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 

January 27 - February 2, 2014

Our new Motto       Live to Learn, Live to Love, Live to Serve

Monday evening we had FHE at our home.  We had a delicious dinner.  Rosalyn Warner had a turkey breast waiting to be cooked so she brought the meat and gravy.  Sue brought dressing, Val brought mashed potatoes, Ann brought salad and I furnished the veggies and brownies and ice cream.  Great dinner.  We also invited President & Sister Wan and it was so nice to have them with us.  President Wan is really doing well.  He has been to the temple the last couple of days.

Our activity was for each of us to share something from a previous mission.  The Wan's first served in Taiwan as FH specialists.  After 3 month they were called to also be a counselor in the temple presidency.  They finished out their 2 year mission doing both.  They returned to Washington and were ready to go on another mission.  They called President Aki and he asked them to move back to HK and he would call them to serve in the temple.  They did and were called to replace Elder & Sister Wilson who were returning from and so they served here as 2nd Counselor and Assistant to matron.

Elder Castleton, Warner, Sister Victor, Sister Wan, President Wan

While serving on the first mission he came across a book which had his ancestory in it and was about to find 78 generations.

The Victors served first at a boys ranch in Utah,
then when they built a girls ranch they served another two years there.  From there they served at temple square and then at the girls camp about a couple hours away for two years.

The Castletons first served here in HK as public relations missionaries. From there they went to Montreal where they served in the office.  After being home for three months they were called as Chicago Temple President and Matron.  One month after leaving that calling they arrived in HK to serve as temple missionaries.  They said after the first mission, just a couple of months, their kids were asking when they were going again.  They missed the blessings they had received while they served.

The Salmons spent two years teaching English in China with the Kennedy Group from BYU.  After finishing there they served in the West Indies and then received their call here in HK.  They love the Chinese people.

The Warners served with the Conference Center program.  There they were able to attend all the wonderful events held in the conference center.  They also served in the Ogden Temple for six years.  Elder Warner served here in HK as a young missionary and has loved being back.

Paul and I served in Palmyra, NY in the temple for 1 1/2 years, then to Croatia/Slovenia/Serbia serving in CES and now in HK.  We love to see the lives of the people we have met continue to move toward the Savior.  That is why we all serve.  We love Heavenly Father and realize we are all His children and He loves all of us and our job is to help them know Him again.

Lewis, Wan, Salmon, Warner, Victor, Castleton

This week is Chinese New Year starting Thursday through next Tuesday.  The temple is open just Tuesday and Wednesday so we all go in both days.  They were not expecting us so we did not have a specific assignment.  I started out as an initiatory patron.  Sister Salmon practiced her Mandarin and Sister Lin was practicing her English.  It was a wonderful experience.  The sister's we did the work for were born in 800's and 600's.

 Is that not special?  We stopped after one sheet because we had a new endowment.  Sister Victor, Salm0o and I were able to help Sritala Thonglor, from Thailand.  She was here with her husband of one month to be sealed.  They both went on the 11 o'clock session.  Elder Lewis and I were able to be their escorts.  After the session we were able to attend their sealing which was performed by Brother Chan (previous mission president).  What a great day.  I ran up and changed my clothes and met the Praphun Jaikhome family on the ground floor and took some pictures of them.

Praphun Jaikhome & Sritala Thonglor  Sealed today in HK Temple from Thailand

Thursday, first day of Chinese New Year, Year of the Horse, the temple missionaries took the Victors and us out to Sai Kung again for lunch.  What a beautiful day, the weather was so great and it is very beautiful out there.  However we did miss the dragon dance and opera.  Not on this day.  We went on a hike and then were treated to a wonderful lunch.  What great people to serve with.

The tree wishing you prosperity

Map of Sai Kung

View from the top of the mountain

View of the Bay

Friday I spent the day with Velma and Amai.  Elder Lewis stayed home and read, worked on his talk and prepared his lesson.  I met the girls in Wan Chai at 8:30.  We were headed for Victoria Park to walk thru the flower display.  We got there and it looked like it was not open so we went to find some food.  Almost everything was closed, just like they said for the first day of the Chinese New Year.  We ended up at McDonalds.  We then went back to the park and found out it was finished the day before.  Sooooo sad.  I remember it being very beautiful last year.

From there we headed to Hong Kong Park.  We had been there once but obviously missed the most beautiful parts of the park.  They have a conservatory with beautiful flowers, some gorgeous water falls and just a lovely place.

Velma and Amai at Ding Ding stop

Looking down on the Pacific Mall entrance

Velma and I

Amai and Velma under the waterfall

Velma and me with the beautiful orchids

We stopped to say hello to Velma's sister-in-law and friends.  This is where they spend their holiday on a walkway by a parking lot on a piece of cardboard.  They bring food and play games, sleep, eat.  

After leaving the park we went back to Wan Chai where we attended Sacrament meeting.  The Harringtons spoke.  We then stayed for FHE where we had a short lesson and then played fruit basket and "I love ______" after which we had a fine dinner.

We separated around 7 pm and I caught the ferry for the parade.  I ran into Pres. & Sister Wilson and followed them to the entrance where I found my seat.  Paul had gone down around 4:15 and was hanging out until we could get in.  It was a fun parade.

Sister and Elder Sullivan, they arranged organizing the tickets for us.  They are public relations.

Elder & Sister Lasson

Elder Aardema, they had to sit separate

Sister Aardema

Sister & Elder Salmon

Elder & Sister Watkins

Saturday morning Velma and Amai came over for breakfast.  They left around 11 and we went to the store and then relaxed the rest of the evening until the fireworks at 8pm.  Elder Warner went down and saved us a nice place on the grass.  Great view of the fireworks from our apartment area.

Lots of boats on the water to watch the fireworks which are set off over Victoria Harbour

The same ship taken earlier in the evening when you could actually see by Sister Castleton.

Sunday was Fast Sunday.  We were especially fasting for Bro. & Sister Chan, she is a temple worker.  Her husband was in a truck accident in China which killed two people.  He is  in jail.  It was just a freak accident.  He transports goods back and forth.  The truck was not properly loaded and fell off crushing a car.  So very sad.  Also fasting and praying for moisture in California, Utah and Idaho, and for Mar Jean Pollock for her surgery and Edwina.  We know God hears and answers our prayers.

The Victors were released from their callings, Primary and YM President and the Crocketts were called to replace them.  Had a fun Primary class with everyone back this week.  Always wonderful to be with our Pen 3 Branch.  Elder Lewis has been texting his HT and Gospel Doctrine class people and many of them appreciate his timely messages.  He has also been calling on their birthdays.  They are going to miss him.

Paul &  Lynette

Carol Collins, Rowena Jacinto, & me

Kitchen helpers, Quennie, Vilma and Rona

MJ & Yessie

MJ & Velma

President John Collins, MJ, Carol Collins

Lindzy & MJ

Rona and MJ

We had a wonderful potluck dinner, so many yummy dishes.  It was our turn to help clean and we had lots of good helpers from our group and everyone.  It was a great week and we are now ready to get back to the temple.

Motto:  Live to learn, Live to Love, Live to Serve

Hope you are ready for us, we will be home soon.  Both sad and happy.