Mother's Day in Hong Kong

This week when we arrived at the Temple we learned that a large group of members from Thailand had arrived earlier in the day and that we would be working a full session. The Hong Kong Temple has two Ordinance Rooms and each room seats thirty-eight patrons. The first evening Session begins at six forty-five and is followed by a second Session thirty minutes later at seven-fifteen. Karen and I usually work the first Session each week and did so this week. We have experienced the Endowment in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Thai. We have also assisted patrons using language cards in these same languages and I had the opportunity to help a patron that only spoke Russian. The language cards are a wonderful tool if you can read English, Chinese, or Thai but this week was particularly interesting because the entire Company spoke Thai, and there are no Hong Kong Temple workers that can speak or read Thai. My observation of that experience can only be summed up by this; no group of mortals without divine intervention could ever accomplish what we were able to witness that night. Every Patron that attended the Temple that night was able to complete their purpose.

This week we attended District Conference and attended hours of meetings. I cannot remember the last time I had to sit in one place for this long. Elder Toronto an Area Seventy presided and is a great teacher and presented a strong doctrinal message concerning Missionary Work. He pointed out that there is no reference to the term “Missionary Work” in the General Handbook of Instructions for Priesthood Leaders. He made this point by having the District President search the Handbook for this term. President Holyoake could not find “Missionary Work” but did find the term “Member Missionary Work”.

The highlight of the week was a special Branch Relief Society Activity held in conjunction with District Conference and honored  Mother’s Day. Prior to the meeting, the Branch Relief Society President asked the Branch Presidency to provide a message from their children and grandchildren to their Wife’s for Mother’s Day. The Beckstead Family came through with flying colors and Karen was able to hear from all her family how much they love her.

Click on the link below to see the video.

Happy Mother's Day





Last week we took a ferry to Discovery Bay where we had a nice lunch with Chattertons and Sorensons.   From Discovery Bay we took another ferry to  Peng Chau Island  to walk around a little.  It was a nice relaxing day.   Lynn wanted me to buy this hat,  but I was fine with just taking a picture!



Peng Chau was a quiet little Island.  Lynn liked seeing the old men playing Chinese Checkers (which is nothing like American Chinese Checkers).  He  saw men playing all the time when he was a young missionary in Hong Kong.

I think these guys want to go fishing!

Elder Chatterton,  Elder Sorenson,  Elder Beckstead

Mother's Day was wonderful.  The sisters in our branch put on a program,  but the highlight was the surprise for me and the other two Senior Sister missionaries when our husbands played a video for each of us of our children and grandchildren wishing us a happy Mother's Day.   It was so special for me to see  all our daughters, sons-in-law,  and grandkids up on the screen surprising me with Mother's Day wishes.  It was wonderful!