42 Years Ago!

It never ceases to amaze me how we have days when 

someone we haven't seen for years shows up unexpectedly.

Today was one of those days.

Nina Hansen

As I sat at the front of the ordinance room waiting for the session to begin, in walked a woman who looked very familiar to me.  She reminded me of Nina Hansen, and my mind immediately went back 42 years to when she and I participated in Kimberly Second Ward's Mutual Talent Show.
We sang, One Tin Soldier together and she accompanied us with her guitar.
Then I thought, since I haven't seen her for over 40 years, it is amazing that I could even recall her name.  I also thought, the odds of two girls from the small town of Twin Falls, Idaho being in Hong Kong on the same day in the same place are not good.
But, I planned on introducing myself after the session anyways, which I did.
I asked her where she was from and she said Utah.  Yep!  I was mistaken.  But, for some reason I asked her if she would mind telling me her name.
  When she said Nina, I realized I was not mistaken after all.
I obviously have changed in appearance much more than she, because she didn't recognize me at all.
In the few minutes we had to spend,
I learned that she has lived in Utah since going off to college,
 and no longer thinks of Idaho as where she is from.
She has two children and has been living in Cedar City, Utah teaching at Southern Utah University.
She is now living in China teaching English along with other BYU alumni.
She had come to Hong Kong to attend the International Women's Conference.
She was even scheduled to play her cello for this conference.
She told me she loves playing the cello every opportunity she can.

She and I had both moved from Twin Falls before our senior year.  She moved to Kimberly and I  went to Hansen, but at that time, the two towns made one ward.

When I told Elder Bodily about recognizing an old classmate from high school that day, but someone he wouldn't know, he immediately said,
"I remember her.  She was that red-head who could play softball."
Wow!

I wish we had had more time to catch up, but it was fun to at least have a moment to see an old acquaintance, and right here in the Hong Kong Temple of all places.

 Nina is living in Asia while we are assigned to serve as missionaries in Asia.   She came to the Hong Kong Temple while we are serving here in the temple.   The only temple session she attended today was the one that my husband and I were assigned to, otherwise, I probably wouldn't have seen her.   These could all be considered coincidences.  But, our prophet has told us there is no such thing as coincidence, and I believe that.
I am grateful to the Lord for days like this.