Smugglers in Hong Kong

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Chapter Two Any Smugglers In Hong Kong? (first posted Feb. 8th 2000)

The five weeks before leaving for Hong Kong passed so slowly that Jack
and Jenny thought the day would never come. However, there were lots of
preparations to make. Dad bought their tickets and arranged for their
passports. The Chens and the Carltons exchanged family pictures and the
children exchanged letters with each other.

“It looks like we’re going to have a great vacation in Hong Kong,” said
Jack who couldn’t get the thoughts of pirates and smugglers out of his
mind. He had even suggested in his letter to Tim Chen that he hoped to
hear more about pirates in the South China Sea surrounding Hong Kong.

Tim had responded just as Dad did. “There are some bad people in this
area just as there are in any place and some are involved in drug
trafficking, but I have never met a pirate. It would be scary to meet one
though and maybe dangerous, too. We are going to have lots of fun seeing
the sights of Hong Kong while you are here.”

Mr. & Mrs. Carlton worried a little about Jack’s obsession with pirates.
One day Mother said to her husband, “Do you think there is anything to
Jack’s obsession with pirates and smugglers? He makes me a little
nervous. You know all the things he gets into and how inquisitive he is.”

Dad replied, “Don’t worry, it’s just his imagination. His teacher must
have made the opium wars sound exciting. There aren’t pirates in that
area anymore and as for smugglers, we will be so busy seeing the sights,
we would never meet one. Of course, there are some evil people involved
in all sorts of illegal things there, but we won’t be any where near
them, I’m sure.”

“I sure hope not,” replied Mother, “but it’s something I will be praying
about anyway. I know the Lord will watch over all of us and keep us from
evil, but that son of ours sure does have a big imagination.”

Departure day finally arrived. Jack and Jenny were the first ones up for
a change. Soon they had eaten their breakfast and the taxi had arrived to
take them to the airport. Jack and Jenny were bursting with excitement by
the time they pulled up to the airport. They eagerly jumped out to help
get their nags to the ticket counter. In a few minutes the Carltons were
checked in and passed through the security gate. Since this was the
twins’ first air flight, they had a thousand questions.

Jenny wanted to know why they had to pass through the security check
point. Dad explained that sometimes people smuggle guns or other weapons
on board and hijack a plane.

That’s all Jack needed to hear, “Boy, oh boy! Wouldn’t it be exciting to
be on a hijacked plane! See Mom, there are smugglers around even today!”

“Now Jack, just calm down. It can be very dangerous when a plane is
hijacked and sometimes people are injured. We wouldn’t want that to
happen, would we? Why you might never get to Hong Kong if that happened.

“That’s right, Mom. I’m sorry. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to our
plane or any of the passengers, but....” His voice trailed off and he
didn’t finish what he was thinking. Everyone was sure there were no
smugglers or pirates around anymore- at least not in Hong Kong.

The loud speaker finally announced it was boarding time. They slowly made
their way into the plane and quickly fastened their seat belts and the
stewardess carefully explained all the safety regulations. It seemed like
a dream, but on their way to Hong Kong. With only a brief stopover in
Tokyo, they would soon be at their destination of their dream vacation.

The long trip was nearing an end and Jenny was gathering up her
belongings ready for landing when she turned to her Mom and asked, “how
do we greet Tim and Ruth when we meet them? We’ve never seen them before
and I’ve never spoken to a Chinese person in my life.”

:Just smile and be natural,” Mother said, “and before long you’ll be
great friends.”

“Okay, Mom,” Jenny responded. “But I don’t want to do anything wrong,
because I hope they will become Christians. Ruth told me in her letter
they had never gone to a church, only the Buddhist temple.”

“That’s right,” agreed Mother. “We must pray for them to believe in Jesus
even though this is only a brief vacation.”

“God has a wonderful way of answering prayer, Jenny” agreed Dad, who had
been listening thoughtfully. “Just be a faithful witness for the Lord and
live in such a way that they will really see Jesus living in you.”

“I’m praying for Tim, too,” said Jack. He wrote that he had once read a
little bit in a Bible at school and thought it sounded interesting.”

“It would be great if the whole family received Jesus as their Savior,”
smiled Dad.

“It surely would be wonderful,” responded Mother. “We need to pray for
them to understand the gospel, but the most important thing is for us to
live like Christians ought to live. They Holy Spirit will open their
hearts to the gospel if we are faithful witnesses.”

“Look at the lights of Hong Kong,” exclaimed Jack excitedly, as the plane
banked for a landing at Kai Tak airport. Tim had written that a new
airport was being built because this one was becoming too small and was
quite dangerous for landings. He said it stretches out into Hong Kong Bay
and makes people feel a little nervous.

The wheels touched down on the runway and the engines reversed to slow
down the plane. They rolled safely down the runway with water on both
sides and then the plane turned and taxied to the gate.

“How are we going to know the Chens? Asked Jack “We have only seen a
small picture of the family.”

“Mr. Chen said he will have a little sign with our names on it.,” replied
Dad. “Just look for our name.”

As they made their way out of the exit gate, they spied Mr. And Mrs.
Whitehead first and then they saw a Chinese man holding up their name. It
was wonderful for the Whiteheads to see their old friends again. The
Whiteheads and the Chens had already met because Mr. Chen was carrying
the sign with the Carlton’s name on it. It didn’t take the children long
before they were chatting about the trip and all the things they would be
doing together.

Tim pulled Jack aside and said, “Maybe if we keep our eyes and ears open
we will see some smugglers just as you asked about in your letter. Be
quiet, though, because it makes my Mom nervous.”

“Oh boy,” exclaimed Jack in a whisper. “My Mom is nervous too. Do you
really think we might meet some? Boy, oh boy, that sounds exciting.”

“Well,” Mr. Chen said after they had claimed their luggage, “Why don’t we
take you to your apartment? Mr. And Mrs. Whitehead can meet us there and
then come over to our apartment for some refreshments.”

“Thanks. That would be very nice, Mr. Chen,” replied Mr. Whitehead. “We
would enjoy getting better acquainted with your family and visiting with
the Carltons, too. We haven’t seen them for almost three years.”

With the arrangements made, they loaded up the cars and headed for
Repulse Bay by way of the harbor tunnel. Jack and Jenny had never been in
such a big city and they had never been through a tunnel like this one.
There was definitely going to be a lot of interesting and exciting things
to see and do during the next three weeks in Hong Kong.

TO BE CONTINUED IN ABOUT TWO WEEKS

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