January 21-27, 2013

Monday we took our usual trip to Wan Chai to take care of Branch business.  We made a quick stop at Prize Mart for a few goodies.  This is a shop which has some brands from the states like Kirtland.  We get our raisins, pop corn, candy, cookies etc. there.   We then hurried over to the MTR to catch the train to meet the other missionaries at the HK Botanical and Zoological Park.  Thinking we knew where we were going we came out of the station, stopped for a pizza at our favorite place, Paisano's,and then turned right on Queens Way.  After walking way pass the escalators and to the end of the street where it turned we finally decided we were headed in the wrong direction.  Turning back we retraced our steps and found we had turned the wrong way.  One block up was the road we were looking for.

 Well Hong Kong is on a hill and up up up we walked and finally we arrived at the back entrance of the park. We ran into an American family who took our picture and said they had just seen the rest of our group.

Beautiful fountain behind us

Missionaries coming through the tunnel to the monkey cages.

Sisters Victor, Clyde, Hoskins, Hathaway, Rhyasen, Chan, Lewis

Elders Victor, Rhyasen, Lewis, Chan, Hoskins, Hathaway

Harmony Gate

After looking around we made our way down the hill to the main street where we could catch a taxi to take us to a Mexican restaurant the Rhyasen's knew about.  Getting down was just about as hard as getting up.  The Mexican restaurant was wonderful.  They had a great buffet which we really enjoyed because we could have as much guacamole and chips and salsa as we liked.   We all split up after lunch, which was about 3 pm by then, and we walked back down the escalator to the MTR station and took the ferry back across the harbor and caught the shuttle home.  We had a really fun day.  We served with some awesome missionaries.

Elder Chan leaving the restaurant

This week in the temple we had a group of Mongolians come.  I believe we had six own endowments and several sealings of families.  They brought youth who spent a lot of time in the baptistery.  Paul was able to serve down there several times during the week.  I got to help with some initiatory for them and also served at the veil.
This was a great week for us at the veil.  We were able to do Cantonese together at the veil.  We think it is pretty remarkable.  Practice is making us better and we now have more opportunities to do it.

While Paul was waiting for me to come out of the temple he met a group of young men who had a school assignment from the International  School which they attend.  They were assigned to go visit a Church/religion which they did not know anything about.  Find out about it and come back and report to their class.  They are a fine group of YM.  Paul showed them over to the Mission Office where they spoke with Elder Jackson from the area office and were then introduced to the missionaries who were taking it from their.  On their way across the street they had an opportunity to meet Pres. Hawks, the HK Mission President.  He was hoping to get back in time to visit with them also.  Two of the YM are from Thailand, one from India and one from Korea.  Who knows how this may change their lives in the future.  

Saturday after the temple I went over to Wancahi building to meet a friend, Velma, we met several weeks ago at the Dr. Sun museum.  She has holiday, day off, on Saturday and attends that Branch.  We had a quick visit and then I headed home because I was meeting Sister Clyde for a night at the HK Philharmonic.  It turned out to be quite a treat.  It was Classical Broadway and featured Rodgers and Hammerstein music.  There were three vocalists from Broadway that sang the numbers.  We heard music from The King & I, State Fair, Showboat, The Sound of Music, Carousel, South Pacific, and Oklahoma.  What a fantastic evening.  

Sunday we had a great day at church.  We left the house around 11.  Helped in the kitchen with dinner, went to choir practice.  Sacrament meeting was great with talks on revelation and the temple.  We have such great teachers in SS and RS, they were very enjoyable.

After the block we had FHE, which we found out we, Elder Lewis and myself , were in charge so we huridly put together something on the temple and saying goodbye to two of our sweet sisters who are going to Canada to work.  It turned out really good and then we had a delicious dinner.  It was also our groups turn to clean the building so luckily we had lots of help and got that done.  

We have many opportunities to serve and grow here in HK.  We love serving the Lord in this way.  We have met many of His wonderful children who love Him.  They bless our lives by their great example.  Remember,  God loves you and so do we.

Michele Dean:  look at this, the African Violet is blooming!!!

Janaury 14-20, 2013

Monday we had a leisurely morning, not getting started too early.  Called the kids and talked with a few friends on the phone.  It was fun to catch up with everyone.  Just a quick update on the kids.

Kimberly spent last weekend in Pocatello with Courtney while their school dance team performed.  They were suppose to leave Friday at noon but it was a snow day and the roads were bad so they did not leave until 4 am Saturday morning.  They had a good performance but when it was time to come home the bus would not start so they had to wait for another one to come from Jerome to get them.  The girls got home about 9:30.  Kimberly and the other moms and dad who went got back about 6:30.  Gary spent the day dropping Kaylee off for snowboarding at Pomerell and keeping Mallorie and Brayden happy.

Kory and Katie spent the week on a cruise in the Bahamas.  They said it was soooo relaxing and fun.  The weather was great and they went snorkeling and just had a great time.  The boys also had a fun time at home with Grandma Nana (Deanna Golden).  Gage had strep for a few days so was pretty subdued and of course the other boys were good.  They also had a great week being pampered by Grandma.

Kelly is recovering from her foot surgery.  She finally got all the stitches out of her foot after 30 days.  She can now wear a shoe but her foot still swells when she is up on it.  Rob has been doing his best to be  Mom, Dad, and bottle washer to their three boys.  Robbie and Riley have been out of school and have been going to the Marv Jensen gym two or three days a week having fun playing games and swimming.  Brodie has had fun going to work with Dad.  I think he must have been in heaven being with Dad and Grandpa Meier all day and having them all to himself.  We love them all and are so very proud of their good choices.  They have all taken on the challenge of reading the D&C and attending the temple at least once every month this year.

We finally got out of the apartment about 11 and walked over to the Bank of China and did some grocery shopping.  I loaded Paul down with two heavy bags and he headed home.  I went on over to the fruit and vegetable market to get some more food.  After getting home we decided we were too tired to go out again so stayed in and watched a movie.

We had a wonderful week in the temple.  We had a group from Mongolia for the week and a couple from India.  We were able to do many of the ordinances with them and that was really a special experience.  I was able to use my Cantonese at the veil a couple of times.  Paul is using it all the time now.  The third week of the month the Island 2 Branches (these are the every day Branches which means they have church Tues, Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat.  These are the days the Filipino sisters get off)  They call it their holiday.  For most of them this is the only day they get off each week.  Well on the third week Elder & Sister Woolley and Walker bring as many as would like to come to the temple to do baptisms.  We were able to stay each day and help them in the baptistery. Then we stayed and helped with the 5:30 veil.   What a great experience.  Elder and Sister Woolley and Walker are wonderful people.  Their mission is to be Branch Presidents of these every day Branches of the church.  They have the regular 3 hour block every day and then like us on Sunday, they have Home Teaching one week, Visiting Teaching, FHE and enrichment activities.  It is really a special privilege to serve with these wonderful sisters.

Today is our five month mark.  We look back and can't believe how fast the time is going. The weather is still very nice and comfortable.  We feel like we know our way around pretty well and we are living within our budget and having a great time.

Friday we went to the TST and walked around and had lunch at Paisano's Pizza where we tried the salad and lazagne.  um um.

Saturday after getting home I took some dvd's back to the Victors.  After visiting for a few minutes we decided to go over and see Sister Clyde.  She was going to go down to the  Cultural Center and see if she could get tickets for the HK Philharmonic program that evening.  I decided to go with her since Paul was going to go to bed.  We ran into the Rhyasens and Whiteheads who had tickets.  It was called the "Antarctic Journey". They had pictures of Captain Scott's Journal which went along with the music.  An interesting evening.  Next week we are going to "The Golden Age of Broadway".  This venue is only about 15 minutes away and we can take the shuttle right to it plus we can usually get senior discout tickets.  We figure we had better take advantage of the culture while we can.

President Collins is back in town.  He went home to South Africa for the Christmas holidays.  It's good to have him back.  Two of our sisters are headed to Canada in the next couple of weeks and one is headed back to the Philippines to be with her husband and daughter.  We are happy for each of them.  It will be a great improvement in their lives.  We will miss them; they have been a big part of the Branch.

Yehlan, Lilia, 

Sister Lewis & Yehlan, headed for Canada

Claire (headed for Canada) & Sister Lewis

Marilyn (headed for home) & Sister Lewis

Mercy (gave a great talk in Church today) & Sister Lewis

Sister Lewis & Ayehla

Liingling (RS Pres) & Nova

Sister  Lewis & Nova

We have grown to love these wonderful Sisters.  They have taught so much about being grateful.  I especially love it when they say "we are so much grateful for....."

We encourage you to watch or read President Uchtdorf's talk to CES Devotional last week entitled "What is Truth".  It is on lds.org

http://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/ces-devotionals/2013/01?lang=eng

God knows and loves each of us.  We see His miracles all around us.  How blessed we are to have His restored church again upon the earth with all the ordinances and covenants necessary to return to His presence.  Let's be True and Faithful to those covenants so we may all sit down in heaven together.

January 7 - 13, 2012

We spent most of this week working on Branch Business, temple assignment to work with training materials, and Paul working on a talk for Sunday.  Our extra assignment at the temple is to help organize the temple training materials.  It has been a busy week. We have gone early in order to work on the computer and take care of some of the materials.

It was a pretty quiet week.  We went to Wanchai on Monday and walked around TST and had lunch at Paisanos, our new favorite pizza place except we had salad and lazagne this time.  We caught a bus and went out to Stanley again.  I wanted a vest which Sister Castleton found out there and we were able to find the store.  A beautiful ride out there on the bus.

Paul was invited to speak Sunday with the two full-time missionaries on Prophets.  All three did a good job.  Elder Bingham told a story of not being interested in serving a mission.  He became ill with a heart problem.  A good friend from his YM leaders came to visit him.  He gave him a blessing and encouraged him to start keeping Heavenly Father's commandments which he did.  He then decided Heavenly Father wanted him to serve and mission and he moved forward.

Elder Wu told of being a convert at 13, the only member in his family.  He always wanted to serve a mission but his mom was against it.  His parents are from mainland China but he grew up in New Zealand and did not speak Cantonese.  Long story short he took care of all his medical and dental and submitted his papers thinking that when his Mom took him to the airport he would say "goodbye, see you in two years".  However the call came in the mail while he was gone to visit some friends at the temple and his Mom opened the letter.  When she found out he would be going to Hong Kong and learning Cantonese she was happy.  Since being out her heart has softened and she is willing to have the missionary lessons when he returns home.  The Lord works in miraculous ways His wonders to perform.

Our shift this month at the the temple is to be dressed and ready to work by 8:45.  That means we leave home by 8:00.  We usually walk to the MTR (train station) where we catch the train and go two stops.  From there we walk to the temple which takes about 10 minutes.  The Hoskins have been taking the taxi since his accident with his foot.  Another two or three weeks and he should be good again.  Sister Victor has been having headaches.  She is always so up you can't tell unless she tells you.  Hopefully she will have a new grand baby any day now and that should ease up some of her stress.  The Rhyasens are starting to talk about going home.  Their year will be up in March and they have to buy their own way home.  The Hathaways have received their okay to go home for the wedding of their son in June so they have purchased their tickets.


Sunday was the Block and then Home Teaching followed by dinner.

The food line.  They are great cooks

The Jacinto family

 Christmas has been taken down and now everything looks like Valentines.  The malls do not miss a beat.  We have FHE in a few weeks and we are going to do it on the Five Love Languages.  It will fit right into the season.

Hope you have a wonderful week.  We are half-way into the month so you better get a date set to get to the temple before January 31st.  

December 30 -January 6, 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Monday we met up with some of the rest of our Temple couples and went to the Exhibits at Victoria Park.  Row after row of food, health food, teas, clothes, toys, etc.  booths.  Lots of free samples and it filled up quickly.  In no time you could hardly walk down the isles.

This was early.

The group before we split up.  

Some of our group  headed home.  The rest of us went to Sister Chow's apartment with her.  She is a trainer on Fridays and has been very good to us.  She has been helping me with my Cantonese.

We caught a bus and finally ended up at her apartment.  It takes her about an hour to get to the temple.  She has a lovely apartment with her husband.  She also has a son and he sometimes stays with her Mom who also lives in the same building or is at home.

Elder & Sister Chan singing a Chinese Primary song

Sister Chow joined the church when she was 13.  The only member in her family to join and she has been faithful all these years.

I went home and found Paul recovering.  Later that evening, it was New Year's Eve, we went out on the promenade to watch the fireworks and welcome in the new year.  We just got through the baracade to the waters edge before they closed it off.  This is where we found Sister Clyde who had come down to watch the fireworks.

The fireworks only lasted about 8 minutes.  Their big celebration will be in February for the lunar New Year.

Sunday was a great and long day.  Elder & Sister Chan invited us to go with them to visit some of the Chinese Wards.  Many of our local temple workers are in these wards.  We invited Elder Hoskins to join us.  He served here in Hong Kong 50 years ago and was excited to be out in the Wards.  We visited the Tsim Sha Tsui Ward and we did see several of our temple workers.

Elder Hoskins, Elder & Sister Chan and Elder Lewis outside the  Ward building.

We left after Sunday School and went immediately to our Branch.  Paul needs to be there for a 12:30 meeting.  This was Fast Sunday and we start at 2 pm  followed by Sunday School and Relief Society.
After the Block we had a potluck dinner.  It was delicious as usual.  It was also Mama Baby's birthday and she made some delicious food for us all.  We love these sisters.  They are so faithful and grateful for the gospel in their lives.  We are so blessed to be serving with them.  There are four couples assigned to this Branch.

Sisters preparing dinner

More kitchen helpers

Sister Rizza Amancio, our newest convert

Sister Parry, BemBem, Sister Lewis

This is a rice dessert soup

We are looking forward to a wonderful 2013 and wish you the same.