Joe and Chi from the Sydney Church is out to Spy the Land in Hong Kong
Joe Willis – Lead Evangelist of Sydney reports on the Hong Kong Spying Out the Land Trip: “Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. ‘Go, look over the land,’ he said, ‘especially Jericho.’ So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.” (Joshua 2:1) I have been a Christian 27 years and it never gets old or ceases to amaze me the adventures that God sends us on! It has definitely been one of the greatest privileges and joys to live out this Scripture in modern times in Hong Kong with my mate, Chi Leong – the Hong Kong Mission Team Leader!
Joe and Chi took off from Sydney to Spy Out
the Land in Hong Kong!
Chi was baptized in Chicago and was generously sent to Sydney to train for the Hong Kong Mission Team! Chi could have stayed with the American Dream, but he is a disciple set on building God’s Kingdom not his own. Chi financially supported himself for 18 months using all of his $26,000 in savings to train and become the first Chinese Evangelist in God’s modern day Movement!
Chi was appointed an Evangelist by Joe Willis at
the 2016 GLC! He became the first Chinese
Evangelist in the SoldOut Movement!
Our Spying Out the Land Trip was to find a church venue, housing for the disciples, to work out how to set the church up legally and financially, to rescue a disciple, and to claim each Hong Kong Campus for God! We arrived on Easter Saturday with Chi in charge of directions! Then we booked into our Hong Kong sized hotel! Everything here is smaller than what we are used to… much, much smaller! Also much, much more expensive!
Chi’s and Joe’s “spacious” hotel room for
their Spying Out the Land Trip!
Our first full day was Easter Sunday, very fitting really, as we set about praying and looking for a venue for the new Hong Kong International Christian Church! (Website: http://hkicc.hk/) We spent the day walking, praying, and knocking on doors going into every church we could find, asking if we can use their church building for our services. Since it was Easter, they were all open which gave us a great idea of how many people attend on one of their busiest times! We then set off to pray around the campuses and claim them for God. “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.“ (Joshua 1:3)
Chi embraced God’s calling to preach the Word
in Hong Kong which in turn will become
the Jerusalem for all of China!
Then onto the largest campus of all – Hong Kong Polytechnic University with 29,000 students where our evangelism brought immediate results as our new friend Hogan said he would come to our First Service in four months’ time.
Chi and Joe prayed over the largest campus in the
city – Hong Kong Polytechnic University!
Then we went up the hill to the Open University of Hong Kong with 16,000 students!
Chi prayed that the Open University of Hong Kong
lives up to its name of being “open!”
Centre stage at this university was a statue of Confucius whose teachings permeate the hearts of many of the Chinese people.
In joining the SoldOut Movement in 2006, Joe
unknowingly practiced one of Confucius’
teachings, “Our greatest glory is not in
never falling, but in rising every
time we fall!”
In Psalm 106:37, the Spirit refers to
idols as demons!
The next day, Easter Monday, we set off to claim more campuses for Christ! The first was City University of Hong Kong with its 19,000 students!
Chi has a great vision for the City
University of Hong Kong!
At City University, there are ready made
venues for Bible Talks!
We then walked over the highway that led into the centre of Hong Kong and on to the Hong Kong Baptist University with its 8,000 plus students! We really liked this campus, as it is God-focused!
Joe and Chi were enthralled by Hong Kong Baptist
University, because of the likelihood that its
students are more Jesus-focused
than other colleges!
Tuesday saw us claim our last university in central Hong Kong, the very international University of Hong Kong with its 27,000 students!
The Fist and Palm Salute has a history of more
than 3,000 years! When doing the Fist and
Palm Salute, you can say “Kong Hei
Fat Choy”, “Nice to meet
you” to others!
Yours and our many prayers were answered as after only three full days we secured our venue for the Hong Kong ICC! So the Hong Kong ICC Inaugural Service is set for Sunday, September 3rd, at 4:00PM on the 17th Floor of the Sino Cheer Plaza, 23-27 Jordan Street, Kowloon. This amazing location is only one minutes’ walk from the Jordan Train Station!
Please consider coming to the Hong Kong Inaugural
Service on Sunday, September 3rd at 4:00PM
on the 17th Floor of the Sino Cheer Plaza,
23-27 Jordan Street, Kowloon!
We then set off to find accommodations for the mission team! I am glad we did because the one we were going to get – that seemed too good to be true – was! How should I say this: It was in a very dubious area, a bit like where the spies in Jericho ended up! More prayer! And yes, you guessed it! God granted us two beautiful houses for the first two months!
The Hong Kong Sisters’ Household!
The Hong Kong Brothers’ Household!
Our ascent to Victoria Peak – the highest point on the Island of Hong Kong was my favourite moment of the trip! We took the Tram to transverse the incredibly steep hillside!
Chi and Joe were inspired by the views during
the steep ascent in the Victoria Peak Tram!
There we prayed and praised God as we looked out over this city of 7.5 million! Our view was originally obscured by the clouds, yet as we prayed God pulled back the clouds to allow us to be moved by the immense number of lost souls and then weep over the city. “As He approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it.” (Luke 19:41) I have never really understood this Scripture emotionally until this moment. This just reinforces to me that you have to live out the Scriptures to really understand them.
As God pulled back the clouds unveiling the
city of Hong Kong, Joe and Chi wept!
Our last mission was to meet up with Ernest Chau who was originally converted in Gainesville and is now stuck in Hong Kong until we arrive in August. What an encouraging time we all had together! Although in a difficult situation, Ernest opened up his heart to us. Afterward, we had such fun! I allowed Ernest and Chi to choose the food, and I am now converted to eating native! But there is a limit, as when Chi tried to get me to eat cow stomach!
One of the goals of the Spying Out the Land
Trip was to “rescue” Ernest (center)!
This Joe and Chi did!
Chi and I will never forget this week together! Here is the reality though… To get this church started it is going to take a lot financially! The minimum wage here is $4.50 USD per hour (35 HKD), and those apartments that we secured by the universities, which despite the incredibly good photos are tiny, are costing us $2,950 USD a month ($23,000 HKD) each! The ratio of wages to cost of living here is totally out of proportion. That is why the landlords have no problem with you putting eight people in an apartment of that size; some even advertise them as suitable for eight people! So that is where your Special Missions Contribution is going: housing, flights, venues, deposits, church banners and the list goes on!
Hong Kong is the only politically “partially
free” city in all of China!
There will be seven people on the Hong Kong Mission Team: Cain, Dean “The Machine”, Chi, Kandice, Naomi, Jess and Themis! Only three will be able to get a job in Hong Kong as they are locals! So three will be on staff and one may have to live in mainland China and commute daily into Hong Kong. So for the initial time there, they will be fully supported by the Special Missions Contributions that you continually give. The three sisters are giving up their “Australian Dream” of comfortable living, high wages and 27 days holiday a year to go back to their “homeland” to preach!
Pray for the Hong Kong Seven!
If you are having a hard time in your heart giving this year, please know that we use every dollar frugally and with as much care and prayer as we can. Chi, the whole mission team and I want to thank you for every dollar you give! We are literally turning your dollars into souls as we will not only save souls in Hong Kong, but also Macau, Chi’s birth place, and then mainland China with its population of 1.357 billion people! Pray for the “Hong Kong Seven” to take thousands to Heaven!