了。”

回到埃及，梅瑟和亚郎召集以色列众长老
并告诉他们神所说的一切。
长辈高兴神打算帮助他们。

Dear God, God of Moses and Aaron, we praise you Lord

亲爱的神，梅瑟和亚郎的神，我们称赞主。

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

This coming Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent .....see my Advent file for ideas re Advent/Christmas/Lent

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

Thursday, November 18, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong, the wine capital of Asia. On this 18th of the month, Dear Lord, please bless the people Shandong

Interesting meeting this morning with staff from a group that works with street ladies - JJJ

Smile (no connection with wine or street ladies): "Never underestimate your own....stupidity"

New photos

2010-11-14 Sunday night Pizza gathering at Jordan Center (group includes 5 former inmates)

2010-11-16 Primary One and Two English students, make that angels, at Our Lady's School, Wong Tai Sin

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Saturday Nov 20: 8pm Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, San Po Kong
Sunday Nov 21: 9am Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, San Po Kong (updated 8.15pm Nov 19)
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Nov 19 -21 HK Oxfam's Trailwalker days

Bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 (not 11) - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 (not 12) - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 15: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville...)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Mr Wong (Notre Dame Parish, Nov 14)
- Anon (Notre Dame Parish & Canada, Nov 14)

And thank you (volunteer) Hing for computer typing translated text of John Pridmore's book (see last week's diary)

Recent items of interest

Aung San Suu Kyi - Burma's lonely battle (...at today's English class at Oblate Primary School,
a primary five boy knew who Aung San Suu Kyi was....and he was able to pronounce her name in English)

China
- sour justice for milk powder activist (surprisingly frank article for a government site) - and see 02
- diesel shortage

USA
- beautiful story of an organization which feeds two million poor people a day
- Obama being forced to pour money into nuclear program (?)

Australia
- lest we remember (Remembrance Day reflection)

Church
- interview with Hans Kung
(Dream: at meeting with 200 cardinals in Rome tomorrow, Pope will announce his resignation ...and a pastoral/Vatican II type pope will be elected)

Other faiths
- This year's Hajj has passed peacefully, without any stampedes. DG
- when you enter a mosque, you should put your right foot first (minus shoe). I learnt this last Sunday at Kowloon Mosque where I go each week to collect items for Muslim prisoners
- this Sunday, Nov 21, there is a big celebration at HK's Sihk Temple...for the birthday of one of the Sihk founders....the celebration being sponsored (for the 25th year) by Sihk guards of the Correctional Services Department. I hope to attend at some stage after being kindly invited by one of the Sihk guards at Lai Chi Kok Detention Center

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

New links at top of this diary
- Prisoners (click "China")
- China Library - Books (finally updated - may I highly recommend a quick look at this)

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Exodus Chapter 3 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 3

The Israelites begged God to free them from slavery in Egypt .

God heard their cry and called Moses
to be their leader.

God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and said to him
"I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
I have heard the prayers of my people in Egypt .
I now send you to Pharaoh to win the freedom of my people".

Moses asked what was God's name.
God replied 'I Am who Am.
Tell the people "I Am has sent me to you".'

第3章

以色列人求神把他们从埃及苦役中释放出来。

神听到了他们的喊叫和召奂梅瑟做他们的领导人。

神在燃烧的荆棘丛显现和对梅瑟说:
“我是亚巴郎，依撒格和雅各伯的神。
我听到我百姓在埃及的祈祷。
我现在派遣你到法郎赢取我百姓的自由。”

梅瑟问神的名字是什么。
神回答:“我是自有者。
告诉百姓‘那自有者打发我到你们这里来’。”

Dear God, God of life, God of Abraham, we praise you Lord.

亲爱的神，生命的神，亚巴郎的神，我们称赞主。

I go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Simple Bible & other items 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

Two in two days Last Sunday at Mass....readings about the life to come...I mentioned how some people have a "life after death" experience
..... at which a not so young lady put up her hand and shared how she had had such an experience. A beautiful sharing.
Next morning in internet cafe below Jordan Center, I was getting some printing done...and met a Nepalese man who said he can't work after being in an accident a year or so ago....when he "died and saw Jesus"

Sincere Sympathy to Doris & Elvin Kempnich and family, Brisbane in the loss of Michelle, aged 34, now in Heaven ...where she is able to jump and run and speak ....after a life of paralysis on earth

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

Cloudflare has now been installed on all my websites. CloudFlare is a service that "makes your website faster, safer, and smarter. CloudFlare supercharges websites. Cloudflare has teamed up with HostGator to offer this service to its customers". Do you notice any difference? Do my sites open faster now? ( www.jesustower.com www.china8.org www.riccicenter.com www.simplebible.info www.oneminuteenglish.com )

Thursday, November 11, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning just after 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month - Remembrance Day. Lord, please give eternal life to all who died in war.
A Nov 11 reflection ....appropriate at a time when international leaders are promoting "a trade foreign policy"

On this 11th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people Hunan

Trivia More than half the people in the world belong to the Five Letter Club - China, India, Korea, Japan, Burma, Italy, Spain, Malta, Egypt, Libya, Niger, Sudan, Kenya, Ghana, Gabon, Congo, Benin, Chile, Samoa etc

New knowledge Last Sunday I noticed all the local Nepal shops decked out in lights, people all dressed up, parties in various areas of Jordan/Yau Ma Tei.....and to my shame I had to admit I had never heard of Diwali (for the Nepalese "Deepawali")....the most important festival of the year for Hindus and many other groups....a festival of light, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil.....a sort of Christmas/Easter/Lunar New Year rolled into one. Happy Diwali!

New photos

2010-07-11 Winsome & group after visit to caged homes & Yau Ma Tei poor area; evening pizza gathering at Ricci Center

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Nov 14: 9.30 am Mass at Notre Dame College, Ma Tau Wei, Kowloon (..changed, at 9.15am on Nov 14, to Oblate Primary School at 9.30...)
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Dec 20 to Jan 9: Weekday and Sunday Masses at St Paul's Parish, Yau Ma Tei

Bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 (not 11) - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 (not 12) - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 15: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville...)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Teresa (Notre Dame, Nov 6)
- Uncle's Centre, Chung King Mansion (Nov 7)

Last Friday I was at Lai Chi Kok prison from 10am to 7pm....could write a book about the day.
Three highlights:
A: I was playing table tennis with a prisoner in one section when another prisoner came out of the shower...and still in his birthday suit before starting to get dressed, he kindly fetched the table tennis ball when it went under a table near him. For some reason, the phrase "ball boy" came to mind

B: In the prison hospital I was moved to find three men missing four legs. Two men have only one leg. One man no legs. I spent quite some time with them. A very moving experience. Then as I got up from the bed of one of them where I'd been sitting, I turned around and saw another wheel chair .... beside the bed of a Chinese man from the Mainland who is deaf and dumb and paralyzed from the waist down. He can read and write ....Chinese, English ... and Hebrew....he is Jewish...parents from Haifa. I have started the process for him to be visited by a Rabbi.....and I'd be grateful if you'd join your prayers to mine that he will be able to hear ...then speak...then walk

C: In one room of about 40 inmates, when the two guards saw so many men receiving a copy of Genesis (Simple Bible), the guards also asked for a copy (one because he is a Christian, the other because he wants to improve his English). Both guards now have Genesis.

Volunteer needed:
Step One: a prisoner at Hei Ling Chau detention center is translating into Chinese "From Gangland to Promised Land" by John Pridmore. Step Three: John will publish the translation in UK.
Step Two: A local HK volunteer is needed please to computer type the prisoner's handwritten script. If you would like to help, please give me a call on 67095674

Recent items of interest

China
- mainlanders say farewell to HK volunteer who died when his car crashed in bad weather
- more than one million abortions a month in China (= 25% of world total)....most of them girls....a frank article on government site

Church
- scathing report on new missal's mistakes sent to bishops
- Pope Benedict gets the celibacy question backward (ok till last paragraph ..)
- important article on Islam - Christianity relationship

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Exodus Chapter 2 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 2

One Israelite mother hid her baby boy for three months.

When she could no longer hide him
she put him in a basket
and placed the basket among reeds near a river bank.

The basket was found by Pharaoh's daughter
when she went to bathe in the river.
She felt sorry for the baby and decided to keep it.

The baby's sister saw all this happen
and asked Pharaoh's daughter if she'd like a nurse for the baby.

Pharaoh's daughter agreed,
and so the baby's mother was paid by Pharaoh's daughter
to be the baby's nurse.

When the child was weaned,
he was taken to Pharaoh's daughter
who treated him like her own son.
She named the baby Moses.

When Moses became a man,
he visited the Israelites and saw their hard life.

He saw an Egyptian hit one of the Israelites
so he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand.

But people found out;
and so did Pharaoh who decided to kill Moses.

Moses then fled to the land of Midian .

The priest of Midian had 7 daughters.
One day when they drew water for their father's sheep
they were driven away from the well by some shepherds.

Moses protected them from the shepherds
and helped them get water from the well.

Their father, Jethro, was grateful to Moses
and invited him for a meal.

Moses then stayed with Jethro
who gave him his daughter Zipporah for a wife.

第2章

一个以色列人的母亲藏了她的男婴三个月。

当她不能再藏他, 她把他放在篮子里，
并把篮子放置在河边的芦苇丛中。

法郎的女儿发现了篮子，当她去河里沐浴时。
她怜悯他并决定收养他。

婴孩的姐姐看见所有发生的经过，
并且问法郎的女儿想为婴孩找一位奶妈吗。

法郎的女儿同意，和支付工钱给婴孩母亲照顾他。

当孩子断奶，他被带到法郎的女儿哪里，
她待他如自己的亲子。她给孩子起名叫梅瑟。

当梅瑟长大成人，
他探访以色列人并且看到他们的难苦生活。

他看见一个埃及人打其中一个以色列人，
因此他杀了那埃及人并将尸体藏在砂土里。

但人们发现;
法郎也知道并决定杀害梅瑟。

后来梅瑟逃往米德杨土地。

米德杨的一个司祭有七个女儿。
一天，当她们为父亲的绵羊打水饮时
她们被其他牧羊人驱赶。

梅瑟保护她们免受其他牧羊人的驱赶，
和帮助他们从井打水。

她们的父亲，耶特洛，感谢梅瑟
并请他吃饭。

之后梅瑟和耶特洛住在一起，
他把他的女儿漆颇辣给梅瑟为妻。

Dear God, please protect all new-born babies,
especially baby girls.

亲爱的神，请保护所有新生婴孩，特别是女婴

Bible cartoons (...not all that exciting...)

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

Thursday, November 4, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong....where many locals were pleased that the Melbourne Cup was won by a HK based French jockey, on a USA bred horse, with a French trainer...for Australian owners

Smile 01 What do you call a horse than lives next door? A neighbour

On this 4th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people Guangdong

Recent photo

2010-10-31 Sunday night Pizza at Jordan Center, with Judy & Anthony, KK & Tony - wishing A-Ming a Happy Birthday!

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Smile 02 When asked how old she was, one little girl recently replied "I'm going to be six"

History hit China's oldest and biggest trade fair is "The Canton Fair" ( Wikipedia article needs updating...fair started long before 1957)

The Portuguese merchants had ... instituted a custom of holding a public fair, twice a year, to dispose of what the ships from India brought in during January, and what arrived from Japan toward the end of June. These fairs were no longer held in the port of Macau...but in (Canton)

- China in the 16th Century, The Journals of Matteo Ricci - p. 132

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Nov 7: 11am Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, San Po Kong (changed, Nov 6, to 9am Wong Tai Sin)
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Teresa (Notre Dame, Oct 30)
- Uncle's Centre, Chung King Mansion (Oct 31)
- Judy (Shatin, Oct 31)
- Anon (HK, Nov 3)

Volunteer needed:
Step One: a prisoner at Hei Ling Chau detention center is translating "From Gangland to Promised Land" by John Pridmore into Chinese. Step Three: John will publish the translation in UK.
Step Two: A local HK volunteer is needed please to computer type the prisoner's handwritten script. Please give me a call 67095674

Recent items of interest

China
- Nobel Peace Prize winner - - who is Liu Xia Bo? (a bash, but surprising it's on internet)
(a thought: Liu Xia Bo to be released from prison and put under house arrest before President Hu's visit to USA...to avoid protests...?)
- China has the world's fastest supercomputer
- Australian volunteers working with orphans in Beijing - ("Partners in Mission" - 2010-11-02)
- when the Chinese authorities want to watch you

Hong Kong
- a group of lawyers and friends in HK have started fasting on Wednesdays
for the release of Mainland human rights lawyers from prison.
Some in the group fast for 24 hours, some for 12 hours, some go without lunch.
Wednesday = Lightlunchday? More info at group's site

Vatican - explore the Sistine Chapel with your mouse

Australia - two good news stories
- Gillard stressing education for Asia
- from Sydney to Ehiopia with love

Climate change Why the media has gone cold on global warming

One billion people starving - what can I do? Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing (2 years ago yesterday...)

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Exodus Chapter 1 - from www.simplebible.info :

This is the story of how the Israelites left Egypt ,
how they made their exodus, their departure, from Egypt .
The Book of Exodus

Chapter 1

After about 300 years,
when the Israelites had grown to a huge number,
the Egyptians began to see the Israelites as a danger to Egypt .

So they forced the Israelites into slavery
and made their life miserable.

The Egyptians forced the Israelites to make bricks
and build cities.

But the more the Israelites were oppressed,
the more they increased in number.

So the Egyptian king told the Israelite midwives
to kill all new-born boys.

But the midwives let the baby boys live
and God was pleased with the midwives and blessed them.

Pharaoh then ordered all Israelite baby boys
to be drowned in the river.

这是以色列人怎样离开埃及的故事，
他们如何成功从埃及离去。出谷纪

第1章

大约三百年后，当以色列人已増长到一个庞大的数字，
埃及人开始视以色列人为埃及的危害。

如此他们迫使以色列人干苦役，
并使他们的生活凄惨。

埃及人强迫以色列人做砖和修造城市。

但越多以色列人被压迫，
他们的数量增加越多。

如此埃及王告诉以色列人的接生婆
杀害所有新生男婴。

但她们接生婆让男婴存活，
而神对接生婆十分满意和祝福她们。

后来法郎命令把所有以色列人的男婴淹死在河中。

Dear God, please stop people, especially children,
from being used as slaves

亲爱的神，请停止人，尤其是儿童，被当作奴隶

Jesus, please give eternal rest to former street sleeper Mr Chau Pui Wing who died peacefully yesterday (Nov 3) at a local nursing home.
( I had privilege of visiting him the night before he died).

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

Thursday, October 28, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong....where there is a beautiful clear blue Autumn sky. Last week's threat from typhoon Megi never materialized...DG

Smile - re Megi: Megi didn't come to HK because HK is too expensive

On this 28th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people Beijing

No new photos from the past week. Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

History hit - from the Journal of Matteo Ricci, written about 1609

The Chinese fear and distrust all foreigners. Their suspicion seems to be innate, and their aversion has increased in strength and become a habit after centuries of strict prohibition against all dealings with outsiders. This feeling of ill-will which is common to all Chinese, and especially so to the common people, is particularly noticeable among the inhabitants of the Province of Canton, which is not as advanced in culture as other provinces.
In fact, the Province of Canton is an annexation to the Empire (in 111 B.C.), and even today is numbered among the barbarian countries by other provinces, which are far superior to it in cultural training, conferring many more literary degrees, and providing many more high ranking and ruling Magistrates.
The adverse disposition of these people is only aggravated by the fact that their province is exposed to foreigners by land and by sea, and that they have suffered heavy and frequent losses from inland robbers and from marauding pirates. Of late they have become quite disturbed by the coming of the Portuguese.... As an expression of their contempt for Europeans, when the Portuguese first arrived they were called foreign devils, and this name is still in common use among the Cantonese.

- China in the 16th Century, The Journals of Matteo Ricci - p. 160

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Oct 31: 9am Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, San Po Kong
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Teresa (Notre Dame, Oct 23)
- Oparinha (Sydney, Oct 27)

Smile 02 Recently when buying Bibles for prisoners I got mixed up.
I thought I was buying a Dutch Bible because it had the word Deutsch

Recent items of interest

China
- China made Nobel Peace Prize decision for us, says Nobel judge
(reflection: President Hu should think twice about his trip to US in January....likely to be plagued by protestors...)

- China-Japan situation a most important article, with lots of historical info I'd never heard of
(one commentator: China's for-no-recent-reason Japan-bashing a tactic to distract population from domestic issues
....c.f. North Korea's constant saber- rattling). Yet most HK people think that Mainland anti-Japanese demonstrations are spontaneous.....they don't realize demonstrations are carefully orchestrated)

- Asian Games in Guangzhou Nov 12 - 27

Pakistan Floods What Oxfam is doing

Australia - The big population lie

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world:
A final piece from Genesis - Ch 50 from www.simplebible.info :

Chapter 50 Listen to Chapter 50

After mourning their father for 70 days
Joseph and his brothers went to Canaan and buried Jacob there.
Many of Pharaoh's officials went with Joseph to Canaan.

When the group returned to Egypt,
Joseph's brothers again asked him to forgive them
for selling him as a slave.

Joseph replied "God has turned this evil into good,
and through me has helped many people.
So do not be afraid.
I will provide for you and your families".

Joseph lived to see his children's children.
Before he died, he asked that his bones one day
be taken back to Canaan.

第 50章

悼念他们的父亲七十天后
若瑟和他的兄弟们往客纳罕埋葬雅各伯。
许多法郞的官员与若瑟前往客纳罕。

当大家返回埃及，
若瑟的兄弟们再次要求他饶恕他们，将他出售为奴隶。

若瑟回答：“神把这恶事变成好事，
并借着我已经帮助很多人。
所以不要害怕。
我会供养你们和你们的家人。”

若瑟活着看到他孩子的孩子。
临终前，他要求有一天将他的骸骨
带回客纳罕。

Dear God, thank you for the beautiful story of Joseph

亲爱的神，为若瑟的动人故事感谢你

I go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) & other items 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

On this day in 1942, Dad ( a "Rat of Tobruk") was injured by shrapnel at El Alamein in Egypt
- Battle of El Alamein (..Oct 28.....27 Australians killed, 200 wounded)
- Dad's letter from Palestine hospital Nov 10, 1942

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

Tuesday, Nov 2 The Melbourne Cup

Thursday, October 21, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong ....about to be visited by the most powerful typhoon/hurricane/cyclone in the world this year, Megi.
Megi is a super-typhoon, due to hit HK & China coast by Saturday. According to bottom map at this link, Megi will cross coast of China just North of HK. Latest from weather bureau. Dear God, please protect this part of the world from Megi.

On this 21st of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people Yunan

Smile 01 - recently on the Metro ("MTR") I met a very friendly couple from France. As the three of us got off at Jordan station, I said "This is where I live. This is my home". Quick as a flash, the French lady, in classical French English asked "you lif en de soobway?"

New photos

2010-10-16 Visit with Matteo Ricci Study Group friends to Ricci Exhibition at Macau Museum
- check the photo of Kevin Rudd's double in 2nd last line
- what a place Macau has become....local people lovely....but main industry is gambling....the world's No. 1 gambling city
.....huge casinos everywhere....temples to Mamon....c.f. St Paul in Corinth....

2010-10-17 Ricci Center regular Sunday night "Open House Pizza Meeting" for special friends

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Oct 24:   7.30am Mass at Our Lady of Good Counsel Church, San Po Kong (...except if typhoon signal 8 or above!)
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes (..maybe not this Sat Oct 23...typhoon signal 8? 10?!)

Bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 (not 11) - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 (not 12) - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 15:   Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville...)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Doris Kempnich (Brisbane, Oct 19)
- Anon (HK, Oct 20)

Smile 02 Down to earth English from Chinese prisoner after release....talking about the prison where he was: "That place very no good"

Smile 03 Golf rules during Battle of Britain

Recent items of interest

Pakistan - how Oxfam is helping more than 1,000,000 people in Pakistan

Chile - 33 miners rescued
- excellent reflection
- the faith of the miners ...and the drillers
- mine Mass for 12 of the 33

China - how many Christians are there in China? - new article

Refugees A "new deal' is needed

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Genesis 47 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapters 47, 48, 49 Listen to Chapters 47, 48, 49

Pharaoh met Jacob and Joseph's brothers
and welcomed them to be shepherds in the land of Goshen.

Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Pharaoh humbly received Jacob's blessing.

Joseph provided food for his family during the famine.

As the famine got worse
the Egyptians sold their livestock and their farms to Joseph
in return for grain.

Joseph made the Egyptians promise
that when the famine was over
they would give one fifth of their produce to Pharaoh.

Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen more years
before he died in Joseph's arms.

Before his death,
Jacob blessed all his sons.

Jacob adopted and also blessed Joseph's two sons
Ephraim and Manasseh

第47、48、49章

法郞会见雅各伯和若瑟的兄弟们
并欢迎他们到哥笙之地成为牧羊人。

雅各伯祝福法郞。
法郞谦恭地接受雅各伯的祝福。

饥荒时，若瑟提供食物给他的家人。

当饥荒恶化
埃及人出售他们的牲畜和他们的田地给若瑟
以换取粮食。

若瑟使埃及人承诺，当饥荒结束
他们会将五分之一的农产品给法郞。

雅各伯在埃及又活了十七年，在他死在若瑟怀抱之前。

他临终前，雅各伯祝福他所有的儿子。

雅各伯认若瑟的两个儿子
厄弗辣因和默纳协为子，并祝福他们。

Dear God, please bless Egypt and Israel,
and help them be friends

亲爱的神，请祝福埃及和以色列，
并帮助他们成为朋友

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

Thursday, October 14, 2010 Dear Friends

Happy good morning from Chile, I mean Hong Kong. Thank you Lord for the rescue of the 33 miners....and for speeding up the rescue from first prediction of a late December rescue. Well done Chile! An inspiring moment of courage in human history. As one of the comments on The Guardian's report says "I stayed up to see the moon landings. And I stayed up to watch this. I haven't stayed up for anything else." Guardian, as usual, has been following this story from the beginning....almost daily reports....culminating in gripping live update blog by Rory Carroll (on site at mine for past few weeks).

On this 14th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Jilin And also the miners in China....of whom about 10,000 die each year at (mainly illegal) unsafe mines

Smile - a mining joke....can't find a clean one....their all covered in dirt!

New photos

2010-10-11 Signs of life in Hong Kong

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Oct 17:   9am Mass at St Vincent's Church, Wong Tai Sin.    Mary MacKillop to be canonized today
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Thursday Oct 21, 7.30pm - talk at Chinese University on Matteo Ricci. I hope to attend DV
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes
(.. no classes Oct 16 - Chung Yeung Festival -public holiday in HK. I'm due to go to Macau to visit Matteo Ricci Exhibition at Macau Museum)

Bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 (not 11) - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 (not 12) - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 15:   Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville...)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Anon (HK, Oct 5)
- Oblate Primary School (Oct 7)
- Anon (HK, Oct 9)
- St Eugene School (Oct 9)

An inmate at Hei Ling Chau Detention Center is translating John Pridmore's book into Chinese. Would anyone please be free to type the handwritten manuscript before Nov 2?.... when John is due back in HK on his way back to UK after visit to Australia.
Background John Pridmore, former UK gangstar + photos in HK Sep 19 on way to Australia

Are you thinking of getting a photocopier/fax/scanner machine for your home/office? May I again recommend Ocean Machines, 15 Shanghai Street, Jordan - phone manager "FONG JE" 96120678, who has kindly helped me with bookbinding/photocopying several times in past year

Recent items of interest

Pakistan
- how Oxfam is helping more than 1,000,000 people in Pakistan
- on Aug 3, Aug 25, and on Sep 23 I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

China - Nobel Prison, I mean Peace, Prize to Liu Xiao Bo
- trying to stop the news getting out
- finally, after 5 days of total silence, Peace Prize is (negatively) mentioned in China media
- China Communist elders issue free speech appeal (this story big in HK....will grow?.....seems to be Premier Wan Jiabo vs The Rest...a number of Mainland newspapers are taking up the call....unhappy at way that even the Premier's reform statements are censored)

UK - important article for everyone trying to make the world a better place

USA - a senseless wars begins its 10th year - + see this commentary "Bring them home"

Goodbye Joan Sutherland
- a famous person with a simple and humble heart...she never lost "the common touch"
- many beautiful tributes in "Comments" at end of this article
(- one of which struck me....a solution for "teacher's losing voice syndrome": "One of things she attributed to keeping her magnificent voice in shape was eating ... ginger. She always had some with her"!)

One billion people starving - what can I do? Why I'm in HK and not in Zhaoqing (speaking of Zhaoqing....economy must be struggling.....Four Star Dynasty Hotel now offering rooms for only Y200 per night.....used to be at least Y280)

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Genesis 46 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 46 Listen to Chapter 46

Jacob and his whole family, about 70 people,
took all their possessions and moved to Egypt.

God said to Jacob "I myself will go down to Egypt with you".

Joseph was ready for their arrival in Egypt.
As soon as his father appeared, Joseph ran to greet him.
Joseph threw his arms around his father
and cried for a long time on his father's shoulder.

Jacob said to Joseph
"Now that I have seen you again,
I can die in peace".

第 46章

雅各伯和他的全家，约七十人，
带着他们所有的财产，迁居到埃及。

神对雅各伯说:“我自己将与你一同下到埃及。”

若瑟为他们的抵达埃及而做好准备。
当他的父亲出现，若瑟跑去迎接他。
若瑟拥抱他的父亲，在他父亲的肩膀上哭了很久。

雅各伯对若瑟说:“此刻，我再次见到你，
我可以安祥地死。”

Dear God, please help separated family members
to be re-united again

亲爱的神，请帮助失散的家庭成员再团聚

I now go to Hei Ling Chau & Lai Chi Kok detention centers each week, and I give copies of Genesis (Simple Bible) & other items 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

Thursday, October 7, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from No. 5 in the world's top ten cities (Sydney No. 9). Cooler weather now becoming common....Oct/Nov the best time of year in HK weather-wise

Smile 01 Two hats on a hat-stand....one said to the other: "I'll go on ahead"

On this 7th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Hebei. And also the people of Pakistan ...."Lest we forget..."

Pakistan: the biggest tragedy in the 65 year history of the United Nations - 20 million people need help - what can we do?

- good news that OMI China Delegation has made a donation of US$5,000 to OMIs in Pakistan for flood relief

-good news that the Jesuits in Australia have had a Pakistan appeal since the start of the tragedy:
PAKISTAN APPEAL: Jesuit Mission is accepting tax-deductible donations for its emergency appeal
to support the millions of Pakistanis affected by the recent floods. Donate

- when the children come running, it makes my heart drop
- Malaria threatens two million
- floods refuse to go away ..."images of desperation"

How Oxfam is helping more than 1,000,000 people in Pakistan

- on Aug 3, on Aug 25, and on Sep 23 I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Smile 02 A few days ago I saw a man on the metro wearing a tea-shirt which had the words "If lost, please return to pub"

New photos

2010-10-02 Saturday English classes at St Eugene & at Notre Dame

2010-10-03 Pizza gathering at Ricci Center

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Oct 10: 7.30am Mass at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sundays 5.30pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Tentative bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 10 (not 11) - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 11 (not 12) - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (..then bus/plane to Ingham..)
Jan 11 - Jan 15: Visit to Ingham (..then bus to Townsville...)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor:
- Mrs Wong (Sydney/Notre Dame, Oct 2)
- Teresa (Notre Dame, Oct 2)
- Kevin & Pao (HK, Oct 2)
- St John the Baptist Parish Kwun Tong (Oct 3)
- Christine (Melbourne, Oct 6)

Cousin Christine from Melbourne recently stayed at Yangcheng Guest House in Jordan (+ see "2003 photos").
Convenient, safe, economical. Let me know if you'd like help to make a booking (c. HK$300 per night for a double room)

Recent items of interest

Chile - miners will be out in 10 days? - DV!

India - corruption the main game

Israel - settlement expansion continues

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

A daily serving of God's Word to help us stay "healthy" in today's crazy world: Genesis 45 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 45 Listen to Chapter 45

When Joseph realized his older brothers
were sorry for having sold him as a slave
he was overcome and started crying loudly.

He told his brothers "I am your brother Joseph
whom you sold into Egypt.
God sent me here to provide food for you".

He hugged all his brothers and talked with them.
Joseph told his brothers to bring their father
and their families to Egypt
since the famine would last for five more years.

Pharaoh was pleased that Joseph's brothers had come
and warmly invited them to live in Egypt.

The brothers returned to Canaan.
They told their father that Joseph was alive.
Their father Jacob was overcome with joy.

第 45章

当若瑟了解到他的哥哥们，为将他卖作奴隶而感到抱歉，
他不能抑制，并开始大声哭泣。

他告诉他的兄弟们:“我是你的弟弟若瑟
那个给你们卖到埃及的。
神派我到这里，为你们提供食物。”

他拥抱他的所有兄弟们并与他们交谈。
若瑟告诉他的兄弟们，带他们的父亲
和他们的家人到埃及，因为饥荒将会持续多五年。

法郞为若瑟的兄弟们到来而高兴
并热情地邀请他们住在埃及。

兄弟们返回客纳罕。
他们告诉父亲，若瑟还活着。
他们的父亲雅各伯充满喜悦。

Dear God, please help separated family members
to be re-united again

亲爱的神，请帮助失散的家庭成员再团聚

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

Thursday, September 30, 2010 Dear Friends

Hello from Hong Kong where tomorrow is a public holiday for National Day....about which most HK people have mixed feelings: on the one hand happy that China has progressed so much; on the other hand concerned about so many issues in China (corruption/ human rights etc).....which is why when you ask HK/Macau people where do they come from (if you meet them overseas) they will never say "I'm from China" but "I'm from HK/Macau". May the Lord bless China with every good value!

Smile (for Oct 1)			Small Horse... Tai Ni Po Ni	I think you need a face lift... Chin Tu Fat
Stupid Man... Dum Gai	I thought you were on a diet...Wai Yu Mun Ching?	This is a tow away zone... No Pah King	Are you harboring a fugitive? ...Hu Yu Hai Ding?	Our meeting is not till next week...Wai Yu Kum Nao?
It's very dark in here... Wai So Dim?	Staying out of sight... Lei Ying Lo	He's cleaning his automobile... Wa Shing Ka	That's not right... Sum Ting Wong	See me ASAP... Kum Hia Nao

On this 30th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Shanghai. And also the (increasingly forgotten) people of Pakistan

Please check this link to see how Oxfam is now helping 1,000,000 people in Pakistan, and hoping to help 1,300,000 (out of some 20,000,000 affected by the floods)

let's get involved by helping Oxfam: .....on Aug 3, on Aug 25, and on Sep 23
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

God, please bless Oblate new international leader - Fr Louis Lougen o.m.i. from USA

Congratulations HK Bible Society on release of updated Chinese translation - a 90 year project

New photos

2010-09-23 Two special visitors at Ricci Center....watching a very special DVD

2010-09-26 Sixty Chinese copies "Chasing the Dragon" by Jackie Pulllinger + Sunday night Pizza gathering

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Oct 3: 8.45am & 11.30am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Sundays 6pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class
Saturdays - morning & afternoon English classes

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help my work for the poor
- Teresa (HK, Sep 25) - books for prisoners
- Oblate Primary School (HK, Sep 25) - donation
- Maria (HK, Sep 25) - mooncakes
- Anon (HK, 26) - donation + glasses for prisoners
- Catherine (HK, Sep 27) - donation

Recent items of interest

China:
- Premier Wen at U.N. - the real China
- Chinese train breaks world speed record (413kph!)
- Nobel Peace prize Oct 8?

Burma
- "elections" soon...excellent article from Amnesty International
- not forgetting importance of China's support for Burma's corrupt regime

USA
- a peace movement victory in court

UN must improve or become irrelevant - Kevin Rudd's words apply to many institutions!

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 44 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 44 Listen to Chapter 44

Joseph had his brothers' sacks filled with free grain,
then he gave them back their money.

But he again put them to the test:
he got his servants to put his special chalice
in Benjamin's sack.

Not long after the brothers left,
Joseph's servants caught up with them
and asked them why had they stolen Joseph's chalice.

They replied that they would never dream of doing such a thing
and that if the chalice was found in anyone's sack
that man would die.

Each man's sack was opened, beginning with the oldest,
and finally the chalice was discovered in Benjamin's sack.

On returning to Joseph's home
the brothers pleaded with Joseph not to punish Benjamin.

Judah even offered to be Joseph's slave for life
in return for Benjamin's freedom

第 44章

若瑟把兄弟们的布袋装满免费粮食.
他归还他们他们的钱。

但是，他再次试探他们：
他吩咐他的仆人把他的特别银杯
放进本雅明的布袋。

兄弟们离开不久，若瑟的仆人追上他们
并问他们为什么偷了若瑟的银杯。

他们回答说他们从未想过做这样事
并说如果银杯被发现在谁人的布袋，这人会死。

每个人的布袋被打开，从最年长的开始，
而最后银杯在本雅明的布袋被发现。

回到若瑟的家，兄弟们恳求若瑟不要惩罚本雅明。

犹大甚至提出终身为约瑟的奴隶
以换取本雅明的自由。

Dear God, please help us in time of trial

亲爱的神，请在受试探时帮助我们

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 (at 8am ....about to leave for Kowloon Court in Argyle St....to support three Lai Chi Kok men on trial in two cases in two court rooms....two men in one room (father & son!) and one in the other)

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

p.s. AFL Grand Final (replay!) this Saturday afternoon. This time my heart and head both say St Kilda!

Thursday, September 23, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong where today is a public holiday for the Mid-Autumn Festival. May the moon shine on you wherever you are

Smiles - for the Moon Festival:
Q. What was the name of the first satellite to orbit the Earth? A. The moon

Q. Why didn't the dog want to go to the moon? A. It was afraid of lunarticks

On this 23rd of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Guangxi. And also the (increasingly forgotten) people of Pakistan

How Oxfam is now helping 1,000,000 people in Pakistan (out of some 20,000,000 affected by the floods)

let's do something to help .....on Aug 3, on Aug 25, and again today on Sep 23
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Update re House of Hope for homeless men: center has closed (landlord wanted unit back) and men are now housed in a number of homes run by a Salvation Army volunteer. TV and other equipment formerly in HOH have been shifted to one of the volunteer's homes. The work goes on....just this morning I was helping a former prisoner arrange temporary accommodation....

Also helping people - HK's credit unions....like this one at St John the Baptist Church in Kwun Tong

New photos

2010-09-19 Greg Lo, former London gangster John Pridmore, Brother Joseph; Pizza meeting for special friends

2010-09-21 Thank you Joan & Gregory (Sydney) and Gabrielle (HK) for help with English class at St Eugene's School

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Sep 26: 7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Sunday 6pm: Pizza gathering for special guests. Visitors most welcome
Monday & Friday: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesday - afternoon English class
Wednesday - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursday - afternoon English class
Saturday - morning & afternoon English classes

Tentative bookings made for Australia Jan/Feb 2011 DV:
Jan 11 - fly from HK to Port Moresby (on Air Niugini)
Jan 12 - fly from Port Moresby to Cairns (...Qantas no longer has direct flight to Cairns; Cathay Pacific goes to Cairns via Brisbane!)
Jan 12 - Jan 15: Visit 3 dear cousins in Ingham (south of Cairns, north of Townsville) whom I haven't seen for about 15 years (two of their Dads and the other one's Mother were my Dad's brothers & sister)
Jan 16 - fly from Townsville to Brisbane
Feb 13 - fly from Brisbane to Cairns
Feb 14 - fly from Cairns to Port Moresby
Feb 14 - fly from Port Moresby to HK

Many thanks - to the following kind friends for donations to help buy Bibles & other books & reading glasses for prisoners
- Sr Maria Moe (HK, Sep 19)
- Anon (St John the Baptist church, Sep 19)
- John Pridmore (UK/HK, Sep 19)
- Joan Kwok (Sydney/HK, Sep 21)
- Mr & Mrs Kong (Peng Chau Island HK, Sep 22)
- Grace (Peng Chau Island HK, Sep 22)

Recent items of interest

Hong Kong
- HK has 200,000 families (= 800,000 people? = out of total population of 7.2 million) living in poverty

Chile: hopes of early rescue for miners - DV!

China: Beijing traffic jam record
- Chinese will land on Venus in 2015 (...wouldn't it be better to fix up hospitals and schools first?...)
- more Chinese tourists for Australia
- lots of media attention these days re who owns Diaoyu Islands - China? Japan? Taiwan? Background article on this complex issue

USA:
- drones on trial, and a judge listens (...you see smoke coming from a house, hear a baby crying inside the house.....you also see a sign on the lawn "No trespassing"....is it ok to ignore the sign?...")

North Korea: - (mis)use of word "elect" in this report re the Democratic (?) People's (?) Republic (?) of Korea

How to speed up your computer - don't use CA Anti-Virus! I am amazed how fast my computer goes since I changed from CA to Malware

May I also recommend an excellent dentist: Dr Kitty Louie in Jordan - 2781 0008

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 45 - from www.simplebible.info

第 45章

当若瑟了解到他的哥哥们，为将他卖作奴隶而感到抱歉，
他不能抑制，并开始大声哭泣。

他告诉他的兄弟们:“我是你的弟弟若瑟
那个给你们卖到埃及的。
神派我到这里，为你们提供食物。”

他拥抱他的所有兄弟们并与他们交谈。
若瑟告诉他的兄弟们，带他们的父亲
和他们的家人到埃及，因为饥荒将会持续多五年。

法郞为若瑟的兄弟们到来而高兴
并热情地邀请他们住在埃及。

兄弟们返回客纳罕。
他们告诉父亲，若瑟还活着。
他们的父亲雅各伯充满喜悦。

Dear God, please help separated family members
to be re-united again

亲爱的神，请帮助失散的家庭成员再团聚

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

p.s. AFL Grand Final this Saturday afternoon. My heart says St Kilda, my head says Collingwood

Thursday, September 16, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong where moon cakes are on sale everywhere in preparation for Sep 23 Mid-Autumn Festival, a public holiday in HK, the Mainland, Taiwan and Macau

(Irish) Smile - for Mid-Autumn, Moon Festival

Paddy and Seamus were walking home from the pub. Paddy says to Seamus, 'What a beautiful night, look at the moon.'

Seamus stops and looks at Paddy, 'You are wrong, that's not the moon, that's the sun.' They started arguing for a while when they came upon a real drunk walking in the other direction, so they stopped him.

'Sir, could you please help settle our argument? Tell us what that thing is up in the sky that's shining. Is it the moon or the sun?' The drunk looked at the sky and then looked at them, and said, 'Sorry, I don't live around here.'

p.s. After the Americans went to the Moon, Paddy and Seamus announced that the Kerry Men would go one better and send a man to the Sun.

On this 16th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Qinghai. And also the (increasingly forgotten) people of Pakistan

Pakistan should surely should be staying at top of agenda of every caring group meeting/website/news service.
If it's not....if it doesn't even get a mention....what does that say about us?

Kevin Rudd's visit to Pakistan (...now that's a good idea...)

Oxfam now helping 600,000 out of 21,000,000 people affected by the floods

Flood appeal running dry

let's do something to help .....on Aug 3, and again on Aug 25,
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

No new photos this week Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Sep 19:    8.45am & 11.30am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 26:   7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class at St Eugene Primary School (Sep 21, 28; Oct 12, 19, 26; Nov 2, 23, 30; Dec 7, 14
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class at Oblate Primary School - Sep 16;    Oct 7, 14, 21, 28;    Nov 4, 18, 25;    Dec 2, 9, 16
Saturdays - English classes at St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame (3.30 -5.00) - Sep 25; Oct 2, 9, 23, 30; Nov 6, 20, 27; Dec 4, 11, 18

Many thanks:
- Fr Lam Minh (HK, Sep 14) Bibles for prisoners
- Yuki (HK, Sep 15) moon cakes for the poor

Recent items of interest

Chile - daily routine of 33 trapped miners ...."a unique dispatch" (...prayer after lunch...)

China - pilots' fake records

USA - world's largest cross (...very beautiful...)

Rome - OMI General Chapter Sep 8 to Oct 8 in Rome

Australia - the globalization of food supply

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 43 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 43 Listen to Chapter 43

The famine continued
and so Jacob sent his sons back to Egypt to buy more grain.

This time Benjamin went with them,
even though Jacob worried greatly about his safety.

When the brothers arrived in Egypt
Joseph invited them to his home for a meal.
Simeon was allowed to join them.

The brothers still didn't recognize Joseph.
Joseph was moved when he saw Benjamin, his full blood brother.
Joseph left the company and cried for quite some time.

When Joseph rejoined the meal
he gave the brothers a hearty meal which they all enjoyed.
Joseph arranged that Benjamin's portion was extra large.

第 43章

饥荒继续
因此雅各伯派他的儿子们回埃及购买更多的粮食。

这次本雅明与他们一起去，虽然雅各伯非常担心他的安全。

当兄弟们抵达埃及时
若瑟邀请他们到他家里吃饭。
西默盎获准与他们一起。

兄弟们仍没有认出若瑟。
若瑟深受感动当他看见本雅明，他的亲弟弟。
若瑟离开了众人，并哭了很长的一段时间。

当若瑟重新加入饭餐
他给兄弟们丰盛的一餐，他们都喜欢。
若瑟安排本雅明的一份是特大的。

Dear God, please bless all missing persons

亲爱的神，请祝福所有失踪者

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

from today, DV this diary will be updated each Thursday, not Wednesday (I need to leave early on Wednesdays for Hei Ling Chau prison)

Thursday, September 9, 2010 Dear Friends

Midday hello from Hong Kong where presence of nearby typhoon is likely to ease hot weather (35 yesterday) in coming days.

As HK new school year finishes its second week, a relevant reflection from France:

British lecturer criticizes French education system....and is supported by French parents.
In this article "France" could well be replaced by "Hong Kong" (...all that matters is exam results...) ...c.f. My son's experience

And a most interesting HK government program for youth training and job placement

On this 9th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Henan. And also the people of Pakistan

Pakistan should surely should be staying at top of agenda of every caring group/website/news service.
If it's not....if it doesn't even get a mention....what does that say about us?
- children suffering the most
- the human face of Pakistan's flood
- Jewish groups helping Pakistan flood victims
- Australia help update
let's do something to help .....on Aug 3, and again on Aug 25,
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Smile (thank you, Peter B):
Two drivers in two cars had collision. Both got out of cars with cuts and bruises, dizzy, hands shaking. Driver One had just been to liquor store...so he took out bottle of whiskey and said to Driver Two "have some of this...it will steady your nerves". "Thank you....yes, that's a help" said Driver Two as he downed a few mouthfuls. But when Driver Two noticed that Driver One wasn't taking any whisky, he said "aren't you going to have any?". "No thanks" said Driver One, "the police will be here soon".

One new photo (camera has had a very quiet time....unlike last week)

2010-09-05 Meal at Ricci Center with special friend Kelvin

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Sep 12:   7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 19:    8.45am & 11.30am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 26:   7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class at St Eugene Primary School (from mid-Sep)
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class at Oblate Primary School - Sep 16;    Oct 7, 14, 21, 28;    Nov 4, 18, 25;    Dec 2, 9, 16
Saturdays - English classes at   St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00) - from mid-Sep

Many thanks:
- Anon (HK, Sep 3) for donation to support my work for the poor
- Peter (HK, Sep 6) donation to buy reading glasses for prisoners + donation of other items for the poor (Sep 8)

Recent items of interest

Chile's trapped miners
- foreman (former football coach) on the ball

China:
- millions of children no education (.. for start of school year...)
- too many car factories
- 100% foreign owned hospitals soon? (if only this could be true.....local hospitals would then improve standards)

Australia:
- bocott Israeli goods from settlements?
- Darwin bishop calls for compassion c.f. a moral moment re asylum seekers
- most informative article on broadband fiber

Helping poor people help themselves - Accion (recently met one of their managers in HK)

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

Hope you saw this: Good News - please read this link:
2010-08-25 DG! - Received today from printing company: hard copy of Genesis , number one in Simple Bible series DV

OM-Items

1. OMI General Chapter Sep 8 to Oct 8 in Rome

2. The PIM program offers people who identify with the spirit of St Eugene de Mazenod
the opportunity to work as lay missionaries for 6 months as part of the Oblate Mission in China,
and develop their faith by helping others and living in community.
We are currently accepting applications for Partners in Mission – Hong Kong and Beijing.
For further information or application forms, please visit www.oblates.com.au/pim or contact Lesley on ph: 03 9795 5077
or email: pim@oblates.com.au
Applications close 30^th November 2010

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 42 - from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 42 Listen to Chapter 42

In Joseph's home country of Canaan,
the famine was very severe.

Joseph's father Jacob said to his sons
"I hear there is grain for sale in Egypt.
Go to Egypt and buy grain for our families
so that we will not die".

All Joseph's brothers, except Benjamin, went to Egypt
and arrived at the place where Joseph was selling grain.

The brothers had not seen Joseph for about 20 years
and they didn't recognize him. But Joseph recognized them.

Joseph put them to the test: he said they were spies,
and he told them to bring Benjamin to Egypt
to prove they were not spies.

He kept Simeon in prison until they returned with Benjamin.

第 42 章

在若瑟的故乡客纳罕，饥荒非常严重。

若瑟的父亲雅各伯对他的儿子们说:
“我听说在埃及有粮食出售。
去埃及并为我们的家人购买粮食，这样，我们不会死。”

所有若瑟的哥哥，除了本雅明，前往埃及
和抵达若瑟出售粮食的地方。

哥哥们没有见若瑟约二十年，他们没有认出他。
但是，若瑟认出他们。

若瑟试探他们：他说他们是探子，
他告诉他们，带本雅明到埃及以证明他们不是探子。

他把西默盎拘禁，直到他们带回本雅明。

Dear God, please help any places in the world
which are suffering from famine

亲爱的神，请帮助在世界上遭受饥荒的地方

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

p.s. Dear God, please bless all politicians in new parliament for Australia

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

from next week, DV this diary will be updated each Thursday, not Wednesday (I need to leave early on Wednesdays for Hei Ling Chau prison)

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong on the first day of the new school year. Dear Holy Spirit, please bless all students/ teachers/staff/parents/schools!

Very, very hot these days....only 33 degrees and not all that much humidity, but the air is like fire....hot, hot, hot.
Emergency shelters are open these nights for street sleepers....and many poor people who don't have air-con are using the air-conditioned shelters

On this 1st of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Anhui. And also the people of Pakistan.
Pakistan surely should be at top of agenda of every caring group/website. If it's not....if it doesn't even get a mention....what does that say about us?

Aug 28 Pakistani villagers saved from endless sea
Aug 29 - photos of Chinese medical team helping Pakistan
Aug 30 - Why we're slow to help Pakistan .............. and this sure doesn't help!
Sep 1 - Natural disaster and human greed in Pakistan
let's do something to help .....on Aug 3, and again on Aug 25,
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Smile: I do my own washing (in a bucket....Mother Teresa's sisters have got nothing on me...) but my pride took a bash on Monday when, as usual at end of month, I washed my long white alb/soutanne (used at Mass) together with the white chord that goes around it. I left both items soaking overnight, then rinsed them out in the morning.....but when I took the alb from bucket of soapy water, I forgot the chord was still there....and when I tipped used water down the toilet (= drain)....chord went too....and no amount of effort could get it back

Lots of new photos (camera has had a busy week)

2010-08-28 Signs of life in Hong Kong

2010-08-28 Final day of Summer Holiday Saturday English classes at Notre Dame College

2010-08-29 Very happy English Corner at St James' Church, Yau Tong, after Sunday morning Mass

2010-08-30 Mr Chau at nursing home ...being visited by former neighbor Mr Lau

2010-08-31 Lunch at Ricci Center for A-Bee, A-Cat and children - A-Bee looking for a job....anyone able to help please?

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday Sep 5:     8.45am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 12:   7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 19:    8.45am & 11.30am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong
Sunday Sep 26:   7.30am & 10am Masses at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays:   Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Tuesdays - afternoon English class at St Eugene Primary School (from mid-Sep)
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - afternoon English class at Oblate Primary School - Sep 16;    Oct 7, 14, 21, 28;    Nov 4, 18, 25;    Dec 2, 9, 16
Saturdays - English classes at   St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00) - from mid-Sep

Many thanks:
- Teresa (HK, Aug 28) - for donation of Chinese Readers Digests for prisoners (anyone else have any old RDs - Chinse or English - ?)
- Fr Yve (Shatin, Aug 29) - donation of clothes for street sleepers

Recent items of interest

Manila hostage survivors - media asked to to leave them alone
(at last someone is calling for restraint in sensationalization of this sad case)

Chile - yes please, Lord, speed up the rescue

India - new film about the life of Jesus

China: Premier says ok to criticize government (2nd last paragraph)
.....but look what happens when you do (if only local officials would put some of premier's ideas into practice)

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

Hope you saw this last week: Good News - please read this link:
2010-08-25 DG! - Received today from printing company: hard copy of Genesis , number one in Simple Bible series DV

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 41 -    from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 41       Listen to Chapter 41

Two years later Pharaoh had a dream:
he was standing by the river Nile
and saw 7 healthy cows feeding on the riverside.

Then he saw 7 sickly cows which ate the 7 healthy cows.

Pharaoh woke,
then had a second dream when he went back to sleep:
7 rich ears of corn on one stalk, followed by 7 withered ears
which ate the 7 rich ears.

None of Pharaoh's wise men could interpret the dreams.

Then the cup-bearer told Pharaoh
how Joseph could understand dreams.

Pharaoh sent for Joseph
and Joseph told Pharaoh the meaning of his dreams:

the 7 healthy cows and 7 rich ears meant 7 good years for Egypt;

the 7 sickly cows and 7 withered ears meant 7 years of famine.

Joseph also told Pharaoh what to do:

use a tax to collect one fifth of all grain in the 7 good years;
then during the 7 years of famine
use the collected grain to feed Egypt.

Pharaoh and his ministers were so impressed by Joseph's wisdom
that Pharaoh made Joseph governor of the whole of Egypt,
second only to Pharaoh himself.

Pharaoh gave Joseph Asenath, a priest's daughter, as his wife.

Joseph was now 30 years old,
having spent more than 10 years in Egypt.

For the next 7 years Joseph traveled all over Egypt,
supervising the collection of grain.

Before the famine began,
Joseph and Asenath had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim.

When the famine began, Pharaoh told the Egyptians
"Go to Joseph and do what he tells you".

People from all over Egypt and from other countries
went to Joseph to buy grain during the famine.

第 41 章

两年后，法郎做了一个梦：他站在尼罗河畔
看到七只健康母牛在河边喂养。

而后，他看见七只病母牛，牠们吃掉七只健康母牛。

法郞醒来，之后做了第二个梦当他再次入睡：
一根麦茎上长有七枝肥美的麦穗，
接着七枝枯萎的麦穗吃了七枝肥美的麦穗。

法郞的智者没有一个可以解释这些梦。

其后，司酒长告诉法郞，若瑟如何能解梦。

法郞派人请来若瑟，而若瑟告诉法郞梦的含义：

七只健康母牛和七枝肥美的麦穗表示埃及有七个丰年;

七只病母牛和七枝枯萎的麦穗表示七个荒年。

若瑟也告诉法郞怎么做：

在七个丰年用税收集所有粮食的五分之一;
然后在七个荒年，利用所收集的粮食养活埃及。

法郞和他的羣臣均钦佩若瑟的智慧，
法郞让若瑟作全埃及的总理， 仅次于法郞自己。

法郞给若瑟一名司祭的女儿，阿斯纳特为他的妻子。

若瑟此时三十岁，在埃及渡过超过十年。

以后的七年若瑟行遍埃及全地，监督收集粮食。

饥荒开始前，若瑟和阿斯纳特生了两个儿子：
默纳协和厄弗辣因。

当饥荒开始，法郞告诉埃及人
“找若瑟和依照他告诉你的做。”

全埃及和其他国家的人们
在饥荒期间去找若瑟购买粮食。

Dear God, thank you for turning things around in Joseph's life

亲爱的神，感谢你在若瑟的生命中扭转局面

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

p.s. Dear God, please help Australia make right decision re future government

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, August 25, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong, where the main story in media this week is the death of 8 HK tourists in Manila. c.f. list of mistakes

On this 25th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Ningxia. And also the people of Pakistan:

August 18: Pope Benedict (finally) makes a personal appeal for help for Pakistan
Aug 19: Pakistan floods are "a slow-motion tsunami"
Aug 20: China helps Pakistan (and helps Russia)
Aug 21: Pakistan accepts aid from India (India helping...Pakistan accepting ...goodwill has broken out!)
Aug 24: People return home to find nothing left, nothing at all
let's do something to help .....on Aug 3, and again today, Aug 25,
I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Q: Why aren't they eating? A group of some 20 men, mainly from Pakistan and Africa, sit on the stage and talk while other Lai Chi Kok detention center inmates are having breakfast, lunch and evening meal in the main dining hall (holds about 200 men). Then the group has its meal later in the evening.
A: Because they are Mulims, faithfully observing Ramadam (this year, Aug 9 to Sep 11). God bless 'em!

Smile: recently while on way to morning English classes, I noticed a band of elderly ladies (80+ years old) waiting at exit of Metro station.
At first I didn't know why/what they were soliciting......didn't seem to be asking for money....too old for xxxx. Then I saw why their hands were sort of half stretched out ...... seeking newspapers from people who had finished reading them.
So, as you enter the Metro, you are given or can take a free daily paper. You read it on the train. Then as you get off the train....the little old ladies help you recycle the paper

New photos

2010-08-21 Saturday English classes at St Eugene Primary School and at Notre Dame College

2010-08-24/25 Summer Holiday English classes at Our Lady's School, Wong Tai Sin

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sunday August 29: 9am Mass at St James' Church, Yau Tong
Sundays of September, October & November: Mass(es) at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - English class for special secondary students (3.00 - 5.00)
Saturdays - English classes at St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Many thanks:
- Teresa (HK, Aug 21) - for donation to help work for prisoners
- volunteer teachers who have run Saturday afternoon Summer Holiday English classes at Notre Dame
- Our Lady's School, Wong Tai Sin, for books for prisoners + donation to help prison work

Help please: A 65 year old inmate at Lai Chi Kok detention center stays in the center's hospital after having a tracheotomy some time ago.
Yesterday I asked him why he doesn't have a "voice box machine" (an electrolarynx - an electronic aid which produces an artificial ‘voice’ when held against the neck). He said he can't afford one. Cost to buy one in HK is about $HK4,500. Anyone win lottery recently?

Good News - please read story at this link:
2010-08-25 DG! - Received today from printing company: hard copy of Genesis , number one in Simple Bible series DV

Recent items of interest

HK had 3.1 million visitors in July, most of them from Mainland
- anyone like to help with some special street ministry once or twice a month?

China
Aug 22: Premier says "Keep going forward, don't go backwards" (...his words apply to church and other institutions...)
Aug 23: Traffic jam a 100km long, been going on for (10) days c.f. World's longest queue

Dick Smith and Australia's migration program - what an excellent article - and c.f. The new White Australia
and c.f. another opinion Who's paying for Melbourne & Sydney?

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 40 -    from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 40       Listen to Chapter 40

Even in jail, God protected Joseph.

When two of Pharaoh's officials,
his cup-bearer and his baker
also were put in jail,
Joseph was able to interpret dreams they had.

The cup-bearer dreamt he picked grapes
and made wine for Pharaoh's cup.

Joseph told him the meaning of his dream:
in three days he'd be free
and back at work as Pharaoh's cup-bearer.

The baker dreamt that birds ate bread
from a tray on top of his head.

Joseph told him:
"In three days you'll be hanged, and birds will eat your flesh."

And so it happened as Joseph had said:
on the third day
the cup-bearer went back to work in Pharaoh's palace
while the baker was hanged.

Joseph asked the cup-bearer to help him get out of jail,
but when the cup-bearer was free, he forgot about Joseph.
第 40 章
即使在狱中，神保护若瑟。

当法郞的两个官员，他的司酒长和他的司厨长
也闗进监狱里，若瑟能够解释他们的梦。

司酒长梦见他采摘葡萄，和为法郞的杯做葡萄酒。

若瑟告诉他他的梦的含意：
在三天内他会获自由，和恢复为法郞作司酒长工作。

司厨长梦见鸟儿吃饼，取自他头顶上的托盘。

若瑟告诉他：
“在三天内你会被绞死，鸟儿会吃掉你的肉。”

所发生的如若瑟所说：
第三天
司酒长回到法郞的宫殿工作，
然而司厨长被绞死。

若瑟请司酒长帮他离开监狱，
但当司酒长获自由，他忘记了若瑟。

Dear God, please bless everyone who has ever helped me 亲爱的神，请祝福曾经帮助我的每个人

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

After last Saturday's indecisive elections, Australia now has a hung parliament.
Forming a new government might take weeks rather than days.
My dream: a government of national unity, comprising all members of parliament, who spend the next three years fighting unemployment, water shortage, climate change etc - instead of spending most of their time/money/energy fighting each other to get/keep power.
A government of national unity....with joint prime ministers Julia and Tony

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, August 18, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong. No Wed visit to Hei Ling Chau detention center today....visit made last Sunday, because of special English classes at a local school this week

On this 18th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Shandong. And also the people of Pakistan:

Pakistan floods - 20 million people in urgent need of help
- What a golden opportunity for some good will co-operation between India, the USA and the Taliban to help Pakistan
- If the world doesn't help and help quickly, diseases might spread from Pakistan to rest of world. c.f. Facing 2nd wave of death
- USA & South Korea now holding war games in Sea of Japan. How about those good men and that wonderful equipment being sent to help Pakistan??

- Twenty million people homeless
- Six million people facing starvation
- Disaster begets dissent begets disaster
- Military coup on the horizon again - a good thing says a Pakistani friend in HK who recently visited Pakistan. "No one cares about anything. Corruption is widespread. Only the military can restore order"
- No one helping victims
- Why the world is ignoring Parkistan
- What countries are helping
- Vatican statement (hardly likely to set church on fire with compassion for Pakistan. When will Pope make a personal statement??).
- To its credit, HK Catholic Diocese has had a special appeal for Pakistan

let's do something to help .....on Aug 3 I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief...and I hope to make a donation to an OMI fund if and when one is eventually opened

Smile: From Ray, thank you

Good news: local canteen has given cooking job to man recently released from Hei Ling Chau detention center

No new photos this past week Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Many thanks:
- Edwin & group (HK, Aug 15) - reading glasses for prisoners
- Judy (Shatin) - for helping A-Ming get to church (& prepare for First Communion)

Contrast: yesterday morning I had two English classes for younger primary students at a local girls school (...to raise funds for prison work etc). In the afternoon I had two gatherings at Lai Chi Kok detention center (in men's day rooms - one in room for drug users/sellers, one in room for murderers)

Smile: elderly (my age!?) man now in local nursing home. Was a guest in several prisons over the years. Spent 4 years at Hei Ling Chau, in section "18C". His bed number in nursing home? 18C !

Recent items of interest

USA - Bedbugs in New York - common in many old buildings in HK, during Summer. If any NY friends need help, I can put you in contact with Ricky, a HK professional pest exterminator, specializing in "muk sat" (bedbugs).

Israel's ethnic cleansing of Jordan Valley

Government agency says there are 23 million Christians in China "the Christian boom is a result of China's economic growth"??
Another example of "lies, dammed lies, statistics & Mainland statistics".
Real number of Christians is about 100 million....and the boom has absolutely nothing to do with economic growth

Drunk driving might soon be a crime in China (what a novel idea...)

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 39 -    from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 39      Listen to Chapter 39

The slave traders took Joseph to Egypt
and sold him to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's top officials.

God was with Joseph.
God blessed everything Joseph did.

Because Joseph did everything so well
Potiphar put Joseph in charge of his household and all his possessions.

Because of Joseph, God blessed Potiphar and all his interests.

Potiphar's wife tried to seduce Joseph who was very handsome.
But day after day Joseph refused to sleep with her.

Then one day when Joseph again refused her
she tore his clothes and started screaming.

She claimed Joseph had tried to seduce her.
Potiphar believed his wife and he put Joseph in jail.

第 39 章

奴隶商人把若瑟带到埃及
并且把他卖给普提法尔，法郞的高级官员之一。

神与若瑟同在。 神祝福若瑟所做的一切。

由于若瑟做的一切都顺利
普提法尔托若瑟管理他的家务和他的所有财产。

由于若瑟，神祝福普提法尔和他的所有利益。

普提法尔的妻子试图引诱若瑟，他很英俊。
但若瑟不断拒绝与她睡觉。

直到有一天，当若瑟再次拒绝了她
她撕毁他的衣服，并开始尖叫。

她声称若瑟曾试图引诱她。
普提法尔相信他的妻子，他就把若瑟监禁。

Dear God, please don't let me cause other people to do wrong 亲爱的神，请不要让我促使他人犯错

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

Saturday Aug 21 - Election day in Australia. May Australia always be blessed with good government.
Polls are predicting a Labor victory, but this scribe notes:
- that Labor lost in Western Australia last time....and is hardly likely to do better this time, given the mining tax controversy.
- there's a strong anti-Labor backlash in New South Wales & Queensland.
So, how can you win if you lose in those three states? ...unless anti-labor swing goes to Greens, who in turn help Labor return power?

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, August 11, 2010 Dear Friends

Good afternoon from Hong Kong. Ramadan (Islam's Lent) starts today, finishes on September 9.

On this 11th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Hunan . And also the people of Pakistan:

Pakistan floods - 14 million people in urgent need of help
What a golden opportunity for some good will co-operation between India, the USA and the Taliban to help Pakistan

- a disturbing article - only five countries helping in a decent way, and India refusing - so far - to help its stricken neighbor

- We can't seem to get anyone interested in helping Pakistan

- has the Pope made a statement about Pakistan floods? I can't find one....

- after two weeks, not a mention - so far - on OMI website

- Rupert Murdoch obviously doesn't care about Pakistan: not a mention on index pages of The Australian or The Courier Mail etc

- "We are now in God's hands"

let's do something to help .....on Aug 3 I used my Visa card to make a donation to Oxfam's appeal for Pakistan flood relief

Last Sunday - a lovely experience. After Mass I went to an old people's home in Wanchai, and then called in to nearby Sikh Temple (my first ever visit) to ask for items for Indian prisoners. Temple staff extra friendly and helpful and gave me many books. One of several hundred people at the temple was a guard from Lai Chi Kok prison! And now I know: on entering temple, take off shoes and put on head cloth

Smile: When I met the Indian Sikh prison guard at the Temple, I got mixed up and said "Hello Mohammed" (lots of Pakistani guards in HK prisons)

New photos

2010-08-11 Meal at Ricci Center for A-Yun and Ben
(Ben is looking for work after being released from Hei Ling Chau detention center two days ago.
Anyone able to give him even a short term or part time job please?)

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sundays of August: 9am Mass at St James' Church, Yau Tong
Sundays of September, October & November: Mass(es) at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - English class for special secondary students (3.00 - 5.00)
Saturdays - English classes at St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Many thanks:
- Anthony, Caroline Edwin & Ronald (HK, Aug 8) - rice boxes for street sleepers
- Caroline, Anon (HK, Aug 3), Anon (HK, Aug 6) - donation to support work for prisoners + help the poor in China

Recent items of interest

China

- Gansu landslide..... man-made? 700 dead and 1,000 missing

- Chinese officials' gray income totalled $797.1 bln (!) in '09 - a remarkably frank article....a reliable Mainland statistic!

Burma - most important article - corruption in church as well as in government

Greenland to disappear in 10 years? - causing a 7 meter rise in sea levels ....bye bye New Orleans, Shanghai, Calcutta etc ... (if I really care about climate change, I'll turn off unnecessary lights, turn off computers/boilers at night, travel by road/rail rather than air if possible etc etc).
Re comments about this article - notice the bevy of anti-climate change responses....big business in background (just like years ago..."smoking not dangerous")

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

As our world gets crazier, a daily serving of God's Word to stay "healthy": Genesis 38 -    from www.simplebible.info

Chapter 38       Listen to Chapter 38

Jacob's son Judah had three sons - Er, Onan and Shelah.

Er married Tamar,
but not long after the wedding, Er died.

So, according to custom,
Judah asked Onan to marry Tamar
and have a child for his brother.

But Onan spilt his seed each time he slept with Tamar,
so Tamar did not conceive.

Judah then said to Tamar
"Wait till Shelah grows up,
and you can marry him."

But when Shelah was older, he still hadn't been given to Tamar.

So Tamar tricked her father-in-law Judah.

She dressed as a prostitute and conceived a baby by Judah.

Judah did not know that the woman was Tamar;
her face was covered.

Three months later Judah was told that his daughter-in-law
was pregnant after acting as a prostitute.

Judah followed the harsh local custom and said
"Take her outside and burn her."

But Tamar produced Judah's seal, stick and cord
which he had given to her as a pledge when he had sex with her.

So Judah admitted his guilt and freed Tamar
who gave birth to twin boys.
第 38 章

雅各伯的儿子犹大有三个儿子- 厄尔、敖难和舍拉。

厄尔与塔玛尔结婚，但婚礼后不久，厄尔死了。

如此，根据习俗，犹大要求敖难与塔玛尔结婚
并为他的哥哥生一个孩子。

但敖难把他的精液溅出，每次他与塔玛尔睡觉时，
这样塔玛尔没有怀孕。

其后犹大对塔玛尔说: “等舍拉长大，你可以嫁给他。”

但是，当舍拉长大，他仍然没有娶塔玛尔。

因此，塔玛尔骗她的公公犹大。

她装扮成一个妓女，并通过犹大怀孕。

犹大不知道这女人是塔玛尔; 她的脸被遮盖。

三个月后，当犹大被告知，他的儿媳作妓女后怀孕。

犹大遵守当地的严厉习俗说:“把她拉出来并烧她。”

但塔玛尔拿出犹大的印章、棍杖和印带，
他给她这些作为抵押，当他与她发生性行为时。

因此，犹大承认他的罪行，并释放塔玛尔，
她诞下双胞胎男孩。

Dear God, please help married people to be happy 亲爱的神，请帮助已婚人士快乐

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, August 4, 2010 Dear Friends

Good morning from Hong Kong, where Summer Holidays are being enjoyed by students - including those students (30% of primary students?) who are taking part in Summer Schools and courses of various kinds

On this 4th of the month: Dear Lord, please bless the people of Guangdong (.... good news .... many people using this list each day).
And Happy Birthday Barack Obama today. May the Lord bless you with wisdom and courage.

Pakistan floods. ...

Smile Tea shirt now on sale in HK, has the words "Genuine fake"

New photos

2010-07-29 Seven Wonders of the world - beautiful

Previous HK photos Previous Zhaoqing photos

New stamp to commemorate 400th anniversary of Matteo Ricci's death - from Italy

Calendar: (all Masses are in Chinese unless otherwise indicated)
Sundays of August & September: 9am Mass at St James' Church, Yau Tong
Sundays of October & November: Mass(es) at St John the Baptist Church, Kwun Tong

Mondays & Fridays: Lai Chi Kok Detention Center
Wednesdays - Hei Ling Chau Correctional Center
Thursdays - English class for special secondary students (3.00 - 5.00)
Saturdays - English classes at St Eugene (11.20 -12.50) & Notre Dame College (3.30 -5.00).

Many thanks:
- Kevin (July 17) for donation of blank DVDs

Smile, from Bible: Which Old Testament prophet would have been a star on the tv show Master Chef? ......Habakkuk

Recent items of interest

26% of USA adults (= 72 million) are obese

North Korea's World Cup team punished after "betraying their nation by losing three games"

UK prime minister David Cameron in India - important background info

Lies, damned lies, statistics and....Mainland statistics: - local governments cooking books?

Bible remains untranslated in 2,000 languages (representing 350 million people)

A place where Muslims and Christians pray together - amazing section from W. Dalrymple's "From the Holy Mountain"

ABC radio program: Donald Cozzens - abuse and other issues (click "Download MP3")
- 3 people, two of them sure like big words, but Fr Cozzens easy to understand and program worth listening to for his important sharing.
A lesson in how not to conduct an interview ....so many interruptions......please let us hear more of Fr Cozzens' wisdom!

Newly released figures show that a record 16.8 million tourists visited Hong Kong over the first half of the year. That's an increase of 23 percent over the same period last year. Most of the tourists - about 10 million of them - came from the mainland.	Anyone like to help form a little group to connect with Mainland tourists? - once a week/month .... spend an hour or so standing at a place where most Mainland tourists are taken (e.g. jewelry shops near Oblate Primary School) to give out leaflets re The Cross: Jesus in China Please contact me: 67095674 jdwomi@gmail.com
That's more than 1,000,000 a month from the Mainland

Recently updated - Grover's Disease file