FHE With E/S Pack!

Elder and Sister Pack invited us to the theater room for FHE.
They planned for us all to play THE UNGAME!
This game has sentimental value to them.  It was a game they played on their first date.

Playing the UNGAME required 

moving the chairs into separate groups

and mixing us up.

Sister Pack made certain Elders Bodily, Rancie, and Lee played by the rules.

Elder Pack joined Sisters Roberts, Brown, James so they probably followed the rules too.

Our team came close to playing by the rule of not talking until our turn,

 but it was a challenge.

E/S Pack generously gave each couple their own UNGAME.

This was a good way of getting to know our fellow missionaries more personally. 

Thank you Elder and Sister Pack for an enjoyable evening.

Chinese Court Dancing!

We continue to discover something new with Chinese culture. 

 This time it was Chinese Court Dancing at the Kwai Tsing Theatre in the New Territories.

It wasn't until the performance was over that we spotted Elder and Sister Smith near the front.

The Ancient Chinese Court Dances were entertaining,

and we had great seats right in the center.

 I especially enjoyed seeing the costumes.

The dancers are so agile and graceful.

My personal favorite was The Victory Dance.

However, Elder Bodily's was the Hagen Das Ice cream before the show.

We got lucky and escaped the theater before the crowd got to the exit.

This allowed us to get to the taxi stand before the line began to form.

Sure glad we did.  

Instead of another 45 minutes standing in a crowded train,

 we had a comfortable 14 minute taxi ride to get home.

Lion Rock Together!

We had a day free to go exploring.

We chose to go hike the Lion Rock Trail.  This time it was Elder Bodily leading the way because it was his second time on this trail and my first.

Once we got off the train and walked what seemed like a mile up a steep road to get to the trail head,

we started seeing monkeys and this one was hanging around.

Mama and her baby not too far away.

Mama must still be nursing her young one.

One minute these two were tenderly embraced.

The next minute they were fighting like siblings sometimes do.

Its kind of fun to watch them.  

A man offered his walking stick before we reached the trailhead.  At first I thought how considerate of him, but not necessary.  I ate my words later on.  It was very helpful in maneuvering around rocks and up and down the steep steps along the way.  

I would sure like to thank him again.

In my opinion, this trail was the most strenuous we have taken.

Elder Bodily will say we haven't taken any strenuous trails yet.

After an uphill climb almost the entire way, we made it to the summit; all 495meters.

Elder Bodily knew of a short cut for getting back down.  It required carefully climbing over rocks, and I paid for that short cut the next day with sore muscles.

As we made our descent, we saw this broom just hanging from a tree.  Seemed kind of odd.

The city behind us can hardly be seen.

We had hoped for a clearer day, but the temperature was ideal for the occasion.

One of the last things we saw before we headed back to the MTR,

was this community garden in Lion Rock Park.

It looks like it is well maintained, and such a great idea.

It took us 3 hours and 9 minutes to go 2.69 miles to the end of the trail.

Only 1 hour longer than it took Elder Bodily on his first hike.  

I know I slow him down, but that is only because he has longer legs than I, and more stamina.

He doesn't complain though and asks me to keep coming along.

My least favorite part was the steep paved road we walked to get to the trailhead.

Elder Bodily's least favorite was the crowded train ride to get to the paved road.

I think we should just take a taxi next time to get to that trailhead!

Today's Miracle!

Enkhbayar and Bolorsaikhan Gansuhk  and their daughter, Anu are from Mongolia. 

 They were sealed as a family today, but only because of a miracle.

They arrived at the temple on Tuesday, after a 33 hour train ride with their
two-year old daughter and Enkhbayar's mother and sister.  Traveling on a train for that amount of time with a two year old can be a challenge, to say the least.
 After attending an endowment session, Bolorsaikhan felt impressed to mention to President Wong he had been married before in the temple, but was divorced 5 years ago.
When President asked if he had documentation of the sealing cancellation, he said no.  He did not know that his civil divorce did not cancel his temple sealing, and he had not been told by his Stake President that documentation was needed.  President Wong immediately contacted Bolorsaikhan's stake president, only to learn that he too, didn't know of the requirement for the First Presidency to approve a temple divorce, and he had not seen this situation before.
  Bare in mind, the Church is young in Mongolia.
Imagine how disappointed these two were to be told that getting a temple divorce takes months to get approved, and unless a miracle happened, they would not be able to be sealed after all.
 They were in tears.

President Wong then contacted the Temple Department, who then in turn contacted the First Presidency.  Pres. Wong was instructed to interview Bolorsaikhan again with more detailed questions, and then contact the Temple Department ASAP, still with no assurance that something would be decided before they were to go back to Mongolia in two days.  Several e-mails were sent back and forth throughout the day and night over this.  Finally, Thursday morning at 3:00am in Hong Kong, Brother Choi, the Temple Recorder who had stayed awake all night, received  a message from the Temple Department stating that the First Presidency had given approval to go forward with the Gansukh's sealing.  He hesitated to call President Wong at such an early hour, but because of the urgency, he did, and Pres. Wong said it was not a problem because he too, had been awake all night thinking about this family.
 He could hardly wait until 7:00am to tell Bro, and Sis. Gansuhk the good news.
That afternoon, they were sealed as a family, and Enkhbayar and Enkhsaikhan were sealed to their mother, Namchin and their deceased father.  Enkhsaikhan bore her testimony that she felt her father beside her during the sealing.  He had passed away while she was on a mission for the church.
Miracles happened and it was quite a special day here for all who witnessed it.

Important comments President Wong shared regarding this day:

President Wong's son had an occasion to personally visit with President Thomas S. Monson.  During that visit, he asked him what was the most difficult thing he had to do as President of the Church?  Without hesitation, President Monson said, 'To cancel temple sealings.  It takes months, sometimes a year to make that decision'.

President Wong was touched by Brother Choi's concern and his going the extra mile to help.  He even drove to the temple from his home in the early morning to get information about which room this couple was in, so that Pres. Wong could inform them as soon as possible of the good news.
He was touched by the Temple Department putting in extra hours to help the Gansukhs.
Most importantly, he was touched by our loving Heavenly Father's compassion for
Enkhbayar and Bolorsaikhan.

We are touched by President Wong's love and concern and his efforts to bring a miracle.

Sister Lolo taking a selfie of Enkhbayar and Bolorsaikhan, her sister Enkhsaikhan Gansukh 

and myself.

There is lots to smile about today.

Thank You, Sister Whitman!

Thanks to Sister Whitman, we now have one of those 

'This Is Where Our Mission Is In The World' photos.

This world map is on the 10th floor of the CAB.
(Any guesses on what CAB stands for?)

Hathaways Are Back!

Elder and Sister Hathaway are from Northern California, and are returning for a second time as temple missionaries here.

They were here just two years ago, and are quite familiar with the Hong Kong Temple, the area, and even the apartments here at Harbourfront. 

Elder Hathaway actually served here as a young missionary in the 60's. 

Elder and Sister Hathaway

President and Sister Wong drove them from the airport

 and wasted no time in assisting with the luggage,

Probably because their flight was delayed, and it was after 10pm before they arrived.

They were good enough to stay long enough for a photo before saying goodnight!

Introductions and hugs.

OR

 

 Introductions and handshakes

 Elder Bodily recruited a photographer. 

 Didn't get his name, but he reminded us of Tom Brighten.

The Welcoming Committee. 

E/S Chan, Pres/S Wong, E/S Hathaway, E Rancie, E/S Ngai, E/S Bodily, S Chan, E/S Lee

We are missing Sister Rancie while she is away to Australia.

 There is always pushing the cart to the other end of the building, because the main elevators, which are closer, are not allowed for any type of unloading or deliveries.  Hmmm!

  Gets a little cozy in tight quarters, but they're helpful guys.

Had a few laughs and

stuck around until almost midnight getting better acquainted.

They plan on attending Island 1st Branch with us tomorrow. 

Luckily for them,  the meetings don't start until 1:30.

Hope E/S Hathaway get some sleep after such a long day and night.

A Gentle Handshake!

When we left for the temple this morning, we had no idea that an apostle of the Lord was going to enter these temple doors today.  President Wong hadn't said anything about it, but we learned that was because he didn't know until just this morning that Elder Gary E. Stevenson and Elder Gerrit W. Gong were coming to meet with him.  You can imagine all of us wondering when or if we would see them, and if they would be attending a session, and who would be the officiator, and so on.   As it turned out, they came only long enough to briefly visit with President Wong in his office.  Then he escorted them to the Celestial Room, and a short time later, they went outside to get a picture standing in front of the temple with President Wong.  We are approaching the 20th Anniversary since the Hong Kong Temple was dedicated, and Elder Stevenson requested to have a photo of the temple and it's current president to show President Monson next week.  I expect we may see this photo in an upcoming issue of the Church News.
It is believed that these general authorities shook very few hands while quickly visiting.  I guess the stars were shining down on Sister Ngai and myself today, because as we stood by the elevator, Elders Stevenson and Gong came to the 4th floor and shook our hand.  May I just say that Elder Stevenson has a gentle handshake, and even though I stood near him for just a moment, I sensed his gentle countenance.  It was a thrill to have an apostle address me by my name. 
 I actually look at what happened today as a 'tender mercy' from the Lord.  It has been a good day, and I am grateful.

Sister Bodily

Dragon Back!

Today was our P-day, and we accepted Elder and Sister Rancie's invitation to go with them to hike Dragon Back.

The weather forecast said 0% chance of rain and cooler temperatures.

Perfect conditions for hiking.

We need to find a better forecaster because

we got soaked. 

 But, that just added all the more to our adventure.

Made it to the top of Dragon Back Ridge, but not without losing my footing a couple of times on the trail, because it was slippery and steep.

Didn't hurt anything, but my clothes are going to need a good washing.

There is such a good view of the coastline looking from all directions. 

Hope to get to see it on a clear and sunny day.

We decided to go on into the village of Shek O nearby, to get warmed up with a cup of hot chocolate,

 and noticed this sign close to where we waited for the bus.

 It pointed the direction to Deity Beach.
It was a shame to see it in such bad condition.

 It didn't feel right for something regarding Deity to be so neglected.

 Don't remember the name of this beach, but it wasn't Deity Beach.
Shek O appears to be a rather exclusive community.
It is the location of a beautiful golf course and country club.
From the top of Dragon Back several gorgeous estates can be seen, but none were located where we could get up close to snap a photo.
The photos below are of homes we walked past in the village.

Notice the tangerine bush set out and red on the doors for good luck.

This was another and the most westernized home we had seen.

This one is possibly the most colorful home.

Shek O seems to be a village that is clean and well cared for.
 The streets were quiet, and not many businesses were opened.  We assume because the New Year is still be observed.  We finally found this restaurant opened.  They didn't have hot chocolate, 

but they did offer pretty good fried noodles.

Getting ready to head back, but not before getting a shot of these two with their Tilly hats.

They claim to be the finest in the world.

It was a marvelous day with the Rancies,  and we refused to let the rain put a damper on things.

Made it back in time for Sister Rancie to get ready for her flight to go back to Brisbane to be with her daughter as she recovers from surgery.

We are hoping all goes well!

Missed A Special Baptism!

It was a special day for our beautiful Brynn today.

She was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

 We thought of her throughout the day, and are so happy for her.

We sure are proud of her.

Brynn wearing the white dress her mom made special for her.

Brynn was baptized by her oldest brother, Ryan, and confirmed by her dad.
 Ryan just turned sixteen in December and was ordained a priest.
So proud of him and Brad.

The fact that Brynn asked her brother to baptize her reminded us of when Meagan turned 8, and asked us if it was okay for her brother to baptize her.  Brad had also recently had his 16th birthday,
 and was newly ordained a priest.
Now 23 years later, Brad has witnessed his own son experiencing what he did for his younger sister.

We are grateful that our son and grandson are worthy to use the priesthood they hold.

 Thank you, Lyndsay for sending these photos.
Thank you, Dad/Grandpa Stanger for filling in for us while we are away on this mission.
We love you!

Metropolis For Dim Sum?

Dim Sum is a style of Cantonese cuisine prepared as small bite-sized portions of food traditionally served in steamer baskets, and everyone shares.  In the U.S. we call that Family-style.
Some of the most common dishes you'll find on the menu are Char Siu Bao (steamed buns with bbq pork) and almost everyone likes those.  Lo Mai Gai (sticky rice and meat wrapped in lotus leaves).  Fung Jeow (chicken feet), no thank you.  Gow Gee (pan-fried Chinese dumpling).  Spring Rolls, Rice Noodles, and one of our favorites, Har Gau (translucent shrimp dumplings).

Dim Sum means, Touch the Heart.

Our hearts have been touched for a couple of reasons.

The first is because this is the day our granddaughter is getting baptized,  and our thoughts have been of her.

The second is that our fellow missionaries have touched our hearts with their dependability and assistance on Statutory Holidays, we wanted to treat them to dim sum as a way of saying, 'thank you'.

We have been pleased each of the three times we have eaten Dim Sum, but have been under the impression that those places were the only place to go for good dim sum and for a reasonable price.

We have just discovered that may not be true.

For lack of time and want for convenience, we decided with the Rancies to meet up with the Lees at the Metropolis after we finished our shift at the temple.   It is on our way home and just across the road from our apartments.   The Lees had an earlier shift and had agreed to scout out a place for us, even if we had to settle for something other than dim sum.  They narrowed it down to two possible restaurants to consider.  We chose the less crowded place, all the while wondering just exactly why is it less crowded, but taking a chance.

Surprisingly, we had a nice view of the harbor and our apartment windows.  As it turned out, the food was very satisfying and not as costly as The Star of Canton in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Our only disappointment was they were out of fried dumplings, and a couple of other choices.  But, then again, afternoon was almost over.

It is helpful to have someone in the group who reads and speaks Cantonese.

Thank you, Sister Lee for filling out the menu for all of us.

Thank you to the Lees for steering us in the right direction.

This was much better than going the opposite direction to Sha Tin.

The only reason we could come up with as to why this place was not as busy,

was because it is at the opposite end from the food court and away from the other restaurants.

Next time someone is in the mood for Dim Sum, the Metropolis Harbourview Chinese Cuisine will be strongly considered since its right in our backyard.

Brynn Is The Birthday Girl!

Brynn is our granddaughter whose birthday is today.

We would give her a hug and kiss if we weren't so far away.

She is a sweetheart who we miss getting hugs from.

But, when our mission is over, we'll be sure to give her some.

She has reached that special birthday when she is turning eight.

So she is getting baptized on Saturday, isn't that great?

It is her big brother, Ryan who will stand in the font with her,

Feeling warm and something special inside, I am sure.

We are so happy for you Brynn, and proud of you too.

We love you and miss you greatly, the way grandparents do.

Remembering A Birthday On This Statutory Holiday!

Today first and foremost, is the 86th birthday of Elder Bodily's mother.
I guess you could say we celebrated by taking care of the coordinating for
 the 5th Statutory Holiday we have had responsibility for.
We weren't sure what the turnout would be since it is the 3rd day of the Chinese New Year.  As it turned out, there were more than 110 patrons, who were primarily the Filipino sisters and very few men.  However, we did have a few locals, and two sisters came to receive their own endowment.  That always makes the day extra special.

Wilma Galcon and Lota Directo are both in our branch, and it was good to have them there today. Sister Galcon has been set apart as a special ordinance worker, and she is always so dependable and helpful.

We can say the same about Sister Directo too.

We took a minute or two, to get a photo before getting on our way.

Sister Chan and her infectious smile.  She does a superb job of keeping the Baptistry running smoothly, and assisting the sisters who come to the temple for the first time. 

We sure appreciated Sister Rancie.  She was well organized as the Initiatory Coordinator.

Couldn't pass up the chance to get a photo of her in her walking shoes.  She walks to and from the temple almost every time, no matter what the weather may be. 

She sets a good example for the rest of us.

It has been a good day at the temple, as it always is.

We hope it has been a happy and special day for Mom Bodily.

We will personally give her a kiss and hug on her next birthday!

An Invitation To The Eleventh Floor!

We received this invitation to join Elder and Sister Funk with the other missionaries for a dinner and fireworks at their home on the eleventh floor of the Area Office Building in Wan Chai.

It is all in celebration of Chinese New Year.

Their invitation cleverly illustrates this is

 The Year of the Monkey

The dinner was held on the 7th floor in the RS Room,

and was nicely decorated with cherry blossom floral arrangements and Chinese wall hangings.

The tables were beautifully set, complete with place cards.

An array of delicious food was served.
Sister Coffey's Jalapeño Cream Corn was a hit with everyone.

I would like to have had some of everything, but my plate wasn't large enough.

  We brought Coconut Blondies for dessert.

English cream cake, cinnamon rolls, and chocolate bundt cake were among the choices,
and of course, peanuts because the Chinese love those.

The most beautiful was a fruit tray created by Sister James, which even included the head of a swan.
Sister Funk was so impressed that she held it up for all to see.

We were seated with the Macbeths, Towers, Whitmans, and Ortons.

President Wong looked dapper in his Mandarin collared jacket.

Elder Bodily and Elder Towers thoroughly enjoy sharing hunting stories.

Sisters Coffey and Macbeth in their beautiful almost identical Chinese tunics.

Sister Funk explaining her gift to each of us, which had been wrapped around our napkins.

Elder Bodily's has a jade monkey attached to represent the

Year of the Monkey.  Sister Bodily's has gold coins to represent prosperity.

Elder Sam Wong telling of Chinese traditions.

The first day of the Chinese New Year is spent visiting the paternal parents, the second day is for visiting the maternal parents, with no arguing allowed.  

The third is to visit others and arguing is allowed.

Sister Funk gave each table an object to come up with a parable for,
and then share it with the group.
Elder Chamberlain and the Parable of the Flashlight.

Sister Pack and the Parable of the Glasses.

Elder and Sister Brown and the Parable of the Glove.

Sister Smith and the Parable of the Umbrella.

Elder Macbeth was spokesman for our group.

The Parable of the Spoon.

My personal favorite.

Our group included Elder & Sister Funk and Elder & Sister Sam Wong and Pres. & Sister Patrick Wong along with the Macbeths, Roberts, Smiths, Ortons, Browns, Towers, Us, Lees, Chamberlains, Whitmans, Packs, Coffeys, Edwards, James, Rancies, Chans, Nora Chan. The Carringtons and friends of the Chans were the only guests who are not missionaries.

The Ngais and the Holbrooks were the only missionaries unable to attend.

  Sister Wong and Sister James

Two wonderful women I have had the pleasure of serving with.

This is what fireworks looks like from the eleventh floor on Gloucester Road.

It was a great view, and the weather was ideal for watching, 

and it wasn't crowded like the streets below.

The display went off constantly for over 20 minutes.

If you used your imagination, some even looked like monkeys.

An opportunity to have President Wong take our photo while standing on the balcony of a general authority's residence with fireworks going off behind us in Hong Kong. 

 Quite an unexpected experience.

It surprised us when Sister Funk offered to give us a personal tour of their apartment while we waited for the fireworks to begin, and of course, we were all for it.

There is nothing ostentatious about their home.  It is not spacious, but more than adequate, and simply decorated with pictures of family and reminders of the Lord Jesus Christ.
 Most importantly, a home where the Spirit is felt.
Sister Funk pointed out a beautiful piece of artwork of a lotus flower hanging on their wall
 that reminds her of the temple and the purity of women.
This was one of the most special moments of the evening for us.
Getting a hug from Sister Funk as we said goodnight and expressed our thanks
was nice too.

Our mission here brings opportunities we didn't foresee, but are so grateful for.
Just being around these faithful servants of the Lord, is a privilege and an added bonus to the blessings we daily receive here on our mission.