Two Typhoons This Week

This week was all about the weather. Monday was very warm and humid, the kind of day that you just want to sit in front of an air conditioner and try to quit sweating. About ten o’clock, Elder Sorenson called and invited us to join them and Chatterton’s for lunch at the YMCA buffet to celebrate Sister Sorenson’s birthday. We accepted the invitation and made our way to the YMCA and back to our apartment, riding the shuttle both ways, yet feeling as though we had run a marathon because of the effect the heat and humidity had on us physically. We stayed in the apartment the rest of the day,  Karen beat me without mercy in a game of Five Crowns. It’s the first time she has not shown any Missionary compassion in the last ten or so months.

Tuesday we left early for the office because Karen needed to be there early for a reason that I cannot remember or maybe never knew. We worked until around three o’clock when we realized we were both so tired we needed a nap. I suggested we find a couple couches in the building and take a nap but she suggested we call it a day and head back to the apartment. Of course, we cleaned up a few things and were back at the apartment within the hour. Karen and I laid down and slept for about two hours. When we woke we talked about how exhausted we feel in this heat. We checked our phones for emails that might have come during the time we were asleep and saw a strong wind signal had been posted by the whether service here in Hong Kong. It was a preliminary warning and indicated that a Typhoon was a couple hundred kilometers out and heading toward us.

Later that night around midnight it starting raining and the wind started howling outside our bedroom window. It increased in intensity every hour until the rain was so noisy pelting our window and the wind whistling and howling through our window it was impossible to sleep. At four-thirty Karen and I were wide awake and watching the storm warnings which were now indicating that a number eight typhoon warning would be issued in the next two hours.  Since it had calmed down for the time,  we decided to go for a walk before it hit hard.   We went out on the harbor promenade and walked for about forty minutes in a fairly cool and calm light rain. It was quite refreshing and well timed because just as we returned to our apartment the wind began to pick up significantly.

Shortly after our walk the number 8 signal was issued and we spent the rest of the day inside as the intensity of the storm increased to the point warranting the weather service to issue a number 10 signal. Before the end of the storm it became one of the strongest typhoons to hit Hong Kong in many years, making our serving our mission here historic. Kind of like when I was at the world series during the earth quake in San Francisco some years ago, or in West Yellowstone during the fires. Maybe even when Karen and I were near Mount Saint Helens when she erupted.

That was our Wednesday typhoon.  We repeated the same kind of experience again Sunday,  with a #8 typhoon.  Church throughout Hong Kong was cancelled,  we all spent a second day this week staying safe indoors.  Total typhoon count during our mission- Number 8 storms - 4.  Number 10 storms - 1.

In addition to mine and Karen's  study of the Book of Mormon and Preach my Gospel, I have focused on the Doctrine and Covenants in my personal study. As part of that I have read the first six volumes and about half of the seventh volume of the History of the Church. I am sure that I could have only read it as a missionary because of both the length and content. I could not have maintained the required discipline and focus to complete the project outside of the Mission Field.

I would recommend for any who are subject to doubt concerning the work of Joseph Smith to read this history. It is uncensored and not written to win favor but is full of sworn documents, notes and letters that are created as one lives and could be found following any one of our lives.
I will share one piece of the history for this blog.

"Brother Richards was very much troubled, and exclaimed, `Oh! Brother Taylor, is it possible that they have killed both Brother Hyrum and Joseph? It cannot surely be, and yet I saw them shoot them;' and, elevating his hands two or three times, he exclaimed, `Oh Lord, my God, spare Thy servants!' He then said, `Brother Taylor, this is a terrible event;' and he dragged me farther into the cell, saying, `I am sorry I cannot do better for you;' and, taking an old, filthy mattress, he covered me with it, and said, `That may hide you, and you may yet live to tell the tale, but I expect they will kill me in a few moments!' While lying in this position I suffered the most excruciating pain.  Soon afterwards Dr. Richards came to me, informed me that the mob had precipitately fled, and at the same time confirmed my worst fears that Joseph was assuredly dead. I felt a dull, lonely, sickening sensation at the news. When I reflected that our noble chieftain, prophet of the living God, had fallen, and that I had seen his brother in the cold embrace of death, it seemed as though there was a void or vacuum in the great field of human existence to me, and a dark gloomy chasm in the kingdom, and that we were left alone. Oh, how lonely was that feeling! How cold, barren and desolate! In the midst of difficulties he was always the first in motion; in critical positions his counsel was always sought. As our Prophet he approached our God, and obtained for us his will; but now our Prophet, our counselor, our general, our leader, was gone, and amid the fiery ordeal that we then had to pass through, we were left alone without his aid, and as our future guide for things spiritual or temporal, and for all things pertaining to this world, or the next, he had spoken for the last time on earth. "

History of the Church, Vol. 7, chapter 9

Our good friend Elder Jenson checking out the Harbor at our apartments.  This was early in the morning just as the storm was starting.   Needless to say he spent the rest of the day indoors.   This poor tree  is one of many we saw after the storm had passed.

The Chan Family

This week started with another trip to Big Buddha. Elder and Sister Kendell, the Branch President and Wife of the Every Day Branch have not been able until recently find time to visit Big Buddha. Elder Kendell, who celebrated his eighty-third birthday last month, approached Karen and I and asked if we would take he and Sister Kendell because he did not feel comfortable going by themselves. We love the Kendell’s and were honored that they would invite us to be a part of their experience.

We had a big break-through at the office this week concerning the Opinion Leader data base or more accurately; a Computerized Relationship Manager (CRM). Salt Lake started the process of building the application and sent a picture of the Concept Plan. They also asked us to provide questions that the system will ask in each phase of the Business Plan Flow. It has been so long since I have even thought about the project that I had to go back and review all my old notes to remember what we were proposing. After reviewing and consulting with Tom Crockett, I was able to develop a response that I believe will be more than adequate for them to proceed with the build-out. (I sound like I’m a tech nerd!)

Karen was able to use some of her old job skills in proofing a twenty plus page program that will be used at a public concert here in a few weeks. Songs of the Heart, a choir made up of members here in Hong Kong, (Hong Kong’s version of the Tabernacle Choir) will be performing at one of the nice concert halls.  Besides the choir there are going to be quite a few musicians performing as well.  The program was created in Chinese, and then translated into English by a member who can speak English pretty well,  but needless to say the written English translation left a lot to be desired.   In the program each artist had a bio and the program included quite a history of everything and everyone.   When Annie saw it last week she gasped at the English translation and asked Karen to look at it. Karen spent the entire day editing spelling and grammar. Towards the end of the day I said to Karen, “have you noticed we haven’t said a word to each other all day”, this being strange because we sit in a cubicle side by side not more than two feet apart.  We didn't even leave for lunch,  we just grazed on office munchies all day.  She finished a short time later and can now say that she experienced the gift of translation while serving a mission.

The week was topped off with another experience with the Chan Family whom I had the opportunity to participate in their baptism as a young missionary. We were invited and attended the wedding of Rita Chan who is the granddaughter of the father that we taught forty-plus years ago.  As required by law,  the day started with a civil ceremony in the morning. Bishop Chan, Rita’s brother Lance, performed the ceremony in the Kowloon Tong Chapel. We then joined them across the street at the Temple for the Sealing and later at the reception. It was a great day and Karen especially liked being around the Chan family and all the babies and toddlers. She also enjoyed learning and participating in the Chinese wedding culture.

Coincidently, Alvin,  the groom's sister Haley,  was one of our Chinese language tutors before we came to Hong Kong.   We did not know this until the night before the wedding when Sister Chatterton called and told us that Haley was here to attend her brother’s wedding. It was also  interesting that while Haley was teaching us ,  she had me talk to her bother Alvin multiple times as part of the program. Each week we would talk to a native to help with our listening skills and Alvin at the time was attending BYU Idaho and convenient for Haley to exploit. So, it turns out that when I’m talking to Alvin, I’m talking to the future husband of the granddaughter of the man I was hoping to find when I came back as a Senior Missionary. (like there is such a thing as a coincidence)

Us with Rita and Alvin at the Kowloon Tong Chapel,  just across the street from the Temple where they were Sealed.

All the Chan family.   We are so grateful we've been a part of the Chan family's lives after finally finding them here in Hong Kong.

Lynn with Kevin Chan

Me  with Joyce Chan.  

Grandma and Grandpa Chan (where it all began)

One of the many Chinese traditions,  the bride and groom carving the roasted pig, (even a carving knife with ribbons).

Grandma and Grandpa Chan with 2 of their granddaughters,  Elizabeth and Michelle

For the Strength of Youth

This week we were able to get a lot done in and out of the office.

We started the week out participating in a large FSY (For Strength of Youth)  activity that included a Youth Service Project.  Our purpose in attending was to take photographs, collect information for a Newsroom Article and to meet new Opinion Leaders. The event was wonderful with hundreds of youth participating in putting together school kits that will be distributed through Pak Oi, a large NGO  (Non Government Organization) that operates here in Hong Kong as well as in China. After the youth assembled three thousand kits in the Kowloon Tong Chapel there was a nice ceremony outside. Elder Meurs joined some of the youth to present to Senior Executives and Directors of Pak Oi the assembled kits. Pak Oi accepted the kits and announced that two thousand of the kits would go into China and one thousand would be distributed here in Hong Kong.

Part of our responsibility to support the Senior Couples serving in different countries outside of Hong Kong but inside the Area is to be their social support. When they want to talk about personal issues but have no one they can talk to in the villages or rural areas they live in they can always call us. This gives Karen countless opportunities to talk to other Senior Missionary sisters about their families. This week we made our monthly call to the Dowds who are serving in Cambodia. We talked for over an hour about everything but the things on our agenda. The highlight of the conversation was when I asked Sister Dowd why she was sending out emails at one-thirty in the morning and not sleeping. She complimented me in noticing and shared with us that she could not sleep so she got out of bed and left the bedroom because the computer was in the small living room adjoining her bedroom. She had been on the computer for about an hour when Elder Dowd came walking out of the bedroom toward the bathroom. She said Elder Dowd wears a mask over his eyes when he sleeps so he had this mask pulled up and he also takes out his teeth when he sleeps, so he trudges into the bathroom with no teeth and his mask half on and back to the bedroom without even noticing her. The four of us were laughing so hard while she is telling us this story and when she finished all that he could say was, “remember honey, it was for better and for worse.”

We heard another funny story this week. Tom Crockett’s wife called him at the office the other day and told him that the hose coming from the wall into the toilet tank was leaking so she called maintenance. So, a couple of Chinese guys came up to the apartment and she showed them the problem, they acknowledged the problem and turned off the water leading to the toilet and took off the leaky hose. They told her they would be back in three days with a new hose and that she could not use the toilet until they returned. She told them that would not work and they needed it fixed today. She could not get them to understand and they eventually left. On the phone, she strongly encouraged Tom to come home and help her because they needed a working toilet, so Tom left the office to rescue his wife. When Tom got to the apartment she took him in the bathroom and showed him the missing hose. He immediately called maintenance and told them that he needed them to come up to the apartment, three days without a toilet is ridiculous and they needed a solution. Five minutes later the same two guys knocked on the door and when Tom opened the door he gasped, one of the guys handed him a  bucket!  Tom thought they were suggesting they use the bucket,  when in fact,  they were suggesting they use the bucket to flush their toilet.  After all of this however,  maintenance fixed their toilet that evening!

This week we had an FSY Conference here in Hong Kong,  (For Strength of Youth).  The young men and women (and even some Primary children who joined in the service project),  prepared school kits for underprivileged children in China.  It was so cool.  This activity was the first day of their week long conference.

Elder and Sister Meurs were  honorary participants. They are wonderful.  Elder Meurs is a new member of the Asia Area Presidency.  He officially began his assignment August 1st,  but he's been here quite a bit the past couple of months.  They are from Australia.

This is Annie,  our Assistant Public Affairs Director.   Annie,  is a huge Minion fan,  and had been given these Minion glasses from someone who had just come back from the states. The other day we had a skype conference call with Salt Lake.  Dad and I were at our apartment,  Annie was at the office.  We were laughing so hard.  She didn't realize that we had her on our screen during the skype call.  It was so fun to show her this picture we took!

The Weeks are Flying By

News Room articles occupied most of our office time this week, providing us a great opportunity to practice our patience skills. Every since the upgrade of our Corus software we have struggled with the alignment of text and photos. The placement of priority content such as top stories versus a feature story in different page locations has also been difficult. Software support is a logistical problem in as much as we are located on the opposite side of the globe from Salt Lake, so we just fiddle around on the computer until we figure it out. We spent the better part of three days struggling before we conquered this electronic monster, but in the end, we finished our task.

We attended our first monthly Temple/Testimony session with Elder Peter F. Meurs, our newest General Authority called to serve as the second counselor in the Asia Area Presidency.  Elder Meurs and his wife shared testimonies as well as E/S Harmon and E/S Nielsen. The Nielsen’s have completed their Mission as the Area Humanitarian couple and are being replaced by the Harmons.

This monthly meeting is always special but when you add the emotions of Missionaries coming and going it is even more special.

Paul and Susan Hansen, our Alpine neighbors  arrived in Hong Kong about ten days ago.  Paul has worked for the Church these last fifteen years and was relocated to Hong Kong by the Church with responsibilities for all temporal affairs as the Director of Temple Affairs in the Asia Area. We've been to  dinner with the Hansen’s a couple of times now, we're excited they're here.

This week I was reading in the fifth volume of the History of the Church and I ran across a teaching that I felt a need to share. In the context of; “Happiness is the object and design of our existence” Joseph Smith taught the following principle:

“A parent may whip a child, and justly, too, because he stole an apple; whereas if the child had asked for the apple, and the parent had given it, the child would have eaten it with a better appetite; there would have been no stripes; all the pleasure of the apple would have been secured, all the misery of stealing lost.
     
This principle will justly apply to all of God's dealings with His children. Everything that God gives us is lawful and right; and it is proper that we should enjoy His gifts and blessings whenever and wherever He is disposed to bestow; but if we should seize upon those same blessings and enjoyments without law, without revelation, without commandment, those blessings and enjoyments would prove cursing’s and vexations in the end, and we should have to lie down in sorrow and wailings of everlasting regret…”

Left to right -  Tom Crocket and his wife Cory (Tom is the Director of Public Affairs),  Annie Wong (Assistant Director),   us,  and our good friends from Alpine,  Susan and Paul Hansen.  Paul has recently started working for the Church here in the Asia Area Office as the Director of The Department of Temporal Affairs.  It's so fun to have Paul and Susan here.  We will be working closely with Paul.  It's been so fun to get together with he and Susan.

Serving in the Temple on Sunday

Today,  the last Sunday of July is one of three or four Sundays in the year that the Hong Kong Temple opens its doors on the Lord’s Sabbath and welcomes Filipino Sisters who in the capacity of domestic workers in a foreign country, can participate in ordinances reserved for a personal Temple visit.

 The Temple, because of its size and architecture can facilitate two endowment sessions in two different rooms set apart by a fifteen-minute interval. The work begins by receiving Sisters upon the completion of a special combined Sacrament Meeting hosting five Filipino Branches held in the Chapel across the street. Besides the thirty-eight sisters, times two, filling the endowment rooms, sisters fill two sealing rooms, two initiatory booths, and the baptismal font as well. Other than a few brethren used as witnesses during the endowment sessions all the patrons in the Temple today are sisters.

 All the workers in the Temple are Senior Missionaries except for a few local workers and two sealers. Karen worked today in the new name booth, initiatory, and the veil.  While helping with the initiatory work she was responsible for two sisters receiving their own endowments. I spent time witnessing and participating as a patron in sealings, prayers and veil work. It is hard to describe the joy experienced in the amount of work that is completed with a well-organized army of sisters in just half a day.

 Hundreds of Sisters whose only free day of the week is Sunday will be participating.  Many anxious and waiting ancestors and others will receive ordinances today that will allow them to move forward, and those good sisters that participate in today’s work will realize blessings from their individual efforts forever.

 “And again, verily I say unto you, I command you again to build a house to my name, even in this place that you may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life. You may prove yourselves unto me that ye are faithful in all things whatsoever I command you, that I may bless you, and crown you with honor, immortality, and eternal life.” History of the Church Volume Four. 

Sister Bannagao and Sister Bacolcol serve in our Saturday Branch.  They are both from the Philippines.  We love the Sister Missionaries here in Hong Kong!

Every other Saturday after our block of meetings the Filipino Sisters prepare dinner,  it's always a feast!  

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