More Mission Experiences

This week we bid farewell to Lisa and Ryan, spent more time than usual in the Temple, and ended the week with the Vienna Boys’ Choir.

Lisa and Ryan left Tuesday morning to return to the States. We already miss them but know we will see them and the rest of our family soon. We have less than two months left to serve and are beginning to feel the reality that we are in the home stretch of our Mission.

We worked in the Temple Wednesday evening as weekly Ordinance Workers with Patrons from Cambodia, China, and Hong Kong. The Cambodians are always a special session because most of them cannot read as a result of the Khmer Rouge Occupation.   They are all relatively young but are so attentive and so eager to learn when receiving their Endowment. We had a wonderful evening.

The next morning, we attended our monthly special Session with the Area Presidency. Because we will be going home soon Karen and I were asked to Officiate and Follow the Session.   After the Session we met for our small testimony meeting where Elder and Sister Tong shared their final testimonies before returning home this month. Elder and Sister Hyde then shared their testimonies as the newest Missionaries to arrive. President Funk then shared as part of his Testimony a story that we think is worth sharing.

He said that while sitting in the session he was pondering how wonderful the Temple is and how good it feels to be in the Temple. While thinking, he reflected to a time some years ago when he was released as a Stake President. In the process of selecting a new Stake President and all the distraction associated with the change he had neglected to renew his recommend knowing that it would expire in a few weeks. He attended the Temple a few days after the release and the worker at the front desk pointed out to him that his recommend would soon expire. Even with this reminder he forgot to renew his recommend,  and the next week went to the Temple with his now expired recommend. As he got out of his car in the Temple parking lot and began to walk toward the Temple it occurred to him that he did not have a current recommend. He knew, because he had been a Stake President, that without a current recommend he could not enter the Temple. He knew the worker at the front desk, he knew the Recorder the Assistant Recorder, and all the Temple Presidency personally and they knew him, but he also knew that without a current recommend that he could not enter the Temple. He went back to his car feeling terrible and made a promise to himself that he would never allow himself to be in a position again of not being able to enter the Temple.  

After our testimony meeting,  the Temple President then asked if any Senior Couples could help Friday morning because forty American couples were coming in from China. These couples all teach English in different Universities throughout China and can come to Hong Kong and attend the Temple once a year. We saw this as a good opportunity so we spent the morning in the Temple helping out.

The Vienna Boys Choir performed Saturday night at the Town Hall in Sha Tin and we with several other Senior Couples attended the concert. I was a bit apprehensive, but I thought it would be a special treat for Karen,  so I attended in support.  It was, after all, a once in a life time experience to hear them in Hong Kong.   I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the performance, although not my preferred music genre, they were very impressive. Maybe all Karen’s effort over the years  is paying off and I am a diamond in the rough!  Actually,  we always enjoy all the activities we do with all the other Senior Missionaries!