20 Years Ago Today!

This is the 20th Anniversary of the dedication of the Hong Kong Temple.  It has been a special day for me because of the following:

First,
Brother Choi shared a personal experience with me, that he had regarding his father.    When he returned from his mission in 1982, he was the only member in his family.  His father passed away five years later in 1987.  Because there was not a temple in Hong Kong at that time, Bro. Choi asked a friend of his, who was going to Taiwan and would be attending the temple there, if he would be baptized for his father.  His friend agreed, and Bro. Choi didn't think any more of it.
Sometime later Brother Choi  had a dream that he saw his father smiling at him.  It brought tears to Bro. Choi.  He woke with a wet face.
This happened again - each time waking up with a wet face.  He realized it was not just a dream.
He contacted his friend to find out that he had not done the baptism after all.
When the temple was dedicated on May 26, 1996,  it had been 9 years since Bro. Choi thought his father's baptism had been done.  He then arranged to be baptized for his father and complete his endowment in the Hong Kong Temple.   Brother Choi has not had that dream since.
Brother Choi's mother passed away a few years ago, and Sister Choi served as her proxy to complete her temple ordinances.

Second, I was proxy for an ancestor, Corinne Mae Faxon on the 20th anniversary of the Hong Kong Temple's dedication.

Third, I met three delightful women from New Zealand.  Dolly Keung from Hamilton
Kahu Gordon also from Hamilton, and Celia Hawea from Nelson.  When I told them my maternal great-grandmother was born in Rangiora, Canterbury, New Zealand, and I hope to go there with my husband someday to visit that area, Celia told me that Nelson is closer to that area, and graciously invited us to pay her a visit.
Maybe we'll see these ladies again when we finally take a trip to New Zealand.

It has been an extra special day!

New Friends From Mongolia!

Made a few more friends from Mongolia.

Lkhagvajargal Dalaichvluun (Jargal for short or Wednesday Happy)

She delivered a gift to Elder Bodily from Gumbold, our favorite Mongolian tour guide.

He sent a tie made in Mongolia.  Elder Bodily will proudly wear it.

Jargal was the only one in their group who could speak fluent English and was wonderful at translating for us.  It would have been more difficult without her.

Bayarmaa and Batsuuri received their own endowments, and then were sealed as a family with their 10 year old son, Davaajargal.

L to R:  Avarzed Lkhaajay, Davaajargal 10 yrs, Batsuuri Jadaamba

L to R: Bayarmaa Tsedendash, Baavar Namjilsuren, Me, Jargal (Wednesday Happy)

Wednesday Happy taught us three important words in Mongolian.

 'Sain Baiha uu', which means Hello!

'Bayarlalaa', which means Thank you!

'Bayartai', which means Goodbye! 

They have been here for nine days serving every day to perform the work needed to redeem the dead.

They are tremendously faithful saints, and a joy to have met.

Two Patient Thai Members!

This group is from Thailand, so as they arrive at the temple, 

we welcome them by saying, "So-wah-dee-kaw" with bowed heads.

The brother on the left and the sister in the red dress received their own endowment today. 

He has been serving as a counselor in their ward's bishopric.

 She is the Relief Society President in the ward, and has been a member for 10 years.

The sister on the far right is in the Stake R.S. Presidency.

Their ward's bishop is the tallest in the back row.

The brother next to him is his other counselor.

These two have been faithfully serving in leadership positions in their ward while patiently waiting for the day to come to the temple to make scared covenants with the Lord.

Their faces and the faces of those who came to support them,

 reflect their feelings for this long-awaited day.

Finding The Lost Tribes!

Elder and Sister Chan organized our Family Home Evening this month.
It was spent watching a video regarding the Lost Ten Tribes.

It was produced and narrated by a jewish man who has been interested in the prophecies that are found in the scriptures.
 He has done research regarding the lost tribes returning to Israel before Armagedan.
It was interesting!

We gathered at Chans for refreshments afterwards.
 The Ortons, James, and Chamberlains joined our group of temple missionaries.
We all think the more, the merrier!

Hong Kong District Conference and BYU Devotional

We stayed in Wan Chai after the District Conference to attend the BYU Devotional.

Shook hands with President Randy Funk and President Sam Wong

A Brother Ringer and his wife, Amy spoke first.

  Brother Ringer is the director of the Kennedy Center of BYU.

Savior Redeemer of My Soul was sung by the International Full-time missionaries.  It was powerful!

Then Sister Peggy Worthen, the wife of BYU's president spoke.  She bore testimony that our Heavenly Father is aware of us, of our sacrifices, and our services.

She had an angel - Brother Larsen.  He would say, 'let me hold your baby.  Sister Worthen, this will be worth it'!  That very moment changed her whole perspective, and she went to church from then on.  She knew Heavenly Father was aware of her.

President Kevin Worthen said that none of us are in Hong Kong by accident.  We each have something important to do.  We have to build the Kingdom of God wherever we are.

Sure glad we stayed, and of course, we took a few photos afterwards.

Brother and Sister Ho attend the temple regularly.  In fact, Bro. Ho serves as an ordinance worker.

He is a great guy, and a generous one too.  He often asks Elder Bodily for assistance.

Brother and Sister Ho with their daughter, Ashley.

She is such a talented young woman.  She designed the logo for the Youth Conference that was held at the beginning of May.  She also designs some of the ties for her father's business.

She is a beautiful artist, and hopes to go to school in New York or BYU.  She will soon be going to Finland for an internship.

Standing on the same stair landing we did 3 months ago with all the other temple and Asia Area Missionaries.  Much more elbow room this time.

Newlyweds From Guanzhou

Brother and Sister Hennessy.

Cecil Bisahan Lomongo Hennessy came to the temple today for the first time with this fine man whom she married last October.

I was privileged to assist her as she prepared to receive her Temple Endowment.

The Guangzhou Branch were here to support her on this special day.

Esperanza is the beautiful lady with the red purse.
I explained to her that Esperanza was the name given me in the Spanish Classes I took in high school.
That was only 43 years ago.
Este mui bueno dias para nosotros!

Six Languages At Once!

It was remarkable having patrons from Thailand, Indonesia, India, Mongolia, and Hong Kong* all in the same Endowment Session. With English speakers attending as well, we had six languages being listened to.  When that happens, half of the headsets are used if the session is full, and its marvelous to see.  We are grateful for the technology that makes this possible.

Sister Luk Returns!

So grateful that Sister Luk is back.  It has been four months since her accident, in which she was hit by a truck. Angels had to be watching over her.  She is not fully recovered, but feels well enough to work in the temple again.  She has been missed.

Saying Goodbye To The Lees!

Everyone agrees that the buffet in the Salisbury Room at the YMCA is a great place for lunch because the food is very good and the price is very reasonable, and the atmosphere is nice.

So it seems the perfect place to have a farewell lunch for Elder and Sister Lee.

None of us expected to be saying goodbye to them after only serving here for 9 months.

 But, since they have been issued the call to serve as the next Hong Kong Temple President and Matron by an apostle of the Lord, it is requiring them to return to their home in Dallas to prepare for their return to Hong Kong in November when they will begin serving for three more years.

The next time Elder and Sister Lee come to Hong Kong, we will be gone.

Sure going to miss this dedicated couple.

Our fabulous group of dedicated sisters.
Standing LtoR:Sisters Yuen, Tsang, Wong, Poon, Cheng, Lee, Hui, and Ngai
Sitting: Sisters Chan, Pun, Hathaway, and Bodily

Our handsome group of elders and temple presidency.

Standing LtoR: Pres. Hui, Bro. Pun, Elders Lee, Hathaway, and Ngai

Sitting:  Pres. Wong, Elders Chan, Rancie, and Bodily

Enjoyed sitting with The Ngais and Elder Rancie

Elder Rancie received a message during lunch informing him of the birth of his newest granddaughter, Matilda.  Congratulations to him and Rae and their family!

Present Hong Kong Temple President and Matron with 

Future President and Matron

In the short time we have served with E/S Lee, we have come to know them well enough to know they are both caring people,

 and they will serve faithfully and with all their heart and devotion to the Lord.

FHE In Wan Chai!

Our FHE was spent with the Asia Area Missionaries this month.

Sister Carma Brown planned the evening which included a delicious meal of Taco Soup followed by a showcase of talented missionaries, and a sing-a-long with the entire group.

Sister Brown has directed and produced plays internationally.

She is one talented lady, and quite thoughtful too.

 We sang along with John Denver, Whitney Houston, Josh Groban, and Neil Diamond
THE TALENT SHOW INCLUDED:

A Lesson in Family History

Turns out Elder Towers is his own grandpa.

Poetry with a smile by Elder Chandler

A little more serious poetry with Elder Macbeth

Theatrical Poetry with Elder Brown

 Ukrainian Song by Sister Macbeth,
taught to her by her Ukrainian grandmother.

'The Funniest Things Kids Say',  by Sister Kendall,

 who is a retired School Administrator

 Maggie and Jiggs by Sister Towers

The Finale performed by The Aardvarks 

aka: E/S Orton & E/S Chamberlain

Narrated by Sister Roberts

Hathaways, Ngais, and Bodily's represented the Temple Missionaries

It was fun to see the talents of some of our senior missionaries here in Hong Kong, some of which made us laugh hysterically. 

Thank you, Carma for all your time and effort in organizing an enjoyable FHE.

Thank you to the missionaries who were brave enough to perform for those of us who wouldn't be caught dead on a stage.

And, thank you to all others who contributed in any way at all.

Guess Who Is Having A Birthday?

If you guessed Rees, you are right.

This calls for celebrating to our delight.

Its his ninth birthday today,

So we are sending birthday wishes his way.

Happy Birthday to one of our favorite warriors.

We sure love you,

Grandpa and Grandma B

Regional Conference!

There are 24,000 members of the Church in Hong Kong and 57,000 in Taiwan.
A Regional Conference for Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan was held today,
 and was broadcast from SLC.
 President Brad Hilam presided on the 6th Floor. 

 Our branch's choir was asked to sing the opening hymn for those who were meeting in the 6th Floor Chapel.  Estrell was our chorister, and Lani our accompanist. 

 They chose the beautiful hymn, 'Our Savior's Love'.  

Even though President Hilam, Elder Orton, Bro. Benji, and Elder Mongroban and his new companion were out numbered by sopranos, they came through with their strong male voices. 

 I think we sounded like angels.

Rehearsal before the meeting began.

Elder and Sister James are exceptional missionaries.

Wena is being a little camera shy.

Wilma Galcon is the executive secretary for the Island 1st Branch

A calling not typically given to women, but because of the lack of Priesthood holders 

in the Hong Kong District, exceptions are made.

She is remarkable, and if she is ever released, it will be hard to fill her shoes.

This sweet lady is Carol Collins and hales from Scotland.
She brings sunshine wherever she is.
Even though she and her husband have lived in Hong Kong for a good many years,
she still speaks with a charming brogue.

Elder Gong was released as the Asia Area President a few months ago, and then called to serve in the  Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy.  He conducted the meeting.
Our meetings are extra special when the speakers are those we have met personally.

Sister Marriott from the General YW spoke to us.  She is always delightful to listen to.  And, Elder Robert Gay.   Elder Russell M. Ballard, of the Quorum of the Twelve, was the concluding speaker.
We got to shake Elder Ballard's hand when we attended Sacrament Meeting in the Joseph Smith Memorial Bldg. just before coming to Hong Kong.  That was a bonus to our missionary training.

Met Ou Ying in the Baptistry!

We had a very nice young woman from Guangzhou come to the temple today to perform baptisms.  Her name is Ou Ying, and her English is excellent.  We learned that was the result of her living in the United Kingdom for awhile to further her education.  The school she attended taught American English.  It was while living there that she was introduced to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and was baptized 1 1/2 years ago.
Elder Bodily will tell you the baptistry is one of his favorite places to be in the temple.  Especially since he has learned that ordinance in Cantonese.
However, when I am assigned to help in the baptistry, I am a little reluctant because there is often a language barrier with the Mandarin speakers.  But this time I was able to assist Sister Ou easily.  I was grateful for this assignment today.

Taught By Thai!

Sister Prung Pupho is 85 and joined the church 1 year ago.

I had the privilege of serving her in Initiatory.

She brought tears to my eyes because of her humility, and her effort to express gratitude for the blessings she was receiving.  I loved her immediately.

She uses a wheelchair, but made the effort to stand for our photo together.

Wanlapa Kaenka (Ari), Wanphen Butara, Samran, and Duanphen

Wanphen speaks not only Thai, but Cantonese and English

We're lucky enough to be in the same branch with these beautiful women.

Metini Thipsantia (Ang), Pakhaphon Kanwid (Tiw), Prapaporn Chuangchaichana (Pui)

Sister Kanwid received her own endowment this week.
She is such a sweetheart. 

Tiw taught me how to correctly pronounce a few helpful phrases in Thai.
Such as Num Sa Goon Ah-ly-kaw - Please tell me your name
Cup coon kaw - Thank you
Kow-toe-kaw - Sorry
So-wah-di-kaaw - Hello
Ho-num - Toilet

Ang gave us a satin covered elephant and a coconut trinket box as a gift.

Loved serving these beautiful sisters this past week in the temple.

The Nelapatis Are Newlyweds!

Kiran Nelapati and Sidharthi Chadda are from New Delhi, India. 

 Sidharthi came dressed with numerous bangles.  They are part of the traditional Indian wedding attire, and are to be worn in an certain pattern.

Brother and Sister Nelapati

Brother Nelapati was the missionary who taught the Chadda family the gospel 3 years ago.
They were married a few days ago before coming to be sealed in the temple.
Sidharthi received her own endowment yesterday.

BYU Women's Volleyball Fireside!

The BYU Women's Volleyball team is traveling throughout China,

and lucky for us, Hong Kong is one of their stops.

Some of team made a point of coming to the temple,

in addition to putting on a fireside tonight.

 Sister Cram and Sister Howard attended the temple yesterday,

 and I was lucky enough to assist them.

Sister Neeley's husband is Coach Olmstead's assistant coach.

Amy was one of the speakers at the fireside, and beautifully shared her testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

She is 6'4"

Never dreamed we would get to meet Elder Matthew O. Richardson.  When he was called to serve in the General Sunday School Presidency back in 2009, he was interviewed and then it was printed in the Church News. Something he said in that interview, made an impact on our lives, and

 caused us to realize the need to change our attitude about living in Wyoming.

We began to trust more in the Lord and became happier as a result.

We owe him our gratitude, and it was a tender mercy that we had the opportunity to tell him so.

It may not look it here, but Elder Bodily is a tall man.  Brother Lewis is a giant of a man.

Most of the group there tonight wearing their gift from the team.

  I was standing to Sister Richardson's right.

I had met her in the temple the day before, not realizing she was the wife of a special man in our life.

Elder Richardson is now the Advancement Vice President at BYU.  He and his wife, Lisa accompany the teams from BYU when they travel.  Sounds like so much fun.

It would have been easy to head home after a full day of Church meetings and classes,

but sure glad we chose otherwise.

Mother's Day!

Mother's Day was spent putting this beautiful paper flowers on our wall.

They came in the mail this week from each of our children and grandchildren.

Thank you, Lyndsay for doing this.

I also Skyped with our children before going on to church.

Kristin and her family sang a sweet song to wish me a Happy Mother's Day.

Elder William and his beautiful wife attended our branch, and we were lucky enough to sit with them during the dinner afterwards, which was prepared and served by the Hong Kong District YW & YM.

Marigold gave me a pretty pink flower that will last forever.

Her name fits her perfectly because she is always looks happy, and has a heart of gold.

We Are The Same Age!

The sister on my right is the same age as I.  I believe gray hair doesn't creep in on the Asian people at the same age as those of us of English decent.
 She promises to prepare a delicious meal if we come to see her in Thailand.
Why didn't we think to get her name and address?

Spring Fitness Festival

The Hong Kong District Relief Society held a Spring Fitness Festival in an effort to encourage healthy living.  It included a 5K run/walk, a great motivational speaker, some prizes, Zumba and Yoga routines from each the branches in the district, and ended with a light healthy lunch.

Elder Bodily was even going to give it a go, until he saw he was the only guy around.

So, he headed home.

It started off with some proper stretching before the race.

Sister Ford was cheering us on.

 Our Sister Missionaries were cheering too.

Juliet & Alma making the most of all the fun.

Turns out a few of us made a wrong turn and didn't quite get in the entire 5 kilometers,

which I thought it odd that we, as in the walking participators, beat the serious runners.

Island 1st had great rhythm. 

 I'd give them my vote for the best moves.

The International Branch deserve the award for the best swingers.

Island 2nd was led by Sister Whitman.  

I've been told she became a Zumba instructor at the age of 50.

She's a go-get-her!

The award for most versatile goes to them.

Sister Whitman has a way of making us laugh.

Yoga with Victoria 2nd

Actually, they were my favorite and should get the award for most relaxed and soothing.

Posed with our Hong Kong District R.S. President,

Stacilee Ford

Our Island 1st Gals

Sister Orton and Bodily blended right in.

Time to say goodbye, 

recommitted to eating a little better, exercising a little more, and finding balance in life.

Thank you to our District R.S. Presidency for planning a worthwhile activity on a day that we senior missionaries could participate in.