Missed last week’s blog because of some extracurricular activity. Sarah and Jill were arriving Friday night, the seventeenth, at 6:30 pm so we were busy preparing for their scheduled arrival. At least that is what the plan was until Friday morning when Karen realized they would not be getting here until Saturday night. Just because they were "coming" on the 17th, didn't mean they would be "arriving" on the 17th. She had not taken into consideration the date change the flight would experience in determining their arrival time. Which led to a day and a half of companion depression, which leads to dismal abyss, and eventually to a much happier reunion than you would have had not knowing how sad it is when you experience them not coming when you expected them too. I am not sure that the sentence preceding this one makes much sense but it is a good example of there being opposition in all things.
When the girls finally got here we were busy from sunup to sundown. Karen had a schedule of things she wanted us to do and we did them all. The Temple, Kowloon Tong chapel, Wan Chai office and chapel, Stanley, Victoria Peak, 1949 rock, Big Buddha, Wong Daai Sin Temple, Nan Lian Garden and Nunnery, Red Sail Boat tour, the MTR, the Ding Ding (which is a cable car), the double-decker buses, the Ferries, and the taxies. Walking the TST and Hung Hom promenade and all the markets and or photo opportunities in between. They met the Petts, James, Chandlers, Nielsons, Sellers, Thongs, Jensens, Kendells, Yans, Fergusons, Corys, Tom Crocket, President Funk, and went to lunch with Annie Wong.
I believe when the week ended and they boarded the plane for the long trip back they were ready to head back to their families and a long nap.
I hope we have other visits and we can repeat the same experience with others, because a Mission really is a marvelous opportunity and the more we can share the better it is.
The Church contributes a lot of resources helping the different countries in this part of the world take care of those that are poor or in need and those that are sick or otherwise afflicted. A lot of the projects are major initiatives lending themselves to infrastructure such as water and waste systems or educational and health facilities. These types of projects are popular with the leaders of the different countries because each project will benefit hundreds if not thousands of individuals. This work of course is amazing to behold, but occasionally a project comes along that is initiated for a single person and we get to experience the intimate joy that comes from personally witnessing a life changing event. I have included a video and the story of such an experience.
As we approach Easter we have received a new Video, Prince of Peace, that needs to be translated and distributed to the different countries in our Area. I hope you all get a chance to view it, it is very powerful.
Back to work and we will have more to share next week.
What a beautiful sight this was, greeting Sarah and Jill at the airport.
Starting a little walk that turned in to a long walk, introducing them to Hong Kong
Visiting Nan Lian Garden. It was so pretty, we all agreed the rain made it even prettier!
Still rainy and beautiful at the Chi Lin Nunnery, a large Buddhist Temple.
The harbor walk (Promenade) at our apartment is the perfect place for running, walking, and enjoying the beautiful view.
In 1949 President George Albert Smith commissioned Elder Matthew Cowley to bless Hong Kong for the preaching of the Gospel. The date scratched in a large stone at the top of Victoria Peak says July 14, 1949. We explored with the girls, following directions we were given we were able to find it. Barely visible and hard to read, none the less, it was cool to find it. All I could make out was 1949.
We had so much fun going to Big Buddha.
Definitely a highlight doing a session together in the China, Hong Kong Temple!
Taxis, subways, cable cars, buses, shuttles, trains, and of course ferries. Some days using all of them in one day!
Visiting the beach at Stanley Island.
Wading in the South China Sea.
A night at the movies. Beauty and Beast was showing in English, with Chinese Character subtitles.
Enjoying some Fish Burgers and Fish and Chips at the Sea Food Stand.
We love living on the harbor. It's beautiful 24x7.
Leading the way taking the girls to the Wan Chai market.
We had Dim Sum with Annie (our Assistant Public Affairs Director). Annie had been looking forward to meeting Sarah and Jill. It was fun to enjoy a very authentic Chinese lunch together!
Of course we had some mom and girls time to snuggle on the bed and watch a chick flick!
After having Sarah and Jill spend a week with us I thought it would be hard to send them home. But, seeing how much they missed their kids, and seeing how much their kids missed them, (we love Face Time), it felt right putting them on a plane!
Thank you Sarah and Jill for coming to see us. We loved every minute. Thanks to Caden, Riley, Luke, Landon, Colter, Oaklee, and Tayla for sharing your mom's with us for a week. And a special thanks to Russ and Kyle for spending a week at home taking care of all this kids (and working from home at the same time), so your wives could come to Hong Kong!
After having Sarah and Jill spend a week with us I thought it would be hard to send them home. But, seeing how much they missed their kids, and seeing how much their kids missed them, (we love Face Time), it felt right putting them on a plane!
Thank you Sarah and Jill for coming to see us. We loved every minute. Thanks to Caden, Riley, Luke, Landon, Colter, Oaklee, and Tayla for sharing your mom's with us for a week. And a special thanks to Russ and Kyle for spending a week at home taking care of all this kids (and working from home at the same time), so your wives could come to Hong Kong!
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