September Already?!?!?

August 29 (Monday)

P-day, We took our time this morning getting ready to head over to Wan Chai. We went to see Vivien, the one in charge of making all travel arrangements. We wanted information about our return to Canada. We also spoke with Sister Whitman, who is in charge of the missionary apartments. We needed to know when we would have to vacate. Good news. We can stay in the apartment until we return from our cruise.

LDS Church in Tsuen Wan by Sister Hung's place.

Dinner tonight was at Brother and Sister Hung's. Sister Hung is an ordinance worker at the Temple. She cooked a wonderful meal and had invited the Ngai's and 2 young people from her ward. Brother Hung was a doctor until he suffered a stroke at a very young age. We didn't know him at all, but he will start serving in the temple next week, so we'll get to know him better. The Hung's  have a beautiful little apartment which was totally renovated. Sister Hung (Amy) did a great job designing it, very modern and functional with no wasted space.

Shirley, Judy, Bro. & Sis. Hung, Bro. Lee, Sis. Law, John

Selfie time...everyone smile!

Such a treat to have a yummy home cooked meal - Thanks Amy!

August 30 (Tuesday))

After we got off our shift, we took Sisters Robert and Hathaway to Ladies Market. We decided to have dinner first before we hit the shops. We have a favorite little Korean No. 1 BBQ (that's the name) which is just outside of the MTR station at Ladies Market, so we had dinner there. Another wonderful meal.

Steak fired Sushi 

Mushrooms, yam, shrimp, sausage, steak, pork, bacon 

Spicy Korean Fried Rice  

All you can eat salad ... and other appetizers.

Kathy Roberts, Bonnie Hathaway, Judy & John 

Love these shrimp with their beady little eyes looking back at me...

The after math. It was delicious! 

Us 3 ladies (that's probably poor grammar), all wanted to buy a new purse. As it ended up, Bonnie
bought one, Kathy bought 3, and I bought 3. We will give the extras away. Kathy also managed to buy a blouse and skirt. All in all, it was a successful shopping trip. Bonnie and Kathy's husbands didn't come. John came as our body guard. We joked that it was Brother John and his sister wives. haha.

Hmm? Do I want a silk scarf? 

Let's try this one on for size? 

Shopping...see our smiles!

August 31 (Wednesday)

Yeah!!! OAD (other assignment day aka day off), has been returned. I actually slept in until 10:00. I think that's the latest during my whole mission. We went and got groceries then to Sister Hung's for massages.

Our favorite pork shop with Mrs. Wong the owner.

Getting ground beef at our favorite beef shop. 

Our favorite BBQ meat shop with Cloud (left) and her sister.

These 3 ladies are the best...so friendly!

Stopped at Kwai Fong and did more shopping. Found some cute, cute clothes for our new baby granddaughter that we're expecting in December.

Korean designs are the best...soooo cute!

September 1 (Thursday)

Wow! Start of a new month already. Only 9 weeks left, but who's counting. Attendance has been down this week. Summer break is over and it's back to school. I talked with Rowena Jacinto today. We're hoping things will work out between her and Auntie May Soo so she can be her helper. I think they will be an excellent match for each other. We will take her over to meet each other next week.


September 2 (Friday)

Another early shift. As much as I dread getting up at 6:00, I do like being done work at 2:45. I gives us more time to do other things. Today I went for a hair cut and colour. John went to TST to search out the Bruce Lee Club. He was in his glory finding this place. He signed up for membership and bought a stack of Bruce Lee stuff. His hero. What can I say. I think if Bruce were alive today, he would look a lot like John (facially speaking) since in his younger days, they did have quite a strong resemblance. He was happy. I was happy. It was a good day.

Nathan Road on the way to Bruce Lee Club store. 

Fun characters lining steps on Nathan Road.

September 3 (Saturday)

Another early shift. This time we had to be up at 5:00 to be at the Temple by 6:30. Another uneventful slow day. Came home and had a nap.

After our nap we headed out to Shum Shui Po. There are a lot of fun open air stalls in the area. It always amazes me where they get all their inventory from. I'm guessing they are factory over runs or seconds. Anyways, the price is right. My steal of a deal today was 6 tops and 2 pairs of comfy pants for a grand total of $22.00 CAD! And to make the deal even sweeter, they all fit and are definitely comfy. YEAH!

Picked up some groceries and now John has just finished prepping all the filling for deep fried wonton. Tomorrow is potluck at our branch, and someone requested he make his famous wontons.


September 4 (Sunday)

Fast and Testimony Sunday. I always enjoy hearing the sister's testimonies. President Smart is back. He's been away for a few weeks. It's good to see him again.

It was pot luck Sunday. We messed up on our wontons. We cooked them Saturday night so we wouldn't be so rushed on Sunday, but unfortunately, overnight they went soggy. Sister Jacinto tried to revive them by heating them in the oven. It helped a bit, but the crunch definitely was not there. Regardless, they all got eaten up along with everything else.

Only 7 Sundays left with our branch.

Juvy, John, Jovian, Judy, Sheryl, Liza

Where's the BEEF?

August 22 (Monday)

Gotta love Mondays...p-day. Today we ventured out with the Bodily's and Hathaway's to "Big Bites" a Canadian beef place. They're known for their hamburgers and steaks made with Canadian AAA beef. John ordered a burger, and I ordered...fish and chips!? Are you kidding me? Well, we had just had Burger King a couple days before. I actually ordered a steak, but they didn't serve steak till the evening, and we were there at lunch time. We also each ordered mushroom poutine - french fries with melted cheese, topped with gravy and mushrooms. mmm good!

AAA Canadian Beef

Great Food with Great Friends - Deb & Gary Bodily, Bonnie & Brent Hathaway

Molson Canadian, eh.

Pure Canadian Beef Burger and Poutine 

Now that's one honkin' piece of fish!

We took the North Point Ferry back to our apartment before heading out to Ladies' Market for a big shopping trip. Picked up a bunch of purses for my Subway staff and basketball jerseys for the guys.

August 23 (Tuesday)

We had a group from Thailand that we gave an orientation to today. I'm so glad that there were a couple of people that could speak English. Our orientation chart also has writing in Thai, so it makes it easier for them to understand. It's always so special to bring new patrons to the Temple. They are so excited and many have waited a long time to be able to make the trip. The two new sisters were so emotional as they were touched by the spirit as they took their endowments.

Thai's...tying families together.

We got home early so had a chance to swim and cool off before heading to Tai Koo to have dinner with Auntie May Soo.

Relaxing water massage in the spa pool. 

This pool is awesome! Pictures don't do it justice.

Water jets give a great back massage.

Private pool areas for shear relaxation.

I'm really gonna miss this place.

 With only 10 weeks left on our mission, we're sure going to miss Auntie May Soo. We hope we will be able to help her find a domestic helper before we leave. I worry about her and the lack of support from her family. It's really a sad situation. We tried to get her to come live in Canada, but at this stage, a move would be too difficult.

A very tasty meal at the Peking Garden Restaurant 

Skilled server carving Peking Duck.

August 24 (Wednesday)

Nothing too exciting to report. The days are passing way too quickly. 

August 25 (Thursday)

Another busy day at the Temple. Stopped by Metropolis food court to pick up supper. Worked on the September schedule...never ending changes. 

Finally! caught up on my blog! My computer seems to be cooperating somewhat. However, still haven't figured out how to get pictures from my ipad to my computer to my blog.

August 26 (Friday)

At 1:00 am this morning, the phone rang. I rushed to answer it, not expecting anyone to be calling at such a late hour. To my surprise, it was Vacationstogo. I had sent an email inquiring about a cruise, and they responded within minutes with a phone call. The call was from Texas, and with the time difference, that's why it was 1:00 am. I was so glad they called when we were home and not at work and I was still up anyways. To make a long story short, I booked our cruise with the agent on the phone. We will be flying to Singapore and hopping on a cruise to Malaysia and Thailand when the temple closes in November for more renovations. So excited for this little adventure.

Today is the first time we did the evening shift, 3:45 - 9:00 pm. It was very busy. It was nice to have the morning off and we could take our time doing errands before going to work. We picked up John's Temple prints which were delivered to the distribution centre across the street from the temple. They turned out really great. Also the Moroni Swoosh pins which we had made also arrived this week. We will use them for gifts.

With things winding down, I found myself loosening the purse strings. In the beginning, I was a penny pincher, counting and recording everything I spent. With only 2 months left in our mission, and money in our mission account, I decided I could afford to spend a little more freely. My new motto, "If you want it, buy it." Of course it seems like a big portion of my spending has been going out for dinners. With so many farewells coming up and places to go and places to eat, our calendar is getting pretty full.


August 27 (Saturday)

A new experience today. We took a trip out to Sai Kung with some of the missionaries from the area office, the Robert's, Chamberlain's, Orton's, and Nielson's. Our trip started on the shuttle, to the MTR, on to a double decker bus, to the ferry, across to the golf island, then another shuttle to the golf course and restaurant. It was a very scenic ride and took about 2 hours. We had a lovely buffet dinner before heading to the driving range to hit a few balls...or try to. 3 strikes and I was out...oh wait, that's baseball. haha. Anyways, I'm not much of a golfer but we had a great time!

Sai Kung Ferry Pier Market

She sells sea shells by the sea shore...

Pick your fish for dinner. 

Chan's, Nielson, Robert's, Chamberlain's, Orton's

Sai Kung Ferry to Kau Sai Chau golf Course 

Kau Sai Chau golf course in the background. 

Kau Sai "Chau" Restaurant...Let's "Chow"

Bucket of balls anyone?

Nice Form...

Swing...batter, batter, batter, swing...(from Ferris Bueller)

August 28 (Sunday)

President Smart is still out of town so there was no presidency meeting this morning. Instead of a 10 hour day at church like we sometimes have because of all the extra meetings, we only had about 7 hours. It will be kinda nice to get back to a regular 3 hour Sunday block.

Ever since last Sunday at our special temple opening, I've been feeling very emotional, especially around our Filipino sisters. They are such sweet, wonderful, loving people. I'm going to miss them so much. After sacrament meeting today, and Sister Lingling was playing the postlude music, the sisters all began to sing out simultaneously. Their sweet angelic voices bought me to tears. When they noticed I was crying, they all huddled around me and smothered me with their loving hugs. "What's the matter Sister Chan?" "I'm just going to miss you all so much!" I'm already a basket case. What will I be like in 9 weeks? Blubber, blubber, blubber...

Young Old Friends, Old New Friends, and BFF

August 15 (Monday)

A trip to the YMCA, not a likely place for a buffet lunch, but here in Hong Kong, the YMCA Hotel in Tsim Sha Tsui is a very popular place. What makes this lunch so special is the special people we are having lunch with...Elder Love and Elder Taylor. Elder Zak Love was a member of the popular boy band "Beyond 5". Through the Burton's we became well acquainted with the boys in the band and Zak's family. Elder Taylor is his companion. We were excited to hear that Elder Love was called to Hong Kong. We finally had a chance to meet up with him for lunch and had a great visit. He's an awesome missionary and so is Elder Taylor!

Elder Love and Elder Taylor

Buff and Stuff @ the YMCA lunch buffet

While we were waiting for the Elders, we ran into a group from Canada. The red and white maple leaf was a dead giveaway, eh. They were students traveling through China on a Canadian promotional entrepreneurial tour. Great young ambassadors!


August 16 (Tuesday)

What a wonderful start to another week. Patron housing was full to capacity. I had the privilege of being the celestial room attendant. One by one the patrons came in. As I observed 3 special couples who had come to the Temple for their first time, my heart was full. I saw them holding hands with their eternal companion and their faces aglow. I wondered if they really realized to the full extent what blessings lie ahead for them and their families. This one single act of  being sealed together for time and eternity is the start of a family unit that will link families before and after into the eternities. I've been so blessed to witness these special moments and partake of the spirit therewith.

It's thrilling to see how the church is growing throughout Asia.

 After our shift, we went to a visa office where we were told we could apply for a visa into China. With passports in hand, we were excited about the prospect of being able to go into the mainland before we head home. The agent took a quick look at my passport and said that there'd be no problem. Then he looked at John's passport, paused, then shook his head. "Sorry, you don't qualify." What??? He said since John was born in China, then left, and had no documentation of birth, or ever having had a previous visa, he would not be approved to enter. "But I was born there! Can't I ever go back?" At this point, unless he provides some documentation, he will not qualify for a visa. Recently, the China Government has changed their ruling that anyone born in China, then leaves and wants to return must provide certain documents before being approved for entry. We'll try again when we get back to Canada. So-o-o frustrating!

Next stop, the church office building. John wanted to get some of his Hong Kong Temple pictures printed. The church is so efficient. We were introduced to Janet Cheong who handles a lot of the printing projects. She was able to get a quote for us for the pictures and we got the prints ordered.

I was informed that Janet was the Taobao master (on line ordering site like amazon). I mentioned that I wanted a get a traditional Chinese Emperor and Empress costume. With her quick fingers flying over her keyboard, she pulled up some sites with photos of various costumes. That's it! That's exactly what I was looking for. Janet was such a wiz on the computer, I asked her if she wouldn't mind ordering it for me. Within a few minutes it was done. And the price was amazingly cheap.


August 17 (Wednesday)

Happy Birthday our little Ellie Bun Bun. 6 years ago she joined our family. The first year was really rough with her rare condition known as heterotaxy syndrome. 3 surgeries in her first year, and thanks to modern medicine and Elder Russell M. Nelson's development of the heart/lung bypass machine, and a lot of prayer and fasting, she is now healthy and strong and a normal bright little 1st grader.

John cooked tomato beef for supper tonight. It was so awesome! I had 2 big helpings.

Man, you'd really have to be dying of thirst to drink this!
(Actually, the Chinese have really, really poor English skills!)

August 18 (Thursday)

I met the Ebbles family from Singapore today. She's a blue eyed blonde originally from South Africa and speaks Africano. I think her husband is American. Their children can speak English and Chinese. Their son was there to take out his endowments and was called on a mission to Japan. Such diversity.

Supper at our favorite noodle place: Lau Sum Kee. They make their own noodles and was highly rated by the food critiques. Just a little hole in the wall place, but they really pack them in, often with a long waiting line.

Portioning Noodles

Open kitchen, you can watch them prepare your meal.

On a scale of 1-10: Ambiance - 2, Flavour - 10!

We're not supposed to take photos of the security guards. Why, I have no idea. They are just so paranoid about taking any photos of anyone, doing anything. But John snuck this shot as they were getting their evening instructions. Most, if not all are from Nepal.

Harbourfront Security Team

August 19 (Friday)

Time is getting short before our mission will be done so we've been trying to get in as much shopping as we can and not leave it to the last minute. The costumes that Janet ordered for us arrived today. I was amazed at how quick it was. It was ordered on Tuesday. To my delight, the costumes looked amazing, bright beautiful embroidery and good heavy quality fabric. And mine fits perfectly. John fits great too, if he doesn't put on the sash. haha. Not sure when I'll have a chance to wear it, but it's a great keepsake.

The Dragon Lady - Empress Jude of the Dragon Dynasty

Emperor "Bruce" of the Dragon Dynasty

August 20 (Saturday)

An early shift at the Temple means we get home early. I'd like to go for a swim, but of course the pool is closed. What else is new? Went and picked up some groceries to help stock up supplies for Elder and Sister Chan, a new senior temple missionary couple who will be arriving tonight. Charles and Fanny Chan are from California, though they did live in Calgary and Edmonton for a short while. We are looking forward to getting to know them better.

Welcoming Elder Charles and Sister Fanny Chan (lens fogged up from the humidity)

Sister Fanny Chan and Elder Charles Chan

August 21 (Sunday)

Today is the quarterly Special Sunday Temple Opening for the Filipino sisters. It's always an exciting, spiritual day. I made the mistake of counting how many days we have left before we are released from our temple calling, only 75 days left! Then about 2 weeks after that, when we get home, we will be officially released from our mission.

Maribel and Veronica registering at the Sunday Temple Opening

As I sat in the chapel and thought that this would be my last Sunday Temple Day, I got all emotional, you know that feeling when your eyes well up with tears. Then across the room 2 sisters from our branch smiled and waved at me and gave me thumbs up. Again, emotions came to the surface and I thought how much I'm going to miss all these dear sisters. Then the meeting began and the choir sang. Today, I heard the choir of angels. This week has been so full of blessings as I have been touch by the spirit of so many faithful saints that have enriched my life and made my mission so incredible.
I thank my Heavenly Father for the blessings that he has bestowed upon me.

First day at the Temple for new Temple Missionaries Fanny and Charles Chan.

Last Special Sunday Temple Opening for Ngai's, Bodily's, and Chan's.