This is all because of what God did through your life.

Fifty years ago Bonnie and Gordon Addington, with other partners, founded Evangel Hospital in Hong Kong. Grandpa Gordy was the first superintendent and surgeon there for ten years. Those of us pictured below --just a minor fraction of their billion descendants-- gathered to attend the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Look at all the faces in this picture, representing four generations. I was heartened by conversation with each person. Family visitors on our continent is a special occassion.

To join the anniversary celebration and spend time with family, we stayed a couple nights in a city-center hostel overlooking Nathan Road in Kowloon.

We would not miss a chance to ride the ferry to Cheung Chau, a small outlying island, what has become our family's regular vacation spot.

We stayed five nights at Bethany, a family-style guesthouse, a place of healing and gentleness. 

Each evening we share a homestyle meal with an international group of guests. Aperture expands as I hear about what God is doing in other lives and other places.

Morning to evening we lived on the quiet beach.

Some of our relatives came out to visit the island for an afternoon. Titus and Michael think John (Drew's first cousin) is the coolest big brother figure in the Addington family. Thank you John for being such a good pal and example for Titus and Mike.

Look who showed up at the last minute! Drew!

At first we didn't think Drew would make it because his visa was being processed -- but on Friday he received his passport back, with a new visa, and came down for the weekend. Needless to say everyone was thrilled.

Drew also helped retrieve a kayak that had been abandoned by a man rescuing his runaway sailboat. 

"Thanks man!"

Evangel Hospital was founded by a couple families, very few resources, faith, and one great God.

The hospital represents Hong Kong communities carrying on the work, an incalculable number of lives engaged and touched over five decades.

The fifteen descendants of Bonnie and Gordy who gathered represent another web of people dispersed into various communities, woven into Jesus and weaving others into Jesus.

And us, a mere four out of a great multitude, doing our part where we are planted.

When saying goodbye to Grandma Bonnie I told her, "This is all because of what God did through your life."

I think this is what she did right: Dreamed big and daily put one foot in front of the other, walking with Jesus. She got caught up in the greatness of God -- the object of her faith, and He shaped both minutiae and the grand narrative of her life story.

Imagine what God may do through your life and mine if we abide in this way.

Not because we are great, but because He most certainly is. 

counting the graces

thank you Father for

my proactive husband who defines wife-empowerment

reading When Helping Hurts with Joy, jiving with the author's ideas

faces of children who need families -- the realization of our adoption dream is nearer

dreaming about Mandie's wedding coming up

being able to share lentils with Roshan, who couldn't find any in stores

inventive rope-climbing with Titus and Mike, in the woods, in a light drizzle

shopping at the old vegetable market on campus, remembering all the years I frequented it and the folks there

these cool days that make the body feel new

astounded by what the boys create with their magnatiles -- mazes, geometric towers