"Another One Bites The Dust"

April 25 (Monday)

It wasn't a perfect morning, but at least it was not raining. I love Mondays. I can sleep in and just take my time doing whatever I decide I'd like to do. So at 11:11 this morning, (Jade will understand that), I went for a swim. There were only a handful of people in the pool, 2 kids and 3 adults. I did my usual 60 laps. The water was cold, but so refreshing.

John had gone with Elder and Sister Lee to the genealogy library. Since I can't read Chinese, there was no point for me to go. This gave me the whole afternoon to catch up on the stories I've been writing. It's hard to write when you're not feeling motivated, but once I start, I can usually keep going.

Sister Chiu helping Elder Lee at the Genealogy library.

Lunch Break - doesn't get any better than Subway!

Big news..there's a Burger King that just opened at our MTR station. Yeah! So we tried it out for dinner tonight. John had a Whopper and I tried the mushroom swiss burger. Just like back home. Mmm.

April 26 (Tuesday)

Stopped by MOKO mall after work to pick up some crystals we had ordered. Of course, since we were already at the mall, we might as well grab supper at the food court. We've really gotten lazy here since it is so convenient and fairly inexpensive to eat out, if you avoid the big restaurants. John had his favorite noodle dish, and I had Pepper Lunch, my usual.

Look who we found in the mall - Captain America! 

Iron Man

Anxious to get home to see this one..

Phoenix and Constance called tonight to thank us for the clothes we bought Constance. He didn't go to church yet, but maybe next week.

Then the Elders called and wanted us to meet with Constance again, so that's set up for Saturday. It must be a phoning day, because the phone rang again, and it was the Sister missionaries wanting to set up an appointment with us to meet with Phoenix. So that's set for Friday evening. Things seem to be progressing slowly, but at least its progressing.


April 27 (Wednesday)

We had a big farewell dinner for Nora at the Crab Kitchen. Wow, you should have seen the lobster dish! It was pretty impressive. We'll all miss Nora. She's one of those persons that everyone just adores. She does so much at the Temple, she will certainly be missed.

L O B S T E R

Mushrooms, Abalone, and Shanghai Bok Choy

Longevity Buns

One of many farewell dinners.

We walked home from the restaurant. It only took about half an hour. It was a lovely evening except for the heat and humidity which wiped me out. My body did not like the heat or humidity and I broke out in a hives all around my middle. Man, I hate it when that happens. Itch, itch, itch. Took a double dose of antihistamine because it was so bad, then went to bed.


April 28 (Thursday)

We had the early shift today and I really struggled to get up. My first assignment was follower in the first session. I struggled to stay awake. I could barely keep my eyes open, so the coordinator told me to go upstairs and have a rest. I laid down and woke up 1 1/2 hours later. I felt bad for literally sleeping on the job, but I just couldn't stay awake. The antihistamine always seems to puts me out of commission. Guess I shouldn't have taken a double dose. I could hardly wait to go home. When I got home, I went to bed and didn't wake up until 4 hours later! Had a late dinner, took care of some urgent emails about grad, and now I'm ready for bed again. Good night. zzzzz


April 29 (Friday)

OAD - Went shopping in Central back to "Italian Town", where there were tons of Italian restaurants. It smelled so good. Stopped by Paisano's Pizzeria (authentic New York style Pizza). Best pizza we've had here.

Nothing like good ol' Hawaiian Pizza

Going up the mid level escalators

Sister Mendoza got transferred and now Sister Ng has a new companion, Sister Terry from Springville, Utah. She just arrived 3 days ago. They came to our apartment with Phoenix for a discussion. Phoenix really wants to get baptized, but there are some serious issues we need to clarify with her before she can be baptized. It's a touchy subject when it comes to mental health conditions. We had a great visit then went out for dinner at the same restaurant we had taken the Elders to last week. It's convenient to where we live and is very good. We weren't disappointed. It was just as good the second time as the first which isn't always the case.

Me, Phoenix, Sister Ng, Sister Terry

Such happy Sister Missionaries

May 30 (Saturday)

Busy, busy, busy. Our day at the Temple started out with a large group of over 100 youths coming to do baptisms, You'd think that with that many, things might be a little harry. However, it was amazing how well organized they were, and quiet and reverent. There was such a strong spirit there. I love being in the baptistry at times like that.

The Temple closes at 2:00 on Saturdays. All the senior temple missionaries then had a meeting with President Wong. As we all sat in his office, I could feel of his love he had for each one of us. He is an amazing man. I was so grateful to be serving with all these wonderful people and have truly grown to love them. It will be sad to see Nora leave us as she finishes her mission next week.

After our meeting, it was "party time" as we had another farewell dinner prepared by Sister Yuen and her helpers, Sisters Wong and Hui. Another amazing meal. Nora will return to Seattle, but we won't be surprised to see her back in Hong Kong before the end of the year. She travels back and forth a lot so I hope we will see her before the end of our mission.

She's happy to be going home...

I'm sad that she's leaving...boohoo.

The Temple gang...another farewell.

May 1 (Sunday)

We had a special treat today at church. A group of youth from the Asia Area were in Hong Kong for a youth conference. As part of their service project, they came to cook a wonderful chicken curry meal for the whole branch. It was wonderfully delicious. They also sang a beautiful blended musical number of "As Sisters in Zion" and "The Army of Helaman". It was so moving, it brought tears to my eyes.