Woolly Mammoths, Monkeys, and Mice

January 25 (Monday)

Today is Sawyer's birthday. He turned 8. He's getting ready to be baptised. We're so proud of him and the decisions he has made.

Another day to venture out. The temperature has warmed up a bit, but the locals still complain how bitterly cold it is. Personally, I was very comfortable. I love that I'm not dripping with perspiration any more.

Storefront Celebrating the coming of the Year of the Monkey.

Monkeys and Firecrackers

We came across this little shop that sold mammoth tusk carved art. Very interesting. Very expensive. I thought mammoths were extinct, so where do they get all the tusks from?

This lovely little piece of art was priced at $40,000.00 HKD.

Small pieces start at about $15,000 HKD.

January 26 (Tuesday)

Another Burton birthday...Happy Birthday Parker...13 an official teenager. He's smart. He's cute. He has the girls chasing him. But he doesn't let it get to him. He's pretty cool.

Came across these two little cuties on our way home today.

January 27 (Wednesday)

Nora took me shopping after our shift. I felt like I needed some more clothes after my closet was raided last year when family was here visiting. It's a good excuse. She has this favorite place to go buy clothes at wholesale prices. Then John and I went out to Ladies Market. It was pretty crowded but it's always fun to look around.

I love Mickey and Minnie!

3D shirts...so adorable!

January 28 (Thursday)

Happy 18th Birthday to our little Emmy Bun! Well she's not so little any more. She is our first grandchild and will be graduating this June. Ah...where does time go? It seemed like only yesterday...

This was missionary week at the Temple. A lot of Elders and Sisters came throughout the week. John  was working at the Recommend Desk when Elder Love came in. Unfortunately, with so many people coming in, he didn't really have time to chat with him.

Some of the young Sister Missionaries serving in Hong Kong. They all speak Cantonese.

January 29 (Friday)

Yikes! The alarm didn't go off! John happened to wake up and it was 7:10 and we were supposed to be at the Temple by 7:45! We quickly got ready, rushed out to catch a cab thinking it would be faster than the MTR. It was raining, and cabs are extra busy with longer waits on rainy days. Anyways we did manage to get to the Temple by 8:00, only 15 minutes late. I had a legitimate excuse for a really bad hair day.

Today President Wong wanted all the Temple missionaries in for the early shift. About 67  teachers who are teaching English came for 2 special sessions at the Temple. It was a very busy morning.

We came home right after, had some supper, then went to bed around 8:30. What? That's unheard of...


January 30 (Saturday)

We're never in bed before midnight. However, we had a special mission to accomplish. Since this will probably be our only time to participate in Chinese New Years in Hong Kong, we thought we'd make the sacrifice of going to stand in line for special tickets to sit in the special viewing gallery at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Piazza along Victoria Harbour for the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade. It was suggested that we get there by 2:00 a.m. to get good seats. We got up at 2:00 and arrived at 3:00 and were the 13th and 14th persons in line. By 4:00 a.m. the line had grown by a whopping 2 people. Guess we could have slept for another 2 hours. Anyways, by 8:00 when the ticket office opened, we couldn't see the end of the line as it wrapped around the block. These seats better be good. They're in section A and gives us the privilege to see the opening ceremonies. The parade is supposed to stop in front of section A and put on a special performance.

3:00 a.m. 13th in line. 

4:00 a.m. Still awake. 

5:00 a.m. Starting to get to me. 

6:00 a.m. How much longer?

7:00 a.m. I'm so done.

Each person was allowed to purchase 4 tickets each. So between John and myself we could get 8 tickets, but we actually needed 9 for our missionary group. We struck up a conversation with the young man in front of us, and found out he was just buying 2 tickets for an elderly couple. He said he would gladly get 1 more ticket for us. He was a really nice guy, and after the ticket transaction was finished, I told John to give him one of our "business" cards which has the Temple and church contact information. I thought he'd be a really good member of the Church. I asked him if he had a business card for us. He reached into his wallet and pulled out a card...and showed it to me...it was his temple recommend! Small world. I should have guessed he was LDS.

James Man was his name. He had lived in Edmonton for a short time but returned to Hong Kong and is in investments. When we told him we lived in Lethbridge, he mentioned that he had gone to a concert and the singer was from Lethbridge. Did we know him? A...ya...our son-in-law, Wayne Burton. Every day the world seems to be getting smaller and smaller.

We got home before 9:00 a.m. and I was just about to have a nap, but the cleaning lady showed up, so we left to get groceries. Came home to a clean apartment, then had a much needed nap. Then went for a walk along the promenade. It was a beautiful warm evening.

From Christmas to New Years... 

Same buildings...just different celebrations.

January 31 (Sunday)

It was the Jacinto's family last day in our branch today. Next week they will be attending a family ward. We will certainly miss them. Their 3 girls will definitely leave a void in our primary and young women's program. We will now only have 2 primary girls. And by March, Michelle and her mom will also be moving into the family ward, leaving us with only 1 primary girl. The Jacinto's had been in the branch since the branch was first formed. It was very difficult for them to leave.

Megan, Michelle, Me, Gillian - I'm gonna miss these girls!

MaryBelle, she's one tough cookie. Sister Coffey lending support.

Deck the Halls with Red and Gold, Chinese New Year to Unfold...

January 18 (Monday)

With Christmas and New Years done, we now look forward to the next celebration...Chinese New Years...and what a celebration that will be, especially here in Hong Kong. Already, the city is decked out with red lanterns, lions, monkeys, firecrackers, endless posters, red envelopes, red decorations, and pretty much anything red, to welcome in the Year of the Monkey.

Red and Gold, Gold and Red...the colours of Chinese New Year

John and I decided to get into the spirit of Chinese New Years so we went shopping for some decorations for our apartment. So much to choose from.

Meet our pet lions: Mini Foo and Dim Sum named after Auntie Betty's 2 dogs.

January 19 (Tuesday)

Today I was privileged to meet a wonderful Cambodian family. The husband was a missionary there many years ago. He returned to Cambodia many times and finally married a beautiful Cambodian girl. They soon had a little girl. Today, the family came to the temple to be sealed for time and eternity. What a touching ceremony. I was assigned to look after their baby girl for a bit. She fell asleep in my arms. When it was time for the sealing, I carried her to the alter. She was still asleep as I placed her tiny hand on her parents hands as the sealing was pronounced. Such a touching eternal moment. Memories flooded back into my mind of the day that John and I knelt across the alter and had our son Rylan sealed to us almost 40 years ago. This little primary song about eternal families says it all.

    "Families can be together forever,
     In Heavenly Father's plan.
     I always want to be
     With my own Family,
     And the Lord has shown me how I can.
     The Lord has shown me how I can."


January 20 (Wednesday)

The final bounce...The Ball's left this morning around 7:00 a.m. It will seem different without them. I'm excited to meet up with them in Boise when we go there in June. It was our OAD so we went to semi clean their apartment since it is one of our assignments to prepare the apartment for the next set of missionaries. Elder and Sister Hathaway will be arriving on Feb. 20 to replace the Balls. They are from California.

John and Elder Lee had a meeting at Wan Chai, so June and I decided to go shopping while they were in their meeting. I had told June about the New Years decorations I had picked up, so she wanted to go to the market and check it out. After the meeting, we all went out for dinner. Can't be out and not eat!

Looks more impressive than it tastes...googlie shrimp eyes starring you in the face...sorry, can't do it!

January 21 (Thursday)

I didn't have a good sleep last night. Of course, that's not uncommon. I haven't been sleeping well since we've been in HK. I guess I miss my own bed. Hence, I was so tired at work today. When I got home, I just crashed and had a 2 hour nap. Woke up. Made supper. Then went to the Ball's apartment since the Lee's wanted to pick through some of the stuff that was left behind. We ended up just visiting there till 11:00. We decided that we would claim the foam mattress. Hope it will help me sleep better.


January 22 (Friday)

Sure glad we got the foam mattress. I had a very comfortable, uninterrupted sleep. Hope this is the beginning of good sleeps from now on.


January 23 (Saturday)

I guess I spoke too soon. Had a terrible sleep last night. Tossed and turned and turned and tossed. We had the early shift at the Temple and had to be up at 5:00 to start work at 6:30. AHH! Had a hard time staying focused. Glad we were off at 1:00 and I came home for a nice long nap.


January 24 (Sunday)

Everyone was talking about how dreadfully cold it was. Winter parkas, scarves wrapped abound their neck, and boots and gloves...you'd think they were experiencing a Canadian winter. There wasn't even any snow, just an occasional sprinkle of rain. The temperature was about 45F. I had to chuckle. I did wear a light wool jacket to church, but took it off when I got there. Everyone else kept their coats on and shivered through the meeting. As with most buildings in HK, they have no central heating, since it rarely gets cold enough to warrant it. I must admit however, this week was the first time that I did feel the chill in the air, after all, it is winter.

Note: I had more pictures on my camera but for some reason they will not download onto my computer. Kind of a slow week anyways. Not much to show.

It's Been a "BALL"!

January 11 (Monday)

We went to the office of the Lee Clansmen Association in Causeway Bay in hopes of finding some information about our Lee genealogy. Unfortunately, it appears that this association isn't so much about genealogy, but more of a social club. Some of the more prominent members include Li Kai Shing, a real estate mogul and multi millionaire; and Lee Kum Kee who made his millions by selling his world wide famous sauces that carry his name. I guess our best bet to get accurate records is to go back to the original family village for the actual record books.

Our new favorite place...final dinner out with the Ball's.

 Another farewell dinner for the Ball's. We went to Nomad's Mongolian BBQ. It was wonderful! It puts our Mongolian Grill back home to shame. Not only did they have an abundance of choices of noodles, rice, vegetables, meats, sauces, and seasonings to be grilled, but they also had a salad bar of seafood and hot foods and soup. Then you could also make your own pizza! Even though we were stuffed, June and I made a pizza to share. It was magnificent. To top things off, they also had a dessert bar. And just in case you were still hungry, you could go back as many times as you want for whatever you want. Great place...we'll have to go there again. Ambiance: 9, Food: 10, Service: 9 Value: 9. Overall ****  Just a bit pricey $50.00 CAD, only $35.00 USD. The Canadian dollar is killing us!

Pick your own ingredients.

Soup and Salad Bar

Seafood...See Food...Seafood Bar

Round 3 of shrimp and clams!

So much to choose from.

You pick it...they cook it...

Mongolian style grill served in your own personal wok.

The Last Supper...well, not quite.

January 12 (Tuesday)

Today's Chuckle: I hate it when I gain 10 pounds for a role and then realize I'm not even an actor. I exercised once, but I found out I was allergic to it. My skin flushed and my heart raced. I got sweaty and short of breath. Very dangerous. Well, that's my excuse anyways.


January 13 (Wednesday)

After we finished our shift at the Temple, we went over to patron housing where our Mongolian friends were staying. We wanted to get some pictures with them. Some had gone out shopping, so we missed not getting everyone. I can't express the connection we felt with these wonderful people. There were also 2 Chinese sisters, one from Beijing and one from Macau.

Some of our Mongolian friends in patron housing.

Tsatsral and her daughter Maralgoo, and other sister whose name I don't know.

So sweet...Maralgoo

Sister Undraa - She was always so jolly.

Sister Esther Cai from Beijing and Sister Ana Choi from Macau

January 14 (Thursday)

Another farewell gathering for the Balls. Since we are one of the few who have a slightly larger apartment, everyone met here. Shirley had arranged the gathering. Besides the Temple missionaries, she also invited the Orton's and Powell's. The Powell's will also be heading home at the end of the month. Elder Orton is the mission doctor.

A gift from MaryAnn, signed copies of her book, The Eden Covenant Series 

Sister Orton 2nd on left, Elder Orton on right.

Rae Rancie, Elder and Sister Powell mission ends at end of January.

January 15 (Friday)

OAD. We went for dim sum with the Rancie's. It's been raining all day. Came home and made some rosettes for the the final farewell party for the Ball's at the temple tomorrow.

Thought from President Monson:

"God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt.

God gave man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation."


January 16 (Saturday)

Today we had the farewell luncheon for Elder Gaylon Ball and Sister MaryAnn Ball. They go home on Wednesday. The Balls were our trainers. Ever since our first skype meeting, pre-missionary, we have had a growing friendship, one that will last forever. They showed us the ropes. Took us by our hands and lovingly guided us until it was time to cut the apron strings and set us on our way. We loved hanging out with them and all the wonderful places they took us to. Thanks for a great 7 months together. It's been a "BALL!"

It's been a Ball...actually, two Balls!

Today was also Sister Yuen's celebration luncheon as she retires as an employee at the Temple. She has worked there for 18 years, plus serving as Assistant to the Matron, Sister Wong for the past 2+ years. She will continue in that position till their release at the end of October.

The Temple Presidency with Senior Missionaries and Office Staff
L-R: Rancie, Ngai, Chan, Hui,Yuen, Wong, Ball, Bodily, Lee, Bro. Choi, Sis. Chan, Sis. Yu and daughter

I love this group of sisters: Rae Rancie, Sis. Hui, Deborah Bodily, Sis. Yuen, Nora Chan, Judy Chan, Shirley Ngai,
 June Lee, Sis. Wong, MaryAnn Ball, and Sis. Chan

January 17 (Sunday)

Another special Sunday opening at the Temple. What joy it is to have the Filipino sisters come to the Temple on this special day set aside just for them. Such a strong spirit there and many tears of gratitude. A bitter sweet day for the Balls as this was their last Temple assignment. Sister Ball had worked endless hour coordinating this event. She has developed a template for those who will take over to make it as effortless as possible, which is impossible. It will always require a lot of effort because of all the minute details involved. But we did it and all went well and run very smoothly.

Just a handful of the 140 Filipino sisters that attended the special Sunday opening.

Everyone Has a Story - Struggles, Faith, Sacrifice, and Miracles

January 4 (Monday)

After staying up till 3:00 a.m. surfing the net, I thought I'd be able to sleep in with Monday being p-day. Nope. That little auto alarm clock inside woke me up at 8:00. Having a lazy day. Went out to get a few groceries.

At 6:00 we had a meeting with Sister Mendoza and Sister Ng to meet with Phoenix and Constance. It was good to see them. Constance has come a long way since our first meeting. He still doesn't talk much, but you can see him contemplating and in deep thought. He has some very thought provoking questions. We can tell he is very intelligent by the way he reads the scriptures.  Phoenix didn't participate in the discussion today. She still has some serious mental issues, that unless she gets them resolved, I'm afraid there will be little progress. Constance was struggling with the concept of the apostasy. Being Catholic, I can see why this would be a struggle for him. We hope he will do his reading assignment and pray to know if what he is being taught is true. He will continue meeting with the Sister Missionaries next week.

After our meeting, we took the Sisters out to dinner at the Japanese restaurant in Hung Hom. It was nice to get to know them. Sister Ng is half Chinese and half caucasian, though you don't see any asian in her. She's from Washington, and has only been here for 3 weeks. Sister Mendoza's father was a minister, but left his church in search of something better. After investigating the LDS church, and praying about it in faith, he knew that it was the true church of Jesus Christ and so became a member. Interesting, everyone has a story to tell.

Sister Mendoza from the Philipines and Sister Ng from Washington

January 5 (Tuesday)

Overall, just another day. The lull before the storm...?


January 6 (Wednesday)

We knew it would be busy today because a bus full of members from Mongolia came in yesterday. It's always so exciting to have new people come to the Temple. The spirit was overwhelming as there were 15 new endowments! The sacrifice that these saints make to get to the temple is so humbling. It reminds us not to take being so close to a temple for granted. For some of them, this may be the only time in their life time, that they will be able to make such a trip.

It's hard to express the feeling one gets from participating in temple work. Suffice it to say, one must just experience it to know what I'm talking about. It was a most fulfilling day. These Mongolian people are amazing. Though there is a language barrier, the language of love need not be verbalized. We'll get to enjoy their company all week. I hope we will have an opportunity to get some photos with them before they leave.


January 7 (Thursday)

Another busy day with the Mongolians. It is so rewarding to be able to work with them. They are so excited to be at the Temple. One sister could hardly contain herself with the excitement of doing temple work for her mother, grandmother, and husband's mother, as we played charades trying to figure out what she was trying to tell me. To see their joy and excitement was so refreshing from our normal day to day routine. Oh, the stories that they will tell and the memories that they are making will be passed on to their families.

I felt exhausted after this busy day and actually went to bed early. It was nice to get a good nights sleep.


January 8 (Friday)

Nothing much to report today, so thought I would share this miraculous story with you. Enjoy.

Chun Chen was just a little boy, not yet four years old, when his parents took him to a playground.
He wandered off and found an arcade where people put coins in machines and played video games. He was mesmerized, but suddenly he realized his parents had disappeared. His tears brought people who tried to help him, offering him food and comfort. 

They asked him many questions, but his parents had carefully taught him that he should never talk to strangers. Eventually a kind couple took him to a police station where there were more questions he would not answer. After a day or two he was taken to an orphanage where he would remain until he was sixteen.

His frantic parents looked everywhere for him. When they went to the police they were told that their son had probably been kidnapped, a common occurrence in 1990 in Taipei, Taiwan. They shed many tears as the years slowly passed.

The boy was given a new name, Chun Chen, and he gradually learned to live the highly regimented life at the orphanage; wake up at 6 a.m., eat at 6:30, then shower, change clothes, go to school, return at 4:30, dinner at 6, homework at 7, to bed at 9 and asleep by 10. He went to church on Saturday to play basketball and on Sunday to study the Holy Bible.

Now serving in the California San Jose Mission, Elder Chen said, "Although it (the orphanage) was run by a Christian church, it felt like a prison. There were about 70 children, ranging in age from toddler to junior high school. Bullying was rampant and I was often the target."

As he grew older and focused on his homework he earned little prizes for good grades, but the other children were jealous and the bullying increased.

"Even the teachers bullied us. I think the orphanage couldn't afford good teachers so they hired anyone who was available," Elder Chen recalled. "About the fifth grade I began to grow taller and stronger and soon I defended myself. They left me alone, but, sad to say, I became a bully myself. I thought this was the way the world works, use violence."

He called this the dark period of his life. By the time he finished junior high school he was impatient to leave and the orphanage was happy to see him go. He lived with a friend for a while, but was soon on his own. Several years passed and he gradually realized he wanted a better life.

One day he happened upon a church and decided to go inside, but the doors were locked. As he was turning to leave, two Mormon missionaries came riding up on their bikes. He asked them if they played basketball. They did. Soon he was learning about their religion and meeting new friends.

"The members of this church were so different. They didn't ask me who I was or even my status," Elder Chen said. "They were friendly, happy and treated me as though we were family. The darkness in my life began to lift."

The missionaries asked one of the women in the congregation to help teach him the lessons. Sister Houng invited them to her home and often cooked delicious food for them.

One day she said to Elder Chen, "I feel like I've seen you before. You are familiar." She asked him many questions, but he didn't want anyone to know he grew up in an orphanage so he fabricated his answers. Then she wept as she told him about her lost son. She felt he was her son and pleaded with him to go with her to have their DNA tested.

"We went together and they took a small sample of our hair and swabbed our mouths," Elder Chen said. "After two weeks we were told that we are a 99 percent match. I truly am her lost son!"

Chuen Chen reunited with his Mother after 12 years of separation.

The Church had brought them together. He met his family: an older brother, a younger sister and a younger brother. His mother was elated. She told him that she had saved all his clothes and toys but had finally given up hope about five years before and had thrown everything away. After all those mournful years she thanked the Lord for this miracle.

He learned that she had come to Taipei, Taiwan, as a young woman to find employment. She got a job working for a dentist and they fell in love and got married. Soon thereafter they joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. His father died before Elder Chen found his family.

When he first met the missionaries and learned about the Church, he had many questions. Because of his mother's faith and their miraculous reunion, he gained a testimony and was baptized in September 2011. His mother wanted him to learn English so she sent him to the United States.

Elder Chen serving in the California San Jose Mission

Elder Chen, now 28, serves as a full-time missionary. Although missionary life reflects the regimentation of the orphanage, he no longer feels lost. Through serving the Lord, he has found that charity is the pure love of Christ and he loves serving his fellow beings as well as his family members. Doing this has helped him have a greater love for both his family and the people he serves. He is happy and eager to share the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

(From LDS Church News by Lila Bringhurst - May 2015)


January 9 (Saturday)

7:45 - 2:00: baptisms, confirmations, initiatory, endowments, sealings...another busy, fulfilling day at the Temple.  Home for a nap and an easy night of doing nothing.


January 10 (Sunday)

Today was Elder and Sister Ball's last Sunday at church before their mission ends. As with all missionaries, this is a time of mixed feelings, excited to be going home to family, but sad to say good-bye to all the wonderful people you're leaving behind. We'll have dinner with them tomorrow, then another farewell gathering on Thursday with other missionaries, and Saturday will be their farewell at the Temple. Next Sunday will be their last temple assignment as we have the special quarterly Sunday Temple Opening. Wednesday following they will be on their way home. Thanks for being our trainers and all you have taught us. Thanks for your testimonies and friendship. See you in Boise!

The Ball's Farewell Branch Meal

Happy New Year...Happy New Beginnings...

December 28 (Monday)

Christine started her own church hence the name on her license plate.

It has been nice having Christine's chauffeur this past week. By the way, his name is Kenny. He has been delightful to ride with and takes us wherever we want to go. Today Melisa wanted to go out to Stanley where we could spread some of Vivian's ashes. We were going to go to Victoria Peak, but thought there would be too many people around. We found a quiet spot along the beach at Stanley by some rocks and quietly, set her ashes into the bay. Always a hard time for Victor, but fitting since Vivian loved Hong Kong, it was nice to leave some of her here.

Spreading some ashes, Vic and his cousin.

Contemplation

Melisa and I did a fast shopping trip into the market and hit upon a store that was closing. Today was their last day and the deals were super, but not much left. We were both fortunate enough to find a sweater each for $50.00 HKD and I got a sweater coat for $80.00 HKD about $15.00 CAD.

Kenny then drove us over to Tai Koo to meet Auntie May Soo for dinner at Maxim's  with the rest of her family. It was Victor's birthday and Melisa bought an assortment of fancy cakes for dessert.

Back: Louisa, Judy, Melisa, Cynthia, Agatha, Mark.   Front: Steven, John, May Soo, Victor

No calories here!

I love my Auntie. She's so Cute!

 December 29 (Tuesday) 

Today Melisa goes home to Burnaby. It's been a wonderful vacation for her. I was so glad her and Victor were able to spend Christmas with us. Again, Kenny was at our disposal to take us to the airport to see Melisa off. Victor will leave tomorrow as they were unable to get on the same flight.

Melisa, Me, Victor, Kenny at the Hong Kong Airport.

December 30 (Wednesday)

We had to work at the temple so Vic was on his own. Good thing Cynthia was available. She took him out to lunch. They did a little shopping, then came to pick John and I up to go to the airport with them. We were glad that Vic had come to revisit his old stompin' grounds.

We were supposed to meet the Balls for dinner at 6:00 pm. However we were a  little late, 45 minutes late, due to traffic. but enough time for a short visit before they had to head out to the Symphony Concert.

Melisa just posted on Facebook that Vancouver had an earthquake. Nothing too serious, but everyone felt the tremor. Yikes! glad I'm not there.

December 31 (Thursday)

How the week has flown by. Here we are at New Year's Eve. One thing we know we do not want to do tonight is go down to Tsim Sha Tsui. I'll avoid the crowd like a plague.

I rented the theatre in our complex and invited the senior temple missionaries to come see,"Once I was a Beehive." Everyone showed up plus the Pack's and Coffey's. Then everyone came to our place for post movie treats aka sweet Christmas leftovers, Almond Roca, Lindt Lindor, Malteesers, shortbread cookies, egg tarts, cheese ball and crackers, nuts, chips, and fruit salad with almond jelly.

Shortly after 10:00, people started to leave since many had an early morning start for their hike. We sang "Auld Lang Syne" before wishing everyone Happy New Year. Just before midnight, John and I made it out to the palisade to catch the fireworks. They were nice and only lasted about 10 minutes. The crowd was huge. Some idiot uncorked a bottle of champaign and expoded a can of beer right behind us and we got totally showered with the stuff! Yuk! So that's how our New Year started.

Hard to get a good shot using an ipod and shooting over peoples head.

January 1 (Friday) 2016

Formula for a Happy New Year

 Fill Your Mind with Truth.

Fill Your Life with Service.

Fill Your Heart with Love.

"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."

John 13:35

I was hoping to sleep in today, but for some reason, I woke up at 7:48. Man, I hate it when that happens. It was a bright sunny morning, so I laid in bed and checked my email and Facebook. That seems to have become a routine. Our usual New Years Day routine is to take down the Christmas tree. That's one thing that I won't miss doing this year.

The Christmas tree in our lobby.

The 4-storey tree in the mall.

Our humble little tree in our Branch.

It seems like it's been awhile since we've had a day off when we could actually just hang out at home and get things done. It was great having company throughout December, but nice to get back into a regular routine and slower pace of life. We stripped all the bedding and linens and took it to the laundry. Our weekly housekeeper is coming tomorrow.

The Temple schedule had to be revamped, so that took a couple of hours. Then I had a bunch of paper work to catch up on to submit claims to health insurance. Then it was time to cut John's hair. He was getting pretty shaggy. Next picked up our laundry, then went for an early dinner at Metropolis. Came home and had a nap while waiting for maintenance to come replace our air conditioning vents.

Maintenance showed up, but not with our air conditioner, but with a new TV. What? We didn't need a new TV...we just needed the AC cleaned. Well, we get a new TV anyways. They are changing over all the TV's in the complex! Maybe they'll return the AC tomorrow. Good thing it's only 70F and not 90F.

I'm doing the Happy Dance...Sister Mendoza and Sister Stromberg who have been working with Phoenix and Constance just called to inform me that Constance has set a baptismal date for March! What a way to start the new year! Phoenix isn't quite ready yet, but is progressing well. It's so exciting to see how the gospel can change people's lives for the better. We'll meet with them on Monday.


January 2 (Saturday)

I had just revamped the schedule and sent it out to everyone. Then Sister Wong emailed and said she needed to talk to me about the schedule. Oh no! Here we go again. This is the third change already and the month has just started. Apparently, there will be about 20 members from Mongolia coming this next week, so we have to adjust the schedule to accommodate for them. They will likely stay for the whole week to do temple work. I love it when we get people from other countries.

Hong Kong China Temple

I had just checked our sales figures for Subway. We truly have been blessed with great sales. Malou has been a super manager that's true. But more than that, I know we're being blessed because we are serving the Lord and Malou is part of that blessing. We probably wouldn't be here on a mission if it wasn't for her looking after things for us. So a great big Thank You, Malou!


January 3 (Sunday) 

So another week is ending. Not quite as exciting as last week. As with every new year, I think I would love to lose weight. And like every other new year, it doesn't happen. Jade had given me a Jillian Michael's workout DVD. Wouldn't you know, I put it on, and it wouldn't play. Apparently not all DVD's are formatted to play in all countries. Not an excuse...I was actually hoping to get started on an exercise routine that I could just do in the privacy of our little apartment. I'll have to go shopping for one that will work.

Being Sunday, I was reminiscing about our Sunday family dinners, roast beef, mashed potatoes, carrots, corn, and lots of gravy. Well, the closest thing we have here is stew, small chunks of beef, potatoes, carrots, and "jip jip" chinglish for gravy. I was looking forward to dinner after our fast.

It wasn't a scheduled eating day at church today, but as so often the case, it ended up being an eating day as we celebrated January birthdays. Guess my stew will hold till tomorrow.

I love this picture of Jesus and the Asian children. It reminds me of this song:

Jesus loves the little children,

All the children of the world, 

Red and Yellow, Black and White, 

They are precious in his sight.

Jesus loves the little children of the world.