The Hong Kong Temple Is Closed

The temple has been closed for the past two weeks for cleaning.  We had planned on taking in several of the sights around Hong Kong during that time.  However, we found ourselves quite busy with our assignments for our branch, and receiving training from Elder and Sister Wilson as their assistants for the upcoming Statutory Holiday at the temple on July 1st.

But, it wasn't all work and no play for us.

We set aside some time in becoming more culturally refined, learning the culinary practices of the Filipinos, exploring two major tourist attractions, shopping in Stanley, discovering the Jade Market, celebrating a birthday, searching for fabric, applying for a visa to mainland China, and meeting up with a nice guy from Boise.

The photos below will give you a glimpse of all of that.

On the evening of June13th, we attended the performance of MULAN by the Hong Kong Dance Company at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Theatre.  The music was beautiful, and the dancers were amazing -- so graceful and yet strong.  It was an enjoyable evening and well worth the $225HK dollars we paid for our tickets.  That comes out to about $30 US dollars for the both of us.  What is interesting is that my ticket was $20 dollars, and Gary's was $10 because he is over the age of 60.  Senior citizens get discounts for a number of things in Hong Kong.

We experienced something unexpected after church on the 14th.
The Filipino sisters prepared a special feast in honor of Terry Rose's birthday.

At first, it looked quite harmless as they placed cooked rice on top of banana leaves.  

 But, then they began to top that with additional ingredients, such as duck eggs, crabs, tomatoes, shrimp, and whole fish, along with some kind of broth.  This was the end result. 

 Delicious looking, right?

The Filipinos think so, and it is commonly served for celebrations.

Gary couldn't pass up a challenge from the others to eat the entire fish, including head and tail, as well as the whole crab, which included the shell.

He is looking proud of himself here, but before the day was over, he was paying for his craziness, and did so for the next two days.

On the 16th, we went to THE PEAK with Elder and Sister Ball, and traveled across the harbor on the ferry, almost identical to this one.

We passed a variety of boats along the way.  Hong Kong's tallest skyscraper is in the background.  It is the International Commerce Centre, and is the world's 8th tallest building with 118 floors.

The boats varied in style and size, but we haven't seen any 21' Four Winns yet.

Cruise ships are often in the harbor.  

Once across the harbor, we took a taxi to the top of The Peak, and off to the east, we saw the same scene as our blog header.

But, looking to the west, are very few skyscrapers, and more vegetation. Its beautiful. 

We didn't expect to see beans and corn growing in garden boxes at the top of a tourist attraction.

But, there they were, with an assortment of vegetables, and very well cared for.

A group of elementary students were taking surveys and agreed to have their photo taken afterwards. They inquired as to what brought us to Hong Kong, and what we liked most about it.  They were so polite, and even gave us stickers for answering their questions.

There were several eating establishments at The Peak to choose from, and the Balls suggested BUBBA GUMPS.  The food was fine, and the decor was clever.  It is all influenced by Forest Gump.

Low and behold, we saw some familiar license plates.  Can you guess the county for Idaho's?

We walked along a paved trail to where a significant date had been carved into a rock by a church 

leader.  To our surprise we soon discovered it wasn't a trail just for walking, and it wasn't one way either.  Cars came from both directions, and as to how they got past each other is a mystery.

Once we got back into the city, we walked through Hong Kong Park.  It is a beautiful area with trees and a waterfall.  You almost forget you are in the middle of a huge city surrounded by skyscrapers.

It was a nice day, and we appreciated the Balls showing us around.
They are the experts and navigating around this city.

I had an enjoyable day with Elder and Sister Ngai as we went to Stanley to shop for clothes to wear in HOT and HUMID climates.
Elder Ngai is a gentleman and insisted on carrying my bag.
Charles and Shirley are a great couple who are helping us better understand Chinese ways, and it is
delightful to be serving with them.
Gary had an enjoyable day too, hanging out at the apartment waiting for a cabinet to be delivered.
He actually preferred doing that over going shopping for the day.

This is the beautiful view along the drive to Stanley.
A considerably different place from Stanley, Idaho.

The stop signs are unlike those in the U.S.
and thought the kids might like to see the difference.

On Friday, the Wilsons introduced us to the Jade Market in Yau Ma Tei.  But, on our way, we passed a meat shop with a variety of sausages hanging in the open air.  That is a common thing to see here.

We also passed Hong Kong's version of Home Depot.

This is the Jade Market.  Notice the lady on the left with the umbrella pulling a cart?
  These are two very important items to have here when out and about.

 We found a few treasures to bargain for that were made from jade, but we discovered somethings were not made of jade at all, and my favorite is this nativity, carved from tagua nuts.

No place to sit inside the market, so Gary opted for the fire hydrant nearby while I looked around.

Came upon this old bicycle with two large baskets attached.  It looked well used, and I imagine a lot of miles had been put on that bike.
It was a fun day, and I even learned a thing or two from Helga
 as to what to look for and how to bargain.  She's quite knowledgeable, and so is her husband.
The Wilsons are tremendous missionaries who are always willing to share their time and talents.
I admire their examples.

My birthday was during our break, and we celebrated by watching 17 Miracles at our branch's activity.  I have seen that movie a number of times, and it still brings tears to my eyes.
Got a surprise singing to, from the sisters in the branch.
Gary took me to a highly recommended Thai restaurant to celebrate.

Fried Rice and seafood baked in a coconut.
It looked intriguing and was fun to try something different.
The appetizers turned out to be the most delicious part of the meal.
This place is the nicest restaurant we have been to in Hong Kong.
We may go back, but only for a special occasion.

 Needed fabric for the sewing class I have been assigned to give in the branch.
Fabric shops are not quite like shopping for fabric at JoAnn's in the U.S.
It requires going to Shum Sui Po (one of the oldest areas of Hong Kong) and rummaging through bolts and piles of fabric until you find what what you are looking for.
Then if you need thread or other notions, you must go to other shops.
Notice how hard the shop owner is working in the background?

If you look hard, you will see Grandpa hiding in the fabric.

Our last excursion during the temple cleaning, was going to Tung Chung to see the
 BIG BUDDHA.  While waiting, and waiting, and still waiting in line to get on the cable car going up and over the mountain to Ngong Ping Village, we noticed this advertisement for a
Hong Kong Souvenir, Winter Melon Wife Cake.
Not what I first think of as a souvenir, but any requests?

 Our cable car had a glass bottom, so we could see below us during the ride.

 We were able to see Hong Kong's airport from the cable car. That airport was built completely in the water from reclaimed land.  It was completed just a few years ago.  Interesting!

The Big Buddha is fairly big.

It took 286 steps and some rapid breathing to reach 

the Big Buddha.

We noticed several people bowed and prayed vocally to this giant bronze statue.

The Po Lin Monastery

These photos don't give justice to the brilliant colors on the exterior of this monastery.

We weren't allowed to take photos inside the monastery, so we stood outside the door to get a shot.
A lot of gold is used in their religious structures.

We chuckled over the above sign.  Two little calves are considered wildlife.

This was another sign we saw and found it odd that meat was mentioned.

Had a great day at Ngong Ping Village and even bought a souvenir,
but it wasn't Winter Melon Wife Cake.

Had lunch with our fellow missionaries and our new friend, Darrell Hancock on the last day before the temple opens again.
 Darrell also lives in the Treasure Valley and flies freight planes all over the world.  When he is in Hong Kong, he often comes to the temple, which is where Gary met him, and the Balls know him from a previous ward.  He offered to send packages home or bring packages to us when needed.
 So, we took him up on his offer and had him bring the camera we had left behind.   To repay him for his help, we offered to take him to wherever he wanted to eat lunch.
 He suggested we eat at Salaam Namaste Curry House, a favorite Indian restaurant of his.
 We now know where to get the best Cheese Naan-yummm!
It was interesting to hear some of Darrell's flying experiences.
He is certainly a nice guy, and we hope to see him again.

We have had fun and some enjoyable experiences these past two weeks, but we are looking forward to getting back to the temple tomorrow.

Our First Speaking Assignment and Meeting Izabela!

About three weeks ago, Sister Wilma Galcon asked us to speak in today's Sacrament Meeting.  I sure appreciated her asking well in advanced.  Speaking is not a traumatic thing for Elder Bodily, but it can be for me, and the more time I have to prepare, the less stressful it is.
In preparing for my talk, I felt impressed to speak about enduring the trials in our life with faith.  The majority of the members of this branch are domestic workers trying to support their families who still live in the Philippines.  Many face great hardships.  I had hoped I might share something that could be uplifting and remind them they are loved by the Lord, and that with faith, He will help them endure.
 Elder Bodily spoke about the power of the priesthood and the blessings he has received in his life because of that priesthood power.  He talked about a baby boy who was born with birth defects, but because of the priesthood blessings this baby was given, he was eventually healed.  We aren't sure the Filipino sisters understood that Elder Bodily was speaking of himself, but hopefully, they understood the message he intended.

As I was getting ready to leave the chapel, a beautiful young girl came up to me to compliment me on my talk and to say how much she was impressed with what I said.  I thanked her and asked where she was from.  With her blue eyes and long blonde hair, dressed in a midriff top and very short shorts, she stuck out like a sore thumb.  I learned her name is Izabela, she is a model, and she has just moved to Hong Kong from Poland, but will only be here for a few months while she does a modeling job.  She is not a member, but as she was walking nearby this morning, she noticed the church and felt like it was a place she wanted to enter.
She agreed to stay for Sunday School and Relief Society.  She made a comment about there being so many women and not many men attending.  I explained to her this branch is mostly domestic workers, but there is also an international ward available to attend that she might prefer. Afterwards, I introduced her to Sister Inouye, and we both expressed our happiness that she was there, and asked if she would like to know more about our church.  She said she believes in Christ, and felt today like she was in a familiar place. She was willing to give us her e-mail address, and we invited her to come again next Sunday.  Oh, how I hope she does.

More Chans

Living in the United States, most of us know someone with the last name of Smith or Anderson because they are very common names.  Well, here in China the surname Chan is so common that there are, most likely, more Chans than Smiths and Andersons and maybe even Bodilys combined.  

We have just met two more with the arrival of Elder John and Sister Judy Chan

 (no relation to Sister Nora Chan)

  They come from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada

Elder Chan was born here in Hong Kong, 

but left at the age of 9 to live with his grandparents in Canada.

Sister Chan was born and raised in Lethbridge and doesn't speak Chinese.

Elder and Sister Ngai invited the temple missionaries to their apartment for a welcome party for 

Elder and Sister Chan.

Sister Ngai prepared fried noodles, and oh my, were they ever so good!

Elder Bodily and I both agree that fried noodles are one of our new favorite foods here in HK.

Elder and Sister Ngai

The Balls and The Bodilys (fellow Idahoans)

Elder and Sister Wilson

We had a nice relaxing evening getting better acquainted with everyone there.

We can tell the Chans are going to be a fun missionary couple to serve with, and will certainly be of great service to this temple.

 Welcome, Elder and Sister Chan! 

A Temple Miracle!

I am sharing a special experience I had at the temple this past Tuesday, because I want you to know the Lord's miracles happen here in this temple, just as I am sure they happen in all of His temples.  But, this one touched me personally.

Sister Chantana Charoonsri is from Thailand, and she came to the temple to receive her own endowment.  I had the privilege of assisting her in the initiatory ordinance.  Because she does not speak English and is almost completely deaf, she was given a card to read and follow along with as those special blessings would be explained and pronounced upon her.  I was asked to perform the first and third parts of that ordinance.

As I began to say the beginning words, she was reading the card, but only for a moment.   She then looked up at me, and as if she could hear and understand what I was saying, her eyes widened, she slightly gasped, and tears began to come to both of us.  The Spirit was felt so strongly.  She continued to look at me until I was finished speaking.  She then thanked me, and continued to the next part.  As I stood with her in the final part of that ordinance and completed what needed to be said, she gave me a hug for what seemed like a minute, and we cried together.  This was a sacred moment that I am grateful for, and will not forget.  Sister Wong, the temple matron, who was standing close by, said she too, felt the Spirit.  She later told me that after she had spoke with Sister Charoonsri, she was certain she understood what she needed to hear throughout her endowment.

She, along with others who have come from Thailand, have attended sessions all day long, every day this past week performing the ordinances needed for others.

Today Sister Charoonsri and the others from Thailand left to go back home, but before they did, they graciously thanked us, and we said our goodbyes.  Chantana gave me a hug and said as best she could, 'thank you, I love you'.  I expressed my love for her as well.

These are humble people who I hope to see again, even if it is not until we meet on the other side of the veil.

__________________________________

The photo below is of those who came from Thailand this past week to attend the temple.  Chantana Charoonsri is standing next to me.  Avaya and Asmapun were the only two who spoke English.  We were grateful to Sister Na Songkhla for her help with translating to the others.

STANDING - L to R:  Knok Kataipech, Ampoul Rachayotha, Parathion Rachayotha, 

Chantana Charoonsri, myself, Araya Na Songkhla, Asmapun Na Songkhla.

SITTING - L to R:  A lady we don't know who is or where she came from, Aporn Na Songkhla, and Phitsinee Sodasoi.

Gary is in the back standing taller than the rest of us.

Elder Bodily's First Birthday As A Missionary!

It is Elder Bodily's 61st birthday!

A day to celebrate becoming a year older and wiser,

 but this day didn't go quite as planned.

 The first half of his day has been spent serving in the temple,

 in which he experienced and unforgettable Endowment Session.

 Because Sister Bodily spent the day feeling sick, he didn't get much of a celebration.  

In fact, he had to eat Chinese take-out for his birthday dinner, which he had to order himself.

Surprisingly, it was pretty good.

Birthday cake consisted of a piece of leftover chocolate zucchini bread with a paper candle.

He even had to do the dishes.  Poor guy.

But, he did get some treasured birthday wishes from our grandchildren.

And, the best part of this day is that our grandson, Rees' was baptized a member of 

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
on his Grandpa's birthday.

He sent this picture with a message for his Grandpa B.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ELDER BODILY!