February 3 - 9, 2014

Monday was the last day of the Chinese New Year.  We spent it with our Peninsula 3 Branch members.  Many had the day off.  We watched three movies, "Greek Wedding"  "Mr. Penguin" and "Maid in Manhattan".  

The little girls watched "Ice Age 2" on the computer.  They enjoyed it.

Mar Jean & Paul with Eunice

Mar Jean, Janet, Patrick and Paul

Paul carrying all our things to the Church.  We were taking some pillows for the girls and for the Jacintos to take home with them.  Sloppy Joe mix in the blue container and more things from the apartment to get rid of.  The Senior couples were in charge of the food for lunch.  We decided on sloppy joes, macaroni salad, fruit and vegetables with dip and ended up with some great caramel cookies and ice cream.

We left the Branch about 4, just in time to go to the temple where the Temple Presidency had prepared a wonderful Chinese dinner and later shared some of the Chinese traditional patterns and what they mean.  

President and Sister Wong.  The jacket she is wearing has many of the patterns on it that we learned about.

Steven Lee, recorder, Sister Lee ordinance worker

President and Sister Yuen, 1st Counselor and Assistant Matron

President and Sister Hui, 2nd Counselor and Assistant to the Matron

Elder & Sister Shum, waiting for a visa to Taiwan 

Our delicious dinner

Patterns of peonies, bat, knots, lotus flower

The bat is the same pronunciation as the words "happiness" and "wealth".  Ancient coins can get rid of the evils and it also is a symbol of wealth.  Adding flowers show good wishes.  The peony means queen of the flowers and a flower with nobel character.  The endless knot is a symbol of longevity. Clouds , flowing, moving, round and floating indicate auspiciousness.  

Helen, daughter Bianca and Ricky.  Helen is the temple secretary

Tuesday we switched our service in the temple with the Warners and so we planned to go in at 2pm.  I woke up early and remembered that Rowena, Lingling, Vilma and Eunice were coming to the temple to do a session.  Paul had to go to Wan Chai for the Branch business so I got up and went to meet the girls.  It was a wonderful session and so happy I was able to be in the temple with them probably for the last time.  

I left immediately and headed for TST where we were meeting Brother Choi, and Victors and Paul for lunch.  I, of course, got lost coming out of the subway station, asked many people each sending me in a different direction.  I finally got someone who knew what they were talking about and found the group.  They had to wait about 15 minutes for me.  We went to a place called Hiphot.  We weren't sure at first but it turned out to be great fun.  Each place has a hotplate where they bring you the base for a soup.  You then go around and gather what you want to put into it.  You cook your meat, vegetables, etc in it and then they have these great sauces to put on it.  

All of us 

Went straight from lunch to the temple with Brother Choi. Paul and I did the 4 pm session and then I ended up going on the 7:30 session with an own endowment from China.   Three sessions in one day, very nice. 

Wednesday we were off.   We left around 8:15 and took the big rug out to the Jacintos.  Surprised them, they had just gotten up.  Tried out the movie box and it worked fine.  The girls were very excited.  

Came back and went to see Jack Ryan. Came home  stopping at the cartridge store to pick up a new cartridge and then rested up.  I was very tired and grumpy.  

Today in the temple I was in the celestial room as the session ended.  President Wong came in and said to me "miracles happen here in the celestial room.   Watch that couple.  Yesterday they were here and wanted a divorce.  Today they are sitting together reading from the scriptures."   What a wonderful place to serve.  Today the Victors brought a yummy chocolate cake for the lunch room. What a wonderful thing it has been to serve with them in the temple and in the Branch.  We have blessed by their kindness and love. 

Saturday after the temple we took the MTR out to President Collins home where we enjoyed a wonderful evening with the Senior Couples who serve in the Peninsula 3 Branch.  The Victors, Watkins, Dodsons, and Crocketts.   Sister Collins made two delicious soups for us.  One onion and the other carrot coriander with rolls and French bread.  She finished it off with strawberry pie.  We then played a fun game "Heads UP" off of their iphone. 

Thought this was a cute picture of everyone waiting for the shuttle at the hotel

Carol and John Collins 

 Sunday was the last Sunday for the Victors.  Here we are with the Primary.

Yessie, Shannon, Lisa, Sue and Delsa
Gillian, Megan, Michelle,  and Nathan

Primary workers:  Lisa, Yessie, Sue, Mar Jean and Delsa

Nila and Ron Dodson, Area Humanitarian Missionaries

Paul Sequeria

My visiting teachers, Yessie and Taeia 

Ellen

Janet and Sister Wong, our great cooks

Shannon, just turning 11 on the 11th of February, our great pianist for Sacrament meeting

Sister Missionaries, Sister Serreno and Sister Dequilla from the Philippines 

Madel, new RS counselor, a returned missionary with a non member boy friend.  

Paul and I spoke in Church on Sunday, our goodbye talk.  I spoke on temple and family and Paul spoke on  the temple blessings.  "I cannot do everything but I will not refuse to do the some thing that I can do".  Live to learn, live to love and live to serve. He taught his last Gospel Doctrine class. Sister Collins was called to be the teacher and will start next week.  I will teach my primary class next week and Sister Collins will also take over the programs.  We are about finished up.  Elder Lewis is turning his clerk calling over to Elder Dodson.  

We received a very nice note from President Collins.

Dear Sister & Elder Lewis,

Many thank's for the pictures, definitely going into the family and friends album.

We have been so blessed to have both of you in our Branch and in our lives. You both have been great examples of the ideals the Savior sets for service, caring, dedication and how to love unconditionally. 

We will miss you terribly and I know that there will be a void spiritually and temporally that we will not be able to fill to the same degree. We are better people for knowing you both and hopefully we can build on this and try to be more like you.

Personally, Elder Lewis you have been a great example of Priesthood service and what a good Priesthood holder should be like and how he should behave. I'm in awe of you and all that you have achieved. Sister Lewis what a sweet spirit you have and we all felt of it and befitted from it every time we met with you as you seemed to bring a calm into a room when you entered. You just quietly went on serving and caring and doing all you could without even being asked and I've not met many people who can do that. 

Thank you for your service to our Branch members and for the many things you did and the many things you did that I don't know about. Your desire to serve the Lord as Senior Missionaries has been a great example to Carol and I and has inspired us to be better prepared to serve the Lord when the call comes. 

We are just so glad you enjoyed the evening and are just sorry we couldn't have had more of these but with Carol being away so much It was always difficult and I doubt any food or deserts I would have prepared on my own would have been given any rave reviews.

We will definitely let you know when we are coming over to pick up our son and really appreciate your offer to send him anything he needs and the offer of accommodation when we get there. It will be wonderful to see you after you are home a while and will make reliving memories of your stay in HK even more sweet for us all.

Please let us know if there is anything we can do for you also in the future. We will still be here at least till end of 2015 and would be happy if there was something we could do or get for you from HK or China. 

God Bless you both as you travel back home and prepare yourselves for whatever the Lord has in store for you.

Love

John and Carol