I got a tour of the Venetian, the world's largest casino. Located on the island of Taipa in Macau, it was built in just three years. The Venetian used to be part of the South China Sea. In those three years, they not only erected the buildings, but filled in the sea in order to create land for the casino. The casino follows the Venice theme, with gondolas, canals, street actors and musicians, and opera singers serenading shoppers. 

Our tour lasted three-and-a-half hours, and we never even went into the gaming area. It's an enormous complex. Now they are working on Phase Two of the Venetian. And that's only the first of many mega-casinos under construction in Macau on the Cotai Strip. You can watch a time-lapse video showing the Venetian's construction on YouTube.

Why Samaritan's Purse?

• I previously had excellent experiences working with them in Darfur and Ethiopia.
• Some organizations take the attitude, "Send us the money. We'll do the job." But Samaritan's Purse is open to partnering with other groups to address all needs in a particular area.
• In many places, they already have people on the ground and contacts with national churches.
• Their administrative fees are very low--only 6% for fundraising and 4% for general administration.
• Samaritan's Purse has a good reputation, partly due to the connection with Billy Graham's family (the president and CEO is Billy's son, Franklin).

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
Macau is becoming what we called a "crossroads" city. While the population consists primarily of Chinese and Macanese (people of Portuguese descent), you increasingly find people from many other countries. New York, Paris, Berlin, Toronto--those are well-known crossroads cities, where you see the nations gathered. Now Macau is joining their ranks. 

On the high-speed ferry from Hong Kong, I met a Canadian coming to Macau on a six-month contract to work with Cirque du Soleil. You find Filipinos and East Indians everywhere, many coming on short-term contracts or seeking service-industry jobs. Unfortunately, Macau's growth and international attraction is built on misfortune--gambling.

We have a missionary team in this crossroads city. What do we do about that? What might God be intending? Can we reach people who then go back to their homelands and have an impact beyond Macau? 

Living Stone UB church in Macau has already begun embracing this opportunity. Three Filipinos currently attend the church, and they are increasingly open to saying, "We're going to reach internationals." 

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
During my May trip to Asia, I spent a couple hours with Ajiax Wo (right), superintendent of Hong Kong Conference. David Kline, one of our Macau missionaries, was with me. We went out to eat with Ajiax and Mark Choi, their mission director. Then Ajiax took me on a quick tour around downtown Hong Kong.

We went through the stock exchange, and then down to the harbor. They keep filling in Victoria Harbor to reclaim more land from the sea. Skyscrapers now stand where the shoreline used to be. 

Hong Kong built a huge new airport. The previous airport was located in the downtown area at the end of Victoria Harbor. People would go to the top of buildings, where it seemed like you could reach out and touch airplanes as they came in to land.

Ajiax is a really cool guy. He's in his mid-30s, a really sharp guy. David Kline and I both scratched our heads, thinking, "It's hard to believe some woman hasn't grabbed this guy." 

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
Last Sunday I spoke in Guelph, Ontario, at Parkwood Gardens UB church. Brian Magnus, the pastor, introduced me.

I told the congregation it was great to be back among Canadians, who don't ask me where I'm from. In the United States, people hear my accent and ask me if I'm from Canada. "It's nice to fit back in," I said.

Brian then commented, "You don't sound like a Canadian anymore."

I asked the congregation, "Do I sound like an American?"

Their heads went, "Yeah."

I was crushed.

Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries
The neighborhood surrounding Parkwood Gardens UB church in Guelph, Ontario, looks like the United Nations, with people from all over the world. Guelph is becoming a bedroom community of Toronto, which is exploding with its international presence. This is reflected in the congregation.

Last Sunday, when I spoke at Parkwood Gardens, I told about my trip to the Philippines in May. I commented on how Filipinos are some of the friendliest people in the world and that I enjoyed getting to know them.

I noticed big smiles on the faces of people among the Asian contingent. "Are you from the Philippines?" I asked. "Oh yes yes," they said. Probably 25-30 Filipinos attended the two services that morning.

I challenged the congregation to keep their eyes and ears open to the immigrant populations around them. Sometimes mission fields are not developed by parachuting a missionary into a foreign country, but by starting something locally among immigrants. This can open doors for missionaries and, in some cases, the immigrants themselves may return to their homeland.

Everywhere we go in the Philippines we are met with smiles. This morning Pastor Prudencio Lim, superintendent of the Philippine Conference, took Pastor Mike Brown and me to visit pastors and churches around the greater Manila area. 

Our day ended in Sucat Paranaque, a Manila slum area where Pastor Noel Bartolata, his wife and six children have been serving for 19 years. The church, along with all other homes and shelters, is built on squatter's land. The neighborhood is a maze of alley ways and stairways. Cooking is done over small fires and families sleep together in the same bed or on floors. Yet Pastor Noel and his family wouldn't think of leaving their community. 

If you saw these smiles each day, you may not want to leave either.

Otherwise, Dim Sum with our Hong Kong leaders was a great experience. We finished off with Mango Jello. Why don't they sell that at Krogers?

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