October 1981.....the Hong Kong Peak is issued by missionaries of the ABFMS.

COMMISSIONED AS MISSIONARY

The Rev. Joseph C.K. Yiu responded to the call to be a missionary sent from Hong Kong to Thailand and was commissioned in an impressive service on Sunday afternoon, July 26, 1981, at the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church.

This was indeed au historic occasion. The Swatow Baptist Churches of Hong Kong Division of Mission Outreach has undertaken the full support for Rev. Yiu to work as a missionary in Thailand.

The Rev. Yiu is a former pastor of the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church, and more recently had been serving as pastor of a Chinese Church in San Francisco. He received his Bachelor of Theology degree from the Alliance Bible Seminary of Hong Kong. Further studies were taken at the Baptist Theological College of Sydney, Australia, and he received his Master of Divinity degree from the American Baptist Seminary of the West at Berkeley, California.

He is married and has three children. His family has for the present remained in the United States.

SUMMER VOLUNTEER WORKER

This summer Miss Becky Huynh served as a volunteer worker with our Mission here in Hong Kong. She worked in the Vietnamese Refugee camp.

Becky was born in Vietnam. Her family are Buddhists. Just before the fall of Saigon, she and her brothers and sisters were able to escape to the USA. They became refugees.

They were sponsored by the First Baptist Church of Pomona, CA., and through her association with the people of that church, Becky says, "I saw their love and began to understand the source of that love, and at a youth camp I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord. I want to tell others of the love and joy He has given me."

Becky had a wonderful opportunity of sharing that message this summer. Every day for six weeks she worked at the camp, meeting and talking with hundreds of refugees. They are full of fear of what lies ahead and were glad for the chance to talk with Becky who had experienced what it was like to adjust to a new life in the West. She was able to effectively witness to them of Christ and the help He can give in the midst of turmoil and change.

ASIAN BAPTIST FELLOWSHIP

Rev. Edwin Lopez of Iloilo, the Philippines, secretary of the Asian Baptist Fellowship of the Baptist World Alliance, was in Hong Kong recently to begin plans for an Asian Baptist Conference to be held here in January of 1983.

He and his wife were honored at a "tea" in the apartment of Keith and Linda Tennis, at which time they met and talked with our American Baptist missionaries and the pastors of the Swatow Baptist Churches here.

This December, 1981, an Asian Baptist Youth Conference will be held in Macau. Rev. Lopez will be leading a large delegation from the Philippines and plans to meet with the youth of the Swatow Baptist Churches in Hong Kong.

MOON LOK COMMUNITY CENTER

Kong Wing-kwong has been named the new Program Co-ordinator at the Moon Lok Community Center Tsuen Wan.

A room of the Center is open for a study hall for the children and young people living in the area every afternoon and evening. Special tutorial classes will begin soon to assist those having difficulties in their studies.

NURSING SCHROLARSHIPS GRANTED

Two fine young women, who are serving Hong Kong institutions with which the American Baptist Mission has had long association have been given scholarships through our Board of International Ministries. Both will study in England to receive a certificate in Nursing Education, thereby enabling them to return to teach other nurses here in Hong Kong.

Mrs. Tsui Mee-Yuk is thirty-one years of age. She is related to the United Christian Hospital here. She graduate from its Nethersole School of Nursing in 1972, and has since done further studies in Mental and Geriatric Nursing as well as Nursing Education. She has recently served as an assistant Nurse Tutor in the Nethersole School of Nursing and is now studying for one year at the Garnett College in the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Leung Man-Ying is thirty years of age. She has recently served as an assistant Tutor at Haven of Hope Hospital at Junk Bay in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Besides her studies in General Nursing, she has done further work in Maternity and Psychiatric Care. The Haven of Hope Hospital is an inpatient service for TB, chest disease and chronic illness. She is studying this year at Wolverhampton Polytechnic in the United Kingdom.

Both hospitals highly recommended these young women for further studies. We are happy to have a part in their efforts to strengthen the nursing program in their respective institutions.

MACEDONIA GOSPEL TEAM

Several young adults of the Kowloon City Swatow Baptist Church have formed themselves into a Gospel Team, giving their time to witness for Christ and conduct evangelistic services. The Rev. Moses Chung and Miss Joyce Shao of the Church Staff serve as advisors to the team.

A main thrust of the team has been to conduct Bible Study and evangelistic services among the Vietnamese refugees here in Hong Kong. Many of the refugees speak Cantonese, thereby making communication easy.

SPECIAL SERVICE WORKERS

Dr. & Mrs. John Skoglund and their two daughters, Jeana and Gabrielle, arrived in Hong Kong August 25th. Dr. and Mrs. Skoglund have been designated Special Service Workers of the Board of International Ministries of American Baptist Churches USA for service in Hong Kong for one academic year.

Dr. Skogluud is retired. He taught for 19 years at Colgate Rochester Seminary where he is Emeritas Professor, and is an Adjunct Professor at American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley, California.

ON FURLOUGH

Loren and Ruth Noren are spending this year in the U.S.A. on furlough. They are serving as missionaries in residence at the American Baptist Seminary of the West in Berkeley, California.

A WARM EXPERIENCE

by John Skoglund

Warm! No other word could describe it. When we arrived late in August the weather was warm. The welcome of our missionary colleagues and the staffs of Chung Chi and the Baptist Seminary was warm. Since that time old friendships have been renewed and new ones found. It is a joy to be here!

Teaching began early in September. At Chung Chi Theological Seminary I am involved in courses in Systematic Theology and Education for Ministry and at the Baptist Seminary a course on Worship. The students are very responsive.

Daisy and Jeana, our sixteen year old daughter, are teaching English to Vietnamese refugee children at a large camp a short distance from our apartment house. The American government requires that all refugees to be resettled in the States must have an elementary knowledge of English. The program is under UNICEF and directed by the YMCA. Through songs, Bible stories and the love of those who teach, these children are for the first time coming to know something of the meaning of Jesus for their lives.

SCHOLARSHIP STUDENT

Again this year the STEP (Student Tuition Expense Program) has been able to help many students. One of the-se students is Ngai Mei Yin a young girl in the 5th Form (the final year of schooling for those not going on to college.)

Ngai Mei Yin comes from a family of three girls and two boys. Her widowed mother and grandmother share the small public housing estate apartment.

Her brothers are both actively involved in Christian work. The older brother, Johnson, is an administrator of the Wu Oi Drug Program and is married with three children. David is currently studying at Northern Baptist Seminary in Chicago, and will return to Hong Kong to work with Swatow Baptists upon the completion of his study program.

Of the five at home, only one of the sisters is now able to work. Ngai Mei Yin is appreciative of the help she receives through your support of the STEP program.

This year she is one of the fourteen students who are given help for their educational expenses. The upper grades of schooling are still not supplied free by the government, so the costs must be met by the family.

MISSION RETREAT HELD

The Swatow Baptist churches of Hong Kong Division of Mission Outreach recently held a retreat at the YMCA Camp located in the New Territories. Two hundred thirty members of the Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, and Shaukiwau Swatow Baptist Churches attended the one-day retreat.

Good fellowship was enjoyed singing together, listening to speakers, and discussing topics concerning the responsibilities of the Christians for ministry and mission.

COUNCIL ON EVANGELISM

Two delegates from Hong Kong, Lee Tak-fai of the Homantin Swatow Baptist Church, and Lor Shok-foug of the Castle Peak Road Swatow Baptist Church, attended the recent meeting of the Southeast Asia Swatow Baptist Council on Evangelism held in Singapore.

This organization is comprised of Swatow Baptist Christians from countries throughout Southeast Asia and is concerned with extending the message of Christ among the Swatow people living in the area. It seeks to coordinate the efforts of the groups in the various countries for work of evangelism.

PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS IN HONG KONG

The Chinese Churches Handbook, published recently by the Hong Kong based Chinese Coordination Centre of World evangelism gives the membership of the various Protestant groups in Hong Kong. The listings are as follows:

FAMILY LIFE SEMINAR

The Baptist Council on World Mission will sponsor a Family Life Seminar to be held in the Philippines during the mouth of December, 1981. The Baptist Council on World Mission is comprised of representatives of the Christians in the various countries with which the Board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches USA has some association. The seminar is being set up in response to a felt-need on the part of Christians to give stronger support to family life.

At the seminar, the delegates will not only discuss the concepts and theories of family life education, but will have opportunity for "lab experience" in participating in conferences for youth concerning preparation for marriage and family life, As well as marriage encounter groups and family camps. The delegates then, in turn, will be able to be of help to the Christians in their home countries.

Delegates from Hong Kong Swatow Baptist Churches are: Miss Joyce Shao, Mr. Walter Cheng, Mr. Albert Cheung, and Mr. Samuel Cheng. They are eagerly anticipating their involvement in this seminar and what it can mean in the way of sharing with their churches here in Hong Kong.

MOON LOK KINDERGARTEN ENROLLS NEARLY 400

Again this year nearly 400 students have enrolled in the morning and afternoon sessions of the Moon Lok Kindergarten which the Mission operates in Tsuen Wan, New Territories. Miss Yung Sut-ming serves as the supervisor, with a staff of eight teachers and helpers working under her.

The school is located in the middle of a housing estate and is a great service to the people living there, as in most of the households, both parents work outside the home.

As a part of the training of the children, Bible stories are taught to them, so that they can become familiar with the Bible and the truths it teachers for our lives.

ASIAN BAPTIST YOUTH CONFERENCE

Many youth from the Swatow Baptist Churches of Hong Kong will be attending the 7th Asian Baptist Youth Conference, to be held in Macau December 30th, 1981, to January 4th, 1982. The Portuguese colony of Macau is located about 40 miles south west of Hong Kong and is easily accessible by ferry.

The theme of the conference is "Thanksgiving and giving thanks." It seeks to remind young Christians in Asia to share God's Grace with those who have never received it. The youth of the churches here are anxious to meet and share with the young people of other countries.

WOMEN'S RETREAT

A highlight of the program of the Swatow Baptist Women each year is when they hold their annual retreat. It is a time when they come together to study the Word of God and pray together for His leading in their lives.

All people need a time when they can withdraw from the daily routine and examine their lives and their relationship with God, and this is particularly true in Hong Kong where the pace of life is so hectic.

The special offering of the Women this year has been designated to go to the Hong Kong Baptist Seminary, which is presently engaged in a building and expansion program.

PRIVACY

Order in chaos! Have you ever seen a small child asleep in a supermarket shopping cart? Maybe you've seen one sleep through the fury of a football game. Children seem to have the ability to shut out the world around them. They can be picked up while sleeping, knocked about, and finally tucked into their beds unaware of what has gone on.

To survive in Hong Kong, these skills must be carried into adulthood. In the confusion of Hong Kong, it is customary to attempt to talk to a person over the din of a Chinese opera blasting from a radio in the same room. It is only when the person's attention is drawn to the radio that he or she becomes aware that it even exists.

The Chinese gentleman, when confronted by an offensive odor, simply takes out a scented handkerchief and breathes through it for a moment, thereby changing his environment to one more suitable.

The sounds of a teeming city prove to be reassuring and comforting. They are a constant sign that human life is present.

The people who live in the resettlement estates, live in one room apartments with no water, no toilet and no privacy. Survival for them means retreat into the private world within, where noises, odors, and the confusion of life cannot intrude. It is to people living in this environment that we seek to share "the peace that passes understanding.

VISIT TO CHURCHES IN CHINA

At the invitation of the Three -Self Movement and the China Christian Council, a delegation consisting of leaders of the Christian Churches and organizations in Hong Kong visited the Christians in Shanghai, Nanking, Peking and Canton in September. This was a continuation of the mutual -sharing of concerns and fellowship which began last year when the delegation from the Churches in China came to Hong Kong for meetings.

HONG KONG BAPTIST COLLEGE CELEBRATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY

This year the Hong Kong Baptist College is celebrating its 25th Anniversary. During this time, their student body has grown from 152,stadents when they began by using the facilities of the Pui Ching Middle School to their present day student body of more than 3,000 students, using the fine campus on which they are presently located.

The Hong Kong Baptist College feels a great responsibility toward educating the younger generation. Although imparting knowledge is important, they also seek to develop a sense of responsibility to society within their students.

Only one out of three students qualifying for university entrance in Hong Kong can hope to obtain a seat in a university here. The Hong Kong government is making a thorough review of the needs for secondary and technical education in the next few decades. In response to government efforts in this area Hong Kong Baptist College has launched an extensive development plan designed to bring their teaching facilities to the level of international requirements for modem higher education. The college needs a minimum of HK$50,000,000. to build and furnish adequate teaching facilities. They have already received pledges of more than $35 million toward this development program.

The American Baptist Mission has had a part in the support of the work of Hong Kong Baptist College. Presently, Dr. William Hackett, au American Baptist missionary, is serving on the teaching staff of the college.

As a part of the observance of their 25th anniversary, and in response to their energetic program of building new facilities for the future, the American Baptist Mission will be making a grant of US$50,000. (HK$300,000.) to the college. Dr. Chester Jump, of the Board of International Ministries of the American Baptist Churches USA, will make the presentation of this money to the college this Fall when he is in Hong Kong.

WU OI DRUG TREATMENT CENTER EXPANDS

If success were measured by activity, this could be a very successful year for Wu Oi. The Lord led us to a beautiful remote deserted village, called Long Ke, where we could expand our program.

After driving 22 miles from our town center, we walk 20 minutes to the village, which is surrounded on 3 sides by hills and faces one of Hong Kong's most beautiful beaches some 400 yards away.

The village had been entirely reclaimed by the ever encroaching jungle. Time, typhoons and vandals had completed the destruction. The Roman Catholic Church was one of only two buildings still intact, though rubbish and grafitti defied any imagination that it could ever have been a place of worship. It stood without doors or windows or any semblance of sanctity. Sections of the roof had blown off, and termites had feasted on the rafters. But filled with hope, we signed an agreement with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong for the use of their Long Ke Church building for our drug treatment program for 5 years, rent free.

By Easter 1981 we had spent US$8,000 in repairs, had twenty men under treatment, in place of the jungle a whole variety of vegetables growing, and had a beautiful opening and dedication ceremony.

Because Government Narcotics officers appreciate what we are doing to help drug abusers, they have supported us in our request for larger premises for our town center. In May of this year the Government Housing Authority granted us over 3,000 square feet of space (four times our present facilities) in one of the new high rise housing complexes. We must pay rent, of course, but at nearly the same cost we are paying for our present smaller center.

Although these activities cannot be equated with success, we are grateful to God for the increasing number of men registering for treatment in our program even when the price of heroin has dropped to US$4 per packet. We also thank God for the many men who finish their seven months with us and return to society as praying, Bible reading Christians unashamed to witness for Christ.

by Harold Schock

NEW SPARKLES AT DIAMOND HILL

In the last PEAK you may have read about the new Christian Center at Diamond Hill, related to the Ho Man Tin Swatow Baptist Church. After quite a happy 1980 summer, we continued through the year with a reduced program of English classes, a flute group and study hall. But when the Kansas women sent a generous `get-started' gift, we were able to renovate our facilities and get a strong program going this year.

Lincoln Lee, one of the church young people, agreed to be director of our summer program instead of getting a factory job. He recruited volunteers from among his friends, prepared advertising brochures, repaired and repainted the center, and made contact with civic leaders in the community. After distributing 11,000 brochures, applications began to pour in for 9 weekly interest activities (typing, English, guitar, etc.), 10 study courses and many hours of games. Several competitions, 6 outings and a talent show attracted many. Over 500 children and young people from 2 to 25 years of age (10-15 average) registered-at least one third from the unevangelized area around the church.

Lincoln has agreed to continue as director of the Center for another year after which he plans to enter seminary. In fact, the sparkle of the summer program strongly reenforced God's call on his life to serve Him. This fall 9 interest groups continue to function and other activities will soon commence. Through this venture, the church has opportunity to reach the, surrounding community for Christ.

HONG KONG PERSONAL NOTES....

William Hackett of Salzburg, Austria, and Martha Hackett of Boston, Massachusetts, USA, were visitors in Hong Kong during the months of June and July. They came to assist their mother, Marion Hackett, while Bill was gone on a short furlough to the United States.

... Michael and Judy Kuiper and their two children, Matthew and Kim, spent two weeks visiting her parents, Harold and Estelle Schock in August. The Kuipers were enroute to the Philippines where they will be serving as ABC missionaries June Sutton left in October for her furlough in Australia, planning to do much travelling and speaking in churches there

... Horton and Lorena Presley, American Baptists, who taught at Baptist College, have now returned to the States where he is teaching at a Junior College in Georgia ... Mary Cadwallader, whose parents were former American Baptist Missionaries in Thailand, is studying at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in her junior Year -Abroad program Estelle Schock enjoyed a family reunion celebrating her mother's 89th birthday in Shanghai in July... ... Sabrina Li who has served as leader of groups at Diamond Hill Christian Center, has gone to further her studies at Ottawa University in Kansas...

... John Espy found the mouth he spent in China very interesting and rewarding.

Missionaries....
Dr. and Mrs. John Espy (Ruth)
Dr. and Mrs. William D. Hackett (Marion)
Dr. and Mrs. Loren E. Noren (Ruth)
Rev. and Mrs. Harold Schock (Estelle)
Dr. and Mrs. John E. Skoglund (Daisy)
Miss June M. Sutton
Rev. and Mrs. Keith Tennis (Linda)