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Monday, September 4, 2017

Temple Experiences

This week was about Temple experiences, a third typhoon and possibly one of the reasons I’m in Hong Kong.

Two separate storms developed over the ocean into hundred mile an hour plus winds and serious amounts of water crashed into land masses within a hundred kilometers of Hong Kong within five days of each other. The first, a historic storm that measured 10 on the Hong Kong Warning System a spin off  of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, the second storm measured 8. A third storm began to develop this week and the cautionary storm warning was hoisted indicating a storm to reach land this weekend. Computer models were projecting it to reach land within a hundred kilometers of Hong Kong making it a third typhoon in ten days to reek havoc here.  Fortunately, the storm moved north and landed a hundred and fifty miles north of Hong Kong. The force of these storms is so incredible that although we did not get the hundred mile and hour winds, we received buckets of rain which will cause flooding on the peninsula.

We had a group of twenty Laos members come to Hong Kong this week to attend the Temple. The patron-housing units were full of not only those from Laos but also members from India and Thailand as well. When we went to the Temple Wednesday evening for our weekly assignment we were told that there were eighteen first time endowments  on Tuesday as well as sixteen sealings. In our session, we had fifteen patrons representing all the above-named countries. The session was presented in Cantonese, the witness’s spoke mandarin and the rest of the company from Laos and India. The Patrons were very well prepared so they could perform  many Ordinances including Washings, Anointings, Baptisms, and Sealings that evening.

Sunday, we had another special Sabbath Temple Day. Although it was raining for most of the day, the hundreds of domestic workers that participated would not have had the opportunity if the storm had not moved north. (Another Mission Miracle)

 I had the opportunity to officiate in one of the sessions with Karen that was so full we brought in folding chairs to accommodate the faithful Patrons. It was a good session and another special Mission experience for Karen and me.  The Temple was busy all day with Endowment Sessions,  as well as baptisms,  sealings, and initiatory.

At the end of the session one of the Chinese Sealers and I talked for a while about the Chan family that I became acquainted with on my first mission. The Sealer remembered me from Rita and Alvin’s Temple Sealing because (he had sealed them). He asked me if I would approach the Chai Wan Ward’s Bishop and help him find Chan Gaa Yan’s Mother and Father. The Bishop knows that they have some age issues that would keep them from attending Church regularly but would like to assign them Home Teachers and maybe send the Priests with the Sacrament.

He then discussed Chan Gaa Yan with me and suggested that this may be the very purpose than I am here, to help him back into Church activity. It’s given me a lot to think about and I hope that if this is the case I’ll be able to find a way. (I think Nephi gave some council on this)


Sister Arago and Sister Rodriguez.  They are both from the Philippines and serve here in Hong Kong.  Melody is a member of our Saturday Branch.  She is going home to the Philippines to get married,  the members in our Branch had a shower for her after Church.   

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