CHAPTER

Hong Kong - April 2014

LOST IN KOWLOON
Letting the Holy Spirit lead

I dont know what made go to Hong Kong , besides the leading of

the Holy Spirit and a deep hunger to travel and see the world. The
trip to Hong Kong was as spontaneous as the beating of my heart,
but there is something refreshing about letting Gods heart lead
you wherever He wants to. There is something powerful about
letting go and letting His Holy Spirit lead you freely.
Its safe to say Hong Kong changed my life in more ways than one.
When I arrived in Hong Kong from Singapore , I climbed on board
the MTR with 5 bags in hand. I had packed up most of my life in
Australia and everything I owned was safely packed into those 5
bags. I thought about naming myself the girl with the travelling
bags many timesThose bags were a reminder of a life well lived
in Sydney , but it was also the reminder that adventure was in my
blood. As I placed my bags in the top compartment of the train
and took my seat , the small tv blaring something about Samsung
in Manderin I looked out of the window to see a chemically lined
sky line and I instantaneously knew inside of my heart that this
would be an adventure of a lifetime.

I found Hong Kong to be nothing more than an echo that spoke of

a deeply rooted cultural and historic people desperately seeking
identity because of its perilous history and background. In Hong
Kong the faces of everyone person you meet will forever linger in
your heart and mind. There is never a day that goes by that I dont
dream of lantua island, the beach at repulse bay , the duk ling boat
and the hike up to dragons back and the majestic skyline in
Kowloon. Every time I close my eyes I am back in Asia feeling the
Fathers heart beat for the children He longs to draw near.
Even though much of Hong Kong is marred with a deep sense of
materialism there is so much of God to experience in Hong Kong.
The streets tell many colorful stories about wars, the ruins of first
love , an abundance of the incredible aroma of food , refugees ,
adventures , mysteries , religious tales of deep awakenings with
God and everything else that plays along under the Asian sun.
Just before I left Australia someone told me once very candidly
that Hong Kong was the Asian equivalent to Las Vegas. In some
ways I can see why they would believe that , but in my humble
opinion I disagree respectively and this is why
My first week was marked with experiences I never thought I
would ever encounter in my lifetime. Experiences of radical
transformation of my heart and the hearts of those I encountered.

After my epic train trip towards Prince Edward station I met up

with Andrew and Kyla. Kyla is the sister of one of my best
friendsWho suggested that I stay with them for a day. We were
really just hoping that God would work out something
miraciouless in Andrew and Kylas life. Kyla greeted me with a
warm smile and Andrew dropped my bags into the boot of his
bmw. He was anxious to get home as he hated the mad rush of the
city. They are one of those interesting couples who are both head
strong but madly in love. We eventually arrived at their penthouse
in Repulse bay and the down stairs butler took care of my bags.
Hong Kong is a great city to do business in and particularly Gods
business. I arrived in Hong Kong a day before palm Sunday and in
passing both Kyla and Andrew suggested that I go with them to
mass on Sunday.
Mass is praticalurly big in Hong Kong with 843,000 Christians
mostly catholic the religious flock to palm Sunday events My
friends husband is a big shot exec at Jocky he runs most of their
international add campaigns and they life a life many dream
about. Andrew has a big longing to know God and so does Kyla. I
love people on spiritual journeys , people who are willing to
search for GodThere can never be anything more beautiful than
searching for GodI use to search for Him in other religions and
He found me so , I have hope for everyone who searches for Him
that they will find Him and see that He is greater than any other
religion. With that said it also deeply saddens me when people go

on spiritual journeys and dont find the fragrance Jesus Christ and
get stuck in new age mysticism like my friends Kyla and Andrew.
Kyla and Andrew are catholic , but they believe in all religions.
One god rules the universe. Kyla believes in revival , but in more
than one savior. It saddens me , but it also ignites my heart to pray
for them more and to see the beauty in the journey ahead that God
has for them.
My first day in Lantau was interesting to say the least Andrew
insisted we go to mass and felt dishonored when I raised a few
concerns. Out of honor and love for him and Kyla I decided that
the verse greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world
was applicable in all circumstances in my life. Take that satan
I had my reservations about going to a catholic church , but I also
had high hopes to meet other believers , who love Jesus. My father
grew up catholic and many of the stories I heard about the catholic
church stuck with me and I never bothered to go to mass or talk to
catholics. I was never one to love authority in the first place , so I
figured a catholic church would probably never be any fun ,
besides doing the cross thing over my heart purely because I loved
the sound of music and when I was 12 anything in that movie was
to be mimicked.
I did find myself going into the catholic church to seek solace once
in Sydney and accidently stumbled on a mobsters baptizing his

son. I was fascinated more by the mobster and his family ( and
hopefully getting them to accept Jesus) more so than the actual
service.
I think after that first experience I realized I could go into a hindu
temple and find God because God resided in my heart.That and
I am really not scared of demons.
God is not a place but God holds a place in the heart. Thats why I
dont always agree with the concept of the four walls of the church
, but I can understand why people like Andrew desperately need
the four walls of the church to make him feel secure. We were all
made for community.
Andrew was pretty religious about mass , I knew that it was
mainly because he wanted more of God and longed for a deeper
sense of community. He couldnt really understand why Kyla and
I werent taking the entire concept of mass seriously. Kyla was
already listening to revivalists and her heart was opening up to
experience more of God and mass had become a bit of a drag for
her. She eagerly told me how hungry she was for more of His
presence and she was praying for Andrew to receive the same
kind of freedom in his life to beat the demons that he faced daily.
That day we got into Andrews BMW and drove to repulse bay.
The streets were lined with people who like Kyla were hungry for
more of God. Hundreds gathered outside of the small catholic

church waiting to be blessed by the local priest. Hoping that the

holy water that he carried would be some sort of quick fix to their
problems. We finally rotated from the outside to the inside , where
the priest blessed everyone as he walked past us with a palm tree
and holy water. We then had to recite 40 minutes worth of catholic
declarations. I wondered what God was trying to teach me out of
this I looked behind me at a lady with a beautiful smile and she
tenderly gave me her handI felt the love of God ignite over me
and I turned around and started prophesying over her. She smiled
warmly and hugged meKyla started laughing and soon a ripple
of laughter started to spread all over our area of the
churchAndrew was highly upset because we disturbed the quiet
setting of mass
But thats the thing about the Holy Spirit it simply cannot be
quenched. The Holy Spirit breaks out whenever He please and
waits for no earthly being. Its safe to say we got radically whacked
inside a staunch catholic church somewhere in Hong Kong. I think
the priest was secretly hoping we would leave so that he didnt
have to bless us a second time around.
I love the freedom of Gods love , but I dont believe the catholic
church carries the true authentic love of God. The true authentic
love of God is so free of dead set rules.
I dont believe that the catholic church is on a path of truth and
righteousness , thats my own personal opinion , I do however

believe that revival cannot be boxed simply by saying that one

denomination is more accurate than any other. I also dont think
anyone , including myself has the right to judge another persons
journey with God. That woman God encountered was a member
of the catholic church , but most importantly a member of Gods
church.

I do however think that the confines of religion is the

greatest enemy next to apathy to revival. When idols and religious

repetition take over , the spirit of God is quenched , because satan
tries his best to distract Gods children. The fire of Revival is put
out when religion steps in , however God is more powerful than
religion or human ideologies and the greatest solution to religion
is the invitation of entering into Gods courts.
I guess for me all of faith is a journey, but my heart is way too free
to be in a church where rules abide over Gods heart. With that said
as much as I felt contained and boxed that day I also felt renewed
in my spirit seeing people generously love God. People all over are
so hungry to experience God. That is why I believe the catholic
church like every other church represented within the body could
very well see a revival take place within its structures. I pray for
that daily.
Some questions to meditate on :
What authority has been given to you to break religious mindsets?

In what way do you see yourself partnering with the Holy Spirit to
bring freedom to people of other religions?
What is your stance on the catholic church?
Do you think God can move in different denominations?
What does the words religious comprise mean to you?
In which areas can you grow to accept others and to love them the
way Jesus did?
What spiritual authority do you carry over darkness and demonic
entities? ( list 4 scriptural references)
Prayer
Thank you God for Your radical ,abundant life changing love.
Thank you that even though we may not all believe the same as a
body of Christ , but that You love us regardless of our
denominations. Thank you that You reveal more of Yourself to us
when we invite You into our lives God show us how to love
each other and how to bring freedom to our brothers and sisters
who so desperately seek to see Your face.
Amen