October News

THIS MONTH: 1 Urgent financial need,: 2. The remainder of 2008 3. Next year … 4. and what of Crossroads? 5 Reaching out to Kazakhstan 6. The final move from Kai Tak. 7. A cool Scoop 8. We still nee your support

Looking back over the last 5½ years we want to say thank you for the amazing support we have received from all of you. Whether that is chatting, encouragement or financial. It has been knowing that you are standing with us that has been vital in keeping our eyes fixed on the task.

Last month when we told you our plans for next year two things happened one that surprised us, but I guess should have been expected.

The first was the overwhelming support and encouragement for our plans to spend a year in College. The second was an almost immediate drop off in financial support.

The fact is that we still need support at Crossroads right up until when we leave in December. What we would really love to do is to leave with a completely clean slate as far as support goes. So firstly we would like to encourage you to keep supporting us (we are certainly busier than we have ever been) and perhaps even consider giving a one time larger gift to Crossroads specifically for our support to enable us to fully cover till December. Details of how to do that are in the side bar.

We have also been asked whether we will need support on our new venture. That one is a little more difficult. The answer is it would be very helpful. But we are also expecting to dip into our resources somewhat, and while that means acquiring debt we know whom we can trust for our needs. We will give more details on how to support us next year when it is appropriate.

2. WHAT ARE WE UP TO FOR THE REMAINDER OF 2008.
Sue has her hands full making sure she has as many shipments as possible planned and underway as she can. She is also trying to keep the processing departments, working at full steam while also ensuring that a number of training documents are in place.

Phil heads off to the UK for a month on another recruitment drive on October 15th and has a very busy speaking schedule in place. We really need people at Crossroads in a big way. Please chat that the MD will continue to work in the hearts and lives of the people who hear the message.

We are also running around trying to pack and preparing to ship all our stuff back to Australia. Sue’s expertise in preparing shipments is a big plus. While the load isn’t large (400kg) by most standards when people move, finding an inexpensive way to do it is not easy. There is a chance that we may get some assistance from a senior person in an airline for special rates, but how much assistance and the details what that entails we will not know for a week or so.

When we came the MD provided an unexpected way to help with the move. The SARS crises, meant no-one was travelling to Hong Kong and we got everything on the plane. But our load for the homeward journey has more than doubled after nearly six years in Hong Kong. Please chat for us during this hectic time.

3. AND NEXT YEAR……

We are full of anticipation, excitement and scared silly all at once. At our age a year of study is a bit of a daunting prospect. But at the same time, it will be a wonderful opportunity to immerse ourselves, take in and reflect.

We await news from the College. Our applications and references are there so it’s in their hands. We had a lovely opportunity on the weekend, to sit and chat with a young couple currently studying there and home on holidays. It was a very confirming time.

4. AND WHAT OF CROSSROADS?

We will always be life long advocates of this amazing place. If we get the opportunity we will gladly speak and encourage others to take up the challenge. But the MD has made it clear to us this season is over and it is time to move on to the next one.

Crossroads is poised this week to become an even more powerful means of reaching out to those in need through some amazing opportunities at the United Nations. In so many ways this is the MD’s work, please continue to chat for and support this organisation in any way you can.

5. REACHING OUT TO KAZAKHSTAN

Seeing an aging man on the street, crippled by the grip of alcoholism, can be heartbreaking enough, but imagine seeing the same characteristics in a twelve year old boy. Faced with the hopelessness inspired by severe poverty, the number of children under 14 turning to alcoholism in Kazakhstan has increased ten-fold in ten years. As the country struggles to recover and rebuild after a challenging transition into independence, many children have been forced on to the streets, turning to alcohol and crime to cope with the bitterness of life. Other neighbouring countries suffer similar hardships, with the number of street children swelling each year.
In light of this growing crisis, our Crossroads Central Asia (CCA) office, located in Kazakhstan, formed in 2004 to serve as a distribution point for goods in Central Asia. CCA receives regular containers from Hong Kong, and other parts of the world, each loaded with aid for specific organisations in need.
One recipient of these goods, in Tajikistan, works with children in crisis, specifically street children from alcoholic or abusive families. This NGO also runs an education programme targeted at teaching literacy to children and job training for teenagers. Beds, stationery, and computers will be among the items used to support this NGO in its efforts to provide social and psychological support to the children on the streets of Khojand, Tajikistan.
An NGO in Kyrgyzstan will also receive goods from this container. This organisation runs a crisis centre for street children in Bishkek, providing counselling, support, and training to families at risk with the goal of bringing the kids off the streets and keeping them off the streets in the future. Furniture, toys, clothing, computers and household items will be used by this NGO as they continue their services in their struggling country.
Another recipient of goods is an NGO in Kazakhstan committed to providing rehabilitation to people suffering from drug and alcohol abuse. Crossroads will provide this organisation with household goods, electrical items, and furniture to enable them to expand their programmes and help more people in need.
This container will also include clothing to be distributed to individuals in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. As winter approaches and many struggle to make ends meet with the added expenses of heating, winter clothes are often too great a luxury to afford. People in the local community, including people with disabilities, needy families, and homeless people, will receive beautiful clothing and shoes to help them through the brutal winter months.

6. THE FINAL MOVE FROM KAI TAK

At the end of 2007, Crossroads faced the mammoth task of moving around 30 storage containers from their long-time home in Kai Tak. The government wanted to develop the old Kai Tak airport and needed our storage spot to be vacated. Several of our team members tackled the challenge of hunting out another suitable location and began the long search for a new site. Finding sizable, unused plots of land can be quite difficult in Hong Kong, and as leads were followed to possible storage sites, each fell through due to costs, location, or other factors rendering them unsuitable for our needs.
Finally, in late January 2008 Crossroads found a potential destination in Sunny Bay. Though overgrown with weeds and ignored for years, the land would be available to us for at least two years and its size and accessibility made it a prime choice. We applied for this seafront property on nearby Lantau Island and soon found ourselves jumping hurdles to prove our need for the site to those in charge of dispersing it. By May, the efforts were rewarded and we began the process of securing the land for our purposes.
In mid-July, the land was handed over to Crossroads, and the development for the site soon began. With a deadline near the end of September, our contractors worked feverishly to cut the weeds, rid the land of dozens of leftover concrete elements, level the site, condense the ground to make it usable for trucks, and construct a gate and fencing. The task almost seemed insurmountable, but as the work got underway and little by little the improvements showed through the weeds, we began to see just what an amazing find this place was for our precious containers.
On Monday, 22 September, seven Crossroads team members and four contractors spent a gruelling day in the heat moving the containers from Kai Tak to Sunny Bay. With the use of cranes, trucks, and our own form of traffic management, the task that was estimated to take up to three days was done in just one! This proved to be perfect timing as the following days brought typhoon weather and would have hindered further progress.
We are grateful for the perfect timing throughout this process, and are excited to have received such a prime location at Sunny Bay.

7. A COOL SCOOP
On 23 September, Crossroads teamed up with Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream for a fundraiser of a different flavour. For the whole working day, Ben and Jerry’s treated customers to free scoops of ice cream – the flavour of their choice – for a minimum donation of $10HK that went directly to Crossroads. We spread our volunteers, between each of the six Hong Kong locations. We all sported Ben and Jerry's t-shirts, with some even donning cow suits to attract customers! Donation boxes overflowed as customers gave to Crossroads, and a few locations saw a surge in their queues as school children were drawn to the promise of delicious ice cream for a good cause. We had to run between locations to empty overflowing boxes and snap photos. It was an exhausting day, but satisfying as patrons came to taste their favourite flavours and left with information on Crossroads, and even many with an interest in volunteering with us! At the end of the day, the donation boxes tallied over $29,000HK! We are so grateful for the opportunity to spread awareness about Crossroads as well as receive donations in such a unique and 'cool' way.

September 2008

In this issue: 1. Phil & Sue, what happens next? 2. Phil’s trip to UK 3, surviving in the UK 4. Typhoon 9 and I missed it! 5. Uganda the real story 6. Domestic Workers in Hong Kong . 7. Its raining ……babies and Weddings 8. We still need your support and help.

Dear friends,

We do not know what the future will be ……….. we just know who holds the future.

We again contemplate major change in our lives. For the 2nd time in six years we find ourselves stepping out into the unknown.

Firstly, Crossroads. We have decided that we will finish up our work here at the end of November and head home to Australia around mid December.

We will spend the remainder of December and most of January catching up with everyone, R & R, then probably travel to Auckland to be ready to start work on a diploma at a B College in New Zealand. I say probably as we have to still to complete the application process. This is a one year course and is similar course to the one my brother Tim is currently doing at the same College.

You may recall that earlier this year we travelled back to Australia and New Zealand for a longer period than usual, part of which was to give us some time to reflect and to wait on the MD to try to get some clarity as to what would be the next step for our lives.

However a heavy speaking programme and general business meant that this did not really happen. We returned to Hong Kong, deciding to continue with what we were doing until it became clear it was time to do otherwise.

I headed to the UK for 3 weeks while Sue remained in Hong Kong. During that time we both came to realise (quite separately) that our time at Crossroads was coming to an end.

What was amazing is that we both came to realise it, 12,000 Klm apart, and what the next step should be quite separately and yet when spoken out showed we had complete unity and clarity. It was a ‘Wow” moment.

We have been at Crossroads for nearly 6 amazing and wonderful years. But the MD has made it clear to us that we need to move on to the next phase of our lives.

Both of us have felt for some time that we are being called to work within the context of a Club environment. What the roles are and what that looks like we cannot say at the moment, but it would most likely be in the area of outreach.

We are ruling nothing out about where that will be. We would love it to be Australia but who knows? It may even be back in Hong Kong!

We have chosen Auckland because we like the College (I spoke there earlier this year) , the way the course is set out and how it is relevant for us and it has been good for Tim. Also because we think that in Australia and especially Sydney there would be too many distractions than would be good for us.

We would appreciate your support and chats as we work through these last months. I have one more trip to the UK to do and Sue will need to train others to take over her job. We are aware that we leave some pretty big holes here in an organisation that is already badly stretched. So do chat that some good people can be found to step into our roles.

We are at peace with the decision and believe it is the right thing, but we also will greatly miss our Hong Kong ‘family’ both here and at our club. Again your chats not only for us but also for the team here would be valuable.

I think that covers most of it. Please ask if you have any questions.
We will continue to need both financial and chat support for these remaining months. We will also welcome support next year as we head into our new venture. More details about that later,

2. Attention to our U.K. Supporters!

Phil will be visiting the U.K. from mid-October to mid-November this year and would love to speak at your clubs or other MD groups! This is a great chance to learn more about Crossroads and see if you or your friends might be a good fit for the work here in Hong Kong. We would appreciate your help as we undertake to find more people to work with us. It is one of the most challenging times we have met in our team, but it is also one of the most exciting times, with incredible doors opening before us! We need quite a few more full-time team members (100, actually!) and would love to get the word out as much as possible. Sundays are preferable and I would especially like to target IT, youth, and student groups, though any helping hands will be welcome.

If you are interested, you can just let me know or e-mail.

3 Surviving in the UK

Phil recently returned from just over 3 weeks in the UK at the Soul Survivor conference. This was a recruiting exercise. We had nearly 200 people sign up for more information about coming to Crossroads. Please chat that the MD continues to prompt these people and that the ones He has chosen will come.

The conference itself was at the Bath & West Showgrounds, near the town of Shepton Mallet. About 20 miles West of Bath. It is a picturesque part of England. There were 10,000 people for the first 2 conferences and 4,000 for the 3rd. The conferences were back to back so Phil ended up working about 20 days straight to 11.30pm (then a 25 minute drive to accommodation) so needless to say arrived back in Hong Kong quite exhausted. In fact for the first time ever was actually badly affected by Jetlag!

It also rained a lot and Phil discovered some interesting gum boot (wellington boot) fashions (see Pics).

Phil had a few mornings off and so took some time to visit the Wesley Chapel in Bristol. The beautiful towns of Wells and Glastonbury. And the town of Cheddar and purchased some genuine cheddar cheese. Cheddar also has some caves not unlike Jenolean caves just smaller. All these places were just a short drive from Shepton Mallet

On the way in and out Phil also got to spend a few days with our son Dave, currently living and working in London. And catch up with friends Tim & Laura and their new son Reuben.

4. Typhoon 9 and I missed it.

For those who know Phil, you will know he is a bit of a weather buff and in particular has enjoyed watching typhoons and their patterns. But where was he when the biggest typhoon to hit Hong Kong in 5 years? In the UK that’s where!
On Friday, 22 August as Typhoon Nuri brought hurricane-force winds and heavy rain, shutting down most of the city as flights were delayed, schools and most offices closed, and bus and ferry services were suspended. Residents were warned not to venture outdoors while the observatory recorded hurricane-force winds of up to 120 kilometres (75 miles) per hour and gusts of 150 kilometres per hour, and warned of very rough seas.
At Crossroads, high winds led to the uprooting of two trees on our site. Numerous tree branches littered the roads and sidewalks and many of our banners for various advertisements were ripped from their fastenings as winds whipped through Crossroads. As is customary with storm signals eight and higher, we did not have community volunteers working that day. By mid-afternoon, as the winds increased and safety concerns grew, our full-time team was told to leave work and head home, keeping away from windows in case of any breakages.
By the next day, Nuri weakened into a severe tropical storm after moving away from Hong Kong towards the Chinese mainland, with the signal being lowered to eight as storm-force winds continued. We returned to business as usual, with extra caution given to loosely hanging branches as well as the upturned trees. Currently we are directing our attention to cleaning up and re-creating and securing banners and other signage, but mostly we are grateful for our safekeeping.

5. Did you know ...

... 44 percent of the population in Uganda lives below the poverty line?
... 48 percent do not have access to an improved water supply?
... 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas, with two thirds working as farmers?
... 31 percent of people over the age of 15 are illiterate?
... 20 percent of the country’s children, roughly two million in total, have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS?

These statistics are more than just numbers for those living in Uganda. On the heels of civil strife within the country, many still struggle to recover economically from the many years of war endured. Farmers in rural areas particularly suffer as they often have little access to basic services such as roads to transport produce and technologies that could help them increase their production and reduce pest disease. Inadequate healthcare services merely hold the epidemic spread of HIV/AIDS at bay, with thousands victimized by the disease each day. Children lose their parents and in turn become the heads of their families at young ages, sacrificing education to support their siblings. Without education, their opportunities for stable employment dwindle and they instead turn to the street for their livelihood, increasing their chances of contracting and spreading HIV/AIDS.
Our consignee formed in an effort to promote educated and healthy, AIDS-free children in Uganda. Their major goal is to provide sustainable healthcare, education and social welfare facilities to orphans, street children, widows, refugees and marginalised families in the country. The organisation teaches basic skills such as reading and writing and also counsels people with HIV/AIDS and instructs the community on public health regarding water sanitation and other environmental protections.
Crossroads loaded a container for this consignee in August 2008. Contents included medical supplies and equipment, office furniture and computer desks, 30 computers, clothing, household supplies, stationery and books. Each of these items will be used specifically towards the goal of improving the quality of life for Uganda’s people by providing them with education opportunities as well as healthcare initiatives to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS.

6. REACHING DOMESTIC HELPERS IN HONG KONG

Dayani has spent her 22 years of life in her native country of Sri Lanka, struggling to make ends meet as a housekeeper to support her mother and sisters. When a recruiting agency arrives and describes the comforts of working in Hong Kong and making more than enough money to support herself as well as send money back to her family, Dayani can hardly believe her luck and immediately agrees to take a job as a nanny. With just a few essential possessions, she heads to Hong Kong, confident her fortune is changing and she has found certain relief from her difficult life.

Yet when she arrives in Hong Kong, her passport is promptly confiscated and her new employer tells her this is a customary practice so she complies, unaware of her rights. Next she learns she will only have one day off for the month instead of the many more she had been promised, meanwhile her agency demands she give them the whole of her meagre income, honouring an agreement she signed but never understood as she was blinded by false hope and promises. Dayani slowly begins to realize this dream has become a nightmare, her hopes of a comfortable income and life quickly vanishing. Broken, hopeless, and full of remorse, she resigns herself to this new life.

As exploitation such as Dayani’s surged, an organisation formed to meet the need for legal assistance and emergency shelter for women in these circumstances. 15 years later, the organisation still strives to assist these workers, offering free legal services, training skills such as cooking, computer work, and language learning, and provides two shelters to accommodate women as they await pending legal cases. This organisation manages to settle over 80% of their cases, and with the settlement women are able to return to their home countries or continue working in Hong Kong, armed with the confidence of knowing their rights and what to expect from employers.

In Crossroads’ early days, this organisation approached us requesting goods for their fledgling office and shelters. Since then, they have continually sought assistance from Crossroads, and when their shelters were relocated and refurbished in 2002, Crossroads was able to provide more than 80% of the goods requested and used in these shelters. Items donated include beds, linens, desks, chairs, blankets and shelves. Utensils and cookware were also supplied and consequently used by the women in their skills training classes.

The assistance from Crossroads has consistently been met with outpourings of gratitude. As the manager of the organisation recently told us, “Without Crossroads’ donation, it would have been hard to realise the shelters. Crossroads has contributed to a safe place and peace of mind for these women while they seek reparations.”

7. Its raining weddings and babies

The wedding and baby season has started in earnest here at Crossroads.
It started with the birth of Peter to Christie & Tom in July. Then last Monday we witnessed the joyful wedding of our dear friends Craig and Debbie. It was a wonderful wedding (not to mention the various meals and other activities that went with it).

In the next few weeks babies are due for neighbours, Mike & Helen and also Matt & Adelaide (a brother or sister for Alex).

Then next month Steve and Katey get married, followed by Lin & Ben in November and finally Pablo & Riba in December. It must be something in the water.

8. We still need your help

We do appreciate your continued support. It will continue to be important in these last few months.

For more information see the side bar

We do think of you and chat to our Father about you often.

PHIL & SUE

August News

IN THIS ISSUE: 1. I am a refugee. 2. It aint half half hot mum. 3. We need people 4. Thirsting for a better life 6. Trouble for Katya 6. How You can Support us

1. I AM A REFUGEE

I sat listening to a person who works with refugees. She told me something that sticks with me. She said “none of us are far away from experiencing the life of a refugee. We never know when we will have control of our lives taken away from us. By circumstances, such being in the wrong place at the wrong time, disaster, or war.”

To be a refugee is to be powerless. To have no control over where you will be next. No say. Imagine having your choices taken away. Imagine the desperation. Then reach out with compassion for those for whom such a thing has become a reality, through no fault of their own.

2. IT AINT HALF HOT MUM!

Last month we told you about the endless rain we experienced throughout the month of June. Well July has been the opposite. Beautiful cloudless days, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees (try that with humidity over 95%).

Perspiration takes on a whole new meaning. I think we used up all that water we got last month in extra showers.

None the less it has been a busy month with a number of teams visiting and containers being prepared and loaded for Kazakhstan, Cambodia (x2), China and Israel.

Sue is doing well, but faces some challenges with key processing staff leaving shortly (we are already very short staffed).

Phil has been busy with lots of talks and preparation for up coming trips. Next week he packs his bags for England for 3 weeks at a conference seeking to recruit more people. Please chat for many to have their hearts prompted to come.

3. DO YOU KNOW ANYONE WHO COULD COME?

We would like to ask your help with a special drive we are undertaking to find people to work with us. It is one of the most challenging times we have met in our team. It is also one of the most exciting, with incredible doors opening before us! We need 100 people:

…with WAREHOUSING SKILLS; warehouse managers, packers, forklift drivers, inventory managers, truck drivers.
…with HUMAN RESOURCES SKILLS; training and member care skills: teachers, care-givers, cooks/caterers, counsellors.
…with CONSTRUCTION SKILLS: landscapers, 'handyman' enthusiasts, carpenters, plumbers, electricians, engineers, architects, gardeners.
…with CAFÉ & MARKETPLACE skills: buyers, sellers, servers, baristas.
…with THEATRE skills: actors, producers, dancers.
…with DESIGN skills: people for set construction, theatre production.
…with COMMUNICATION skills: public speakers, grant writers, translators, layout specialists.
…with ADMINISTRATION skills: managers, systems analysts, book-keepers, PAs.
…with IT & COMPUTER SKILLS: web designers, IT developers, hardware / software gurus.

Are you interested or know of someone that might be? Email me and I will let you know the next step!

4. THIRSTING FOR A BETTER LIFE

Imagine walking across dirt roads, through ditches, and across fields, the sun scorching your skin as you seek clean drinking water. Sometimes your efforts are rewarded with the discovery of clean water, but too often you return home empty-handed.

This is a situation all too real for those in rural Kenya. The water crisis here disrupts social and economic activities throughout the country, and since the search for drinkable water often takes a lengthy amount of time, women are unable to pursue jobs or attend school. There is an unfair allocation of clean water, and those under the poverty line often suffer the worst from the continuous shortages brought on by waves of drought and pollution of water supplies.

From a container being loaded in August, our consignee in Kenya will receive goods from Crossroads to construct and furnish dormitories for orphans and other disadvantaged children where they will receive clean water and have a safe home in which to live. Medical equipment received will allow the local physicians to treat the community for dehydration as well as HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases prevalent in the area. Other items, such as computers and office equipment, will provide the means for a small office to function, facilitating programmes allowing families to start their own small businesses in an effort to end their poverty.

5. TROUBLE FOR KATYA

Katya thought she had left her troubles behind when she fled Russia four years ago.

Abandoning a life plagued by unemployment and struggles to feed and clothe her two children, she sought employment in Israel. Yet what she found was not that different from the hard life she knew at home. Instead of landing a steady job in Tel Aviv as she had boldly hoped, she remained unemployed, her language and weak skills training leaving her few options for work. Barely able to make ends meet, she sold most of her possessions just to be able to pay the rent on the tiny apartment she and her children share.

Katya’s situation is all too familiar for the many Russians and Ethiopians that migrate to Israel each year in hopes of finding a better life. Unfortunately, many leave poor situations in their home countries only to find themselves in worse circumstances once they reach Israel. Often with only a few personal items, and barely able to keep a roof over their heads, furniture and other basic items become luxuries they cannot afford.

Crossroads sends regular shipments to our consignee in Israel as it works to improve the quality of life of migrant workers in the country who find themselves struggling to make ends meet. We recently packed a shipment to meet these most basic needs for furniture and other fundamental items. Families will receive furniture as well as clothing, toys, and household items that they can use to make their homes more comfortable and colourful places to be amidst their difficult lives.

6. HOW YOU CAN HELP US

We do appreiciate you continued support. Details of how to do that are in the side bar.


PHIL & SUE

July News

IN THIS ISSUE: 1. The rain in Hong Kong. 2. Blind Pig Farmer’s great success. 3. World Refugee Day 4. New Helen Mottee Album

THE RAIN IN HONG KONG FALLS MAINLY ALL THE TIME

Well I thought Sydney could rain! 5 years in Hong Kong and I have never seen anything like it. I know this is the wet season but this is ridiculous!

It was not the Welcome return to Hong Kong we expected..
As it turned out, June 2008 was the wettest month in Hong Kong since 1889! We had over 1,300 mm falling in the region, breaking the previous record of 1,241 mm set more than 130 years ago. The rainfall in the second half of the month was mainly related to Typhoon . After making landfall, the slow movement of Fengshen over south China brought almost continuous heavy rain to Hong Kong at the end of June. Stores were flooded, mud slides poured onto highways, and policemen had to use ropes to help locals cross the street.

At Crossroads, some of us suffered flooding in our apartments. Water drowned our sidewalks and yards and we endured long periods of thunder during the days and nights. Due to high winds, two trees fell over onto two of our buildings, but fortunately no one was hurt and the trees did not damage the apartments.

But as they saying goes, after rain comes the sunshine ….. And we have had some of the bluest skies I have ever seen in Hong Kong. Everything looked fresh and new..

2. BLIND PIG FARMER MOST SUCCESSFUL IN TOWN!

Samnang has not always enjoyed the respect of his neighbours. For a long time, he was merely the village beggar, blind and sitting on the side of the road peddling loose change from passersby. Relegated to the lowest end of society because of his disability, he had settled into his poverty and believed he would never be able to overcome his circumstances.

A group we are currently shipping to specialises in the needs of blind people and visits remote villages in the mountainous Siem Reap province in order to find people that may be impoverished because of blindness. On one of their visits, they met Samnang and trained him in how to raise pigs. He has learned to use his other senses when preparing food for his pigs, determining their health, and choosing the best piglets to buy at the market. He took to the skill so quickly, and with such proficiency that he is now the leading pig farmer in his village and highly regarded. He has been able to build himself a new house and has a renewed sense of dignity in being able to provide so well for his wife and three children.
In addition to improving the lives of the blind in Cambodia, our consignee also runs an orphanage and school, provides vocational training to the community, and offers public health services. People like Samnang are able to learn skills such as mushroom growing, planting, rice farming and animal raising, and earn income through their newfound trade. Over 200 children receive an education and housing through the orphanage and school, and more than 60 families have benefited from the health services and training our consignee provides.

Crossroads packed a container for this consignee in June 2008. Items requested include clothing, school books and supplies, desks, furniture, and household goods. These things will be used to continue the much needed work our consignee does in Siem Reap, and will also be among our first containers shipped to Cambodia.

3. OUTSTANDING CROSSROADS EVENT HIGHLIGHTS THE PLIGHT OF REFUGEES

World Refugee Day

With refugee numbers surging from the recent disasters in Sichuan and Myanmar, Crossroads and the UNHCR (The United Nations Refugee Agency) joined forces on 20-21st June to mark World Refugee Day with a music concert, speakers, and a Refugee Film Festival.

Over 300 people attended the concert on Friday, 20 June. Guests were ushered into a simulated refugee camp by soldiers ‘checking IDs’ at the gate and registrars within the camp forcing each guest to sign in. Once in the camp, many members of our multi-cultural team dressed in traditional outfits and served ethnic food while tradespeople set in UNHCR tents sold handicrafts made by refugees and disadvantaged people throughout the world.
During the evening, guests were treated to performances by the award-winning Australian children’s choir, the Green Valley Youth Choir, and Helen Mottee with songs from her new album. A short refugee film entitled “Mapendo” was shown and the head of UNHCR for China and Malaysia as well as Sally Begbie, one of Crossroads’ directors, spoke on the refugee situation in the world. The evening ended with a powerful joint performance by Helen and the choir, singing a poignant song about refugee life.

Saturday consisted of a Refugee Film Festival where members of the public, VIPs, and many of our volunteers and our own team watched soberly as we saw stories of war and child soldiers portrayed powerfully on the screen throughout the hot day. Discussions followed each film in which moviegoers asked questions, voiced opinions, and learned more about the refugee struggles and challenges throughout the world and what they can do to help.

Perhaps the most precious voices that were heard, however, were those of some refugees from an African nation, who came on stage to share what the recognition of this day had meant to them. “Hearing the songs and seeing the movies was just like seeing my struggle spoken out,” said one. “It was the cry of my heart being sung.”

We hope to continue doing whatever we can to serve refugees in our own city and around the world.

4 LETTERS FROM THE 5TH ESTATE – a New Album by Helen Mottee

British politician Edmund Burke made the historic observation in the 1700s that there existed Three Estates in Parliament. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy; the Second Estate was three hundred nobles; and the Third estate was comprised of six hundred commoners. Later, he added to this observation when he commented on the watchful press by saying, ‘In the Reporter’s Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all.’

For Helen Mottee, the Fifth Estate is the voice of the Arts and their powerful and unique capacity not just to inform and entertain, but to advocate and even frame political, social and humanitarian issues. Her new album, “Letters from the Fifth Estate,” serves as a collection of musical letters expressing the needs of many globally who cannot speak for themselves. She hopes that “those who listen to the songs will in some way not only be moved by the message, but inspired, even spurred on, to act in some way themselves.”

Helen herself has spent much time with refugees, child soldiers, HIV/AIDS sufferers and those who have experienced the horrors of ethnic and religious cleansing. She knows that “these are no more statistics on a page or stories in a book. I have met and shared time with people who are, or have been, these things, and it is from such experiences and relationships that the new songs have been born.”

Helen officially launched her new album on 20 June, in conjunction with World Refugee Day, a day commemorating the plight of refugees which is an issue very close to Helen’s heart.

June News

IN THIS ISSUE: 1. Our time in Aus. 2. So what now . . . . 3. China earthquake relief containers 4. Fancy mushrooms for tea?
1. Hong Kong to Sydney, Auckland, Rotarua, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Melbourne, Sydney again as well as up & down the coast, Perth and back to Hong Kong.
As you can see by the itinerary (and photos) we have done much travelling (and much talking) over the last couple of months. Our annual leave was combined with many meetings where Phil spoke about our Father’s heart for the poor and about Crossroads’ response to the need. His message had a particular emphasis on challenging people to think about where they fit in the world picture and to encourage them to think about coming to help at Crossroads. Many people were keen to hear more and to consider the possibilities so we look forward to what may come of this. Please chat that the M.D. will continue to work in their lives as they consider whether to come.

Incorporated into this time was also plenty of catching up with family & friends, not to mention lots of good Aussie food, visits to the Sydney Royal Agricultural Show, Auckland & Sydney Zoos, Rotarua thermal park & Fox Glacier, Perth’s beautiful King’s Park and the chance to celebrate our twins’ birthday with them for the first time in 5 years. We are so grateful for the hospitality of so many on our travels.

2. You may remember that in our last newsletter we wrote about how we had been working here for 5 years now and that this trip would also be an opportunity to reassess whether we should continue at Crossroads . . . . Well the answer is, that we will continue here at Crossroads for the time being. We have come to realise that that M.D. has not finished with us yet in Hong Kong. We have certainly enjoyed coming ‘home’. Even the weather has been kind much cooler than usual for this time of year.

3. China earthquake relief containers
The depth of pain sears deep in the lives of the five million survivors of the Sichuan earthquake. They are terrified that aftershocks and floods will bring more damage and more lives lost, causing survivors to seek shelter in open areas. Now homeless, these people must endure exposure to the hostile elements, the threat of disease, and daily battles with the relentless rain.

“In the immediate aftermath of the quake,” said our Crossroads worker in the field, “people settled in the open spaces. The problem has now become that there is little option for shelter in these areas. Groups of 20 people have been huddling in shelters made for seven.”

Tent cities have sprouted up in the area, with families crowding together in their makeshift homes. Despite their hardships, they appreciate the shelter of the tents and tarps as well as the relief of food and medicine they receive from aid workers in the area. Yet talks of the future, and plans to start over, cause more sorrow as a number of towns cannot be rebuilt, the cattle have died, and fields are gone.

“The people are relieved for a moment when you bring them the goods,” said our Crossroads worker distributing aid. “But as I ask them about the future, many of their eyes well in despair. Whole towns have gone. Fields for crops and livelihoods wiped out. We must be committed to helping these people in the long term.”

Within days of the massive earthquake on 12 May, Crossroads sent two 20 foot containers of pre-packed blankets and clothing into the disaster area, a shipment charitably funded by a large financial corporation in Hong Kong seeking to help however they could. Crossroads has also partnered with both the Red Cross and the China Foundation for Poverty Alliance to send and distribute aid in Sichuan.

DHL, the international shipping corporation, even generously donated the use of one of their planes. Crossroads packed 15 tonnes of plastic sheeting, blankets, and medical supplies which was flown this week into the quake zone. Red Cross and Crossroads volunteers met the emergency flight in Chengdu and escorted the relief items on a 12 hour journey along partially collapsed roads. The final destination was a village in Qingchuan county, in an area that had been cordoned off due to the spread of disease.

“As we delivered the aid,” our Crossroads worker commented, “words of thanks kept coming from everyone, from the gas station attendants who were filling the tanks, to the ladies serving the food, the officials, and finally the people most deeply affected. On every side they were saying, 'Thank you for what you are doing to help our people and China.'”

Crossroads will continue to help with the relief efforts. We have stock of more tarps, tents and other items to load a 40’ container next week and the offers keep flooding in. Another 40’ container of similar goods is likely to be loaded soon after and there is the possibility of Crossroads being able to facilitate the shipping of up to 8 containers of food from the UK.

4. Fancy mushrooms for tea?
As you can see from the pictures, our work is fruitful in many ways. Given the many warm rainy days we have had recently, the garden area adjacent to our administration block has produced an extensive mushroom harvest. I don’t think mushrooms were in the garden plan but it makes a nice display.

MARCH NEWSLETTER

In this Issue: Just over a week till we fly, Dave in HK, Handicrafts In Yunnan, Aids for Aids, A Zambian Elephant, Laying down tracks for Poverty, How you can help us.

Just over a week till we fly…..

Yep that’s right we will be back in Australia and we are filled with anticipation as we look forward to seeing loved ones and friends again.

This year we are combining our Annual holiday with some speaking commitments which has lengthened the trip home somewhat. This time also marks five years here at Crossroads, so we are taking the opportunity to take some time out for reflection as we seek the MD on the future. The picture seems to be becoming clearer and it is looking like Hong Kong will continue to be our home for a while yet, but we want to be sure of the MD’s direction.

So here is the plan for the next 2 months … We fly home on the 17th to enjoy Easter with family. Then on the 27th we head to Auckland where we have a number of speaking engagements for Crossroads as well having a chance to catch
up with brother Tim, sister-in-law Lia and nephew Liam.

We continue on to Palmerst
on North, Christchurch and Melbourne for more speaking before arriving back in Sydney on April 22. It’s a month in around our home base then we head back to HK via a few days in Perth for more speaking.

We have a number of dates free if you are interested in having a speaker at your Sunday club, home group or want to organise a special Crossroads function. We will be having an Open Day in May (details to follow). We would love to catch up with as many of you as possible.

Things are quite hectic here as you can imagine with Sue trying to get as many shipments ready as she can before she leaves. Some exciting shipments coming up to Cambodia, Uganda, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as Kazakhstan and Israel.

Phil is tying up all the loose ends for his trip as well as organising speaking trips for later in the year.

We had a wonderful time earlier this month when our son Dave came through Hong Kong for three weeks, including the Chinese New Year Holiday on his way to the UK where he will be teaching PE for the next 2 years. We managed to squeeze in all the New Year highlights including the parade and fireworks, as well seeing most of Hong Kong’s tourist attractions. Dave has become a bit of a museum hound and spent a bit time visiting some Hong Kong’s finest.

Wang Pin Fen

Wang Pin Fen is in her mid-forties. She is married and has three children. She and her husband work very hard to pay for their children’s education. Besides working in the fields they have a little shop where villagers can buy soap and other small items for daily use. The shop was started as a result of the Threads of Yunnan handicraft project. This project is designed to raise the standard of living of countryside women in Yunnan Province, China, while raising their self-esteem and helping to preserve their traditional handicrafts. One of the training sessions is about how people in the village could earn money doing different things, and how they could use the money they earned from selling their embroideries to fund money–making projects.

Wang Pin Fen has become the leader in the handicraft project in her village and also organizes the pick up of handicrafts from the other villages. Besides her own work she puts a lot of time into helping the project and the women in her village.

One of Wang Pin Fen’s biggest desires was to get a sofa so she could have something nice to sit on when she got back from the fields in the evenings. She has saved money from her handicraft sales and now has her sofa.

Threads of Yunnan also run an adult literacy training program. When Wang Pin Fen joined this program she did not know how to read, write or do arithmetic. When she wrote her name the first time she had tears in her eyes. Now she is able to read all the names of the women in the project.

When asked to describe a typical day Wang Pin Fen said, “I am very busy everyday. I cook and work in the field every day. Every morning I work on my handicraft things. After dinner I go to night school. I like to write and to sing very much.”

In our Global Handicrafts marketplace, we have several unique embroidered handicrafts from Threads of Yunnan. The purchases of these items will keep women like Wang Pin Fen in the business of life, and what a busy life that is! To have a closer look at these handicrafts and find out more about their project, you can visit their website www.threadsofyunnan.com.

AID FOR AIDS


An AIDS orphan speaks:
"I grew up with AIDS. Both my parents died of AIDS. It's my turn to die of AIDS. Until then at least I want to eat every day, to play if I can. My legs ache and my stomach feels upside down. So I cannot play. But even if I want to play they think I am too weak, or too sick, and no one plays with me. Sometimes I think I should die because there is no one to care for me. Then I get scared... so scared". (Orphan in Lusaka, Zambia)

Zambia is a land full of natural riches and potential, and a country at peace. However, HIV/AIDS, malaria and poverty have had a devastating effect on communities. 30% of the population has HIV, among the highest percentages in the world. This has led to a growing number of impoverished households with families' main breadwinners often unable to work due to illness or the need to care for other relatives. Sadly, many children become orphans and rely on other families to take them into their homes. Otherwise, they grow up living on the streets.

It seems we speak of HIV/AIDS frequently in these newsletters. That is because we frequently hear from groups undertaking AIDS-related work. That, in turn, is because of the sheer magnitude of the crisis that Africa currently faces. Its utter enormity of scale leaves one asking what can possibly be done in response? How can we serve these people in any meaningful way? How can we share the message of love with them? Thankfully, there are ways. Although we are beyond their reach, geographically speaking, we can support others who are able to embrace those we long to help.

A like-hearted organisation based in Lusaka, Zambia, is working in a holistic way, with very limited resources, to support orphans and widows in nearby townships. They run a small community school for children who would otherwise have no access to mainstream education, and they are in the process of constructing a new school building that will allow for further expansion to meet the growing need. They aim to ensure each child's physical security, mental development and overall health by providing a safe place to learn and play, as well as a nutritious lunch for each student. We loaded a container for this group last year, filling it with much needed desks, clothing and toys. They were so pleased with the sheer size of the content that they wrote back to us about the ‘elephant’ we had sent them. Read on!

The Zambian Elephant
Have you ever unpacked an elephant?

Our Zambian consignees have done just that! At least, that’s the way they have been referring to the 40’ container of goods that was recently sent from Hong Kong. In many ways, for our grassroots consignee organisations, a shipment must indeed seem like a giant, lumbering beast, particularly if it is the first time they have received an international container. Communicating using shaky technology, dealing with difficult customs officials, arranging local transport through sometimes harrowing landscapes, raising sponsorship, are all struggles that our consignees face regularly.

Not all shipments are so difficult, of course, but for those that are, there is one shining reason why our consignees persevere: a deep and genuine compassion for those they are serving. As a Zambian aid worker (formerly a university lecturer) said to us, ‘How can I continue to teach academic subjects when my people are dying?’

Joyfully, this particular Zambian container arrived at its destination in January this year. However, the elephant-wrangling is not over, as our consignees are still waiting on some official papers that will release the container before they must start paying expensive storage fees for the held goods. Undeterred, though, the staff went to look at the stuff even though they weren’t able to yet claim it. They wrote to us in great excitement after viewing the contents of their container:

“My WORDS!!!” began the ecstatic email, “we all could not believe our eyes as we watched the unpacking of the Elephant yesterday. It took the whole day from 11 am. We were getting home around 5 pm rejoicing!!

“Two things strike us hard: One - how you managed to pack 700 plus parcels in the belly of one elephant. Two - the quality of the goods. Oh my WORDS…how can you send all the good things to Africa and what are you going to remain with? Oh my WORDS! We all stood amazed mesmerized by what we were seeing.”

What joyful words they are! And what a contrast to the words of the precious orphan we quoted at the earlier. We are chatting to the MD for a quick release of the container so that many, like this little one, can be ministered to.


LAYING DOWN TRACKS INTO POVERTY
As many of you know, we are most privileged to have on our team the very talented Helen Mottee. Helen is an award winning singer/song-writer who loves nothing more than to sing, play and show images of people in need in our dysfunctional world. Helen has been busy this past year giving voice and melody to the otherwise silent cries of those in need around the world.

During this time, Helen has felt the ‘Musical Director’ inspiring her with songs enough to fill an album. In recent weeks, then, we have started to make plans for laying down tracks into poverty in both the physical and musical sense!

But we will let Helen, herself, tell you more about her inspiration…

Victor Hugo said, ‘Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.’ This aptly summarises why we are preparing for the recording of a new album. In the year my family and I have been full-time volunteers here in Hong Kong, we have had the privilege not only of meeting many extraordinary people from around the world, but also slowly of gaining a deeper understanding of what the ‘real’ world is for the majority of the globe’s population. Refugees, child soldiers, AIDS sufferers, those who have experienced the horrors of ethnic and religious cleansing - these are no longer statistics on a page or stories in a book. I have been privileged to meet, talk and share a meal with people who are, or have been, these things. It is from such experiences and relationships that the new songs have been born. The vision for this album is to be a collection of musical 'letters' or 'photographs', and that those who listen to the songs will not only be moved by the message, but inspired, even spurred on, to act in some way themselves. We hope to record most, if not all, of the album in Hong Kong, as many of the songs were inspired and written here. Our dream is to involve musicians and singers who, like the community of Crossroads, come from diverse cultures and backgrounds. We have already made the initial steps in inviting asylum seekers here in Hong Kong, especially from Africa, to be involved in the recording of several of the songs. A very special team of musicians is on standby in Sydney, ready to come to Hong Kong and record if the way is made possible. We are also amazed at the enthusiasm and willingness of a wonderful man here in Hong Kong who will be involved with the arranging of the music for the album. A studio, too, has been made available at reduced price. We are so very excited to see this album coming together and wanted to share it with you! We also welcome your partnership with us. Do you have ideas or funding suggestions? Let us know!
HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT US
We are constantly encouraged by our many friends at home, here in Hong Kong and from other countries , who faithfully support us and also remember us to the MD and keep in touch through email and mail. Despite this have been steadily falling behind in our support in the last year. Our support covers such things as food, accommodation, electricity etc. One of our friends expressed surprise to hear we need support, so we do need to keep communicating this fact. If you would like to help there are three ways you can provide financial support for us.

Details in the sidebar