After a long flight from Seattle with a short layover in Tokyo, the FFOZ team is on the ground in Hong Kong. Boaz Michael and I have been invited to Hong Kong to teach in support of the new release of a Chinese translation of HaYesod and my book The Holy Epistle to the Galatians.
We arrived at about 9:30 PM Monday night and were met at the airport by the local sponsors responsible for hosting the event and the translation of the materials. Peter Wong and his son Zachary work with Christian Mission to the Jews (CMJ, a missionary organization with which Paul Levertoff was once involved) as the Hong Kong representative. They are also at work for the kingdom with the ministry HaDavar Yeshivah, a Jewish-roots teaching initiative that hooks Chinese Christians up with Messianic Jewish teaching and connections to Israel. Two years ago, CMJ brought Boaz and his son Jeremiah Michael to Hong Kong for a series of lectures on the kingdom. The teachings were well-received, and we have been excited about getting back to China ever since.
First Fruits of Zion is in Hong Kong for the release of the Chinese versions of HaYesod and The Holy Epistle to the Galatians.
The Wongs have been dedicated to translation of key resources for many years. They have previously been involved in the translation and publication of Marvin Wilson’s Our Father Abraham, Lois Tverberg’s Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, and David Bivin’s Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus. Peter Wong also worked closely with Dwight Pryor (זצ״ל). We are so pleased to be able to work with the Wongs who represent balanced and credible voices for Jewish Roots here in China.
As we were leaving the airport, Zachary told me a little bit about their work. His father, Peter Wong, leads tours of Chinese Christians to Israel almost every year. Each year he goes, he purchases an antiquity or artifact, or a replica of an artifact, and brings them home to display in his house. His house has become a museum of the Holy Land, and Christian groups visit his Hong Kong home every Sunday. The museum gives them the opportunity to see pieces of Bible history, making the Bible come alive, so to speak. At the same time, the Wongs have the opportunity to teach them about the Jewish roots of their faith. The demand for admission is so high that the Wongs maintain a year-long waiting list. They have just recently purchased a facility for an actual museum, which they hope to see opened in the coming months.
Peter and Zachary dropped us off at the Hong Kong YMCA where Boaz and I settled in and are now, after a night of sleep and Starbucks coffee for breakfast, preparing for teaching tonight.
For me personally, this is a fantastic opportunity and a gift from God. I am a pretty serious fan of Hudson Taylor, the famous nineteenth-century missionary to China, and I keep a picture of Hudson Taylor on my wall next to Paul Levertoff, Abram Poljak, Isaac Lichtenstein, and the other boys. Despite my fascination with Hudson Taylor, I never even imagined that I would have the opportunity to teach believers in China. Pretty cool.
Stay tuned, check back, and we’ll try to keep you updated during the time we spend in Hong Kong.
Source: First Fruits of Zion
