Serving in the Temple

This week included a holiday, three Temple days, and a birthday dinner with Elder and Sister Roskelley.

Monday, we spent the day with Chatterton’s and Sorenson’s on Lantau Island visiting the Big Buddha Statue, the Monastery, and the Temple of a thousand Buddhas. Karen and I had been there before, with Jill and Sarah, so we were the official tour guides. It was a lot of fun but it is starting to heat up over here and by the time we finished the day Karen was adamant that I put my clothes in the dirty clothes bag and not back in the closet!

The office was closed Tuesday because of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Chatterton’s asked us if we could help out at the Temple because on holidays the Temple is open for a “half day” so that the domestic  workers can attend on one of their few days off work. This day for some reason was a record-breaking day of Temple attendance. The shift Karen and I were serving in  needed two additional rows of chairs brought into the room to seat extra patrons. 

We spent Wednesday in the office and then went to the Temple to work our regular weekly shift that evening. We got home late and then had to get up early to make an 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning session with the Area Presidency. This was a memorable session because I officiated and Karen followed with two General Authorities attending as patrons. We can both say without equivocation that it was very intimidating and we were nervous from the beginning to the end of the session. After the session, we met for a testimony meeting across the street at the chapel. Elder Funk and Elder Meurs shared lessons learned from President Monson and Elder Cook. One about fast offering contributions versus expenditures and the other about bringing Zion to the Saints in their lives and homes.

That evening Elder and Sister Jensen met us and four of the Missionaries for Pizza. Karen insisted that we needed two large pizza’s rather than just ordering one as suggested by Elder Jensen. When they brought out the pizza’s it took four people to deliver the two pizzas to our table. I am fairly certain we had enough pizza to feed a dozen or more missionaries and Karen swallowing her pride told Eder Jensen that we probably would have been fine ordering just one.

We ended the week having dinner with Elder and Sister James and Elder and Sister Roskelley. We met them at an Outback Restaurant here in Hong Kong and had a wonderful meal. It was Elder Roskelley’s birthday and we embarrassed him with an irreverent rendition of Happy Birthday! 

Elder and Sister Jensen,  Elder Belnap,  Elder Daplin,  Sister Miranda, and Sister Brojhan.  The other night we took the young Elders and Sisters out for pizza.  I insisted we ordered the large,  but I had no idea it would be this large......and we ordered two of them!  Yes we had leftovers that the missionaries were more than happy to bag up and take home.