Sunday, January 31, 2016

A Sunday Service Project & A Baptism!

It was Sunday and our wedding anniversary.  It was also a service-project-day that the
District Relief Society Presidency organized, and invited all sisters to get involved.
They had collected used soaps from the local hotels.
I spent some time before church meetings with these good-hearted sisters to scrape those soaps and make them useable again for the needy in the Philippines.
This was done in the parking garage of the
 Area Office in Wan Chai.
Face masks, gloves, and scrapers were provided.
Pearly Rose Corcha, Sister Rae Rancie, Catherine Concepcion
Analie, Clarissa, Me, Pearly, Rae, Catherine 

After participating in the service project, 
walked down the corridor to
 attend the baptism of Ronalyn Ballao.
Elder Mangrobang, Ronalyn Ballao, Elder Ferrar, Mary Joydenette Calma

President Page was out of town, so Elder Orton presided, but Elder Bodily was asked to conduct.
He started off by mentioning that Sister Ballao chose a special day to be baptized.  At least special for us because we were married on this day 41 years ago.
It was a special day, indeed, as we listened to Sister Calma share her conversion and testimony of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was she who had invited Ronalyn to come to church, and begin taking discussions with the missionaries.
 The Spirit was strongly felt as we watched Elder Ferrar baptize Ronalyn,
and felt even more as she bore her testimony.
I could not hold back the tears.
Then Elders Mangroban and Ferrar sang a very simple arrangement of Savior, Redeemer,
and the tears continued to flow.
These two sisters have wonderful countenances.
We were grateful to have been there to feel of the Spirit,
and to witness Ronalyn
following the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
Our testimonies were strengthened.
Sacrament Meeting followed, and I can't think of a better way of celebrating our anniversary,
 when it falls on the Sabbath.

A Significant Date!

Today is the 31st of January, which is a significant date in our lives for a couple of reasons.
 It was 41 years ago on this day that we were married in the Logan Temple.  But, it was also 23 years ago on this day when our 17 year old son, Ryan passed away to the other side
and was finally freed from his crippled body.
Since that time, our anniversary doesn't come and go without us remembering him and the special spirit he brought to our family.  We feel so grateful for the privilege to be his parents.
Because of our testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we know that we will see him again, and when we do, he will stand to greet us.
That will be a marvelous sight to behold.
Thank you, Danielle for putting flowers on his grave at a time in which we are unable to.

Friday, January 29, 2016

An Extra Busy Day!

We had a group of 71 attending the temple today.
They are actually teaching English in various locations in China,
and are with the Kennedy Center in Provo.
It was a treat to serve them today.
One of the couples are the Adams from Alaska.  It turns out that Brother Adams middle name is also Gary and that is the name he goes by too.
 It would have been ironic if his first name was also Dee, but it isn't.
Their son-in-law is a guide in Alaska, so guess who was getting his contact information just in case it is needed for sometime in the future?


Thursday, January 28, 2016

Our Wall of Fame!

We are grateful for the letters and notes we have received from family and friends.  We especially love the artwork from our grandchildren 
and even that from a certain daughter and son-in-law.
 Rather than stuffing these artistic creations away in a box, 
we prefer displaying them proudly on our 'Wall of Fame'. 
In the beginning our wall looked like this:
 But then, one wall was not enough.
We gained two Walls of Fame
Now it has grown into this, and we hope it keeps growing.
Can you spot yours?
Thank you for all your wonderful letters and artwork.

An Inspirational Woman!

I am in awe of Sister Ward.  She is from Taiwan, but has lived with her husband and three children in Ohio for the past 15 years.
What is remarkable about her is how strong she is in the face of adversity.
She came to Hong Kong this week with her husband, who was to help with the Cantonese translation for the new films.
Although he was undergoing cancer treatments and not in the best of health,  he came to help in this effort.  However, he suddenly passed away Monday before he could begin his part with this project.  He was only 38 and the father of three children who are 11 years of age and younger.

It stands to reason that with Sister Ward becoming a widow this past week in a place away from home and family, that she might be an emotional wreck, and yet that is not the woman I have seen.  She is a strong woman and has kept her emotions private.  She seems so calm and at peace.  Perhaps that is because she has spent much of her time here in the temple as she waits for the arrangements for her husband's body to be shipped back to Taiwan on Friday.
She has attended Endowment sessions and Initiatory ordinances with her sister,Sister Chen every day.
I had the opportunity and privilege to assist them both as they served as proxies for these ordinances.

Sister Ward also speaks English fluently, so I have had a couple of occasions to talk with her briefly.
I don't normally have a problem with my dress clinging to my slip, but today I sure did, and it was Sister Ward who offered some good advice as to how to fix this problem.  An example of her helping someone else in the midst of her own adversity.
It is apparent that she has great faith in the Lord and His plan for her.
I will not forget her example of faith, courage, and service that she has shown many of us this week.
I wish I had a photo of this remarkable woman.

Saturday, January 23, 2016

'Hi", From Marie!

Susan Jackson and her husband live in Guangzho, but they used to live in Ohio,
and just happened to be good friends with Elder Bodily's cousins Kelly and Marie McEntire,
who still live in Ohio.
 Sister Jackson still keeps in touch with Marie, and when she came to the temple today, she passed on a message to us: "Hi, from Marie!"

We continue to meet people here on the other side of the world, who knows someone we know, or who knows someone who knows someone we know,
and so it goes.

Wednesday, January 20, 2016

A Red Rocker From Coffeys

We have known since we first saw a certain red rocker in Elder and Sister Wilson's apartment that they were passing it on to Elder and Sister Coffey when their mission ended.  But, not to worry, because it was agreed that we would be the next lucky missionary couple to inherit this coveted piece of furniture.
The Coffeys will be leaving in March, and are in the process of packing and clearing out their apartment in preparation for that day.  They contacted us, sooner than we expected actually,  to see if we were still interested.
ABSOLUTELY!
It will be so nice to have something to sit on besides our not-so-comfortable couch.
Thankfully, it fit through the door.
Had to do a little rearranging of furniture to make room, but
here it is, and life is even better now!

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

A Surprise At Al Dentes!

Elder and Sister Ball invited the temple missionaries to one last supper at their favorite dining place before their departure.
Al Dente seems to be a favorite eating spot for several of the missionaries in Hong Kong.
They do have the best bbq ribs and for the best price.
It also doesn't hurt that it is located conveniently between the Area Office in Wan Chai
and the ferry to Tsim Sha Tsui.
As we were looking over the menu, Elder and Sister Powell walked in with Annie Wong and agreed to join us.
Annie's nickname is 
Nikki Nikki Numbo Oso Rumbo U Ma Muchi Gama Gama Gu Chi Ah Cha Who Ye.
She has a story behind this name that we'll save for another time.
A little later President and Sister Funk also walked in, but didn't want to interrupt,
so they sat at their own table.
Balls with Alfredo, the manager of Al Dentes.
In order to get this photo,  Alfredo volunteered his assistance to 
hold down the construction tape, because it kept blowing in Elder Bodily's way.
He's really a helpful guy, and friendly too.
 Sisters Chan, Ball, Bodily, Powell, Wong and Brothers Powell, Bodily, Ball
I tried to get a good shot of Elders Powell and Bodily, but I failed.
 However, I did get a 'tiny' glimpse of President and Sister Funk. 
Sister Ball is known as Sister Chan's LS (life saver).
After bringing her phone and I-pad to her from the temple,
she told me I was her LS-2.
Nora and her LSes.

Just as he has done in the past, Alfredo arranged for us all to have dessert on the house.
We were secretly hoping for the scrumptious Banana Caramel Cake, but it was not to be.
We were served Tiramisu instead.
Oh well!  Its the thought that counts.
He really is a nice guy, and was disappointed when the Balls broke the news to him that their mission was ending, and they were leaving in the morning.
Hoping the frequency of the missionaries dining at Al Dente, will have planted a gospel seed in Alfredo's heart. 

We have 9 months to decide where we want to spend our last night in Hong Kong,
and Al Dentes is certainly a possibility.

A First For Elder Bodily!

For the past several months, 
Elder Bodily was occasionally finding anonymous surprises left in his locker,
such as candy and snacks that are authentically Chinese, and can't be found in Idaho.
He got to where he couldn't stand the suspense of who was doing this, so
he did some investigating and discovered it was 
 Brother Lam Ping who was responsible for these kind gestures.

Brother Lam has been serving in the temple for a good many years.  Maybe since the temple was dedicated.  He is a quiet man and doesn't say a lot, but he faithfully shows up early every Tuesday morning to fulfill his assignment at the recommend desk.  He always greets us warmly with a smile, and now we have evidence that he has a giving heart.
Before these surprises started appearing, Elder Bodily had commented on how much he liked Brother Lam, and how nice it is to be able to speak with him (he can speak English too).
To show his appreciation, Elder Bodily decided to do something he has never done before.  Make a batch of chocolate chip cookies and then hand deliver them to Brother Lam.

To make that happen this is what was happening in our kitchen this morning.
Elder Bodily did a good job of following the instructions,
 and ended up with scrumptious cookies as a result.
He didn't even get flour and sugar all over the place like I normally do, 
and he cleaned up after himself too.
I think he should make the cookies from now on.

When we delivered these to Brother Lam, he was surprised, but accepted them graciously, and then said, 'You are so nice'.
We could say the same about Brother Lam.
Photo of Brother Lam Ping coming soon.

Monday, January 18, 2016

An Evening To Show Appreciation!

Elder and Sister Coffey are Asia Area missionaries who are busy training other missionaries with welfare and humanitarian projects throughout Asia.  We have been impressed with their dedication and attitude in serving.  We wanted to express to them our appreciation for their examples, and for their willingness to make themselves available on Statutory Holidays, even when it isn't convenient and they are exhausted.
So we invited them to dinner, and since they hadn't been to Nomads,
 it seemed like a good place to meet.
Elder and Sister Rancie joined us too.  They have a mutual friend with the Coffeys.
We had an enjoyable evening sharing our missionary experiences with each other,
and learning more about our families.
We are certain the Coffeys have magnified their callings as missionaries and will be missed when they leave in March.

Sai Kung and Wong Shek

We tagged along with Elder and Sister Rancie to check out Sai Kung Village, and to get in a small hike from Wong Shek Pier.
One of the first things we saw at Sai Kung were these boats jammed packed along the harbor. 
 A few looked like they are lived in.
 Made it through the gauntlet of boat ride solicitors.
 Man, these things are heavy.  Just kidding!
 Some people drool over these creepy crawling creatures, but
Not us!
 This Buddhist temple is at the center of Sai Kung.
Not quite like our temple.
 Right across from the temple is THE RANCH.  Sai Kung's burger and steak place, complete with a big horn steer at the entrance, and
this wooden cowboy sporting a Lee belt buckle.
Reminds us of Wyoming and Montana.

After seeing the main attractions of the village,
 we took a bus to Wong Shek Pier to begin our hike.
These women were roasting potatoes over a fire in Wong Shek Park.  I marvel over the flexibility of these older people.  Notice how the woman on the left is squatting.  She held that same position the entire time we were in the park.  Neither of them were anxious to get their photo taken. 
 So, I backed off.
Found a few unexpected things along this trail.
One was an unusual grave off the beaten path.
Not sure how this got so far from the shoreline, and it didn't look too sea-worthy.
Saw this old broken down bicycle still chained to the rail, with a cart attached.
Not sure how many years it has been sitting her abandoned.
Can you tell which one of us was pushing the button on the 'selfie stick'?
Didn't expect to end up at the bus stop and even better, to find an assortment of antique chairs to help make the wait not so long.
Just something we noticed on the way back to Sai Kung.
Laundry hanging out in the yard.
To our surprise, Benji Bolibol, our fellow member from Island 1st Branch, was at the bus stop when we were heading back. 
What are the odds of that happening?
It turns out he lives about 25 minutes from Sai Kung.

Had a good time, and appreciate Elder and Sister Rancie for offering to share their day with us.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Our 4th Sunday Opening At The Temple!

 Today was another Sunday Opening for the Hong Kong Temple, and our 4th opportunity to be a part of it.  It is a joy to see these beautiful sisters come to receive temple blessings
 and to serve them on the only day of the week they have available to do so.
We timed getting to the temple perfectly because Wilma was waiting, so we had an opportunity to catch a photo together before things got underway.  That doesn't happen very often.
She is one of our favorite sisters in the branch because of her caring way, and she does so much for others.  She is always willing to help either of us with whatever we ask, and does it with a smile.
She magnifies her calling (secretary to the branch president) so well, that our branch wouldn't function near as well without her.
President and Sister Page with several of our Island 1st Branch sisters who attended.
The Pages were given permission to assist today.
More of our favorite people.
 Minda, Riza, Lolita, Mary Grace, Alice, Julieta, Vee, Elder Bodily, Maribel, Lorna
Mary Grace, Minda, Julieta, Alice, Maribel, Lorna without Elder Bodily
 Pearly Rose and Avelina (Belle) are 'Cream of the Crop'
Catherine Concepcion
A remarkable woman who I get to serve in the temple with occasionally.
Might as well take a nap while we wait to get a photo with slow-poke, Sister Bodily.
Lolita, Wilma, Riza, Pearl, Julieta, Belle, Minda, Wan Phen, Catherine
 Finally!  Now, wake up and smile everyone.
This one is with Elder and Sister Rancie
Elder Chan taking the photo
This one is with Elder and Sister Powell
Catherine Concepcion taking the photo

This is only a handful of the many patrons and workers who were in the temple this afternoon.
The many hours of planning and organizing from Sisters Ball, Ngai, Lee and their husbands, the dedicated service of missionaries and special ordinance workers, and the attendance of those faithful women and men serving as proxies in this sacred work,
helped to bring a feeling of the Spirit in the Lord's House.
It has been a marvelous Sabbath Day!